a solo cello outside a chorus
today was my last service with YJCEA5.
to be honest, i’m not sure how many read my blog, although i’m always informed that more people read this blog than i think. if you do drop by from time to time, leave a comment so i know you’re there!
but anyhow, back to today. before service, i went for a haircut this morning and was sorely disappointed. i left the hairdresser’s sporting a haircut which resembled a mouldy mushroom sitting on my head, and paid $30 for it. in search of some comfort food, i went to food for thought’s (fft) bugis branch and found it closed. that, coupled with other things, was enough to make my day really bad, and i stormed off to their new branch at singapore art museum (sam) with tears in my eyes.
i’ve always had a flair for the melodramatic, as you can now tell.
as i stepped into fft’s new branch, my mood lifted instantly – it has that effect on people, haha. their new branch is bright and airy, with a different feel. their bugis branch is more homely while the sam branch is more cafe-ish. in fact, i felt like i was in melbourne when i was there enjoying brunch (which was brilliant, in case you were wondering). it’s the same happy service and yum comfort food, in a better location.
today’s service was as if it was tailored just for me. from praise to worship to the sermon, it just applied so accurately, and God was really slapping me awake in many different areas.
and yes, today was my last service with YJCEA5, and i didn’t expect to feel like i left a piece of myself behind. i could feel a physical ache leh! and no, i’m not kidding! hahaha.
it’s amazing how God plans things; i wasn’t planning to join the youth group during this summer as truth be told, age is catching up with me and i don’t think the word youth is appropriate to describe me anymore. yet while i was still in melbourne, God rebuked my thoughts and actions, and placed a conviction in me to invest in the people in this very ministry. i don’t claim to be perfect and all – on the contrary, i am most definitely imperfect – but at the same time i really hope i have fulfilled what He wanted me to do this very summer break (:
within two months, i have found my spiritual family in singapore. my leaders (yes tzelin, if you’re reading this: i do see you as my LGL) are awesome and i see them walking in His anointing and grace; everyone else in this spiritual family of mine, even though i’m not close to every single one of you, i know you guys are in this church and in this lifegroup for a reason and God’s gonna use you guys greatly.
i’m so incredibly blessed to be part of a wonderful church and lifegroup, and july can’t come around soon enough.
but till then, i still have to pack a multitude of things back to melbourne, score AWESOMELY well by God’s grace + wisdom, rock planetshakers conference 2010, visit bangkok and many many more. :D
building the kingdom of God – we’re all in this together.
love you guys heaps and stacks <3
xo,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
i’m really really thankful for friendships which transcend time, distance and almost everything else. with God, all things are possible (:
on monday, i went back to my alma mater to have lunch with the gorgeous chan seeting and karmen wong. it was wonderful being back in my old school; it really felt like i had returned home after a long while. even though i am still very unfamiliar with the school (i took 15mins to find my way to the student lounge), it’s gorgeous and i still love it very much.
i went back to visit choir too, and even though faces were unfamiliar, some things never change. i still see the determination on the comm members’ faces and the earnestness of the newcomers, amongst other things. the juniors are completely lovable though, i didn’t want to leave practice!
but yes, reality strikes and i am fast leaving teenhood. i’m not exactly dreading it because it’s a rite of passage, and i’m actually looking forward to graduating.
looking forward and actually moving forward is one of the biggest keys in life we have been given, yet many people are stuck in one place. i believe that there are some reasons to be stuck, but otherwise if directed to move on, we should. otherwise we’ll be stuck in a rut when we’re not meant to be.
at the end of the day though, it’s sticking by Him and with Him that’s most important. we may stumble and fall, but so long as we pick ourselves up, dust our knees and prepare to journey forth, it’ll all be good.
just my two-cent’s worth.
oh, and i just started packing. i hope this year won’t be as terrible as last year!
xo,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
you got a piece of me
it’s not often that i say this, but i think it’s beautiful to be human.
don’t you just love how as a person, we are so privileged to be able to open ourselves up to new experiences? a new sight can open your eyes to how wondrous this world really is.
just yesterday, i took the train from my workplace to chua chu kang – which is about a 40-minute train ride. by melbourne standards, it’s rather short but standing in a train full of people at rush hour in singapore isn’t really the best experience. yet i had the opportunity to be standing by the window, and the changing scenery as we passed each town took my breath away.
from marsiling to yewtee, one unchanging factor would be the HDB scene; i assume this is an entirely singaporean concept. each town is self-sustainable, with kopitiams and shopping malls and a transport system that works. but then as i bypass the northern part of singapore, i suddenly understand that there is more to singapore. the industrial areas somehow cross paths with the rainforests and reservoirs and then seamlessly merge with the residential areas.
who knew that singapore had nature to speak of?
but it was great to actually see this side of singapore – which might not be so unfamiliar to most – and as the train pulled into chua chu kang station, i suddenly had a sense of fulfilment swell in my chest.
yes, i am rather strange in some aspects. hahaha.
–
i came across this post on tumblr just this morning:
Stop being sorry for who you are. Stop being sorry for being human. Stop being sorry for having needs. Stop being sorry for wanting to talk. Stop being sorry for have weak moments; we all do.
God thinks you’re perfect, when he sees you he sees the Righteousness of Christ, so please — I don’t want to see you hurting — forgive yourself for your weak moments.
(credits: heisjealousforme)
it’s so hard to forgive ourselves when we think we should be stronger, and then i realise that we are made perfect in our weakness. God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called (i stole this line from a photo on fb, haha, but it doesn’t make it any less true).
–
most people don’t like to speak of their situations because somehow, putting it in words – and putting those very words in the care of a friend – means speaking it into existence. means that it is real; that it exists, that it’s going to be a lot harder to escape from now on.
but then again, sharing it with a friend it an entirely different matter altogether.
i used to think that i would be terrified of talking people. some people think i’m a very open person, but sometimes my actions say otherwise.
in any case, as a young girl i used to think that i’ve had to overcome adversity to be where i am today. but yesterday, God spoke to me and i realised that it wasn’t really adversity i had to overcome, but i’ve had to overcome myself, as strange as that sounds. everything that has happened – and i mean everything – works for the good of those who love Him. the strength that i have used to be a hard shell i keep up to protect myself from being hurt, but now that shell has dissolved thanks to the love He has showered on me.
and so last night as i sent a friend off in a cab, i found a text waiting for me on my phone which said 5 simple words: dee, i love you! *hugs*
those five words meant a lot. because from young, i never really quite believed that i was worthy of love.
yet, He has turned this around. i can love, and be loved. that i don’t need to put up a shell to get by with life – because the only life worth living is one that you’re truly passionate about.
i am so incredibly blessed.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
even though i’m singaporean, last night was the first time i visited the night safari properly.
the last time i went there was when i was five, and barely knew anything about animals (except that most of them were furry and cute, haha). this time though, i went with awesome company and thoroughly enjoyed myself (: the ‘creatures of the night’ show was surprisingly entertaining and the host was engaging without being irritating. and the tram ride was rather informative, despite the $10 price tag being a tad overpriced.
but awesome company made the trek down to mandai memorable, and thereafter rochor tauhuay was brilliant :D somehow, sitting in a back alley eating beancurd while sitting on plastic chairs has a charm of its own. yes, i am sentimental that way.
that night when we stayed over at tzelin’s place for christmas, bryan went out to buy wanton mee for breakfast for us. and upon looking at the packaging – it was wrapped in those plastic bags, not a plastic box – i exclaimed inwardly with joy because it’s such a dying “tradition” of sorts. eating out of a plastic bag has its own charm too… hahaha. when i revealed this simple experience to my mother, she couldn’t stop laughing at me. :(
according to my colleagues, i have an old soul. the good news though, is that old souls generally stay that way. so by the time i’m actually old, i’ll have the privilege of having a young soul. but for now i’ll have to stick to being old. as emphasised by joel, i am currently either a WOO (wise old owl) or a WOW (wise old woman). le sigh. interesting, ain’t it?
friday’s my last day at work and strange as it sounds, i’ll miss the office. i’ve indeed been very blessed to be working in such a friendly environment where everyone is so eager to teach me lifeskills (even though they all seem to think i am journalism, not advertising, material) in the media industry. but of course i’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends (: they deserve to have all of me, not the dregs they see after a long day at work. hahaha.
after this interning stint, my mum has kind of reinforced the idea that working in melbourne might be a better idea. but i beg to differ. working life won’t be that much different wherever i go; although there is a vast different in starting pay. but pay is just one aspect, and there are so many more things to the years ahead of me. (:
and on a lighter note, i can’t wait for the second instalment of glee in april. :D
in the meantime, lunchtime’s in half an hour and my colleagues are taking me to bishan for yummy food. God is so good to me!
love you guys!
xo,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
night safari tonight!
i haven’t been to the night safari in 15years, and i must say i’m quite excited for tonight (:
but other than that, i’ve found one of the best pineapple tarts in singapore and i’m bringing them back to melbourne! plus, i’ve been eating up a storm and ignoring all the weight gain. in other words, it’s time to diet + exercise (oh the horror) the moment i land in australia.
the thing that i’m most looking forward to though, is THIS WEEKEND! stayover at an awesome luxurious top-secret location with jasmine (: we might even fulfil our sushi-under-the-bed plan! can’t waittttt!
love you guys!
xo,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
here’s my first proper entry of the year 2010!
yes, i haven’t been blogging but that’s also because i was ill for the first few days of the year; and thereafter i began interning at one of the largest publishing companies in singapore (ask if you want to know which).
the internship has been really rewarding so far (: some days are busy, other days are really quiet, and all in all i’m learning a lot. it gives me an insight into the media (advertising, really) industry and my seniors seem to think that i have what it takes to be a lifestyle writer. and so i’ve been building up my portfolio for the past couple of weeks, along with editing heaps of advertisements. it’s like the whole ‘Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar’ section of a PSLE english paper all over again, except that this stuff actually goes to print and you’re responsible. hahaha.
it’s strange yet exhilarating at the same time to have responsibilities at work; which is a prelude to adult life. but i really hope life in future holds more than a 9-6 job, chained to a desk, because i know there is definitely more to life (:
and yes, my heart had the audacity to add beats to its rhythm yesterday. in other words, i am currently suffering from non-explained arrhythmia, and will have to troop down to the hospital tmr to get it checked.
but then again, it missed a beat yesterday too. and that has its reasons… HAHA.
anyhow, i’m missing melbourne a lot. but i know i have time in singapore, and i’m gonna make full use of it.
love you guys!
xo,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
this is going to be a very random post; i’ll do my first proper update of 2010 soon (:
i think some of us are somewhat destined to lead extremely dramatic lives, but it’s also up to us if we want to leave the drama out of it. we can let the drama take its toll on us, or choose to learn something from all the drama – and leave the unwanted bits out of our lives.
of course, it’s easier said than done. but that doesn’t mean to say that we shouldn’t try.
just some random musings from the workdesk (yes, i’m interning)!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
to be honest, i have no idea how to end off my year with a blog entry. my conversation with cephia is going somewhat like this:
me: i am blogging now
me: but i don’t know what to blog
me: i should blog about 2009 right
cephia: yes
cephia: HAHA
cephia: i’ve done my blogging alr
me: okay i am going to read your entry for inspiration
–
2009 was vastly different from 2008.
for one, instead of standing amongst a sweaty and greatly kiasu crowd at marina bay, i am having the best and most meaningful countdown ever with miss cephia neo, online! well, at least we’re in the same country + same time zone now, haha.
jokes aside, i believe 2009 was a year where i learned to grow up. God did give me many trials (haha i sound like job, although my situations were nothing like his), but with His grace i got through them. so here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the highlights of my year (:
january:
dhs homecoming!
made pineapple tarts at cephia’s house
chinese new year in ipoh
sentosa with ruth, yingyu and ceph <3
february:
did some stupid things, thought some stupid thoughts
packed half my things back to melbourne, and as a result looked like a “refugee” haha
started lessons at planetshakers school of creative arts
march:
missed home for the very first time
april:
planetshakers conference! :D
may:
got “kidnapped” for my birthday – only to find that my dearest friends threw a HUGE party for shiyou and i, complete with a live music performance (:
cirque du soleil, with steven and cow
dinner at meat&wine co., with awesome company
got addicted to glee
june:
started looking forward to going home
EXAMS! which i did okay for, by God’s grace
singaporeeeee!
july:
watched syf choral presentation with juits
gold coast! :D
beautiful woman with mummy
bought my very first DSLR
august:
planned tung’s failed surprise
started facebook fast, but got hooked on twitter instead
september:
planetUNI camp, where God moved so powerfully
the script! with fel, jon and mx, which was unbelievably awesome. they’re really really good live.
october:
my emergency trip back to singapore
learned to trust, and let go
got reminded by jasmine that one of my favourite colours is purple
frank tate sessions resume
november:
EXAMS!
got addicted to grey’s anatomy in the midst of exams
tabitha nauser picked my song choice for her! but, mediacorp couldn’t fly me back to singapore for the show :(
december:
got excited about going back to singapore
massive drama at airport because we (i.e. shiyou and i) missed our flight, thanks to me -.-”
experienced 7hours of waiting at tullamarine airport (which is nothing like singapore changi, i can assure you)
finally got back to singapore safe & sound
embarrassed myself at NUH by crying like nobody’s business in a public area, hahaha
did okay for my second year
watched singapore youth choir ensemble singers perform at esplanade
spent christmas with YJCEA5 (:
embraced 2010 :D
–
i’m not sure if there were any “infinite” moments in my 2009, but as 2010 approaches i pray that it’ll be an awesome year. this year was a year of experience, of growing up, of cherishing those near, not-so-near, and those whom i love (:
above all, God was – and is – my only constant. and He’s gonna be there every step of the way.
happy new year, everyone!
all my heart,
d
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Recent Entries
- a solo cello outside a chorus
- love, love, love, i want your love.
- please believe me when i say i didn’t mean it.
- you got a piece of me
- streetlight people, livin’ just to find emotion
- kings and oceans bow to Him in praise
- and my heart had the audacity to miss a beat
- we will stand as one for the King of the world
- (you can ask for the password for this one, it’s nothing extremely personal)
- and in that moment, i swear we were infinite
- &the light’s always red in the rearview
Categories
- Literature (or my version of it) (2)
- Melbourne (1)
- singapore (5)
- Uncategorized (196)
