// MY PRINTER IS WORKING!!

That was like the fastest answer to a prayer request so far.

Thanks God. I hope you'll somehow repair my iPod too. :)

// If gadgets are so user-friendly, why do they come with a manual?

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on JAL, Osaka-bound.

#1. My suitcase is almost good to go, but I'm still waiting for some underwear to dry and to put in contact lens stuff.
#2. I'm worrying about how it'll exceed the 20 kg limit.
#3. My handcarry luggage is really too heavy.
#4. In spite of the countless revised checklists I've made the entire day, I'm certain there're still some important things that have slipped my mind.
#5. Can S$2,000 cash last me for 11 days?
#6. The cards I have to write to my CG mates by tomorrow are left untouched on the table.
#7. My SMU interview was supposed to be on 4 April, but I'm in Japan, so they're gonna reschedule me to another day. God, please don't let it clash with the Thai camp trip. :(
#8. I have to prepare copies of my IB certificate and cover letters for NUS, NTU, U of T and University of Melbourne by tonight. And my printer isn't working.
#9. Ever since CNY, I can only hear audio coming out from the left earphone of my iPod. At first, I thought the earphones were faulty, so I went to change. Turns out that my iPod earjack isn't working properly. Repairing it costs about a hundred bucks, which buying a new iPod may seem a better choice. But I don't need a new iPod omg, I just want to hear music normally.
#10. I think I'm going to have mensus in Japan.

Sian.

So what am I doing now to pass the time away? Setting up my new printer.

Doing it was pretty simple, I love how the instructions came in pictures with freaking cool arrows. Everytime I complete one picture, they'll direct me to the next, haha I find it really awesome. I think education shouldn't be confined to textbooks, children should watch what they read on teevee. (Y)

Installing was even easier. But when I connected the printer to the computer with the USB cable, they said it couldn't be detected. You know how when you insert stuff into the com with USB, it'll make this "tadaa!" sound? I heard it when I plugged in the cable, but like... Whatever man. It's times like these I wish I had an older brother.

God, please take all my worries away! Or at least, save my printer and iPod. :(

// Love like red rockets

So I came to work today and they put me right at the back of the corner of the office. Not a bad spot, since I've got a nice view and a place somewhat all to myself. My old desk was nearest to the door, where I had to acknowledge mailed documents and answer the bell. It wasn't really a bother, but now I don't have to do that anymore haha. Plus, there won't be anyone to sneak up behind me so yay. :D

It's only three more days to Japan. Amidst all the excitement, I just realised yesterday night while packing that I do not have a suitable luggage. Sigh. I dumped all my clothes on my sister's bed, hopefully my mom won't climb up to check these few days till I get a good trolley bag from my aunt. I reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally x10000000 hate packing omg.

Suet's leaving for like three different countries and it looks like I'll never see her again so I wrote her hate mail (haha inside joke) and I wanna share something I learnt while looking for a good Bible verse to give her.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Matthew 6:19-21

Is there really a point to chase after wordly things? Getting into a good university, scoring in tests and exams, getting head-hunted from global companies, earning a six-figure salary, buying that Chanel bag you've always wanted. You'd feel happy and accomplished, and protect that bag, along with everything else you've bought with your hard earned money, with your life.

But how much more you will get from delighting in the Lord! Saving up for God's kingdom by letting go of everything in your life. There's a whole lot to lose. But so much more to gain.

Scholarships, university prestige, career options, job opportunities, branded goods... Life can get really complicated if you allow yourself to take all these factors into consideration to entitle yourself with 'a life worth living'.

So be like David, someone after God's own heart. For if you have Him here in your life, you can go anywhere in the world.

// Great minds like a think.

The Economist Group is moving!

Okay, not geographically. The office space is just going to shrink, that's all. A new group will take half the current office, and everyone from that side will move over. So today's really crazy, with all the packing and sorting and filing.

At least walking around will keep me awake. And lifting and carrying boxes chock-full of 2006/2007/2008 edition magazines and fighting a losing battle against The Compactor are really convenient forms of exercise. :D

You know how people tend to look at mirrors to fix their hair and make-up in between office hours, after meals, before a major presentation, or while waiting for friends? Don't they realise that once they turn away from the mirror and walk out of the toilet door, they automatically do not look the same as the person they see in the reflection? That small gust of wind from the door can change the position of just one strand of hair, and that strand of hair can change their entire appearance. Throughout the day before the next toilet visit, frowning, laughing, smiling... Things they don't expect to happen that do, and their reactions towards these circumstances. Do they really portray to others what they want to look like in the mirror? Reflections captured in their minds are mere freeze-frames. And they just don't work.

For me, I think confidence in God is the best make-up anyone can have. It wouldn't melt under the scorching sun or get washed away in the pouring rain. You wouldn't have to worry about it smudging, and it makes you shine from inside out. And most of all, it's exclusive and unique to each individual. That no matter what, the world will never be able take it away from you.

Make people love how you love God today!

// Nice and nicely done

With theory done and dusted (omg partaay), all I can do now is to pray that God will have mercy on me albeit my laziness and procrastination in preparing for the exam, and let me pass.

Met up with Rui and Eme yesterday. As usual, our outings always end up laughing at disgusting people (there are too many in Cine) and spitting food all over the table.

I also watched Koizora with Fuiyi last night, it's a good movie albeit its cliche plot and high school setting: Boy meets girl in 1st year, fall in love, make love, get pregnant, get damn excited about having baby, jealous ex arranges girl to be kidnapped and raped, girl gets miscarraige, boy and girl bury the 'body' and vow to come back every year to remember it, boy breaks up with girl in 2nd year without saying why, girl gets devastated and confused, boy ignores her, girl finds new boy in university, girl finds out from a friend that the other boy got cancer so he broke up with her, girl runs to hospital in the cold bitter winter, boy and girl reunite, boy dies.

That's the longest sentence I've ever typed. Sorry for any spoilers. :D

Anyway, it's a good movie because it appeals to the cell-phone generation by centering the plot (very subtley, I might add) around the significance of these indispensable gadgets to us. On the last day of school before summer break, the girl, Maki lost her phone in the library, and a boy, Hiro, found it. He started calling her every day in the summer without telling her his name, and just like that, two strangers fell in love. Then all the confusing drama-mama stuff happened, but the most poignant moment, I feel, was when he was on his deathbed and the girl was running to the hospital to see him. She called him and used 3G techonology to speak to him. The last thing he saw before he died was her face and the last thing he heard was her voice, so he breathed for the last time with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

Haha okay I know I've failed to exude the meaningfulness behind this. Anyway I think a lot of people would find the show a waste of money because it was probably too fast-paced and unrealistic. But they fail to realise the essence of the show, that it follows a cell-phone based novel and it has to be like this. That's the beauty of Jap movies and dorama. They'll never exploit and tarnish a novelist's story by modifying its original plot to suit audience's expectations.

So yes, it's a show worth my ten bucks. Plus, the lead guy is DAMN GORGEOUS. (x

// mindcafe + JC Central = disaster zone

I realised I don't really like tagboards that much, so I managed to revive my old Haloscan account (thank God for how I always use the same username and pw all the bleddy time) and got myself a commenting system. So please drop by and tell me what you are thinking, how you are feeling, or... How bad the weather is lately (yes I am advertising). I'd love to hear from you guys even though I don't see you in person. :)

And since I only had 4 hours of sleep yesterday from watching Kimi wa Petto (omg it's the best romance dorama ever) and totally died laughing in mindcafe at Abigail's attempt at making a tiger while playing Squint today, I shall make do with an interesting thought:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

- James 1:12

Because it's only when you're willing to be tested that you truly discover who you are. And it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. The person that you want to be does exist, somewhere in the other side of hard work, faith, and belief, and beyond the heartache and fear of what life has.

// A kite's joy

The reason for a kite to fly happily in the sky is not because it's free. It's because there is a string that will eventually tug it close. Even if it could fly freely, no matter how high it flies... Even if it could reach outer space, it wouldn't be happy. But beyond that string is a place to go home to. Even if it gets tattered and torn, or becomes useless, there is a gentle hand that will hold it close.

That's why I can fly. For that, I will live the rest of my life as a useless creature and never let go of that hand.

If you were a kite, is God holding your string today?

// TGIF, and weekends too.

I haaaaaaate Mondays. :( :(

Only got 3 hours of sleep yesterday night cos I was on the phone with dear Fuiyi. We were speculating about how Johnny's Entertainment might just turn out to be something like The Stepford Wives, where "Johnny" could just be a woman who's super oppressed (given the pathetic status of women in Japan) and displeased with the entire male population (who're seriously male chauvanist pigs). And since Japan is the king of electronics, she rose against the tide and created a hybrid of The Perfect Male - awesomely goodlooking, unbelievingly talented and incredibly nice by planting a microchip in their brains to appeal to the female population in Japan.

If this was true, then she's a bloody rich bitch, cause apparently the guys earn really little as everything goes back to the agency. And these poor guys everyone worships are just really robots. I mean, almost everything they do on teevee is scripted, right? From dorama to interviews to variety shows. And omg, even when they do really normal things like washing their laundry or taking a walk, if it gets recorded on video, it sells like hot cakes.

Gee, how nice it is to be faymuzz.

Anyways, I love weekends. Saturday was spent with my lovely CG mates. We went to PS and laughed at dumb and useless fishes outside Carrefour, walked to Selegie to eat tau huay and discuss prospects of the coming financial year of Ryan Holdings Inc., and walked back to Dhoby Xchange to play arcade.

Went to my second Jap class on Sunday and made friends with three really nice and cute Jap girls, that weren't Jap AT ALL. They're true blue Singaporeans. It's super creepy cause they look, speak and act Jap. Their pronunciation is perfect, their clothes look Jap, their hairstyles look Jap, they even read Jap... But they speak perfect Singlish. We asked them why, and they said they mastered the language through watching dorama and anime. To date, I've watched about 23 dorama, and still I don't sound/look/act Jap. And they're only fifteen years old.

Isn't it scary?! I think if I continue to indulge myself in Jap dorama, I will slowly morph into a Japanese. I mean, now when I watch non-Jap shows, I freaking translate whatever they're saying into Japanese in my head. It's really fun, but I'd rather indulge myself in God. Even though I've learnt a lot from all these dorama, I learn ten thousand times more from reading the Bible, and starting my day with God every day.

God, please give me lots of Heaven-made coffee cause I'm starting to feel really shagged. I'm about to call subscription agents from all over the world to get their contacts, and tonight there's a huge pile of theory homework waiting for me. I pray that Your strength will sustain me throughout today. Thank You!

// Minimum effort, maximum results.

As I am sitting in the comfort of my office and typing this behind my supervisor's back, thousands of 19 year olds across this island quake with fear in their seats while awaiting The Paper that will decide their entire life (or so they say).

I feel so... Powerful. Hahaha nah I just thought of how I was like on 7 January. Drong (as usual) was babbling on and on about how well ACS(I) did and all, but for the first time I was actually paying attention to him haha.

IB is scary stuff. I mean, who knew that choosing an IOC extract feels as though you're choosing the next path of your life? Especially being the only girl in the room with an already-accepted Oxford candidate and a man full of blackheads pointing to the painting of the Last Supper and saying, "Welcome to the Last Supper. Now, it is time to spin the Wheel of Fortune. Where will it take you? Where will your destiny lie?" and starts flailing his arms around the 10 envelopes on the table.

Seriously, who was the idiot who made us study 40 extracts (40 lines each) of plays, novels and poems, but on the day of the exam provide us with a random 10, out of which we have to pick a random 1? Damn stupid right. And that's just 1 tiny part of English A1, which is just 1 of the 6 (excluding TOK and EE) subjects we study.

I don't even want to start on the number of assignments, presentations, essays, projects, portfolios and science practicals we have to do, on top of having CCA, CIP, and studying for class tests, midyears, finals and the actual exam. It's a wonder that we actually still have a life. Actually I think I died and like, God sent me back to Earth or something. Haha.

So, all you A Level losers people, if you think JC life sucks, please try IB. After doing a thousand drafts for just one innocent-looking essay; losing countless amounts of sleep trying to figure out the 'wonders' of AutoGraph so you can derive the formula of limits and differentiation; writing Chem reports every week... You'll probably finish PW in a couple of weeks, easy peasy simple pimple.

Okay, IB isn't that bad. It's really tough, but you get a lot more value out of it than what you pay the school every month. And you (okay, I) kinda appreciate education on a much higher level, cos it's not about studying hard all the time. It's studying smart.

Minimum effort, maximum results. That's what IB at ACS(I) is really all about. So I'm actually pretty glad I chose IB over A Levels. Cos the education there gives you an edge over everyone else. Plus, I won't be just another A Level student sitting amongst the rest of you guys now, hoping against hope that somehow, even with the common three H2s and one H1, I'd still be someone special.

// The (after)life of the party

weiwen adel:
you know what cutcake did??
superZEL:
what what?
weiwen adel:
he was half asleep
weiwen adel:
then he suddenly sat up and asked me: WHAT IS THE TIME?
weiwen adel:
then it's damn dumb cuz the clock is just behind him
weiwen adel:
then i was like: ermm.. 830
weiwen adel:
then he THANKYOU and went back to sleep
superZEL:
OMG?!
weiwen adel:
and i thought he was going to offer his place for me to sleep HAHA
weiwen adel:
but i think huiying and cutcake got blocked nose
weiwen adel:
so they were snoring
weiwen adel:
then halfway i woke up and cannot sleep liaooo
weiwen adel:
cuz it's too rhythmic
superZEL:
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA WHAT!!!!!!!!
superZEL:
they two slept on my bed
superZEL:
AND SNORED?!
weiwen adel:
HAHAHA
weiwen adel:
ppl with blacked nose snore when they sleep
weiwen adel:
hahaha
weiwen adel:
i mean blocked.. not blacked
superZEL:
the funny thing is
superZEL:
ONLY ONE OF MY NOSTRIL IS BLOCKED
superZEL:
the pisai only coming out from one hole la
weiwen adel:
OHMYYY
weiwen adel:
alternate snores
weiwen adel:
haahhaa
weiwen adel:
oh ryan also very funny!!
weiwen adel:
cuz he suddenly sat up
weiwen adel:
and stared at me in the chair
weiwen adel:
then i stared back at him
weiwen adel:
then his eyes start to slowly close and he fell back to sleep
weiwen adel:
it was hilariousss
weiwen adel:
and ben went toilet without even noticing me
weiwen adel:
AHAH
weiwen adel:
did ben remember what he did the night before??
superZEL:
HAHAHHAHAHAHHAA
superZEL:
yah he did
superZEL:
HE SUCKS LA
superZEL:
I AM NEVER LETTING HIM AND SONGJUN AND RYAN IN MY HOUSE EVER AGAIN
weiwen adel:
AHAHAHA
weiwen adel:
i think the tying him up is damn funny
superZEL:
YAH
superZEL:
we tied him to a chair please!
superZEL:
and when i was thinking of how to make a knot such that he won't get loose
superZEL:
HE WENT TO TIGHTEN IT OMG BEST
weiwen adel:
HAHAHA
superZEL:
then he said that, he had to go toilet in the morning
superZEL:
so he had to untie himself
weiwen adel:
YAYA!
weiwen adel:
i saw
superZEL:
that means the whole night before he go toilet
superZEL:
he slept with his leg tied to the chair?!
weiwen adel:
he did
weiwen adel:
he spent 10 min untying b4 going toilet
weiwen adel:
hahaha
weiwen adel:
exciting mannn

God, thank You for blessing me with this awesome CG with members that never fail to make all of my days so entertaining and worth remembering, and most importantly, making Your light shine through them to everyone else. (:

// There ain't nothing better than free stuff.

Hello! I had an awesome day today although I only had 5 hours of sleep last night all because of theory homework.

Piano lessons in the morning are worse than taking public transport to and from the CBD during rush hour. To make matters worse, I got my period in the middle of the night while I was having a really weird but cool dream and because I had to go to the toilet, I forgot what the dream was about. ): And usually when girls get their periods, they'll have stomach cramps right? As for me, I have back aches and my BACKSIDE hurts lah. So strange.

Anyway, I went to tuition my cousin after hanging around in Westmall (lol) for a couple of hours after that. I think teaching English to primary school kids is the easiest, really. I used to think Math would be the safest, cos there're only right and wrong answers, whereas for English and Science, they're really debatable. But giving English homework is fun! Cos my tutee's family is going to Korea during the March hols, I asked her to write book reviews on 3 short stories and present one more verbally in one of Enid Blyton's hardcover books. And I'm actually looking forward to reading them. :D

After that, I met ACB at Vivo for free tickets to 10,000 B.C.! This outing was a real blessing, cos I was supposed to meet Rui for dinner tonight but the poor girl has no money so I was gonna go home, but ACB needed someone to go with him for the movie. I saw the trailer on the bus a couple of weeks ago, and I was like, 'Golly gee, I wanna watch this". I really love those CGI films, like LOTR, Underworld, 300, Pirates of the Carribean, Van Helsing etc, so I thought 10,000 B.C. would be nice. And it was! Not gonna say anything though, so watch the movie yourself, it's really good if you've got my taste haha.

Anyway, Vivo's arcade is... Not that bad what. I heard from Ben that it's really small and the games suck, but there's the bumper car game, Ocean Hunter (which we played today), Jurassic Park, and this other really cool safari shooting game ACB and I are gonna try after CG.

God, thanks for making today a happy day. It shall give me new strength for tomorrow (waking up early in the morning for work really sucks man).

// Monday blues just turned a shade darker.

I never understood why people label Mondays as really bad days until I started working. I used to think every day was the same; now I'm praying for weekends to come the minute they end.

So sleepy. :(

It's lunchtime now at the office and instead of browsing through the top few PS3 games on gamespot, I'm staring at the enormous stack of theory homework to be handed up tomorrow morning.

I remember saying how hard Grade 8 practical is and how I'm gonna fail, but I ended up getting quite decent marks even though I did fail aural and scales lolol. But this time, my premonition's going to come true. Lucky guesses aren't enough to help me pass and my exam's in 2 weeks' time. God, if you're thinking of blessing me with a miracle of any sort, passing my theory would be really helpful.

---

Anyway, here's something pretty encouraging I learnt from Scott Morton's "Tired of Do-list Christianity? - Debunking the misconceptions that hold back spiritual growth and steal your joy":

Misconception: Sharing your faith will always be an awkward "have-to".

According to pollster George Barna, 1 percent of Christians believe they have the "gift" of evangelism. As part of the 99 percent who believe they don't and cannot imitate those gifted believers who lead strangers to Christ on airplanes and elevators: Have you ever experienced this while evangelising?

1) Too much, too soon... Asking someone you've met only a couple of times to join your church's service without knowing his/her spiritual history. They came once but never returned your calls after that.

2) Too little, too late... To avoid being perceived as pushy, you postpone inviting your loved ones to read the Bible with you. Eventually, you did start to read together, and he/she liked it, but suddenly died a year later.

3) Too artificial, too hurried... Like the many times you've felt guilty if you didn't quickly and artificially steer the conversation to the gospel.

If you find yourself disappointed when you can't convince someone to listen to your sharing of God's word intently, answer their questions cogently, recall Bible verses instantaneously, explain concepts persuasively, and press for a decision with urgency, you're making mistake #1: Viewing evangelism as an event rather than a process.

Remember the first time someone tried to bring you to Christ? Did you convert right after listening to him/her? What about your very first service? Did you say the sinner's prayer within that sixty minutes of hearing the gospel? Examine your own spiritual journey. Usually, the "event" of your trusting Christ is preceded by a long "process" involving people, the Word, setbacks, media, songs, etc.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart"

- Matthew 3:19

The word understand implies a process. Sometimes the lightbulb of truth goes on immediately, but most often it's on a dimmer switch that increases the light slowly and gradually.

What about non-believers that do convert in that sixty minutes? Of course, we'd be delighted with welcoming them to God's kingdom, but some may regret their decision and stop coming altogether. What has happened is that they did not really understand enough about Christ to hold the weight of their decision. So instead of asking your friends for a decision during the altar call for new believers, simply invite them to explore and discuss the Word together first. Who knows what might have happened if you did the latter?

If George Barna's 1 percent figure is correct, then why would Jesus knowingly give the Great Commission to the other 99 percent of us who are not evangelists? Rather than trying to copy the 1 percent, focus on being a faithful link in the chain. Be content to "sow" and be thankful for those few gifted people who "reap" the results of a long process towards salvation.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

-2 Corinthians 2:14

We are a "fragrance of Christ". Believers give off an aroma of God wherever we go. We don't work at giving off this aroma any more than we work at giving off the aroma of perfume of morning aftershave.

However, we tend to make mistake #2: Working too hard at being "odiferous". Thinking it all depends on us. In our heads, we know it depends on God, but our actions show we feel pressure to "make something happen". As a result, we become too pushy, too artifical, and too uptight.

The first step to sharing the gospel isn't always opening our mouths. People tend to observe us through our daily actions, and impressions are formed without us having to utter any religious word and carry a Bible around our necks. Be gentle, honest and compassionate, and soon they'll smell the aroma of Christ!

Of course, these misconceptions do not imply that you don't have to open your mouth. Sooner or later, it will take words to share about God's goodness, and since you've already got them intrigued, smelling convincing will let you sound convincing.

Don't be uptight about evangelism today. Stop trying to get people to pray the sinner's prayer in sixty minutes. Instead, see yourself as an "aromatic" part of the process of deepening people's understanding of Jesus. Even though you may not have the gift of evangelism, you are an important player on God's team.

Urgency? Yes. Pressure? No. We all give off an aroma simply by being in Christ!

// Still alive.

I realised (again) that I'm pretty damn lousy with blogging wahaha. Nevertheless, I vow to keep Readyfuels alive because I love the song (it's by Anberlin, they'd better play in SG again) and... Okay I wanted to switch to LJ but some stupid moron took that for his/her username already. And the reason for this new layout is because I'm another moron for twiddling with my template settings and God knows how my posts are all hidden in the background. Sorry Rui!

So Lydia's gone to Trinity and I'm bumming around deciding on which university to go. I'm really fickle over everything because really, I think I can do anything. Throw me any course, from Theatre Studies to Dentistry, I'm game. But that sucks because when you can't choose between the things you want, it also means you don't want all of them, right?

Right now I'm nursing a flu that's probably from either Ryan/Vanessa/Yanyin/whoever who used up all my tissues last night. My CG stayed over yesterday and watched Three Extremes 2 (my bad, sorry guys) and oh my goodness when it came to the morbid/sex scenes we couldn't stop laughing thanks to Songjun's nonsensical comments and Yanyin's contaigous laughter at 4 freaking AM. Eventually, we got tired from being high and fell asleep. Then stupid Ben who was out clubbing (bloody hell use my house just to sleep after getting wasted) came over at 5am, starting giggling and crawling all over the floor and waking everybody up again. He became so annoying that Ryan and ACB took all my belts and ties and TIED HIM UP hahaha damn freaking funny I still got phlegm in my lungs from laughing last night. Anyway, we only truly fell asleep at 6 plus. I wonder how my other family members could've slept through the entire mayhem.

I love my CG. (:

On with today, which marks the start of my wonderful Japanese class with Fuiyi! We were taught basic phrases and greetings today, which were really easy thanks to the amount of JDorama we've watched. For the record, it's 23 and counting. :D

Life is good these days, especially when I start them with God. In these past couple of months, I've realised that really, He's the only One that I can be completely, totally and faithfully dependent upon, in all ways possible. He is my refuge and stronghold, and I will praise and give thanks to Him everyday.

// MY PRINTER IS WORKING!!

That was like the fastest answer to a prayer request so far.

Thanks God. I hope you'll somehow repair my iPod too. :)

// If gadgets are so user-friendly, why do they come with a manual?

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on JAL, Osaka-bound.

#1. My suitcase is almost good to go, but I'm still waiting for some underwear to dry and to put in contact lens stuff.
#2. I'm worrying about how it'll exceed the 20 kg limit.
#3. My handcarry luggage is really too heavy.
#4. In spite of the countless revised checklists I've made the entire day, I'm certain there're still some important things that have slipped my mind.
#5. Can S$2,000 cash last me for 11 days?
#6. The cards I have to write to my CG mates by tomorrow are left untouched on the table.
#7. My SMU interview was supposed to be on 4 April, but I'm in Japan, so they're gonna reschedule me to another day. God, please don't let it clash with the Thai camp trip. :(
#8. I have to prepare copies of my IB certificate and cover letters for NUS, NTU, U of T and University of Melbourne by tonight. And my printer isn't working.
#9. Ever since CNY, I can only hear audio coming out from the left earphone of my iPod. At first, I thought the earphones were faulty, so I went to change. Turns out that my iPod earjack isn't working properly. Repairing it costs about a hundred bucks, which buying a new iPod may seem a better choice. But I don't need a new iPod omg, I just want to hear music normally.
#10. I think I'm going to have mensus in Japan.

Sian.

So what am I doing now to pass the time away? Setting up my new printer.

Doing it was pretty simple, I love how the instructions came in pictures with freaking cool arrows. Everytime I complete one picture, they'll direct me to the next, haha I find it really awesome. I think education shouldn't be confined to textbooks, children should watch what they read on teevee. (Y)

Installing was even easier. But when I connected the printer to the computer with the USB cable, they said it couldn't be detected. You know how when you insert stuff into the com with USB, it'll make this "tadaa!" sound? I heard it when I plugged in the cable, but like... Whatever man. It's times like these I wish I had an older brother.

God, please take all my worries away! Or at least, save my printer and iPod. :(

// Love like red rockets

So I came to work today and they put me right at the back of the corner of the office. Not a bad spot, since I've got a nice view and a place somewhat all to myself. My old desk was nearest to the door, where I had to acknowledge mailed documents and answer the bell. It wasn't really a bother, but now I don't have to do that anymore haha. Plus, there won't be anyone to sneak up behind me so yay. :D

It's only three more days to Japan. Amidst all the excitement, I just realised yesterday night while packing that I do not have a suitable luggage. Sigh. I dumped all my clothes on my sister's bed, hopefully my mom won't climb up to check these few days till I get a good trolley bag from my aunt. I reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally x10000000 hate packing omg.

Suet's leaving for like three different countries and it looks like I'll never see her again so I wrote her hate mail (haha inside joke) and I wanna share something I learnt while looking for a good Bible verse to give her.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Matthew 6:19-21

Is there really a point to chase after wordly things? Getting into a good university, scoring in tests and exams, getting head-hunted from global companies, earning a six-figure salary, buying that Chanel bag you've always wanted. You'd feel happy and accomplished, and protect that bag, along with everything else you've bought with your hard earned money, with your life.

But how much more you will get from delighting in the Lord! Saving up for God's kingdom by letting go of everything in your life. There's a whole lot to lose. But so much more to gain.

Scholarships, university prestige, career options, job opportunities, branded goods... Life can get really complicated if you allow yourself to take all these factors into consideration to entitle yourself with 'a life worth living'.

So be like David, someone after God's own heart. For if you have Him here in your life, you can go anywhere in the world.

// Great minds like a think.

The Economist Group is moving!

Okay, not geographically. The office space is just going to shrink, that's all. A new group will take half the current office, and everyone from that side will move over. So today's really crazy, with all the packing and sorting and filing.

At least walking around will keep me awake. And lifting and carrying boxes chock-full of 2006/2007/2008 edition magazines and fighting a losing battle against The Compactor are really convenient forms of exercise. :D

You know how people tend to look at mirrors to fix their hair and make-up in between office hours, after meals, before a major presentation, or while waiting for friends? Don't they realise that once they turn away from the mirror and walk out of the toilet door, they automatically do not look the same as the person they see in the reflection? That small gust of wind from the door can change the position of just one strand of hair, and that strand of hair can change their entire appearance. Throughout the day before the next toilet visit, frowning, laughing, smiling... Things they don't expect to happen that do, and their reactions towards these circumstances. Do they really portray to others what they want to look like in the mirror? Reflections captured in their minds are mere freeze-frames. And they just don't work.

For me, I think confidence in God is the best make-up anyone can have. It wouldn't melt under the scorching sun or get washed away in the pouring rain. You wouldn't have to worry about it smudging, and it makes you shine from inside out. And most of all, it's exclusive and unique to each individual. That no matter what, the world will never be able take it away from you.

Make people love how you love God today!

// Nice and nicely done

With theory done and dusted (omg partaay), all I can do now is to pray that God will have mercy on me albeit my laziness and procrastination in preparing for the exam, and let me pass.

Met up with Rui and Eme yesterday. As usual, our outings always end up laughing at disgusting people (there are too many in Cine) and spitting food all over the table.

I also watched Koizora with Fuiyi last night, it's a good movie albeit its cliche plot and high school setting: Boy meets girl in 1st year, fall in love, make love, get pregnant, get damn excited about having baby, jealous ex arranges girl to be kidnapped and raped, girl gets miscarraige, boy and girl bury the 'body' and vow to come back every year to remember it, boy breaks up with girl in 2nd year without saying why, girl gets devastated and confused, boy ignores her, girl finds new boy in university, girl finds out from a friend that the other boy got cancer so he broke up with her, girl runs to hospital in the cold bitter winter, boy and girl reunite, boy dies.

That's the longest sentence I've ever typed. Sorry for any spoilers. :D

Anyway, it's a good movie because it appeals to the cell-phone generation by centering the plot (very subtley, I might add) around the significance of these indispensable gadgets to us. On the last day of school before summer break, the girl, Maki lost her phone in the library, and a boy, Hiro, found it. He started calling her every day in the summer without telling her his name, and just like that, two strangers fell in love. Then all the confusing drama-mama stuff happened, but the most poignant moment, I feel, was when he was on his deathbed and the girl was running to the hospital to see him. She called him and used 3G techonology to speak to him. The last thing he saw before he died was her face and the last thing he heard was her voice, so he breathed for the last time with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

Haha okay I know I've failed to exude the meaningfulness behind this. Anyway I think a lot of people would find the show a waste of money because it was probably too fast-paced and unrealistic. But they fail to realise the essence of the show, that it follows a cell-phone based novel and it has to be like this. That's the beauty of Jap movies and dorama. They'll never exploit and tarnish a novelist's story by modifying its original plot to suit audience's expectations.

So yes, it's a show worth my ten bucks. Plus, the lead guy is DAMN GORGEOUS. (x

// mindcafe + JC Central = disaster zone

I realised I don't really like tagboards that much, so I managed to revive my old Haloscan account (thank God for how I always use the same username and pw all the bleddy time) and got myself a commenting system. So please drop by and tell me what you are thinking, how you are feeling, or... How bad the weather is lately (yes I am advertising). I'd love to hear from you guys even though I don't see you in person. :)

And since I only had 4 hours of sleep yesterday from watching Kimi wa Petto (omg it's the best romance dorama ever) and totally died laughing in mindcafe at Abigail's attempt at making a tiger while playing Squint today, I shall make do with an interesting thought:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

- James 1:12

Because it's only when you're willing to be tested that you truly discover who you are. And it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. The person that you want to be does exist, somewhere in the other side of hard work, faith, and belief, and beyond the heartache and fear of what life has.

// A kite's joy

The reason for a kite to fly happily in the sky is not because it's free. It's because there is a string that will eventually tug it close. Even if it could fly freely, no matter how high it flies... Even if it could reach outer space, it wouldn't be happy. But beyond that string is a place to go home to. Even if it gets tattered and torn, or becomes useless, there is a gentle hand that will hold it close.

That's why I can fly. For that, I will live the rest of my life as a useless creature and never let go of that hand.

If you were a kite, is God holding your string today?

// TGIF, and weekends too.

I haaaaaaate Mondays. :( :(

Only got 3 hours of sleep yesterday night cos I was on the phone with dear Fuiyi. We were speculating about how Johnny's Entertainment might just turn out to be something like The Stepford Wives, where "Johnny" could just be a woman who's super oppressed (given the pathetic status of women in Japan) and displeased with the entire male population (who're seriously male chauvanist pigs). And since Japan is the king of electronics, she rose against the tide and created a hybrid of The Perfect Male - awesomely goodlooking, unbelievingly talented and incredibly nice by planting a microchip in their brains to appeal to the female population in Japan.

If this was true, then she's a bloody rich bitch, cause apparently the guys earn really little as everything goes back to the agency. And these poor guys everyone worships are just really robots. I mean, almost everything they do on teevee is scripted, right? From dorama to interviews to variety shows. And omg, even when they do really normal things like washing their laundry or taking a walk, if it gets recorded on video, it sells like hot cakes.

Gee, how nice it is to be faymuzz.

Anyways, I love weekends. Saturday was spent with my lovely CG mates. We went to PS and laughed at dumb and useless fishes outside Carrefour, walked to Selegie to eat tau huay and discuss prospects of the coming financial year of Ryan Holdings Inc., and walked back to Dhoby Xchange to play arcade.

Went to my second Jap class on Sunday and made friends with three really nice and cute Jap girls, that weren't Jap AT ALL. They're true blue Singaporeans. It's super creepy cause they look, speak and act Jap. Their pronunciation is perfect, their clothes look Jap, their hairstyles look Jap, they even read Jap... But they speak perfect Singlish. We asked them why, and they said they mastered the language through watching dorama and anime. To date, I've watched about 23 dorama, and still I don't sound/look/act Jap. And they're only fifteen years old.

Isn't it scary?! I think if I continue to indulge myself in Jap dorama, I will slowly morph into a Japanese. I mean, now when I watch non-Jap shows, I freaking translate whatever they're saying into Japanese in my head. It's really fun, but I'd rather indulge myself in God. Even though I've learnt a lot from all these dorama, I learn ten thousand times more from reading the Bible, and starting my day with God every day.

God, please give me lots of Heaven-made coffee cause I'm starting to feel really shagged. I'm about to call subscription agents from all over the world to get their contacts, and tonight there's a huge pile of theory homework waiting for me. I pray that Your strength will sustain me throughout today. Thank You!

// Minimum effort, maximum results.

As I am sitting in the comfort of my office and typing this behind my supervisor's back, thousands of 19 year olds across this island quake with fear in their seats while awaiting The Paper that will decide their entire life (or so they say).

I feel so... Powerful. Hahaha nah I just thought of how I was like on 7 January. Drong (as usual) was babbling on and on about how well ACS(I) did and all, but for the first time I was actually paying attention to him haha.

IB is scary stuff. I mean, who knew that choosing an IOC extract feels as though you're choosing the next path of your life? Especially being the only girl in the room with an already-accepted Oxford candidate and a man full of blackheads pointing to the painting of the Last Supper and saying, "Welcome to the Last Supper. Now, it is time to spin the Wheel of Fortune. Where will it take you? Where will your destiny lie?" and starts flailing his arms around the 10 envelopes on the table.

Seriously, who was the idiot who made us study 40 extracts (40 lines each) of plays, novels and poems, but on the day of the exam provide us with a random 10, out of which we have to pick a random 1? Damn stupid right. And that's just 1 tiny part of English A1, which is just 1 of the 6 (excluding TOK and EE) subjects we study.

I don't even want to start on the number of assignments, presentations, essays, projects, portfolios and science practicals we have to do, on top of having CCA, CIP, and studying for class tests, midyears, finals and the actual exam. It's a wonder that we actually still have a life. Actually I think I died and like, God sent me back to Earth or something. Haha.

So, all you A Level losers people, if you think JC life sucks, please try IB. After doing a thousand drafts for just one innocent-looking essay; losing countless amounts of sleep trying to figure out the 'wonders' of AutoGraph so you can derive the formula of limits and differentiation; writing Chem reports every week... You'll probably finish PW in a couple of weeks, easy peasy simple pimple.

Okay, IB isn't that bad. It's really tough, but you get a lot more value out of it than what you pay the school every month. And you (okay, I) kinda appreciate education on a much higher level, cos it's not about studying hard all the time. It's studying smart.

Minimum effort, maximum results. That's what IB at ACS(I) is really all about. So I'm actually pretty glad I chose IB over A Levels. Cos the education there gives you an edge over everyone else. Plus, I won't be just another A Level student sitting amongst the rest of you guys now, hoping against hope that somehow, even with the common three H2s and one H1, I'd still be someone special.

// The (after)life of the party

weiwen adel:
you know what cutcake did??
superZEL:
what what?
weiwen adel:
he was half asleep
weiwen adel:
then he suddenly sat up and asked me: WHAT IS THE TIME?
weiwen adel:
then it's damn dumb cuz the clock is just behind him
weiwen adel:
then i was like: ermm.. 830
weiwen adel:
then he THANKYOU and went back to sleep
superZEL:
OMG?!
weiwen adel:
and i thought he was going to offer his place for me to sleep HAHA
weiwen adel:
but i think huiying and cutcake got blocked nose
weiwen adel:
so they were snoring
weiwen adel:
then halfway i woke up and cannot sleep liaooo
weiwen adel:
cuz it's too rhythmic
superZEL:
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA WHAT!!!!!!!!
superZEL:
they two slept on my bed
superZEL:
AND SNORED?!
weiwen adel:
HAHAHA
weiwen adel:
ppl with blacked nose snore when they sleep
weiwen adel:
hahaha
weiwen adel:
i mean blocked.. not blacked
superZEL:
the funny thing is
superZEL:
ONLY ONE OF MY NOSTRIL IS BLOCKED
superZEL:
the pisai only coming out from one hole la
weiwen adel:
OHMYYY
weiwen adel:
alternate snores
weiwen adel:
haahhaa
weiwen adel:
oh ryan also very funny!!
weiwen adel:
cuz he suddenly sat up
weiwen adel:
and stared at me in the chair
weiwen adel:
then i stared back at him
weiwen adel:
then his eyes start to slowly close and he fell back to sleep
weiwen adel:
it was hilariousss
weiwen adel:
and ben went toilet without even noticing me
weiwen adel:
AHAH
weiwen adel:
did ben remember what he did the night before??
superZEL:
HAHAHHAHAHAHHAA
superZEL:
yah he did
superZEL:
HE SUCKS LA
superZEL:
I AM NEVER LETTING HIM AND SONGJUN AND RYAN IN MY HOUSE EVER AGAIN
weiwen adel:
AHAHAHA
weiwen adel:
i think the tying him up is damn funny
superZEL:
YAH
superZEL:
we tied him to a chair please!
superZEL:
and when i was thinking of how to make a knot such that he won't get loose
superZEL:
HE WENT TO TIGHTEN IT OMG BEST
weiwen adel:
HAHAHA
superZEL:
then he said that, he had to go toilet in the morning
superZEL:
so he had to untie himself
weiwen adel:
YAYA!
weiwen adel:
i saw
superZEL:
that means the whole night before he go toilet
superZEL:
he slept with his leg tied to the chair?!
weiwen adel:
he did
weiwen adel:
he spent 10 min untying b4 going toilet
weiwen adel:
hahaha
weiwen adel:
exciting mannn

God, thank You for blessing me with this awesome CG with members that never fail to make all of my days so entertaining and worth remembering, and most importantly, making Your light shine through them to everyone else. (:

// There ain't nothing better than free stuff.

Hello! I had an awesome day today although I only had 5 hours of sleep last night all because of theory homework.

Piano lessons in the morning are worse than taking public transport to and from the CBD during rush hour. To make matters worse, I got my period in the middle of the night while I was having a really weird but cool dream and because I had to go to the toilet, I forgot what the dream was about. ): And usually when girls get their periods, they'll have stomach cramps right? As for me, I have back aches and my BACKSIDE hurts lah. So strange.

Anyway, I went to tuition my cousin after hanging around in Westmall (lol) for a couple of hours after that. I think teaching English to primary school kids is the easiest, really. I used to think Math would be the safest, cos there're only right and wrong answers, whereas for English and Science, they're really debatable. But giving English homework is fun! Cos my tutee's family is going to Korea during the March hols, I asked her to write book reviews on 3 short stories and present one more verbally in one of Enid Blyton's hardcover books. And I'm actually looking forward to reading them. :D

After that, I met ACB at Vivo for free tickets to 10,000 B.C.! This outing was a real blessing, cos I was supposed to meet Rui for dinner tonight but the poor girl has no money so I was gonna go home, but ACB needed someone to go with him for the movie. I saw the trailer on the bus a couple of weeks ago, and I was like, 'Golly gee, I wanna watch this". I really love those CGI films, like LOTR, Underworld, 300, Pirates of the Carribean, Van Helsing etc, so I thought 10,000 B.C. would be nice. And it was! Not gonna say anything though, so watch the movie yourself, it's really good if you've got my taste haha.

Anyway, Vivo's arcade is... Not that bad what. I heard from Ben that it's really small and the games suck, but there's the bumper car game, Ocean Hunter (which we played today), Jurassic Park, and this other really cool safari shooting game ACB and I are gonna try after CG.

God, thanks for making today a happy day. It shall give me new strength for tomorrow (waking up early in the morning for work really sucks man).

// Monday blues just turned a shade darker.

I never understood why people label Mondays as really bad days until I started working. I used to think every day was the same; now I'm praying for weekends to come the minute they end.

So sleepy. :(

It's lunchtime now at the office and instead of browsing through the top few PS3 games on gamespot, I'm staring at the enormous stack of theory homework to be handed up tomorrow morning.

I remember saying how hard Grade 8 practical is and how I'm gonna fail, but I ended up getting quite decent marks even though I did fail aural and scales lolol. But this time, my premonition's going to come true. Lucky guesses aren't enough to help me pass and my exam's in 2 weeks' time. God, if you're thinking of blessing me with a miracle of any sort, passing my theory would be really helpful.

---

Anyway, here's something pretty encouraging I learnt from Scott Morton's "Tired of Do-list Christianity? - Debunking the misconceptions that hold back spiritual growth and steal your joy":

Misconception: Sharing your faith will always be an awkward "have-to".

According to pollster George Barna, 1 percent of Christians believe they have the "gift" of evangelism. As part of the 99 percent who believe they don't and cannot imitate those gifted believers who lead strangers to Christ on airplanes and elevators: Have you ever experienced this while evangelising?

1) Too much, too soon... Asking someone you've met only a couple of times to join your church's service without knowing his/her spiritual history. They came once but never returned your calls after that.

2) Too little, too late... To avoid being perceived as pushy, you postpone inviting your loved ones to read the Bible with you. Eventually, you did start to read together, and he/she liked it, but suddenly died a year later.

3) Too artificial, too hurried... Like the many times you've felt guilty if you didn't quickly and artificially steer the conversation to the gospel.

If you find yourself disappointed when you can't convince someone to listen to your sharing of God's word intently, answer their questions cogently, recall Bible verses instantaneously, explain concepts persuasively, and press for a decision with urgency, you're making mistake #1: Viewing evangelism as an event rather than a process.

Remember the first time someone tried to bring you to Christ? Did you convert right after listening to him/her? What about your very first service? Did you say the sinner's prayer within that sixty minutes of hearing the gospel? Examine your own spiritual journey. Usually, the "event" of your trusting Christ is preceded by a long "process" involving people, the Word, setbacks, media, songs, etc.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart"

- Matthew 3:19

The word understand implies a process. Sometimes the lightbulb of truth goes on immediately, but most often it's on a dimmer switch that increases the light slowly and gradually.

What about non-believers that do convert in that sixty minutes? Of course, we'd be delighted with welcoming them to God's kingdom, but some may regret their decision and stop coming altogether. What has happened is that they did not really understand enough about Christ to hold the weight of their decision. So instead of asking your friends for a decision during the altar call for new believers, simply invite them to explore and discuss the Word together first. Who knows what might have happened if you did the latter?

If George Barna's 1 percent figure is correct, then why would Jesus knowingly give the Great Commission to the other 99 percent of us who are not evangelists? Rather than trying to copy the 1 percent, focus on being a faithful link in the chain. Be content to "sow" and be thankful for those few gifted people who "reap" the results of a long process towards salvation.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

-2 Corinthians 2:14

We are a "fragrance of Christ". Believers give off an aroma of God wherever we go. We don't work at giving off this aroma any more than we work at giving off the aroma of perfume of morning aftershave.

However, we tend to make mistake #2: Working too hard at being "odiferous". Thinking it all depends on us. In our heads, we know it depends on God, but our actions show we feel pressure to "make something happen". As a result, we become too pushy, too artifical, and too uptight.

The first step to sharing the gospel isn't always opening our mouths. People tend to observe us through our daily actions, and impressions are formed without us having to utter any religious word and carry a Bible around our necks. Be gentle, honest and compassionate, and soon they'll smell the aroma of Christ!

Of course, these misconceptions do not imply that you don't have to open your mouth. Sooner or later, it will take words to share about God's goodness, and since you've already got them intrigued, smelling convincing will let you sound convincing.

Don't be uptight about evangelism today. Stop trying to get people to pray the sinner's prayer in sixty minutes. Instead, see yourself as an "aromatic" part of the process of deepening people's understanding of Jesus. Even though you may not have the gift of evangelism, you are an important player on God's team.

Urgency? Yes. Pressure? No. We all give off an aroma simply by being in Christ!

// Still alive.

I realised (again) that I'm pretty damn lousy with blogging wahaha. Nevertheless, I vow to keep Readyfuels alive because I love the song (it's by Anberlin, they'd better play in SG again) and... Okay I wanted to switch to LJ but some stupid moron took that for his/her username already. And the reason for this new layout is because I'm another moron for twiddling with my template settings and God knows how my posts are all hidden in the background. Sorry Rui!

So Lydia's gone to Trinity and I'm bumming around deciding on which university to go. I'm really fickle over everything because really, I think I can do anything. Throw me any course, from Theatre Studies to Dentistry, I'm game. But that sucks because when you can't choose between the things you want, it also means you don't want all of them, right?

Right now I'm nursing a flu that's probably from either Ryan/Vanessa/Yanyin/whoever who used up all my tissues last night. My CG stayed over yesterday and watched Three Extremes 2 (my bad, sorry guys) and oh my goodness when it came to the morbid/sex scenes we couldn't stop laughing thanks to Songjun's nonsensical comments and Yanyin's contaigous laughter at 4 freaking AM. Eventually, we got tired from being high and fell asleep. Then stupid Ben who was out clubbing (bloody hell use my house just to sleep after getting wasted) came over at 5am, starting giggling and crawling all over the floor and waking everybody up again. He became so annoying that Ryan and ACB took all my belts and ties and TIED HIM UP hahaha damn freaking funny I still got phlegm in my lungs from laughing last night. Anyway, we only truly fell asleep at 6 plus. I wonder how my other family members could've slept through the entire mayhem.

I love my CG. (:

On with today, which marks the start of my wonderful Japanese class with Fuiyi! We were taught basic phrases and greetings today, which were really easy thanks to the amount of JDorama we've watched. For the record, it's 23 and counting. :D

Life is good these days, especially when I start them with God. In these past couple of months, I've realised that really, He's the only One that I can be completely, totally and faithfully dependent upon, in all ways possible. He is my refuge and stronghold, and I will praise and give thanks to Him everyday.