my first (too early) birthday wish was from kwek at 10.55pm on 29oct07.
my first birthday gift was apple strudel from josh at 11something on 29oct07.
my sweetest birthday hug was from littlebecky during lunch on 28oct07.
my best birthday meal was with my mom, brother and grandma on 30oct07.
my -biggest- birthday present was this from uni on 30oct07.
my most traumatic birthday present (meaning the process of procurement hurhur) was from thea rahmen on 30oct07 [hurhurhurhur. i love you la.]
my most -touching- birthday present was from benliew on 30oct07 [because he trudged all the way through the botanics to go get me a cake. haha]
my best birthday present was from rie and jus at 1.07pm on 30oct07.
my most disgusting, defamatory birthday wish is found on post2 of the above blog, from isaac ng on 30oct07.
my last birthday wish was from bbq at 12.51am on 31oct07 [LATE because he just got back from some outfield thing]
and my birthday prayer is, as always, to grow deeper, grow stronger, love Him better. (:

and so, because my life is so boring, i have no photos of my birthday. HAHA. thea, this is a great birthday post, right? :D

thanks to everyone that made my day so special. im not gonna try naming everyone cos i know im bound to forget someone and then i'll get killed, or then there will be discussions on my flooblechatterbox about who's name is before who's name and 'HAHAH benliew im ahead of you' or some nonsense like that. [see the comments page on chris' birthday post haha.]

and so i'd just like to say, i love you all. and im thankful for each one, for the Lord has shown me His love through so many. (:

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

i like! (: my fingers are painful. my arms are aching from twisting my hand around my guitar. i think im holding it in a funny position thats why it aches so much -_- but i think i need to practise more. hahahaa. i really enjoyed the music at lawmad. marcus and douglas' band were so, sosososo good. i like good singing. it makes me happieeee. (: thea and i were discussing the concept of 'performance anxiety' which is, clearly, a very pertinent concept in my life - [see all those times when i freaked out on stage] and why i cannot just go and sing the way i sing in the bathroom (hurhur very loud and jialat.) i really do need to get over that. its terrible.

today got me thinking about alot of things.
'there is no weakness in forgiveness'. i like that (:
today, i was also alerted to the fact that some people are just nice and troublesome.
and im also aware and thankful for friends who tell me things i do not see
and make me see, to some extent, when im being unreasonable.
today, i was also reminded of the fact that im so blessed to be able to have simple, trusting faith.
cos i see how hard it is for others.

and in my head is:
precept upon precept,
line upon line,
here a little, there a little.

"For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little."

Isaiah 28:10

i never quite understood what this verse meant.
but now i do!

one phrase sums it up- 'back to basics.'

precept upon precept,
line upon line.

whoever said the Bible was too heavenly bound, too unbelievable and untrue must not have been a very smart man.

i am so absolutely utterly amazed at this verse.
precept upon precept, line upon line. (:

i just wanted to say, i really really really really really dislike selfish people.
and calculative people, for that matter.
and demanding people.

basically, i do not like people who upset me or annoy me.
its really hard when you give and give and give, and get nothing back in return.
and i hate being stuck in the middle.
and i think lots more of that is gonna come in the future.
so i just gotta remember i am accountable to the Lord and no one else,
and everything i do, i will do it heartily as to the Lord and not to man.

and love.
take away the negative, and fill it with the positive.
kids are easy to love.
cant say that for the rest of 'em.
love.

luffluffluff with all the pinkcandyflossclouds.
and soft hearts.
and kind words.

Our last days as children. says: (6:30:36 PM)
hahhha yarrr im super duper sick of studying.
Our last days as children. says: (6:30:38 PM)
hahahha.
Friday night lights exploded in the sky says: (6:39:53 PM)
are you ok??
maybe you need a boyfriend

what man! psycho friends.

today would have been a good day. but for the thirty dollar parking fine i received. sigh. what a day.

hahaha but looking at these photos made me hair-peee (:





beth was being her usual madmad self. she showed me her teddybearmarshmallow cupcake thingy, and she kept poking it so the jellybean ears and the sweet eyes fell out. so while i was trying to fix it for her i tried pressing the jellybean ears back in place, and the icing cracked -_- hur. but it was hilarious cos she gave me one of her hiccup-y sudden giggles its so funny. hahahah.

and thats justin wearing my bangle. hahahahaaa. he took it, put it on my head and started laughing. it looks like a crown duncha think. haha.

kids bring me the greatest joy. (:
you know, i know ive got so much to do, but i dont know where to start.
and i am immensely thankful, that i have few things on my mind.

i am sleeppyyyyy i hope i have sweet dreams tonight.
God is good, all the time (:

i have noticed something about break-ups. generally, the person who does the breaking-up already has someone else. man. and here i thought breaking-up was just a way of telling the other person 'i dont see a future together'. when in actual fact, in most of our world, it means 'i found someone else.'

how sad. boo.
i think alot of this stems from the fact that when you get attached or whatchamacallit, your 'other half' tends to take up half your life. and alot of times if youre not careful, this takes precedence over alot of things. so i think,
having the Lord as your focus solves alot of these problems.
cos He is faithful, and He WILL BE , Your sufficiency.

so many people do not see that.
teens worship singing was vehhhhhhhhhhhhh good today!
and t chung's msg is stuck and clear in my mind.
as was t chiew yen's sunday school msg. (hurhur. husband and wife power)
it makes all the difference when i ask the Lord to mould my heart and prepare me to hear His Word.

trust me, the state of your heart makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE. (:
i love being in the music ministry. i love singing, i love finding good music, i love sharing it.
hurm. even though i cannot play the piano for nuts (just give sam any score and music comes out its annoying)
i am going to make myself succeed at playing the guitar man. i promise myself this. so geof dont kill me too for making all his efforts go to waste. hurhur.

anw. i am HAIR-PEEEEE TODAY! (:
today is church day.
and i feel spiritually full (not in a bad way)
and i am all ready to face the world tmr. heeeeeee (;

rach.

so ive been preparing myself from the morning to embark on my arduous journey home by the public transport system (i ordinarily have no problems taking the bus, but when my house is about 6mins drive away and it takes me 30mins to get home, thats when it annoys me). until i bullied isaac into sending me home. hurhur. i have such great friends.

and so im in starbucks. haha. i saw these really cute sisters and sitting in front of me now are a set of really cute little brothers. hahahahaa. its funny to watch how kids run around. its amusing to watch them eat. i see joy written all over their faces. hur. i still see the same joy in my big ol brother when he eats. HUR. even though hes not as cute. hahahaa. food is one of those simple and great joys of life. :D

and im thinking about how incredibly blessed i am. i have been given so many things. things others cannot even dream of. ive been given, most of all, a heart that is open to the Lord's Word. sunday's evening msg (which i listened to on my ipod! haha) was one of those smack in the face msges. and im reminded. how prone we all are to the degeneration of the heart. when you think 'oh i know it all' or 'ive heard that before. im teaching. im good. i know everything' or 'everyone else is incompetent, im the best person to teach. i dont need to learn im already the best.' thats when the degeneration of the heart begins. pastor said the hardest people to teach are pastors, sunday school teachers, committee members. cos we know. or rather, we think we know. and that inhibits us from coming with prepared, humble hearts to listen, to absorb, and to grow. and i think this consciousness of the need to grow is so much more evident to me in Bethany. i could talk to christians friends, but many, many, think they already know it all and theres nothing left to learn. for your information, you are DEAD WRONG. think that, and youre on the path of destruction.

you who think you know it all. until you can recite the entire Bible to me from start to end, you are no where near. (and even then, there'll be so much more to learn) and while i remind myself, i remind you too, cos youre in hot soup if you think so. so. stop thinking youre good. youre not. degeneration of the heart has already begun. fight it, or it will degenerate to the point where there is nothing left.

watch this

will you be sleeping?

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

i witnessed a picture of sadness on friday.



step1: imagine having to go overseas for army training
step2: imagine having to spend your own, hard earned money on supplies for the trip so you dont die.

sadness.

BUT I got a picture of the ultimate joys of life too :D



I LOVE THE FOOD AT BEACH ROAD. so superduper nicenice. (:

half of saturday was spent at starbucks. and the other half spending fiftybucks on cutting and doing funny things to my hair with maddie here.



in the past few days, i remembered a few things.
wikipedia, the park, cassurina, classrooms.
and it just struck me how things have changed.
and yesterday, i had a revelation about myself.
and today after talking to pastor mitch,
i am convinced.
God can help me, God will help me.
life is all about balance man. (:

and. please remember that i do not like it when people try to tell me how i feel. unless you have known me for ten years, know me inside out and share what i believe in, do not, for a second, even think that whatever you think is right.

mmmmmmm. blueberry cream cheese from provence. i like! :D i will take time to consolidate sunday school lessons before blogging again. (:

Over you- Chris Daughtry

Now that it’s all said and done
I can’t believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down
Like an old abandoned house
What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath
I fell too far, was in way too deep
Guess I let you get the best of me

Well I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, time ago
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you
More than you, more than you know
I’m slowly getting closure
I guess it’s really over
I’m finally gettin’ better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
‘Cause the day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you

You took a hammer to these walls
Dragged the memories down the hall
Packed your bags and walked away
There was nothing I could say,
And when you slammed the front door shut
A lot of other’s opened up
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for me

Well I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, time ago
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you
More than you, more than you know
I’m slowly getting closure
I guess it’s really over
I’m finally getting’ better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
‘Cause the day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you

I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, long time ago
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you

And I never saw it coming
I should have started running
I’m finally getting better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
And I got over you
And I got over you
And I got over you

The day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you.

today, i was reminded by a very important principle of life- trusting the Lord even though He doesnt seem to answer.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

brings me back to this- though He slay me, yet i will trust Him.

i have really mad friends.

iAN - wanna sign up for xmas charity? says: (3:35:51 PM)
gary bell had passages from the bible just now
iAN - wanna sign up for xmas charity? says: (3:37:03 PM)
he quoted paul in philemon
iAN - wanna sign up for xmas charity? says: (3:37:10 PM)
jesus in matthew
iAN - wanna sign up for xmas charity? says: (3:37:15 PM)
and yadda yadda

Break my heart for what is yours says: (3:15:37 PM)
eh today they talking abotu the roman christian tradition leh
Break my heart for what is yours says: (3:15:41 PM)
he quoting galations now
Break my heart for what is yours says: (3:15:45 PM)
you would've liked this

Benjamin says: (3:17:01 PM)
haha 
Benjamin says: (3:17:01 PM)
you will never believe what is happening 
Benjamin says: (3:17:34 PM)
god is speaking. 

-_- hur.

and i am really enjoying my afternoon at starbucks (:
look!



so nice (:

Youth conference 2007. SO COOL. (:

how do you know God is leading you?

yesterday left me with many things to think about. sometimes when you see things unfold in the way i want it to, my first instinct is to think- "okay God. is this a sign from you?"
and sometimes i see things in a certain light cos it makes me feel better, it gives me false assurances about what the future holds.
in retrospect?
I WISH I HAD LEARNT THIS LESSON EARLIER.
then i would be wiser.
and i wouldnt let ridiculous considerations warp my thinking and cloud my better judgment.
haha.
now my better judgment really is better. it's clearer.

God's confirmation is not from feeling. its from many, clear, unequivocal signals and indications that youre on the right track.
the next time i stop and think its a sign, my rationality has to kick in.

i have never heard a more unbelievable, more ridiculous story of the stupidity of a person. amazing man.

have you ever had a friend who complains and complains and complains and complains and complains to no end and expects you to be on standby 24/7 for a complain-call?

my response lies in galatians5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

and to make sure i never become like that. haha.

Philippians2:14
"do all things without complaining or disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, amongst whom you shine as lights in the world."

have you ever had a friend who enters your life as and when he pleases and exits just as quickly as he came without a thought for your feelings?

my response lies in

my self-protection mechanism kicks in and my response lies in psalm119:37
"turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way."

HAHAHHAHA. such people are not worth it.

but in the event that there is no more need for self-protection cos i am immune to it, then i start practising the principle of being a friend like He's been to me. haha. cultivation of a strong mindset and protecting my heart and mind is always the most essential. nono. if you are destroyed and distraught, you cant even help yourself. dont try helping others

have you ever had a friend who says feels its his prerogative to say mean things to you anytime he likes (and you keep quiet and take it) and then when you say something "mean" in a goodnatured way, you get lashed at with brute force for no rhyme or reason?

my response lies in colossians4:6

"let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

grace.


have you ever had a friend who is so amazingly encouraging, five minutes with him puts a smile on your face for the rest of your day?

my response lies in 1timothy4:12

"let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

inspiration.

have you ever had a friend who can make you laugh till your sides ache and you start crying?

my response lies in proverbs17:22

" A merry heart does good, like medicine,[a]
But a broken spirit dries the bones."

thankfulness. (:

have you ever had a friend with whom you have a friendship so grounded, so centred on Christ that it accommodates all your inadequacies. you can rebuke harshly when needed, exhort when it is due, and encourage for edification, all with love.

my response is: thankYouLord, for my special friends.

ive met all these people in my life. some teach me hard lessons. others teach me lessons that are easier to learn. but they all bring me back to the Lord. today, as with the past few days, ive been brought back to the Lord by a few of these friends. and in all, i am thankful. haha. and just so you know, it doesnt really matter to me what you think or say, cos God sees the heart, and He sees my heart.

because im not really in my right mind and i laughed myself silly watching it. HAHHAAHHH. LOOK AT GAVIN WHEN WE SABOED HIM

and the past few days have been pretty eventful. hahahahha.
running up and down town with ben looking for something really nice to get cherie. hahahah. and guess what we bought.
a locket from TIFFANY & CO.
burst our pockets man.

not forgetting ed, ben, gavin and i prancing around my house last night learning the actions for
this
we seriously followed all the actions.
and sang like we meant it. hahahahah. we kept cracking up while learning the actions
and now wennn has the full video of our performance. shes gonna blackmail us. -_-

company lecture was a leeetle unnerving cos i had to type like my life depended on it. bullettrain lecture! haha. but it was over fast. quick and painless (: and i learnt to drive along many new roads today! i discovered how to get from bishan to serangoon after i dropped des off near junction8 :D my sense of direction is getting better! hahah. picked bbq up and we went to get soft drinks for the parttyyyy and drink bubble tea! (: champagne grape. i like. hahahha when we got to cherie's house we went a little nuts practising the actions and we kept getting laughed at :( what a tragedy. our surprise wasnt much of a surprise cos she opened the door and we were all like. "errr..surprise!" but anw she had a good laugh from our song so, WELL it served its purpose. hahah.

then we ate. and ate. and ate. and ate.



and the yummy nydc cake! (:
played 'im the boss' which both ed and i are horrible at. haha. at the end of the game we had 16million. bbq had 24million. benchong 52million. jon 49million. michelle 56million. mike 55million. see the disparity. what a tragedy. -_-



that was the lighter, part of what i needed to say.

on a more serious note, the situation in burma is getting worse by the second. this week, we all helped sign a petition for peace. but i think the strongest weapon we have against all of this is prayer. believing in it's power. prayer.

today, i began the day with job38-39. appreciating the greatness of God.
and im listening to new songs by hillsongs (: i like their meditative songs. most of the loud ones are just..NOISE. haha. most.
all my delight is in You, Lord.
and i think ive found that stillness of heart and spirit that ive not felt in a long, long time.
and i feel like nothing can shake me. cos He's right by my side. (:
i think this week has seen me cultivating a greater consciousness of Him. though i know theres lots more to be done, i think im gonna keep moving forward. three steps forward and two steps back - they still leave me unshaken. Amen!

i had a very fun and exciting late half of the day today. haha. when i laugh too much i get really sleepy. then again, i was sleepy this morning two hours after i got up -_- i had nydc today too. MUDPIES. MANGOTANGOCHEESECAKE. ICECREAMMM.
veryvery happy.

and i had a new epiphany today (:
dont ask me what it is.
it's a seekrit.

our after-school excursion to waffletown was so exciting. cos i got this



WHEEEEEEEEE. it made me so happy. after turning up there yesterday only to find a sign that said 'we close at 5pm on 1oct2007. sorry for the inconvenience caused.' -_- thankyouverymuchnowafflesformeyesterday.

while we were in the car, a song began to play. and joan went "EH ITS YOUR SONG!!!!" haha. wake me up when september ends. and chris is mad. madmadmad. after he found out about this exciting rumor he laughed like a crazy idiot i almost crashed my car -_-

my new favorite word is 'epiphany'

e·piph·a·ny [i-pif-uh-nee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun, plural -nies.
1. (initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
2. an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

and the first thing ian said to me this morning was 'last night i had an epiphany'. hahaaaaa i almost fainted. so i played along and said 'ya me too!' so he asked me what my epiphany was. or rather, he TOLD me what he thought my epiphany was. 'you realised i was the love of your life right?' HURRRRR.

i have had a variety of epiphanies in the past few weeks. the most recent one has been that God's Word is truly so amazing and ive been such an idiot not reading it and drawing from it as i should. sometimes people see quiet time or going to church or serving God as a 'waste of time' that they would rather spend doing other things. but i think what many people fail to see is that the time you spend with God, for Him, makes you a better, stronger person that you originally were. it makes you better able to face life challenges and you get up off your butt faster, better, instead of sitting on the ground crying over spilt milk when setbacks come your way.

SO YEA. ive had many epiphanies lately. people, go have some epiphanies. it gives meaning to your otherwise meaningless existences of trudging to school everyday, eating lousy school food and going home wondering what on earth the day was lived for. another day, another A? if thats your motto of life, i truly feel sorry for you. so wheee. have some epiphanies. it makes you a happier person (:

at 845am on a sunday morning, we learnt the biggest lesson of our life- HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE.
taught by t chiew yen. haha. how apt.

ephesians 5

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
30 For we are members of His body,[d] of His flesh and of His bones.

31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[e]
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

submission is not a sign of weakness-its a sign of love. voluntary, not forced submission. and the command to the husband is likewise. to your wife, and guard her purity with all that he is. and i think if you have a husband who guards your purity, loves and cherishes, it cant be that hard to submit. haha. so you see it goes both ways. woman arent lesser- we just play different roles in the family unit. hahah when t chiew yen started on how husbands shd guard the purity of their wives she gave us her most exasperated expression and went "YOU KNOW GIRLS! there are guys who...[rattles on about the perverse minds and evilness of 80% of the male population]" and do not be cheated by them. nuh-uh. never settle for anything less.

haha. that was my good wives lesson of the week. now i need to be a good company law student. bye.