A Bad Hair Day

Have you heard of Murphy’s Law?

Just two days ago, I was laughing away while reading one of Su Ling’s “month-old” posts. :P It was an account of her “bad-hair day” at college. You know, one of those days when everything goes unexplainably wrong – at the wrong time, wrong place, and you might even say, targeted at the wrong person!

The term “Murphy’s Law” caught my attention at the beginning of Su Ling’s post. I remember that my mum had used the term a few times before when something unpredictably unpleasant happened. I recall one familiar incident.

There was once when my mum wanted to take me and my sisters out shopping. But then she remembered that the morning laundry was still not fully dried. My mum was rather indecisive on whether she should collect the clothes (just to be safe, in case it rained) or to leave it out to dry, since the weather looked like it’ll remain sunny throughout the day. In the end, we decided that we’ll leave it out and off we went shopping.

Unfortunately, in just about two hours’ time, the weather totally changed. Heavy, dark, rain clouds suddenly appeared out of nowhere and threatened to rain cats and dogs.
And to our dismay, by the time we rushed home, it was already too late. The clothes were drenched, and had to be washed again.

In pure irritation, I remember my mum saying, “Talk about Murphy’s Law! See, why must it be like that each time? When the clothes are put out, it’ll end up raining. But when we decide to be safe and collect it, the weather turns out to be all hot and sunny!”

Well, sometimes, I guess everyone goes through a bad hair day or two. It happens – at the wrong time, wrong person, wrong place, and everything else that can possibly be wrong. But then again, I couldn’t help but think, what about all the other days when everything goes perfectly well? When the sun is warm, and the skies all blue?

Are we grateful for the more memorable occasions in life? Do we ever remember to thank God for the days when everything goes smooth sailing? Surely all the other good days can make up for just a rare bad hair day or two?

Hmm, now that’s something I’ve been pondering over… Those were the questions that crossed my mind when I recalled the incident when the weather was not in our favor. Just thought I’d pose them here. ;)

Oblivious of the Bigger Picture

A poor little ant clinging onto the tip of a pencil.

As I was snapping this funny picture, a thought crossed my mind. I wonder what the poor little ant must be thinking now, as it precariously clings-on to the pencil – that is if the ant has a mind of its own to think. It’s a pretty comical spectacle to see the ant from a human’s viewpoint. But I wonder, if we were as tiny as an ant, and put into such a situation, it probably wouldn’t be as funny as you’d think now.

As I focused my lens on the tiny creature, I couldn’t help but wonder if the ant was actually aware of my presence. My big bulky camera must have appeared to be some black, gigantic hovering alien spacecraft. Or perhaps the ant, struggling to hang-on to the tip, hardly noticed my presence at all.

This macro-fied scene reminds me of how we humans often also struggle to cling-on to the “edge of the pencil” like the ant. We people of the world cling-on tightly to the things that seem important to us. We hold-on to worldly possessions like it’ll last forever. Or perhaps, in the opposite way, we hold-on to it because we know it won’t last us forever.

At the same time, we struggle to stay afloat, to survive, most of the time by trying to gain wealth and fame and popularity. At some point, you may be satisfied, but no matter how much you attain in this life, you will still continue to struggle to “keep it going” because none of these things will last in the long run.

Most people forget or do not want to believe that God exists. Just because the world is full of unpleasant problems, most people choose to deny the existence of a loving God. We may not understand His infinite ways, because just like the ant, we are only so little. The wisdom of man is foolishness compared to God’s infinite wisdom.

Just like the ant, we are often so oblivious of the “bigger picture”. We go about our lives doing as we please, forgetting that one day we will be held accountable to God for how we handle God’s gifts to us. God has a plan for us and how we should use the talents He has individually blessed us with. To recognize that plan is to see the “bigger picture” by submitting to God’s will because only God knows our future.

As helpless as we can be sometimes, it is best to submit our life to a God knows what’s best for us!

Speak Up!

Whoopee, after 5 days of inactivity, I’m back. =) If you were wondering why I didn’t update, well… I guess I should admit that I was grounded from going online again! Haha, oh well, that’s how it is – occasional disruptions in Janielle’s blogging realm.

Anyway, I shall update about my whereabouts on Friday.

Friday afternoon, I followed Tania to a public speaking club she’s been telling me about. I followed her for a visit, since it sounded pretty interesting. Tania’s been joining the club for the past 5 years already. And by the way, it was more of like a homeschoolers’ sorta’ thing. So yeah, I met other homeschoolers from different places. Sarah Chin and Brian Tan were some of the people I knew who were active in the group.

The meeting was held at Subang Gospel Church (if I got that right), and there were about 30 people present on Friday. I was interested to go cause’ Tania was telling me that they were having a special meeting and it’ll be more fun. I found out that they were going to do a “mock trial”. There was a judge, two groups of both the defendant party and the prosecution party, and also a handful of “witnesses” to complete the whole “mock” trial.

The case was centered in the realm of “Wonderland”. Here’s a rough story that brought about the “trial”:

The prosecutors were accusing Mr. Gingerbread Man of pushing Mr. Humpty Dumpty off the wall, which resulted in the egg’s unfortunate death. There were a handful of witnesses – Alice Lindell, Inspector Goon, the Blind Gardener, Professor Frankenstein – who testified against the Gingerbread Man. There was also the audience, who were counted in as the jury in the case.

I found it pretty funny. It was also a very interesting way to encourage the students to “speak up” when they have to bombard the other party with “evidences” by arguments and questions. All of them were really good. And their English was perfectly on the dot! I was impressed. I think I’ll be joining them again. =)

So once again, I managed to snap a handful of pictures. Here it goes…

The table on the left is the defence party and the table with Jared Lok making his statement is the prosecution party. Man, Jared was reaaally good at it. He was confident and his questions and speeches were solid and marked with the right emphases.

Tania witnessing as Alice Lindell. Hmm, I thought Alice had blond hair and fair skin and a blue dress??? :P

Tania was calm and steady throughout the whole impromptu "questioning".

Keagan on the defence team.

Kevin Tan as Inspector Goon.

I thought this was the best part. Eshan being the surprise witness - a blind gardener!

I met two new peeps: the girl in the middle (ARGH, I feel so bad to admit this, but I actually forgot her name... oh, bummer!), and her cousin, Jian Lin.

And I met Sarah, too.

Yeap, that was only a handful. I’ll snap some more the next time.

On a random note:

I so wanna’ watch Indiana Jones this week! I’m expecting it’ll be better than good. Victoria told me that Steven Spielberg manage to make Indiana Jones “phenomenal” in this movie. Hmm, now that’s a pretty big word… I like it. :P

Brenda’s Sweet Sixteen

Yesterday was Brenda Cher’s sixteenth birthday! I was invited to her pool party at Sherlyn’s place. Nearly everyone at the party were homeschoolers from the PJ GRC. So yeah, I got to meet a few of the new and former students from the home-school center.

As I mentioned earlier, it was supposedly a “pool party”, so nearly half of everyone got dunked into the pool by the two well-known rascals: Wee Yen and Jon Roberts. :P But I and a few others were saved, thankfully. Ahahaha. At least I had my camera by my side as a deterrent, and Grace Kam had her handbag full of handphones, so nobody dared touch us. Ehehe.

While nearly everyone was busy splashing in the pool, I was very thankful that I had Dawn and Grace for good company. Haha. =D And I think it was the first time I got to talk to Dawn for so long. We were probably standing near the pool area for about an hour! Haha. And in the conversation, I found out that her brother is actually younger than she is… xD Okay, I really didn’t know. Dawn looks much younger and innocent. :P

You know, I actually can’t remember when was the first time I met Brenda. But it was definitely at GRC. Haha, anyway, I seldom see her nowadays, ever since my schooling days in GRC – about 3 years ago? But still, it was nice of her to remember me and invite me for her sixteenth birthday bash. =)

Okay, enough of talk now. I snapped some pictures yesterday. Not many, cause’ the place wasn’t very brightly lit after dark, so yeah.

Before it went dark, I took some pictures with Sarah Ti and Shabeta. =)

Sherlyn, Me, Sarah, and Shab

Brenda and I

Joyce Kam was there too!


Peeps at the seesaw: Hazel (chazel?), Shab, Jon, and Wee Yen

Brenda, Dawn, and I (Oh, and you probably didn't notice the topless fella at the left side of the picture -- Jonathan Ti. Ahaha.)

Light a candle. Haha, Gracie Goh wanted me to take this shot.

Brenda and her cake. (With Dawn and Paul Mae ruining the picture -- haha, kidding! :P)

Oh, and by the way, I found out that this cake was made specially by Miss Shabeta! =) Sweet.

Us -- the GRC kids.

My gosh, one would look at this picture and wonder what's up with Dawn and Abigail! Ahahaha. :P

That's all for the party pictures. Nice meeting you guys. =)

Happy Birthday, Brenda! ;)

Baby-sitting Blues (Haha, kidding!)

Whoopee, I am now at my Aunty May’s house with my sisters. We’re staying over for the weekend because my parents are off for a Young Adults Retreat in Port Dickson.

Here’s a quick update of today:

First off, it’s Janna’s Birthday today! Yesterday night, me, Jirene, and our two cousins Jonathan and Benjamin, did some real goofy stuff to entertain the birthday girl and “fulfill” her “birthday wishes”. It was past midnight, and even though I was hanging out with bunch goofy kids, I found that I could be pretty fun and crazy around them too! Ahahaha. :P

This morning, we woke up super early to go for the Sports Fiesta. But before that, my cousins actually dared ME to turn on the Playstation so we could play before their parents wake up! And hey-ho, at seven thirty in the morning, we were busy jamming at the controls in front of the TV. Ahaha, I told you, we’re a bunch of goofy kids. xD

Later at nine o’ clock, we arrived at the 3K Stadium for the Sports Fiesta. This year’s Sports Fiesta (organized by the Grace Resource home-schooling Center) was pretty much like last year’s. The weather was thankfully a teeny bit more pleasant this time. For two hours, I was helping the rangers – who were in charge of organizing the game stalls for the fiesta. I had fun doing it. Haha. Overall, it was pretty okay.

And right now, I’m back at my aunt’s house with 6 hooligan kids – Jirene, Janna, Jon, Ben, Ivan, and Avril – to “baby-sit” while the adults are out for dinner. Fortunately, I’m not left at home at the mercy of these kids la. They’re a good bunch. :P So now I’m the “boss in the house”. Hehe.

We were just having pizza for dinner, to celebrate Janna’s birthday. And now, while I’ve got my eyes glued to the laptop (is that counted as “baby-sitting”??? :P), my cousins are on their computer, and my sisters are playing Spongebob Square Pants on the Playstation. Hahaha, I told you, we’re a goofy bunch.

Oh whoopee, I’ve also tried something new today! I managed to learn a few chords on my cousin’s guitar! Haha, I really wanted learn guitar as well – at least the overall basics. It’s good. So there’s a sort of “agreement” between me and Jon now. He’ll teach me to play the guitar, I’ll in turn teach him to play the violin! Haha, pretty cool eh? :P

Oh, okie dokes, I’ve gotta’ stop here already. Now it’s my turn to jam at the controls. xD

So till the next post, have a splendid weekend y’all! ;)

Jonathan whipping up a tune with his guitar. This shot is totally nice in black and white! Love it.

Depend On God

As I was in piano class today, I heard someone playing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” in the next room. At that moment, I found myself reminiscing to my very first piano lesson, where I also learned how to play that simple song. Surprisingly, I can still vividly remember that first lesson.

I started piano lessons at the age of seven. I remember myself flipping through the piano book in excitement on my first lesson, wondering how and when I would actually be able to play all the difficult songs at the end of the book! And then I thought, my gosh, I still have a very long way to go!

You bet I was right from the start – it was a long way to go…

I remember the times when I got so fed up of practicing that I started to whimper and whine at the piano and even bang at the keys in impatience. My mother would be yelling at me to stop throwing a fit at the piano. (Good grief, you have no idea how serious a case of noise pollution it can be!) In annoyance, my mother would shout, “If you’re so impatient to practice, stop playing altogether! I’ll stop your piano lessons!” In my heart, I was wishing that she’ll really relieve me of it. But I wished in vain, for my parents will never allow me to quit so easily.

Having come thus far, I now really am grateful that my parents did not give up on me by allowing me to quit. Instead, they encouraged me to practice and practice till I can play every song to perfection. Hard as it may be, there’s really no short cut. I learn that if you stick to something and draw your strength and will from God, nothing is to stop you from excelling.

My parents have always reminded me to ask God for the wisdom to excel in playing the piano. But that doesn’t mean I should just sit back and wait for God to zap me and turn me into some piano prodigy. I still have to work on it. But if you recognize that God is the Giver of good gifts, of all talents and giftings, you will remember to draw your strength and will from God and no one else, not even yourself.

Remember,

Depend on yourself, and you will find only failure and disappointment.

Depend on God, and He will never ever fail you!

Janna’s 12th Birthday

Yesterday, my family went to The Carat Club in Pavilion to celebrate Janna’s twelfth birthday. Her actual birthday falls on the 17th of May, but since our weekend is already occupied, so we chose to go out on Monday instead.

After the lunch at Carat Club, we went for a swim, and later at night we last minute managed to get tickets to watch Iron Man. Finally! Haha. Iron Man was pretty cool. Felt a teeny bit like Transformers, but it wasn’t as great, I thought. =)

Talking about Janna’s 12th birthday, come to think of it, I can’t remember at all how I celebrated my 12th birthday! I really can’t recall at all. Haha. xD Oh well, that time didn’t have my dad’s coolio camera, so yeah, can’t really remember since we didn’t take as many pictures. Haha, sad. Anyway, you must be expecting less talk and more pictures already. :P

So here’s how it went…

The birthday girl.

Dad, Jirene, and Janna

My dad took some candid shots. Jirene was telling me not to post the candid ones since we look so goofy in them. Hey-ho, I agree with her! Hahaha. :P

It's fascinating how spoons can make everything so "roundy", and it can even make you appear upside down! Funny.

Looks pretty comfy eh?

The Salad.

Oh, the horrible Salad! I didn't like it. I don't look as if I'm enjoying it in this shot, do I? I look kinda' sheepish. Hahaha.

My mom, seemingly enjoying the Salad.

You know, I think only mothers will ever enjoy such salads.

I accidentally took one bite of olive, and spitted it out (no wonder I looked sheepish in the previous shot :P), when my mom exclaimed something like,

"What a waste! You should have given it to me if you didn't want it. Olives are good."

My dad's "Duck Comfit". Whatever that means. Hahaha. xD

Butterfish fingers and wedges.

Jirene's meal.

Oh oh oh, and this was the best! Spaghetti carbonara with beef bacon, asparagus, and mushrooms. It was suuuuper creamy and cheesy. I couldn't finish it.

Hey-ho, there's always room for a pose or two - on Janielle Beh's blog! xD

Yes, that blue-rimmed glasses belongs to me. I only take them off when I take pictures! Haha.

Hmm...

Look at the fabulous gold-sequined pillows!

A jewelery pouch for the birthday girl from the Carat Club.

The yellow flower in focus. Janna in the "background". Haha.

Ooh, I like this one. I found a fluttering butterfly when we went for a swim. The reason why this shot is blue tinged", is because I switched the camera mode to Tungsten. Suits it pretty well.

The butterfly flew away and landed on a wall. I was straining my neck to snap it! Haha.

Side view.

The butterfly only held this "wings-spread-out" pose for barely three seconds! But I was so happy it was just enough for me to snap this!
Fluttering wings. How beautiful!

This last perfect picture ends this post. =)

Happy Birthday, Janna! ;)