hahahha.... he looks silent 

which is the statue????  

so patriotic. 

many birds!! HMAS Sdyney memorial in Geraldton 

Euro-English (my Dad sent me this in the mail... )

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".
Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expected to>reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always>ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the language is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords containing "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza.
Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Aren't changes part and parcel of our lives?
But i guess they always seem to be the uncertain and weary stage-- venturing into the unknown may be a pastime for some, but to most it's simply a coercement. A forceful shove out of our comfort zone.
i guess, change is good... some how.
changes mould you, give u oppurtunity to adapt and to strengthen ur stakes... to be ready for what lies ahead- for what is to come.

ha, so there.... change... i welcome you.

some cruise! 

The important decisions in life, are those made in the quietness of your spirit before the Lord your God... who sees ur heart more than anyone else. These decisions are more vital than the ones made in front of man- with physical changes to be seen by all. After all, its the issues of your heart that is the wellspring of your life.

IT'S over!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!

haha it's high in demand!!!  

The little things

You realise in ur friendships that people do little things for u, and big things for u.... But its in the little things that u find the greatest joy in.... ain't it?
Likewise, for the creator of heaven and earth to have a relationship with u, He certainly has already done BIG, GIGANTIC things for u n me.... but it's in the little things that u and i really treasure or remember.

God noes how much i spend on petrol. (this is not slang, He really noes.)
and just this past 3 days He made me realise that He cares and wants to be involved in helping me save. So on monday the prices were 103.5... den yesterday it dropped to 99.9-- and i was almost empty, how timely! so i filled it up... and today prices rose to 112!
This happens smtimes when caltex on brdway is ex, and i pass by subi's one and it's Cheap.

My heavenly father noes how to take care of me very well... and that means the world to me; )

got this from Miki's blog. haha so cute. 

hahah, it's ok to be abit unglam. 

stop pecking my head!  

Chinchilla History (haha, i was curious... so went to look up... interesting)

In 1918 a gentleman by the name of M.F. Chapman was working in Chile and saw his first chinchilla. This individual is responsible for bringing these furry little creatures to the United States. About a year after he had his first encounter with them, he gathered a trapping party of 23 men to capture as many chinchillas as possible; however, they were so scarce(almost to the point of extinction) because of excessive trapping for their pelts, that they were only able to capture 11 and this took them 3 years. It took 12 months to bring these down the mountain of Chile. They took every precaution necessary so they would not lose any to the temperature changes they encountered on the way down. It paid off being so careful, as they all survived. By the middle of the 1960's, thousands of chins were being raised throughout the United States and Canada.

Chinchilla means "little chinta" a name given by the Indian tribes in their area. The chinchilla is from South America, more specifically in the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile in the high altitudes of the Andes Mountains. Their scientific name is Chinchilla lanigera, which means long-tailed chinchilla. Their class is Mammalia (Mammals), their order Rodentia (Rodents), and their family is called the Chinchillidae (Chinchillas and Visachas).

don't worry, they're not from the Chin genealogy... haha. from Chile.... Relax.

An Accolade

Dad, the older i get, the more i realize wad an important influence you've been,

I see all the ways u're been there for me.

The way u've guided my decisions while encouraging me to stand on my own

The way you've offered suggestions and opinions while accepting me as i am,

The way you've supported my endeavours while allowing me the freedom to experience the world on my own.

And i want u to noe that i appreciate it.

So for all the times that I've left it unsaid...

I love you....

Happy Fathers' Day!

Quiz time again!!


You are Ephesians.


Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Got this test from nikki's blog
Funny thing is, haha it's abit true lah... i'm an undercover procrastinator. or maybe not so undercover den....

You scored as Overdoer. Your procrastination type is the overdoer, who agrees to more than he or she can handle. Overdoers are hard-workers and get some things done, but cannot succeed at everything. They can be hard to detect as being procrastinators, because they are always so busy doing something. They have difficulty declining people’s requests but sometimes feel resentful when the time comes to do them. Overdoer 94% Defier/rebel 94% Perfectionist 81% Not a procrastinator 81% Crisis-maker 69% ADD 56% Worrier 50% Dreamer 44% Teenager 44% What type of procrastinator are you? created with QuizFarm.com

i feel privileged, and fortunate to be in my course of study.

i think there are alot of things/perspectives/ biaseness in the world that we live in.
and i think it is important always, to get both sides of the picture in anything that we do.
Especially in conflict resolving- or a situation which has spun decades or centuries, and now has root causes so deep that even identifying the path to peace would take years.

Was watching the documentaries that LC passed me, one was about why the Muslims blamed the Jews for their grievances esp in the Middle East- the unconditional support for Israel by the US has caused militancy and sectarian violence.
Rather then to pause and stop to understand the situation, it is easy to stereotype and to classify the actions of a few militants as the beliefs of an entire religion.
I mean, we'd be offended to be accused of radicalism or fundamentalism just because some christian group decided to fly planes into the WTC right?

Anyway, my point is... this world, for many who come from a culture drenched in traditionalism, the religion of Islam has most often been used for political purposes (state sponsored or societal outcomes). Most so called "terrorists" have only known dying for Allah as the only way to paradise, because they were taught that in madrassahs and were brought up to strap bombs to themselves for a greater glory. don't be surprised.

i think there must be a growing awareness that there is a moderate stance and their voices must be addressed. The term 'Jihad' is very misunderstood.

When we watch the news (esp aussie news), lets not be quick to judge.

Was reading this article online... and i thought the first point was quite funny, cos i do exactly that. Yea, i cut my own hair (just like louise does, just maybe not as nice as hers)....
and i trim my fringe when i'm feeling... bored, stressed... or.... stressed.
haha....

Here's the Quote:

Hair mistakes...
1. Baselessly cutting your own hair.
Let's say there appears to be one strange and straggly piece that somehow emerges longer, looser or odder than any other piece on your head. You are tempted to trim it, but don't self-cut!

hahahhahahhahahhahah

My favourites

Fav weather: NOT winter
Fav channel: Discovery/ National Geographic/ cartoon network
Fav drink: Avocado juice/ anything milky or fruity/ camomile tea
Fav food: Macdonalds
Fav Subject: History
Fav Movie/s: LOTR trilogy, disney/pixar films
Fav line: toot/ tootface
Fav actress: Jessica Alba/ Jolie/ (recently... Charlize Theron- have u seen her in monster?)
Fav actor: Dexter- in Dexter's laboratory
Fav colour: green! or anything with that shade.
Fav hair: NOT tangled.
Fav guitar: Baby taylor (when i'm rich n skilled enough)
Fav artist/singer: Emi Fujita/ John mayer/ norah Jones/ Corrine May/ any Jazzy voice
Fav travel destination: Fiji islands- OR meditteranean region.
Fav sport: netball/ rock climbing/ scuba diving
Fav shoes: slippers (ha)
Fav month: Dec/ Jan- lotsa hols!
Fav feeling: adreneline- esp when on rollercoasters or sky diving
Fav moment: being still in God's presence.
Fav cell: the one in which we tld ghost stories... til late! (ha)
Fav teddy bear: Xiao mao tou.
Fav magazine: Time/ Newsweek
Fav thrashy magazine: Women's day
Fav books: Falling Leaves- Adeline Yen mah/ God-chasers- Tommy Tenney/ LOTR trilogy/ Harry potter series/ Most shakespeare plays- esp TEMPEST/ Scribbles from the same island- Neil Humphreys/ all of Dan Brown's books/ most of James patterson's books.
Fav animal: this is hard... a LEMUR from madagascar? (ha)
Fav food in sg: ba chor mee
Fav hangout in sg: Yishun Safra (i literally hang)
Fav historical sites: Damascus/ Gaza, west bank/ China's great wall/ Italy's religious monuments/ Cambodia/ India's taj mahal
Fav mountain to climb: K2
Fav flower: lily
Fav interior design style: Zen
Fav cosy place: huge/ big hammock
Fav Aroma theraphy scent: Rainforest
Fav waterbottle brand: Nalgene (hasn't failed me yet)
Fav place i've been: Krabi, Thailand/ New Zealand (south Isle)
Fav lecturer: my pakistani lecturer Samina Yasmeen
Fav key on the keyboard: the spacebar
fav...... fav.... fav..... til next time!

its 9 degrees... and i'm wearing my Arc'teryx polartec jacket. Yes, the one i wear when i'm REALLY cold. my dad got it for me, it doesn't look like an expensive jacket, but people use it mountaineering. so go figure.

was driving Jon to school just now, and there was this huge fog/mist/haze, dunno what u call it. just covering the whole freeway and it got thicker when i reached murdoch. haha, like seriously i cldn't see 50m in front of me. quite funky.
So Jon saw ice on the floor in school last week, and that was hail.
we both think the weather is erratic.
*brr*

Preparing for my only exam nxt week... do leave ur exam details in some form with me, will be praying for u people!! ; )
Free massages are only extended to CERTAIN people. and the rest can self massage. ; p
For other forms of relief from back aches, neck aches and arm aches (from writing too much in exams) please try the tiger medicated plasters. they really work!

Lastly, who wants to go climbing after the exams??

can u see the pygmy seahorse?? 

Neon Triplefin on star coral 

that's where i wanna be 

paradise! 

MALAYSIAN DRIVERS (super funny, taken from Nikki)

1. One hand on wheel, one hand on horn: IPOH driver.

2. One hand on wheel, one hand out the window with cigarette: KEPONG driver.

3. One hand on wheel, one finger out the window, cutting across all lanes of traffic: DOWNTOWN KUALA LUMPUR driver.

4. One hand on wheel, one hand with parang, foot solidly on accelerator: JOHOR driver. (so notorious?!)

5. One hand on wheel, one hand with non-fat double decaf cappuccino, cradling cell phone, brick on accelerator, hands-free on the lap: BANGSAR driver.

6. Both hands on wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake, quivering in terror: FOREIGNER, driving in MALAYSIA.

7. One hand with 12 oz. double shot latte, one knee on wheel, talking on cell phone, foot on brake, mind on radio game, banging head on steering wheel while stuck in traffic: SUBANG JAYA DRIVER.....on the Federal Highway!!!

8. One hand on wheel, one hand on passengers head rest, alternating between both feet on the accelerator and both feet on brake, throwing rambutans or durian shells out the window:KARAK HIGHWAY ; KUANTAN driver.

9. Four-wheel drive pick-up truck, READY-TO-KILL attitude, rear window stickers read "Make my day", beer cans on floor, wedding ribbon still attached to antenna: CONSTRUCTION SITE....PUCHONG driver!

10.One hand on the handphone, another hand picking nose, One leg on the dash board, another leg crossed on the seat with a beer can in the middle ~ turning anywhere he likes, parking anywhere he likes, in fact, driving anywhere he likes. aaahhh..... this is a heaven for drivers......welcome to PENANG!

11. Two hands gripping tightly to the wheel, eyes glued on the windscreen, alternately stepping on the accelerator and brakes every 5 seconds. WOMAN DRIVER!!
- i disagree with this point.

Ain't this yellow? 

Its 12 degrees!!!!!! i absolutely detest winter.

Check THIS out!

Been always intrigued by Nike's advertising abilities...
it's like they have sports' people tell them (individually) what exactly they want, and how to meet their needs.
Whoa... the captivating adverts, always draw out ur innermost desires... (in this case, to wear shoes that don't feel like shoes... thus the caption of "running barefoot")

NICE.

At the dinner 

mavis n me! 

another one 

Nice pic taken at Crystal n How Boon's wedding 

History is not a record of all the facts: that would be impossible.

it is a record of some of the facts, selected for their significance, and set forth in such order and combination, with such a touch of realizing imagination, with such colour and life as shall cause them, if possible, to make the same impression on us as they must have made on those who were actors in the midst of them.

- Woodrow Wilson




gee, now i noe why History is my favourite subject. :)

its the joy in simple revelations daily that sometimes amazes me.
Was driving my brother to school this morning- it was raining cats and dogs.
And whilst the rain beat down hard on my windscreen- i remembered my old car and how the windscreen wiper wouldn't work. (then at the moment i was counting my blessings)
I was thinking to myself- and it was on the freeway- if i was driving my old car, i probably wouldn't survive that storm.

Not being able to see the car in front of me would be disastrous, plus keeping to my lane would be a problem- if i didn't have my windscreen wiper.
Then the windscreen wiper has different timings- thr are faster notches (for heavy rain) and slower ones (for drizzles). So adjusting it to the conditions is a good thing.

i thought that this windscreen wiper was much like our relationship with God. we set it to the timings we like- according to our situations. Like if we're in a tight and tough circumstance and the rain is beating hard on us, we turn up the communication with God. We tlk to Him more, pray more and fast more... but as the drizzle gets lighter and easier to bear... we sorta ease out of this dependence on God mode. And when there's no rain, we forget that the windscreen wiper even exists.

i guess its a silly analogy for smthg that probably doesn't relate.

So now i noe that the windscreen wiper is always there.... rain or shine.
Likewise, our heavenly Father wants to share as much in our sunshine, as well as in our rainy days.

Life is a journey. Jesus is my compass.

"But this precious treasure- this light and power that now shines within us- is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and not our own. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.... Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an aternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. "

2 Corinthians 4:7-12,16-18

When Blood and water flowed
I didn't know it was for me...

Overwhelmed.

Simple things...

Its the small, little, simple things that really catch my attention.
Sometimes u want to be a big-picture kinda person, looking into the future and doing life long planning. Most times i wish i had better organisational abilities, better planning skills... But largely, i realise that I'm not in control, it's so much easier to look simply- to see things in an uncomplicated way. To trust and hope like a child does.

In our world of chronic busyness, pause for reflective time with Him.
Call it quiet time or quarantine time, ENJOY THE AUDIENCE OF ONE.
Luxuriate in His lavish love.
Journal your thoughts.

*How lovely is your dwelling place*

Research is on the way- reading lots of info, sometimes abit lost lah.. its a huge undertaking and the topic itself is vast! mm... neeed to really focus. *mumbles*
Great thing is, my mom actually has material lying arnd at home- some books she n dad got from Israel. *yay* think she's going to scan n mail for me the relevant info according to date. ; )

It's been raining and pouring the past 2 days... *cats n dogs*
den those snails start to come out onto pavements and get stepped on. (i didn't step on any, if that's wad u're thinking... i just dislike the crunching sound the shell makes) *ugh*
so i must put them back to the soil n grass... they're safer there!

Yep, time for bed! Goodnight!

San Luca Cathedral glows behind the city's porticoes. (taken from travelandleisure.com)

 

It's a tuesday morning... feeling sleepy as usual- after mowing thru a stack of my research books- just plainly labelling them. (helps me to find whatever info i need when i'm desperate and rushing). Well, i wld scribble on the library books, but i'm not a vandal. *library cops knocking on my door*

Had a sumptous crabby dinner last night. Notice the pun. Anyway, there's this thing when u eat crabs- it's just an intricate affair. Just u and the crab, nothing else stands in the way. Of cos the "Man tou" and the dipping of the sauce (chilli sauce) i might add- wld be a major distraction from the actual delicacy itself. Yes, i consider the crabs a delicacy- not some Buddha Jumps over the bridge. or was it a wall?

Shall not give u the gory details of how the juicy meat of the crab was really droolicious.

I'm stuck with (counts fingers) 11 days- for my history essay (50%), 14 days for my Politics essay(35%), and 24 days for my English essay (50%). would anyone wanna trade that with exams? *i think not*. ; (

ya, ok... enough of MSN encarta and Wikipedia. i need a nap.

Weekend is here!
.
.
.
.

Let me cut to the chase.

The truth is that "church" or peer pressure in church can be a form of worldliness too. i dunno how many people can agree or disagree with me. Yes, there's good pressure and bad. (not bad in an explicit way... probably very sublime) But just doing things for the sake of it, doesn't really sound like something coming from ur heart.

Worship can be seen on an outward and physical way, but worship is not equated to an outward expression. It's a matter of the heart. No one can look at u on the outside and judge whether u're really worshipping or whether ur heart is right. This being said, it's really between you and God, yes we should correct and advise in a loving, kind and tactful way-- but only thru the power of the Holy Spirit's conviction can come true transformation. (forcing the auto pilot ain't going to help)

Know that the work on the cross is a finished work, it's completed n perfect.... and u'll realise that nothing else u do can improve it, lessen it or void it.

"He was pierced for our trangressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by His wounds we are healed!" Isaiah 53:5

I must be tired.... i think i picked up and put back the same book 3 times. and when i finally realised i needed it, the librarian had placed it on a sorting shelf too high for me to reach. (that happened within a span of an hour tho) i guess i'm not so bad...

and den today, my presentation partner didn't turn up!
Well, wad can i say.... ok, she's not exactly a presentation partner. not partner as in we essentially need each other's material kinda partner. (if u get my gist)
So she didn't turn up, and i had to tackle the one and a half gruelling hours by myself. and of cos with the good and lively discussion it wasn't that bad.
Blessing in disguise...

Yingzi's self made bag of surprise for me!! ooo. 

so corny uh... ;p Thanks girls!  

Tiramisu from Nikki n elaine too! from Michel's Patisserie- ; ) 

From Nikki and Elaine!! can't show u wads inside tho. 

The whole pack with the card and earrings! ; ) 

He is the Rock of my salvation. Tower of refuge, Help in times of need.  

i was at the university club today... it was ABC's 'Australia Talks Back' with presenter Sandy McCutcheon, he's absolutely funny i tell ya.. aha
Anyway, it was a live radio forum regarding "Islam and Australia"... they took callers from around the country, took questions and comments from the audience... ; ) it was a good experience mingling with world renowned speakers and a vast mix of cultural backgrounds.

Basically, disussions surrounded the terrorist attacks in the US on Sept 11, 2001, and the Bali bombings a year later led to many equating Islam with terrorism.... with a focus on changing attitudes towards Muslim countries and Islam as a religion. THe problem i found with the understandings of many people were the ideas that Islam consisted of a single entity, and was looked at as a whole. So wad some radical muslims do-- is frowned upon and taken to be a majority belief or action. When in fact, there are so many different intepretations of the Quran, from the orthodox schools, moderate progressives to the liberals.

what i mean is that, we don't see a cult intepretation of the bible being taken for the sole understanding of the entire religion of Christianity. but that's a whole other debate.

i am tired... haha can u believe it, i thought ZLM was today... ; ( gah... so silly.

I've reformatted my comp... i've got no programs on it... : (