Revival!

It's been almost 2 years. HAHAHAHAHA. Oops.

Anyways, was just going through some of my older posts and I could see how much I've grown/changed/remained. It's pretty interesting. There was this one short post on one of the (at the time) new Proton car models. Well, I am now the proud owner of a metallic grey Perodua Myvi. Always thought I'd go for manual transmission. But my Myvi is an auto. Preferences change, circumstances change.

Conclusion:
EVERYONE should keep a journal/blog/record thoughts.

1. It helps provide people with an easy to use medium to reflect and keep track of themselves - personal goals, mindsets, major life events etc. 
2. It gives people an avenue to exercise their creativity - and thus create more wholesome people.
3. It's a better way of spending time compared to other destructive habits e.g. unhealthy snacking, falling asleep and drooling into the computer keyboard, etc.

So, should anyone come across this post, GO START A BLOG today!

Could it Be???

Was just having a discussion last night with V about what helped me release steam. You know, the one thing you can escape to when you're under pressure and after spending time on it for awhile, everything seems ok again and you can go back to finishing whatever it was that caused you stress in the first place. For him, it was exercise. Some people go for a movie, some clean their room/house. I wasn't sure what mine was, and to be honest, I've been wondering for quite awhile now...

So after last night, I decided to be a little more conscious about what it is that I was more inclined to. V also encouraged me to adopt a more go-getter attitude in this pursuit of the discovery of my passion. So let's see,

1. I love reading. But I don't think it's going to be much help in being a short term refuge from stress. It's more of a form of running away from reality. Long-term. For as long as I can. =P
2. um.... yeah, the list stops here. 

I mean, there are loads of other things I enjoy doing, but it's only as much as the average person. The usual staple of watching movies/funny clips on YouTube, short bouts of exercise, etc. But I was hoping I could find a more substantial interest. One that's real and relevant enough to qualify as a 'passion'. And then as I was doing my lab report and browsing through pictures to include, I realised I felt oddly happy + excited when I saw pictures of food preparation, especially those involving baking. Hmmm...


This is super weird because I thought I was the last person who's ever feel comfortable in a kitchen. I've always thought all the cooking skills in the family was channeled to my brother instead of to me. Well, we'll see where this leads. =)

Proton R3 Satria Neo - Canggih!

IT'S SO CANTIK!!!!! =D

Curious? Click here: R3 Satria Neo.

Just came across the promotional advert for our national car-maker's new release. It only just came out yesterday. Read an article by The R3gister about its specifications but I really didn't understand one bit (save for the built in GPS part). Hahaha...
*Note to self: MUST pay more attention to my brother the next time he car-speaks.

It looks and sounds canggih though. If I somehow manage to cinch a job earning a more-than-decent amount, this baby's definitely gonna be one of my options. Big IF.

Of course one could argue that this car's more for a REAL driving enthusiast and bla bla bla.. But hey, it looks good and I know it's gonna feel so good when I step on the pedal so yeah. Support Malaysian made products!

What is a Christian?

The other day, I went for a friend's church event and there, we were all asked a simple question: "What does the word "Christian" mean to you? They showed us a video of the responses of many people around the world. Most people answered with words like "Jesus", "church", "relationship with God", "nice and kind people", "one of the main religions" and so on. One funny answer was from a guy who spoke in Cantonese,

"They're boring, soft people. If I were a bully, they would be the first people I would bully!"

But I think the answer to that isn't very difficult. Technically, a Malaysian is a person from Malaysia and lives there and abides by its laws and rules. A German is a person from Germany, he/she lives there and abides by Germany's laws and regulations. 

The same way a dietitian is someone who practices dietetics and is an expert on diet, and a musician is a person who plays music and loves music and is very good at music. Adding the -ian behind a noun basically connects a person to that noun whether by relationship, passion, knowledge and/or love.

So the conclusion would be that a Christian is the addition of -ian to Christ. Christ-ian. 

I'm pretty smart kan? ;)

Implying that a Christian is a person who is of Christ, who knows and is passionate about and loves Christ, whom practices Christ's teachings and abides by His laws. Yay! 10/10 marks. 

Hmmm. The effect of too much academics and examinations. Here's a much simpler and easier to understand explanation that another friend forwarded me. A short and simple story.

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. 

Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...

'I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. 

On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, 'What you got there, son?' 

'Just some old birds,' came the reply.

'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.

'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,' he answered 

'I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. 

I'm gonna have a real good time' 

'But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?'

'Oh, I got some cats,' said the little boy. 

'They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

The pastor was silent for a moment. 'How much do you want for those birds, son?'

'Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. 

They're just plain old field birds. 

They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!'

'How much?' the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, '$10?'

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. 

 

'Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. 

Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

Satan replied, 'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! 

I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, 

how to hate and abuse each other, 

how to drink and smoke and curse. 

I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs 

and kill each other. 

I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked. 

'Oh, I'll kill 'em,' Satan glared proudly. 

'How much do you want for them?' Jesus asked

'Oh, you don't want those people. 

They ain't no good. 

Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. 

They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. 

You don't want those people!!'

'How much?' He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 

'All your blood, tears and your life.'

Jesus said, 'DONE!'
Then He paid the price. By dying, crucified on a cross.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

 

All because He loved us all so much. =)

Update #1

Guess I should begin re-blogging with what happened when I wasn't blogging. Though it may seem irrelevant to the here and now but they're still what I've been through and a part of what makes me, me. =)

First up: My attempt at making shepherd's pie! =D
I'll leave the end product picture for later... Gotta create a build-up right? Some suspense. So... Here's the process.

Firstly,boil some potatoes until soft enough for you to mash into a smooth and yummy texture.

 Then, (obviously) mash it up. 

Next, (sounds so much like those high school essays!) prepare the beef/whatever minced meat that's gonna be the core of your pie. Added carrots and a (very modified) mix of sauces, as well as peas for some greens!

 

After that (or if possible simultaneously while preparing the meat filling - depending on your ability in the kitchen), melt some butter in a pan and add in the mashed potatoes. Feel free to add whatever you think is needed to improve the recipe. Life without creativity = no life.

 

Find a baking tray or any container that would go into an oven without melting or exploding and fill it up with your meat + vege mixture. Then evenly spread out the super fragrant mash potatoes into layer on top of that like so.

 

In the spirit of creativity, I modified the knife designs on the potato surface. =D

So finally, here it is. End Product:

 Lessons learnt:

Too much potato, not enough other stuff.  

Baking tray was way too big (too wide of a surface area).

But boleh pass bah kan? Compared to this - what it's supposed to look like. 

Hmm. On second thoughts. Maybe I should have tried a few more times before I posted that picture up. Hahaha.

It honestly didn't taste bad though. Promise. =)

Will experiment more, when I'm in the mood.

Conflicted

Alamak. I have to allocate a budget for the number of emo posts I'm allowing myself in a week! And definitely none back-to-back.

 But today, I guess I just need an avenue to 'release'.

The day started out pretty good. It was NOT difficult to get out of bed. I did NOT fall asleep during class. The assignment topic was finally pretty much approved. I got the book I've been waiting for.

 

 Then comes a phone call that's supposed to make my day even more cheery and sun-shiny but on the contrary, it brought about the opposite effect with the deliverance of not-so-great news. But I thought, I can't let this pull me down after such a great start to the day! And so I set off on a personal quest to distract myself from whatever negativity that was threatening to swallow me whole.

 

Not sure if it's working but I'm not wallowing in my mud-hole i.e. you're not reading a whole bunch of censored out expletives. So that's a good sign. =)

Now, I think I owe it to myself to:

1. go back to my journals, preparing for exams and the mountain-high pile of assignments. 
2. come back to this trusty lil blog whenever I can. =)

Lord please grant me Wisdom

to understand, or if not, please please grant me the serenity and grace to accept all the stuff that's happening. 'Coz i cannot seem to understand.

He said why do you keep texting and spending time on the phone? Then the realisation hit me that it's because I just don't enjoy his company, so i'm turning elsewhere for comfort. I'm scared that i'm feeling this way. But the fact is, I am. 

We are so different. We hold beliefs so different from each other. E.g.

• I would do pretty damn much for a friend; but he asks "What, your friends don't have other friends to count on? Why do YOU have to go 'layan' everyone?" 
• Success is a measure of how content one is, in every aspect of life, to me. But no, apparently success should be measured by the amount of money we earn. Because who isn't happy with money.
• Hmm. And let's not even get into the whole racism thing. 

Dug up this old draft from many months ago, back in 2010. I do have a somewhat better understanding of it, but more importantly, I am a lot more accepting and much less resentful now. I guess I let that few differences cloud up my ability to see that we have a lot of other things in common. 

Thank You Lord. =)

Guess what I found today?

3 brother/sisters while I was helping dad water the plants in the garden.  

Sibling #1

Sibling #2

And the prettiest one, (should be) their little sister. 

Now, it's not that I have anything against them but dad insisted we shift them to a new home i.e. the field across the road. Stay safe little ones!

A love that conquered death.

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified, laid behind the stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me above all.

Thank you! For enduring all the pain, and choosing to suffer death on the cross, just for me. 

I love you, though at times I'm not strong enough to show it. I'm sorry.

Thank you for always taking me back into your arms, no matter how much I've hurt you.

And not only do you forgive, you continue to bless me with all the cekap people and things in my life. 

You're awesome.... 

Thank you God! =D

So far..

Life since I came back from Sabah has been so full.
Full of
drama,
emotions,
travelling,
friends,
laughter,
activities,
love,
and plans.

Had a taste of God's presence. It overwhelms me with wonder and amazement, the fact that knows what He's doing, all the time. However it may seem like you feel you're abandoned or forgotten, know that you're not. Coz He's always there. Loving you. (Now, if only I could hug God....)

1. Thought that I was gonna be bored out of my wits back here but yeah, right! Hahaha.... He definitely saw to that. ;)
2. Thought my industrial training was gonna be a sad case but now, I can see that I'm so blessed to have such interesting colleagues, nice supervisors and such an amazing experience learning so much and getting a chance to have hands-on experience.
3. Thought that I was being put through so much unnecessary heartache and stress but can now grasp the reality that it has strengthened not only myself, but also my relationships with the people I care about. Never knew I had that strength. Now I do. Gotta keep challenging that boundary though. So I understand if/when more trials come. 
4. Though I'm not the most cekap, efficient, thoughtful, caring or sensitive of persons, but I am so so loved. And surrounded by the awesomest people in the world who understand me and accept me for who I am.  And I am so grateful for that. 

Can't exactly complain about anything now, can i? =)

Lillies!

My new favourites. =) 

Thanks baby!

Stagnant

Like water in dried up flower pots where mosquitoes breed. Hahaha. It's been a very long time since I've posted anything. My excuse, I've been way too busy living life, and not writing about it. =P

Sadly though, one things always, always brings me back here. It's when I'm feeling particularly down and out. Guess this time's no different. Things have been far from boring since I got home. (That used to be my biggest fear before I started my 6-month training in a small and quiet town. Well, fate has different things in store for me.) Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm still undecided.

Currently stuck in a Cornelian dilemma. And hating it.

Although I have a tendency to run away from problems I don't like, I wouldn't leave them unsolved for too long. Because it would bug me and haunt me for as long as it's still there. And now that there is a situation I would really want to iron out, I can't seem to find a permanent solution that's satisfactory. C'est la vie. But at the same time, life is what you make it. Hmmm.

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.

Thy will, not mine be done.

Turbulence & Turmoil

Both are words full of activity, full of life. (Though not very positive.)

Both words describing my inner state of mind. 

Where's my inner peace gone? =(

2010

Has certainly been an interesting one.
In fact, the cekap-ness began since I came back from Sabah. Hahaha. December 2009 has been one of the most amazingly everntful breaks I've ever had. But like most stories, it's not without its down moments. Hmmm. That's another story for another day. =]

Only 9 days into the new year and already, I feel like there's been so many changes, so many new (and not so new but forgotten) discoveries.
Both pleasant and unpleasant. But I believe the Bad stuff all happen for a reason. For one thing, I know I've grown so much from facing them in the past. This is only gonna make me stronger! =)

Wish I could post pictures and all up, but I still do not have an Internet connection from home. Currently 'borrowing' anyone and everyone's laptop I can find to have a lil pity on this Internet-less girl.

Will update when I finally get that Internet at home. =)

Happy Industrial Training all third year SSMP-ians!

And I'm still in shock over the church burnings. Stupid people. As if that's gonna help anyone resolve anything. Bodoh idiots.

Choices

determine where we go, who we become, how we wouldview things in the future.

I could be in Indonesia on holiday. Instead I chose to be home, half dead with boredom for the past week. Sigh.
But well, family comes first. =) Birthdays and an engagement party. Pangkor this weekend. KL the next. And of course, friends who would only be back home for a week or so. I'd miss out on the opportunity to catch up if I chose the former.

Have fun in Surabaya & Malang guys!

What's on the Menu?

I had possibly the weirdest lunch I have ever, and will ever have.

• 1 piece of Instant Roti Canai
• 1/2 scoop of Tiramisu ice cream
• 1 mini bar of Vault (sort of like a Mars bar)

Let's hope I won't be best friends with the toilet bowl in about 3-6 hours.... ;)

Of spilling wardrobes and chinese herbs

Every semester break, the one thing I have to deal with is to de-clutter my wardrobe. I have too many clothes for my own good. =( But it's not that I buy excessively, it's more like I have a wonderfully cekap cousin sister whom loves to pass on clothes to me. (Not that I'm complaining 'coz most of the clothes are super pretty & have hardly been worn before!) Unfortunately, I've always been the type of person who finds it hard to throw/part with my stuff, be it books, clothes, or useless little things I've collected to remind me of whatever events I've been through in my life...

How can anyone NOT want new things when they're as cute as this...

This is only one of the things mommy got me from her trip to Bangkok. =)

 So there is the basis of my dilemma. I want new things but I DON'T want to give away the old things to make space for the new ones. The resulting consequence? A super messy room. Hehehe.

I NEED TO CLEAN MY ROOM!!! (but I'm still wondering how I'm going to create more space)

On another note, grandma took a fall a few days ago and fractured her foot and knocked her head. Ouch. And she's afraid of plastering her foot so it's chinese traditional medicine for her. Hmmm. I must say I'm rather skeptical about the effectiveness of externally applied herbs to heal bones... But what can I say to the many people who placed their full confidence in it. When we went to the place, I was really surprised to see a constant stream of people there. Guess I'll find out how well those herbs work in a few weeks...

Gmail's Ninja Theme

is the cutest thing ever!
If you don't have gmail, or if you're still using their basic theme, hurry and go check out the other options they have in store.. I can't deny like all things cute and adorable, so naturally I go for those. But there're some other nature themes, and more serious + professional looking themes too (for those of you who need to be macho and classy). My only gripe is that there's not enough. Hehehehe. Greedy, I know.

For some themes, the wallpaper changes randomly within each theme. Check these few examples out. So adorable! Always adds to my eagerness to check my mail. ;)

 

 

Go get gmail now! ;)

Never a dull moment in the Land below the wind..

Lots of weird stuff has been documented this week. Well, okay. Maybe not LOTS. More like um, three.

Incident 1

Decided to do the laundry yesterday, but right after popping the clothes into the washing machine, the clouds made their dramatic appearance out of nowhere and the skies turned a gloomy gray. Sigh. Too late, since the machine was already well into it's 2nd cycle. =(

So I said a prayer. Or two. Or three. (Guess I was pretty desperate for my clothes to dry lah) And it was really amazing how God geld back the rain for that few hours, and even punctured little holes in the thick cloud formation for the sun to shine through. =D

God is super awesome!

Wanted to take pictures of the sky but my camera's not quite cekap enough to capture its beauty. Didn't quite do the sky justice... Guess some things, you just need to see for yourself. ;)

Incident 2

First ever dog with eyebrows and eyeshadow spotted. 

 

 Saw this on my way back from church. Did a double take when I saw those eyebrows. Then it took me 10 whole seconds to realise I've never in my life seen a dog with eyebrows. This one even had eyeshadow on! (Look closely ya...)

Incident 3

Next up, I spotted a giraffe taking a piggy-back ride on a dog. 

 

Hahahahaha!!

=P

Addictions

My previous post ended on a hopeful note on me finally going to study but....

Nope. Guess not. (I only managed to bring my notes out but before I could even start studying, I got distracted again. Sigh.)

Am super addicted to a few things, none of which are very academic-related. I am a lousy student. (Somebody PLEASE remind me of this when I start to consider post-graduate studies.)
My guilty pleasures include:

1. reading (but nothing even remotely academic in nature)
2. Facebook-ing
3. Pet Society
4. Farm Frenzy Pizza Party, and a host of other addictive games e.g. Burger Shop and those hidden object games!
5. movies
6. blog surfing
   

 Macam mana mahu study?