mmm. my taste of korea :) it was a horridly tiring day being at school for a practicum briefing that was entirely useless to say the least. so we decided we'll have dinner. and none of us girls were gonna think so we just fell off to sleep and when we woke up, this is where we were! yay. auntie kim's korean restaurant is not cheap food to say the least. and the one who brought us here was also the sweetest in offering to pay. :)
i have no slightest idea where the rest of the photos disappeared to but say hello to kalbi short ribs :) yums. and we had two rounds of kim chi chigae because hot spicy soup was too comforting to miss. besides, they wanted more kim chi and we were waiting for dear pat who came from the east and got lost when she got near. longest dinner ever for 2.5 hours? tired. but happy. :)

thursday school ended at 1030 but we all went along and did our own things (see prof, group discussions) and decided on a soupy lunch at east coast road- ampang yong tau foo. as usual it was mad mad conversation over substandard yong tau foo. ampang niang toufu. where did the niang come from? what does it mean? niang when used in the context of wine is to brew wine. but you dont brew toufu. but i think it refers to the process of making toufu. then my silly girlfriend asked if it might be someone's family name. or maybe something like, niang, i want some toufu. or something. hahaha. on a different note altogether, i think those shops with no choice for your yong tau foo are just trying to make it seem as if it's "traditional". if you ask me, i think it's just being mean. and giving you stuff that you mightn't fancyor in a more practical sense, giving you food that's really quite substandard. but aye. 5 of us, we managed okay with the selection they offered. ahahha. food is to fill the tummy. three girls and half bowls of rice left. the groan ups shook their heads in dismay. friday cafe cartel at plaza sing. going all the way to the east to pick pat up because she had no school and was rotting at home. :) st louis pork ribs, chef's chicken salad, criss cross fries, chicken wings. it was a nice lunch. i don't know where the conversation comes from. but no one gets left out. they talk and share. it's a nice feeling to just ask anytime you're lost. :) these people make my day. even if i was dying from the worse case of cramps ever.

its been a while since i've blogged. school's been a flurry of activities. weekly reflections, lots of group mtgs, assignments, essays and presentations. i thought it was smth insane tt i couldn't cope. esp not w 830 lessons everyday. yes mon to friday. only me. dont even bother asking around. it's just me. sigh. but on the bright side, it's been mon taking a lift from my friend at sembawang and tues to thurs fetched from my doorstep. and most days there's always some activity. lunch, shopping, dinner, doing work at the library together. whatever works really. and i'm blessed to have such happy friends. :) so half of us are in the north and half in the east. most days we're at the east. :) so that was our ikea day. with my big striped polo tee. i loved it. lunch with meatballs, nuggets, chicken wings. mad mad conversation. lots of ideas for the SEED room redecoration plan at NIE. silly comments. happy day.

and nothing beats grandma's homecooked food. and aunt's pasta :) aunt's gonna leave for korea over the cny period. it's gonna suck without her around. well. i hope i get through cny ok. to have it once and to lose it all. as long as you're happy :) bless,

James 5:16
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Today was the first youth service of the year. and it was dynamic. a radical change from the comfort zone we were so sure and so comfortable in. we always talk about stagnation and wanting to relight the passion for God but it was all just talk. this year's special. and the vibes i'm getting, it's gonna be more than just this one service. i wasn't very comfortable to be honest. breaking out of my comfort zone, being urged to do great things for God. but i was glad i did. youth is not too small and not too big. it's a comfortable size. it's been 6 years and i've left and returned a couple of times or more. but really, there's no other place i'd rather be. my track record's less than stellar. well, kinda embarrassing. i'm sure there's talk but never of the malicious type. and on a different point altogether, i love my mentor. she's just. amazing. she's every bit of a spiritual mother and so much more. she's been around for all my six years and this year, she's really been there for me. all out for me. and for everything else that has happened for a reason- the good and the bad, she's been the blessing that overshadows them all. :) even my mummy loves her. i've said thank you so many times. but the thanksgiving is always from the heart and sincerely true. sometimes i don't think words can cut it. but i know she hears me. verbal/ nonverbal. it's been a wild ride. but looking back, these insignificant baby steps have added up and heck, i've come a long way. and definitely in the right direction. :) keeping on, moving up. more than conquerors. and only by God's grace. :)
it's a first talking so much about religion, about the things that make me who i am. but i just wanted to share. :) the love that comes from above? too much to just keep for myself. God promises abundance! :)

so much for our grand plans of staying over at the airport. hahaha. but with or without those plans if we say we're gonna be there. we will be there! so i drove. at 550am this morning :) and everyone made it. everyone. well 3 of us is quite a lot. and considering that two aren't morning persons. well. not so morning. and we all made it. that was quite a feat. cassieboo you're loved you hear me? haha. i bet you know it anyways. :) and hello that's us. whoever's left for a bit. :) before another one leaves and another returns. i'm always waiting for the year end. and it's not for my birthday. because birthdays are. sad. i wish mine didnt exist. off to bed. nights!

it was a birkies exco day out. from 12 till 9ish. we went everywhere and did everything. :) i don't know about other people. but if i can spend an entire day out with you and share more than just one random dessert or meal with you then hey, you're pretty special to me. and my girls definitely are. we're all unique. special in our own ways. and we sure as heck compliment each other. :) there's just so many instances i can't name them all. so we had an impromptu food trail. we just went wherever and did whatever. we wanted sakae so we went there. jin wanted green tea mochi dessert so we went. we had a nutella bet and so we went. cassie wanted fries and so we did. that's the kind of things you'd do. well no reason really. just because. it's kinda like family and loved ones. that's why they're so close to my heart.

wallet boyfriends cant beat wallet girlfriends. i miss the boy already. he's been bringing me home so often it's crazy. since he lives in siglap. gas is not cheap. besides tt, he's a gentleman. too many instances to cite. but yeah, he's someone you can count on. when he's free :) hahaha. 'm gonna miss your mad alien friends. but hey, it's good for you to take a break from crazy school and just live the life there. stay away from drugs is all i pray. haha :) one more down. few more to go. sometimes i wish i could just leave.

at 630 in the morning, it's smashingly beautiful. to take a simplified JCC exercise/ forest adventure to just 5 minutes away from my place. :) it doesnt matter that the place is overfished and almost possibly not gonna catch any fish. i like the morning air. the fresh dew. :) you think i'm nuts for waking up so early. you think i'd be bored to death. but you bring me anyways. i like it. i like the feeling of me alone. of staying quiet alone. :) and even when the sun comes up, you stuff your cap on my head to keep the sun off me. you're mostly horrible and sometimes nice. but you know i'm happy out with you. i like my friends :) then lunch with teresa. yay. she's back from hkg for two days and i'm glad she made herself free for church and lunch :) it's nice. being out with the church girls for a bit. things in hakka have not changed much. but i'm glad i have. to a certain extent. when things get tough, i'm not about to just leave. i'm gonna stick it out. as long as God's there with me. i know i can do it! :) whatever it is. be happy. :)

then gloria jeans with pam. i have not seen the girl since a year back at my baptism. :) yay. almost a year. i'm so happy she texted me for tea. i'll definitely make time for her. and it was perfect. since i was having dinner with the girls. :) thanks for listening out for me dear. i really appreciate it. and i'll keep you in prayer. that's a given! :)

thai express. yay green curry. i think that's the dish i liked most. besides the kangkong. the rest. umm. not so exciting. but well. i'm glad we took time off the meet up. whoever could meet anyways. :) even though i was home earlier than usual. v early in fact, that did not help with first day at school. i slept. thru half of every class i had today. nightmare! :/ well that's over. and thank goodness i get fetched from my doorstep tmrw. yay.

hotpottt. mine's better :) at least there was taste. haha. i lovee fresh mushrooms! n veggies n tofu! we had everything! almost. my girls had their favourite mushroom hotdogs, salmon, chicken, pork, minced beef. lots! altho z deserves to eat the most since she expended lots of energy in the pool. i did a measly 10 laps. but nah. dinner doesnt just end at the castle. cassie drove. and it's to island creamery we go! that's MANDATORY. not even optional. hahaha. and guess what we had! two whole tubs of ice cream. hello nutella and horlicks :) we balanced our accounts there, took tonnes of photos there, printed our photos there. new wallet gfs. well. new picture. could be new wallet. but same gfs. hahaha. and of course we ATE ice cream there. hahaha. i think we've been opressed for too long. we ate so much. i was waddling after that.

thien kee. at golden mile tower. *scrunches up my face. so the satay was not bad, chicken was good. so was the rice. just NOT the hotpot. which the place is supposed to be famous for. i heard it used to be good. well, whatever daddy wants :)

good morning saints! i wanna be a saint too! well, nigel's part of the family. and i'm happy. even if it meant dragging myself there at 630am till 9am. he wasn't so excited about school. but he's getting better :)

so i wake up on new year's to my birthday group of people :) well they had dinner w me anyways. and what did we do? we had victor's kitchen dim sum. we queued like for an hour? that's okay tho. it's because we had 6 ppl and we didnt want to be in anyone's way. something along those lines. but that's also because there were 30 tables on the waiting list for wah lok. so yeah. 1 hour was fine. i really think we made an impression. 6 plates of cheong fun, 4 carrot cakes, 4 siewmais and of course everything else. i'm just talking about the ones that have embarrassing quantities. 80 odd dollars. was a good meal for everyone :) glad the queue was worth it. yx, ben and i went off for shopping.
i randomly met my math prof at borders. where else? the children's book section. he's really nice. he makes an effort to remember people. he knows i'm still unsure about the profession i'm taking on. and he's patient about it. i suppose he's seen enough to know that this is something that can't be forced upon people. nurturing people is more than just a job.
then i go home and daddy has mad cravings for hotpot and hainanese chicken rice. so thien kee at golden mile towers it was! less than stellar hot pot but the chicken and rice was good. :) whatever rocks his boat. he's been on leave for a bit. tmrw too! it's nigel's first day at sas. 'm gonna go too! i hope he likes it :)
i had a good new year. and when everyone leaves, it's just ray and i. we've a complex relationship. we'll see :)