"Hey ya, what would you like?"

2 weeks into my job and it's getting duller by the moment. not. haha. it's not what as expected but to be honest, it was a cool job; standing behind the counter, greeting everyone who comes in with a smile, asking "what would you like", then rush off and prepares the order, and this cycle continues by the minutes. yup, not such a bad job. at least the pay is good =P

******************************
this song kinda sings what i've been feeling througout the week. enjoy =)

EVEN WHEN
by Seven Places

this week, i prayed, one time
my phone, it rang, i put You on the other line
and now my thoughts they drift around
my knees remain unacquainted with the ground
unless my faith is put to the test and i am forced to bow
although i'm in this flesh it doesn't mean You shouldn't have the best
from me, from me

[Chorus:]
even when my eyes are dry
even when my soul is tired
even when my hands are heavy, i will lift them up to You
it's not about how i feel, oh Lord i am here for You
i exist for You

i close my eyes but all i see
is a background of black, bouncy squiggly lines
and this week's mistakes coming back to mind but
i will lift my voice and make a joyful sound
forget about me, i only get me down
although i cannot see it doesn't mean i shouldn't sing to You, to You

[Chorus]

You've given me Your life and have held mine together yet i find
excuses to slouch in my pew
but when glory divine
is sitting in my very presence, the least that i can do
is give my all to You, give my all to You

[Chorus]

-phing-

selamat hari raya. maaf zahir & batin.

i guess i'm finally settling in here.
it's been long since i last blogged. don't know where to start and not sure whether words alone are enough to describe all that have happened. all i can say is that there are good times, great times and then there are the really bad times. but i still thank God for guiding me through them all.

so, i guess i won't be picking up where i've left off, i'll just have to start anew; close the previous chapter of my life and start a new chapter.

-phing-

trust in the Lord
by point of grace

trust, trust in the Lord
lean not on your own understanding
in all, all of your ways
acknowledge him
He'll make your path straight

**********
a lot had happened these past weeks. in all, we need to remind ourselves to trust the One who created us and the One who holds our future.

-phing-

in a rush

going to see the bank close

-phing-

it's finished

3 modules down, 2 more to go.
today's the official day in wrapping up the 3rd module - contemporary issues in IT.

exams are fun. not.

all my 'gon liong' really 'gon liao'. i need to re-stock. i wanna go shopping!!

-phing-

i'm already there

it has been more than a month now since i've left home. haha. sounded so wrong. anyway, i'm currently in merseyside, liverpool!! and enjoying every moment of it, whether good or bad =P

the past weeks felt like they're in fastforward. as i said, it's already more than a month, (in fact, approaching 2). even though everyday's in a slower pace than back home (feels like it anyway), somehow the past weeks seemed like they were flying through.

anyway, getting into routine now. wake up everyday, then go uni (mon-fri), slept in occasionally on the weekends. haven't been around much (outside of merseyside). the furthest i've been would be alton towers in staffordshire. great fun =) other than that which are outside of merseyside would be chester, west kirby and new brighton.

oh, i have uploaded some of my photos into webshots.
(click to albums)

currently in the lab at uni. am supposed to looks into some of the notes for lectures afterwards. anyway, can't concentrate and read off the monitor. so, thought to update my blog instead =P

i really miss everyone back home...

-phing-

zoo was fun

no, seriously...

despite the stink and most of the animals were like malas want to layan us, still there are some that had 'unintentionally' humoured us, esp. the baby wild boars. haha. they are just adorable! oh, ivy, juz remembered, you forgotten to take picture with the ostrich =P haha. anyway, it rained. never thought i'd see the zoo on a rainy day. it was pretty cool. it got even 'cooler' (temperature wise as well as expression) when we're on the shuttle to get to the exit. and yeah, we were wet, esp. me and ivy. got the best seat, i mean stand, in the shuttle, helped shelter the others from the rain. so kind of us =P anyway, you could imagine what everyone smelt like, esp. when everyone's cramped in my little car. smelled like we took the whole zoo with us, the stink anyway. haha.

after that went for lunch. make that really late lunch. had yong tau fu in ampang. it's halal! can you imagine! anyway, getting there was kinda eventful, getting out of there was even more eventful. not bad, considering that we get to tour around kl.

the photos will have to wait; need some editing here and there =P oh, hannah, ivy, i want the photos!! haha. anyway, thank you guys (namely andrew, ivy, hannah & tim) for a great day =)

*** rewind back to sunday ***

my gratitude towards all the sunday school teachers (esp mun wai) for the luncheon on sunday & the gift. it was really cool. nearly cried. haha. not so much as to the adhoc speech that i needed to come up with, but all the advices and well-wishers of you guys. thanx guys, really appreciate them =)

oh, & i cut my hair.

***************************

can't believe i'm leaving next week! got me just now while i was driving home. i'm gonna miss everyone & everything (haha). somehow all the farewells felt like it's the last time that i'm gonna see you guys *sniff... sniff...* anyway, just to make it more bearable, i'm just gonna be missing 1 (or maybe 2) christmas with you guys... waaaaaahhhh...

anyway, remember to miss me ya =P

-phing-

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
by Chris Tomlin

amazing grace
how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
i once was lost, but now am found
was blind, but now i see

'twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved
how precious did that grace appear
the hour i first believed

my chains are gone
i've been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
and like a flood His mercy reigns
unending love, amazing grace

the Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures

the earth shall soon dissolve like snow
the sun forbear to shine
but God, Who called me here below
will be forever mine
will be forever mine

You are forever mine

******************************
"[Jesus said]... I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies..." - John 11:25

r.i.p grandma (30 august 1923 - 20 april 2007)

-phing-

how's your yesterday?

yesterday was pretty intense, for most part of the morning anyway. INTERVIEW. yup, yesterday's the day for my visa interview. super nervous, couldn't sleep the night before. wanted to blog yesterday, but was too tired. hahaha, another one of my lame alah-saaan... so, here's what happened yesterday.

reached the british high com at around 8am, lined up and was the 7th person in line. handed my bag and handphone over to the guard, took a number and was the 7th person in line to be interviewed, though the number on my tag says 8 but then, no matter. met a girl, chat abit, she's also applying same type of visa that i'm applying. waited for almost an hour for the interview session to start. the 1st interview started at around 9am and it's already 10+ when it's my turn to get interviewed. somehow managed to walk into the interview 'booth' without feeling my legs. babbled my way through. then the guai-lo said, "you can relax now" (apparently i'm not only feeling it but i'm wearing it), which is when i did the stupid thing and laughed like an insane person (sorry, but i was super nervous...). then he said, "you can collect your passports and documents at wisma mca at 4.30 - 5.30" [ok, not his exact words but something similar =P] which means that I'VE GOT IT!!! hurray!!! yes!!! praise the Lord!! wahahaha... after that was super excited. called witney, her interview was in the afternoon around 1.45.

after that went to klcc at around 12 for brunch and to wait for witney to meet up. actually bought a movie ticket to watch mr. bean. but then got out in the midst of the show. witney's in klcc. she got the visa!! was super(x2) excited then. went around klcc to window shop, taking mental notes on what we need to buy and bring over to uk. then 4.15 came and we headed to menara wisma mca to collect our documents. everything was done before 5.30. so that's most of my yesterday in 2 paragraphs.

one thing that's worth mentioning was the interview 'booth'. it was super cool (not in the temperature sense). it has a really high-up counter and i had to stand throughout the whole interview - no chair. kakakaka... as well, was so nervous, wouldn't think i'd sit still. the whole place looks like the bank counter except that it's enclosed and there is a glass pane in between us. kinda feels like the visiting place in prison on tv. *hello?... do u hear me on the other end* kakaka...

anyway, while waiting for the interview to start, they had on the bbc news channel on tv. my first for watching news 1 solid hour straight. saw the same news 3x.

oh, and i've decided to add a header... if you haven't noticed =P

-phing-

car alarms. what are they good for? one thing i learned is that they are only good for when you can't remember where you've parked your car in the car park. the other thing that they are good for is to annoy the hell out of your neighbours. other than that, nil. if you say that car alarm wards off potential car-jackers, maybe. but it's sure not much use to try and get people's attention when you are in need of help. oh sure, the annoying 'wee-yo-wee-yo' of the alarm would get their attention alright, but they'll be too busy cursing whoever whose alarm that has disrupted their concentration on who-knows-what, or trying their best (and probably excel at it) to ignore the alarm *i don't hear anything... i don't hear anything... I DON'T HEAR ANYTHING...*

i'm not saying that i'm high-and-mighty or trying to imply that i would be superman and jump to the rescue. no, actually. far from that. for i know this is what i would do; having acquired the ability to filter unwanted noises sure comes in handy during these times (the other being trying to study and the same time your neighbour decides to renovate their houses). anyway, i'm just trying to point out (esp to the mule-headed someone) that you can never call for help using the car alarm, not during emergencies anyway. the batteries would go flat before people would come to help you. the better option is to think of a way to get your butt out of the situation.

above situation applies to house alarms. unless if you have an automatic caller which calls some security agency that would dispatch help as soon as the alarm goes off, or if you are lucky enough to have neighbours who are alert, or your alarm system does not goes off constantly for no particular reason esp every time when thunder strikes (heard of 'boy who called wolf'?), else you are better off without them.

next time, please do not leave the keys in the car.

-phing-

it's another week already, and i feel like i haven't done anything. ok... the sad thing about this is that the statement is kinda true. i haven't been doing alot lately, just lazing around at home, cook lunch, take out the laundry... and i love it. wakakakakaka...

yesterday was kinda eventful. went to college to collect the unconditional offer letter from ljmu and went to submit my visa application. and i tell u, it was a drag... i mean the visa application thingy. need to prepare this, need to prepare that and on top of that do a whole lot of worrying. kakakaka... if i got the visa then the whole thing would be worth it, if not... well, i don't wanna think about it.

anyway, after the submission, me and witney went over to klcc to meet up with elle, hx, shi ping, neng jin and jimmy. funny thing happened; at first thought wanna catch a movie, then decided that me and witney would go look at stuff to buy (preparing for uk =P) but then went to times square instead (coz the guys convinced us that sg wang would have more stuff to see and much cheaper) and ended in the kareoke lounge and HAD A BLAST! started off with the guys singing a chinese song (no idea what song was it) thereafter it's us girls' turn, with some celine dion songs as warm up (lol!) it was great fun.

some pics of the guys. my phone's cam wasn't that good, especially in fairly dark places. well, at least you could see abit of their faces =P

jimmy & jin

elle & witney

shi ping & hx

crossing my fingers and hopefully my visa application will be approved. whatever it is, i put my faith in the Lord and trust that the Lord will provide.

"where God guides, He will provide"

-phing-

this is sooo cute... i just couldn't resist...

btw, it's a welsh corgi pup =) i want 1

-phing-

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." - Psalm 118:1

yay!! i passed all my papers. yes, even the ones that i thought i'm gonna flunk =P this is juz a milestone, wait till the actual results come... *break into cold sweat...*

**********
blog bitz...

booked my flight ticket to UK. most probably would be flying on june the 1st to manchester airport. next to 'gao dim' would be my passport and visas, hopefully can get everything done during the coming week. then, shopping(!!) for stuff =P kakaka...

start packing.... =)

"God is good all the time, and i'll say it again... God is good"

-phing-

wish
by Brian Littrell


clip from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ

for just a moment
i wish i could have been there
to see Your first step, hear Your very first word
tell me, did You ever fall and scrape Your knee?
did You know Your wounds would one day heal the world?

for just one moment
i wish i could have seen You growing
learning the ways of a carpenter's son
just a little boy gazing at the stars
did You remember creating every one?
if You passed by, would i have seen a child or a king?

would i have known?
i wish i could have been there
my only wish is to see You, face to face
wish i could have been there
just to see You, Jesus, face to face

for just a moment
i wish i could have been there
when You left Your footprints upon the waves
to walk along beside You and never look away
just Your whisper and the wind and sea obey
to see You feed the people
to feel Your healing in Your touch

i wish i could have been there
my only wish is to see You, face to face
wish i could have been there
just to see You, Jesus, face to face

to hear You pray in the garden alone
laying down Your will with each tear
to see You walk that lonely road
willing to die for me
and in that moment
i know i should have been there
You took my cross and gave Your life
and You live again, oh
and You live again!

wish i could have been there
my only wish is to see You rise again
wish i could have been there
my only wish is to see You, Jesus, face to face

someday i'll be there, i'm gonna be there
i'll see Your face, Your mercy, Your grace
someday, someday
i'm going to see You, Jesus
face to face

-phing-

it's time...
for updating =)

let's see, last post is in nov '06, currently is jan '07, hmm... not bad, i thought it has been longer, but anyway... backtrack to last nov... err... starting from new year =P

31st counting down to new year
had bbq =) not such a bad way to end the year. didn't feel like the year had ended though, didn't even realize it was already 12am; and by 12.02am (i'm guessing), jullian started saying happy new year. yup, then only i knew the year has ended.

new year's resolutions:
> shed some pounds -has been since who knows when, kakaka...
> canon in d!! -though might need new guitar =P not enough frets in the current
> be a better teacher =)

fyp no more!
yup, finally submitted my dreaded final year project!! woohoo... should have submitted long ago, but then, something happened... (to be continued... don't u hate this, yeah, me 2 =P)

christmas '06
yay!! my favourite season in the year =) not much has changed; choir, eve-nite celebration (replacing carolling). oh, had the most candidates for baptism =) 19 in all!! well, not many to some, but for us it's the biggest number ever coz usually we only have an average of 5. hopefully a bigger number in the years to come. congrats to all the baptism candidates. i imagine the heavens must be ringing with choruses of praise and celebration =)

prayers needed
my grand-aunt is stricken with cancer and it's kinda critical now. she was supposed to come to our house and celebrate christmas together, but then she was too weak to leave the house. at first the cancer was in the colon and healed, but now the cancer has spread to the whole of her liver. i'm thankful though, she had said the sinner's prayer and received Christ as her Saviour. praise the Lord. please pray for her & her family. pray also that in this time God would use her and lead her family to Christ.

laptop crashed!!
aarrgghhh!! my worst nightmare has been realized. didn't know what happened. the morning i was still using the laptop to send and copy stuff to my supervisor, then at night, it can't run windows! it got to the blue screen; in other words, i can kiss all my stuff goodbye (T.T)

what to do but to send the laptop for service. the service centre was super lousy.
1st, they take 3 days to diagnose what's wrong with my laptop, then they called up to ask for approval to continue with repairs because it costs quite a substantial amount (and i said ok), then i called back a week later asking for the laptop and they said it was still pending for approval (oh my goodneess!!! apparently the person who took my call previously didn't set whatever from pending to approve or something and so, it's still waiting for my approval!! no, i'm not gonna swear, though i really felt like giving them a piece of my mind) so, *sabar... sabar...* fine, i gave them another week. actually dad called up (not sure when), scolded (i guess, not sure, mom told me) some guy and they said, "ok, next day can collect!" sure enough, they called the next day and told me my laptop was ready for collection. yay for dad!! haha...

2nd, the fee. they charged 100 for labour, 370 for who knows what, and an additional 80 because i requested backup (80 for backup is fair enough). at first they told me the bill would be 80, so i thought, ok (though i know it's too good to be true). dad blew a fuse when i told him 80 for backup, haha, coz previously he kept telling me to backup all my stuff into the home pc. guess, i deserved it =( after that, they called and along came the other costs. what can i do but to say yes. sigh... so, 550 in all, my 1 month and 2 days salary... gone... i'm guessing the 370 has something to do with the new harddisk they changed for me; 370 for 40gb harddisk, according to my friend, that's the price of the harddisk 3 years ago.

3rd, they didn't backup the essential stuff, like my documents(!!!). they backed up some of the programs, which it's fine, but none as important as my documents(!!!). and i'm beginning to think that i shouldn't have wasted my $$ by sending it to repair; the reason that i sent for repair is so that my works and documents could be saved. anyway, what done is done.

luckily i have a copy of my fyp at elle's place, not up-to-date, but better than nothing. thanks elle, you're a life-saver =) so, as mentioned, i managed to finish & submit my fyp, though it's long overdued, but thank God for understanding supervisor =)

more recent event: seafood & fireflies @ kuala selangor

upcoming events:

• final exam (in a week's time)
• genting (maybe)
• prom nite
• chinese new year
• find a job (hopefully)
• uk, here i come...

-phing-