Light of the world

2009-12-03T21:01:00.000+08:00

I waited so long to say this...

A-LEVELS ARE OFFICIALLY OVER!!!

2009-10-22T12:42:00.002+08:00

Yea since the computer is miraculously working now, I figured I better do everything I wanted to do on the com since I dont know when it will konk out again.

So graduation day is over, alevels will be here in less than a month, and freedom is actually in sight.=) Thank God for bringing all of us through, and I know He will continue to be with us as we enter this final final lap.=)

The only thing I will ever miss in JC is friends -nth else. Which is quite sad considering that I have spent two whole years in there.

And Dawn just had to remind me today that I would start off my 18th birthday celebration in school, sitting for my alevel maths paper=( Not that birthdays are very significant to me, but after all its a milestone year, (or so they say) Oh well. i will just have to 'pretend' that my birthday is like two weeks later or sth. After all, I have eight months to celebrate!Heehee =) =) =)

2009-09-24T17:19:00.003+08:00

As Alevels draw nearer and nearer, I am just thinking more and more abt what am I doing it for. Sometimes I just feel pretty disillusioned, like there's this desire in me to want to really well in As, such tt I forget the big picture. Am I trying my best to glorify God, or am I just trying to glorify myself..To be 'in the world and not of the world' seems so hard sometimes. It's easy to say paper qualifications doesn matter, but to really mean it?

That would take a great deal of faith and trust in God, and Lord I pray tt I wont stumble.

2009-08-30T22:07:00.000+08:00

"All of you need to find your motivation, sth so strong that it shakes you to your very bone and gives you the drive and energy you need to persevere through the hardest of times."

This sentence jumped out at me when I read Aj's valecdictorian speech, and I know that God is really the only motivation I need, to do my best in this place where He has put me and to glorify Him in everything. =)

2009-07-31T21:34:00.002+08:00

Headaches seem to be getting so common for me that I am hardly bothered by them anymore =(

The A-level journey- a mountain full of steep slopes and many downs but few ups, but I shall persevere, esp since God is with me!

'My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.' Exodus 33:14

2009-07-11T13:14:00.002+08:00

The voice of truth, tells me a different story.
And the voice of truth says do not be afraid.
And the voice of truth says this is for My glory.
Out of all the voices calling out to me,
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth.

Hope you are listening to the right voice today! =)

2009-06-25T14:13:00.000+08:00

Out of sight, out of mind.

Doesn seem to be true at all =(

2009-06-24T19:11:00.002+08:00

Ok since my devotional email for today was about not complaining, I SHALL NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT MID-YEARS! =)

2009-06-14T14:44:00.002+08:00

After having to apply nail polish for last friday's performance, I realised that nail therapy is indeed quite effective! So for those of you out there who are stressed out with studying, go paint your nails!!

I had a pleasant surprise when my dad came for the Kith and Kin event, cause he has never come for any church-organised events before. I was initially quite doubtful that he would really come, and it wasn't until I saw him seated at the table that I really believed he came =) And what's even more surprising is that he won a DVD player in the lucky draw! being one of the ten ppl out of about 300 ppl to win sth in the lucky draw doesn't seem much like luck to me. It seems as though God played a part in it. =)

Of course the fact that he came and won sth doesn say anything abt him becoming a Christian yet, but I feel that God is trying to say that He has heard our prayers and He has a marvellous plan for my dad's salvation. And all I can say is: Praise the Lord! =)

When we pray, God is working in the invisible realm that we can't see with our eyes.

2009-06-10T12:12:00.002+08:00

This is pretty random, but I wonder if anyone saw the sunset ytd? One moment it was just an ordinary blue sky, and the next moment a tinge of red stretched out amidst the blue- the marvellous work of our Creator. =)

I saw this just as I was getting worried abt how I was going to finish studying for mid-yrs because there really seem to be so many topics for every subject! And gone are the days of olevel amaths where you can just make sure you understand the concepts and go ahead for the exam and still do well. Now besides understanding the topics, you still have to practise and practise and practise. And I dunno if it's just me but I really take a long time to do a few miserable maths questions! Thank God for encouraging Scripture verses placed strategically on the study table though. =)

I watched Night at the Museum 2 on Monday with my sis, she initially wanted to watch Hannah Montana but too bad it was filling fast. I feel kind of guilty actually cause I should be studying, but oh well, the movie is really nice! Even better that the first one. =) I guess this movie will probably be the last movie I watch for a long long time,about five to six months, to be exact.

Till then , I shall be keeping my lecture notes company.

2009-06-04T12:33:00.001+08:00

God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed in the Garden of Eden,

but they chose to focus on the one thing they could not have.

2009-06-02T14:20:00.003+08:00

Last two days I have been taking more than one and a half hours to reach home, due to lovely long bus rides =) first was 853 from church on Sunday, then 960 from the Esplanade ytd. There's sth really nice abt long bus rides, provided you have a seat of course. One can just stare blankly into space, or out of the window and look at what everyone is doing ( voyeurism as usual ), sleep, or even pray!

And ytd's buffet at Sakae confirmed my suspicions that I am definitely not 'buffet material', as Josephine calls it. In fact the part I enjoyed most was the dessert! Hmmm I think it will be a really long time before I go for a buffet again.

We spend our strength extinguishing fires that, if left alone, would burn out on their own.
Came across this line in an devotional email, and I guess its kind of true for me. I really need to learn how to lay it all aside, to cast my cares on the Lord, and look to Him in faith. =)

2009-05-29T17:18:00.002+08:00

Week 10 has been kind of weird...
after maths test on tuesday I ended up slacking for the rest of the week, doing minimal homework and reading comics in the school library. ( I didn know Snoopy had a brother! )

Anyway June holidays are here, meaning it's time to start mugging- kind of like an irony isn't it? =P

2009-05-24T19:19:00.002+08:00

At least practice wasn that bad today =) Uncle Mark gave me and Aunt Mary a lift home, and I had a fun time laughing with Hannah and Rebekah in the car. Maybe it was God's plan for me to be more joyful, especially since last week was quite a bad week...so I really thank God, cause I do feel happier now! =)

Anyway, one more week of school before june hols. I wun say school has been passing by that fast, but it hasn been that slow either..Oh and I still haven borrowed Left Behind yet. Been wanting to borrow it like nine weeks ago hehe. Hopefully I will find someone with that show within this week!

The joy of the Lord is my strength. =)

2009-05-12T19:50:00.002+08:00

I really want to watch Left Behind...

Hopefully there's some truth in the story though.

And hopefully watching the show would make me more daring in speaking about Christ to the unsaved.

The hour is coming, but what are we doing about it??

2009-05-01T19:09:00.002+08:00

I didn realise how tired I was until ytd night. Not exactly physically tired, but just tired of school, and how everything seems to be so mundane.
Isaiah 40-31 has really been a comforting thought for me in recent weeks, when I am studying in the room and I happen to look up at the wall, at the verse which is situated right on top of a mountain. I guess nobody will know what I am talking abt but nvm.

But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

2009-04-24T17:56:00.001+08:00

Full-time Christian, part-time student.

It should never be the other way around...

2009-04-19T15:03:00.000+08:00

Testify To Love

All the colors of the rainbow

All the voices of the wind

Every dream that reaches out

That reaches out to find where love begins

Every word of every story

Every star in every sky

Every corner of creation lives to testify

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to love

I'll be a witness in the silences

when words are not enough

With every breath I take

I will give thanks to God above

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to love

From the mountains to the valleys

From the rivers to the sea

Every hand that reaches out

Every hand that reaches out to offer peace

Every simple act of mercy

Every step to kingdom come

All the hope in every heart will

Speak what love has done

2009-04-17T13:44:00.003+08:00

School ended at 12:15 today. =)

Since Wednesday I have been starting to feel more stressed as the work is piling up...new tutorials seem to be starting on the same days, and there are many topics which I am unsure of but there is no time to revise. Especially Ionic Equlibria 2! I had absolutely no idea what was going on during chem lesson ytd, but at least its over.

And I realised I have so many things to complete this weekend...

Library library, here I come~

2009-04-14T17:56:00.002+08:00

In a flash Good Friday has gone by, Easter is over, and whats left is weeks and weeks of school...but oh well, not that school is that bad, especially with great friends around! And that is something I really can thank God for- All the fun, the joy and the laughter =))

And I just remembered this week is International Friendship Week. Haha how timely. =)

2009-04-06T09:49:00.002+08:00

It's been exactly one year since I was baptised. =) Looking back, I think last year was the year in which I got much closer to God than before. And I learned so much from my walk with Him. Like how to surrender everything to Him, saying 'Let not my will but Yours be done', learning to trust in Him in all circumstances, listening to what He says and obeying His prompting. Recently I was reading a book called 'Hinds' feet on high places' and it was about a journey to the high places that God has called each and everyone of us to go. No doubt that there will be many struggles, but there is no need to fear cause God will be our personal Shepherd, guiding and leading us to higher and higher ground.

And for this two weeks or so, 1 Cor 13:13(But the greatest of this is love) has constantly been on my mind. It all started when I chanced upon it in the Bible, and decided to put it as the greeting message in my phone. Ytd Grace even wrote me a note which had the verse imprinted on it, and she further emphasised it by writing it out again. =) And when I opened my journal ytd, I realised that my previous entry ended with 1 Cor 13:13 too!

Too much of a coincidence isn't it? The Bible can simply be summed up with the word 'LOVE': Love God and you will obey his commands, love others and you will treat them like how God treats everyone of us, and when ppl do bad things to you, it will be erased from your mind because 'Love covers all wrongs.' And most importantly, it all started because God first loved us.

Romans 7:25
'Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!'

2009-04-04T13:56:00.002+08:00

So let us learn now to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other's needs to prefer
For it is Christ we're serving

This is our God
The servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the servant King

2009-03-31T19:07:00.003+08:00

We complain that we don't have enough shoes,

until we see someone with no feet.

2009-03-28T14:13:00.002+08:00

Went to Chinese Garden for a mini silent retreat this morning , organised by Elaine. It was a really refreshing time, just sitting by a lake, reading His word, and glancing up occasionally to observe the ripples in the water as well as the dragonflies flying around in groups on the water surface etc. I even took pictures of the lake haha.

And the one hour and fifteen minutes flew by really fast! Indeed I seem to be rushing through life so fast nowadays, that I haven taken time to be still before the Lord.

Anyway, today doesn't seem to be like a Saturday somehow.

2009-03-27T10:05:00.002+08:00

Footprints In the Sand

You walked with me
Footprints in the sand
And help me understand
Where I'm going

You walked with me
When I was all alone
With so much unknown
Along the way

Then I heard you say
I promise you
I'm always there
When your heart is filled
With sorrow and despair

I'll carry you
When you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand

I see my life flash across the sky
So many times have I been so afraid
And just when I, I thought I lost my way
You give me strength to carry on

That's when I heard you say
I promise you
I'm always there
When your heart is filled
With sorrow and despair

And, I'll carry you
When you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand

Someone sang this song during AJ Idol, and if you look at it as a Christian song, I think its really meaningful. =)

How I wish we had elearning every week hehe..

2009-03-22T15:53:00.002+08:00

Ten straight weeks of school again, but at least there are quite a number of holidays to look forward to!

2 days of e-learning days next week ( not exactly holidays but still )
Good Friday
Labour Day
No school on the day after Family Day

I really miss my Sec4 days =)

2009-03-21T18:55:00.003+08:00

McCafe coffee is really too strong for me, I drank it this morning and i have been feeling so jittery all day, until now. And my heart seems to be racing!

2009-03-17T18:36:00.002+08:00

Psalm 62:1
'My soul finds rest in God alone.'

Rest isn't just laying down and clearing your mind. It isn't just having eight hours of sleep or sitting in front of the TV for hours. Real rest means retraining your mind to turn over all your problems to the Only One who is able to work them out. And as we hand them over to Him, He leaves us with minds at peace and arms that are no longer overloaded.

2009-03-16T14:47:00.001+08:00

supposed to be doing my AQ, but sadly procrastination has taken over =(

2009-03-15T17:52:00.001+08:00

Somehow I just feel so totally clueless, and I dun know what to do.

But I know You will always be here for me. =)

2009-03-14T18:25:00.003+08:00

had a really fruitful time in cell ytd- much laughter, much fun, and much learning abt God's word =)

having my long-awaited one week holidays this week, and I really need to pray that I will be able to do most of my homework- I can never forget how dreadful the first two weeks of school were, all because I didn finish my holiday hw. In fact me and Dawn even tried to eat lunch within ten minutes (in the end it dragged to fifteen), so we could use the rest of our lunch hour to rush our hw. We even contemplated doing that every day, but of course we didn succeed haha.

And God has simply been so good this week and every week! His timing is always so perfect, that I cant help but marvel at His wonderful plan. =)

'The Sovereign Lord is my strength, He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights. " Hab 3:19

2009-03-06T15:03:00.001+08:00

Such a coincidence that I was reading Proverbs 3 just this morning.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Thank You Lord, for this timely reminder =)

2009-03-02T19:38:00.002+08:00

Had our last Chinese lesson today.
To think I have had more than eleven years of studying Chinese, but my standard is still really low hehe.

I rmb in primary one or two, we used to sit on the floor during Chinese lessons while my teacher explained the words on the board. I thought Chinese was ok then, but when it came to pri 3, I started to flunk my spelling all the time, but I cant rmb if I studied or not. Probably no I guess. Oh then I actually took Higher Chinese in lower Sec, and I never failed.....to get second last in class. haha its quite funny now that I come to think of it. And then in Sec 3 I think the syllabus was changed and we no longer had to memorise all those idioms and stuff, and initially I was quite upset cause I thought the papers were gg to be even harder to score, but in the end it wasn that bad.

And then there was Alevel Chinese.

And the results are going to be out this Friday.

Trusting in God for the results. =)

And I wonder if ten years later will I still rmb how to write my Chinese name.

And this post is really random and I don even know why I am talking abt Chinese, but this is probably the one and only time I will ever do this =)

2009-02-27T19:44:00.002+08:00

' On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. '

Today I actually went running, out of my own accord!! Haha I am seriously quite surprised at myself, there's this feeling of satisfaction that can't be described. =)

Two more weeks of school, then one week of holidays, and the whole vicious cycle will start all over again for ten weeks =(

But I guess time is passing rather fast now, in a twinkling of an eye it will be March alr!

Many many more weeks of school, but God will take me through. =)

2009-02-23T18:43:00.002+08:00

I really thank God that school has been alright these few weeks, and the homework has been manageable. =)

I guess its time for me to spend more time with God and to pray more- for others and not for myself.

Today, or was it ytd, I was reading this Christian book and one sentence really spoke to me. It said 'you may be the only Jesus that some people may ever know.' I know that we are supposed to be the light of the world, salt of the world, but sometimes, its really not easy. Many times I have failed, even today, but I will definitely pick myself up and try again, because God will never give up on us.

Lord I pray You will fill my heart with Your Love, that I may give freely to others around me.

I want to be the light in the darkness for You.

2009-02-22T17:42:00.002+08:00

Shepherd of my soul

Shepherd of my soul

I give you full control

Wherever You may lead I will follow

I have made the choice

To listen to Your voice

Wherever You may lead I will go

Be it in a quiet pasture

Or by a gentle stream

The Shepherd of my soul is by my side

Should I face a mighty mountain

Or a valley dark and deep

The Shepherd of my soul will be my guide.

Such a simple but meaningful song. =)

The Shepherd is willing to guide us, but the question is,

Are we willing to follow Him?

Jesus Loves Me =)

2009-02-17T15:50:00.001+08:00

Jesus loves me He will stay, close beside me all the way.
Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee.

2009-02-12T17:44:00.000+08:00

The little miracles in life,
just open up your eyes to see =)

2009-02-10T15:29:00.003+08:00

sth that I came across yesterday =)

“Wait For A Minute”-Prayer

It has been well said that God always answers prayer.

Sometimes He says, “Yes.”

Sometimes He says, “NO.”

Sometimes He says, "Wait for a minute," and a day to the Lord is a thousand years to us (2 Peter 3:8).

That means that a ten year wait for us, is 14 minutes and 24 seconds to God,

So ask in faith, but rest in peace-filled patience.

2009-02-09T18:14:00.001+08:00

How I wish I knew.

2009-02-08T15:16:00.006+08:00

When the storms of life come crashing over you one after another, remember that your Father in heaven is still King over everything.

Cast out all the anxiety, cast out all your worries, and lay them at His feet.
Look to Him for strength, for comfort, for joy and for peace.

Don't look to the world, for what the world gives can never satisfy.

Keep trusting in Him, hold on to His promises, for God has said "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. "

You may not understand what God is doing in your life right now, but be rest assured that His plans are and will always be perfect.

Be still, and wait patiently for Him.

2009-02-05T17:14:00.001+08:00

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. =)

2009-01-30T15:54:00.002+08:00

the weekend is finally here! =)

its quite amazing how weekends pass so very fast but weekdays pass so so slowly when you are in school. this week we only had three days of school but it seemed like one full week. and the two days of Cny hoildays seem kind of distant although it was only three days ago.

but still, I have many things to thank God for this week =)

2009-01-16T15:41:00.003+08:00

One thing that I have gained this week....

EYEBAGS =(

haha on a more serious note, school has been really tough although its only the first week..Every day in school seems so long and tiring ,and its really a struggle to spend more time with God amidst my busy schedule.

But God has been really faithful, speaking to me through several Bible verses that were a great source of encouragement. =) and I know that all I need to do is to commit everything to Him, do my best and He will do the rest.

Psalm 46: 10
"Be still, and know that I am God. "

School School School

2009-01-11T15:43:00.002+08:00

I guess this is the year that I am the most unprepared for school..usually before school starts I will buy new shoes, new bag, new file etc etc, but this time round I didn bother to buy anything. Shows just how excited I am for school right? haha.

Not to mention the pile of hw left undone. but oh well, I will try my best to do as much as I can. =)

Enough about school. My prayer for this week would be that I will put God first no matter how busy I am, and to constantly rmb that worship is a lifestyle, and worship is not just confined within church or during quiet time or even cell. I want to worship God no matter where I am.

And on top of this,
I want the water to spill out from my sponge...

2009-01-03T13:36:00.002+08:00

God is good, all the time! =)

I think last year's November/December holidays were the best I ever had.Although there were tons of homework, it was just such a fruitful time, what with youth camp, mission trip, and many outings with frens.

And I am glad I am spending more time on God's word! Indeed, it is the Living Word..It's quite amazing how you are just reading and reading, and suddenly a verse or two just jumps out at you, and you just know that God is speaking directly to you. I remembered in the past when I read the Bible, it was purely an everyday routine. Nothing much got into my head at all, cause my mind was more on the homework and tests that I had to study for. But I pray that will never be the case again, no matter how busy I am.

And although I am not exactly excited about school starting again, with alevels and all, I believe that God would never put us in a place where we can't cope. He has His reasons for putting us right where we are, and although we may not understand what God is doing in our lives, all we need to do is to trust in Him. Agree? =)

All to Jesus I surrender~

2009-01-01T10:49:00.003+08:00

the start of a brand new year...

1 Corinthians 15:58
"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

hmmm, thank goodness school starts on 12th jan and not tmr..otherwise I think I will be feeling really moody today haha. ytd's watchnight servive was really good,and I am so glad that I went. I actually had a headache in the afternoon, and I wouldn have gone if Evelyn had not asked me to bring some stuff for her..so thank God! =)

we watched this "end of spear" documentary about five missionaries who lost their lives tragically,and what really spoke to me was when one of the missionary's son asked his dad "would you use your gun if they attacked?" His father actually replied

"They are not ready for heaven. We are."

just seven simple words, but they seem so thought-provoking...

Overall, it was a truly inspiring story, and I am going to try to get my hands on the book =)

oh, and happy new year everyone!!

The Prayer

I pray you'll be our eyes,

and watch us where we go.

And help us to be wise

in times when we don't know.

Let this be our prayer,

when we lose our way.

Lead us to a place,

guide us with your grace,

To a place where we'll be safe.

2008-12-31T10:30:00.002+08:00

One more day to 2009! and that means 12 more days to school =(
I cant say I am really looking forward to next year, because of ALEVELS, but I know that I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me =)

Luke 2:7
She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Is there room for Jesus in your hearts today?

2008-12-26T17:50:00.002+08:00

this whole week has been such a busy week!
Last friday- watched yesman with my sis. haha i didn think the show was worth it =(
sat- young adult cell christmas celebration
sun- church
mon- watched twilight. it was really nice!
tues-did christmas kettling with grace. haha it was kind of fun and time passed really quickly=)oh, and did last minute christmas shopping
wed- le grande. i am really glad that Sharleen came!and I had a good talk with her =)
thurs- christmas service. the sermon was good =)
and for today...I was just slacking at home the whole time.I wanted to go running BUT when I went downstairs all ready to exercise.......
it just had to start raining =(
oh well.it isn't often that I feel like running, but secretly I guess I am a little happy that it started raining haha ;)

2008-12-22T20:48:00.001+08:00

watched twilight today! =)

mission trip

2008-12-20T13:17:00.003+08:00

The one week mission trip to Chiangmai was a totally new experience, one that I enjoyed very much. We visited two schools and a few churches that Pastor Timothy, who drove us around every day during the whole of this trip, had planted. Something really interesting in one of the schools was how the Buddhist students and Christian students would be seated in the same hall, but facing opposite directions. Both groups would then be worshipping in their own ways. Talk about religious harmony? hmmm...

On Sunday, there was this Christmas event at Pastor Tim's church, where about four hundred people turned up. It was fun watching the various performances and seeing the faces of those who won in the lucky draw beaming so happily. I really pray that God spoke to the non-christians present on that day, that they will set aside time from their work, especially in the fields, on Sundays and go to church just to worship God.

At the start of the trip, I was hoping that the people whom we reach out to would immediately turn to Jesus,but I realised that God's timing is not our timing, and most importantly, His timing is perfect. I believe that the seeds we have sown would definitely bear many fruits in time to come. =)

There is this poem that I read, which seems so meaningful. Hope it will speak to you too!

What We Want and What They Need
Why worry about things we don't have
Things that we are unable to get
Is not life more than earthly treasures
And our faith more than mounting debt?

God has given us something more precious
Of more value than priceless stone
Nothing that the world can produce
Compares to worshipping at His throne

We can't take earthly treasures with us
What we have now will remain
So why struggle so hard to possess
What is temporal and subject to change

The Kingdom of God is what matters
And the souls left to die alone
The lost and the lonely living in despair
Those that have no place to call home

Just look around at the hopelessness
The state our society is in
A world untouched by God's generous love
Drowning in the darkness of sin

It gives us something to focus on
As we open our eyes and see
For God is screaming out for the lost
With tears saying ' come unto me'

And we His messengers must go to them
And show them His love and grace
For nothing will ever change in our world
If we don't put action to our faith

Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours.

youth camp' 08

2008-12-10T09:37:00.002+08:00

My chains are gone
I have been set free
My God, My Saviour
Has ransomed me
And like a flood
His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing Grace

Isn't God just so amazing? =)

I have to really thank God that I went for this youth camp as it was really really impactful. During all the three sessions that we had, God's presence was just so clearly in our midst, touching each and every one of us in a special way=)I just felt God telling us the great extent of His love for us all, and the picture of Jesus on the cross remains etched in my mind till now.

and now, we must really learn to be a salt-shaker for God and go all out to the very ends of the earth, that the world without vision will know who Jesus is, and how much He loves them too.

Jesus, give us the boldness to just step out in faith and win souls for you.

2008-12-09T12:13:00.000+08:00

Two more days to Chiangmai mission trip! =))