Business Study Mission to Israel

For a brief description (and some pictures) of the trip, please visit http://wildarms7.livejournal.com

only because i'm too lazy. but i'll write some more stuff and post some pictures soon. + stuff from the birthday and christmas, etc...

Blessed Christmas and Hapy New Year everyone! (:

some through the fire, some through the flood

wow! it just occurred to me that i havent blogged in ages.

an entire term. the whole term just went by. poof. just like that.

saw someone's nick on msn saying that university life is a marathon, not a sprint... but i think it's more like a perpetual sprint.. and it's very very exhausting. i still believe that pple are motivated by deadlines tho. at least, i am. it's really amazing how a typical project meant to be done over weeks can be literally 'churned' out in a matter of hours. at sm(u), we're being moulded into report and presention churners, very much like production workers. much scheming and planning goes into carefully ensure that the deadlines are spread out qutie evenly over the term, so that the workload doesnt get too unbearable at any given point in time, especially towards the end of the term.

this term was quite abnormal for me.

i thought i had everything under control with everything planned out (kinda anyway). i told myself that 6 mods wasnt such a big deal since i would survive somehow, so i might as well live through more within a given timeframe. heh. halfway through the term, i was still enjoying my long-awaited holidays since i didnt get any all summer. there weren't even mid-term tests to wake me up from my slumber, save for 1 - ethics, which didn't require much studying anyway. there were some presentations tests, and proj deadlines set for slightly after mid-term, but they ALL happened to be pushed back, so the net result was having ALL 5 projects and the various misc tests in weeks 11-13. yesterday is a case is point. there were 3 projs due, and they were all in shambles. AMA was the most stable because the report was actually out- only we just had to find out on thurs that we got therequirements wrong, and we were 3000 words over the limit. what does one do, when caught in that kind of a situation on a thurs afternoon, and with the other 2 reports not started on? ans: spend the afternoon cutting the AMA report anyway... and spend the night rushing a bit of the other 2 projs. so income tax was left to friday; and equities, well, it's still in progress, since the deadline got pushed back to monday. spent 12pm -12am in the library writing/compiling/editing/formatting the income tax report.

anyway, just to sum up a term of projects... project mates really made the difference for me this term. i had really 'heck-care' groupmates, who didnt initiate any thing or respond to emails, and really super on team-mates, who kept up with meetings and constantly set up more (a working style which doesnt really suit me)... and most imptly, i had luyi, who saved me from loads and loads of crap. i really dunno how i would have survived without her! thanks babe, can we please bid for MORE courses together....? heh.

adrenaline. it's what keeps you from being the easily distracted person you usually are, and also helps you forget hunger and not even notice the back ache from sitting on a backless stool for hours. it's as if your body knows that it isnt the right time to disturb the brain with such trivialities.

relief. is what overwhelms you after you hit 'submit'. you can only look back at the miracle and thank God, who seemingly tried to give you a chance to manage your time but you fail and he had to step in for a rescue mission. and your head finally has time to hear your body's cry again.

with lu and chian @ our cafe galilee corner around midnight on friday/sat with the fruit of our 12-hour labour... (sounds wrong. heh)

at sm(u), study-break = holidays because you're liberalised from the snare of projects... ; exams are an after-thought- even if they're 40% ; and birthdays, well... what birthday?

well, on a brighter note: only 2 more weeks till proper rest and holiday! about that same number of days till david comes home, and israel beckons, tho with it comes a different set of worries...
___________________________________________________________

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,

God leads His dear children along;

Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,

Some through the fire, but all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,

In the night season and all the day long.

Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,

God leads His dear children along;

Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,

God leads His dear children along.

Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,

God leads His dear children along;

Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,

God leads His dear children along.

a perfect song which i was humming quite a bit this week... and goes hand in hand with my favourite verse too!

Isaiah 43:2 (King James Version)
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

one from the shepherd

my shepherd's so funny.... i love this letter...! yay...

i should be a good sheep and write back soon!

no more work!

yayyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bye bye to 18 weeks of internship

hello to 14 weeks of school

relief.

everyone was requesting prayer to 'start the engine' at fcm last wednesday... i'm in a frantic search for mine. i'm like 3455037 km behind alr....

panic.

introducing......

carol

the (aspiring) mugger.

this is a totally pointless post.

the garden of eden

had an interesting 'westminster confession of faith' class today. here're some snippets of it:

context: we were discussing the covenant of works, which adam and eve were under, before the fall. while trying to read through genesis 2:8 - 3:24, we got interrupted so many times...

carol: where is the garden of eden now? is it in iraq? is it a physical place on this earth?
eld boon: yeah, people think it's in iraq cos of the reference to the rivers mentioned?
jonnie: so where in the middle east is there gold?
carol (acts smart): oil is also known as black gold...
ji en: nah, you've to find Havilah (c.f. gen 2:11) it's like a treasure map!
jonnie: Gihon must have dried up since ethiopia is so _____.

random not-so-funny comment
eld boon: so you can see from here (gen 3: 7) that adam and eve were the first fashion designers....... and they were trying to cover up their nakedness, but the fashion designers of the world are trying to reveal more of that...

on gen 3:16-19 - the curse.
eld boon: so, what does it mean to multiply 'thy conception'? does that mean the modern women, some of whom are in the room now, are breaking the curse by not having children?
carol: ......
rachel: why is it breaking the curse?
ji en: be fruitful and multiply!
eld boon: imagine conceiving your whole life..
rachel: like those people who have 12 kids..
carol: but they used to live 900 years... so they had lots of time.

eld boon: 'thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee'.
carol: does that mean that if eve had not eaten the fruit, there might actually be gender equality?
cherie: and if adam ate the fruit first, the men might be the ones conceiving instead...

eld boon: for the men, in sorrow shall thou eat of the fruit of the ground all the days of thy life... so they'll work hard to earn a living, and the women can just stay at home and be tai-tais...
carol (enthusiastically): yup!
[darn i should have made him repeat that a 2nd time so that i could have recorded it]
rachel (trying wayy too hard to sound noble): i want to have kids and work all my life
[nice try, i'll ask you again in a few years...]

on pork
eld boon: thou shalt eat the herb of the field, so adam and eve were vegetarians.
jonnie: so when did they start eating meat?
eld boon: after the flood...
(that was something the rest of us didn't know... but the reference is in gen 9)
jonnie: and when did they start eating pork?
eld boon: after peter's dream...
(and so began the extended digression about pork)
jonnie: but in gen 9: 3 it says that "every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you", so that includes pork...
eld boon: good point, homework for you, find out for us.......
(and the task gets pushed around until it reaches ji en)
ji en: nah, i've an immediate solution, check the hebrew text, i'm sure it says "every moving thing except the pig", so let's just leave it as that...
cherie (mutters): hai yah why do we care, since we can eat pork now?
eld boon: i think it's gotta do with the abrahamic covenant... with abraham, isaac and jacob, who was israel
carol: so you can't be a jew unless you were born after jacob.
(jonnie, still dissatisfied, refers to leviticus and reads out the whole list of things that the jews cannot touch)
eld boon: so there was no kosher until after that... and the key idea of having a list of animals which they cannot eat was because of?
sharon: blood.
(hahahahaha, all animals have blood lor....)
jonnie: separation.

(ok case closed)

on being herbivores and more digression
eld boon: anyway, so all the animals were herbivores. but after the fall, they started to kill each other, like the horrible hyenas i saw at the night safari yest... (cos of the 50% discount thingy)
carol (mutters, a little too loudly): how come he has a 50% discount?
rachel (anyhow whacking): he must be a friend of the zoo
(upon which we all crack up)
eld boon (senses the commotion): yes?
rachel: carol wants to know why you have a 50% discount, because she wants to go to the night safari?
eld boon: i'm a friend of the zoo!
(WHAT?!? HAHAHA he's a friend of the zoo)
(after which jonnie trys to sell carol 50% discounts to the night safari in hushed whispers.... hahaha)

more about the garden of eden (gen 3:22-24)
ji en: so why did God stop them from eating from the tree of life by expelling them from the garden after the fall?
eld boon: cos it will give them eternal life... and what state were they in?
ji en: sin
eld boon: so if they eat the fruit, they will...
sharon (brilliantly): have no hope of salvation
carol: how you know?
cherie: she was just completing the sentence...
eld boon (rather sarcastically): what if they tricked the cherubims and sneaked back into the garden?
jonnie: they are only guarding the east entrance....

(and that was the last brilliant answer in a really funny class)

one day i'm gonna find the lost garden of eden....

infection frustration

go away go away go away

who can understand the frustration of having just a little infection on a little part of one not-so-little finger?

sure, it's difficult to type properly, i'm sure most pple can identify with that. (at least, those pple who actually type with all their fingers)

but

who can understand the frustration of pianist having just that little infection on that little part of a rather important finger?

how about a half-past-six pianist who can't even play the pieces with 10 fingers? how about a half-past-six pianist with half-baked skills and 6 pieces to play in 2 days, and only 9 fingers?

desperation, frustration, despair and tears all blend together to give an immensely salty-bitter after-taste.

send a miracle. make all these horribles go away.

4 weeks overdue

finally met up with my wonderful .I.E. colleagues (or ex-fellow-interns should i say), for lunch today. they're such a sweet bunch, came all the way to raffles place... i would love to think that it was solely to meet me and to accomodate my 1-hour lunch (as opposed to, *ahem*), but i later realised that kenneth had an ulterior motive. he managed to con everyone to eating at this spicy ramen place at far east sq, but too bad he only managed to con jiahuan into ordering the ramen with 4 chillis (what's the plural of chilli?) beside it. poor jiahuan was laboured much in terms of perspiration drops to finish the bowl... nonetheless, it was great meeting up and hearing the stories... and here are the pictures which have been sitting in my comp for 4 weeks now.

introducing... our favourite place in the entire office! (:

SAMEA (south asia, middle east and africa) interns

the sofas outside the rec club where we hang out sometimes (strictly only during lunch hour(s) of course :p)

our all-time favourite game(s), i think i've moved up a notch from beginner to 'intermediate'. one day i'll be able to take on the likes of kenneth, marc and sebas. haha. yeah right.

k now for the serious stuff...

thats our office. power packed. even my PA has 2 laptops. we're all busy pple, we are.

that's my impersonator (also known as our most frequent visitor), trying to usurp my authority of "big boss"! hee hee

the following series of pictures are just febri, zhuangman and ken playing a fool in our room. go figure what they are trying to do. confusing, but entertaining i must say.

i honestly don't know what that was, but what we really wanted to take was the door. ys and i are forever grateful to him for the wonderful office space... and the air filter. haha.

lunch with our supervisor on my last day (ys should be glad he got a free meal cos of me!)

thanks a lot, guys, for the sweet not-so-little PURPLE book. really didn't expect it, but believe me, it was only the people that made those 10 weeks so much more survive-able, and not just that, loads of fun too.

have a great last 2 weeks there! (:

the worst class in RJ

26 June 2007- plaza singapura.
Back (L-R): nikhil, chuen kang, eddie, jinghao, Reginald, dhruv, spencer
2nd row (L-R): Daniel, xinyi, yin ting, leslie, hwee boon, andee
Front: carol, zhen zhen

Oops, sorry this turned out so pixilated, guess it was too dark at our wonderful ‘blue light place’ (outside the Dubliner) where we meet to play stupid games… and hear Reginald sing (:

the working pple... sigh. regi, the smiley one; and nikhil, who's still too cool to smile. : (but aha! i have a pic of u smiling @ prom, the one and only... haha)

Updates:
1. Nikhil: medicine @ NUS, still as cheeky as ever
2. chuen kang: biochem @ Melbourne uni
3. eddie: physics @ Carnegie mellon (faithful to his calling as the physics rep… haha)
4. jinghao: econs and business @ michigan. Leaving on 22nd aug.
5. Reginald: graduating in 1 year! Interning as some big-shot investment banker @ JP Morgan now. Accountancy @ NTU. voice quality still as good.
6. Dhruv: chem engine @ cornell (leaving on 9th aug)
7. Spencer: accountancy and business @ smu. Busy studying ahead of starting school, sheesh.
8. Daniel: chem. Engine @ NUS, also busy revising math…
9. Xinyi: medicine @ monash, Melbourne (ms chia’s predictions came true)
10. yin ting: pharmacy @ NUS, busy working @ jurong polyclinic. Forgot our class… K
11. leslie: biology @ Harvard. Leaving on 31st aug
12. hwee boon: econs (or engineering? Sorry…) @ duke
13. andee: biology@ imperial. Leaving on …. (sorry slipped my mind!)
14. carol: business and accountancy @ smu. Interning @ Barclays. Hopes tt everyone will remember her when they become rich and famous (:
15. zhen zhen: medicine @ NUS. Queen of charades and all things silly… haha (:

missing pple:
16. charmain: biology@ york. Not coming home this summer L
17. Sabrina toh: medicine @ Birmingham. Home! (and her birthday was on 29th june..)
18. Sabrina ngasein: medicine @ NUS. Updates?
19. Sheryl: medicine @ NUS.
20. Yilin: medicine @ NUS
21. Wee xiang: medicine @ msia (comes back on weekends quite regularly, was in town when we had our gathering, but was too tired to come K)
22. yao jane: (she hasn’t told me what)@UNSW. Coming back end of the year!
23: manveen: (something) @university of Toronto. Haven’t heard from him in ages!
24. hui han: law @ smu? (at least that’s how the rumour goes..)
25. shu en: dentistry @ Melbourne uni. Migrating to aust?

Yay we accounted for everyone, and the turnout at the last outing was quite good.... :)

no time to die

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

orange is the present season; green is the season to be longed for

blue is what i believe in

there is no time to die now

maybe later.

a lil' break

new-found not-so-skillful skills in photography.

colourful random moments

the smelly air of pretense

i cant stand unappreciative and pretentious people; i dislike feeling cheated; and i don't believe in flaunting popularity, with the compromise of true friendship.

not everything can be important to one in life, why pretend that some things are when they clearly aren't?

but like they say, when u point a finger at others, there are 3 others pointing back at you.

time for mid-year reviews.

MAYbe, MAYbe not

it's a trap. busy-ness is self-inflicted, and mundane-ness is a choice. having a fulfilling life is not the same as having a filled life.

the month of may came and went. the past weeks passed in a flurry, as usual. mummy left and came back and i think she's accomplished a lot more than me while i was too busy being busy. i got used to my job, settled into the routine of being out from day to night (and being late for work everyday), rushing around everywhere, tiring myself out, and then suffer from lack of sleep. and then i ask, what on earth am i doing?

some time, some how, you've got to get a grip on your own life. you can't let activities take charge and dictate the flow of life. it's meaningless. in fact, after all the hectic-ness, i don't seem to even remember what was it i've done, and for what.

the last public holiday of the season passed yesterday. it was vesak day. and the day that adrian and carolyn (finally) got married. super awkward day, but it was quite enjoyable overall i guess. weddings are beautiful affairs, or meant to be. stan wanted to use the BC/AD thing for emcee-ing, but i told him that it would be more appropriate for me. haha. owellz, it was the wrong crowd for him to unleash his wit on anyway... haiz, missed the opportunity to catch up again, tho he did try to rescue me a few times from my table of more mature adults, most of whom i've never met in my life. (eh i wanted to take a pic but u left so fast- to track the weight thing you know...)

just like that, friday came and went as well. i think singaporeans can no longer live sans their phones, without feeling uncomfortable. my phone chose to die on me even before i got to work today (but after i woke up, thank God- no alarm otherwise!). i was quite anxious the whole time, waiting for kenneth to bring a nokia charger for me (which turned out to be a wrong one anyway...). but alas, when i finally recharged it at night, there were only 4 msges. i should have know that i wasn't that impt! what was i thinking...?

ok actually the only reason why i mentioned kenneth is cos i wanted to introduce the next picture, us at work. this is ken's desk, which he shares with camy. the size of that cubicle is slightly bigger than the one yaosheng and i used to share due the the absence of some annoying cupboards under the table. BUT, things have taken a turn for the better for us. Come monday, we get to shift to a room! wow! with a view and all, i think... (didn't get down to drawing the blinds today so i dunno where its facing yet, but it's a corner room so there are 2 windows!) well, we still have to share it, but at least we dun have to squeeze into 1 puny cubicle anymore... and when im gone, he'll have the whole room to himself. like some towkay! haha.

ok anyway after rambling so much, here's the pic (it was friday, so we're all rather casually dressed)


tomm's another packed day (what's new?) training at some unearthly hour, lunch with yingyi, vel and zhimin, yf, weiqing's 21st at loof (shucks what to wear!?! and the present how, flowers?)

dear mr Sun, please do not burn me again....

to cyprus with love

dear mummy,

please come home soon. save us from this mess.

love, carol

run with patience.

i'm exhausted. drained mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

but just when i feel like breaking, a new wave of enthusiasm, zeal, resolve and even encouragement sweeps over. it's God's way of telling me to press on and continue... there are no breaks in service, but please just let me stop and breathe.

just when i was feeling so stressed over fcm camp, realising suddenly how much responsibility i shoulder, and being on the verge of breaking down last night, i am reminded again that the stregth i need so badly will never be found in myself. ironically, attending the meeting this morning being really scared cos i hadn't completed the tasks, and rather disheartened because of fatigue, helped put some things into perspective again. the meeting that i dreaded so much proved to be much needed in helping me complete this last leg of the work for the camp.

ironically (again), just when im feeling so disheartened and sian about yf, a record number of pple turned up for prayer meeting today. and i didn't prepare any devotion. in fact, i wasn't even there for most of it. tried to take a quick nap in the afternoon and i never woke up for a long time. what a rebuke. then, the quality of singing was so good today i couldnt believe my ears. everytime there's a glimmer of hope, i feel all enthusiastic again, but time and time again, i feel like a fool to believe that things are getting better. but today i almost felt that i had sufficient strength to go on for a few more months. and then i think of sports day, and my lack of ideas and time.

emotionally, the internship saga is taking its toll on me. and it's not even a closed case. but its only because i'm trying too hard to settle it all rationally, and my puny, finite brain is not made for handling such mind-boggling stuff. once again, i failed to draw on the limitless supply of strength that has been availed to me.

attended the vigil service last night. it was sobering indeed. i cannot fathom how such a young boy can so maturely face death with such faith and serenity. it never seemed so real to me, even while i was at CCF. those few months are now but a distant memory, and it was just LTB. but this made me wonder how nicholas is doing. i wonder if he managed to go home to his country at all. i think of the photo i had promised to send but never did, and i remember the bravery he displayed. how do you accept your destiny? and how can i take each completed chapter of life for granted? i didn't even know him, only saw him a few times, heard lots from my mum etc, i dunno why i teared. (and all david had to say was 'did you collect them in a bottle since they're so hard to come by?' sheesh) why all the strife when death equalises all men? ok i shant go on lest it becomes too morbid.

run with patience. that truly sounds like a tall order. hupomone. endurance. but actually i think the harder part is to run. all i ask is strength for the week.

of accidents

imagine getting your finger caught by the car boot, leaving you helpless and screaming for help because you cannot move. imagine no one comes to help you soon enough, because your car is parked in too secluded a lane.

this poor lady was in that exact circumstance, only her screams were heard by zm,ys and i as we strolled back to office from SMU admin bldg during lunch today. i've never seen such a horrific 'freak accident' in my life. her whole finger nail was black, as with the rest of the little finger. and she continued howling in pain for the next minute after zm and ys went to the front of her car to open the boot.

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

tuition was cancelled today (yay!) so i went shopping by myself for a short while. (i so wanted to buy that giraffe earrings, argh. i tried to go hunting for giraffe earrings after that, haha.) ok but thats not the story.

decided to buy dinner and walk home- something crazy i do once in a while when 1) i think i have a lot of time, 2) think i can get home faster than the bus can bring me (tho it comes once every 5 mins), 3)i try to psycho myself into thinking that i'm exercising or 4)i refuse to spent that 65cents. haha. my favourite times for doing that is after trng, which makes me even weirder, as if the long painful walk from bishan park to the mrt station under the scorching noonday sun that further exerts the exhausted muscles arent enough.

whatever.

so i decide to walk home today. alas! there was another accident at the junction, this time involving a van and a car. there was an ambulance, but no injured pple around. 2vehicles in the middle of the road (it was a major cross junction, mind you). no police car in sight. 300 had to go straight into the interchange, but got stuck at the traffic light. i overheard some uncles talking about the accident while waiting for the pedestrain light to turn green. as i walked towards the bus, i saw the bus driver's glum face and i was quite happy and amused. haha. cos he's the dude who always drives at 5km/h. and it really gets on my nerves when im in a rush (i.e. all the time). but it wasnt so funny anymore when i walked down a bit more, and another 300 approached the junction and got stuck too. and then another 300 a while later. i thought the police force is supposed to be very efficient? and why cant the accident vehicles just move themselves away since the accident wasnt that serious anyway?!

walking home also reminds me of the time in sec 2 when jan lim made sprint with her all the way back to school from far east to retrieve the cassette recorder (which we lost anyway) just 'cause the bus wasnt fast enough. but we did beat the bus in getting there. haha. as if that wasnt enough, she made us sprint back to far east again cos we 'might as well'. heh. i think we made it back to far east in record time man. in pinafore and tie and all. (or maybe it was day 8 culottes day). ahh, the good of pbl days. haha. i should go find a picture of how silly we looked in lower sec. haha, one of the pictures we took in the library where no one read any book, and which was noisier than a fish market during prep time. i love rgs. haha. made me tha slacker i now am.

ok that was quite random. but things like that break the monotone of work-home-being tired-work-etc.

A Mother's Beatitudes

Blessed is the mother who understands her child, for she shall inherit a kingdom of memories.

Blessed is the mother who knows how to comfort, for she shall possess a child's devotion.

Blessed is the mother who guides by the paths of righteousness, for she shall be proud of her offsprings.

Blessed is the mother who is never shocked, for she shall receive confidence.

Blessed is the mother who teaches respect, for she shall be respected.

Blessed is the mother who emphasizes the good and minimizes the bad, for in like manner the child shall make evaluations.

Blessed is the mother who treats her child as she would be treated, for her home shall be filled with happiness.

Blessed is the mother who answers simply the startling questions, for she shall always be trusted.

Blessed is the mother who as character strong enough to withstand the thoughtless remarks and resentments of the growing child, for again, in due time, she shall be honoured.

Happy mother's day, mummy! i/we love you.

(though you'll never read this...)

nice shot by uncle ting kok! i think flowers make all girls look pretty, but i think my mummy's just pretty anyway.

Thanks 'ren for organising all the gifts and card, love you too for always being the thoughtful (and arty) one!

(and thanks aaron for buying the carnations for us, sorry you didn't have enough money left to buy flowers for your mum after that!)

our vocation

sometimes, i think my sister's the funniest person on the earth. but then again, she's one of the few pple who think i'm funny as well. haha.

she chaired today's YF meeting, and for the closing song, she went. ".... let's sing 'i'm a soldier', to remind us of our vocation", which was well and good since the topic was on the armor of God anyway.

then, she added. "ok, actually it's just alvin's vocation."

......

ok actually it's not that funny anymore. but i was the only person laughing! :\

first week of work

so it's finally friday.

the week has been long, and short. i dunno, i cant decide. but i'm really tired now after coming home really late last night, and i cant think. so im doing mindless stuff like blog instead. it's about 1 hour to lunch.

thank God that the week has been rather smooth, and uneventful. the novelty of work is still there, but i'm beignning to feel the strain, and constraints as well. here are some pics i took yest:


the 'view' from the pathetic little window. but its already a good thing i can actually look out i guess. i think this is lavender/kallang? i don't really know.


my little corner: the laptop strategically turned at an angle away from anyone walking past (can u spot the orange msn toolbar flashing? haha), the magazines i've been flipping through all week, the 2 pathetic files i got, the cup which holds the liquids that keep me going, and the glass panel in front of me which i use as a 'mirror' (i.e. to see who's coming from behind, how sneaky :p reminds me totally of how i used to check the rear mirror while driving in US, only for the cops.)


my colleague, or fellow intern, zhuang man, who's working for the india (south asia) desk. haha we wrote our names and pasted them on the cupboard, in which i hide all my secret treasures (: (read: chocolate and other yummy stuff) also in this picture: the nice big map i printed of ME and north Africa, so that i can finally tell where all the places are. i tell you, i've not learnt so much about the middle east in my entire life than in the last 3 days. information overload. and i think it's gonna grow exponentially over the next 3 months.


the stack of MEED (middle east economic digest) magazines, which are, really outdated, and *clears throat*... dry. most of the stuff are irrelevant anyway, i scan them for the keyword: china. and that's not the only stack btw, i already returned 1 stack, this is my 2nd. but reading some articles here and there are rather eye-opening i must say. i am actually enticed to go visit dubai with its beautiful little palm-shaped offshore islands, or algeria, with its picturesque landscpae, or saudi arabia and the dunes... i'm such a travel freak.


the file. i painstakingly printed maps of each country to stick them onto the dividers, which by the way, i had to improvise on, cos they would only give us the 1st 4 labels, out of 10 (a.k.a leftovers)

overall, i'm generally thankful for a good working envirnment, pleasant pple, and a not-so-stressful job. and nice surprises like bowling later today. except i need my nap first...

i really don't want to work next time. i'll be quite happy slacking at home, thankyouverymuch.

God moves in a mysterious way

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

Blind unbelief is sure to err

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

- William Cowper

Beautiful hymn. Poetic lyrics pregnant with meaning, aptly describing the the sense of awe and thankfulness i feel now.

i got my internship. at last.

nothing glamourous, nothing that i had ever imagined, nothing of my own merit. All of grace and divine providence. The events of the last day have left me truly humbled.

i merely sent in an application for an internship with IE to dubai cos i was enticed by the opportunity to travel. anyhow did the application in the wee hours of the morning because i was rushing the coy law project. the application had closed the day before. i hand delivered the application the next morning, not after getting lost and walking around the entire vicinity. messed up the sealing of the envelope and had to use the hand-dryer in the toilet before hurriedly submitting it to HR.

clean forgot about it until they called me on monday to say that they would like to consider me for a local internship instead, so i half-heartedly agreed to the interview. i tried to make things difficult when the guy called up to arrange for an interview, and the time never got settled that day. the next morning (tuesday), while i was bz preparing for dine-out, they called and said the interview will be that same afternoon. didnt even give it a 2nd thought and thought i'd just go for the interview experience. survived dine-out with a very sunburnt and peeling face, and even had the cheek to slack before the interview. didn't attempt to find out about the company or anything. went for the interview, and arriving at 5pm on the dot because i stupidly took the wrong train to dhoby ghaut instead of bugis. i thought it was finished. all unsettled and unprepared, i chatted with the guy and didn't even know enough about the middle east. wasn't that nervous cos i felt i didn't have anything to lose. tried to sound enthusiastic but i thought he could see through the facade. i even had the nerve to ask for a week off for church camp in june. then i left, again without a 2nd thought.

mulled around in school without being productive. searched out al jilani for a brayani dinner with jm and sebas. the whole time we were talking about how doomed we were because no one wants to hire us. it was quite a reflective chat actually, how we dun really have to be rich and famous to be happy in life. and how we should just apply for the UBS internship that was closing the next day. went home with the intention to study all night, but i never woke up from my nap at 3am. only woke up when the guy from IE called again at 9+ in the morning. i foolishly thought it was ING and gave him all the wrong details like how i applied in jan to the corporate finance dept haha, and treated myself to a false sense of elation when i heard i got the internship. i asked who i was speaking to, and then i realised that it was IE who had called. heh.

then began the flurry of activity.

didn't really want to take it up because i knew/ thought it wouldn't fulfill my acctcy requirements. confirmed with OCS that it couldnt. i even came up with some alternative solutions, but decided to try and ask them to alter the job scope. lots of pple told me it was close to impossible. but since i've already been so thick-skinned, might as well just try. the IE guy kept calling to ask if i'd accepted the internship via ontrac yet.

spent almost the whole day waiting around of emails, every call i made i was so nervous. but beyond my wildest imaginations, they actually did alter the job scope, and it sounded really finance and accountancy related. forwarded to OCS and waited somemore. words cannot describe the sense of relief i felt when they finally replied to say that it was approved.

the job isn't all the applicable to what i really want to do in life (which is nothing, really). neither is the pay anywhere close to decent. but i really cannot complain. that's 1 heavy burden lifted off. so many things depended on this. i can even go for church camp, amazing. i had prayed, but i never really trusted. the thing was, He knew the future all along. I didn't dare to trust. silly me.

Truly, God moves in the most mysterious of ways.
Soli Deo Gloria.

take heart, my friends (esp u, jm). He makes all things beautiful in His time. Do you dare believe?

being a good steward of money

tsk. tried to account for the amount i helped debbie collect on sat, and it was once again proven that i'm a lousy *beep (or whatever sound it is that taboo makes)* steward of money. i never know where my money goes.i really think i've been dropping money or something, sigh. i should keep a ledger for myself! haha maybe my accounting would improve.... heh.

but it's a new week, and once it's over the new week will dawn - the one with the exams. another terrible issue in the lives of lazy students like me. :

in other news, my phone spent the night in the deep (and dusty) hollows behind my bed. conveniently (and clumsily) swiped it off, causing it to plunge about 1.6 metres. there was no way i could retrieve it cos my sis was sleeping below. the thing was, the phone didnt die at all, so when it fell i could see a blue light in the little gap. AND, i set the alarm for 930. so it rang but i couldnt turn it off no matter how much i wanted to sleep some more. haha it was quite an effective way of waking me up! then began the rescue mission. had to carry the heavy mattress away so that the frame would be lighter. and i actually managed to pull the frame out by myself and retrieve the poor phone. i was really quite determined to get my phone back - probably why it felt relatively easier to pull than to push, tho logically pushing should be easier. but my the time i got it back, i didn't really want to exert the same strength to push it back in. shows how powerful the mind is. we can probably accomplish a lot more if i really wanted to. but i'm too laid-back.

ok, since i woke up so early, i better make sure today is well-spent!

an insanely mad day

it's about 2am now. i've been awake since 6am. ok i cheated. only woke up at 6.20am, but i'm just quite amazed that i survived today... really tired but i guess i'll just type this while waiting for mr math freak to be done showering...

had to go to sengkang (read: some forsaken, faraway land that requires a passport.. to that effect) for frisbee IVPs. and i had to be there by 8, which explains the early rise-and-shine. of course i didn't make it. after a tumultous journey, i arrived at 8.20am i think. met yinglu at jurong east and she was going to chinatown for the TCM internship so i was talking to her till then. never knew NEL took so long. and sengkang happens to be the 2nd last stop.

the field was terrible. i really cannot comprehend the rationale for choosing to play at sengkang. plus there are no proper toilet/bath facilities, which greatly impaired my attempts to leave early.

*warning: do not read further if you dun understand ultimate, you'll find it wayyy boring...*

started off with a game against NUS. it started well, but still went down 4-7. was quite happy with myself cos i actually got my name on the stats sheet for once, with a few Ds. but thats cos it was easy to D la, obviously.

the draw was bad, we had 4 back-to-back games. NTU/NIE was up next. those PE teachers.. see how they run! they are insanely fit and fast and i was seriously dying. didn't do a good job and let slip only about a million Ds. tried to handle on O as well. was really glad for the opportunity, but i messed up more than i did well. i believe i have the look, and nowadays i'm not even afraid of the defender (unless it's ryan). but i'm just too lousy.

we went into the NYP game just hoping to hold them off for a while. i think all the girls played well by eliminating their girls from the game, but they were flexible enough to adapt. those pple who commented that our girls cant D for nuts ought to be shot. i think i took that girl out. no more wonderful stats tho. the disc didn't even go her way. heh. but because i'm too lazy and tired to cut, i was bad bad bad on O as well.

playing againt our other SMU team was just crazy. the sun was merciless, and i think i'm now a lobster as a result of that. as a team we didn't play well, but personally i feel that i did my job adequately. peiying's play was rather hampered i think. normally she'll be very active in the game receiving and throwing and all that. but i was so so so tired. got a stitch in tat game (i dunno from what! it was after lunch but i didnt even eat!). sat out for a while but decided to play on since it was ending already anyway. oh i had my first 'accident' in a frisbee game when i actually tried to save a disc but crashed into marc. my back really hurt and i couldnt move for a while, (which really reminded me of the jurong bird park incident eons ago) but it was ok after that i think. hope i dun get back aches when i grow old haha.

sometimes i really just want to give up. and in the middle of feeling so tired, i really really wonder what on earth i was thinking when i decided to join a competitive sport again... and i really just want to quit.

* ok you may resume here...*

anyway i stayed on till the last game before leaving for church. went to compass mall (or whatever it's called) to clean up and then walked out, only to realise that it was pouring. i was quite gleeful and proud of myself for escaping before i really had to be a pig and roll in the mud. but i discovered that they cancelled the game. only because i had to call peiying to find out where on earth the bus stop was. tuns out that she gave me the wrong bus number... grrr.... i think i walked around the perimeter of sengkang central looking for the busstop! and in the rain!
so i managed to be on my way, and did get to church, not before having to run all the way in under the heavy rain becasue the storm cloud decided to split open on me. when i arrived there i was totally soaked. there was no way i could stand up there to make the announcements and do the closing prayer. but we did have song pract for easter till like 7, which made me very late for denise's 21st.

rushed home (tho the bus took forever) to shower and change. i was so incredibly dirty the water was brown. yucks. by the time i got down to mandarin it was like 9+... sigh. socialised and caught up with some pple for a while until like 10plus. and at the same time got the eat my first proper meal of the day. the food was super super good, but i didn't have much appetite. sad.

next destination: marc's house, for the post-IVPs gathering... and it will be appropriate at this juncture to bring in the birthday cake incident. the whole thing wouldnt have happened if i hadnt tried to gei kiang and tried to celebrate someone's birthday at the gathering. suggested it to marc and he said he'll settle cos i wasnt gonna go for the gathering. at 5 plus before i reached church i called him to check if anyone was getting it, and he said no, so i said i'll go get it and bring it really late. so i went to lot 1 to try and get some strawberry cake, was quite happy when the label read 'strawberry short cake' so i happily just bought it. then the aunty had to dash my hopes and tell me that i must refrigerate it immediately. asked the pple at mandarin to refregerate it for me cos i was so scared that the cream would melt or something. anyway, when i was on the way to marc's place, he told me that amy alr got the cake and they just sang the birthday song. diao.... owellz. everyone just had a 2nd cake i guess. and what shortcake, isnt it just sponge cake with strawberries? heh..................

played all kinds of nonsense games and the piano till like 12plus. was so super exhausted i couldnt even think for taboo. but foozball is different. peiy and i beat isaac and gavin 10-1! haha how pro is that! oh the highlight was also having a record number of pple offering to send me home. but i better not elaborate too much, except that i got home safe, sound, and alive.

what a day.

forgettable me?

i think i have a wayy too forgettable character. i'm a typical unimpactful person, if there's even such a word. the kind that most people won't even think of normally, until they're forced to because of a less-than-welcome appearance. the kind where it wouldnt matter if gone.

actually, i think i'm just such a lousy friend, and it's simply a vicious circle. i never felt the need to have anyone very very very close, like a best best friend kind of thing. i think my primary school teacher noticed that, she actually asked me. that was during the whole primary school thing where everyone was in the 'i friend you, i dont friend you' stage. and it's so weird how i seem to relate better to guys, and the girls just keep away. it's not a bad thing to have only a few good friends, i feel. but it's just the desire to want to make more of an impact on other lives. how can i when i never try hard enough?

but i guess i can't handle too many, that's why God only gave me a few to constantly encourage and uplift? i should just stop complaining and count my blessings instead.

just a continuation of the recent spate of weird thoughts running through my empty head...

a weird day.

i want to say something but i dun really know what to say. in a really weird mood now. maybe i woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning. (but there are no sides, only stairs)

i had a really weird dream (which i actually remembered). won't go into the weird details, but it was situated in my old house. i had a really weird attitude, cos i really didn't want to go to school, so i dilly-dallied, and naturally, i was late. like, quite very late. was doubly late when i got back to class late after break. what a useless lesson.

was in a weird mood all throughout training. was quite excited abt it at first, but when it poured at about 1pm i was quite turned off. but i went anyway, and it went so so bad. i think im just not patient enough. and i get irritated way too easily. tried to handle again today cos i couldnt cut or catch for some weird reason. was quite happy with myself tho i was quite lost most of the time, and i was so scared that sebas would scream at me cos i dunno what to do. heh. handling is quite fun, and slack. but i guess i'm still stuck as a normal cutter in a real game, so i better get some sticky pads on my fingers.

but, like bren the top drawer, i can compartmentalise too! hence, i'm the bottom drawer. the only problem, is that i refuse to get out of the mood i'm in, cos it kinda gives me a license to slack as well. which is no good, cos i do have lots of things to do.

ok, it's weird how my sister is asking me stuff about grade 5 theory when i cant remember a thing! i took it in like primary 6, hello! my music is really bad now, i dunno what key everything's in. terrible. and jj's always scolding me for turning perfectly sad minor songs in happy major songs. yikes.

sigh, is this how it is to emo?

on a failing memory

this post is dedicated to sebas, for reminding me how forgetful i am. and for forcing me to think of examples that prove my point.

first, the conversation:

sebas says:
okok.... i will call adidas tmr... remind me if i havnt do so by the time i meet u
lorac says:
ok ill try heh
lorac says:
i have a worse memory than u i think
sebas says:
based on what do u say tt?
sebas says:
u r quite ok what
lorac says:
haha i forget a lot of things
lorac says:
cant quote an eg now
lorac says:
but im sure i do
sebas says:
haha.. i think ur explanation proved it then?
lorac says:
er haha yeah true

ok these are some of the things i forgot today:

1. i forgot about fcm today. happily went off after class and headed to carl's jr for breakfast/lunch/dinner. it was only after getting into the train that i received esther's msg asking if i was coming. and i intended to go actually, cant believe i forgot.

2. this morning i woke up thinking i could sleep in, and i did. totally forgot about FT until it was quite late. actually i forgot that i forgot to wake up, until i was talking to jiamin and remembered. and actually i forget my dreams the moment i wake up...

3. u know, the thing that you said i said in the beg of the term, haha see i dun remember what it is anymore!

4. our anniversary. (no no, not sebas and i) but since i forget every month and year, might as well la.

5. more often than not, i'll promise to do something with the whole intention of fulfilling it, but it will conveniently slip my mind.

6. i really really can't remember what else i forget! and i'm really thinking very hard already...

*edited: oops i forgot that i said i wanted to only talk about things i forgot today, so 5 and 6 are out of point...argh*

ok, i'll try to remind you tomm, sebas. haha dun count on it, tho. i've a poor and failing memory. :

i would like to think that it's over

great, no more presentations for the term, and 3 classes to go. yay! so school's kinda over i guess. not counting the dreaded exams... which descends upon us like a plague in about 12 days... *shudders*

has anyone read 'why do men fall asleep after sex?'

it's book that fills u with useless information and takes up precious brain space at this time of the year. but it kept me from worrying about being so very late for class today. slept a record number of hours last night (like 9.5hrs!) but i still overslept cos i switched off my phone in my dreams and naturally, the alarm didn't go off. brilliant.

and i've totally exhausted all my formal wear and had nothing to wear for FT today. and now to to fret over next week's dine-out: what to do with my unacceptable hair, and attire. (anyone willing to lend me a skirt suit?)

but i need to rest. wherever and whenever. like now, maybe.


haha a random pic just to add more colour to my blog.

another record was set when i watched tv for like 1 hour just now- bits of the 9 o'clock channel 8 show, and the results of the arena, which adrian pang was taking so painfully long to announce. haha in the end, UWC won, beating all the local schools flat (it wasnt even a close fight, heh). haha what does that show?

in other unrelated matters, tomorrow we turn 5. and i totally forgot. OOPS. amidst the mad rush, i never got down to writing and sending the card that i got a long time ago. owellz. i'll keep it for next year i guess. : er, happy anniversay, dear-thanks for reminding me. *sheepish smile* oh but that's not what i would like to think as over, though.

the week that killed me

it's wednesday, and i'm officially dead. i think i've been wayy too slack this term, and i didn't take charge of my planning my own schedule. ended up with 2 presentations in week 12 and 1 in week 13. so this is retribution for all the slacking the last 11 weeks.

last weekend was pure madness, i'm rather proud of the fact that i survived it actually. but come to think of it, it's probably not by my own strength because i could never last so long. last week was pretty mad, but i still managed to sleep about 4-5 hours a day, which of cos left me feeling very drained towards the end of the week. *ok actually i think i blogged about this already in the last post* ok the FIIM project was quite a disaster. we handed it up like 13 hours late, and that number doesnt even represent the total number of hours i slept over the weekend in total.

but i did it. i survived on:
1.5-2hours of sleep on friday night, woke up for training, rushed to church for combined meeting, and finally staggered home at like 9+. combined meeting was really good though. it was truly a blessing, and a time of upliftingg to see other youth groups so faithful, and how much effort they take to reach out. compared to our almost non-existent efforts. the bonding over games at west coast was good as well. but i nearly died. slacked throughout captain's ball, rounders, and their version of 'capture the flag'. tried to play a bit of ultimate too but there were too many pple who don't really know how to play. actually i dun think i can enjoy ultimate at a recre level because i just dunno what to do when it degenerates to captain's ball. but then again, that was pretty much how we played in JC as well, just that the guys were so good at it there weren't so many turnovers. but i like the way ultimate is played in the proper way, the concept's so different. pulled my thigh muscle for the first time in a long long time during the 1st go-to drill in the morning, and couldnt run much in the afternoon after that. maybe i'm getting more unfit.

fell asleep from 12midnight till 3am on sat night on the sofa. was so tempted to go sleep properly but i dragged myself to the comp to work on the stupid report and before i knew it, it was time to go to church. wanted to cry when i was sitting at the piano during choir practice. i was so exhausted my brain couldnt keep up with the song, and i couldnt turn the pages at the right times and couldnt remember the bars on the next page. seriously panicked cos there as a presentation, but thank God that while playing during the service, i just trusted that God will glorify himself regardless of how unworthy i was. i remembered the RPG reading a few days/weeks ago about how the Morse guy was so humble in thinking that he was merely the instrument which God was pleased to use to reveal the 'technology' to man. and his first message sent was 'what God hath wrought'. i'm glad that i felt at peace throughout the service, and i didn't fall asleep. haha.

it was karen's birthday on monday! so after church we went to fish and co at IMM. itwas a nice big family gathering (: but the clock was ticking and the project was almost due. owellz. that nite, i happilywent to sleep at 11plus, telling my mum to wake me up at 12 the next day. but it was not to be. the final outcome was that we handed the proj in like 13 hours late. after jm called me up at lik 6am, and actually came over to my place to print the report and do the ppt. owellz

we just presented, and actually i typed the bulk of this post in class. the Q and A went so badly. but at least 1 proj's over.tomm's IE presentation, and monday coy law.

the week is far from over.

"My grace is sufficient for you... My strength is made perfect in weakness..." ok Lord, i'm counting on you...

you know you're wayy too tired when...

you expand much effort is trying to get a seat on the train, and falling soundly asleep straight after, waking up just in time to make the switch at jurong east, scramble onto the next train and fall asleep again...

i hardly ever use up all the 4 rides i have a day on the train consession. today, i broke the record. did some mad trans-island travelling today, with lots of mad rush, and the madness is still not over.

the rather good morning (and i really mean morning cos i was actually awake since 7...) was only spoilt by the impatient woman in the toilet at raffles place mrt. after 1 min she was complaining that the pple in the cubicles were taking too long (in english and chinese) and then she called them chickens, laying eggs inside... then 'giving birth ah', and then 'wah, so long, half an hour already still inside'. it's ridiculous man! in the first place, there were other cubicles empty, before i went in, and after i came out. i think she's just mad.

tonight's gonna be a long night. gonna finish the FIIM proj because i don't have time this weekend and it's due on sunday. i really relish the thought of going back to school on sunday just to submit it. it'll be the 3rd time in history for me (the first being vivace and the 2nd was for some FA meeting).

i hope i make it for tomorrow's trng. really tempted to skip but i have to force myself la. i remember committing to go last year during the camp, but i've not been keeping that commitment too well. and i believe that the enjoyment of a sport is directly proportional to how well you do in it.

ok, now for the FIIM project that's due on sunday and barely started... oh man, i'm so dead.

Inna, Azi & Carol v Thai Express

1 March 2007
1930h
Esplanade

Haha, i couldnt resist blogging. we finally set a date to go claim our free meal from thai express. Inna imspired this post. haha, i called her just now to confirm the dinner tomorrow, and promptly hung up. 2 seconds later, she calls back and goes

"remember not to eat tomorrow!"

i was stunned for 2 seconds, then i realised what she really meant was, 'prepare for a feast tomorrow, we're gonna get back at them, and make them pay dearly...'

*burst out laughing*

then we promptly hung up again. haha. i wonder how it'll be like tomm, i would love to see how inna bosses her way around thai express haha....

speaking of which, i was thinking about the incident and all, and i am convinced that destiny does exist. i believe it was God's will afterall, for everything to happen, and subsequently, me not getting into the club (i was informed by way of a very rude letter penned by toh jiamin, apology NOT accepted, haha!). some might deem it to be a case of sour grapes, in fact, perhaps the food poisoning and all had nothing to do with it, perhaps i was simply too lousy. But beyond all that, this rejection caused me to think deeper.

just saw juline's email about attending winter retreat on 'jonah'. i think i'm exactly like him. i was totally trying to run away this year, giving all kinds of excuses. i told myself, and everyone else, that i didn't want to serve in the YF anymore. i was sick and tired of it after all this years, i've lost all my passion and ideals and energy. i wanted to join the case club because i thought it was a way to success. i wanted an overseas internship. i wanted to be more active in school. it was all about me and my secular thoughts and ideals. Jonah was chastised and shown

But He showed me that it was never about me at all. He wanted me to press on in the ministry, He laid such a burden upon me that i was unable to refuse. When i gave my conditions (more involved in school, overseas internship), he promptly closed all the doors. Now i'm left with no more excuses. He has taught me to trust in Him, and not lean on my own understanding. I guess only He knows what lies ahead. Mid-way through my internship applications, i decided that i'll stay in Singapore, the overseas options didn't seem so attractive anymore. I will stay and serve Him, it wasn't in His will to get into the case club, whatever the reason might be, i'll use the time i had committed for higher purposes.

(ok fine, jm was right when he told me at 4am that perhaps it wasn't God's will, but i would not have known until i struggled through, tried and failed. through that incident, God also showed me what a dear luyi was, she smsed me all the way from msia to see if i was ok, and sebas was encouraging as well)

i've learnt about myself as well.... i learnt that, i never... learn. i need failure to be thrown into my face, i need to crash right into a closed door, before i realise that it's a 'wrong way-turn back' sign. but i thank God that at least that has been real in my life. I might be too ambitious, not knowing what's good for myself. i dunno if that's gonna change. But if failure is the way God's gonna clearly show me His will, i don't really mind all the heartache and time... hmmm thats easy to say on hindsight, but i really don't know.

it's scary i guess, the only comfort is in knowing that He who holds tomorrow also holds my hand. May i always have the desire to do His will daily and never ever stray.

Destiny

Before the world was made, the stars above displayed,
A loving God had made a great design.
Before the planets flew, and earth came into view,
Their forms were fashioned in the Master’s mind.
Now we can see that from eternity,
His perfect wisdom carried out a plan,
And we are all a part of what was in His heart,
The moment when He first created man.

The mountains and the lees, the deserts and the seas,
Were laid with utmost care from pole to pole.
And in my heart I know, it surely must be so,
He has a plan and pattern for my soul.
Why am I here, the reason is so clear,
He made me and He claimed this life of mine.
We’re more than just a slave,
Who’s heading for the grave,
My destiny is in His will divine.

But for tomorrow at Thai Express, i'm not touching the tom yam glass noodles.

week 9

*foul!* fast count*

since when is it week 9 already?!? *panic* no idea how the rest of the term passed by so quickly.

and after that week of break...
I SIMPLY CANNOT TAKE THE ONSLAUGHT OF WORK!

3 days to FIIM mid-terms
2 weeksto complete Audit indiviual assignment
3 weeks to FIIM and IE presentations
4 weeks to Coy Law presentation
2 weeks to IE mid-terms.

so many things to do, and yet, if you to just ask me casually what subjects i'm taking this term, i wont be able to tell you without thinking hard...! like that how!?! fail already la...

oh i forgot.
the internship which i need to get.
to quote neil, 'please Lord, give me an internship'........

ok, march onward to the fight now....!!!

but first, some rest would be good.... zzzzzzzzzzzz

time goes by.... so slowly?

not exactly inspired to post now. it's just that i was blog-surfing (*gasp*) and i really dunno how pple have so much endurance to keep up with their blogs.

i also found out that pple do come to my blog, only to be disappointed time again by my (lack of) updates. heh.

mid-term break. we got cheated cos it was the chinese new year week. but i would say that this week was pretty well-spent. by my definition, haha. which means that i didn't touch my work at all, though i did try to catch up on my research... need to buck up for that. spent most of my time with david cos he's leaving on sun for another semester. sigh. bren wished me a slow week, i won't say it passed very quickly, but you know, i wish that this week doesn't have to end. i can't imagine myself back in the hustle and bustle of school.

shall try to account for what i did...

sunday. the 1st day of CNY, didn't do much. went to church and then to my grandmother's house. watched lots of tv, like night in the museum, for the 2nd time...
shermin and chloe, who both don't know how to smile... sheesh. how do u teach somebody to smile?


babies are addicted to ba kwa too! (: tis the chinese new year season, everyone's entitled!


the whole family (almost)... or as i like to call it, the friday gang, since we meet every friday. haha.

monday. went over to david's aunt's place for lunch n met my uncle there, heh... visited a bit and then met bren for dinner at the prata place @ thomson rd. the service is quite bad, and the utensils and all that were quite dirty, yucks. haha. she had a camera, but we forgot to take a pic! wasted! hope her CAs go well next week. somebody should ban all schools from conducting exams after the break week. it defeats the purpose of the break... grrr..

tuesday. hung out at david's place with sarah and grace. played muchkin, some game which i found rather complicated, but i must admit that it's pretty cool. we were feasting on cedele and goodwood park cake so much i think we had a chocolate overdose. and as if that's not enough to kill us, grace, david and i went to adam road for dinner.... nasi lemak and kambeng soup... tsk tsk... and as if that's still not enough, met the clowns for supper. my wonderful plan to go healthy and have rochor rd tauhuay was spoilt when the stores were closed... so we drove back to david's place and played another game... i dun remember what it's called, but it was something about goldminers and saboteurs... started feeling quite sick, and i blame it on billy. i think im allergic to him or something... we went to coffee club for supper after that, but not before circling the perimeter of orchard road, killiney rd, penang rd, and grange rd about 3 times, bringing debbie on a round-about chase in her van. haha. was too tired to try and take pictures. heh. by the time i got back it was 3 plus and david just conked out. but we fetched karen the school the next morning, she was so thrilled... haha


me, sarah and grace with a really cool camera effect. haha

wednesday. the secret training was cancelled. i was quite disappointed cos i haven't played frisbee in the longest time.. and i'm not even going for waikiki on sat... and i packed everything, all ready. owellz. intended to start studying for FIIM, but i was sleeping most of the day... and i got locked out of my house cos i forgot the keys... got a lot of pple irritated. heh

thursday. by the time i woke up, half the day was gone. was supposed to meet david in town but we kept delaying, by the time i met him it was 5 plus, which leaves enough time for some shopping and dinner. i think i was really falling sick at that time, cos after walking bras basah for a bit, and then heading down to millennia walk, i was super super tired. granted, we losers couldnt exactly locate millennia walk, or the 1-for-1 place we were supposed to have dinner. the big 'o' or something like that. the food was not bad la, but maybe it's all psychological since it was 1-for-1. haha. i wasnt even craving for the yummy chocolate cakes they had in the window... sheesh, can't believe myself, on hindsight...
exchange. stayed up till quite late trying to research on the places to go on exchange. i'm quite excited at the prospect of spending 6 months in europe... haha. narrowed down to copenhagen, sweden, switzerland, france.... hopefully all the co-ordination will work out... i think it's quite a tall order trying to co-ordinate exchange for 3 pple.

friday. woke up at 2pm today! haha. so much for waking up at 12. but i was really tired. went to buona vista to meet david and sarah for dinner, but it was raining and everyone was late. was standing at the taxi stand just waiting when i felt quite faint. was quite scary, so i quickly hurried over to the busstop to sit down. thank God i didn't faint there, it would have been quite a sight... had dinner at IMM with grace as well, then went for combined FCM while the rest went for G62. good thing eugene and i went! elder boon was there, haha! and i got sent home as well :) wensiang is the new student co-ordinator, well done, i think he fits the role perfectly, speaking of which, i better remember what else i have to do before the next camp comm meeting next sunday. hah. somehow i always get the impression that FCM is full of pple who are very holy.... like herbert and clement and eileen chee and the twins, etc etc.... it's a good place to grow i guess... haha but im going for the next 2 FCM meetings!


SMU FCM. haha. enough said.

now. friday night/sat morning. tomm's another packed day, and 1 day to his departure. :( reality doesn't hit till it's too late. it's always like that...

next week. it's back to the old life. that filled with classes, work, projects, tests, and being slack... the next holiday will be here before i know it.

c'est la vie.

and so it goes... another un-inspired and un-inspiring post