dear bro and sis!
do jiayou for the tough upcoming period!
esp those having common tests!
haha.
im very thankful to God for giving me strength daily!
He renews my courage and perseverance to press on!
so pray and ask Him to do de same for you!

there's nothing my Lord and I cant face and overcome together! for today, tml, everyday =)
im joyful! may all of you be too!
have a great week ahead! =)

<33333333333333
ning

*lets see whether the chinese characters can be seen

叶子的离开， 是因风的追求， 还是树的不挽留

若你问我，我会说是因叶子被风深深所吸引了

叶子和人一样
也会有死的那么一天
从叶子离开树干的那一刻起
就是它走向死亡的那一刻
但若能再枯萎之前和风在一起在空中翱翔
尝尝自由的滋味
那离开树干又有设么还好哭泣的呢？

风给它的是自由
而树所个它的只是让它厌倦已久的捆绑
有时离开未必是悲伤
而是一种新的开始

落叶归根
归根的落叶
也许叶子永远都离不了树
但渴望随风飘移
哪又有设么错呢？

随风飘移的感觉真的，真的很好

我相信叶子一定不会归根
因为它在快乐的和风在空中飞舞

如海鸟跟鱼相爱不是一场意外
枫叶的离开也是如此

有些人认为用几行字就足以形容
但我说
千言万语也无法形容随风飘移的感觉

perhaps the saying that “Chinese will never forget China” is true
but my only hope is that ten years down the road
when I’ve aged ten years
when my brain has been clouded by ten more years of memories
I will still remember how to form those square characters with curving strokes
As I did yesterday
And strangely it did not feel unnatural at all
After such a long time
Perhaps I will never feel wholly comfortable expressing myself with it
As I struggle to grapple with the right words to use
But at least
I appreciate its value now
And I know that even if I forgot how to write those curving strokes one day
If my tongue feels weird forming its sounds
At the very least I accept its existence

It’s a big pity
If the end of Chinese lessons means the death of it

Use it
Or lose it

And that’s what I fear

How can I ever forget the hours I used to spent painstakingly copying out each character
Which I’m sad to say
Barely stayed with me beyond the final year exams

如果我是棵树
而华文石片枫叶
那我非晋竟心思地挽留它
不说多免得被误以为虚伪
但都是一个字

PS I always wonder what is the point of teaching us the elaborate phrases that we will never get to use

Release of Chinese AO results on wednesday

Hi!
recounting today.. in school during PC(PE) period i saw the new table for NAPFA standards. to my horror, i found out the standard for achieving a gold has dropped. which means it has now become easier to abtain a Gold for NAPFA. you know i kinda feel that the award has lost its prestige and elusiveness. you know, i'd always never taken NAPFA seriously coz it'd really been too easy for me to get Gold, until this year when i realised that i've deteriorated to a stage where i need to put in a substantial amount of effort and work to get that Gold. i think i've gone too low this time, if i strike Gold this year, it'll be worth more value than the previous years, coz i'd taken them so lightly.

met a student at KAP, thank God for his participation and openess in the lessons. i pray that He'll be provoked by the truth, not merely downloading it as interesting knowledge.

attended mission fellowshipa at church this evening.had 2 sisters sharing about their work in China. Thank God for their commitment in reaching out to the people in rural China, pray that God will keep the flame in their hearts burning for people to receive the gospel. You know, its not easy to be a missionary, but when God's work and purpose takes precedence in every aspect of your life, you'll be able to succeed. :)

Ice dancing is so beautiful. free ice skating is too graceful and smooth for me. Ice dancing is just so beautiful, so creative, its Gymnastics on ice.

vin

i should detach myself from brooding and dwelling in the past, this melancholy of missing my friends never fades away, i find separation so hard to handle, so much it warrants the involuntary mullings over it daily, clinging on to the frail glimmer of hope that all isn't lost.
relationships are precious. Life is tough. i won't be unhinged.

vin

Got Econs test tomorrow!!! pray for me k..

There's this sport which has the likeness of sweeping the floor.
i saw it on TV just now, played in the Winter Olympics.
pretty hilarious.. go check it out,its called curling.

bye!
vin

hahahah.
oh my Vday at sch was great/crazy!
i spent monday night baking 250 cookies! and finished by 1 am.
yay me. :P
btw this includes packing and card-writing!

so yea.
monday morning! flurry of activity flying from wing to wing giving my cookies to pple!
plus de exclusive humans pple i ahve to go hunt them down lol.
pple like ella nicole kenneth! hahaha.
yay. so happy to see people happy!

received many stuff too!:
- flowers from class guys (im surprised they bothered with their girl classmates lol)
- stuff toy from angel
- earrings from mortal
- 8 chocs of diff brands - time out, mars, choclair, etc
- 3 bags of cookies by diff pple
- 1 brownie
- many letters and cards and bottles!

hahaha. thank God for the love from pple to me!
i like v day when its not about de gifts being ex, but being meaningful! =)
yay! hope everyone one of you had fun too!
<33333
ning

just a quick drop by.. came online to complete my schedule..

the past few days was really hectic. suddenly i felt like the schoolwork that needed to be done is endless. looking at my schedule, the ministry stuff are crammed into the days following tomorrow. There's chem test tomorrow also!! its a major one on Organic Chem, pray for Rinus, Ren Jie, me, Yee Wah.. Why major? during civics in the hall we were supposed to attend a talk on total defence, i ran my eyes through the cohort and saw that most of them are revising for chem test (or sleeping). After that we had GP content module which lasted 2 hours. My class' attendance was *i dunno what word to use* 11/25 students. Surprisingly the teacher didnt express her anger and disappointment that explosively. i was secretly hoping for fireworks. i was rather upset also, my only other classmate attending the class was the class chairperson, and she merely msged me and told me she wasnt going. If i were the teacher, i would be very discouraged and furious with the class. Even worse, of the 11 who turned up, I was the only student who completed the assignment. i was like O.O horrible attitude!!! i spent like hours yesterday to finish the assignment only to learn that i was the only one was ready to hand in. what atrocities! and most havent even started doing. wow. the best thing was, the teacher was gracious enough give 2 days' grace. So while she gave the remaining half hour for the rest to do their work, she allowed me to study for my chem test tomorrow. But she walked over to my table and sat beside me and we started a conversation about teachers, lessons.. She told me she could have easily just walked out of class when she saw the attendence at a record low, but she had prepared her lesson and must still continue. had a nice chat with her.

Its Valentines' Day today!!! i entered school today commenting to my sister-in-christ that it feels like Christmas again. i have never really immersed into this culture yet, i left my soul among the guys in secondary sch, so i am still surprised. Students scurrying around to give their friendship gifts, believing that the gift can be a covenant of their friendship. My class chairperson proudly presented her beautiful gift to the other 3 members of her 4-person clique. it was really very nice, each member received a tile when placed together, formed an squared exquisite artpiece 'friends forever'. i watched in awe and amazement (not jealousy) at the many other gifts i saw at almost every corner of the school. They paraded with their valentine bags, the only difference that set theirs apart from the goody bag you see on NDP is the flower that peeks out from beneath. from real flowers to toy flowers, from a whole box of chololates to 1 choco eclair sweet. haha, my harvest?2 lollis, 1 MnMs, 1 decorated wooden peg, 1 heart-shaped sweet :) i requested a choclair sweet to keep me awake during GP. I had also asked for a Ferrero Rocher chocolate to remind me of V-Day - coz its Ferrero-0 Valentino-0 Rocher

budding romance are probably made to bloom today as i see the glistening faces of couples. must have received something from their honey cupcakes, or muffins, or whatever u call it. Hopefully those taking their test tomorrow won't go for a dinner date later to conclude V-DAy. If love is formalized into the Chemistry syllabus, many will ace tomorrow's test, and i will fail horribly. There's nothing in love thats Chemistry or the other way round. So better focus on studying Chemistry.

Happy V-Day

vin

hey vin, self awareness is gd.
just try not to do it again.

i was just thinking about pastor mentioning de Prophet's thing.
yea...
i really wonder how christians will react.
sometimes, we are so afraid to stand up for our beliefs
that we dismiss others' defamation of our religion.
i dont approve of silent acquiescence, but at the same time we must voice out.
not with violence of course.
yup, i really enjoyed today's discussion in class.

let us all learn to be proud of our Saviour
because he died on the cross for us
by laying down His own pride.
=) have a great week everyone!

<3 ning

there are certain issues which should be rightfully addressed. it was pointed out to me, only then i realised the severity of it. thank God for making me aware of it.

latecoming: i was late for church yesterday. not that i can help it, coz i had a commitment made before coming to church- mtg with student, which originally i had arranged so that i can come to church service in time after that. But regretfully, due to my carelessness and poor awareness of various commitments, i had to push my mtg with my student to a later timing, thereby i was late for service for 1/2 hour. i ask God for forgiveness regarding this matter.
i aint setting a good example for the younger ones, it is not right to stroll into church 5 to 10 minutes late. it seems that every week there'll be 1 or 2 older youths in church who will do that. Younger ones follow. i was told some of them came late around 10 mins after 7. We should take God's house seriously, we are afraid of being late for school, y it hardly affects us when we're late for church. Sloppiness in our service and attitude we bring before God. Our irreverence is unacceptable. at least demons fear God. am i any better than the faith that demons possess?

do you notice that toilet breaks are mandatory for some already? i can almost predict when they will excuse themselves outside to relieve their bladder which i doubt is even half-filled. this group-peeing phenomena is highly 'distractive' and unnecessary. probably the church should ensure that every member pees before they enter the sanctuary. funny huh, its worse than the movies, where you wouldnt go unless its beyond bursting point.

sometimes i wish the church leaders can portray the side of a disciplining father more openly rather than discreetly, quietly. shouldn't there be a more obvious condemnation to show the stand that the behaviour isn't condoned. the rest of the congregation may think that the church accepts these behaviour as little or nothing is being done to clam down on them. Rebukes and corrections cant be discounted!

vin

i saw a rainbow yesterday!!! it was so amazing.
at around 7pm i thought it was weird when there was still sunlight while its raining intermitently. then my mum exclaimed suddenly that a rainbow can be seen. i bolted out of my sofa, you know, i was reading the enchanting book called Memoirs of a Geisha, reached for the camera. you know, i think i didnt get to take in the sight fully coz i was more concerned about snapping photos of it. thank God for the hope He gave us!!

tomorrow's my friend's wedding! He'd the 1st person i came into contact with in YFC, along with another staff. He was my 1st Bible study teacher, although for a very short while, i was almost dropped coz i took no interest but thank God a staff took up the challenge. thank God for the way He led me through, till this stage, i can be thankful for so much, in my early days as a 'Christian'. happy happy marriage!! hahaha.

Why? its too beautiful a day to be unhappy.
vin

guess i'll list down my prayer requests here:
- serious in God's Word
- plan and allocate my time well
- boldness and courage in doing God's Work
- good communication with my co-worker and single-mindedness/ remain focused in the school ministry.
- humility, oh ya, loads of it.

the chaos re prophet Mhd's caricatures is most disturbing. at first i stood with the people who exploded in rage and fury over the cartoons. then seeing their extent of violence, blasphemy is what they accuse. and reading views that similar caricatures in their potrayal of Jesus Christ and others (some published by the muslim papers themselves) have evoked no or little anger. most most disturbing. tsk. hopefully its not going to be Muslims vs Rest of world, may happen if this continues.

- God will calm the situation down, resloving through peaceful manners.

vin

Hi! Updates.

i'm obsessed with Memoirs of a Geisha ever since watching the movie.

squeezed out time to progress in reading the book, considering the little ounce of free time i have. i finished my GP reviews at 0140am but still, i couldnt resist a read. This morning, i read as i ate breakfast. I'm glad i fought against the demons as i reluctantly left the book at home. Then, when i reached home at 650pm today, i grabbed the book almost as soon as i stepped into the house. i think i left my mum puzzled, coz i never liked reading. its the 1st non-spritually related book i've read since erm.. Sec 2 literature textbook? haha.. Merchant of Venice it was.

'Am i similarly excited to read God's Word, do i take the same delight and interest in reading the Bible?'

It was mentioned today that i havent been communicating well with my co-school ministry worker. we've been too passive, time to add more steam. Sometimes, i feel that fear gets the better of me. I've never dreamt of being a bible study teacher to a younger Christians, felt i will not be ever qualified to do so. But i've learnt to trust in God as i'm merely a tool used by God for the advancement of His kingdom. Lord, help me to submit to You and be a responsible person.

As i was sharing in JJ prayer mtg this morning, i realised that i've grown to be more forgetful. its really embarassing, when i set mtgs with students but have to postpone/ change timing just because i have let another appointment slip off my mind. So absent-minded. i've set a bad testimony. fellow sister remarked 'if you deem the thing as important, you will surely remember it'. I've forgotten about my friend's wedding this saturday, even though i wrote it down on my organiser -i hardly refer to it thats why :( so i had to push back my mtg with student to 1630, the wedding's at 1200. My timetable thus ended up in disarray. I predict that i'll be late for church, considering i'm meeting my student at Parkway Parade.

Oh ya, most of my mtg venues with students is at King Albert Park (KAP) coz they've enrolled in a school in the vicinity or they live within the parameters of a bus-stop. i've always felt intimidated there, as on many occasions as it can be i'll bump into someone i know. err.. My pride, its always that pride. Ego.

vin

what am i doing at this bizarre hour?
complete Chem tutorial after night out at the screens.

i've watched Memoirs of a Geisha. (sorry Shao Ning, didnt wait for you)
irresistible, my 1st show at the theatres ever since... er.. Pacifier?
its a great show, really, one of those which are ranked up there with The Pianist on my chart.

On top of that, i've managed to snatch away a huge poster of Memoirs of a Geisha. Coincidentally, the guy was changing posters at the cinemas, then i seized the golden opportunity and donned a sweet & courteous tone to request the ownership transfer. HAHA.
Initially, he said he needed to return it. But just as i turned and prepared to walk away disappointed, he rolled that thing up in a second and remarked ' don't tell anybody'.. HAHA.

i bounced myself into the theatre with my hands gripping the poster, like the number 1 fan of Memoirs of a Geisha. HAHA. so perk-ish right, so typically Singaporean. HAHA. Its now laid so purt-ily (prettily) out on the living room, shall pin it up tomorrow.
* i was thinking wouldn't it be kinda scary to wake up everyday to a white and bleached face, and blood-red lipstick added diminutively across it. hmm.. BRR.

Anyway, thats not the point. Geishas = prostitute??!! i really wanna beg to differ, but it revolves around that idea. i'm sleepy. So much to comment on, i'll say it verbally k.

This story is has already been told.
vin

Ah! i'm home alone again. for the next 3 days.

My parents are on what i consider as their 1st ever honeymoon. They should be in Bangkok by now. It was a super last minute plan, like <7 days ago my dad brought up the notion. everything was settled 4 days ago. It was a mad rush. through the process, i've learnt how to 'shop' online- shopping for air tickets and hotel accomodation is counted right? coz i've never really trusted online stuff, its like not in solid form. But this time i took a whole afternoon to help my parents settle their holiday stuff. it took courage, when i'm dealing with $800 and the only product that comes out of that transaction are 2 confirmation slips sent to my e-mail. still praying that my parents may find their way to the hotel and the confirmation slip is valid (rather silly right?). i'm gonna cry if it isn't valid. can you believe it, i've also managed to do online check-in for them. it made check-in a whiz. power of technology *nods head

pray that they'll enjoy each other's company :)

wish you guys a merry short week ahead. haha...
vin