fulfilling afternoon. =]

had lunch with Evangeline,
a dear friend made during NDP2002
as we marched together
in the Girls' Brigade contingent.

six years later
and we're still in touch!
haha, it's always so encouraging
meeting up with her
'cos i feel real comfortable
sharing with her,
even if we meet up
only once in a while.

feeling refreshed. =]

working, working, working!

i have been replying emails
and doing planning for stuff
and cleaning the house
on top of unpacking the bags
and tidying the room
and.. and..

o0oh, by the way,
the keyboard is half-squeakyclean!
while damp-dusting the desktop
i thought that
it was time the keyboard
be rid of all dustbunnies.

so i readied myself
with the cloth
and a toothbrush!
and painstakingly scrubbed
all 5 exposed surfaces of each key.

ugh. gross.
it took really long,
and the dust and stuff
that fell out of the keyboard
made me really queasy.
SO _{i only did half.} >.<


ANYWAY,
my exam results are out!
and i really wanna thank God
for blessing me with my grades. *beams*
a gpa of 3.0, can you believe that!

yes, i know it's not spectacular,
but it's not too bad
for a first attempt, i think?
will definitely be
doubling efforts for the next semester. =]

BACK!! and exhausted.

checked my work email
and *gasp*
42 new emails. >.<
and 35 of them are related
to my commsvc event. *yikes*
another 5+ odd, to opss event
and again 5+ odd to ccktjc ADC!

so much to do, now that i'm back.
but firstly, i must UNPACK.

-out-

unavailable!

hello dear peeps,
all work/planning/emails
will be put on hold
for the next week or so.
will be contactable once again
on the 23rd of september
but that is NO excuse to
flood me, okayyyy!
do still keep me updated
for important stuff, ya?
it's just that i'll check
inboxes&mailboxes
when i'm back.
thankyousoverymuch!

things on my plate at the moment.

- planning for holiday trip
- planning for saotsc opss event
- planning for saotsc commsvc event
- planning for ccktjc ADC

haha. i think i'm biased. =P

snapsnapsnap-- woohoo!

compilation of an online photosite
with shutterfly is in the works now!
(contemplated multiply but
it seems hard to use! >.<)

got LOADSA photos in my harddisk
and i've really gotta share it.

the site'll hold raw photos, mainly.
if i happen to do any editing
it'd be shared too, though. =]

in the meantime,
whatever's up is up here! =]

http://stoicallife.shutterfly.com/

have been MIA for a while, and will be again in a week's time.. =O

the second week of the holidays
came and went so fast,
it's now the third! >.<
how did i spend the time?


well, i went to school on tues!
haha, can you believe it?
'twas to study, actually.
and play sports, definitely.
however things weren't exactly as planned.

ended up planning for a trip to Aus!
(which explains why i'm gonna be
very uncontactable next week)
haha, while that sounds like
something to rejoice over,
i have yet to be excited about it. =\

--i mean, getting me to plan routes
and use maps for directions is one thing
(which i think i did well,
when my family took our last holiday.
the sisters did the planning,
i helped the driver with the roads.)

but to PLAN THE ENTIRE TRIP?!!
you've got to be kidding me. =X
i think i know my strengths,
and it's not exactly planning where to go.
goodness, i can barely decide
what to have for meals,
let alone what mummy&i
will do for a whole week.

YIKES.
well, turns out that my mum's serious.
she's totally giving me the liberty
to decide where to go, how to get there,
what to eat, (where to shop?)
and stuff.

but thankfullyandverygratefully,
with the help of daddy
(thankYOUsomuch),
the basic stuff such as
where to stay is settled.
first 3days at a hotel,
rest of the trip at a friend's place.

all i have to do now is to
plan what to do each day.
so i think i have no excuse
not to do a good job. yups!

still, this is something i'd
never've thought that i'd do.
still uncertain about lotsa stuff.
oh, well.
thankGod for my assets (OTterminology)
in map-reading. haha. =D


--

o0okayy. how did i get there again?
anyway, this post was mainly supposed
to be about what i did, not what i'm gonna do. =P

well, the latter part of the week
that i was MIA,
i was attending a WorshipRetreat.
it was a stay-over event
from thursday-saturday,
and i had a really great time.

the guestspeaker flew in
TWENTYTHREE HOURS
from USA to come share with us.
Dr Pat McKinstry is an inspiring
God-honouring woman.
Her personal prayer/worship life
really manifests in her public life.
it's kinda hard to explain how
but when you meet her,
you'll know how sensitive she is
to the HolySpirit. =]

"praise - it's not something i do. it's my life."
how true that should be!

on the first night of session,
we learnt what it takes to be
a true worshipper.
timeliness, rightattitude,
respectingleadership, faithfulness,
expectancy&anticipation,
preparation, layingasideone'splans..
just some of the key things to note.

she also shared with us
instances in her life
which exemplified
the power of prayer
that comes with
holy boldness.
all i can say is that
she really inspires me to
learn to use my tongue
for God's purposes.

and then she prayed for
most of those at that session.
before she came round to me,
i was praying and thinking about
certain things in my heart.
then when she laid hands on me,
i just felt the presence of
the Holy Spirit rest upon me.

she prayed in tongues
and God used her to really
encourage me and uplift my spirit.
she told me to
get my pen and paper ready.
and that God would give me
a new song that very night.

when i heard that, i was really edified.
praising&thanking the Lord,
i claimed His promise
and held Him to His word.

you see,
songwriting was the issue
that i was pondering over
in my heart before she prayed for me!
God's amazing, aye? =]

that night i literally held onto
my pen and notebook
and kept praying for the new song.
but God did not allow the song to come
the same way the first two did.

you see, the two songs God gave me
prior to this night, came this way:
He'd give me the passage from the Bible
where the lyrics'd come from
then after with somequite a bit of
help from thomas, the music'd flow.
but this time,
the tune to the first two lines came first.
and slowly but surely,
the whole song was birthed.
it was an amazing experience.


to be able to tangibly know
that i am on God's mind,
not just a number (possibly?)
on a growing/diminishing list,
--and that He honours His word--
is simply awesome.


and also, even at a time
where changes in my life
are about to take place
i can take comfort in the fact that
God is faithful. =]


hope the lyrics from Psalms40
inspires some and touches others.
as it has done for me.

day of success, surprises and so much fun!

two events today that make up the title.

today was the angel-mortal reveal party!
and the art project was a success!
was so worried that my mortal
wouldn't like the shirt that i painted for her
but it turns out that she did!
woohoo~

when my angel came up to me
during the reveal, i was totally not prepared!
i initially had someone in mind,
so was looking out for her, THEN..
surprise, surprise!
i got a boy. heh.
hmm, come to think of it,
he did put a lot of effort
in the gifts for me,
contrary to my initial impression
of an absent angel. =P

anyway, the food brought was not bad at all!
my class brought potato salad, fruits, jelly.
other classes did chocolateystuff, nuggets,
pandancake, potatowedges, crisps, drink, etc.
yumyum, overate.


--

i caught a wheelchair basketball match
and it was so much fun!!
greatbritain was playing southafrica.
the two teams came to s'pore
to acclimatize before the paralympics
in beijing take place.
what a privilege to see them play. =]

the atmosphere of the sportshall was amazing.
held at the unitedworldcollege,
there were many students who came to watch.
the cheers of encouragement for southafrica
were strong, however it seemed that
whoops of joy were heard from the same
crowd behind me each time greatbritain scored.

well, i rendered my shouts for southafrica.
and although they didn't win,
i admire the way the captain of the team played.
some members were rowdy,
even though they're on wheelchairs!
bumping into opponents
and even 'locking' others' wheelchairs
by strategically interlocking the footplates
of their chairs with the wheels of others'!

but number7 was mostly calm.
he played well, keeping his eyes
on the ball and on his teammates.
which was a contrast to some players
who were expending more energy
blocking competitors' paths.

i'm glad i went for the match today.
i learnt more of how the game is played,
the meanings of the fancy actions referees/umpires
made to denote certain types of fouls.
i got to see the importance of
directing your attention on the right
things/people during the match,
note to self: must practice that the next time i play.
i also had the opportunity to witness
the grace and swiftness of movement
by the players on the court.
strength in the arms i don't have!
but most of all, i realise
how privileged i am. to be able-bodied.


wow.

HAPPY(okayla.)HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! =D

okay, so this was what i'd planned
would take place on my birthday:
- wake, shower up, meet classmates!
- spend the morning-> afternoon
hanging out with them, even lunch.
- head back home, tutoring at 4pm
- end at 6pm, have a nice dinner
- return home before 9
- have sweethappy memories..


BUT
IT WAS NOT TO BE.
haha. =P


first of all, my dinnerdate
postponed the meeting.
saddd.


then the night before THE day,
i texted my classrep if we were meeting
and she totally ignored my message!!!!

received a buzz from sylvia instead
to meet at around 3.20pm
on THE day before my tutoring.
though it was a disappointment
that instead of hanging out,
i'd just, like, "NAHH, here you go,"
receive a gift and go back home,
i thought that it was okay, i guess.

so i agreed lastminute to a lunch
with another coursemate of mine
to meet at westmall's pastamania!
yumyum. =D

we then walked around
(too full for swensen's dessert)
to buy stuff from shops i like.
wah, felt superrich
though i really wasn't.
heh. the banes of using NETS.

got fabric paints and stick dyes
from popular.
hehe, the art project i'm
currently working on...
whee~

got a CD (on impulse!!)
from hallmark.
i just seriously bought
what was playing overhead.
haha.

got a birthdaygift for my daddy.
his' the next in the family
to be celebrated!
[since i doubt he'll read this:]
i got him two tabletennisbats
and a box of tabletennisballs.
would be nice to have
a game with him someday.

almost bought hairsoap.
don't know why, just felt like it. >.<
thankfully i didn't.
guess, the ego was overriding the id.

oh, ego, where were you during
all the above purchases?
haha. =P

last purchase, a gift for me:
a black tanktop! *beams*
haha, dearLaLa was commenting
that i need to get the basics!
hehe.


then i rushed back home to
help my sister with something


and then sylvia texted to say
she'd arrived below my block.

so i hurried down to meet her
expecting to see her holding
a paperbag of present for me
but NOOOOOO....
in her hand was just a bunch
of... plastic bags??
y'know, those big
transluscent green ones
that hdb occupants
receive in a bid to
encourage recycling?

so i was: hmmm?

then she folded the bags
and blindfolded me.
well, actually 'cos the bags
were many and were big
she ended up
masking close to my entire face.
haha.

and let me on trail
to i-don't-know-where.
only sensory inputs
were sounds of cars passing by
SO WE WERE WALKING BY
THE ROADSIDE WITH ME
LOOKING SILLY LIKE THAT?!!
and her 'ngiapp' and 'warmth'.
haha, flashback to when we were
learning Mobility with a VI client.

then she got lost.
BUT found her way again,
and we met elisabeth!
well, at least, i heard elisabeth.

they kinda got me into a car
(it sounded like a taxi)
but not before bumping
my nose into the side of the door.

and i heard voices of
xiaoyuan and tricia as well.
"hmm, this will be interesting,"
i thought to myself.

they refused to tell me
where we were going,
so i gave up asking
and just chatted as
normally as i could.
note: i was still blindfolded. (?!!)

then it got quiet
the vehicle stopped.
the door opened.
i somehow got out?

someone grabbed from behind
and tied my hands together
and tied my legs together.

totally freaking me out now.
not sure
whether
to laugh
or to cry.

and then there was a
total change in atmosphere.
i was hauled up
onto what seemed like
another vehicle.
knocked my head against something
but the confusion proved
a damper to the ouch.

in the van
i knew there was someone behind me
a bunch of others beside me.
there were sounds of sobbing
coming from my left
and noises of banging on
the sides of the vehicle
coming from all around.

a male voice rang out
to shut up the wailers.
i wasn't one of them.

i sat at my corner
shivering
with my hands behind my back.
i tried not to roll about
i tried to balance
against the movements of the van
under the control of
a seemingly terrible driver.

a monologue of the
fate of all victims took place.
suggesting that we'd
be shipped to m'sia.

i kept quiet.
to struggle would be unintelligent.
i kept still.
only to be poked at
to check if i was alive
and viable for sale.

a few times the wailers would start.
and be silenced again.

there were sounds of spitting
and snips of a pair of scissors
coming dangerously close
to my ear.
from the left, a sharpening of knife.

it was a long
and uncomfortable ride.

i teared,
but no one could see under the mask.

i dreaded when the van would stop.
not knowing what would happen next.

yet the time came.
the vehicle started reversing.
bleeps accompanied the backward motion.

the door railed open.
light flooded the van,
piercing through the blindfold even.

i was dragged along my bum
towards the edge of the van,
and pushed off onto the ground.

my knees made raw contact with
the rough concrete slabs making up
the floor of the carpark.
the impact of falling onto my knees
jerked out tears
and i burst into sobs.

there was a moment of else silence
and even i waited
for the next thing to happen.

then the blindfold was removed
and in front of me
lay a birthdaycake and a present.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

haha.

i think i was crying
so elisabeth lent me her shoulder.
i said thankyou
haha, think i was still in a daze.

then everyone else started
to reveal their faces.
there was (in order of appearance)
elisabeth, tricia, sylvia, denise,
jonathan, xiaoyuan, justyn.

haha. you buncha sneakyfellas!

i remember asking in the van
who there was
and they insistedthat
pooja was driving and
syams couldn't speak
because there's a surprise. >.<

thanks, ah... =P

anyway, so we started chatting
as we sat out on the ground
beside the van.

turns out that there was
only one vehicle
but 'cos the backdoors open via hinge
and the sidedoors open via sliding,
it seemed that i was transferred from
one vehicle to another.

the first checkpoint where they
walked me to was actually the
coffeeshop area 4-5 roads
away from my place! >.<
sylvia must've looked real silly
walking beside a blindfolded me.
haha, thankfully i was spared. =D

then the next destination was actually
some carpark at hillview, bukit timah.
whoa. far, aye?

finally, i found myself at another carpark
beside the bukit batok nature reserve.
so many places in less than halfanhour.
what an adventure!

i really appreciate the planning and
all the arrangements to my bday celebrations.
it turns out that they sneakily
engaged my sister's help!!

haha, it was a real surprise
and in some sense,
it was a fun experience.

i imagined that the stuff
i went through was kinda like,
persecution?
maybe the experience would
be good preparation
for the future? hmm..

haha, but anyway,
i really like the presents!!
got a really long chunky necklace
and a black long-sleeved sweater.
girlystuff.
SWEET!!!

haha.
thankyou
dearFarah, sylvia, xiaoyuan,
denise, tricia, jonathan, syams,
elisabeth (who actually wanted to
leave me tied&blindfolded somewhere
with just the cake&gift in front of me)
and justyn (who was the voice
behind all the mental torture).

haha, now have some scrapes on the knee
to proudly say that this is the memorablest
birthday ever!

happybirthday~ =]

got a new phone!

queued up for 3hours to get it.
AND ITS NOT EVEN THE iPHONE!!
haha.
an old model, but i like it. =D