The year that was 2014

Yep, it's now 2015. Time for reflection once again! 

Year 2014 was such a crazy year. I think it has got to be the most YOLO year for me! The two highlights would be getting the Fiesta and traveling to the UK all by myself :) 

Work was actually pretty mundant throughout the year, but towards the end of it I was offered something new and I'm really excited about it. It won't be easy but I trust that God will see me through! 

Serving in church got more enjoyable with new musicians and friends made. We did an Easter play as well as caroling for Christmas! What I enjoyed most is the bonding sessions during practices. I do look forward to serve as much as I can and to experience Him over and over again this new year. Hope to be able to do more than just playing music :) 

Time spent with the family got more precious this year when Soly moved to US for work. So happy that he came back to celebrate Christmas with us and also to usher in the new year together. I thank God for healing and renewing our bond as a family and blessing us with our daily needs each day. He is truly Jehovah Jireh :) 

Relationships have been one of the main struggles of 2014. Friendships were challenged in every way and I also went through a few roller-coasters in the matters of the heart. Through it all, I believe that God was leading me in every decision made, words spoken and actions taken. I pray that I will do better in the new year! 

For all the ups and downs, tears and laughter, heartbreaks and joy, I thank You, Lord that You were with me all the time. I'm thankful for all the lessons learnt and experiences gained. I surrender all my hopes and dreams for this year unto Your hands, and may Your name be exalted in all I do and say. 

Praying and hoping that Year 2015 will be  awesome! Cheers!

The Best Is Yet To Be

"However good or bad the situation is, it's not going to last forever."

I have a love-hate feeling about this caption. On one hand, it kinda suck that whatever good that I'm enjoying now will cease one day but on the other hand, it gives hope that whatever rough patch that I'm going through now will come to an end sooner or later. 

In recent days, I've been having the same wake up call over and over again - to wait upon the Lord and to trust that He knows best. I find myself reminding my impatient self to be still and just embrace the present. I'm learning to refrain from complaining or wondering about how my life is right now. It's really tough especially when others are seen to be moving forward with their lives the way the world expects but I myself is somehow falling behind. But I choose to see this as my portion that God has for me and to believe that He's definitely not shortchanging me in any way at all. He is Almighty and I'm His beloved :) 

It is my prayer that I will be faithful and obedient to Him every day, to bring glory and honour to His Name. Things are really getting worse in this world but I pray that people will still be able to see His greatness. 

Roadblocks

Every now and then, I'm faced with disappointments that just crush me inside out. And it's just happening way too often now. I know fully well that when things don't go my way, it's God allowing me to go through them in order to learn and grow, but I really hate it. So much that it doesn't seem to be ending anywhere, heartaches after heartaches. I have learnt to stop asking why because seriously who am I to ask the King of Kings why my life isn't turning out how I expected it to be. I couldn't hate the social media more right now, seeing the beautiful things in people's lives and comparing it with my own. I often asked why can't I have normal? Envy and bitterness cloud my mind and affect me a whole lot. It hurts so much and so often that the feeling is slowly and sadly becoming familiar. Despicably, my life isn't that bad at all. In fact, I ought to be more thankful than this for all the great things that God has blessed me with over the years. But now I truly understand that money can't buy everything and there is so much more to life than all the material things and possessions that we can obtain through a little hard work. I wonder every day if my life now is how it is supposed to be. Should I choose a different route or should I carry on this path and meet every possible roadblock there is? I'm really losing it.

I choose to believe that He knows what's best for me but it is such a challenge. I want to trust Him and wait upon Him. I want to know His heart and His plans for me. And I hope my eyes will open and see them soon.

He will not let your foot slip - 

He who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 121:3

Febulous

February has come and gone. It was an incredible month, I would say :)

For starters, CNY was pretty awesome although it was one of the more quiet ones in recent years. Had quite a lot of fun with the cuz, especially the slow-mo vids we did, and they had so much fun laughing at yours truly. Hmph. Haha Other than that, we managed to visit some relatives in KL too! 

Really appreciate spending time like this :)

Teos united! 

Got our custom-made Zhang Jia tees! :D

Visited relatives at KL :)

Then came the week-long birthday celebration! I actually celebrated till I fell sick, think I had too much good food and fun! :p But I'm really touched and blessed by those around me who generously showed their love, be it by a simple message or sharing a yummylicious feast! Not forgetting the pressies and bday cards which have been almost extinct in this era, quite sad actually. That's why I super appreciate hand-written notes and cards :)) Thank you for making turning 27 such an awesome occasion! Heehee 

 The early Italian feast!

Thanks, peeps! :)

First time celebrating bday at a kopitiam! Awesomeeeee

With the other two February babies! 

And another Italian feast! 

So blessed :):)

 Last but definitely not the least,
I want to thank God for the 2 most important people in my life,

Pa & Mummy :)

Thank you for extending your stay in Melaka just to celebrate my birthday with me. I thank God for both your unfailing love to me each and every day even when we're miles apart. Your constant support, encouragement and prayers have played the biggest part in all aspects of my life.

I love you, both! 

Your love never fails,

It never gives up,

It never runs out on me.

3G1G

3 girls, 1 guy - that's what it stands for :)

Andrew, Rebecca, Elvi and I have known one another since cf days but we weren't exactly close. Well, except for Andrew and Reb who dated and eventually got married :) I've always been closer to Elvi's sisters, Andrew has always been my fellow bandmate and Reb was one of the paddlepoppers. 

Through serving together in CCC and hanging out frequently, we got closer and just got really comfortable with one another. It came to a point where we could just share anything under the sun and just be transparent about our lives. I guess we grew to trust each other, with no fear of being judged or misunderstood. 

I appreciate that we are all different and that we are able to accept and complement one another. I pray that God will continue to use us together to fulfil His plans and be a blessing to those around us.

It has only just begun... ;)

R.A.G.E.

The New Year

Happy New Year!

The first week of January 2014 is coming to an end and it has been somewhat fulfilling. Firstly, work was just 2 days so it certainly was awesome. haha Other than that, it's always wonderful to have Pa and Mummy staying with me, showering me with love and pampering me throughout the day.

Earlier this week, I welcomed the new year at Drewbecca's place. They had a bbq party just among the cousins and invited Elvi, Shi Wei and I. It was really fun! The cousins were really friendly and we had a good time of laughter :) Elvi and I slept over too and we stayed up till about 5am! :D

Within this week also I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty twice! The first time was with Nicole and Claire, and second was with Styne and Elvi. Personally, I really liked the movie. I thought that whoever who loves photography would really appreciate the scenes with such breathtaking sights. I have never seen any other movies more beautiful than this! Also, the story itself is an inspiration. It certainly is a motivator for YOLO (you only live once) motto in life. I really hope that this year I will be able to see the world more than ever. Praying that financial needs will be met and that timing would be favourable :)

Emotionally, I have been feeling thirsty. I keep wanting more out of everybody around me. And I myself keep wanting to give more. But somehow, the circumstances of life obstruct and I get frustrated. I want to draw strength and wisdom from Him and pray that I do not burn out fast. I trust that as I have this longing to give more out of my life, I know He will sustain. Looking forward to a good year ahead!

You will know that God's power

is very great for us who believe.

Eph 1:19

Reflection for 2013

Year 2013 has been one of a kind. After some reflection, I realized that it has been a year where I was able to do a lot of things for myself, in another words loads of me-time!

For starters, it was the first year that I've been staying all by myself here in Melaka. Although Pa & Mummy come over regularly and the bros as well, most of the time I have the house all to myself. Most people expect me to be scared or lonely but truth to be told, I'm really enjoying it. haha 

Apart from that, I attended hip hop dance classes for about 2 months. I loved it as a form of exercise because I could really sweat a lot. Sadly, I'm not a dancer by nature thus I felt that it was not as enjoyable as I wanted it to be. 

The latest would be what I have always wanted to do all my life - badminton training! I have been feeling stagnant with my skills and thought that it was time I do something to improve myself. I managed to get a coach who agreed to coach me one-to-one and I must say it has been quite an experience! I thoroughly enjoyed all the sessions so far but every training felt like a near-death experience. haha Nonetheless, I hope to resume training soon for at least a few more times :)

After all that has been said, I want to thank God for his faithfulness to me. Throughout this year, I have also 'avoided' commitments and responsibilities whenever I could. I kept having the thought of wanting time to myself and not be tied down by anything. As I reflect back on this year, I realized that life was not as fulfilling as it should be when living for one's self. I will not deny that I had the time of my life doing whatever I wanted, whenever and wherever. But life's not supposed to be like this. 

So, I have made a resolution for Year 2014 to serve others more, be it for God, family or friends. I want to make everyday count, not for myself but for the betterment of others. I believe that there is so much more to life than making myself happy and I want to impact other lives as much as I can. 

I'm grateful for friends who have been there all along and also for new friends made this year. I always believe that friends are one of the best gifts in life. I pray for God's wisdom and guidance as I befriend them and also for His love and blessings to overflow in my life to them :)

For the family, I'm grateful everyday for health, joy, peace and love that resonates to people around our lives. I'm forever thankful for Pa & Mummy's unfailing love, Kor & Soly's understanding and bgr-like close relationship. I cannot ask for more :) 

Thank you, Lord for 2013. I look forward to more adventures and YOLO moments in 2014!!

The glory of life is

to love, not to be loved;

to give, not to get;

to serve, not to be served. 

Resuming

Wow, it's been so long since I last posted here! A pretty boring night has led me back here, I guess. And yes, life has been nothing less than interesting since. So much has happened, yet I feel as though nothing has.

For starters, I was able to bring my parents for some trips. Terengganu in April and Penang in June. I thank God that both trips came to pass and we had a really good time together.

Terengganu - We stayed at Uncle Ronnie and Aunty Olive's place!

Penang - Soly brought us around! :)

Apart from that, work is still the same, but we are traveling more than ever. Since the reduction of charges, sign-ups have increased. A month ago, boss spoke to me and proposed that I join the Sales Team for Trade. I agreed but till today there hasn't been any changes. I'm praying that God has something good in store as I have been feeling rather demotivated at work. I need more challenges and progress!

Recently I had the privilege of attending the Eagles Leadership Conference in Singapore. It was such an amazing experience. Heard from so many incredible speakers! I did learnt a lot and I hope to put them to good use in my daily life.

 Thoroughly enjoyed the conference! So much to learn!

 The 4 eagles from Melaka!

 Met up with Debbie for lunch. Yummy tonkatsu! :D

 Julie brought us out for Katong Laksa & Awfully Chocolate :D

 The remarkable Idris Jala and his lovely wife!

 Ong Kian Meng - Member of Parliament for Serdang & frequent author of Malaysiakini

Our beloved LGE was present too!

 Monita Tahalea & Juwita Suwito - beautiful singers for Christ!

Also met up with Xi and Tiff on the last day. Went to CHC too!

Feelings have been on roller coaster since forever. Once a while, old heartbreaks will surface and consume the soul. I could only hold on to Him and get through the moment. It's really unbearable and I always wished that God would do something right away. Yes, right away. I'm so sick of waiting and envying others. I wonder how long more do I need to survive before I get to live. 

Looking forward to the Bangkok trip in 2 weeks' time! Praying for an awesome trip with the peeps :D

Be the change.

Where do sinners go?

My friend was having a conversation with a man who didn’t have much good to say about the Christian faith. My friend knew that if he were to sound too “religious,” he would jeopardize any chance to witness. So, in the middle of their discussion, he said, “Hey, Bob, do you know where sinners go?”

“That’s easy,” he replied. “You’re going to tell me they go to hell.”

“No,” my friend responded. “They go to church.”

Bob was speechless. That wasn’t what he expected. He wasn’t ready to hear from a Christian who realized he wasn’t perfect. My friend had a chance to share that Christians understand their sinfulness and their need for continual spiritual restoration. He was able to explain grace—the unmerited favor we have with God despite our sinfulness (Rom. 5:8-9; Eph. 2:8-9).

Perhaps we don’t give those outside the church a clear picture of what’s happening inside. They may not understand that we’re there to praise our Savior for providing “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14).

Yes, sinners go to church. And sinners—forgiven ones—go to heaven because of God’s grace.

We’re far from perfection, yet perfect forever,
For Christ is our righteousness, Lord, and our Savior;
No justification for sin can we offer,
Yet sanctified fully, we’re now His forever. —Lee

A church is a hospital for sinners, not a club for saints.

Adopted from RBC

Over You

Although I can't relate to this song, I can't stop watching this video. 

Such a simple and honest performance by Cassadee Pope on The Voice :)

Over You

Weather man said it's gonna snow
By now I should be used to the cold
Mid-February shouldn't be so scary
It was only December I still remember
The presents, the tree, you and me

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you

Living alone here in this place
I think of you, and I'm not afraid
Your favorite records make me feel better
Cause you sing along with every song
I know you didn't mean to give them to me

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you

Cause you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you
Ever get over you.

Originally sung by Miranda Lambert