the littlest things.

Everyday, I nearly escape being completely knocked over or tripped over by bobby the giant. He has this habit of liking to poke his head between your knees when you're standing up, and then proceeding to run circles round your legs or chew your trousers or your slippers (I particularly think that he likes my bedroom slippers).

And when a huge dog tries to do something like that, it is very hard to maintain balance, and I end up always having to grab on to something for support. Apparently all of that is deemed 'puppy behaviour' by my landlady, and I'm supposed to squirt him with this bitter lime spray that he absolutely hates. He then ends up growling at me and the bottle. But hmmph serves him right.

He also likes to sneak up on me when I'm using the bathroom. Suddenly when I open the door, there is a pair of eyes staring at me. It is very unnerving. Especially late at night.

Other than that, he's very cute. He particularly likes to put his head on my lap when I'm eating breakfast, hoping that I will give him something to eat.



I miss my tasha. She's a fat rug, but she's my fat rug piggy dog.

I just got really lazy.

Melbourne was quite miserable for the first few days I was here, winds were super chilly and it was raining intermittently. Now I totally understand it when people say that winter can be depressing. On some days there isn't any sunlight and my oh my those days there isn't anything better than staying home under the blanket.

Staying with a nice european couple and their huge golden retriever named Bobby. He's really big, and still behaves like a puppy even though he's fully grown - but he makes me smile somehow every morning. I can be eating breakfast, and he'll put his head on my lap and just stare at me. (: However living with a big dog in the house can be frustrating, he sheds a lot of hair and I get it ALL over me when he runs around me - thus the lint roller is my best friend. 2 nights ago, I woke up at 2am to use the bathroom, and in my sleepy state I forgot to close my bedroom door. The next thing I knew, he was sitting in the middle of my room (he's not allowed in). It took me 15 exasperating minutes trying to get him out. Tried tempting him with rice krispies, but he took some from me and quickly ran back in before I could do anything. When I finally got him out, I think I couldn't have been more grateful to God.

here are some pictures of my room:





My mom isn't a permanent fixture to the room, unfortunately.


Every morning, I wake up to a bright yellow lemon tree outside my window that is in the garden. (:


Much has happened in a week plus, and I'm too lazy to say everything, so I'm just putting them in point form.

- bought an electric blanket, and the fuse exploded in my hand the second night. Green sparks, whoo. I keep thinking that one day that blanket is going to electrocute me in my sleep.
- Got a replacement blanket. Got a refund for the cuckoo one.
- Got confused with netbanking, setting up bank accounts.
- Had a very exasperating time trying to get all the necessary documents to get a phone line.
- bought more groceries for my consumption, than I possibly have in my entire life
- learnt to cook decently
- burnt the beef stew today in some scientific pot
- learnt how to use a dryer
- had several clothes shrink in the dryer (due to my inexperience)
- settled school enrollment
- learnt how to brave wind chills (still in progress)
- missed my family, missed home, missed people
- visited churches
- waited for 1/2 hour buses in the freezing wind
- took the wrong train and landed up in some other damn far suburb

There's something about melbourne's transport system that is so warped in some ways. If you are a poor student with no driver's license and no car, like me, travelling around is really really bothersome. I have to wake up earlier and check bus timings before I leave the house, too early and I wait too long in the cold, too late and I miss the bus, and have to wait another half hour. Sigh, I really am not used to their bus system.

And there's probably a lot more in between, but that's what I can remember so far. Mostly a lot of adjustments, and at one point I was actually so tired from having to deal with so many things. Grown up stuff like paying bills, rent, getting groceries, budgeting, settling bank accounts, enrolling in school....etc. It all became quite overwhelming.

My mom just left for the airport, so I'm officially alone now. Quite sad if I think about it.

Right now I'm just hanging on to God's promises, and keeping faith that He will be with me each step of the way. Its a little hard at the beginning, like with all things, but I'm praying and hoping that it will get better.

1 more day to go, and I hope I don't die from the extreme temperature change really. Spent my whole evening packing, and taping boxes and thinking of ingenious ways to maximise space, minimise weight, and cushion fragile stuff like my printer. Thought of a solution, that involves many squishy things surrounding it. Let's just say if immigration decides to open my box, they'll be in for a strange surprise.

I'm also quite sure my baggage weight is going to tip wayyyyyyy over the scales man. Sigh. One box alone was weighed in at 13 kg. How sick is that. And I only have 40 kg to carry with me.

Packing is tiring. Packing in singapore humidity and heat is unbearable. Had a killer migraine tonight too, which I attempted to sleep off but took longer than usual to recover.

I hope I don't forget to pack in something important. There's just so many things, and its all a bit overwhelming. I'm just thinking how am I going to pack all this crap back when I'm done with my studies. And next time, I have to do it alone too.

I'm glad bobo is back! But it seems that this time around I won't get my duck rice send-off. Timing and all seems to be rather tight. Oh well, shall have one when I return.

Was spent just hanging out with Liz and Nat, which was really nice and some much needed girl company. I can't really remember when was the last time I actually went out to town with a bunch of girl friends. It's been a while. There was lots to catch up on, lots of laughs, and I totally regretted having a big cup of ice milk tea and green bubble tea within a span of one hour.

Had lunch with geeb and smelly too, the day before, which then resulted in us running to the arcade (maybe only me and mel were excited) and playing all our favourite games. Daytona, chinese bishi bashi (which was so difficult), and this cool new ah beng game that mel found. Its like that dance dance revolution/ para para game, except for your fingers. Haha.

It was great fun, and I can't think of one instance where I didn't have fun at an arcade. (:

Still have a couple of people I would like to meet before I go, but everyone is busy when I am free, and vice versa. Very tragic.

2 more weeks! Bobo I wish I had more than just 5 days to see you before I go ):

Yesterday I dreamt that I went skydiving. Must be liz's facebook photos (: It was strange though, because I am afraid of heights and skydiving would be one of the last things I would do. But I remember asking the guy who was doing the jump with me if there would be that heart-dropping feeling (of which I hate), and he just looked at me and said 'Um yeah, about a full minute of it." And before I could react, he jumped out of the plane together with me and I had no chance to grab on the the doors of the plane.

Haha. I reckon it'll be a lot of fun though (:

Just finished up my story, and my gosh I will not want to read anything related to Land of the Lost in a while.

I've got 3 more weeks here before I'm off to freeze my butt in cold winter weather. I don't know which one I will want more, cold cold weather or the crazily hot burning one here.

OHHH WELL.

So I spent my first two days of the week helping out in leadership training programmes, and basically spending most of my two days with 14 year olds.

The weather has not been kind, and 14 year old boys are tiring. They are. They ask strange questions, and disturb me, and try to ask me for my number, and find out where I'm studying. The first hour is amusing, maybe even slightly flattering, but then after that is purely a test of will and God-given patience.

At the end of the day, one of the my guy colleagues had to go to them and ask them to stop disturbing me.

Add all that, plus a school built on a hill with stairs everywhere (I've never been so confused about levels before), plus the heat, plus 8 hours of training, is a personal record of endurance for me.

My legs are killing me.

Not when they are inflamed and clogged that's for sure.

Nose stuck, head hurts, sore throat, ears blocked; I am really setting myself up for a brilliant week ahead. And I'm working full days too this week. UGHHHHHH.

Happy birthday bobo! Glory trumped everybody and sent you gerberas while she is a gazillion miles away. I have to think of something ingenious when you get back. Haha, but I hope you had a good birthday (:



We love you!

1) I bet your mom doesn't msn you to eat strepsils, when she's less than 10 feet away, separated by just a room door.

2) What are the odds that after a flu jab, I get stuck with flu-ish symptoms like a stuffy nose and bad sore throat.

3) I might just score a great part-time job in the near future, fingers and toes crossed.

4) Room still a mess.

5) Ryuichi Sakamoto's live performance of 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' is making me smile.

6) I need to think of ingenious ways of bringing a big quilt, a small rice cooker, and perhaps a small crockpot (parents' idea) along with me without taking up too much space. Oh oh, and the printer.

7) I found my wisdom teeth today!

8) Phlegm. Is. Clogging. Back. Of. Throat.

That's what the state of my room is in right now, as though a giant cyclone raged through and messed up everything in its path. Its all the packing, or lack of, for the trip.

One more month, and I'm off to start a new chapter of tertiary life. I feel a bit of a hypocrite for telling Gloria and Bobo and everyone else who left before me to go overseas, that everything would be okay and that there was no need to be afraid - but now that it's my turn, I'm quite shaky myself.

I've always considered myself to be a rather independent person. I would also rather stay in a room of less than 3 people with a cup of tea, than a crazy party with loads of people and booze. But I think I'm afraid of being alone. I've mentally prepared myself for the homesickness, and just downright terrible days when I would rather curl up and die. But in the back of my mind is that niggling thought that reminds me, "There's still a portion you can't prepare for". And that niggling thought frightens me.

I think people have been reminding me of that niggling thought, but it makes me all the more determined to overcome it, and many a time I've told them, "I think I can take it". Haha, but gee I don't think I really know that.

My hope and prayer is that I don't lose sight of God in the big picture. It's easy to, when you've got all this indignation and 'something to prove', thinking that you're strong enough to take all the shots the world has to throw at you. I've been there many times during poly. But I guess I've learnt through the hard way, is that humility before God and everyone else is very important. And also being real with yourself, and before Him. So with God there as my guide, and constant, I hope I can let go of the fears and everything else that comes with it. (:

In other news, H1N1 has reached our shores, and of course the shores of melbourne too. And I was forced, I literally mean forced (by my mother and her element of surprise clinic appointments) to take a flu jab.


I cannot emphasise more on how much I loathe needles, or any sharp foreign object that has invasive intentions. Its ridiculous, the fear. It stems from bad experiences when I was like 4 or 5, and then the fear just stayed. I actually do know that it doesn't hurt much, in actual fact it probably hurt a lot less than when I sliced my thumb open, but its the irritating fear that builds up and man I hate that.

Seriously I could just sit there, and literally make a piece of small paper completely damp from the sweat produced by my clammy palms.

Embarrassing really.


I just hope and wish that with each needle-poke, I will become less fearful of it and then have no fear of it altogether HOORAY.

But yay, I'm ok and now I'm 60 to 70 percent less likely to get infected with the swine flu. Just when is this pig bug going to leave the world alone?

Haha, I wonder what is next.

I am finally working and earning some sort of money, hooray. Though, I think I underestimated how tiring it was and I totallly KO-ed when I got home. Helping out with some facilitating of leadership training programmes at various secondary schools together with this training consultancy.

Today was my first day, and we went to a school quite far west of Singapore. Took sec 2 kids today, and I honestly believe that my tolerance and patience level have significantly increased over the past few years. People throwing balls around, talking, fighting, alot of asking to go to the toilet nonsense. And the boys in the class are very cheeky, and don't really care much for authority.

I have this small burn near the side of my mouth. The cause of it is really very ridiculous, its a chrystal moment, and I am quite convinced this kind of thing only happens to me. I was eating this prawn fritter, that was quite hot, and when I attempted to bite it in half, some of the hot oil from inside the fritter spurted out and burnt this small circle of skin near my mouth. It was quite terrible looking at first, but now its healing up.

But these boys, of whom many have DIY lip piercings, thought that I pierced my lip, because the burn mark strangely is in the same place, and looks like a lip piercing mark healing up. I've had at least 2 boys ask me that today.

Boy 1: Eh, Cher, you pierce your lip ah?
Me: No. Its a burn mark.
Boy 1: Don't bluff la Cher.

Boy 2: Eh Cher, you gangster eh?
Me: What?
Boy 2: Ganster la you, you pierce your lip right?
Me: No its a burn mark.
Boy 2: Don't bluff la.
Me: I AM NOT!

Later on...

Boy 2: Eh Cher, you cannot pierce your lip properly I pierce for you la.
Me: No thanks, I'm scared of needles.
Boy 2: You scared, you still have ear holes what.
Me: I pierced them when I was small, and I can't remember the pain.
Boy 2: Ah ya, pain at the most cry only what.
Me: -_-

Haha I give up.

Anyhoo I officially graduated from NP last week on wednesday (: Was fun, and I think I enjoyed the post-graduation photo-taking than the actually ceremony itself.








Yay to all the friendships forged, and memories made (: It will be hard to forget those 3 years.




And yay to pretty flowers too. (:

So with the arrival of the new, slinky, shiny macbook, we obviously had to christen it with some cool photos, courtesy of its photobooth application.









As you can see, we all have the same cuckoo DNA. Family power!

I think, maybe I'm not meant to have a stable job this time around. I've sent my resume to a few companies, and asked many friends, but everyone has either got some really boring and short contract work, or some of their bosses are simply not hiring anymore. Those shop assistant roles are either looking for full-time staff or a commitment of at least 6 months.

Super yaya papaya.

My mom asked me if I was interested in selling bubble tea at Seragoon central. I think I was stunned for a minute, then the next minute I actually contemplated it, and the following minute I mentally slapped myself. Haha.

Graduation's next week, and I think the grad attire is really funny looking. Their size chart is so inaccurate. According to their measurements, a person with my height is supposed to get a size L. But when I went to collect my gown, I ended up downsizing to an S, because the L completely drowned me and it made me look I had mutant shoulders. Someone went crazy with the shoulder pad pleating. Haha, anyway I think its funny cos it makes us look like those african american gospel singers, with the big sleeves and shouting 'Hallelujah!' and dancing along exuberantly to some piano tune.

I think my parents and grandma are more excited about my graduation than me. But its okay, hopefully feelings of joy will suddenly appear when I collect my scroll from the director.

I think this blog needs a facelift.

I realised that there are a lot of people whose birthdays fall in April. My whole facebook events page is swarmed with people's names, and my homepage constantly has random people wishing other random people happy birthday.

Recently my brother downloaded this fake 'cooking mama' game (the original one was on the DS) on to his computer, and my gosh cooking mama is impossible to play on computer. Haha. We found this video of Jamie Oliver playing cooking mama on the nintendo Wii, haha it is hilarious.

Still trying to settle some of the accommodation stuff,and that's been rather slow moving, all I can pray for is that things will work out nicely in time to come. Mixed feelings about the whole Australia thing, but I can only guess that its normal.

This is such a terrible post, haha I'm picking random things to talk about from the air because I've been so boring these few days.

Ahh that reminds me, I need to repot the cactus. Its grown and multiplied so many times its busting out of its pot.

This was the last closing note in Michael Frost's series, and its a poem written by this person called Adrian Plass. Its really a great piece of work, and I'm glad I found it on the internet.

When I Became a Christian
By Adrian Plass

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.
But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.

Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need to joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.

He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.

He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.
Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?

I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.

And so I'm 20. I no longer have the general excuse of doing silly things because I am a teenager. Haha, not that it bothers me a lot, but its strange to have a 2 in front.


Thanks to God, who gave me 20 blessed years, and a lovely present this year.
Thanks to my parents, who went through all the trouble to get me an awesome guitar, and for loving me no matter what.
Thanks to my brothers, who both got me what they generously could give.
Thanks to Edwin, who took me out for a really great day and taking pains to plan everything and stuff me full of korean food.
Thanks to Jiawen, who gave me a really good time out in town the day before.
Thanks to Maria, who messaged me even though she was in Aussie.
Thanks to Chris, for accompanying my mom to pick the guitar and remembering my birthday twice.
And thanks to everyone who wished well, I'm sorry I couldn't reply to every single one (because that would bust my sms quota), but I truly appreciate every gesture from the bottom of my heart.

Today I said a little prayer when I woke up, and realised how blessed I really am. (:


Today while I was out with Edwin, something really funny happened. Haha, we went to west coast park in the afternoon, and they had all these balance beams. So we hopped on them and were just having a bit of fun.

I had carried a rather large and heavy bag today, so I was a little lopsided. At one point, I think I was laughing at him, I lost my concentration, lost my balance and just literally flopped horizontally and landed on the floor in a stunned heap.

I had flopped over somehow, and avoided hurting my ankle but hitting the side of my legs against the beam. To my benefit, good thing no one saw me fall, not even him.

"I heard you laughing, and then I heard this plop sound and when I turned around there you were on the floor".

Haha, yay for clumsiness. I choose to believe that this trait can be endearing at times. Ngyehheh.

Thank you God, for the awesome birthday present. (:


I woke up this morning, checked my mail, and saw this.

Dear MISS CHUA

Congratulations! You have been issued a conditional offer for Monash University.

Please find attached a copy of your offer letter.


I think I nearly fell out of my chair. And then proceeded to do a victory jiggle, before I realised that I haven't checked how much credit exemption I was offered. So I opened up the offer letter and woohoo it said 1.5 years.

Haha see, when God gives, He gives big. Seriously awesome news man, for like 2 weeks it kept nagging at the back of my head, "oh no, what happens if you don't get in or if you don't get your exemption". And now finally, all of that is put to rest.

Once again, God has proven to me that nothing is impossible if you'll just trust Him. (:


HAPPINESS!!!

And so, we had a cg picnic today at fort canning. Decided to bring fruit salad, and while I was attempting to cut the skin off a rockmelon, I lost control of the knife and it sliced through a good fleshy portion of my left thumb.

So I was in shock for a bit, and then there was blood on the table, floor, cutting board till I had enough sense to bring myself to the sink. I was kinda surprised that there was so much blood coming from my thumb, I just literally sat by the sink for about 10 mins, wishing that it would just hurry and clot already.

Its quite sick looking. Seriously, I can't stand looking at it.

Sadly the while playing frisbee, the frisbee hit my hand and it was all bleeding again. Ugh.

In other less bloody news. Cg outing was actually quite fun today. We met these random dutch guys about our age from Holland, who were backpacking across southeast asia. And suddenly they joined in our picnic too. Played frisbee together with us, and I managed to have a good chat with one of them. A pity that they are only in Singapore for a day though.



Hungry hungry.

If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders,
I know my brother, that He will carry you.
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders,
I know my sister, that He will carry you.

Old songs are still the best. (:

I stumbled upon this really awesome photo-blog, simplybreakfast.blogspot.com, where this photographer takes pictures of her breakfast everyday. I'm not a breakfast person, but even I, a lousy breakfast person, feel so inspired (and oh so very hungry) to eat a proper breakfast after looking at her pictures. Seriously, they look so simple, but homely and tasty.





Yummy.



Next time when I have my own house, I'm going to make breakfast like this for my kids everyday and fill my house with nice fresh flowers, and have wooden spoons in my utensil drawer. (:

Haha, of course I might (probably or most likely) not fulfill any of it, but its just nice to set lofty house dreams.


This breakfast blog is killing me, I'm so hungry now.

My mom, brother and I are bumming in my dad's room, when we decided to mess around with his ipod and play all the songs.

So the usual, inspirational and christian songs play out on speaker, and then suddenly the next song plays, and out spills 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' sung by a bunch of slightly off-tune preschool kids.


HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAA!



Cheap thrill.


I need a job, to make myself useful. Please let me know if anyone wants to hire a part-timer.