dan: apa mata cinta kambing betina?!!

anyways, im here in cybercomms, labs which are used for learning. The lecturer should be coming in anytime now.

Proteins and Enzymes! I still know nuts about it though i've been studying that for the past few days! AIhz, guess I hav to speed up, and get my brains working at optimum speed again! SO much reading to do.

SPoke to the Dean of the Science faculty yesterday. Discussed about my courses for the following 2 years cos I was planning to take a double major..but then, it turned out that they cant really fit into three years, and she went on to tell me that I do not exactly have to lable whatever I study. Meaning that i do not have to lable that I have a double major. I can still take courses which relates to the other major, but i do not have to complete all the courses required to major in it. Ok, so fine. Cos i was reviewing my workload thru the guidelines of the points. AN average workload would be about 60 points per trimester...and if im taking a double major..it has to be way more than those poiints..ok.gtg...lecturer came in..

Ping arh! dont complain larh! 5 months NIA!! Ok, I've been here for a month already! One whole month! well, in a way, time did fly. So, yays! one month down, 9 more months to go! But, hey. ping, I've learnt to enjoy whatever you have now! I mean, ppl, would give up a world to be in your shoes! No point haveing your body in one place, and your mind longing to be in another. I guess I've pretty much sorted out that I'm determined to get the best out of what I have in NZ. Well, I've no reason not to enjoy and cherish this opportunity, since I was soo desperate to be overseas! WEll, I guess I hav yet to get homesick. Everything is pretty much settled in, and well..so far, God has been good, and I've been goign thru each day by His grace!

Well, initially I was struggling in my walk with God, cos I have been kinda neglecting time spent with God. ANd man, it doesnt feel good at all to be far from God! It doesnt! But anyways, Dan has been really encouraging, and naggy at times but it was all good for me. Glad that he took the risk of me complaining that he's getting long-winded, just so that I can get back on track. He's really been a blessing to me. Thank you Lord. Yeah, as I was struggling to get back to walking with God, and getting real with him, I realised something that probably everybody else would. Our faith and our walk with God is most challenged when we're facing a crisis and a hurdle. And I guess, it's then, that you either be on the side of the fence where you're totally putting all your trust and hope in God, or you'll be on the oth side; doing everything by your own strength.

I definitely have to acknowledge that God has been so so so so good to me. And I can confidently say that he has been with me all this while, carrying out what he has already planned for me. He knew what was goign on, He knew what is best, even during those times when I was lost and saw no future. Truly His grace and mercies pours on us abundantly.

Ok, back to the story. I was rather lost, initially, and coming from a lifestyle where church activities and Church friends are such a big part of my life, I found it a lil hard after a week or two. I mean, I had friends and I had undoubtedly fun activities, but it began to feel empty. Well, I guess I just missed the church environment, where my Fri nights, saturdays, and sundays are filled with stuff from church. Well, it's not like I don't hang-out with other non-C friends back home, but it's just that it felt weird when i'm detached from a Christian body. But htankfully, ICF started, and God surrounded me with seniors who are of such great help. Jeh sie (Malaysian), a graduate who goes to Elim church invited me to go to Elim church. And she and her fiance have been really nice, taking me to church and all. ANd I guess it really helps that ICF mainly comprises of Malaysian Christians! and some singaporeans, and 2 kiwis..and some frm here and there. It made me feel so at home!

And in the course of searching for a church, I realised that I shouldnt be considering so much about how nice a church is, what kind of songs they sing etc. I realised that it should be more of where I can serve God, and where I can be myself, and where I can be challenged to live to be Christlike. In trhe course of being a lil lost and disorientated in my walk with God, He has made me undersand that surely I'm not just here in Welly to study! I mean, he brought me such a looooong way, to actually get this schship (I can still remember the many anguished cries I directed to God when I did not get a schship), and actually being able to finally be HERE! THere surely must be something more than mere studying. WEll, I'm hoping that I'll be able to serve more in ICF and also church. Well, I'll jsut take it as it comes, with God's guidance.

Ohya, yesterday was fun! ICF organised Awesome Flat Night, where all of us crashed one of the CF member's flat, and we swept out thier food supply. ahhaha..umm..acutally we did bring some food as well. and guess what?! we had THREE kinds of curry chicken!! the normal lemak ones, the green curry one, and another reddish tomato-ish one! along with it were Asian food, which made my stomach sooo happy and contented! Then we played card games like Cho tai ti, and 500. it was great. ]

THis reminds me, on friday night, after Cf, we watched a late night movie. COnstantine. Umm..it's not my kind of movie, so I hated it. And it costed $11.50 k! hmm..I wouldnt dare to convert it, but well, I guess i wouldnt be doing this as much. Ppl, what are the latest movies? NZ is like at one corner of the earth, and the movie releases here ar super slow man! WEll, I'm planning to ask my mum to send some vcds here the next time she sea-mails stuff to me.

Classes have been ok. Have an online assignment due this coming friday. I only finished half the questions, so I hope I can get them done soon. Have got lots of studying to do! esp for BMSC 209! ANd I have 3 BIOLOGY subjects this trimester! and the ironic thing is that I did not take a single Bio paper in my HSC!! ahahaha...crazy -ness. AIhz..I do miss Math, and Physics a lil. I miss numbers. and yes, accounts. But i guess bio is quite cool. At the moment, Im learning Proteins, and enzymes, and the basic structures for DNA> ANd I have this comp program that allows me to view the structures in ball and stick form. And I get to twist the molecules around in 3-D, and measure them,..etc..umm..ok, I know Im speaking in Greek..ahhaha

Ohya, sue lynn called me frm UK just now! ehehhe..well, I guess it's almost the same price for her to call back Pg. It's good to hear frm her agian, and I'm happy that she got into Imperial, one of the best Unis in UK. Chatted for almost an hour, and yeah..it's fun to be able to hear from frens again!

OK, i think i better get back to studying...ciao!

Currently feeling: happy cos it's sunday!

Ok, here's what happened. I finished class at 11, sorted some tutorials and assignment questions out with my course mates The BMSC 209 lecturer is everything but interesting! I spent half the time trying to stay awake, more than anyting else! aih..but thank od I was able to et a few other students who're as lost as me, and we got tutorials set up. Pheww! WEll, at the moment, I have an assignment due this friday. Have problems wit calculations for buffer. AIhzs..help help! WEll, I've learnt the bffer concept, but we were not thought so in depth. aihz...ANd I did ask the lecturer for help, but it did not bing me anywhere close the 4 objective answers that were given! aihzz...

yeah, came to the l8ibrary, to return a book, and thought I would try my chace on securing a comp at the library! But no such luck! There are 2 floors of COmputers, but all of them are occupied, and none of the ppl looked as if they were gonna leave anytime soon. Yupz, so here I am, outside the library, in the cold (it's soo much warmer in the library!) bloging, with some music blasting from the Quad. Hmm..O, i shouldnt be too bad a day today, Just one class just now, and a lab later at 2pm. so actually, I shd be headin back, to do some reading, instead of procrastinating here. But I cant help it. Need to get some stamps from VIc Books later to send my Insurance claim form to AUckland. I visited the Health Service last week to ask abt Meningitis cos apparently it's quite bad here, and I havnt got any shot bfore I came. So, that 10 minutes consultation with the Gp cost me $25!! aihz. so I guess i could claim it frm the Insurance. But then agian, mental note: Im never gonna visit the health centre again. Not if I can help it. Not unless Im in dire need, like Im going to die or smth. ahahha..

THere's gona be Trampin club meeting tonight. Tramping is what they call hiking here Bt this is a more serious sport, considering that we'll needc to get sleeping bags,boots and all the oth gears. Gonna cost me quite a lot. But it shd be fun, I dont come all the way here to stay in my room to study!! =)

I miss tvs. well it's not that I watch tv a lot at home, but now, I totally dont look at that black box! and movies. aihzz....Im like lost in the jungle, in the wop wops! THe movies here are darn slow, and no, they OBVIOUSLY dont have pirated cds here. You ppl who can o to the movies any other time better be eternally grateful man! I think my one visit to the cinema can actually pay for 4 of M'sia's movie tickets!

the problem with buffers is that I never learnt their calculations!! I only learnt the concept of it in hsc!! argghh...and they have 2 of that question in my 10 quiestion assignmetn..and it's 10 points for each ques!!! argghh..how???! ping,..can I email you the ques, and then help me solve it?? pls?? im desperate...assignment is due on friday.

ok, not in the mood to udpate...sent 2 long emails, one to dan, and one to euodia,ming,rae&deb...and they didnt get it..ish! stupid comps at the comp room!! so bara and phaik chek k! and it'sll never sound the same the 2nd time!! aihzz..

ok, I might watch something's gotta give tonight..which means i've to get back to study now...

 

Ok, I sooo shdnt be doing this now, I shd be studying, but Im jsut soo excited...so Im here, updating my blog. GOsh, i jsut realised that I havnt been blogging for so long..Ok, maybe 3 days or so is not that long, but htere has been so many updates from u ppl since!

OK, remember  I said I joined Tramping Club? Yeah, so, we went bouldering today. It was sooo cun k. Ok, it's something like rock climbing, only without the ropes tying you, and it's not as high as rock climbing. Oh, btw, we did climb on real rocks, not the indoors ones. Yeah, we had an hours drive to somewhere(hahahh...paiseh lah..dont exactly knw where I was) and stopped at Cape Bearing, parked the jeep quite some distance away, and walked a long stretch of beach to this "group" of rocks...where we bouldered. It was fun, and not as scary as I thought. THough I almost killed myself twice, trying to climb up a rock, which barely had any grips and edges 4 me to hold on to. Yeah, ANyways, Im here in front of the comp screen in one piece, without a scratch. Only that my fingers and legs are a lil sore. SPent like 5 hous there, and the scenery was soo beautiful! THe rocks were by the blue blue beach, and the sun was just so bright, not a single cloud in the sky! ANd the breeze was just nice. It even got cold, under the sun, cos we were by the beach. I bet I must have gotten way darker. But one thing that's not so nice is that the beaches in nNZ hav black sand! and the beaches can never compare to the beaches in Pg man.. THough the sea is soo tempting, and the waves were quite high! It was good time spent outdoors, and it reminded me about the wonders my God can do. ANd these were all articultely crafted by God. Amazing!

Oh, another story i soo must tell you ppl! I had an assignment due last friday, and it's an online assignment, where I had to answer 10 objective quiestions. we were allowed to do them much earlier, and then just save it , and come back to it later on, just as long as we submit it before the due date. ANd remember I was complainiing soo much about not being able to do some buffer questions? Yeah, so on thurs, i just finalised all my answers, and picked the closest answer. ANd then I clicked "submit". ANd it said click "ok" to view results, so, yeah, i viewed the results, and I got 70%. It stated which questions I got correct and incorrect. THey didnt give us the correct answer. Was rather dissappointed, but thought it was ok, considering htat I didnt knw how to do it. Then, I clicked some other stufdf, and it brought me to this page that said, "you haave already completed the assignment, click ok to view results, or click here totake assignment agian". I was like what the?! ahahha.. then i decided to read the instructions to the assgnmt agn, and it said "multiple attempts allowed". SO, I changed some of the answers, and submitted them agian. ANd this time, I got90%!! and so...agian, I changed my answers and TAA-DAAAHHH! I got 100%!! ahahhaha... so..yupz! that's my FIRST UNIVERSITY ASSINGMENT!! ahaha... so happy..so yeah. crazy right?! objective questions and multiple attempts?! But I did finally learnt how to do the buffers! Ohya, ping, thanx for trying to answer them for me...ehehhe..yes, my questions got sent across the world! thank u soo much!...

Ohya, congrats too u spm-ers!! Euodia, you made me soo proud of you..eeheh..sounding like ur mum? the rest of you, i dont really knw what u got?

how was youth rally? Tell me more about it? how was it? bet it was great eh?

Hmm..it's weird that all relationships are going thru a rough patch at the moment. WEll, dan and I did go thru quite a rough week as well...but we made it! by God's grace! aihs..aws much as I love sweet and smooth sailing long distance conversations, I knw that htese conflicts surface so we can deal with them, and smoothen the rough edges. WEll, he told me quite an intersting analogy. WEll, we have to work thru things and not sweep them under the carpet, cos we're like porcuppines, and when we hug, we might prick and hurt each oth. SO, as we move and shiift into a more comfortable position, we might have to go thru the process of 2 porcuppines being pricked. found it really cute..ehehhe..I probably didnt put it in such a nice way as he did..but yeah, that's the gist of it.

 

ok, lastly, BLEX ANNIVERSARY IS TODAY!!! ehehe..paiseh, i totally forgot abt it, until ping reminded me, cos i havt been reading blogs..ok, that's an excuse, shoot me. but yeah, mei, i think it has been 4 years...we started on form3..aihz..everyone's soo everywehre. ANd, in away, we are not as close as we used to be...but well, thank God for blogs@!! seriously, i think without these, we'll never be able to keep in touch at all. Well, though we may not be as close, Im still really happy that this "gang" that we have had drawn us soo close last time. Makes me smile when I recall those times when we did those wacky things. Well, you guys still come up really often in my conversations with my friends. Many times, in convesations, I would tell them bout the crazy things that we do, like running in the opposite direction of the escalator..eating half the dough we do for cookies ( thanx to ping) and the crazy sleepovers we have in ap's hse. I miss your dogs too ping!... well, 21 yeas old..we're supposwed to meet right? Hmm...like ap sed, im not sure if everyoien will be able to get together, but i sure hope we will..on 21, i'll finish my degree! =)///

ok, gonna watch HItch in the dvd room later...Jasmine's bf sent over the CD..so..yeah, we might not be so ULU afterall.

ohya, im soo happy, i just got another letter frm dan!! ehehhe..I've been receiving letters frm him like every ohter day, soo. sweet of him. And he even sent a parcel of photos for me, those that we took a month b4 i left. SO, yays, i can deco my room d!! It really cheers me up everytime i see smth in the lil pigeon hole. A lil brown envelope with fammiliar handwriting on it. =)

ok..this is  my 2nd attempt in updating my blog today! the stupid comp in used in the library decided to restart just as i was wrapping up my entry and about to submit it! aihz...let's just see how long I can stay patient~! yupz, so here i am after lunch, trying to update again, and hopefully the comp here loves me!!

there was an earthquake today. This morning at ard 4 smth. Well, yours truly did not even budge, but Jas woke up when she felt the bed shaking. It didnt last that long I think. WEll, must explain how tired i was fr the weekend. Then, while walking to class, tony told me that th earthquake measured 6.5 on the Rither scale, so that's quite bad. But i dont think Tsunamis happen here. ANd nobody bothers about it..so yeah, that's my 2nd earthquake xperience, and there were probably more, only that i was either pig-ing away, or just didnt feel it.

Ok, back to the story. Jas was abt to go back to sleep when she heard the girl sleeping next to her mumble something. WHen she listened more intently, she heard, "darling...." folllowed by mumbles. YES!! I WAS SLEEP TALKING! ahahah... (dan, all your fault!) Well, according to her, i sleep talk quite a lot, only that she couldnt hear what i mumble. I hope i wont blah all my secrets out though!

I had quite an interesting class at Human Evolution, Sexuality and reproduction. WE';re into Mating Systems of primates, and we were comparing the humans with oth primates like chimpanzees and orang-utan and etc..And what I found interesting was that in the primate kingdom, there tends to be one male that dominates. THus he gets to mate with the female there, while the rest of the males just roam around. However, the other males often challenge the dominating male, and if the dominating male is defeated, the victor will take over the territory, and the females around. Infanticide, the killing of the offsprings of the previous male also happens. THis is because there is this in-built thing in males that they want their own DNA to be transferred down. Fair enough.

But then, the females are out to protect their young, despite the males that keep changing so very often. THus, in order to do that, the females resolve to promiscuity! Hence, confusing the males about the thier offsprings, and so, preventing them from killing of their youngs. Interesting eh? But then, of course, humans dont do that, cos in the first place, we dont "infanticide". ok, i dont know why im even updating abt this kinda stuff...but yeah, the lecturer, Dr. dave burton is interesting. Good for a 9am lecture!

Ohya, i sent some of my pictures to the list of emails that i have in my address book. Some pics of my room, my friends, and one pic of me bouldering, well, i hope yoou guys received it. There are soo many more pics for me to upload, but the thing is that i cant upload them here, cos it'll cost me a bomb. hmm..maybe i'll jsut send the pics to dan, and ask him to upload them for me.

Ohkay, gotta go get some reading done, before squash today. Hmmm..im actually kinda lazy to go for it, cos imy muscles still ache frm bouldering, and...lazy..hmm..see first lah..

chaos...

and ohya, the Hitch i watch, aihs...better off not watching ler! didnt get the gist of the story cos the end was soo cacat. Will prob hav to go rent it some oth time, which will be much later cos here, there';s absolutely no pirated stuf!!  Hmm..ppl, tell me about the nice shows ok, cos im asking dan to buy them, and then my mum will ship that along with a whoile lot of stuff over. If you guys have anything to pass to me,which i doubt it, you can pass them to my mum, cos she'll prob ship stuff like maggi mee and my clothes over before the end of this month.

Currently feeling: Zzzzzz

hi every one...Jan asked me to update her pictures cos it cost her a bomb to do so...

So anyway....this is just to tell you all that there are new pictures for your viewing...

take care and God bless....

dan

THe day past by in a blur. Was so reluctant to get out of bed this morning. And I am still sleepy now. Just finished my last workshop and it was all interesting,about pair-bonding, and concealed ovulation blah blah blah, but my brain just didnt want to keep up with it! Took a stroll back, under the drizzle.

TOday has been a a gloomy and cloudy day. Doesnt help to ease me sleepy mood. But im glad it's all over!

Short term goal: leave this place, and head back to my cosy bed and snoozeee!!

medium-long term goal: haha...get on top of my readings! I hate playing catch up for studies!

long term goal: ??? no idea! go to heaven.

ok, im not making sense.

Darn! my student ID-swipe card doesnt work all the time! Stood outside AB Hse swiping my card at least 10 times, before the door unlocked! You see, the whole of Weir House entrances are locked by some magnetic lock thingy, where only swipe cards will unlock it.

Finally Wellington shows its true weather! Woke up around 8 this morning, and it was still rather dark. Not because the sun didnt come up, but because the clouds and mist were so thick! I was so tempted to slump back into my cosy bed, and forget about breakfast. But, i got up anyway, and walked in the soft drizzle, and mist to the dining hall for breakkie with Keryn. It was kinda cool actually cos the i was practically walking thru the mist. It didnt feel as cold though. Breakfast was the usual stuff. 6 types of cereal to choose from, canned fruits, and toast, with butter/margerine/rapsberry-strawberry-apricot jam/marmite/vegemite. My usual would be a bowl of cocopops with milk or yoghurt, 2 slices of toast, usually with Rapsberry jam. SOmetimes, I would go for 2nds on cereal. Ohya,did i mention, I have this friend, Cate, who has a record of 7 bowls of cereal for breakfast! Crazy! and she fills each bowl up till it almost overflows! But the bowls here are really shallow and small. but it's fun cheering her on. I would be halfway thru my 1st bowl, and she would go to and fro about 5 times refilling her bowl. Hahah..

Yeah, so..after breakfast, I came back to my room, lazed on my bed for a while, and then studied a bit, before rushing off to class. yupz, I am a J.I.T kind of gal. I  usually leave my room a quater to 10 and reach the class just in time. But quite often i'll be a lil late, and would have to power-walk up the slope towards class. It was uqite fun walking alone, to uni. The only thing was that i was wearing my specs, and the fine droplets of rain kept blurring my vision, till i decided to take off my specs and walk in a daze. But i usually take this time to start my day with God, and talk to my Father.

I only have one lecture on fridays. But today, the silly lecturer never turned up! SO, after 15 mins, the class rep went off to check where he was, only to find out that he's in town, for some meeting! So geram k! I could have stayed in bed till lunch time! i miss doing that man! I barely have 7 hours of sleep everyday! But anwyas, i managed to get my computer reconfigured, and yayz! Im here in my room, using the net from my laptop! I also did some banking, and withdrew soem cash for easter Camp. Ohya, did I mention, ICF is going for Easter Camp up north and we're gonna stay in a Marae! like long houses for the Sarawakians, the Marae is the houses for Maoris. I visited the one near Uni and it was quite cool. DUring orientation, all of us were supposed to go thru this maori welcome, where we sat in the lawn, for half an hour, listening to come guy ramble away in Maori! But the interiors of the Marae is really intricate. yeah, and apparently, at the camp, there's this part, where the guys are supposed to cook a dish. I forgot what it's called, but apparently, they were supposed to dig a hole in the ground, and put in charcoal and put some food on top, and then cover the hole, and let the food cook. Sounds gross. But apprently, after that, the guys would feel more "man". ANd ohya, ladies jsut sit behind and enjoy the service! ahahah...

 

As we gather may your Spirit work within us,

As we gather may we glorify YOur name,

knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship,

we'll be blessed because we came

we'll be blessed because we came.

I kept singing this song on the way back. I'm beginnig to appreciate havign to walk to and fro uni. Ont he way, i would have to pass Kelburn Park, which is a huge flat field, and there would be a fountain at the end. And looking further down, would be the city, and the sea. This "scenary" that I pass everyday helps me relax, and jsut enjoy nature.

Mum's goign for Encounter this weekend. I tried calling her yesterday, but she had some company dinner. and no one was in except for my dad, cos my sis went to her God father's place. Felt a lil sad cos i when i call home, there's no one to talk to. And dan was having coaching. hmm...ohya, apparently, they did this poll, and there wil be a dip in the graph of our emotions on the 6th month. Meaning that we would usually feel homesick after 6 months of beign here. Well, probably cos by then, all the excitement of a new environment would settle in and a routine would kick in. hmm..hope i wont get too homesick.

ohya, we had a floor meeting yesterday. And we had votings for floor reps, fire warden, defense warden, or smth like taht. The highlight was actually the floor reps, cos there were  6 ppl running for the floor rep post. ANd only 2 would be chosen. They even gave speeches, and there was this guy, michael, who even typed out a speech, and had music to acompany it. Lawak-ness, we had a good laugh. And DOugal, this Scottish guy was running for Fire warden cos all fire wardens will b e given training, and at the end of it, they would get a fireman's helmet! ahhaha...and he gets the maaster key to all our rooms, so he can "save" us in case of fire.

Im having a test this wednesday! ANd it's the 200 level paper Im taking! argghh...Im so dead. It's an open-book test, but that means that it's goign to be even harder, cos there wont be straight forward questions!! so have to study this weekend! and I also have a Blackboard (online) assigmnt due on thurs! Havnt touched it yet! hmmm...im soo loking forward to the 2 weeks easter break man!....

ok...better get going. I have asked dan to upload some pics for me. Hope they're there.

Ohya, TGIF!!! I love fridays!!

It's daylight saving day today!! Which means Im supposed to turn my time back by an hour by 3am later. Yayz! An extra hour for me!

Finally, I got to accomplish something that I've been wanting to do since I got here- SLEEP IN!! ahahah.. Only woke up ard 11am this morning. Well, it's not really sleeping in, but compared waking up at 7.30 am, this is definitely good enough for me! Well, the Law students had their all famous 1st Law test this morning. And Jasmine, was mugging on her readings sooo much for the past week. You see,  a Law test is a very BIG thing here, basically cos half (or even more than half) of the ppl here are taking Law. Either Law or Commerce. Hmmm... And fo rthe past week, i've at least asked 20 times, "how is your Law reading coming along?". It's unfair! I also have a BMSC 209 test coming up next week. But I dont hear ppl mentioning abt it! hmm..the difference is probably cos there are only about 40 students in my class, while there are like 300-400(??) law students! Ok, I jsut enjoy rambling abt how much attention is given to law students here!

Ohya, I went shopping aft lunch today. Went down to town with Keryn and Ushma and were shopping for clothes, and jackets, and sleeping bag. The main thing i needed is the sleeping bag cos I'll be needing that for easter camp this weekend. There were sales at Bivuouc and Kathmandu. But the problem was that 'we had to consider how much im gonna use it. Cos they hav sooo many kinds of sleeping bags! those for 2 seasons, 2.5seasons, 3 seasons..etc..and cos I wil be needing a sleeping bag for Tramping as well, I needed to take into consideration the size of the sleeping bag and how much it's gonna keep me warm in the jungle, and probably snow! AIhz...should I spend that much on a sleeping bag? THe cheepest was abt 70-80 bucks, but that wouldnt be sufficient for tramping, and it's qutie bulky after I pack it up. But then, if I buy a really good one, it'll cost me qutie a bomb, like $200. ANd that would be like rm500! Makes me think of my mum, who's working so hard at home, when I spend so much. Aihz..i htink i'll jsut lug my beautiful duvet to the Marae for the Easter camp, and I'll consider the sleeping bag later.

Anyways, there is a sale at Kathmandu's! 50%!! Well, Kathmandu is a really famous brand for winter wear, polyprops and all. Yeah, and I got a polar fleece jacket for $80! that's after 50% off! It's comparatively cheep, but if I convert it to RMs, that would be about RM200+!!! But i think this jacket is good enough to last me a lifetime! Though I wouldnt be needing it in warm Malaysian climate! Coming to think about it, Im pretty sure that the Malaysian weather will be way to hot for me, esp after I survive the winter here. Anyways, I'll worry about that later. Jasmine got quite a nice Roxy handbag frm Amazon. And there was this really really nice RipCurl handbag. It's black,and it has a really nice flower embroided on it. And it's really really soft! But it was like $54!!!! That's way too exp man!! aihz...I like it oso much! =( Well, the oth more sporty handbags are about $20. Ok lah, not that very cheap oso, cos I remember varsha telling me that she bought her roxy bag for Rm40.

THere are so few brands here! There are soo few decent clothes shops here. The all famous one is Glassons, which is smth like Seed and Vincci. The prices are ok lah, but the style is typically UK style. Though I did see quite some nice jeans, and i saw this shawl-belt. I think it can be used in 2 ways. It was soo nice, about $12, but I think I overshot my budget for this month, so...better not... 

just went for John's farewell just now on the Terrace. He is the ex vice president of ICF,and he's leaving to go back to Malaysia to look for a job. Nice guy. And coincidentally, his dad is the pastor of FGA klang. WEll, FGA pg has sort of split off frm there. I think... Anyways, I was really blessed by the farewell. After the food, ( I had yummy curry chicken, and Tomyam chicken again!), we were given a chance to tell and share about John, and how he has been a blessing. WEll, I dont relaly knw him that well, but he does come across as a really nice guy. yeah, and many were commenting on how John always goes the extra mile to help and offer help behind the scenes. ANd many were jsut recalling those lil things that he did, that made a difference. Like, during orientation, he would go to the Quad earlier, so he could reserve a better location for the ICF booth. And there were many oth lil things, that has touch the others'. This makes me think about what legacy I would like to leave on others. Not so much for my own glory, but for Jesus to be mirrored in our lives.

Even as thoughts flash thru my mind, I realised that many times, I've been self-centred. Many times, I show my dislike when thing dont come go my way. Many times, I would be so side-tracked by wanting things done my way that I step on ppl's toes uncounsciously. WEll, as I shared with Dan earlier, I've realised some time ago that Im the kind who can get carried away with what Im doing, or what Im chasing after, that sometimes I get too cuaght up, and tend to neglect other more important things, like relationships with ppl. Well, it's probably is a choleric trait that's in me. Wanting to achieve a goal, that sometimes, I jsut forget the ppl around me, and tend to say things that hurt ppl. But i noticed that this occurs even more often when im out of touch from God. Doing devotions and staying connected to God helps us to stay on course, and to ocntinually strive to be more CHristlike, which is the total opposite of human nature! It's a struggle for me. Many times, I find that I have to deliberately do something, that's totally againsst me will. Recently, it;'s has more to do with being patient.

Lord, I pray and ask that as I go about my daily activities, you'll constantly remind me about how I should live my life to reflect Christ! Lord, I want to want you more. And Lord, cause me to want to be sold out for you, more than I've ever been. Lord, reignite, that passion, and fire in me. Amen.

Ohya, I was reading this mail I got frm James Lau. I dont even know who he is! I must have signed up fora mialing list without knwoing it. Anywas, the article was about "In marriage, Love is shown by work". Hmmm...Marriage? that's way tooo far to look down the "tunnel" of future!! But I found many thruths in it, and realised that that can be applied in context of relationships as well. He was talking about how a r'ship needs sacrfice and we need to always, show our "spouse"(hahah) our love thru lil gestures. Keeping up with a r'ship also takes a lot of effort, and it really takes the "putting down of our lives" for others. Recently, dan and I have been finding it rather hard to actually communicate, cos we've been soo busy for the past week. ANd by the time we finish updating each oth about waht we did for the day, it's time for us to hang up. WE've been trying to slip each oth in between our activities, while finding a time, where both of us would be free. it really takes a conscious effort, and I sometimes have to forgo hanging out in friend's place and crapping. Hmm..I guees, i hve to learn to strike a balance between not being to "tied-down" by  the relationship, and yet, actually nurturing it thru communication. hmm...am i making sense?

But I do feel more confidence when I know that this relatinship is in God's hands! Well,no matter how much we sacrifice for each oth, if God's not in this, it'll never work out. And well, as much as I can hope the best for dan and I, I can only place my hope in God. I have to learn to nto take things into my own hands, and try to make it work. Cos it'll never! unless I put God right in the centre! I have to admit that I'm not putting God in the centre of our r'ship, as much as I did at the start of the r'ship. SOmetimes, i've decided to sort doubts and matters out by my own strength. IT does work, to a certain extent, but it's not as reassuring as when we put our focus on God instead. Lord, I want to want you more than anything else! Lord, I want to desire for u, more than I want to be with dan. Lord, I want to do what matters to you most. And Lord, I knw that when we put you first, and fun and chase after you, all else will fall in place. "seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest will be added unto you" Lord, I pray that dan and I go thru this part of our r'ship beign physically apart frm each oth, I pray that you would use this time to perfect us, for your ministry, as well as for each oth. Lord, as we are apart, help us to find ourselves and discover our ministries, and "fortes". Lord, instead yearnig to wnat ot be with each oth, Lord, cause us to use the time that we havet to do things that would put a smile on your face. Lord, as dan takes a step of faith into full time ministry, I pray that you'll cause him to reach higher heights! And as he finds himself in a new ministry, I pray that you'll be so ever real to him, that he draws wisdom and strength frm you and you alone. ANd Lord, i pray that at the same time, I would grow be more like Christ and help me to discover my purpose and ministry in Your kingdom. I pray Lord, that if it's your will, dan's ministry and my minsitry will compliment each oth.  Lord, I commit all things to your hands. Amen

Ok, this is way to long for an entry.. But it's good to be able to jsut ramble out, so my thougts get more orgainised.

GOing to City Church tomorrow. Jessica, Esther's fren is picking me up.

Ho Ho Ho! it's easter! woohoo!! finally! glad everything is behind me now! just submitted my assignment, which is due at 11.59pm tonight, on bloackboard jsut now. And we get our results immediately! AIhz...only got 27.5/50...but thankfully i didint fail lah! it's so silly k! this time, it's kinda like objective, but it's like u can pick as many answers as you want, cos it's the "which-of-these-is-true" kinda question! hmmm.. ok lah, wahtever..dont care d..gonna enjoy my hols!

lalalllalallala..i dunno what to update abt. hmm..I guess i've been updating too much.

hmm..ok,i think it's 100 strands of hair instead of 1000 hair that we drop a day. ahahha...

sleepy sleepy..i'll go sleep..

 ohya, i brought my cam to uni today, and snaped a few pics of campus. And i got a pic of the bridge as well! You see, we have this covered  overheadbridge that connects both sides of the campus together. and they have really nice sofas on the bridge, where we can just sit, and laze aroiund, directly above the road!

Currently feeling: ZZZzzz

Ahhhh..the satisfaction of sleeping to my heart’s content!! Woohoo! Only went to sleep at ard 5am this morning cos I was talking to dan. And didn’t get up till 1pm this afternoon! Seriously, I think this is the latest I’ve ever slept in my life! Never slept till this late when I was back home either. Yeah, so obviously I missed breakfast, but I almost missed lunch as well! Lunch was probably the only reason I woke up. But lunch was good! Wedges and some salsa sauce and fried rice, and yummy Danish for dessert! And Choco Marsmallows! Yumm..

 

Only came back from an awesome Easter camp on Friday. Got to meet so many ppl and it was just great! We went up to otaki in separate cars, and jasmine and I followed this other 2 guys in their car. And Greg, the guy who drove the car decided to take the hill road instead of the normal route. The view we saw on the way was so perfect! We were on bends right at the edge of the hill, which overlooked the coast line! When we arrived at the Marae, we had enter the Marae, following some protocol, where the girls went in first, followed by the guys at the back. And there were 2 Maori ladies, who stood outside the Marae, and called out to us in their language. WE had to stop 3 times on the way towards the Marae. And then, took off our shoes, and entered the Marae, which is a hall. Then we all sat there for about half an hour listening to some guy give his speech in Maori! Didn’t understand it at all! And then, we were given a chance to speak, and since this camp consisted of ICF from Welly, and OCF from Palmerston North, we had a good representative of many countries! SO, many went up to greet each oth in their own language,a nd then later, translated it. It was so interesting, cos we had ppl from Malaysia (of course), S’pore, China, Korea, Japan, India, and a few more countries! And the most interesting was that there was this girl who was born in China who went up to greeet everyone in Korean! Ahahha..we later found out that her parents were both Koreans, but she was born in China! Ahahha…

 

Basically, the highlight of the camp was to introduce us to the Maori culture, as well as to teach us the meaning of Easter!

 

Yeah, so the highlights of the camp:

 

Hoongi (or wait, is it Hongi?)

Rubbing noses! That’s what it is! After the long speech, we filed out in one direction and rubbed noses with a few of the Maoris! That is to signify that we’re sharing breaths and it’s their way of welcoming us. But I was like “ crap! My nose is so flat, sure kiss that fella d lah!” ahahhah…But thank God those ppl have high noses! So.., we didn’t kiss! Ahahha..

 

Hangi

It’s the traditional maori way of cooking. And only the guys are allowed to do the cooking. SO, yays for the girls, we just sat back and let them do the work. Plus, apparently the guys will feell more macho aft doing all the work. Fine with me. Go ahead! Ahahha…yeah, so, this is what they did. First, they heated up huge stones in a fire. Then, they dug a hole in the ground, and put the hot stones in. Then, they put potatoes, kumura (nz’s sweet potatoes), pumpkins, chicken and pork in. Then, they covered the food with layers of gunny sack, and then, covered everything with soil. The food was left to cook underground for 3-4hours before the guys ventured to uncover the food again! The scraped of the soil softly with cangkul-s, and then, slowly pulled off the gunny sack sheet by sheet. The stones were still hot underneath! Amazing! And throughout the whole process, there were  3or 4 japanese girls who were screaming with excitement everytime the guys peeling off the layers of gunny sack. So cute! Ahaha…Im sure that made the guys feel more hero-ish!

 

Workshops/Service

Since there were many “pre-believers” at the camp, they were structured to explain the true meaning of easter, which is certainly much more than just easter eggs and bunnies! But these sessions were good for us to remember the meaning and significance of easter as well. It’s really great cos I could see God working soo strongly and yet subtly at the camp! Among the many pre-believers that I met, they were at the stage where they were searching, and undecided abt what religion they want to follow. I guess, that’s really normal for ppl my age. I was very encouraged by this girl who was so inquisitive and kept asking us questions abt Christianity, and she kept asking about our personal relationship with God. There were also ppl who are more intellectual like Jasmine, and this guy, who’s 28. Well, they’re more critical about religions and basically they’re just sitting outside the fence observing Christians, and other religions. Some questions that this guy, Brandon asked is, “Do you believe that there’s a God and why?” well, the question maybe simple, but when given deep thought, it does question ur believe. I guess, it’s really natural for everyone to go thru this faith of questioning the existence of a God, and who God really is. All these were good questions and it was good that we were able to understand what goes on in the mind of ppl, who are searching and wondering. We tried our best to tell them our experiences and share with them our belief system. But I believe that at the end of it, it’s God who does the work. When God convicts a person, no matter how skeptic one maybe, he just cant turn away frm God. SO, I guess, what we humans can do is only to a certain extent.

 

Hacky!

Hacky is a NZ game! It’s something like “frangipani”. We kick the hacky ball around in a group. It’s probably smth like sepak takraw,only that the ball is much smaller and it’s a sack, filled with sand. It really hard at first cos we have to keep the hacky in the air, but after a while, I got the hang of it, and I even played this till 2 am on the last night! But the effect of playing so much of it was that the whole of my right leg aches after that!

 

Ohya, I learnt 1-2-3 in Maori, and came our with this cheesy song! This is how it goes:

 

Tahi little, Ruo little, Toru, little Indian, Fa little, Rima little, Ono little Indian, Whetu little, Waru little, Iwa little Indian, Tekau little Indian Boys!

 

Sounds familiar? I think u guys get it rite? Ahahahha…

 

Ohya, I sat on a train for the first time in my life! IT took about 55 mins for us to get back frm Otaki. But the train were more like LRT/MRT, only not as smooth.

 

Ohya, one mre thing that makes me feel encouraged and happy!  I was talking to Felicity (ICF president) on one of the nights, and she was asking me how is Jasmine with Christianity and whether I’ve shared with her etc etc, cos Jasmine comes with me to ICF quite frequently. SO, I was relating to her about jasmine being more intellectual, and so..sometimes, it’s just harder to tell her about Christianity, cos she already knws a lot abt it. Plus, she did study a few books of the Bible for her English Lit last year. But I concluded that God’s love can be shown thru our actions, esp how we react to certain circumstances, and how we show love thru small gestures like being considerate, and kind, etc etc. I also realize that all the more I should strife to be more like Christ cos she’s my room mate, and knws me best. Well, initially, I do feel that it’s a great responsibility placed on my shoulders for not stumbling her or anything, but I realize that it’s more of an opportunity for me, and I shd make the most of it. Walking the Talk. And yeah, back to my talk with Felicity. She was then asking me if I would like to join her in her group for Discovering Jesus. You see, this year, ICF is starting 3 grps of Discovering Jesus for ppl who wants to find out what Christianity is all about. Well, these grps are not about converting them or what, but it is just to let them get their questions answered etc. Well, felicity figured that it would be good for me to join the grp as well, so that I can sort of support Jasmine, so she doesn’t feel like she’s alone. Plus, Feli was saying that it will also be good for me to learn how I can learn to share with ppl about my awesome God cos she realizes that I like to share with ppl my faith and etc. Im feeling excited cos I’ll get to serve God in this way! Well, I guess I’ve been feeling a lil like fish-out-of-water because Im so used to be serving and doing smth at youth and Cf back home. But then of course, I must be careful to serve with my heart, and not just by my own strength, and for the sake of serving. But Im really grateful for this opportunity to serve God in lil things like this.

 

 

Hmm…Im so finishing the whole load of lollies I got from some Psychology reseach! Last Friday, Jas and I volunteered for some human experiment. Yeah, so basically, we were like the mouse in a lab! But it was fun! All we had to do was play this computer game where our main objective was to hunt for treasures! There were like 20 of us in this comp lab, and we were given this cardboard, which had a letter on it. So, all we ahd to do was go around the room, to different computers and keep pressing the letter on the keyboard. And if a treasure is found, a loud clanking noise will come up. Then we would be rewarded with lollies!

 

Ok, this was part of the objective of the research:

 

This study examined how ppl decide between 2 options and how these choices are influenced by factors such as the number of ppl playing the game, whether or not the pll playing the game knw each oth, the pay off for the choices made, and the distance between the 2 sites.

 

Yeah, so basically, it was to test if we would go to the area with more clanking sounds cos that signifies that there are more treasures there! Apparently, this kinda research has been  done on pigeons, but instead of lollies, they used grains!  Hmm..felt a lil degraded for being compared to pigeons. Ahahah…but yays for the lollies!

 

Ok, this entry is way too long and long winded. Paiseh lah..

Currently feeling: holiday-ish

arggghhhh!!! how could i forget!! i remembered it 2 days ago! but on the actual day, i always forget! sooo sorry.... ok...here goes..

happie belated burfday ann!!!

sorrie..hope u had a wonderful 19th bday! 19 is weird eh? maybe cos it's not an even no. It's like ur neither here or there... ehehhe..20 sounds more "rounded" but...that means ur older! y am i even thinking of this..ahhaha..my burfday is still soo long away!...

ok, dont intend to update, but since im here..i might as well.

ok, dont ever intend to watch Life Aquatic! Apparently it was supposed too be a comedy abt some guy hunting for a Jaguar shark, who ate his friend..but it was no where near comedy man! Aihz..wasted 6 bucks yesterday watching that show. And thank God we watched it on tuesday, which gives us half price! or else, 12 bucks on that?! no way! yeah, so after the movie, jas and i decided to go to a near by video store to rent another 5 more dvds! ahahah. watched Ever After yesterday night! and it was soo good, though i think i watched it b4 but have totally no recollection of it. Then, just now, after lunch, we watched What A Girl Wants. It's quite good. And there's definitely no doubt about me crying a lil at boht mvies! ehhe... Got like 3 more mvies to go, but they're all old shows, cos the newer dvds are much more expensive for rentals.

And ohya, Jas's bf(frm Msia) just sent her Shall We Dance. So yays, we can watch that too. And i wana watch Mona Lisa's Smile.!  I knw that show is ancient, but i didnt manage to watch it last time. =(

got crossaints for lunch today! yumms! and i had 2 mine hard boiled eggs as well..and one cake for dessert..hmmm.im eating way too much but i need the "insulation"...ahahha...

ok..signing off..