Pleasantly surprised

I bumped into my ex-housemate yesterday at Ikano. Haven't seen him since I moved out more than 2 years ago and it was a pleasant surprise. He still looks pretty much the same. He's the only housemate I speak English to, coz somehow everyone else speaks Mandarin & Cantonese. So we have connection la.

He works odd hours (UK time) and his body clock is completely upside down, but he's been like that even in uni - he used to help his family with the 'prawn-fishing' business at night, so this job is like sooooo suitable for him.

He commented that "Life is treating you well" and I was kinda surprised to hear him say that (wondering if it was because I've put on weight) but he didn't mention that - he just said it's because I can have the time to go jalan-jalan after work and all. Hehehe....but then I paused and agreed with him - and I'm really grateful to Him that I can say with all sincerity that life IS treating me well...not because I don't have problems, but because I have Him with me and in me.

Neway, just felt like posting this coz I was really pleased to just see an old friend unexpectedly. Another one of God's little blessings!

Slit eyes a.k.a. Sepet

I've just seen Sepet on Sunday at home on VCD. Din plan to but housemate was watching so I sat down and watched (when the 2nd part started) and found myself really drawn to the story. I liked it so much that I watched the 1st half after that since I missed it earlier. Hehe...

It's definitely refreshing to know that there's a good Malaysian film out there which actually potrays the reality of our culture, and the mish mesh of the different races and cultures were very natural - being able to understand Mandarin, Hokkien (added note: My housemate Sock Hui and I were commenting that Keong's Hokkien sounded like our Kuching Hokkien and I've just found out that we were right - he (Linus Chung) IS from Kuching! Hehehe....trivia for you la) & Cantonese, apart from English and Malay, I really enjoyed the way the characters communicated with each other. I especially liked how Orked would use Cantonese phrases when she talked to Jason.

The main cast all did an excellent job and for once, the scenes did not seem fake or forced - Harith Iskandar and Ida Nerina were hilarious as Orked's parents and Ng Choo Seong was endearing as Jason even though he claimed Yasmin Ahmad gave him no choice but to act since she's his boss because her other 9 choices turned her down (from www.sepet.com.my). I thought he was cute! :) Hehehe...

The love that developed between Jason and Orked and the obstacles they faced will strike a chord with anyone who has experience with cross-cultural relationships or marriages (or know someone who has) - although I did think the ending was very cacat :P

Yasmin Ahmad was not afraid to show the real prejudices and preconceived notions that we have towards one another in this country - particularly among the different races and I applaud her for that. I have so many good things to say about this movie that even I am surprised at myself. But I should let you watch it la hor?

Anyway, go watch it if you have not and tell me whether you like it.

PS: Never thought I'd write a movie review on my blog, but - Oh well, never say never...

Post coming...

I've had a very busy weekend and a lot of thoughts running through my head the past few days - lots of potential "blog-able" materials which I've not had time to really put down into words yet. Am feeling tired at the moment even though I didn't sleep late last nite. My body must be trying to tell me something here - hehe...

It's funny how sometimes words just seem to flow and at other times, even though there's so much inside of me, words fail me. I wish I can automatically convert thoughts into some form of expression which would solve my problem :)

Neway, there IS a post coming, in a while...

Tuning out...

It's finally FRIDAY!!! And there's no work tomorrow! Yippee yippee joy joy! Spent so much time talking and talking in class today - a bit the tired lah :P

I think I'll be spending the whole day in church tomorrow coz got Missions Orientation by Janelle from 10am - 3pm then KLTI from 4pm - 7pm. Phew! I think at night I don't want to go anywhere. Just stay home.

Brains too tired to think about anything interesting to write about. Hahaha...but just wanted to blog so...that's why you're reading this right now.

K, enjoy your weekend peeps. C u monday.

Who's your Idol?

Carrie Underwood has been crowned American Idol! Read it online just now :P (Sorry to spoil it for you guys who are waitin' for the show tonight on 8TV...hehe...)

I didn't really follow the whole thing but just kept updated with who got voted out each week by asking my housemates. We were all watching the finale last night but everyone agreed both Bo and Carrie's performances were not fantastic. We expected a better finale, n were disappointed. There wasn't really a performance which 'rocked' even tho the judges seem to think they did well. I think Jaclyn Victor did a much better job during the first Malaysian Idol finals than these two. But oh well...it's just another competition :P

PS: I do think Bo's style is more enigmatic and he's able to captivate the audience with his own way of singing. But anyhow, I'm sure he'll still be superly famous even tho he's not AI.

I'm accepted!

Hey all,

Good news...I just got my offer letter from UM yesterday to do my Masters in ESL (English as Second Language). I think my housemates were more excited than I was. Hehehehe. Neways, I finally got it after like 3 months of waiting and will be starting in July.

Don't exactly know how I'm going to manage working and studying at the same time, but hopefully it'll be ok. I have no idea what the schedule is going to be like yet, so am just going to adopt the wait-n-see approach lah. Not like there's anything I can do now rite? :P

Well, am feeling a bit excited, but not overly. Right now also am working out the finances and it'll be a while before that is done but yeah, this is the latest development...

Just to keep y'll updated :)

Church Camp 05

We just got back from an awesome time in Allson Klana. I had a blast at camp and enjoyed myself for the most part of the camp.

Diana and I started off on Sat morning at 6 am and followed others to Seremban and had a leisurely drive there, as well as breakfast - we got there plenty early and had time to kill before the first session started. I can't remember offhand what the first session is about (haha...oopss!) - then went for lunch @ Seremban Parade and did a bit of shopping there before heading back to the room for a snooze. I overslept and woke up with a start at 7 pm and quickly rushed off to shower and dinner before the night session. Thank god i made it without being TOO late.

Next morning, Sunday worship was just really really awesome. We didn't have any instruments and we din have music. Josh really took a risk just keeping silent before God, but that morning turned out to be one of the best times of worship I've ever had in my memory - we didn't have one worship leader, but different ones in the congregation just led with a song when they felt that God was leading them to sing it. It was beautiful, and truly an experience I will not forget for a long, long time. This is what we mean when we say 'priesthood of believers' and we saw how it was applied in our church and then ending that time with just loving one another. Even Raj was speechless and he couldn't stop saying "WOW" for like so many times. Heheh! God really showed up when we waited for Him with just a simple desire to be in His presence without anything to 'help' usher us in.

The rest of the day was fun as well, with a sumptious lunch of famous Seremban Hakka Mee and our dance practice as well as games. The baptism was also really special, and I was so glad to be able to witness the baptism of our sisters and brothers - seeing how God has worked in their lives. It's an encouragement to me.

The highlight of the camp was our Retro Nite - and almost everyone turned up in something retro and we just had a great time dancing to the groovy music. We just had lots of fun laughing at each other's antics and cheering one another on, admiring each other's outfits and posing. Kekekeke. There were a few surprises and unexpected 'stars' of the night. Overall, it was a very fun night.

Yesterday, camp concluded with the last session on 'Having an Unoffendable Heart' and its really something to take seriously, and I know I need to take this to heart, to not let offense take root in my heart no matter what others do to me. Mal was very gentle with us, and even tho the message was not easy to deliver, he tried to do it as gently as he could, and I really appreciate his sensitivity and love towards us.

Had a smooth drive back, got home, showered and just crashed in bed. Hehhee....

There are some parts which I missed out here but this is basically the summary of our camp this year...

AWESOME!

Camp camp camp!

I'm sooooooooooo happy camp is FINALLY coming! Today! Well...we're leaving for Seremban only tomoro morning, but we're having one session in church tonite...so yeah, am really looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, this will be an even better camp than last year's.

We're going to the same place again this year - Allson Klana and I don't mind, since it's a nice place. We had quite a bit of *ahem* excitement last year, I'm sure we won't forget what happened there. If you're wondering, its coz there was a guy who actually fell from the 3rd to the 1st floor while jumping - he was trying to get away from the police. Neways, many of us actually witnessed the whole incident and he was actually staying only 2 doors away from mine! Yikes! He punctured his lungs (his ribs broke) and broke his arm / leg (can't remember now) and hit his head too, but thankfully, he was still alive. That really created quite a lot of stir as you can probably imagine.

This year, I highly doubt there will be another such incident (what are the chances of that happpening?) and that would be a good thing too, since I'm not exactly happy to see someone almost lose their life in front of my eyes. Oh, this year we're having something different - Retro Nite and we'll be having dinner at the poolside with everyone dressed up like we're back in the 60's / 70's era. That should be fun :) Hopefully, I'll have some pics to post up here when we get back.

I remember last year's camp for another reason too. I had a really really great time in His presence. The theme last year had to do with God's love, and I cried buckets just basking in His love. It blows my mind that a God All-Powerful and the Creator of the Universe cares so much about me - and every person that He created, and just realizing and knowing that love really changed me. One thing I remembered was that He took away the feelings of rejection that I didn't even know I had until then, and I just felt so so loved. I know that no matter what man do, it doesn't matter because I know He loves me. I can't describe it exactly, but it really did wonders to my heart, and it was really really a powerful time.

This year, our theme is "Having Fun in His presence" and I'm just keeping my heart open to whatever He would do this year. Will update y'all when I get back.

Enjoy your loooong weekend, people!

Wedding rings?

I just got an email from a uni mate today - she got engaged last Sat in Redang and emailed to tell us the happy news! Was talking to Ev online and she asked me "How would you like to be proposed to?" I told her I dun think much about these stuff since Mr. Right has not showed up yet but it did started me thinking...

I think I'd prefer it to be a private and sweet moment for just the 2 of us, rather than it being made in public and I definitely want a diamond ring! (Such a typical woman :P) Doesn't have to be like soooo big lar, but just nice and shiny! Kekekekke....I suppose how it all turns out will depend on the guy, so I hope he has good taste! Hahaha....actually I wouldn't mind him being a bit 'kayu' too, since I think it's endearing, if he actually did something for me which I know is difficult or doesn't come naturally to him.

Then she asked me about the wedding, hahhaa...and I said just something simple and elegant, which is NOT very descriptive :D Maybe if I could have it in a cathedral that would be great, but then again, I'm usually not very particular about these things so plans could definitely change by the time I get married (assuming that I DO get married!) I've got friends who've figured out everything they want for their ideal wedding including their gowns, wedding march, color theme, etc. I don't really believe in that because I think it's supposed to be something for the both of you and I want him to have his share of how he wants things to be done too, and then we work something out together...I just hope we're not from totally different planets when it comes to our tastes!

Talking about these things, I remembered something my roommate Sharon G said about 'rules' in relationships. (This is not directly related to the topic above, but somehow it came to mind). We were eating durians in SS2 and there was a couple in the same stall, and when it came time to pay for the durians, they went dutch and Sharon said "I can't believe the guy asked the girl to do dutch! I will never go out with a guy like that!" ~ or something to that effect and I was actually quite surprised to hear that!

I mean, yes, if we were just starting to date, and he's sorta 'chasing' me, I'd expect him to offer to foot the bill, but that doesn't mean I'll let him pay all the time, and plus, if we've been together long enough, wat's the problem with paying for your own food sometimes? Especially if we're both earning I don't see why it's wrong for girls to pay too. I think it's up to the couple to decide how they want to handle issues like who pays for what, and we shouldn't judge what others do and expect them to think like how we think too.

To me, the most important thing about relationships is that both of you are happy with how u do things, and both are able to communicate their views and come to a compromise which meets each other half way. Having a healthy relationship and knowing that the guy is someone whom I'd respect and trust is more important than whether he's paying for everything. Y'know what I mean? Sometimes we can become too materialistic and demanding that guys think all girls will demand for expensive things and are very high maintenance that they don't dare to approach girls if they have no money! What if your guy was having some financial problems? I don't think I'd dump him for that, unless of coz he's always fleece-ing people and is a lazy bum who doesn't care to work :P

Now what do I say? Hahahhaa....anyone would like to contribute their 2 cents worth?

Ramblings

Am feeling a bit bored at work so decided to blog :P Hehehe...

Nothing much has been happening lately to me (which is good i think) so life is pretty normal now. My students are having their mid-term exams now which is good - coz no classes to teach but bad coz invigilations are such a waste of time and really really boring! Next week we'll be having a break but i'll still be working coz i'm trying to save my leave to use when i really need it.

Over the past 2 or 3 weeks, somehow little children seem to be featuring quite a bit in my life :) Irene says its my maternal instincts coming out! YikeS!! When i was in Malacca, we stayed with an ex-colleague who has an adorable 16-month old son (Benjamin) and i was telling everyone how cute he is. Last fri, my LF leader just gave birth to her daughter, Leanne, and she's absolutely adorable too! My housemate Adeline's nieces came over yesterday too, and plus i called home to talk to my lil bro Ezra who as always, manages to make the conversation memorable. So i'm thinking, maybe Irene's right :P I've always said that having kids is waaaaaayyyyy beyond me at this point....but perhaps....slowly i can see it coming in a few years' time...hehehee....lotsa ppl seems to be getting pregnant, or just had babies...is it me or is there a season for such things?? Hahaha...

Reflections

Last nite we had a combined LF with Lei Wah's group and we played an ice-breaker to get to know people in the other LF better. Neways, we had to ask 12 different people to give their answers to 12 questions - favorite food, drink etc. What was interesting was that I realized I dun give much thought about things like what are my favorite Scripture Verse, Book of the Bible, Quotation, even book, movie or song. When I got asked I'd just give whatever answer in my mind, but at the back of my head, I'm wondering to myself if what I said was entirely true. Hah!

Then later, I went thru the questions for KLTI (a bible course I'm doing) for this week, and there were questions like "What did the Lord ask of you at the time of your call?" "Have you done it?" and I was asking myself....Errr....when was the time of my call? When I got saved? I can't remember a definite time that I knew I was saved - since I kinda grew up in church pretty much. ANYWAYYY, that just started me thinking on whether most people are like me or am I different...

I don't really recall a lot of my childhood, and normally, I'd forget very quickly most details of the movies that I've watched before, and sometimes I can't even remember whether I've actually seen them! I have terrible memory when it comes to games, ice-breakers and riddles too. I'm always amazed at people who have a seemingly endless amount of storage space in their brains for such things...like my housemate Dion :) Hehehe...

It's not the first time I've been pondering about this...perhaps I should make more effort to take note of things that happen to me? Not really sure what's the missing ingredient here that would help me know myself better, be it with regards to things in the past, or things in the present. Any thoughts???

Back from Malacca

Hi all :)

I'm back at work today after a 5-day break. It's good to be back online (one of the things I look forward to the most at work) and classes weren't half bad today.

Thanks for ur encouragement and support, guys, on my previous posts about missing home and no increment. Neways, I'm feeling ok, and the Lord reminded me that He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider. And He'll take care of all my needs.

Talking about that, Wesley (a friend) passed me some money on Sun before service, and then at the end of service I couldn't find it even tho I was searching high and low for it, and I really thot I had lost it and had resigned myself to my fate. Then when i got into the car to go for lunch with Diana, I took out my wallet, and there it was, peeking out from the back of my wallet! Hallelujah!Haih...wonder what God is trying to tell me. It would have been so cruel to lose my money so quickly after I got it, but thank God it was only a scare. Phew! This month is NOT a good time to be losing money...esp since my credit card bill just came!

This is the last week of classes before the mid-term exams next week, and then we get a one week break, so very looking forward to the church camp that's coming up! Yay!

Neways, like I said earlier, it's good to be back!