long weekend!

It was a super long weekend, running around from morning till evening....but it was a fulfilling one too!

But at least in terms of wedding prep, we have settle on our wedding ring band =)

so left:
1) Church
2) Photographer

Welcome to G127!

Welcome to G-1:27 Creative Network......work-in-progress, but its up =)

its in about 10 months..

somewhere in NYC

I had a revelation this morning.
It suddenly dawned on me that our wedding is in slightly more than 10 months time. We have passed the one year mark.

Uh oh.

Hotel booked.
Bridal Package booked.
Church being confirmed soon
Photographer being confirmed soon

and a million other things to do.

Think FUN! :)

p.s. Elynn & Bernard's wedding was soooo great! We were super tired, and in fact still trying to recuperate from it. Photos to be up soon.

Thank God for 2008, Hello 2009

Finally i have a chance to reflect over 2008 and i will just quickly put down whatever i can remember!

1. Thank you darling Matz for accepting my engagement ring =) 2009 is going to be super exciting woot!
2. Thanks COSB and David especially for welcoming me into your fellowship. my first year here =)
3. Thanks JonW for asking me to serve in the worship team, its been great!
4. Thanks for Cambodia and all the lovely crazy passionate people that went as well as the people we met there =)
5. Thanks to the Bali trip gang (Karen, OCX, Liwen) - we should go again!
6. & the nonsense Bintan people (JonW, DanY, DanF)....jump on my bed again and i will smack you! but it was a great break!
7. love my lunch kakis too (Shawn, Sharon, XL, Wei Wen)

Alot of changes and adaptions for me to get used to in 2008, but by the grace of God i made it through =)

i think it was also the first time in my life that i ever flew so many times!

• Mumbai, India x 1
• Middle East x 2
• Bali x 1
• Cambodia x 1
• Penang x 1

1st time also that i bought a bass ever (& it was the first instrument i bought in 10 years as well!)
1st time for my mixer as well =p
1st time to Bible Camp - fun too, 1st time driving up to Malacca!
1st time to missions@Bintan
1st time with a DSLR camera
1st time receiving bonus from my company - Praise God who gives exceedingly, abundantly beyond our measure!

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Prayers

• thinking about Cambodia, i pray for that guy that we invited off the streets to the outreach event. praying for you brother, that one day when we go back, we will see you bringing other missionaries around as well!
• I pray that this would be a year where my friends in the marketplace will come to know Jesus and find the REAL thing they are searching for in life.
• Work has been great as well, God has blessed me so greatly in the marketplac, so i hope i can be a great testimony in 2009
• Pray for Matz & me too - I hope that 2009 is when we can spend more time together, just being together, but also serving together. so that we can say that "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" - Joshua 24:15
• Pray that we can continue to bless those around us as well
• 2009 is also when i hope to be able to spend more time with my family. never had the habit to, but i hope that this year i can do more in their lives

2nd Jan was a strange day. after having drinks with my NUS friends, i was walking to the bus-stop and i met wei, my JC friend. so i arranged lunch with him for tuesday. then i took the bus and sat down upstairs. sitting infront of me - my JC class mate! wah!
Then as i was parking the car at bishan, i met a brother from Z3! wah again!

somehow i feel that God wants me to be sensitive and look around and do what i do best - to just connect with all these people, and in faith help them step closer into the kingdom.

Lord this year 2009 is for YOU & we (I+M) pray that Your will be done, Your kingdom reign in our lives. May we hold nothing back from You & trust You in everything - knowing that You know best the road ahead =)

my new toy =)

haha my new toy TAPCO MIX 50..for some strange reason, i felt that i had to buy my own mixer.

one reason is that it makes teaching easier. i just need to bring one amp and i can have 4 instruments plugged in and good to go.

can't wait to test it out..although after reading the online review, i wonder if i should have spent a bit more and got the MiX 60 instead??

haha well....next time bah...but i think this would be useful during camps as well. now i wonder how to connect this to a recording device!

New Year Resolution

While it wasn't one of my resolutions for the year, this trip has certainly taught me how to read a map. People who have been to holidays with me know that i just stand at the sight (pun intended!) and relax while the rest toil through maps :) No more next time!

Should have put it down as a new year resolution huh? Then at least i will have one more cross.

How bout you? What are your new year resolutions?

For one thing, i decided that year 2009 will be a year of calmness. In the midst of adversity, messiness, and stress i am going to be calm and trust in the Lord. Kinda ironic and apt at the same time since its the wedding year :)

Think bout it, one year from today, what would your crosses be? How different would you be?


p.s. one year from today i will be married. scary!

Thoughts from Sunday

Unveiling Jesus....the theme for our church next year. I think it is goin
to be an exciting 2009. A lot of things will be done, but things being done
doesn't always equate work done....laws of physics apply haha... People & programs

Anyway, past few days...this theme comes to me:
"Amazing Jesus, amazing love, amazing grace"....or over-whelming love and
grace...somehow I hope and believe that the coming year I will see and hope
to see more of this provision and experience of love, God's love on the
cross.

Another thought just came to me...over the past couple of weeks many have
experienced a greater revelation of God and a stronger sense of our
identity in Him. That reminds me of when Jesus was baptised and the Voice
said "My beloved son, in whom I am well-please". I think many have felt
something like that.

But immediately after that, the time of testing for Jesus in the desert
came. For those that may go through this, it will be good because it will
refine and seal the good work in us already begun!
I liked what David said last sunday, that its time to revisit the First and
Greatest commandment.

RAnDOm PoSt end

10 years since I left St Andrew's!

December Reflections

Wow! Matz is back from America =) Glad we can spend some time together.
After cambodia, it was CAMP. and i must say that i regret not taking leave for this camp.
Every session I attended, I felt it was great =)
Some great reminders to me personally....
Even as i was worshipping during the monday nite session, as I sat/knelt down, my hands starting touching the floor. And as i touched the floor, it came to me once again:
1) We can bring nothing out of this world materially, once we leave it.
2) We are but the dust of the earth, yet God loves us so much and chooses to use us for HIS kingdom's work.
A reminder to me to focus on the eternal and unseen.
Even as MY HOPE comes around, I hope that the people I am trying to invite will come. Something special will happen this friday.
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I also want to say a THANK YOU for the people who prayed for me during the last night of camp. honestly, it was very touching and encouraging to me =) love you all =)
Thanks for praying for matz & me, cos as Dan Yan said, at next year's camp, our "status" will be different =)
Even from the time we went to Berakit, that message about God's family has been on my heart. Unity that comes out of our love (not our human love alone, but a reflection of Christ's love for us) is powerful & wonderful.
A lesson to learn about being a welcoming church - genuine people who love each other WILL attract people into our fellowship. the world is full of broken relationships, so let us do what we can to protect the fellowship in church, amen? And it will be the beautiful thing that lifts Jesus high and draws men to HIM!
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busy busy busy@work...new job, new role, new responsibilities. I thank God again for the opportunity HE has given me in this new place. I hope i can be a light for Christ in this place =)

And the miracle has happened :)

All praises to God :)

waiting for the miracle!

finally managed to get thru the the traffic police.

the officer said that the appeal was not even processed yet!!

today is wednesday, we leave on friday.

so if i get to go - really, truly, surely - its a MIRACLE!

but the wonderful thing is that we serve a miracle-making God, God of the impossible.

One part of me is quite excited, to see the Hand of God move.

part of my message that i will share that is about the will of God & really if i get to go, it IS the will of God!

Amen =)

Nocturnal Bear?

The photo above is placed right next to me at my workstation. Each time when i'm upset or stressed or just plain sian, these photos bring a warmth to my heart and remind me that there's a purpose in God's work :)

It's the second consecutive day that i am up still 3-4am despite having to be in school by 7am. As a uni student, i found the wee hours of the morning most conducive to type reports and essays (but this might be confounded by the fact that i was rushing for time). As a sims addict, it was the best way to see time fly past you. And you might think that as a teacher, i have already adjusted my biological clock to sleep early and wake early... but it just seems that my body falls into an easy pattern of staying up late. I might try to change it with much effort... but it's effortless to undo the change.

Nocturnal bear? :)

The wee hours of the morning is beautiful. I don't normally say this. Usually i like light and colours and all. When it comes to individual work however, the wee hours are a fantastic time to work. It's quiet yet noisy with car and irritating motorcycles. There's an occasional scream or loud laugh that makes you want to pop your head of the window to kapo.

Good night folks, see ya in 2hours time? :)

Happy Day and some updates

It's a happy day when you God is with you! :)

Anyway, i was talking to Uncle Frank today and he was sharing about how blessed his family is. He mentioned a few things and one of them would be James' all expense paid trip to the Olympics recently. And it got me thinking, this kind of things won't happen to me one la.

Honestly, it's like as if i can't win lucky draw or something.

Take the recent Leading Hotel of the World (LHW) US19.99 promotion for example. I realised that accomodations in NYC are hit-the-roof high. In fact, my hostel cost 85usd each for a two person room! So when i found out about the LHW 19.99USD promo which allowed to stay in a ultra luxurious hotel at the price of 19.99usd per night, if i am the first few to sign up... i SNATCH AH!

To cut the long story short, i went to lengths to make sure i got the room. Since i couldn't be around at the stipulated time, my poor sister was assigned the role of submitting the form asap. In the days following the submission, i checked my email religiously... thinking that i will get it for sure.. till i got the email that thanked me for my participation and.. the end. Urgh! It's back to 85USD X2 per night hostel.

The only thing my family won in a lucky draw was in a Dental Exhibition held years ago! Like maybe even a decade. I remember that it was held in Takashimaya's exhibition area. My cute lil sis then went on stage to answer a question and got a prize. My excited mum got me to fill in a few forms, one for her, one for me, one for daddy, etc etc.. and we won! 2nd prize. The hamper was HUGE! My sister and me proudly wore the free tee as PJs for years! Till it literally had holes and my mum had to forcefully take it away from us. :)

And that's about it.

Till now! :)

Recently my colleague and me participated in Amore Women's Day Out. We thought it would be a good laugh to goof around together :) And so we did.. from belly dance (total disaster. was so afraid we were spotted. quick duck!) to kickboxing. We also participated in this photo contest (cos i was crazy enough and still high on adrenalin). Best 10 pictures per category gets a $200 spa voucher.

Yay! :) Silliness pays off once in a while! Thank God! Now we can totally spa out and spend our afternoons in bliss. LaLaaaa!!! And the photo is small cos i look terrible. Its a cross between constipated, shocked and i dunno. Its just horrible. But we won!

And from all the ugly unglam jump shots, my final conclusion on how to jump gracefully - just do it star fish/jumping jacks style. It won't go wrong. Trust me, dun try to look demure by keeping yours arms closed to you. You just look contstipated like me. And open your mouth wide for the effect. Look at my friend at the side - good example.

On the another note, God has been good to my pals. One just gave birth. Another travelled to a really important high level business trip. Yet another got posted overseas to take on a regional management position. And the list goes on. The world's crumbling apart. But guess what, in God we have the joy!

During service today, i was just praying and feeling terrible about how low i have been feeling. And somehow, this popped into my head:

Don't hope for good times. Instead, hope for My strength to be your strength; My hope to be your hope; and My joy to be your joy.

Isn't it true? Let's hope for God's strength to be instilled in us. His hope and joy to be our light in these times of darkness. Then we will fear nothing, but confidently walk towards the future :)

And to end of this happy post.. Isaiah and me went shopping! And i am always happy when shopping together. Just in case you are wondering, nope its not for the wedding!


Hoho :) Happy happy!

Ok, some updates for the wedding. We are still trying to finalize on a photographer. Which means, no progress for the lonnnngest time! Which actually also means no updates. Wahahahaha! :)

photo credits:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Flowers-and-Birds-Posters_i1369967_.htm
www.amorefitness.com
http://b-leslie.blogspot.com/
http://www.greatdeals.com.sg/2008/11/levis-trade-in-deal/

Can I have this dance? (http://www.wordle.net/)

Back from Bintan

yes! i am back from bintan! haha..a little under the weather though =(

Life's Beautiful

Just a quick one amidst the busy busy busy bee week! So busy we still haven got our photographer settled. And i think Caroline half given up on us ... we're coming Caroline! I was just looking back at Tiny Dot Photography. Really love Yu Hsin's actual (wedding) day work; gives me the blissful and awwww feeling.

Arty Arty Chill-out Feel :)

Monday was absolute crap! The adrenalin from the workout wasn't even enough to perk me up. And seriously, i was pretty upset to be made to eat thin crust pizza when i am a i-love-pizza-dough kinda girl. And even though i said i wasn't craving for it, i was hoping to eat bar chor mee (yes, i know i always do this!). But the combination of nice chill out music, great food (pizza & burger) and loads and loads of love really lifted my spirits.

When i feel so low and crap. I thank God that He place angels around me. Most of the time, angel Isaiah would be on duty. Then the rest of you, can you please queue up ... take turn, dun fight. And dun try to be funny ah. :)


On another note, i need to start jogging (preferably outdoors too)! After gym today, i looked at the queue to bathe. So long! I decided that i shall be good and train for the GE run coming up in a fortnight (gasp!). So i climbed onto the threadmill, looked at the TV for 3 seconds. Look down at the threadmill (at speed 0.8 km/hr cos i was too lazy to adjust it).. and thought to myself, 'nah...'. I hopped off with gusto and proceeded promptly to bathe (of course must queue. but it beats jogging. wahahha). My GE training consists of walking around Plaza Sing in heels. BRAVO!

But hey, look what i got!

2N2, i bought this with you in mind!

Happy Birthday Dorothy, Josiah & Jeremiah! :)

No, i didn't buy an entire cake to myself (and helped the birthday peeps eat it)! Though my mentor Nas**** would beg to differ. According to her (who sits just behind me), 'whenever i turn and look at Matilda, she will always have her face stuffed into a tupperware, eating out of it'.

And given that i was FAMISHED from handling all the final year exam results today... i told my colleauges that i stuffed in 2 oreo cookies before going down to Hougang Mall to meet them for lunch. Mentor Nas**** went, 'only 2 oreos mehhh?!?!"

!!!

But i love you sill mentor Nas**** Though i think i might not live past tomorrow for typing it all here :)

For everything You've given me Lord, i thank You.
Be it in the good times
or in the bad times (i try!).
Because i know it's all part of Your master plan.

p.s. its 2.30am. pray that i wake up in time for skool!

mission trip!

Check out our mission trip blog!

brain dead brain dead

Its 3.17pm. I've to go for basketball training pretty soon.

I'm in the staffroom.

I'm supposed to do something highly confidential.

But i'm brain dead. I cant think! I can only hum after the song, Singapura.

How to make a brain less dead? Surely sleep is one of them. But that's out for now cos i need to pass my colleague the highly confidential document by today.. after i vet through it. Or ahem, after i have thought through it.

Oh i know, i wanna gym! There's kickboxing today at let's see.. 4.30! And Cardio Sculpt.. Yay! Unfortunately, these are timings that i can't meet. Gotta stay in school for bball babe!

You know, i think i need to shop. But not for clothes or related stuff. I've received a revelation last night. Actually i do have enough clothes! Can i hear someone say wow? I needa shop at BORDERS! Shelia O'flannagan's new book is out again! yay! And i wanna buy more travel guides. And maybe i needa go to the library at Toa Payoh cos i heard that its empty.. And it makes no sense to buy more travel guides..

On another completely different topic altogether.. well, something related to the blog! We have finalized the hotel... might be finalizing the bridal studio soon. :) And then i'll post bout it kay! After i have cleared my markings! And after i found my hotel for states.

Talking bout hotels, should i book my hotel for USA now? Should i use airfare.com? Or lastminutetravel.com? They offer cheap hotels BUT i heard bad reviews. On the other hand... even top internet travel service provider expedia.com has bad reviews. HOW? :) I prayed though.. let see what God says!

Ok back to wedding stuff..

I was thinking that i dunno how to smile. When i really smile my eyes are like slits (refer to facebook account). When my eyes are open, i dun look smiley. When my eyes are forced open, i look like a clown. For one year of my sis' birthday, we took photos. And i thought i was pretty clever to smile widely yet keep my eyes opened wide. I looked like a clown.

Anyway, this is a nice look to achieve:

Not the gown. The smile.. does it rhyme?

Ok, enough rambles. Its time for b-ball! :)

Have a ben & jerry's!

God Bless :)

YouYa Concert

Solid Star!