Looks interesting, doesn't it? Like something out of Reed Richards' lab but in real life. This machinery is just part of the Compact Muon Solenoid, designed to probe physics limits and laws. Not that I totally get the implications but any how, I think it's cool.

Article here.

0913.

I drummed for service today, the first time since months last. It was very enjoyable and somehow releasing; worshipping from behind the drums as free as worshipping in the congregation. Tightened up some sloppy playing from the rehearsal, planned ahead the rolls more so it went fine enough. Thank God.

After service, I sat around this long table at the back of the church hall with some of the aunties and church mates, all of us munching on bread and rolls and freshly fried keropoh one of them did before walking to Boo n Keng MRT to grab my way to Plaza Sing.

I was there to check out a shoe shop for which I had a discount voucher for and also to drop by Trum pet Praise where my previous Mt Z i on supervisor's now working part time. I did both but I err... also ended up at um, err, the M ) ph o sis sale and err, um, eh, Doroth y Perkins and *whistles* The Face Shop.

Teehee. Err... there was 50% to 70% off at M ) ph osis ah. And I got 50% off er, 3 tops which were very good deals and in my size and looked great :D Then, feeling like I was on a row and lovin' how the tops look with my True Re li gion black skinnies (oh no, it's a chain reaction!), I bought me a new mustard-canary bag from Doroth y.

*whistles*

I'll excuse myself with celebratory reasons, since I have got a job coming, heheh.

But okay, shopping aside. It was a lovely day. It was drizzling when I got back to Wood lands but there's something so typically familiar and soothingly relaxing to me - Walking from the bus stop to the apt, sheltered mostly but now and then getting drizzled on as I cross from one void deck to the other under the tropical shower.

When I got home, I exclaimed to Dad - who was reading a newspaper at the living room - "Ah! I went shopping! Got good news yesterday, today went shopping" in Mandarin and Dad cracked the usual joke about whether I got him any thing.

I went to my bedroom and tried every thing I bought again. Another ritual. Normally, I'd parade out and show my mom my newest acquisitions but since she wasn't around, I settled for taking my happy-hued bag out to my Dad and bro and going, "Look at my happy bag!" Mostly to ambivalence though, ai.

Hahah. I love family.

[You know what's funny, my mom just came back and she went shopping and she's showing me every thing she bought now. hahaha]

Lovely day this is. I spent some hours reading comics, snacking on persimmon and mandarin oranges and just resting while it drizzled on and off. Dad went to the library like he likes to and called back at 7-ish to ask what to buy back for dinner.

Had my fish ball noodles. Read more comics then the Sunday paper and here I am.

There's a Korean movie showing on TV which I found funny and want to catch again. It's called My Boyfrie nd Is Type B.

Incidentally, Ray is a type b. heh. I had to watch the movie for work before when it was in the theatres and it was pretty funny when we realised that, hah.

Ok, it's been showing for a bit now, am going to catch it. Just wanted to write and tell about this day :) 'cause I'm just feeling very blessed, comfortable and all around taken care of right now.

Have a good Monday, folks.

15:05.

News Flash: I just got a job! :D

13:14.

Got this from Jerem y's site.




"Mega churches" and the controversy and debate they attract are familiar and I've been on both sides before but "rock concert" elements or decibel level are moot to me now. What I'm looking for, wanting to be a part of and intent on building up is a church that is relevant.

A lot of good people, Christians go through their lives increasingly bored with the church. You know people like that, I do too. I reckon I was one too.

In the day-to-day living of reality, somehow, the Christianity preached and modelled seem toothless and impotent. Some Christians walk away from God, some remain the status quo, some wonder why this lack of life but never get close to an answer.

I really believe faith is not a toothless tiger or white elephant.

I really believe faith is empowering, relevant and meant for the living.

I don't believe that faith is that repeating of passive mantras coated with defeatism. I believe the Word of God is alive and able to pierce through my circumstances and situations even when I'm not sure whether He will deliver me from the furnace (just like Daniel's three friends did not know before they were thrown to the fire).

I believe in reaching up and out and communicating with my God, such that at the end when I say "Your will be done", it's breathed out of that understanding of His Omnipotence and our relation and not 'cause I'm powerless and governed by passive fate.

How can you feel the victory if you have never fought?

A part of me is trying to put out there now my Christianity 'cause down the road, I really don't want any friend to feel estranged from me because of... well, me.

Mega churches and "prosperi ty gospels" are magnets for derision. My church in KL is about 200-strong now, hardly mega but I believe it's going to grow in size to the thousands. Not because I want to be in a mega church but because there's such real life in the church and life attracts people.

I believe God wants to bless me but I don't go cursing the devil for my poor financial state now or my lack of a car and house and more pretty dresses (and accessories). I pray for and simply recognise the season I'm in but being here does not discount my belief that God wants to bless and prosper me.

There are those who preach prosperity and derides any illness, poverty as signs of the devil or weakness of faith. That sucks. But I'm not going to let the black sheep mess up my view and relation of and to my Father.

I believe that every single person has a specific purpose in this life. Not all of us find it, 'cause not all of us ask. Not all of us ask but graciously, sometimes we muddle and fulfill some parts of it. But how do you recognise something if you do not even acknowledge it?

I'd like for Christians to hear anew that we are each "called" and to hear anew in a new way the way "calling" and "purpose" resound and mean.

I'm focusing and committing myself to building a church that is alive and relevant 'cause I really think it's high time Christians get to live more.

14:35.

Zoom zoom zoom?











Okie, booked my first driving lesson for Monday, 11am to 1230pm at YCK. It cost SGD42 *coughs* and what's more, all the private instructors now seem to have registration fees of SGD30. I asked to have a first "trial" lesson before deciding to register so let's see how it goes.

On a related note, I'm finding the advanced theory book pretty uhhhh. Don't they have separate books for auto learners? Oh well. hah.

18:34.

Yesterday, I bought my Anna Sui face cream, a tarnished bronzey-gold bracelet from Accessories (at 70% off) and two pair of jeans from this little shop at Peninsu lar Plaza which Germie recommended :)

My True Religion black skinny jeans, model definitely not moi.



The smallest size available was a size bigger than my usual so I kind of wish the skinnies' tighter but it was a very good buy :D















The other jeans were a pair of Frankie B in a wash called "iris" with low back pockets and an embroidered fluttering butterfly on the right pocket. Frankly, my knowledge of designer cult jeans is limited and I called up Germie before buying to ask if she heard of the brand, haha. It fitted really well though, nice wash and yellow-green stitching and was perfectly my size so I got it despite the butterfly and only wanting to get skinnies. I can't seem to find any pix. So see u in them one day! hah.

Any way, just a post for fun :) Am going to get them altered for length tomorrow. They are two inches+ over, sigh. Am taking 6cm off each. Hope that's perfect. And oh, the best part of the bargains were that instead of the usual SGD200 to SDG300 they command, they were at... tada! SGD50 each :D

Heh ;)

D o v e's US Evolution Ad. I love the campaign.

21:36.

Chu San.

I finally switched to the new blogger, lost my archives, decided to just choose a new template and started customising it this afternoon as I explored the new functions. This was meant to be a trial one but I think I'll be a bit lazy to improve on it for a while. So... here is midair with a new face after 4 years.

Woke up at abt 11, had pineapple tarts and tea for brunch, surfed and did blog stuff the whole afternoon then relatives started coming at about 5pm, and more joined them about 6pm and my brother bought k f c and noodles back for everyone at around 8 so a dozen and more uncles and aunties were all about the apartment. First my dad and uncle at the kitchen while the ladies all sat around the couches. Then when more came, extra chairs got dragged out, people randomly sat at various chairs around the living room and later on, some of the ladies decided to stand outside on the balcony and chit chat and enjoy the evening air while the others watched a HK serial on television. Met my only-four-year-older uncle's (my bro and I are on first name basis with him so the ranking's more formality than any thing) girlfriend today and later on, as the evening wrapped up, spent some time chatting with her.

All in all, a great day :) That's what CNY is to me - Lots of family, lots of food, lots of chatter and laughter and everyone being together.

Lovely :)

23:13.

First day of CNY almost over. Oh, my achin' feet and body.... 13 hours of going around in three-inches stilettos cause pain indeed. Thank God for cabs, and the money to pay for cabs, heh.

[Hey, I suddenly have an urge to have prawn noodles]

It was a good day. We got to church a bit late but service ended really early and Mom and me moved on to the first of four stops we made today. Met most of the aunties and uncles and ate a respectable, enjoyable amount of yu seng, cookies, chocolates (one of the aunties offered Japanese choc and macademia cookies... yummy, and white ferrero), bak kwa and tarts, tarts, tarts. Oh, and a bit of steamboat and such. Oh, and receiving ang baos is really still quite a delight after all these years, teehee.

Good day, good day.

Tomorrow, God willing, I'll get my sleep in before any one drops by to visit and I'll just take it slow till later in the afternoon where I prob go to the Asian Civil isati on Museum with my parents 'cause my dad wants to see this exhibition of artefacts from China. Apparently, there's something called chun dao he pang which is supposed to be by the Sg River with lots of CNY related stalls. Cool.

Ooh, and Ray just called. Happy Chinese New Year, all!

14:26.

It's Chinese New Year eve and I'm here at home in Singapore. The skies have finally almost broke, it seems, and the typically scorching heat of CNY has ceased for now.

I'm peacefully happy and enjoying being home, especially during this period.

The last month plus, I really grappled with the Sg-Msia thing again. The sum of it is this: That I would stay in KL if I can, 'cause I can't turn my back when that really seems to be the place to be now.

Call it the grass-is-greener syndrome but yes, I do love Singapore very much so. My memories of 23 years and just every thing that this humble Woodlands abode and the road and sights of this little island remind me of. This will always be home and inside, I told God: "Maybe one day You will lead us here?"

And that's it. It's still about where the call is, where I am meant to be, where my specific purpose has me supposed to be. And all the factors that weigh me down and crush and pull me apart, valid as they are, are not the main deal.

On iTunes, a song called playing All This Time is playing. The chorus shouts my heart:

All this time/ since the day I was born
I never known a time like this
I don't want to let You down.

There's fear, there's a freaked-out of the unknown, there's a recognition of the cliff you stand on now and a vague feeling of something big ahead that scares and exhilarates all at once.

It's all enough to get someone wanting stability but I don't really think there would ever be a total reduction of the traveling up and down or moments where the heart and mind get confused 'cause (maybe) it's meant to recognise only one home.

It's Chinese New Year eve. Dad just got home a while ago. We had the all prosperous leeks, stir fried with prawns and slices of deep fried bean curd during lunch. There are heaps of new year goodies in the house. I helped Mom opened the ginko nuts just now and peel the skin off them. I'm having a vague slight fever and a bit of a fuzzy throat. Tomorrow, we are going to church in the morning and I hope my heels won't hurt (amen!) then going to one of the aunty's house then maybe my godma's and we will see how it goes. I'm thinking of black skinny jeans and grey faded ones and when I can check out the supposedly cheap place with cult brands jeans Germie told me about.

In many or every way, I'm really just a girl, just another person in this populated world, just another idealist determined life should not snatch the stars from my eyes. I've seen enough to be cynical, I may be cynical but I remain more me than what the world should make me. So I'm not just someone else, not because of any of this but because I stand on a Rock that can never be moved and my closest Friend died for His dream so I can dream in this life.

Thus, even sans the cash, non-sans the questions and comments of wasted time and foolishness and all the things the heart can feel, I am thankful.

It's a great time to be alive. I love God, I love my family, I love Ray, I love my friends, I love my church, I love music and words and clothes, shoes, accessories and bags and many numerous matters and objects and beings.

It's all good ultimately and that deserves some boogie-ing.

:)

*boogies*

Happy To-Be-Driver Day

20:18.

Just a sittin' at my venerable blue Ikea desk at home in Sg. Very cool air blowing through the windows, just here typing and listening to some tunes. Feels so familiar a routine and so... precious.

Am just letting the music play. Pretty eclectic so far - From Gabrielle to Garbage, Frank Sinatra and now, Amazing, possibly the only tune from George Michael I have. Hm, I still rem downloading it in Melb after Germie played it fairly often during one period.

The SG-Thailand game is on, live telecast from Bangkok. Winners takes the Asean Cup. A few minutes ago, a Loud cry of anguish sounded from the blocks facing my window. It always amuse me when it happens. When (Ooh, Gin Blossoms is on, awesome) big soccer games are on and you can hear the pivotal parts of the games literally sound. Like a loose wall of sonic waves around the estate so you can rush to the TV to see what's happening, heh. Any way, Sg scored but it was ruled invalid.

It's a nice evening. I miss going to CCKL but hey hey, like Ray and I tell each other, I know this is the transitional period now. Am involved still, just not physically there, but while I'm here, I better do what I need to for the women's ministry, new Christian and comers materials. Am really glad and very psyched :)

Have been enjoying having days in since I got back Thurs night. The unusually cooler weather is gorgeous and unlimited broadband rocks my sockless feet. Will slowly catch up with much loved friends soon.

Going to do some design work nw. Hv a nice one in, ya? Cheers out.