Because the treasure should be treasured.
I always seem to be talking in riddles somehow. Does that bemuse you? Random warblings, sentences out of nowhere. This is me.
Ack school tomorrow! At least we're going on an excursion..
Today
1) Banged my leg against my bedpost and obtained a scrape on my skin. Ouch.
2) Counted the number of oranges in my house. 40. (Then my mum gave some away). I was freaking out because I thought of the Chinese New Year aftermath - oranges everyday, yikes!
3) Reunion dinner @ Excelsior, had to endure stupid "do you have a boyfriend?", "what is IP?", "when are you having A levels?" questions. But food was good, thankfully. I think adults are weird. One moment they say: "When are you going to get a boyfriend?" & the next moment they go, "Wah, you want to marry at 25? So early? That's the time you should start dating, bla bla bla...." Odd huh. Oh I drank some dry red wine, which sucked, since I like white wine more. So I gave the whole glass to my younger sister. First time she drank alcohol, because no one ever drinks in my house anyway.
4) Played a whole lot of Tri Solitaire and Snafu Tower Defense as well as bummed around on Pet Society.
5) Tagged people in albums on Facebook
6) Stumble Upon-ed
7) Computer Maintainence - Defrag Ext HDD, File Sort, iPod backups via SharePod
I've been blog-hopping today. It's pretty interesting to read blogs because they open a window into people's thoughts and their other lives. I have this theory that there are many facets to a person - different "lives" he or she lives. And that no one except the person himself will ever know every single facet of his life.
Anyway. Some people are downright superficial on their blogs, it scares me. And I still don't understand why people are emotional and dark on their blogs too. Hmmm. For me, it's happy most of the time. I like reading encouraging, happy and well written blogs. Do you?
From Mark Conner's blog
"Have you ever been to a really bad movie? I’m sure you have. Did you go see it again? Of course not! Did you buy the DVD? Come on ... Why would you watch through something you didn’t like all over again! That would be silly.
But in reality that’s something we all do from time to time. Have you ever done something you regretted? Have you ever had someone really hurt you? Did you find yourself replaying it over and over again in your mind? Some people even replay it in high definition ... in surround sound ... and even in slow motion! In doing so, they relive all of the negative emotions and bring the hurtful situation to life all over again.
Don’t do that. Don’t live in the past. Don’t replay things that you regret or things that were hurtful. Forgive yourself and forgive others ... then move on. Don’t live in the past. Don’t relive the pain. You can let go. Yes, it was bad. Yes, it was wrong ... but you don’t have to replay it over and over again. Focus on today ... and what’s coming in the future.
Move on – think about it."
I've said this before, and I am going to say this again. So many people are stuck in this vicious entropy, a menacing cycle just because they don't want to forget the things which have happened. Don't live for the then. Live for the now, not the past, because the now's in our hands, and the future's God's :)
By the way, Mark Conner's posts are so inspiring, they beat any self-help writer hands down. To me, he's so much better than bloggers like Seth Godin. Seen him preach live, and I just love his clarity and structure to what he's talking about. He knows his stuff.
On a random note, I am so relieved after today that one of the scariest things that could have happened to me did not!
This is a rather incoherent post but I'm just chucking random thoughts about myself into this page. It's only going to be here for as long as I want it to be. It'll probably be off by the end of this month.
Hello I am Janel and I am an ENFP for the millionth time. I really like to eat food but recently I've been cutting down because even though I don't really grow fat, too much is not healthy. I need to go to the gym soon. I miss the gym and my gym partner. My favourite foods are uncountable but if you must know, I like pizza (especially thin crust, pepperoni), hainanese chicken rice, pasta, indian rojak. I consider myself a carnivore by choice. Out of my free will, I love meat. But I still eat vegetables at the bidding of my mother and friends.
I love the arts. Theatre, paintings, interactive arts and the like. I like watching dance, but I don't quite agree with the thought of myself dancing - jiggity jig anyone? I love music, especially guitars. I don't really fancy bass guitar but I am a sucker for acoustic. So next time I'll marry someone who knows how to play a guitar. Ha. I used to play the piano, keyboard, and a recorder. My face is somewhere in an MOE video - the kind that they show Primary School children. I think it was of me showing how I made a tambourine out of can tabs, string and a frisbee. That worked pretty well. I still can't believe my face has been broadcast to poor little kids who have to endure lame videos in their music lessons. At least I didn't appear in one on sexuality education, phew.
I adore English - the language. But I dislike literature. I don't know how that works out but maybe it's because as Ben says, I like more logical language as opposed to flowery and emotional words. Then again, I might do psych in the future, so word analysis might be useful.
Another thing. I'm really odd, because girls are supposed to have faces that light up when they receive flowers. Mine doesn't. I always wonder why. It's not that I'm not romantic but flowers just don't appeal to me. Though some of my friends say that it will come to me in time. Balloons do make my day.
Lastly, to end this off. I am so glad that I got a B3 for Higher Chinese, it's really by God's grace that I see myself doing better than people who have been scoring 10-15 marks above me throughout my entire IP life. For the uneducated about my background in Chinese education, I used to do Express Chinese in Lower Secondary and fail that. And in IP I was one of the last few in class constantly. Looks like the hard work, coupled with a touch of God paid off :)
I love my life and I could never be grateful enough for who I am and where I've come.
The past three days have been pretty exciting (only after school of course).
Embraced my inner art-lover on Monday and Tuesday. Caught 3some at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. It was pretty alright, strikingly postmodern: Participative - the viewer is involved in the creation of the text, Irreverent - poking fun at some of the habits of Jews/Germans, Play - Very casual. I love art. When I was watching 3some, so many of my Language Arts theories came back to me - it pays to have studied the Arts for my final term exams. I loved the way they ended the show, the Israeli taking a cart full of items are artistically throwing them all over the stage. But something a bit disturbing was the fact that the German took off his clothes and underwear, mooning us. And I saw something that I shouldn't see! Like his balls. Eyes burned.
3some was the perfect example of Reader Response: In which a reader holds the key to the artwork in terms of how he interprets it. Stanley Fish's Interpretive Communities where the reader projects his self-understanding onto the text, or his assumptions which are culturally determined.
Dialogue session question: What is one meaning you want to leave behind?
Answer from the German, Knut Berger: (something along the lines of) We don't want to have a single message. The purpose of creating this is so that the audience can take home what they understand from their perspective. If we wanted to leave a single message, we would have explicitly written it on the screen...
I wish I'd signed up earlier as a volunteer for the Fringe -which rocks!
-
Went to Mutsugoto @ Arts House on Tuesday with my favourite person and a short 10 minutes or so was spent there, then we headed to Asian Civilisations Museum for the lack of a better thing to do. It's extremely Asian with Chinese, Indian galleries but there were a few interactive exhibits which amused us. Thereafter, shopping at Suntec!
At the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants — all physically or mentally disabled — assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash.
At the gun, they all started out not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back — every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."
Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line.
Everyone in the stadium stood. The cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing:
From the Presurfer:
Also: Wall-E appearing in Ratatouille?
I received a little joy - my Christmas card from Lubos has finally arrived, all the way from the Czech Republic.
I've been in a highly nostalgic/reflective mood recently, with all the Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009 stuff coming and going around. I realise I have a whole lot of responsibilities that come with age this year, or do I? Maybe I'm starting to take myself a lot more seriously.
2008 has really been a good year, and God has been faithful - I really have seen the fruits of my hard work and I am so humbled. You never fail to amaze me, God.
Being nostalgic, all I want now is a .... popsicle. I miss the times when the popsicle man would drive by my house and I would run out and get a popsicle. Ah, the joys of spending my childhood in Canada. Popsicles, popcorn, gummy bears, embassy suites, magic tricks, pinatas and YTV.
Love Is Waiting - Brooke Fraser
In the autumn on the ground,
between the traffic and the ordinary sounds
I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through
I watch as lovers pass me by
Walking stories - whos and hows and whys
Musing lazily on love
Pondering you
I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell
When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well
I'll be waiting for you baby
I'll be holding back the darkest night
Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right
Love is waiting
It's my caution not the cold
there's no other hand that i would rather hold
the climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you
don't keep time, slow the pace
Honey hold on if you can
the bets are getting surer now that you're my man
I could write a million songs about the way you say my name
I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again
and like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start,
neither should I rush my way into your heart
-
I was listening to Brooke Fraser's album, Albertine on my iPod on the way home from Singapore Indoor Stadium (where I watched the Singapore Slingers play against RP Harbour Philippines)and this song struck me. Because love isn't about rushing into things, it's all about waiting and trusting God that everything will be made perfect in His time. Coincidentally I've been listening to Judah Smith who preaches with a lot of conviction that people should first take time to grow in God first and foremost, before committing themselves to a relationship. I'll write more about that some time. So friends! Let's not be impatient, or dive into things head/heart-first. Trust in God's plans for your lives :)
A quote I got while listening to John Bevere: "God didn’t create Hell for Man, it was meant to be for the devil". If this same God is in charge of our lives, we don't need to fear or worry.
God is God - Steven Curtis Chapman
Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass
God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God
Here's year 2008.
1. What did you do this year that you've never done before? A lot of crazy things like Supper at 3 in the morning, two days in a row. And certain things that shouldn't be mentioned here. I've done a whole lot of stuff on my adventures like the F1 Grand Prix pitwalk, chatting with unknown strangers on the street, then having them become my good friends. Going dune-bashing in Dubai, having a dog in my house, getting my chewing gum confiscated at customs. I have an interesting life and I'm glad that so many people make up a huge part of it.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? "Well, I've never really believed in resolutions. I think the end of the year is a time to reflect, see what went wrong, and look towards the next year, how to make it better. Not resolutions, promises that may not be kept. Things that you forget in a week."
I've stuck closely to my life mottos though!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth this year? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Nope.
5. What countries did you visit this year? I went to Malaysia in June and December, Dubai, United Arab Emirates in June! (Dubai is the one of the best places I've been to)
6. What would you like to have in the next year that you lacked this year?
Motivation and sheer willpower to study! Also, a group of close friends in my class.
7. What date from this year will remain etched upon your memory - and why?
Probably my birthday (2 May) and mission trip (23-26 December)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Improving drastically in Higher Chinese
9. What was your biggest failure of the year? I'd like to see failures as lessons to learn from. So in the end, they aren't failures but just mistakes that I have learned from. Okay, did that even make sense?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Injuries - countless. Like my Pulau Ubin cycling injury which has left permanent scars on my knee and elbow. Boo. No major illnesses, thank God.
11. What was the best thing you bought this year? The Takamine acoustic guitar.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration (a public or private personality)? Many people in my life have inspired me, who knows, it might be you :)
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Many la.
14. Where did most of your money go this year? It's the same every year, food, food, food. I spent some on presents for myself too - Takamine Guitar and case!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about this year? Dubai Dubai Dubai, Lincoln Brewster, MegaLife, Mission Trip, Camp, God
16. What song will always remind you of this year? Baa! We're Lambs and all the songs in Bahasa Melayu
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? I get happier every year.
- richer or poorer? Probably richer, but actually I seriously have no idea.
- thinner or fatter? Fatter, sadly (Time to work it off!)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Spending more time with God, Studying, Discipling, Working out
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Wasting away my time
20. How did you spend the holidays? Hanging out with my close friends, taking small adventures, urban escapades, catching up with old friends, eating eating eating (a bit more healthily), late night phone calls, dog-walking, movies, interpalling, mission trip.
21. Did you fall in love this year? Fell in love with God over & over again. With people, in the romantic sense, nope. At least not that I know of.
22. How many one-night stands did you have this year? NONE! I'm an angel. Big grin!
23. What was your favorite TV program for the year? Heroes, Grey's Anatomy
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't hate people actually.
25. What was the best book you read this year? This is one book that can never be beaten - The Bible. It holds so many truths.
26. What was your favorite film of the year? The Dark Knight, no doubt about this one. Batman batman batman. There's Batman everywhere in my room.
27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year? Evolving to become more feminine but still mostly tee and jeans.
28. Whom did you miss this year? A lot of people - people who are not physically present, people who aren't emotionally present. Aw.
29. Who was the best new person you met this year? I still can't think who's new that I've met. But certain people I've known last year became closer to me, and I'm thankful for them :)
30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned for this year. Ah, for these I have a few.
