Wednesday, June 29, 2005
senior's camp ended... it was quite fun actually...
cannot wait for the actual camp. especially games that would make us seniors laugh so much. like during initiation...where the freshies are blind-folded and we lead them thru' various stations. and on the way there tease them with leaves, branches, fake obstacles and make them sing songs and do ridiculous things. haha~
in my defence, i was a freshman once! so i sang songs and all ok. but it was fun. =)
watched out IVP softball team train today. the guys can really throw...sat there and stared amazingly. wonder if sam can throw like that... and that thought makes me guilty. 'cos i never go and support him when he played for hall 7 during inter-hall.
i learnt bits of sign language from yilin! so cool....
watching this show on discovery travel & living called faking it. this texan girl who went to harvard (basically a geek) goes through a 3-week cheerleading crash course and has to perform! kewl....watching her do the crunches make me think about doing it too. my tummy is getting biggg.... shoot. or maybe go for jazz! where fen at jitterbugs will make you do neverending crunches with different varieties. it was really tiring..but after that you get to dance...
ooo...new season of globe trekker starting...yay....
i'm talking nonsense.
tired...had little sleep the previous night. but i still wanna watch CSI new york....
This girl posted at 10:13 PM
Monday, June 27, 2005
Little Superhero Girl
music and lyrics by Corrinne May
I feel like a little girl
trying to conquer the whole wide world
everybody wants a piece of me
and i just don't know where to turn
i've got work piled up to my head
all i want to do is to jump into bed
and wash away my troubles with lemonade
play hide and seek with the boy next door
take a trip to Singapore and
imagine how i'll make the world a better plaace
all i need is a good disguise
one where nobody can recognise
that i'm feeling so small
all i need is a secret weapon
i've gotta have faith
zapping monsters into outer space
i'm gonna be a superhero
if i were a little girl
trying to clean up the whole wide world
i'd kick the bad boys back to school
teach them fighting's just not cool
i'd give every kid a teddy bear
turn starving people into millionaires
break glass ceilings with dynamite
sprinkle a little sugar and spice
turn the bullies that terrorize
into pink poodles that bark but don't bite
all i need is a good disguise
one where nobody can recognise
that i'm feeling so small
all i need is a secret weapon
i've gotta have faith
zapping monsters into outer space
i'm gonna be a superhero
little superhero girl
save me from myself
i feel like a little girl
trying to conquer the whole wide world
This girl posted at 10:47 PM
Sunday, June 26, 2005
seems to just pass. soon school will start and the routine of lectures-tutorials-hall-stuff-home on weekends will resume. then come the exams. then come the holidays and christmas and the end of yet another year.
time to grasp every waking moment. to do things that matter. to do things that you enjoy. to do things that would cause a smile. to tell that person "i love you" before you miss that opportunity. to live for the Lord and to do His will.
went chinatown with sam yesterday. an outing just to spend some time with him. i had no purpose at chinatown (no major sales there...hurhur)..so just accompany him to go develop his backpacking trip photos and get his cheapo china shoes. and eat good food! and go east coast park and talk.
not complaining.
belated father's day dinner was yummy as usual. had prawn cakes with rocket salad as entree. clams in tomato sauce on risotto as the carbo dish. lamb tenderloin in red wine as the protein dish. and pear & macademia nut crumble with vanilla ice cream as dessert. oh it's an improved recipe! haha~ from my favourite surfing the menu dudes on discovery travel & living. the prawn cakes were from nigella, also on discovery travel & living..my favourite chefs after jamie oliver and anthony bourdain.
then pop over to my neighbour (both at simei and hall 7) wayne's for a little gathering. played till 1am. quite fun. =)
today celebrated sher's bday at cheesecake cafe with the yummiest new york cheese cake i've ever had so far! it's really good. had tons of fun with the gang. then went to meet caiqun, catrina and ivan, my tj classmates for dinner at crystal jade la mian XLB. nice dinner....so full.....
i'm growing fat. gained all the weight i lost during my stomach flu fiasco. and then some.
sigh. i wanna play badminton....ok lah. senior's camp get to exercise abit. after that. badminton...i need a badminton partner. and that sam don't play. he's the softball guy. sigh.
speaking of boyfriends, i dislike the idea of guys carrying bags for their girlfriends. because...
1. guys carrying girl's bags? eewwwww......
2. girls, would you want people like me to look at your boyfriend and go eeewwww...why is that guy carrying such a girly bag?
3. girls, would it kill you to carry your own bag? i'm sure you're strong enough right? if it's too heavy, then carry less things lah! or transfer some stuff to your guy. or if your bag's small enough and if your guy's carrying a big bag - dump it in there!
4. guys, carrying your gf's bag doesn't prove that you love her. it just proves that you're obedient.
5. girls, if you're not out with bf, you also carry your own bag right...
and for the record, i've never once asked sam to carry my bag for me. no matter how heavy it is. my bags are too girly anyway (except my crumpler, which he borrowed once). i've maintained the position that i'm strong and independent enough to carry my own bag. and i like my bags 'cos sometimes it adds colour to my outfit. =) hee~
so there.
today as we sang a bday song for the girl who turned 20....i'm turning 20 in less than a month too! growing older is something part and parcel of everyone's life. whether you're 1 or 100 years old, whether you're gay or bisexual or straight, whether you live in a cave or in new york, whether you're caucasian, asian, african or whatever race. it's such an universal thing.
to the bubbling teenager who can't wait to grow older to drink alcohol, 20 seems like such a good age to be. to the working woman who misses her younger years, 20 also seems like such a good age. but here i am, at 20, and i feel strange. i can't exactly describe it in words. but sometimes i'd rather be any age but 20. i wouldn't mind going back to my jc years where life was less complicated and more fun. or i wouldn't mind becoming a full fledged adult working a job that i love, having the money and friends and that special someone.
i need to stop rambling.
This girl posted at 11:06 PM
Friday, June 24, 2005
on so many things. deception. capitalist. money-making. selfishness. incompetence. inefficiency. competition. lack of time.
why are there people who claim to be doing something for the greater good, better welfare of those who are in need, but their underlying aim of all is a selfish one? why do they engage in such purposeful deception to deceive the public? to thinking that they are such good souls doing good deeds for the needy, but in the end it is to their own advantage? it's all about profits, publicity and money. maybe one small part of their conscience lies with those in need. but in time to come, this small voice would be undermined by the bigger voice of money-money-money *hums the apprentice theme song, for the love of money*
what happened to us?
ok. time to face the fact our world is economy-driven. no money=death sentence.
ok. you go be all money-money-money and do whatever it takes to earn $$ and rake in profits.
but don't claim that you are doing it for the people in need. that it's for a worthy cause.
argh. this sucks. forgive my rambling. no names named. so no one can sue me. right? right? right?
paranoid auntie mode.
union camp is gonna be fun! i'm so excited... shall not give away the programme details. but i'm so looking forward to it. get to play some of the games during seniors' camp next week. =)
went to mango sale with grace today. ohmygoodness...i spent so much money.
let's see...me bought a pair of jeans, denim skirt, 4 tops and a bag. $200 i think in total.
and i still haven't bought my list-of-things. like lingerie, shoes and a clutch. on hindsight my birthday is coming...hmmm...but these 3 things are not stuff you get for people. you must buy yourself one. sigh.
bought sher's present too...was a lovely time hanging out with her. she went home with a big loot too. =)
melody is going to watch swan lake! i wanna watch.... =( but by the time my slow fingers went online to sistic website...it's sold out. already. shooooottt.
hopefully i can catch jeremy monteiro at esplanade next weekend...
jazz is good....
This girl posted at 11:33 PM
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
with lovely sam.
5 hours of sitting in a cold cinema.
how do people get through movie marathons? 2 movies and i'm already so tired.
mr. & mrs. smith was nice...haha sam hated it. but i liked it. simply because of brad pitt and angelina jolie and their amazing chemistry. the weapons and action were normal..like any other hollywood movie. but it was a good concept.
batman begins was very very good....some very good acting from christian bale, michael caine, liam neeson (he's the villian!!) and morgan freeman. the city was dark, filthy and just dark. quite scary. the plot was interesting. how they connected the entire movie together. lots of justice vs revenge stuff. katie holmes actually look quite pretty in the movie! can see why tom cruise is so smitten with her. she's young, fresh, vibrant and pretty. but her acting ok only.....not fantastic. so guess her A-list status is purely 'cos of her association with tom cruise.
i'm so tired...but i'm still watching nip/tuck. it's getting so complicated and lots of sexual inneuendos. reminds me of OC.
i need sleep. i wanna go shopping. i want my projects to go smoothly.
ahhhh.....
This girl posted at 11:18 PM
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
darth vader rocked to the ipod.
i don't think he could ever do rap...with his asthma.
the idea of darth vader one hand holding an ipod and the other hand, a lightsaber is just too cute to pass up on.
hurhur. =)
yes i'm that bored. being house-arrested is not nice.... i wanna go shopping! i have a zillion movies i wanna watch. shall do it tmr!
i need to start backing up my music and photos... someone teach me please....
anyway the kallang river body parts murder is horrific enough. i thought it only existed in CSI... haha~
i'm thinking how in the world did he managed to cut it so cleanly?? as any CSI geek would know (even my eldest sister knows forensics ok...don't play play) cutting up a body is a real messy business. the blood splatters everywhere, the bone fragments fly. so what in the world happened to result in him doing such a thing? and where did he do it? at home? not likely...'cos his family would know..."why is daddy scrubbing the walls? what is that pink gooey substance?" Luminol to the rescue...singapore CSI...we're counting on you to unravel the mystery. my sis said.."we need grissom!"...and as he says...the evidence doesn't lie!! but a human can. so don't trust that man who already cut up a body. if he can do that..lying is a piece of cake.
moving on...i just reading mrbrown.com and caught up on blogging news...wow...she posted nude pictures of herself! is that bravery? or attention-seeking? or just plain s***? hmmm.... a check on xiaxue's blog..she actually photoshopped her assets...
this blogging world is brutal.
standing on the sidelines and watching the action is not too bad.
moving along to better things...i miss church already. i went to play my choir songs on the piano..so nice....(another result of boredom)...
maybe i should go watch one of the old old movies...on laser disc. you know..the very huge DVD? the old school one? haha~ maybe watch mission impossible...
movies to watch
1. batman begins
2. hitchiker's guide to the galaxy (got naboo?)
3. mr. and mrs. smith
4. war of the worlds
5. sin city
toodles.
may the force be with you.
This girl posted at 3:17 PM
Monday, June 20, 2005
stomach flu sucks. =(
missed many many engagements and meetings because i'm too weak to get out of bed. now much better. at least the nausea stopped and fever subsided. can do home-ly things. still feel too bleahhhh to go out into the hot hot sun. sigh. sorry for missing meetings and all people...
back from shenzhen/hongkong trip. was good! ate a lot...yummy goose and assorted HK goodies at low prices. bought many many many things. argh... now i'm still itching to go GSS...i haven't bought lingerie, a nice clutch, nice shoes... managed to stock up on clothes and bags for the coming new academic year. =)
highlights from the trip
1. me getting scruntinized at customs between shenzhen and HK border 'cos my passport photo is totally different from what i look like now. i was asked almost everytime to produce alternate identification. good thing i brought along my driver's license which had my updated 19-yr-old photo. need to change passport...
2. shopping!! walking everywhere...gawking at clothes and people-watching. seems like green and tailored shorts are really in right now. and eating too...
3. fantastic hotel with incredible hospitality - shangri-la hotel, shenzhen. their breakfast was really good. location was wonderful too..the immigrations to HK just a 15 min walk away. the shenzhen MRT only a 5 min walk away. transport is efficient...comparable to our MRT... zipping through HK on their railway/MTR/taxi to cross the harbour to HK island was quite a breeze.
4. me getting bitten by a zillion mosquitoes at missions hill golf resort. a resort where my uncle works as the director of engineering. it has 180 holes. equals 10 golf courses. hosted the world cup for golf. tiger woods played there. along with many others. we sat in a golf cart and had a tour of one of the courses..it's nice! the golf cart is so interesting...how i wish i had one of those. it has a splendid country club too...complete with every sport imaginable..even beach volleyball..and a small 'pet farm' to keep the kids entertained with rabbits.
5. dad getting chased by chinese hookers along the street. he had to duck into a CD shop to escape them..and ended up buying 3 CDs...and we went there the night after and i bought another 2 CDs. haha~ hilarious.
and other incidents which i probably should not say here....
came home...with 2 cartons of sweet peaches, one carton of lychees and 2 roasted geese. and all our stuff... love flying with SIA...krisworld is so nice... watched robots, hitch, closer (again), without a trace, CSI, the wedding date. got free playing cards and postcards and pens. had wine with my meals... ask for a drink 10 minutes prior to descent haha~ looked out my window and saw how beautiful God has made this world. we were flying beside this HUGE cloud... it was so big i think it was taller than tallest building. it was so beautiful..and i could see the sun behind the cloud as its rays spill over from the top.
indeed. He made all things beautiful in His time.
slacked at home and unpacked my shopping on friday...Kinsey. very interesting. considering i learnt about him in my psychology textbook. the section on evolution of sexual behaviour. quite insightful. amazing to see how society has evolved. then met sam for the first time in 26 days! haha~ ok its not that long..but still....
then it was the start of my terrible stomach flu....
enough of that. irritating.
things to do now.
1. get YFC project in order. contact CDCs and corporate sponsors. sell the project and get them to donate!
2. union orientation camp stuff. seniors camp. canvassing. publicity booth manning. i'm quite excited actually. argh boss just arrowed me to be MC for the paegent.
3. settle hall stuff!
4. promethus stuff?? wonder if we're starting production.
feel like i'm 2 steps behind...need to catch up! if only i'd get well..like now....
This girl posted at 4:22 PM
Friday, June 10, 2005
back from camp. and despite all the nerve-wrecking planning and execution and logistical nightmares it was all worth it. =)
being chirf programmer is not easy. and this was just a 3 day 2 night camp. i wonder how chief programmers for 6 day 5 night FOC survive...maybe they had more time...yeah~
hmm..this position i didn't run for and wanted. same goes for the position of centre head for volunteers at the boys hostel. but i am flattered that my seniors had the faith in me that i could carry on what they did. during the camp i was one of the very very few year ones. there were only at most 5. the rest of the group leaders and my programmers were all year 2s, 3s, 4s and graduated alumni. it was amazing to see their dedication towards their cause. coming back to attend hostel camp year after year.
the hostel staff showed their appreciation to us by getting the boys to write thank you cards to us and presented them to us during the prize presentation on the 2nd night of the camp. one of the boys wrote...
"why do you all bother wasting your time on us?"
and that really got me thinking.
i thought about the boys. and whether this whole hostel thing actually works. do they come out to be better people? or do they revert back to their old ways and break the law again? my boys, whom i've gotten to know through the weekly tuition sessions for about 6 months now, all seem "normal". just normal teenage boys. they love soccer, they dislike studying but they still do study. they like to crap with their friends. only sometimes a string of vulgar words in all sorts of language and dialect escapes and we break it up. only sometimes racial tensions arise. other than that, some of them are actually really nice. they smile and greet you as they walk pass, they crap with you if you're willing to crap back. they banter in their unique language, very much like boys and bengs, but when you take an effort to go down to their level and understand them...it's not too bad. i've always been apprenhensive about it. not able to communicate with them. but it turns out that i could. and it makes me happy. that they're mixing with better company and learning. and when we talk about school and their hobbies and CCAs, they do get excited. they do have a life. they have interests. just like you and me. one is an accomplished gymnast and helped to set up that CCA in his sec school. on top of that he plays the trumpet in the band and much more. sounds familiar? hmm...so the only thing is to not give up on them.
so i thought about the people helping them. volunteers and the hostel staff. we're not wasting our time. we're trying to make a difference in their lives. to let them know there are people who care and who can help. that they are not alone despite their past. that all that matters is what they do with their lives. and i'm so proud of the volunteers and my seniors. they're in this for so long. and as i read the thank you cards from the boys, i'm so so happy they enjoyed themselves. cheering and playing beach games and frisbee and 3-legged soccer and all. putting up hilarious skits on responsibility. cleaning up the campsite.
i had a wonderful time. my only grouse is the mosquitoes that attacked me through the night...till i couldn't sleep on the 1st night. was real bad. other than that, the company was great. had a good time with my programmers as well. they were a fun bunch of seniors. because we had time to kill we ended up playing frisbee and captain's ball and all...was so fun.
tomorrow there's a pohpiah extravaganza at church! so exciting. then got choir. didn't lose my voice despite all the briefing and screaming.
looking fwd to hongkong trip. hopefully i get good bargains. realised so many people went bangkok! seems like everyone's going bangkok. so if you're heading there..do look out for s'porean young people. they may just be my friends, or boyfriend.
i got back my hostel room! hostel here means hall 7 at ntu. haha~ so happy. now hopefully louisa can be my roomie again. and i got my lovely neighbours back too...good. =) and we're moving to new halls in dec! aircon and all.... payment by meter reading! must save electricity....or else bill's gonna go up. actually i think this meter reading thing is a very good move. rather than paying a flat fee. now u pay-as-you-use.
terrific.
This girl posted at 11:35 PM
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
sentosa was fun!! =) didn't get too black...quite happy with my colour now. just not even....sigh~ the company was not too bad considering the circumstances. had a nice time playing volleyball and laying in jon's hammock and hanging around and talking to joyce..whom i haven't seen in so long! later we had dinner before i drove down to my wsc meeting...massive jam on AYE sigh...i hate jams... but i got my money back! i'm rich! hahaha....
today went for a YFC meeting... argh..so many things to do!! i hate myself. upcoming events are driving me nuts. tomorrow is my 3 day 2 night camp...being chief programmer is not easy.... so i'll be glad to have that over...then my HK/shenzhen trip! shopping eating and relaxing...ahhh.... but i'll be missing someone... =(
then come back..have to throw myself to work again. on YFC most importantly..then got my wsc event happening when school reopens...union camp coming up soooonnn....
i must really cut down on school nonsense this coming year...maybe i should be more on-hall...
i'm talking nonsense...
tuesday nights are TV nights. 4 hours back to back...charmed at 8pm, CSI:new york at 9pm, CSI at 10pm and alias at 11pm....
ah..trailer for lost! i wanna watch...i'll miss the season premeire...noooo.... those nice friends who watched...fill me in!
ohyah i wanna watch mr. and mrs. smith! and monster-in-law...and hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy...sam if you read this pls watch with me! i know u won't watch monster-in-law..but at least the other 2? =)
alright then...everyone take care while i burn myself even blacker during camp!
thanks to cheesepie gang for the nice outing.. love ya guys!
This girl posted at 11:07 PM
Sunday, June 05, 2005
it's that someone special's birthday. but he's so far away, thank goodness for internet.
of course there must also be a tribute on my blog right...nah....i'd keep that to myself and him.
here's a song from corrinne may's new cd.
*the birthday song*
don't worry about that extra line
that's creeping up upon your face
its just a part of nature's way to say you've grown a little more
trees have rings and thicker branches
kids shoes get a little tighter
every year we're getting closer to who we're gonna be
it's time to celebrate the story of how you've come to be
happy birthday, my friend
here's to all the years we've shared together
all the fun we've had
you're such a blessing
such a joy in my life
may the good Lord bless you
and may all your dreams come true.
so light a candle on your cake
for every smile you've helped create
for every heart and every soul
you've helped to grow a little more
a few more pounds, a little more grey
don't count the years, just count the way
it takes a little time to go from water into wine
don't ever lose the wonder of that child within your eyes.
happy birthday, my friend
here's to all the years we've shared together
all the fun we've had
you're such a blessing
such a joy in my life
may the good Lord bless you
and may all your dreams come true.
happy birthday. may the good Lord bless you and keep you.
you know those 3 words.
This girl posted at 12:04 AM
Friday, June 03, 2005
NUS undergrads have quite ridiculous ideas of Aids huh.
just read the ST article about the survey done. maybe it's time for young people wake up and smell the truth.
1. you can't get AIDS by sharing a toilet bowl seat.
2. everyone is susceptible to AIDs. cos its a virus! just like the flu. no such thing as foreigners are more susceptible.
3. there's no known cure for AIDS.
4. AIDS is transmitted through sexual contact or exchange of fluids or needles.
so many reasons to not have sex. like AIDS and a whole host of other sexually transmitted diseases. pregnancy - abortion. many repercussions that follow. emotional trauma. all in exchange for one thing - pleasure.
so strange. rational thinking adults doing just that. ignoring all consequences for that short-lived moment of pleasure. unable to control desires and emotions.
just rambling.
This girl posted at 11:36 PM
Thursday, June 02, 2005
tj band concert was a time to revisit old memories, see old friends and hear the band again. to be honest they sound tired. 1st half was packed with heavy pieces and i have no idea if it was the acoustics or the band, but they sound tired and tired. my vocab is running out of adjectives. but they sounded like they couldn't project their sound to the entire concert hall. no idea. but when they played their SYF choice piece, it just blew me away! now i know how they got their top 2 position and gold with honours accolade. it was a very controlled, expressive and technically brilliant execution. =) then after interval was stage band. which true to its tradition, never fails to make its audience laugh. haha~ i can still remember those times where we stayed till 10pm in the band room to rehearse our stage band back in 2002...so long ago... still remember raz was my fellow male lead and dance partner. i made quite a few friends just thru' stage band. ah.... good memories. then they played 4 more lighthearted pieces, conducted by the 2 student conductors. one of whom is my ex-student and a brilliant tubist and musician. then flowers presentation. ms chew still looks the same. looks like band stress and married life never got to her. still ever youthful-looking. college anthem was way too slow ms student conductor! of 4 years of hearing the college anthem, this is the slowest..ohman... and what happened to our usual college cheer straight after the anthem? don't be shy people..just scream the whole VCH down... think my batch was the most 'rowdy' in the good sense. we even tried to drown the SYF results announcer when we learnt we got the gold and got into top 5 back in 2003. and proudly sang our college anthem before top band rjc sang theirs at the top 5 compeition at esplanade. and of course..followed immediately by the college cheer.
went with chenzhen, fellow double reed-ist. saw sheena lihao greg william geraldine siti shijia deborah pamela and a whole host of both juniors and seniors. some looked the same. some have totally changed in appearance! and the most exciting thing is i met my pri 6 best friend huifang! her sister is now studying in tj...i took one look at her and found her so familiar! a check revealed that i went to teach her class before! haha~ so funny how small the world is.
friends.
one thing i feel very blessed to have friends like mine all around. in all aspects of my life. now a reunion with my primary sch best friend. those cheesepie ppl were my dearest secondary sch friends compared to the prefects or the band ppl. in jc i had my clique of girls, but now dearest to me are melody and louisa, who are my church friends as well. council friends and band friends come once in a while, although i'd love to meet up with them more often. =) in church i have girls and guys. now in university i have my group of tutorial mates whom we have so much fun together. in hall i have my block friends, whom i never fail to laugh my head off everytime we meet. and most importantly my best friend sam.
i guess that's the benefit of having a small school. where everyone knows everyone. although i'm still getting to know people outside of my tutorial group, but i have another 3 years so that's plenty of time. of course the people in my tutorial group, whom i also have another 3 years. those long lab sessions with long waiting time would suffice. we're a small school and that's why during term time, without an ipod, i absolutely cannot study in the resource room because i'd have an urge to talk to ppl! ok..thats my fault. and i'm glad the new NTU schools are also starting small. so we have biosciences, comm studies, art media design, those humanities, and the physical sciences schools are small. i think small schools are good. good for forging and maintenance of friendships. when i talk to friends from other facs they always tell me how lucky i am to have a small school and fixed tutorial groups.
so my dear t4 ppl...thank you for being there. for letting me borrow your lab reports to see and for those study sessions. ah and those meals together, outings and coffee breaks during lab. and the blk 36 ppl, thank you for being great neighbours, the late night chats and study sessions, the sentosa outings. cheesepie gang - you guys are the best...thank you for 6-7 years of friendship. looking fwd to sentosa! (grace u got bikinis without meee?) and to sam...
This girl posted at 4:10 PM
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
seems like i get more busy as the holidays come along... 2 more months before going back to studying...noooo....
let's see...had dinner with cheese pie gang on friday...before that went badminton-playing and swimming with sher and grace. was a good time..just laughing and lounging in the pool. had yummy changi village nasi lemak...thereby putting back all the calories i managed to work off. saw a podiatrist at the club...i have mild flat feet! just like most s'porean women. interesting...
went to ACC as usual on saturday afternoon..then church was a Young Adults Grp pre-retreat session. after that had choir and sang more beautiful songs... =)
sunday afternoon went for YAG retreat at furama riverfront hotel. on the way there it rained SO heavily visibility was so poor and the road was flooded with water. quite scary driving alone along PIE. cried out to God for help...and peace. managed to survive all the way to the hotel thank God. the theme was from proverbs 17:17 "A Friend Loves At All Times". i learnt so much from the messages. even though sometimes i got lost because concepts that were preached were so profound. but after our post-message group discussion with student-pastor kenneth and the other similar age grp people...it got much better.
first of all, i've learnt that you got to know what is God's wonderful plan for you! and realise that He has His Hand on your life. God's invisible but very certain involvement in your life. He knows you by name...just the idea of that is so wonderful...pastor drew examples from 1 Samuel 16, about the anointing of David. the fact that God does not look at physical appearances but at your heart. He knows all about you, and even if you're disdained by your family (like david) or the world turns its back on you, God still loves you and He still knows you.
sometimes we feel alone in this world, without aim, without direction and without purpose. sometimes we feel sidelined and see injustice in this world. and pastor thinks you haven't seen the hand of God in your life. he challenged us to trace God's hand in our personal life, which led to many soul-searching questions about the person i am and the person God wants me to be. sometimes i let public opinion and criticism get to me. sometimes i think why they think this way of me. but ultimately it does not matter. the thing that matters is the person we can become. the person i can become and the person God wants me to be. He throws us obstacles and stumbling blocks throughout life to help us to become what we are meant to be. It's all part of His plan. these circumstances must be seized and everytime they are overcome or turned into your favour, we have taken that one step forward to the person we are meant to be in His plan. and to do this you need to exercise faith in God. and this is something i may be lacking. having faith in Him. pastor said it takes time. not an overnight thing. to know that God is alive to me, to trust in His deliverance.
then we talked about friends. honouring the circle of friends. in the scriptures there were many examples of great and Godly friendships. the one we have learnt in depth was the friendship between Paul and Philemon. and then pastor talked about cultivation of friendship through praying, keeping in touch, rejoicing, loving and not taking anything for granted. he asked if we cherish our friendships enough to pray for it. can we honestly speak of our love for a friend? are we willing to lay down our lives for a dear friend? i think by friend he meant a really good/best/close/dear friend(s). we talked about having a core group of friends and whether or not they were christians. and the differences between that. as i watched madagascar the movie yesterday night with hall friends (which was very very funny by the way..all those movie spoofs), i was strucked by one particular scene. how the zebra went back for his best friend alex the lion, even though he knows he could get eaten by him, 'cos alex has gone through many days without meat. and even when alex resisted him and told him to go off without him, the zebra still stuck by him and tried to get him to come along so they could go off together. he was willing to risk his own life to save his friend. i thought that was so wonderful. and pastor did speak of such friendships during the pre-retreat session - but it existed in the wrong way, a la the underworld 'tribes' where bonds of blood and brotherhood were forged and they have hacking sessions just because one tribe insulted a member of another tribe, the latter comes with knives and hammers to kill the former.
i thought alot about my friendships. my core group of friends. and i was challenged to pray and to love and to rejoice with them. to keep in touch and not to take anything for granted. =)
then pastor talked about the possibility of a friendship with the Lord. again here he talked about the greatest demostration of a friendship from John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
and Jesus continued to say in John 15:14
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
obedience is the key to a friendship with Jesus. and that's the challenge. God will flood your life with joy, follow Him and you'll bear fruit. but the most challenging thing is that a friendship with Jesus means the world will hate you. as in John 15:18.
so to do list: get my basics right first. establish my faith! then serve together with fellow brothers and sisters of Christ. then may one day Jesus will say "You are My Friend".
this is a really long post.
anyway my best friend/boyfriend did the sweetest thing possible and sent me 6 big sunny sunflowers today on our 6th month. and the bad news is he's a million miles away...
This girl posted at 2:55 PM
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