What you’re about to witness, is a true account of the adventures of S.H.E and friend without any adult present or supervision…what a BLAST they had!!! xD

 

Dec 6 TO MALACCA!

On the plane from SDK-KL, Sam and Han had good bonding time. Sam enjoyed spaghetti (which he slurped so loudly he prevented any sleep from descending upon his beloved sister along with most of the passengers on board), while Han had chilled chicken sandwich.

The plane experienced slight turbulence, and dipped suddenly,  causing Newton’s First Law to act upon both Sam & Han’s teacups (with hot Lipton milk tea) in hand. The hands which held those teacups suddenly rose above eye and head level as the plane dipped low, threatening to spill boiling hot tea onto the shiny balding head of the gentleman in front…luckily that didn’t happen, so Sam & Han missed any drama which may have taken place.

Not long after that, the trio and friend whom we’ll call Tes here, along with a group of college guys, took a bus to Melaka. On the way, almost there, the bus started producing weird funny sounds, as though it were gasping for air, and the driver had to stop. The gang (including the trio & Tes) decided to wait at the roadside for friends to rescue them. And Malacca welcomed them with a smile. A double rainbow was painted across the sky. The pic only shows one of it though.

  

That night, after dinner with Elynn’s family, SHE and Tes were brought to Dataran Pahlawan where they saw amazing Christmas decorations and experienced the nostalgic moment of the Declaration of Tanah Melayu’s Independence.

(Left: outside restaurant. Right: Deco at Dataran Pahlawan mall)

Later, they met up with the gang at Perkampungan Portugis where the air is filled with Christmas anticipation and joy.

 

Dec 7 TO IPOH, PERAK!

The 4 musketeers had breakfast and headed for a quick visit to Malacca’s places of interest: the Kota A Famosa and Taming Sari Tower.

           

In the afternoon, they took a long, tiring 6 hour journey to Ipoh, Perak. On the way, they ate the tastiest, creamiest, most mouth-watering Malacca durian puffs. You’ve gotta try it (unless you’re anti-durian)! I heard they’re really great! Smooth durian flavoured cream oozes out as you bite into one! *drools* Thank you Mrs. Suah!

And finally they reached Ipoh, dead tired! With the little strength they had, they went cari makan in shops nearby the hotel. And boy, the taugeh there are really fat and juicy! By the way, I heard from them that the hotel  (Regalodge Hotel) has really good service! *Thumbs up*

 

Dec 8 STILL IPOH!

Awake with stomachs rumbling, the 4 Musketeers were all set to explore Ipoh.  (Below: A view from the hotel window)

But first, breakfast. And I had to say Wow! For the 4 Musketeers had a really sumptuous breakfast! Thanks to sharp-eyed Sam who spotted a good restaurant crowded with people! Take a sneak peek at what went down their oesophagus and into the tummies! *drools somemore*

(P/s: And erm, because they were too hungry, it was almost half-way through the meal that they remembered and began taking pictures of the food).

                     

         

With tummies full and contented, the energised 4 Musketeers began to conquer Ipoh. However, places they went were not on their list at all. (Truth be told, they didn’t have a list. Just wanted to visit the Geological Museum). The taxi driver took them to Perak Darul Ridzuan Museum instead, because it’s nearer.

Next, they went to check out Perak Tong, as recommended by the same taxi driver. Amazingly, they managed to came out alive (though stinky with sweat) after climbing steep steps up the limestone mountain in which the temple was built. A whooping 450 steps all the way to the top. I think they didn’t reach the top, only almost there. But it was a feat nonetheless to Est who has mild acrophobia (fear of heights).

 

Next stop was Gunung Lang Recreation Park. This one provides wholesome fun for the family. The 4 Musketeers got to enjoy a pleasant boat ride on the scenic lake.

That night, they went to sleepover at a friend’s house. The family was warm and friendly. No doubt they had a good rest there, and even gained insight on life as a medical staff. Fruitful conversation.

And guess what? God provided good fair weather! All glory belongs to Him who created the Heavens and the Earth!

(Author says: Alright, I’ve got to go. That’s all for now! This is just part 1 of the holiday adventure I’m covering in this post. More to come as I will soon take you on a trip to KL with the 4 Musketeers! TTFN!)

Phew! Just cleared loads of spider webs from our bookshelves, and of course, from this blog… (words of opening for a new blog post always sounds like this, huh?)

And that’s when I come to realize that we own huge amount of books and magazines, all collecting dust and rotting away on the shelves. What a waste! The vast knowledge these books contained were not assimilated at all into our minds and souls! What’s the use of thousands of printed materials and thick books when we are not able to apply or even garner anything from any of them?!

When we are exposed to a fact, we memorise it when we deem it necessary, thus that information becomes a short-term knowledge. But this info is something which we do not quite fully grasp, and to retain it in our brains we have to keep repeating or memorising it. (Yeah…Sounds a lot like memorising definitions of biology terms ). Gradually, we find situations in which we can actively and appropriately apply that piece of knowledge, now this is called wisdom. However, if a learned fact is left in the mind untouched, not being retrieved for churning or digesting or applying, it disappears!

Now I wonder how many books of mine faced this same fate of just being a display item on the shelf! I know it may not be easy to put to practice everything we read, but it is good to remember that we will never own the knowledge in a book if no effort on our part is made to remember and apply it in our everyday lives.

Actually, I believe learning gets easier once real life applications are involved! This is a new challenge for myself too, especially in learning examination subjects like Biology, Economics, Chemistry… … I remember applying the pupil reflex when going in and out of my house, much to the annoyance of my roommie, because I kept telling her what the sudden brightness or darkness is doing to my pupils. That’s the way I am able to learn and remember at the same time!

Come on, let’s make the best out of the books we have and the Ringgits we’ve spent!

It’s been a very long while since this blog is last touched. Quite busy recently, getting ready for tests few weeks ago, Ethics exam, and now the end of semester’s exam is just round the corner.

Yet, always thankful for GOD because our source of wisdom is from Him, not through our strength and knowledge. However, sometimes we are so overwhelmed with our problems and tests that we seem to focus too much on ourselves, our studies. We begin to worry whether or not we have sufficient time to finish reading the textbook and past years, consequently brushing God aside for a moment. God, forgive us of little faith!

Truth be told, that is the time when we need to be still and KNOW that HE IS GOD! Time to see God GREATER than our tests, time to see Him WISER than us! For what is man’s wisdom to God? Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in ALL your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE shall direct your path, trust and hope in the LORD. ~Proverbs 3:5

Yipee! It’s time for GOD to take charge! I’m counting on YOU, LORD! (but I’ll do my part in studying :D)

ALMOST 19 years have passed, we are nearly falling into “young adults” category….of course, no doubt age has began to catch up, fortunately, our maturity and intelligence are not far behind too. Nevertheless, one stubborn variable that chose to remain constant all this while (since age 13) is---our size/height (or lack of it…=S)

Both of us are small in size… (must be the jeans! Ahem, genes.) If mom and dad are reading this, yea yea, our fault too because we lazy bumps didn’t like to jump/exercise during puberty…== Ah, no use crying over spilt milk!

Anyway, just for fun post here, enumerating the “pros and cons” of being “vertically challenged” (~English translation: short~). To be frank, we DO NOT ENJOY being short…but we have to accept this obvious, in-the-face fact. Funny to say, but many people envy our height and size! What do we say to that? Well, we are humans and so most of us are not easily contented with what GOD gave us.

ADVANTAGES (some contributed by friends):

1. Easily avoid being seen (esp when teachers are choosing students to answer questions)
2. Can pick dropped stuffs easily (nearer to the ground)
3. Looks very cute (i highly doubt it…)
4. Easily squeeze through crowds
5. Tendency to be protected by others (another highly doubted thing)
6. Buying shoes is easy
7. Have reasons to wear sexy high heels
8. More stable (lower centre of gravity)
9. Do not have bend when standing in buses or vehicles
10. Do not have to duck to avoid tree branches or sign posts
11. Have wide range of choices of “mates” (applicable to girls only)
12. Looks younger (sometimes)
13. Can get children’s fare occasionally (entrance fee etc.)
14. Use less shower cream compared to others (smaller total surface area)
15. Sometimes can be clumsy and not regarded as clumsy, just cute =P

DISADVANTAGES

1. Tendency to be looked down upon (literary & non-literary)
2. May suffer from neck pain during conversations (looking up to taller people)
3. Have to stretch a lot to reach higher places
4. Have to smell different odour and breathe in used air (esp in crowded area where ppl sweat…eewww)
5. Easily blocked by others (when wanted to be seen/ wanted to see something)
6. Hard to find suitable clothes (found mostly at kids’ section)
7. Need greater effort when carrying things (Esp things like luggage that’s as tall as you)
8. Ignored by peers because regarded as kids (look kiddish =(…)
9. Doesn’t usually look good in most fashionable cloths
10. Easily knocked down (by taller persons & cars)

I think that’s what I can come up with for now…haha.

Anyway, I’m just thankful and trying to be the best I can be, doing great things for Him, in this little body God blessed me with!

Last night, we had cell group, a time of fellowship and learning of the Word. We will be studying the book of 1 John. We started with 1 John 1:1-10, a short but concise passage, showing us essential truths.

1Jn 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleansed us from all sin.

Our Cell leader shared an interesting story (circulated by email) about a professor who asked his class whether they believed that God created everything. All the students said yes. The professor then challenged them, saying, “If God really did create everything, He is not a good God because He created darkness and evil.” The students were dumbstruck and were not able to answer him. However, one particular young man stood up and said, “God created everything, light and goodness. He did not create darkness or evil because darkness is the absence of the LIGHT God created, while evil is the absence of the GOOD God created.” How true! in the absence of God, darkness, fear, hopelessness dwells!

In light, darkness flee. Light is associated with hope, peace, joy and security, while darkness only reminds one of fear, despair, sorrow and uncertainty. When we walk in the light, the paths before us are clearly seen and we have confidence not to stumble and fall, we can see our destination clearly.

As the Light of the World, Jesus Christ came into the world filled with sin and filth, we begin to know hope and freedom. We no longer have to grope around for a way out, for freedom from sins, for love and acceptance, for the gateway to eternal life, because the Light from Heaven died as the penalty for our sins. Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. Through faith in Him, we are citizens of the Kingdom of Light!

~JESUS LOVES YOU VERY MUCH!!! UNCONDITIONALLY!!!~
`

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” ~Philippians 4:6

Appointed as transport coordinator for our CF, I received “advices” from seniors and even super-seniors, that this ministry requires lots of prayer. Drivers have to be contacted, number of people attending CF has to be estimated and number of shuttles have to be taken into account.

Thank God for His faithfulness and grace. For His grace is truly sufficient for me. He blessed me with an efficient “partner-in-crime” who plans everything well.

I am indeed thankful for all the drivers God has provided for us--- the church uncles and aunties, as well as seniors and my peers, who sacrificed their time to serve God in this ministry. *God, may you grant our drivers strength and joy in serving you! Multiply their time and prosper every work of their hands! Amen.* For this is not an easy task, they give up their personal time and strength to fetch others to and fro CF, always last to reach hostel.

Each CF would give me another chance to experience God’s goodness, even though not through great thunders-and-lightning way, His acts of love is tangible. Most of the time, I would be anxious about transport because something usually crops up at the last minute to cause a lack of transport or drivers. But God works in ways we cannot see, even 5 loaves and 2 fishes fed 5000+ people. So each time, miracles happen and we always ended up with more than enough transport for everyone!

Praise God for His goodness and mercy all this while in my ministry. I know I ought to be anxious about nothing, for He has control over my life and I am in safe hands.

Found this on the internet and would like to share it here…

"Wait For the Man"

Adrienne Sadosky
Pittsburgh Standard

Wait for the man who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of man who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better woman.

Wait for the man who will be your best friend, the one who will drop everything to be with you.

Wait for the man who makes you smile like no other guy makes you smile.

Wait for the man who respects and loves you for who you are, not who everyone else wants you to be.

Wait for the man who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats and no makeup, but loves it when you get all dolled up for him.

Wait for the man who praises God for you, and encourages you daily in your walk, and most importantly, wait for the man who is more in love with God than you. (note: this is most important!)

Someday, someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else...

Just a brief post here about my (Hannah’s) short trip to Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya on the 22nd-23rd January 2010. Organised by our Christian Fellowship seniors, the main objective of this trip was to foster close relationship between committee members of our CF.

The place was in Shah Alam and we went there in our trusty church van. There were 16 juniors and 5 seniors. Obviously, there were also more girls than boys. Our lodging place was known as “Kampung Idaman”, haha, cool huh? And our chalets were Pak Alang Negeri Perak for the girls and Pak *whoops…forgot* Negeri Terengganu for the boys. The exquisite architecture designs are based on real traditional houses of each state in Malaysia. Sadly, I hadn’t been able to see either Sabah or Sarawak chalets.

Pic below (from left): The boys chalet (less spacious than girls’), and the living room (the girls’ chalet)

We started off with prayer and the fun began. We were led into a series of icebreaking games in which my group managed to escape punishment in the form of lipstick doodles on the face. But I guess it would be fun to get our faces decorated once in a while. Next, we broke into 2 groups and were given tasks to do. A lighted candle and balloons tied to our ankles were placed under our care.

1. Build a drinking straws tower which reaches a specified height without talking with group members. Our mouths were sealed with masking tape. But because  of all the sweat and saliva, it didn’t adhere properly. Hehe…

2. Members tie themselves facing outwards to a piece of newspaper with balloons placed atop. Balloons must not fall off. Meanwhile, there were keys and hangers scattered all about. Hangers were for attacking enemies while keys were to open the locks later.

Obviously, we were having A BLAST!!!!

Unfortunately, we became too preoccupied with attacking each other till we forgot our main goal, not to open the locks but to keep the newspaper intact and balloons safe. Hmm, lesson learnt. Just like serving God, we should always come back to our main purpose---glorifying His name and not be distracted by all the things we thought was important around us.

That night was supposed to be barbecue night. Unfortunately, it rained like cats and dogs. In spite of that, the boys insisted lighting up the grill and they sang in the rain. In the end, food was barbecued on the stove instead. (Note: the chicken wings and drumsticks were marinated by Jan, Cecilia, Yee Farn and me on Thursday 10pm-11pm, tiring work!)

After the sumptuous meal, we had a brief meeting. Then, we began the Smugglers’ Night, prepared by the seniors. The game started at 12am exactly so eerie atmosphere blanketed us as we await at the game site (the boys’ chalet). We were told that there will be guards with torches in the house who could catch us by shining on us. Our goal was to deliver a note to the Collector hidden inside. There might also be a Deceiver disguised as the Collector. By the way, it will be pitch dark in there with obstacles laid on the floor. We were only allowed to enter one at a time. Noise and sound will attract the Guards. If team members were caught, we had to choose to save him or to find the Collector. Most of us chose to save our friends from the dungeon (the toilet).

Thank God I managed to grope my way around and as I am of small build, I easily slipped away from the Guards and came out alive. Haha!!! Funny and scary the way the Guards say: “I hear sooommmeeeoneee….” or “Someone’s in my Hoouussseee….”. ESPECIALLY when it’s already past midnight. Below shows our expressions when we knew what lies ahead.

  That night (or rather, morning), I slept little because of aggressive group of mosquitoes feeding on my legs, back and face! I slathered on Tiger Balm, a thick layer of it, on my whole body, including on my pants and socks but to no avail. Hence, I spent the whole dawn scratching, covering, and applying medicine to ease the itch.

Daylight finally came, and I along with 3 other friends went for a refreshing morning walk. God showed His majesty in nature. Really was refreshing to see the breathtaking pictures God paints using sunlight and trees.

 

Later part of the day was spent wandering around the Taman Pertanian with main stop at Four Season. A place which showcases plants and real atmosphere of the four season. Around this time, we got the chance to experience the freezing cold winter, temperature of –2degree C! However, the feeling was just like being in a freezer. Trees and plants were dormant so it looked quite deserted and dead.

Pic below clockwise: Just outside Winter area (Frm left: Jan, Grace, me, Yen Mei, Sarah), Snowman and igloo, frozen roots, sleeping trees (real ones!)

   

 

Below are sceneries taken (clockwise from 1st pic on left): Lake on the way to Four Season(x2), morning scenery, shafts of light through the trees, exploring the place together.

          

  

Recently, a friend of mine from our Christian Fellowship, whom for now shall be known as Fred, was admitted to ICU for he had dengue fever at a critical stage.

We departed from hostel in a van full of guys, there were only 2 other girls with me. We got our directions from Google maps and I am here to say that it was reliable. After a few hours drive, we finally reached PJ, Assunta Hospital.

Fred’s parents were by his side, and they welcomed us. They looked relieved and quite well rested. Everyone waited for their turns to visit him as the ICU rooms only allowed admission of 2 visitors per time. Good reports spread and indeed we found his condition improving, he regained his appetite. He pointed out that his arms hurt (they were severely bruised) because needles were forced into them for blood sampling. I am glad to see him better again, all the more because his humorous nature was still intact. When I asked whether he remembered me (it has been quite a long time since we last talked), and he said, “You’re H-A-N-N-A-H…” Smiles…cause he didn’t know how to spell my name the first time so he kept repeating H.A.N.N.A.H just to get it in his head. We prayed a brief prayer of healing for him before we left.

Upon leaving the building, we realised our driver lost the parking ticket which was supposed to be presented on our way out. The fine will be RM30 for the loss, hence everyone franticly “turned the van upside down” in search of the tiny card. But we failed. So, one of our girls went and begged mercy from the security cum parking officer. We prayed hard. And to glory to God, he let us go and we all shouted our gratitude to him, bade him goodbye with “GOD BLESS YOU”s and high fives. Thank you Lord, for such an understanding guard.

Dinner time. Some guys introduced the rest of us to a food court in Subang, near Taylor’s Business School. The guys became extremely excited and they effusively ooh and ahh-ed over every “cool” shop we passed by. Their behaviour was most probably due to the lack of shops and facilities back in their hostel area. Indeed, an array of food stalls awaited us, sending out smells of food which wafted temptingly into our nostrils. In the end, I had a mushroom chicken rice while others tried western and weird fried mushrooms.

Anyway, to my amazement, almost all of us were from east Malaysia, majority from Sarawak. Thus the Sarawakian gang happily chatted away on our way back. Thank you Lord, for granting us safe journey. And thanks be to God for speedy recovery of our dear brother in Christ.

Good day! Been busy updating blog, as you can see. The reason? I’m posting as much as I can while I’m still free to think and go online.

Well, my extremely, unbelievably low marks in my English essay has finally triggered the red alert: MUST IMPROVE ENGLISH! Since God has allowed my sponsor to generously offer me a study opportunity in UK, I should be up and about brushing up on my English. Here’s a picture I “saved” from the internet, my future twinning destination---University of Nottingham, UK. Totally heavenly. Thank you, God.^^

So, we are embarking on a whole new journey. By the way, our English lessons have morphed from fun to serious. That’s because we will be taking IELTS this year, no play-play. Today, we did our speaking practice. Speaking is actually my weakness, which by God’s grace, I hope to overcome. Speaking tests require candidates to be calm, confident, fluent in the language as well as  having the ability to express mature views on issues discussed.

To begin with, our lecturer decided to split us into 2 groups for an activity which she called “speed dating”. Don’t worry, we were allowed to date those of the same gender today. Haha. The main point was to make us comfortable conversing with our friends in English. So a group of individuals will be “the dates” and the other was “the interviewers”. I was one of the dates and I got to pick any interviewer I like. We changed partners every 5 minutes. Now that IS speed dating! Hehe!

I tried my best to eliminate Manglish elements in the conversations with my “dates”. Unfortunately, I only managed up to self introduction, then all the “lah”s and loh”s and “where got”s came spilling out like an overflowing river. Arghh. Irritating bad habit. Meanwhile, some of my “dates” encounter the same problem too. =) Sample conversation:

Me: Oh, so you’re from Penang…it’s famous for food, is it?

Date: Yes, there’s Penang char kuey teow for example.

Me: So, how much ah, the food prices at hawker stalls?

Date: Erm, normally ranging from RM3 to RM3.50 loh.

Me: Ohh…quite cheap also hoh, compared to places like KL.

So, we spoke in minimum amounts when the lecturer came by, embarrassed by our typical Manglish conversation in an English class. But speaking that way somehow proves that I am a Malaysian. Should we carry on preserving our proud Manglish heritage in UK? I wonder…

But where got people speak like that in UK? Everyone will be speaking good and real English mah.

To be on the safe side, I’d better practice and brush up my English.

Not long ago I watched a movie entitled “ A Beautiful Mind” about an eccentric but brilliant mathematician by the name of John Nash. His major breakthrough in his studies was when he improvised an economic theory, subsequently got his dream job.

John was recruited into a secret taskforce to crack the codes of the Russians, to track their latest directions and prevent future attacks. However, only towards the end of the movie did we discover we were actually perceiving the truth from within the distorted mind of a schizophrenia patient.

All the fears as a secret agent and the attacks by Russian soldiers were merely illusions which came to life in John’s mind. His closest friend and roommate during uni life, Charles, whom he often mention to his wife, was also one of his fictitious characters along with Charles’s niece and the Secret Agent officer.

John had been living in illusion all along. The “important” moments in his life did not existed. What a shock it was to be zapped back to reality just to find that you have wasted your time, energy and enthusiasm on something far from reality.

Maybe that is what the Devil wanted too. To keep us in illusions, out of touch with the fact that God loves us. He crowds us with worldly riches that we work day in and day out to garner. We are blinded and do not see the need for God’s love in our lives as well as in the lives of others. We perceive the world through our erroneous views, often placing ourselves or wealth on the pedestal.

This is a sad truth but many a times we forget that we are children of God, with authority over all circumstances. We forget that we are chosen people, royal priesthood set aside for His service. We blended in with the ways of the world and loved what the world loves; and hated what the world hates even when God’s will is the other way round. It’s time for a great awakening---only achieved through knowing clearly what God’s will is---only achieved by digesting the Word.

I’m born again. I abide in Him and He in me. Today I’ll wake up and see with spiritual eyes. God, give me the strength to finish this race on earth, and to break free from illusions pressing in on me.

AMEN.

Haha…mom didn’t had confidence in our driving, so she got us a driving sifu to bring us out to “safely venture into the wild traffic world”…in the ALMIGHTY FIERY RED  Kancil ^^

It was quite an experience, because it opened our eyes to see that we were not really ready for the fast and furious…I (Hannah) had really a hard time controlling the steering as the sifu uncle kept saying: “Control steering…control…” until he sighed and had to literally “give me a hand” on my steering. Nevertheless, the frequency of this situation greatly reduced after 2 hrs of “practice”.

I also realised that I am infected with “roundaboutphobia”---the fear of roundabouts. Approaching any roundabouts, my palm be DRIPPING with sweat (exaggeration present) , chill zaps down my spine and a fight or flight mechanism is immediately triggered, who knows why. The intensity of the symptoms increases with the increase in amount of cars, who knows why. By then, I will instinctively stomp on brake, press clutch, grab and force the gear free…simultaneously, within 1 second. By this time sifu uncle will already be pale and yelling in Hakka: “Slow down! calm down, one thing at a time!” while franticly steering from the passenger seat. So I make sure I prayed for safe journey each time I go out driving. I’m quite sure sifu does the same. =)

Anyway, I’m real good at speeding! I can press on the “oil” non-stop till meter goes up to 60km/hr!!! BTW, I’m not allowed to go beyond 50km/hr. Sad =(

Well, I just hope someday I can drive with confidence like any other people, without having to worry about road traffic, red traffic lights, steep slopes or the weather. I hope this day will come soon…but before that I’ll need several hours of parking practice too! Haha.^^

Alrite, end of story, gotta go study. This post is actually to test the effectiveness of a new free programme that comes with the Windows email. Because I wanted to be able to update the blog easily. Goodnight!

After the more tahn a month break, it's time to get back to school...college, that is.

It surprised me to see familiar faces, but with thoroughly unfamiliar hairstyles on their heads! (This is about the girls)...hmmm, many had major "makeover" during the holidays. Although the outward appearance changed, from good to better, from pretty to prettier, I was wondering about the inner self. Did that become better too?

Our minds are bombarded daily with images of pretty faces (usually under thick cosmetic make-ups), stylish clothes and branded handbags/sunglasses etc. Needless to say, this often tempt us to be materialistic in the way we look, just to impress others. We feel extra good when others say, "Look at her shoes! Those are hot!" and then people will come flocking around us because we are cool, stylish people. What does this mean??? Vanity!

I am saddened by this widespreading phenomena:
Teenagers who painstakingly put on make-ups, adorning themselves with all things stylo and fashionable but do not even bother to improve their inner being with knowledge. Seeing youths abandoning their studies, their family, and even their Creator and seek fun from the gang of friends who accept them for their looks/styles. Study became totally uncool, God became unreal, helping out the family is lame.

Youths, wake up! Beauty is fleeting! Yes, you may have beauty which attracts the opposite sex, so what? Do you really want people who like your beauty only instead of you? What is the point of having lots of company when you are actually lonely within? Is this kind of love and attention satisfying?

Anyway, as Christians, I believe we are from the world but not of it. We do not operate under the laws of this earth. We are under God's will, acting and thinking righteously. Hence, let our hearts be pure and let us yearn for God's presence and love. Adorn ourselves with the beauty of Christ: gentleness, humility, kindness and AGAPE LOVE. Equip ourselves with spiritual armour, enrich our minds with the Word of God so that we can stand and fight when temptations come, and emerge victorious.

GOD BLESS YOU,

Let the pure beauty of God radiate from within.

July-Nov

• Our college life really begun, although we do not at all feel like we are grown up college students. We relied on God everyday in our studies, because without Him, we are not able to do anything. Throughout these months, God was real and close to us. College life has led us closer to our Father in heaven. There were many lessons learnt these few months, God has made us realize the need to trust Him and not lean on our own understanding in every situation.
• God had also blessed both of us with a church, a family in which we can be nurtured, grounded deep in the Word of God, and grow. We met wonderful people in church, eveready to give us the encouragement we need in our ministry.
• Exam season came, and we cling onto God all the more, when thosse around us were in a study frenzy. Lights were on at night, everyone seemed to be stressful. But we trully thank God that we were able to study everything we need without having to be pandas. Although there were some sleepless nights before the exam, God helped us to stay awake and have clear mind during the exam. Now, we done our part by revising, and we trust God to bless the works of our hand, for the workers labour in vain without God's hand upon their toil.

Dec

• A season to remember the birth of Jesus with our family. We cherished every moment we have with our family, and our family in our home church. We had a great time with our friends in Sandakan, and were thankful to God for how much matured they grew to be. 

Final note, we thanked God for the abundance we enjoyed in 2009 because of His faithfulness and love to us. We will look forward to experience much more of this abundance and breakthrough in every area of our life, and seek to glorify His name in everything we do. Our theme for this year, same as the theme of our home church, which is to be "Abiding in Christ", that we may enjoy His presence every second, bear much fruit and bring glory to His name.

Thank you, Jesus. May this blog be dedicated to sing and speak of the wonderful blessings that God has poured into our lives.

Now for the 2nd quarter of the year:

Apr:

• Many -many interviews to attend, even though we felt that we did badly at every interview, we still trusted God, although sometimes we doubt -how can God help us secure a scholarship when we made a mess in our interviews? Nevertheless, we were sure that if all these doors were closed, He would always open another door (even if it was Form 6).
• A door was opened for us, we got matriculations while most of our applications for scholarship were turned down, even the one we hoped for the most--perguruan gave no news. Yep, we figured this is the door God opened for us since both of us got it and both to the Labuan campus.

May:

• Before going into matriculations, we got good news that Yayasan Sabah is awarding both of us a scholarship to study early childhood education, which was our passion. We decided that this was "the door" God really opened for us, so we accepted the offer. However, we still went into matriculations for about a month.
• In matriculations, we were neighbours with our taska friend, which made the short period in matrics fun. Although there was constant shortage of water supply, and we had to carry pails of water from ground floor up to 3rd floor, we were grateful to God that He toughened us for survival. If we survived matrics, we can survive anywhere else on earth. We also met friends from Sarawak, God had enlarged our friendship circle. 
• In matrics however, God had another surprise for us. Our previously rejected JPA applications which we appealled, was approved. Its all a "terima" click away. One of us gladly accepted, as the course was "ok" for her. The other one (me lah), struggled because I didn't want the course offered. I decided to go for Yayasan Sabah scholarship anyhow.
• We left matrics end of May. Both of us had decided by that time, that we would take JPA's scholarship, because that way, dad and mum won't have to worry about us at all. God is good, He made everything turn out for the good of those who love Him. We were among the few who got the scholarship. Thank God!

June:

• A new life began the day we both went our separate ways. This was the month that both of us, unseparated since birth, was separated---far apart---different environment---yeah, totally different. God's grace enabled us to have many wonderful and true friends around us, eventhough we thought we left all the best-est friends we could find by moving forward. We were in the midst of the brains of the nation, and were humbled (not that we were proud before this, but the fact that everyone around us are cream of the crop, awed us all the more). We knew we need to trust God all the more to be able to excel in our studies. 

Well, the end of the year 2009 has flitted past...this time is always for reflecting upon the year, how much God has provided for us. Here is a chronological list of what we experienced throughout the year and we are grateful to God for being there for us whenever we need him the most,

Jan - Mar  :

• Just after SPM, working at a taska. God led us to meet our very unique, funny, best friend. We  shared our stressful workload together, and fun moments at work. She made us see things in a different light, because she is one funny and cheerful friend. Thank you, CMT! (If you are reading this...)
• This period of time, we were also busy hunting for every possible scholarship, as we do not want to burden our parents financially. We applied for Shell, Petronas, JPA, Yayasan Sabah, Perguruan, Khazanah, Sime Darby hoping that the probability of getting at least a scholarship is high. Meanwhile, we also placed hope on matriculations. We prayed for God to open a door for us.
• The climax of this first quater of the year is our unexpected SPM result. Truly ALL glory be to God! For it is by His grace and mercy that both of us can obtain 13A1s. We are not boasting here, for we know, we cannot possibly have scored such excellent result without God. It is because God is just sooooo good to us! We truly thanked God for this great blessing upon our academics.  

  

God is trully good to me. He has given me friends whom I can count on in college. Friends who accept me as I am, accept my flaws and all embarassing quirks...Thank God for the grace He showered upon me.

My friends are the ones who keep me up and about in college. Everytime after the holidays in my hometown, I return to my hostel room, feeling lonely and empty, missing my home, family and old friends because I usually arrive earlier than the rest of them. I would feel like crying...but when all my friends arrive in college, this feeling would immediately vanish, and I would feel relieved and happy. I guess its because my friends are my family in college, they are the shoulder on which I lean on when I can't stand on my own, they are the ones to share my joy and sadness, and lame jokes.

I know that God gave them to me for a purpose. There are many things God wants me to learn from them, and many things God wants me to show them--His love and grace. Yep, most of my friends haven't come to know Jesus personally. I know that God placed me among them to extend genuine friendship to them and show them His kind of love. Sometimes I felt that I am not good enough, but I am learning to rely on His strength for me to continue to show love and care to my friends. I admit, when I rely solely on my own determination to be kind and loving, I find it hard and tiring. It is hard when I rely on my own strength, but it becomes easy when I see that it is by the Spirit of God that I can do it.

I lean on the grace of God and avail myself to be used as an instrument to bless my friends by being a good friend to them. Though at times I feel that I have failed to be a true friend, I know that it is through this process that I can rely on God all the more, and be perfected into the likeness of Jesus, and that my friends will see the difference God made in my life and come to experience the unconditional love that can only be found in Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Life in college is really a new experience for me. Especially in a college where everyone scored 10As and above in SPM, where stress level is always at the critical point...I can feel the stress everytime a test comes. Yep, a minor simple test...people study like studying for SPM... I felt that every little test seems like SPM, people have sleepless nights,, devouring and munching on books, drowning mugs of coffee to prop their eyes open. I can't understand why they have to be like that, and when I see them like that, it makes me feel relatively lazy, because I sleep at 11pm instead of franctically studying.
Stress is inevitable, but, I am so grateful to God that I can handle and survive every stressful moments by His strength. It's comforting to know that our Father in heaven always keep watch over His precious little children, never leaving us nor forsaking us. Sometimes, I felt overwhelmed by the tight schedule and the many revision that I have to squeeze in to ensure that I can cope with the syllabus and the teacher's teaching. Then again, every night, I would surrender everything into the loving hands of God, knowing that He will help me in times of trouble and stress. By giving to God all my worries of the day's unfinished work and the worries of the uncertain tomorrow, I can rest in His peace that transcends all understanding, knowing fully that everything is well taken care of by God.

I truly thank God for His faithfullness in my life in college, that every single moment, I can see His hands at work, granting me the grace and mercy anew every day to sustain me through the day. I see each day as a miracle, a chance for me to draw closer to God, to know Him better, to be like Jesus. I have decided that every breath that I breathe is a worship to God, every step that I take I take by faith, and every deed that I do, I honour God. I know that the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want, He leads me to green pastures by the waters, where I can rest , wait, and draw strength from Him, yes, even in moments when everyone around me is stressed, worried, I shall be still and know that He is God, He is in control.

12-13/9/09

The weekend spent with dad and mum sure is fun! We tried the KTM for the first time!

cool eh? Now that we know how. we can go anywhere we want!!! Muahaha...and here's us ( wearing mask...not kiasi la..many people what...)

 Soooo crowded, have to stand...but we already biasa lah naik the bus at campus also like that...

We went to Bank Negara that side, the hbusy part of Kuala Lumpur...but didn't take pics, too rushing that time, and so crowded, got many sales especially at SOGO, many people jostling to get in, and many people buy stuff for hari raya.

This trip, dad also drove! Eventhough he didn't know the route to anywhere we are heading to. We counted on Garmin. Who's that? Heheh...its the lady GPS. She gave us direction...although sometimes no satellite signal, and dad tersalah jalan didn't obey her orders, thank God we managed to arrive at our destination safely. We went to Carrefour of Subang Jaya, got ourselves soft icecream..yumm! Saw this cute little rabbit for sale...

And dad drove all the way to Petaling Jaya for his ordination service! Hurrah dad! Because the taxi driver who was supposed to fetch us didn't turn up, and dad didn't want to be late, so he sat behind the wheels and let Garmin lead the way, and thankfully, we got there on time!

Here's their happy faces..umm...I didn't rotate the pic, nevermind.

Thank God for the wonderful time together!