My Very Own

Wahoo, I’ve finally, officially, bought my very own brand new violin! :D

Actually, I bought it on August 16th. I wanted to post some pictures of the violin, but then I just didn’t have the right lighting and background to snap. So yeah, a few days ago I finally did it with the perfect-est lighting that truly made the violin look brilliant.

Oh my beautiful violin! :P It feels so good to have my own. I really am so grateful to God for it.

It looks classy in black and white, too. Hehe. =)

Hmm, I promise you that someday, when I do look more “professional” with the violin, then I’ll take a pose with it. :P Ahaha. ;)

* * *

Today, I had the chance to hang out with Tania for a bit. I went to her house in the afternoon and followed her for another public speaking session. Today was a “skit day”. We were all divided into groups and given some random theme and a very short time to make up an impromptu skit. It was quite fun. Sarah Chin was there, too. Annndd… I acted as Paris Hilton in Tania’s group. Totally random. (Is Paris Hilton a rich snob?) Ahahaha.

Now I have a running nose, and I feel like going to sleep. :P

Till then, have a beaaauutiful weekend! =)

Routine Kills

Two days ago, I had the once-in-a-blue-moon chance to talk to my all-time bestie, Joyce Shamini! Haha. Finally, after an unbearably long time, we managed to catch up in three short hours. And boy, I tell you, we didn’t waste a single minute of it! We were talking non-stop for three hours – the next day I found myself with a sore throat already. Haha. :P

I remember one part of our conversation when I mentioned an Albert Einstein quote.

““Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

That’s when Joyce said, “Yeah, routine kills.”

We all wish life is more exciting. I think it can be. Doing the same thing over and over again – routine – robs the life out of us! Of course, we all need a little bit of routine to keep us in place, but still, sometimes it takes guts to do something different and break out of the norm, in a “non-routine” way.

In the process of writing this post, I Googled the words “Routine Kills” and I found this random blogsite by God-knows-who. I found his post on “breaking out of daily routine” really insightful. Click here to read.

I hope I'll live to live a more adventurous, out-of-the-ordinary life myself. My next holiday is going to be a long and adventurous one. Harhar. Boy, I can hardly wait! :P

I think this picture fits this post, somehow. Everything looks so still and neat and perfect in this picture. Yet, I think it looks too “straight”. It was taken in my parents’ room! Ha ha.

Sometimes, it would do us all some good to make things more colorful, fun, and wacky. =)

Did You Hear That?

I learned an important lesson today. That is, to listen.

Most of us have big problems listening. I am also always quicker to speak and slower to listen. Now I realize that this problem really is the cause’ of a lot of misunderstandings and unnecessary quarrels.

I had a needless squabble with my mum over dinner earlier. We were talking about my studies, which in turn led to my grades in math. The conversation took a turn and we started disagreeing over a certain matter and argued for our own points. I didn’t give up trying to convince her that I was right, and neither did she.

Now when I think back, I really thought it was quite daft of us. If only we had slowed down on the arguing and listened – really listened – to what we were trying to tell each other, we wouldn’t have ended up getting upset unnecessarily.

After I finally gave up trying to convince my mum I was right, I went to my room and thought about what we were arguing about. I reflected on what my mum was trying to tell me. And after comparing her idea with mine, I realized that in a way, she also had been right.

If only I had listened properly. Not just listen irrationally of course, but listened with understanding! That simple initiation would have saved us our petty squabble. And a verse even came to my mind…

“So then, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” – James 1:19-20

This verse is so true! Now I finally understand it for myself. So the squabble we had achieved a purpose after all! :P Haha. Now I understand my mother’s concern. And hopefully the next time before I start to argue back, I’ll remember this incident and try to be swifter to hear, and slower to speak. Ha ha. :)

What’s Freedom to You?

FREEDOM – it’s one word that I like saying out aloud. It’s amazing that a single word can project so much power, inspiration, and emotion! What snaps in your mind when you hear the word FREEDOM?

For many, freedom would mean having the liberty to live and do whatever they want without being restricted or subjected to anyone. You probably think the same. True, that’s one perspective of freedom. But is that the only kind of freedom you are thinking of?

I was moved to reflect on my own views after reading an article in “Tomorrow’s World”, a very enlightening Christian magazine. The article really made an impression on me. Most people, in the Western world especially, think that we should be liberated from the “old” moral values of the Bible. They want the kind of freedom to do whatever they want, with no care of the consequences and how it’ll affect society.

For the past decades, secular social scientists have been arguing that religion is irrelevant, and that people should be set free from the oppressive restraints of Bible values. Many claim that sexual pleasure should be sought and enjoyed by anyone, anytime, anywhere, and with no restrains. “Enlightened” thinkers redefine marriage as “any arrangement acceptable to the parties who seek to be involved”. If you ask me, I’d say straight out that this is not the kind of freedom I’d want and fight for.

And what do you think are the consequences of such “liberation"? The depressing statistics of broken families, drug abuse, juvenile crime, sexually transmitted diseases, youth suicide and poverty, and whatnot! This is precisely what I’m getting to.

Rather than liberate society, a society that chooses to cast off all biblical restraints will find itself crumbling – and yet there are so many mindless people out there who blindly continue to promote such destructive ideas. It’s a sad, sad thing. How can God help us if that’s the way we want our freedom?

Someone once said, “Freedom is not the right to do what we want to do; it is the power to do what we ought to do.”

Ponder on the quote. God wants to set us free inside out. This world is broken. You can never be truly liberated if the freedom you want is one set by the crappy standards of this world. The devil is a nasty liar who’s trying to confuse us and twist our values inside out. How is it that people so badly want freedom to do things that will end in the destruction of their lives and others?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1

Freedom is the power to do what we ought to do in God’s will. Someone once said, “If you love God, you can do anything.” But do we really love God with all our heart?

You choose.

Choose freedom.

FREEDOM IN CHRIST.

Mum’s Birthday

Two weeks ago, my family went to Sun & Surf café in Sunway hotel to celebrate my mum’s birthday. Her actual birthday was on August 9. Yeah I know, this is one really late update, and that’s not very typical of me. Ha-ha. :P But no worries, I assure you that I won’t stop blogging as long as I’m free to do it. No matter how late the update. Haha. :)

Anyway, as you would expect, we took a some nice pictures at the dinner. So here goes. =)

My goofbum sisters. Jirene looks so oblivious here.

My good ol' dad and mum.

Janna messed her plate with melted chocolate. A lot of melted chocolate.

Jirene enjoying her fingerlickin' good barbeque food. Sun & Surf is having a special for the rest of this year. They are having barbequed food at the poolside in addition to the normal buffet spread. Its really worth it. We might wanna' go there again for my birthday.

My dad had three big scoops of icecream. He drizzled loads of raspberry and chocolate.

Little Miss Tom Thumb playing with her food. She stuck her thumb into a round ball of chocolate.

Playing with food again. Yes, its a "curly" looking cheese stick! If only I had a better word to describe it. Its definitely not curly... LOL.

More chocolate delights. You notice that most of the time I only take pictures of chocolate-related food. AHAHA.

My mum and I eating oysters and peeling prawns. What a monotonous caption!

Then as usual, after the first few rounds, we got so full that we had to go for a walk at the pool garden to "digest" everything.

It took Janna many shots to finally get the composition right. The sides always appeared lopsided. Hahaha. Janna's my victim when it comes to my photography perfectionism. xD

They dislike it when I flash them with the camera. Its quite blinding.

Threesome.

Posing at the Sunway Hotel entrance.

The domes look splendid at night.

Oh no, Janna's catching up on me! :P (Jirene's got quite a long way to go though... Hahahah.)

Happy Blessed Birthday, mummy dear. You’ve been a great awesome part of our lives. May God’s favor and blessings be with you always. Love you loads! ;)

Aw man, time flies so quickly. It’s two more weeks till my birthday. My birthday’s always the last. I hope it’ll be the best. :P Haha. But then after that we’ll have to find some other good occasion to celebrate for. x)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Memorable Moments

Aha, guess what, I’ve been tagged by Shannon Keng! She tagged me nearly a week ago, but I never came about to doing it. Haha. :D Oh and by the way, this tag ain’t one of those tedious “question and answer” tags… it’s a PICTURE TAG! (No wonder I don’t mind doing it. :P)

As I was searching for pictures to fit the tag, I came across some pictures from this year’s and last year’s youth and rangers folder. Those pictures made me smile. And I think I’d like to post them up after the tag. :D It’s fun to look back and to see how much and how little you and I have changed. Without these little snapshots, some memories stored in a corner of our brains would never be recollected.

Memories make up who we are. I thank God so much for a camera and the means to continue making new memories and snapping memorable moments wherever I go! Pictures evoke memories. Images can make a whole world of difference compared to describing the image by words!

And now, I shall present you my first ever picture tag. Ahaha. :P And I’ll also post the nice group pictures collected over this year and the last. Those really made me smile. :)

1. A picture of you in a most unique environment:

Describe the environment:

It’s underwater. And the feeling and environment is too unique for words. :P

2. A picture of a place you dislike:

None.

Logically speaking, if I disliked a place, why would I in my right mind take a picture of it?!?

And besides… I’m always in my right mind. AHAHA. I think. XD

3. A picture of someone that means a lot to you:

Why does that someone mean a lot to you?

Gabby and Joyce. If I were to explain why they mean a lot to me, I don’t think I’d have time to post the other pictures already. Hahaha. :P

They’re two God-sent people in my life. I won’t say I’ve known them for a long time – about 2 and a half years only. But it was long enough for us to share many sleepovers and laughter and fun and craziness and debates and over-midnight chats and everything else you probably wouldn’t think of. Ahaha. Joyce and Gabby have made my first years into “teen-hood” memorable and fun. ;)

4. A picture of you with your best smile (mouth opened):

Why were you smiling?

You know, I’m convinced that all tags have at least one stupid question in it.

Why was I smiling?

Of course I had to give a smile! The camera was in my face, hello.

5. A picture of you with your best smile (mouth closed):

Were you posing or smiling naturally?

Both. :P I don't think this is my best smile anyway. You know, it was like a random click.

6. A picture of you with your lamest pose:

Give this picture a caption:

Two Ah Bengs and one Ah Beng try-to-be. (Not wannabe, OK. Try only. :P) Haha. I didn't appear much like one anyway, right? xD

7. A picture of someone who stands on top of your heart:

My family, of course.

Friends come and go. But you know, you're always stuck with your family no matter what. (Depends whether you see it in a good way or a bad way... Nyehehe. :P)

Is that person treating you like how you are treating him or her?

Yes, of course. Put it this way, I annoy them, and they annoy me back. You know, it’s always a two-way thing. We annoy each other.

Zig Ziglar once said, “Life is like an echo. What you send out – comes back.”

AHAHA.

8. A picture of you with some toys or cute stuff:

My evil parents tried to make me smile for the camera even though they nearly suffocated me with that pile of soft toys. AHAHA.

But hey, I SMILED! :D

9. A picture of you in a white shirt:

Why were you wearing white instead of black?

Well, it matched my skirt best.

10. A candid picture of you and your friends:

This is definitely D' MOMENT caught on camera, man! Ahahaha.

I have no idea what I was doing then. Somehow, everyone had their eyes on me right at that moment. We weren't posing, we didn't plan it. It just... happened. Aaah, a memorable moment caught on camera. :P

- THE END OF THE PICTURE TAG -

Pictures that made me smile =)

Denissa was still with us! =)

Fooling around with Joyce and Kelly and their Kwang Hua friends. (And Su Mei!)

The three stooges. I think this was at Timesquare or something.

Alicia, Ai Theeng, me, and Tammy. This was at the GRC Rally.

Adventure girls having a farewell for Cmdr Deanna, Denissa, and Cmdr Sue Ann! Edited by Cmdr Rossane. =)

I had only just joined Adventure girls, but it didn't take long for me to adjust and fool around with all of them! They were all so friendly and cool and fun. :D

Aha. Last year's GY Camp. Zlwin and I. :)

You know, I wish this weren't so pink. AHAHA. But it suits our madness-ness. :P It was edited by Miss Cath Ong.

Haha, another crazy memorable moment caught on camera! I still don't know who caught this. I like it also because it snapped Bryan pointing at me from the back! Right on the dot. :D

Last year's Summer Bash! :D We all love Shannon. Dearly. :P

Me, Su Ling, Evelyn, Yoke Pei, Sarah, and Shan.

The pink posse. :P

With the Klang fellas at LIFE Rally last year.

Aw, I miss this. =)

Midvalley Mayhem!

At Denissa's crazy farewell. :) I remember we even had a bit of a warning from some sulky passerby for nearly "tearing down" the tennis court fence in our state of hyperness. XD

Girls slumber party. Chilling out in McD.

My first and last AR retreat :)

Last year's 19th Anniversary with Adventure girls outpost.

Oh wow, guess what, we're planning for this year's 20th anniversary already! It's gonna' be great fun. :P

Annndd... I nearly forgot to tag someone! Haha.

Okay, here’s the three privileged stooges I’ve decided to tag:

1. Mei Jean

2. Sophira

3. Shabeta

Have fun! ;)