Wednesday, May 23, 2007

closer.

time flies when you least want it to. and it's slow and painful when you want it to go fast. i remember this concept etched in the farewell gift from sam.

it can't be any more true.

home is where my heart is. but i can't help but fall in love with life here. in this beautiful place. in this screwed-up but yet fascinating country. where there's an adventure that awaits everywhere. where i see God's amazing creation and His gift to us, day after day. He has been ever so faithful and He has graciously provided. He has been my pillar of strength when everything is not right. He comforts and He loves.

thoughts about leaving seattle really makes me sad. but thoughts of seeing everyone at home makes me smile. the family. sam. melody (when she returns that is). louisa. carlene. all my darling friends in school. in church. the pastors.

when i return, a good number of friends would have graduated and stepped into the world. where the REAL life starts. it's kinda strange. yet so exciting.

time is really a funny thing.

Labels: homecoming, seattle, thoughts, time

This girl posted at 2:43 PM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

spring is here. almost.

some cherry blossom trees are in full bloom at some obscure parts of campus. and hence they really stand out. i'm always so mesmerized by its beauty.

spring is almost here. it's said that before spring arrives, winter has to unleash its power one last time before packing its bags till next winter. so that power is being unleashed right now. night temperatures are falling and parts of washington state are snowing and ice-flaking at night. the wind is merciless, with wind chill temperatures going as low as -2 degrees, with the sun shining bright.

nevertheless, i'm hoping that season passes soon so the beauty of spring can come.

not that i dislike winter. it has its perks. like the cold air and the warm feeling of snuggling in bed or clutching a hot steaming cup of latte. not to mention winter sports.

but spring brings a whole new world. the flowers bloom and temperatures are cool. i get to wear nice clothes other than jeans and sneakers/boots. i get to go whale-watching and tulip-fields viewing. i get to visit the national parks and volcanoes and go hiking. i get to go wide-water rafting.

not to mention a weekend trip to portland at the end of april to shop and watch damien rice in concert. =) =)

***


on the school front, i finally finally finished my drug discovery final exam paper. i rewarded myself by going to ikea with suzanne to eat swedish meatballs and we ended up having a great adventure. after coming home but still really excited abt my ikea trip and good food awaiting for me at home, wanquan stumbles into the room and invited us to xiaojun's farewell party at venom, a hip club at downtown seattle.

so within minutes i threw on my new heels from aldo factory outlets, grabbed my new bag from levi's factory outlets and my coat (not new. haha.) and was out the door where tony, our singaporean friend studying at UW full-time was waiting with his car. drinks were more expensive than in vancouver. didn't drink much 'cos i'm a good girl. but the dancing was good. i had good dance partners, girls. the men are more blatant with picking up girls and dancing with them. much more daring than the guys back in singapore. its a different culture. either that or they're desperate. hurhur. went out for supper. my legs were SO tired after dancing in heels for 2 hours straight. supper of chinese food at chinatown was good! and it was 4am when we got home. after i fell asleep at 5.15am...

at 930am the next day, my morning call woke me up. we were going to the factory outlets. this time i was bringing those that didn't get to go the last time. and yes i bought stuff again!! someone help me.

i like my weekend. sunday was spent at home. resting from an action-packed friday and saturday. i think being on exchange is supposed to be like this. u work hard during the week, and you get to have a great time during the weekend. whether it is traveling, or exploring our surrounding cities, or eating, shopping, dancing, drinking.

***

i learn more and more with each experience. i see things from the sidelines, from another perspective. i've learnt to hold fast to my faith and my love for God and His Word. I've learnt to depend on Him on strength and comfort at the worst of times. and i feel so happy that this is just the start of this beautiful journey. and i really want to be able to walk worthy of Him.

***


vancouver was a blast. canada is just so scenic and beautiful and idyllic. lots of mountains and plains. as far as the eye can see. vancouver is just as happening, if not more, than seattle. our hostel was very nice! and clean. and right at the heart of downtown vancouver. with pubs and clubs around us everywhere. both nights we went out to sit at a pub and talk and have fun. drinks were cheap so everyone was happy.


our whirlwind tour of vancouver started and ended at chinatown. with good chinese food! cheap too. we also visited lynn canyon suspension bridge, walked the nature trail to see the twin falls. we went to lonsdale quay public market in north vancouver. we also went to the other market, grainville island market. i love walking through such markets. there's always something nice and unique and quirky to look at. plus the gorgeous vegetables and fruits and cheese and fresh produce and flowers. and good food...=) we also went shopping at downtown. haha as usual.

alright. school work beckons. do check my pictureblog for more pictures of life in seattle. toodles for now.

Labels: damien rice, seattle, spring, travels, UW

This girl posted at 11:16 AM

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

an inconvenient truth. seriously.

as i surf the net for my dose of current affairs (p.s. i'm actually quite back-dated already. i didn't know american idol started today, and that the golden globes came and went on monday.), i was struck at how bad the weather is all around. the flooding in JB and singapore. the snow and ice storms that struck a whole lot of US states. suddenly i'm so thankful that seattle has cold cold temperatures and 2-inch snow. only. praying for those affected. praying for good weather. mother nature unleashes her global warming rage.

42 killed as winter storms, floods hit US
Posted: 17 January 2007 1113 hrs

CHICAGO: A massive winter storm has covered swathes of the United States in a mantle of snow, sleet and ice, killing 42 people, threatening millions of dollars in citrus crops and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, officials said on Tuesday.

"This is a big one, affecting all the way from New Mexico to Maine," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

The worst-hit areas were Oklahoma, where freezing rain left behind a sheet of ice, and Missouri, hard hit by sleet, he said.

"With the ice, the trees come down on the power lines, and in Oklahoma it's going to take the rest of the week to get all that restored," he said. "The lines are completely down. It's not like it's a transformer here and there - it's the whole grid."

The storm, which began churning across the country on Friday, was caused by an enormous cold front that dropped temperatures by as much as 17 degrees Celsius and brought wave after wave of freezing rain and sleet as it moved slowly eastward.

It weakened somewhat on Tuesday, sparing major East Coast cities such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia from the worst of the ice and sleet.

The National Weather Service has issued storm warnings for central Texas, freeze warnings in California, Arizona and Texas, wind chill advisories stretching from New York to Maine, and flood warnings across central US from Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio.

The storm has already caused ice storms in western parts of New York state, forecasters said.

In hard-hit Oklahoma, Federal Emergency Management Agency workers distributed electrical generators and bottled water to communities hammered by the ice storm, after President George W. Bush declared an emergency in Oklahoma on Sunday.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported more than 300 road accidents in which 14 people were killed, including seven in a minivan crash Sunday.

Some 103,000 people were also without power, according to Oklahoma's Department of Emergency Management.

Bush also declared a state of emergency for Missouri - including the city of St. Louis - on Monday, freeing up federal funding for recovery efforts.

State officials said eight people had been killed in the Missouri storms, including seven who died in traffic accidents and one killed by carbon monoxide poisoning - common when people without electricity use fuel-burning stoves for heat.

More than 300,000 people lost power in the state due to downed power lines, and a utility worker was injured, state officials said.

In Kansas, five people were reported killed in weather-related road accidents and one person died of carbon monoxide poisoning, officials told the Kansas City Star newspaper.

One person also died in a weather-related traffic accident in New York state, according to local radio.

In Texas, Governor Rick Perry called out the National Guard after heavy rain caused flash flooding. Local media reported two killed in separate weekend accidents on icy roads in western Texas.

And in California, where temperatures are generally mild, farmers braced for devastation to citrus crops worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has declared a state of emergency in the state, warned on Tuesday in a letter to the US Department of Agriculture in Washington that losses to the region's citrus fruit industry "will likely reach one billion dollars".

But Dave Kranz, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation trade group, said it was too soon to tell the extent of the damage.

"The freeze in 1998 was severe, but there were pockets of fruit that survived. That's the expectation this year," he said. "There are citrus groves that will have come through OK, but there is also widespread damage."

California accounts for nearly a quarter of the US market for citrus fruits, according to figures from state agricultural authorities, making it the biggest producer of fruit in the nation.

Some 51,000 homes and businesses lost power in upstate New York after a heavy layer of ice covered the area Monday, National Grid spokesman Alberto Bianchetti said.

The company, which provides power to around 1.5 million customers in the northern part of the state, expected to begin restoring services later in the day, he said.

More snow was forecast for later Tuesday and early Wednesday. - AFP/so

snow in its little dainty quantities is enough.


loving the phonecalls from sam. =)
and the skyping webcam sessions from home. =)
and a good dose of chinese food like winter melon soup and bah kut teh. =)

Labels: sam, seattle, snow

This girl posted at 4:22 PM

Sunday, December 31, 2006

the last of 2006.

hello everyone!

finally i get a day to spend it at home. also because i woke up late. ahaha. some things never change. in my defense, because there's no sun, i don't get a stimulus to wake up! because i'd be thinking that it's still 7am. ok. i better get used to it.

carlene! don't worry i'll be back before you know it. really. and thanks for coming to see me off. =)

seattle is a beautifuuulll city. it's laid-back and quiet and friendly. the weather has been on and off. we had 2 gorgeous days of sun, but 2 days of clouds followed. this reminds me of how derek shepherd will always say "ok people, it's a beautiful day to save lives, let's begin" when he starts his brain surgery on grey's anatomy. ahahaha. i'm always hoping that the sun will come up. so at least basking in the sun feels so good. temperatures are around 7 degrees in the day, and drops to about 4 at night. but i'm so thankful for my warm coats so while my friends are freezing (and i keep telling them to wear more layers), i'm happily walking around and taking in the sights.

for pictures, please go to seattleinpictures.blogspot.com or click here.

so in 3 days i've been to chinatown, downtown seattle and university village. lots of shopping. both essential and non-essential. but i'm happy to say that i've resisted buying many non-essential things in a bid to save $$ to go traveling. and my neighbours and i have been cooking a lot. also to save $$.

anyway my room is quite small. it's just right for one person. but it becomes small when you have 2. oh well. another bid to save money, because it's half-price.

so 2006 is going to end. you know i can hardly believe it. and it feels strange because i'm not home. in singapore that is. it's the first time i'm away from all things that are familiar and of comfort. i'm surrounded by new friends and a totally new environment and weather. a new home. a new bed. and all the things that i've come to treasure - my family. sam. my friends. church. are no longer around me. so it's quite hard to end the year like that. but i know that the Lord is really watching over all of them. and that God's special blessings will be upon them and i don't have to feel upset or worried.

and i know with all my heart that my new life in seattle here is going to be one that i'll miss at the end of it. so i better start treasuring my times here right from the start, or i'll look back 7 months later and regret that i never lived it to the fullest. and i have that faith in God, because He goes before me. and He is in control of it all. =)

2006 was a year that i've learnt a lot. mainly due to sam's absence in the first half. and with me growing up and learning to be more independent and turning 21 and everything that i've learnt in Bethany.

i've learnt to whine less.
and not have a complaining spirit.
to compromise.
understand.
tolerate.
to trust.
to have faith
to love.
to learn and accept criticism.
to handle that huge amount of work and juggle it with other things happening.

so maybe that's why i'm here in seattle now. to put everything that i've learnt into practice. that makes a lot of sense. and that's one of my resolutions for 2007.

happy new year everyone in singapore. you are all in my thoughts and prayers. =)

Labels: new year's, seattle

This girl posted at 10:28 AM

Friday, December 22, 2006

O Come O Come Emmanuel.

it's 4 days to christmas.

that means it's 6 days to seattle.

i'm in the what-have-i-gotten-myself-into phase. and the super-excited-but-so-upset-about-leaving-home phase.

***

so with reference to the article below, wee shu min has gotten herself not only famous within the blogosphere, but even the wire agencies are writing about her. along with a not-so-desirable report. but i think it's time we focused on our society. long have we channeled much resources to our economic development, defense, life sciences, aviation, tourism, PR and alllll that. not that they are bad, but maybe we gotten start turning our heads onto our own people.

like japan, which has an excellent welfare system in place and great domestic development, ever since their defense was taken away from them since WWII.

reading lonely planet is getting me quite excited as i pour over the maps and get myself oriented even before i get there. which is good, 'cos then i can get my bearings right early. anyway i think my sense of direction is quite good. good genes, since my dad, sis all have good direction sense too. so the university resides just on the banks of lake union facing the south, which is where a beautiful stretch of volcanoes are located. i just realised mt. st helens is near there too. i've always thought it was in california state, but guess for 21 years i was wrong.

i'm going to miss bethany so much. dinner with teacher aileen, louisa and mel at manhattan fish market (it was good! better than f*sh&c*). i'm so looking forward to bringing ian to christmas concert, and seeing everyone for the last time during christmas lunch.

spending money preparing for the trip. a new camera. webcam. new ext hard drive. still contemplating on extra RAM for my dearest ibook. another coat from mango but with vouchers. i'm so thankful MOE is so kind to top up my allowance and sponsor all kinds of admin fees. at least my parents won't have to fork out so much money.

ok i'm just rambling random stuff that pops into my head. planning the traveling plans in US is baadddd because there's so many places to go. even within washington state there's SO many things to see and do.

this is bad.

arrgghhh why isn't sam back??!!?? =(

i wonder if i'd freeze to death if i went alaska. i wonder if anyone would wanna go with me.

***

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of peace.

i love this carol so much. i love corrinne may's arrangement a LOT. she's just so amazingly gifted with music. but more than that it was a carol that spoke of the coming of Jesus. prophets have long spoke about it. the angels rejoiced. the wise men came from lands far away, looking toward the shining star. gifts were presented. it was something to be glad about. to shout for joy. this baby is the Son of God. =)

speaking of corrinne may her concert at esplanade was gooooddd! i would have preferred a more intimate setting like damien rice's concert. the lights could have been MUCH better (sorry i'm just really critical about lights and it was not very nice for the lights to be shining into your audience's eyes). she played all the tracks from her latest album, all the beautiful christmas carols. she sang several new songs not on any of her albums. quite a few actually. and they were, like all of her songs, beautifully arranged and delivered with her strong, round, yet poignant vocals. in between songs she told stories from her memories of christmas, in singapore and the states. her vocal range is quite wide, although the quality goes down when she climbs to higher notes. her lower register is strong, full and very clear. i really admire people who can play the piano and sing at the same time, 'cos i can't do that unless i know the score really really well.

anyway i really enjoyed the concert, because she also did remind us of the christmas story. telling of how the wise men saw the bright star shining in the east, how gifts were presented, how baby Jesus laid on the hay in the manger, how people sang of His coming. she reminded me of that special night which we all celebrate now, 2006 years later. and that was really special. =)

***

ok i promise i will post tokyo pictures before i leave. really. for now, good night.

Labels: christmas, corrinne may, random, seattle

This girl posted at 1:01 AM

Friday, December 15, 2006

"follow me."

yesterday was another emotional end to youth conference 2006. despite not being at youth conference for the first 4 days, being there on the last day made ALL the difference. after being away from church for so long it was great seeing the pastors, teachers and all my friends again. and most of all, worshipping my King and learning from His word. brings joy to my heart.

the theme Seek first the Kingdom of God, comes from the book of Matthew and it was a lofty concept that i sometimes find hard to comprehend. so gotta listen to the mp3s of the sessions and get the notes so it'd be as though i was there at youth conference.

pastor challenged us to follow Him as we closed the conference last night. to establish a living relationship with God. to follow Him through good and bad. through the joy laughter tears and pain. i loved the testimony shared by cedric during the special programme. really spoke to my heart.

oh the special programme! we sang 3 carols. 3 of my favourites. O come O come Emmanuel, O come all ye faithful and O holy night. the last 2 were sang to close the programme and all the young people gathered on stage and sang our hearts out. it was a feeling indescribable. it was just so beautiful.

that's why i said it was emotional.

***

so i miss tokyo. happens everytime i visit a great city. tokyo ranks at my no. 2 favourite city in the world so far. fyi i only rank those cities that i have been to. it'd be no. 1 if i knew japanese haha. so no. 1 is sydney, even though i was there for a mere 5 days, but its charm rubbed off on me. =)

i know i should post a brief recap. and you know i procrastinate.

so days have been filled with grey's anatomy season 2 on dvd, season 3 on computer. admin work for US, which are almost done and finally i'm no longer lost in the big pile of paperwork.

spent a morning at the US embassy, listening to the interviews (hey you can't help but overhear 'cos you can. there's really not much privacy). most are going there to do business. one was a neuropaediatrics surgeon (how cool is that), and she's a woman! several were students. one was a potential phd student from N*S bound for ohio state university and he's from china. that poor guy was so nervous and couldn't speak properly and was flustered most of the time. he was denied visa many times before and kept changing universities. which led to rapid firing of questions from the american visa officer. (i wonder if i could get into trouble for writing this) but it was all good because he was granted his visa. i wondered as i sat there reading my newsweek if my interview would be just as bad. but it turned out ok. the woman was nice and she said seattle was a beautiful city and perfect for biology. so there's my embassy experience. complete with maximum security checks and anal woman who insisted that my hair should be tucked behind my ears for the photo. costing me another $10.

so with documents to GIP office and MOE more or less settled, air tix booked and paid and e-ticketed, SIA krisflyer membership applied and done, and all the rest, i'm just left with packing and buying of stuff and more packing. ohyes and meeting up with friends and christmas and discovering the meaning of christmas all over again.

i cannot believe i'll be leaving in less than 2 weeks. it's starting to hit me slowly. the reality. the excitement of a whole new world. the traveling. the space needle. the ferryboats. the cold and rain. living away from home. wearing my new winter clothes from japan (including many things from gap! can't help it if it's 20% off). the rush of adrenaline. the road trips and weekend trips to portland, to vancouver. visiting friends on the east coast.

and on the other side. sam. bethany. family. friends. hugo. the other friends on exchange somewhere else in the world. pastors. teachers. home. singapore.

yes my resolution to finish reading the new testement while i'm there still stands. it'll be a challenge finding a church that is suitable. but i know i can always find comfort in bethany. and the mp3s of our services, of ypg and of the special events.

***

it's a great test of many things. this trip.

a test of my strength.

a test of my faith. in God. in myself. in my relationships. with sam especially.

a test of my courage to face my fears. the greatest of which will be tested. and i'd prefer not to reveal my greatest fear. only a selected few know.

a test of my perseverence. to endure hardship. pain. tears. homesickness.

a test of my patience. waiting on the Lord. always.

a test of my hearing, seeing, understanding.

a test of my willingness to learn. the tangible facts of my studies. the intangible skills of life. the great provisions that God gives.

a test of my responsiveness. to respond to those lessons.

a test of my love. for sam. for my family. for my friends. for my home.

for God.

Labels: kingdom of God, seattle, tokyo, youth conference

This girl posted at 11:51 PM