Wits & Whines

Declaration of love!

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:31:31 +0800

Declaration of love!

Space is a luxury

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:39:56 +0800

When you’re confined within the walls of a tiny squarish room for days, you’d yearn and appreciate a sojourn back at home, no matter how brief the stay might be.

It didn’t affect me as much back when I first moved in. But as much as I want to regard all things with optimism, I could not control myself from feeling fettered at times. Whenever I raise my head from a difficult math problem, there is no space for my thoughts to wander. I lose my sense of perspective in there, at night, when the darkness obscures the view from my window and everything retreats into the room again. Having scarcely enough room to maneuver and unwittingly knocking and toppling things over sometimes, I tick the days off in my head in anticipation of another weekend spent at home.

I am fully aware that it’s not just me who has to live in these claustrophobic conditions and that most others are adapting fine with all it has to offer. Even so, I feel it necessary to express how I feel about it simply because my physical confinement is transcended when my thoughts leave the walls of the mind which constructed them.

Beware: This is another one of my random entries

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:20:33 +0800

The semester holidays are over and I miss my soujourn at home already. I can feel the weight of the sediments of reality. Every single subject magnifies itself before me plus the other things that I’ve somehow gotten myself into and the hope of getting sick to escape problems (which was a mental disease I had in high school) revisited me, though not as desperate now as before.

Math. I gotta do some math.

thekhooll: World Peas - Give Peas a Chance By KernowLight Yes,...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 23:33:00 +0800

thekhooll:

World Peas - Give Peas a Chance

By KernowLight

Yes, give them a chance, don’t whirl peas.

My Dad, and Japan’s infamous yakuza. Hahahaha.

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 14:36:01 +0800

My Dad, and Japan’s infamous yakuza. Hahahaha.

Status: Idle

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:46:02 +0800

The title should tell you quite a lot about how I’ve been spending my holidays so far.

So I had done nothing much for the past 2 and a half weeks except that I sat for 2 exams and bought lots of books but I’m nowhere near finishing them, made a few notebooks, doodled on a tee and drew a few pictures. All these (except for the first mentioned) are relatively unimportant and should not appear on my list of priorities, considering the proximity of my official examination which is within 4 months. My grandiose holiday plans have failed, miserably, and I am now attempting to reboot the engine with immense difficulty, and hopefully get at least 10% of them done before I head back to the grassy plains. And I’ve been book hopping. Allow me to explain: It means I jump from one book to another before completing any of them. And so I end up not accomplishing a single thing. Hee. I’m going to get more books tomorrow.

The gloom of my time mismanagement aside, I am grateful for this month long break. The pleasure of rising late and going about the daily stuff at a less intense pace are luxuries that only holidays can provide. Though I must say that I’ve enjoyed enough and should by now, start to discipline myself and exercise some self-control.

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” -Proverbs 25:28
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” -Hebrews 12:11

The second verse is another one of my favourite verses in the Bible, but also the hardest to abide by.

Yes, I must get back to work, and, tune my messed up sleeping patterns because my stress indicators are flaring up uncontrollably.

It’s PicsArt again!

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:32:10 +0800

It’s PicsArt again!

Hill-scrapers.

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:03:19 +0800

Hill-scrapers.

Thought of selling these but now I feel like keeping them for...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:35:21 +0800

Thought of selling these but now I feel like keeping them for myself instead. Whee.

How We've Grown

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:05:00 +0800

Read on if you aren’t already sick of blog entries about high school.

I was browsing through old pictures on Facebook one day when I discovered my (much treasured) high school photos & realised that I just had to save them on my computer. I’ve lost quite a number of photos, thanks to the wretched desktop computer we had last time. She (the desktop computer) had nonetheless dutifully served her purpose and her legacy (our folios and projects) will be (subconsciously) remembered. May she rest in peace.

Looking at these photos reminded me of the many things we did together, most of which will never be relived again. Moral ‘Kerja Kursus’ community services when we had more fun taking pictures than weeding the flower beds; our canteen day when we went around begging people to buy our sandwiches; the agonising (albeit fulfilling) 7-day science research project; our super awesome Mag Inc entry, though we only got a merit award, but hey, it’s still an award!; the biology lab experiment when we had to dissect the (poor) frog in the name of intellectual curiosity (some squealed with fear, or excitement, or disgust, some were indifferent, some benevolent hearts vowed to be vegetarian for life, others were blithely unconcerned and preferred to do their add maths homework instead); the games of basketball that incentivise us to rise as early as 7 a.m. on beautiful Saturday mornings; blister-causing Taekwondo trainings and the satisfaction of having been able to endure them; and the usual day-to-day classroom happenings when we all see the same person dozing off on her desk, another person in her candidly jovial disposition and our everyday conversations in which we never strayed too far from make-believe aliens and planets named after our birth dates (I personally miss doing this a lot).

Looking at the comments is what made me realise we’ve grown so much. We have shed our childishness and, if you do not think me disrespectful, immaturity. We are, somehow, in tacit agreement that we should respect each other (if we haven’t already done that) or rather, display that respect by cutting down on the (sometimes condescending, though unintentional) sarcasm and satirical humour. Okay, maybe not you may think. It’s probably just the distance that has triggered so much thought and longing, and all these arbitrary conjectures.

Look, I know I’ve gotten past that phase of life but it doesn’t hurt to reminisce, does it?

The Braces Gang!

Even if we are no longer able to converse like before and at times, may find our rendezvouses awkward, there’s always a time when we’ll experience that ephemeral flash of the past which topples over the inexhaustible bucket of affection within us.

I survived

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 14:35:42 +0800

First of all, I’d like to thank God for it is only by His grace and mercy that I’ve managed to, somehow, come this far. Looking back, I’ve never expected that I would be here, in a claustrophobic (albeit cosy) room, solving math questions and poring over Physics references. I’d thought that I would never have to be enmeshed in all these ever again. But my graceful Provider has done the unexpected once more. And I am grateful beyond words.

The past few weeks have been pretty eventful. I’m glad that college is beginning to feel more like home and that I’ve made several really good friends.

Although there’s still a slew of work left undone and I can expect a lot more to come, it is probably through pressure that we learn and grow faster. The intensity of the curriculum is becoming apparent, I should have realised it long before I came but I suppose it’s still not too late.

I’ve also become more receptive to failure, I think, which is good and bad at the same time. I guess I’ll just have to deal with that along the way.

The Message

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:28:14 +0800

世上有许多不完美的人、事、物。有些想避也避不了，有些事情做了会后悔，希望时光倒流，从新再来。但是变化不是一瞬间的事，这些不太如意的事提醒了我要常常祷告，忍耐地等待，容纳但不一定要容受，接受事实但不放弃耕耘。

Something from my Bible reading plan:
You Must Develop Patience

When you and I say to God, “Change me,” we better know what we’re saying because we are not just going to wake up different the next morning. Instead, what God is going to do is give us an opportunity, through opposition, to grow as we change.

James 1 tells us how important it is to have patience when we’re changing and facing opposition. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that only develops and grows under trial, and it’s something we need. Scripture tells us that when we have it, we’re perfect and entire, lacking nothing. However, there’s just no way to get it without going through something to receive it.

If we really want to be victorious Christians who serve God and make a difference in the world, then we are going to have to go through some challenging things. The devil will try to scare you off, but God can see you through any challenge.

So today, choose to let God work through you, even in the face of opposition. As your patience grows and develops, you will step into a life of great victory.

I’m not sure if I used the right Chinese characters. And if I were to write them all stroke by stroke, I would not remember half of the characters I used here. Haha.

Saw this picture on the wall this morning and couldn’t resist...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:40:59 +0800

Saw this picture on the wall this morning and couldn’t resist the urge to capture it so that I can keep it in my phone as well. It’s my favorite family photo! My brother’s in it too!
It’s posted here to tell my readers (if there’re any, lol) that I’m still alive. And to show off God’s great love!

It's been 2 weeks.

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:48:51 +0800

Yay! I’ve finally gotten out of the clutches of boredom and landed here, back in college, again.

Urban, well-known colleges and this jungle-encircled campus have striking differences, elaboration on which I will spare, for now.

I shall not deceive you: life is going through a tumultuous change. Rusty waters, claustrophobic cubicles, lots of math, cold showers, bureaucratic administration, the pressure that builds up while you’re dazzled by the brilliance of the people around you and that chilling isn’t in the timetable, I think it’s because of the one-month hiatus between my transition from one college to the other. I must say that studying for computer-based exams with MCQs are a lot easier (lol!) than having to do functions, probability and physics reports 6 months after you’ve last seen stuff like that. The occasional 8 a.m. classes which I used to dread, I now have them every single day.

But don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t dissatisfaction that I was expressing. I just need a little bit more time to become accustomed to all these.

I’m glad that I’m here, battling with the challenges that God had presented to me. I’m sure I’ll survive and make the most out of the experiences I can get here.

This beautiful hymn is a true account of faith in the Lord Jesus...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:00:36 +0800

This beautiful hymn is a true account of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read the description!

My masterpiece!

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:46:14 +0800

My masterpiece!

Eighteen-ed.

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:49:00 +0800

I’m 18!

I woke up (late) today, greeted by a tint of sunlight saturating my room through the drawn curtains. A year older. Obstructions to many freedoms were lifted overnight. As the hands on the clock overlapped each other, I was suddenly granted the eligibility to do many things I couldn’t have legitimately done before.

Cigarettes, alcohol, casinos, movies with the ‘18-XX’ rating, and doing away with parental permission slips. When I examined my arms, they were no longer today than they were yesterday. It’s flawed to also claim that I’ve suddenly become wiser overnight. It’s funny and peculiar that yesterday, I could have been caught transgressing the law for buying cigarettes and alcohol, but all these became lawful today. For national statistics perhaps?

I wonder what it is like for everyone else who’s turning 18. Don’t be deluded by the law, kiddos. If it’s wrong yesterday, it’s still wrong today. Well, you won’t be needing parental permission slips, but don’t deprive your parents of the luxury to issue permits, and yourself of the delight of getting one. After all, they are the reason why you survived since your birth, up till this day.

I’m thrilled to be the birthday ‘wishee’ of so many birthday wishers! Thanks for the call (Tharry!), the messages, the comments and thoughts. Sorry if I didn’t respond by ‘liking’ it (must be the Internet connection), sorry if I didn’t wish you on your birthday (you can pay back by not wishing me next year, hahaha). I vow to check for birthdays every time I log on.

May God lavish His people with love and blessings!

Time for a new list of resolutions.

And a bank account.

Boy, am I ecstatic!

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 20:44:39 +0800

Boy, am I ecstatic!

#3: The quintessence of happiness

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:49:23 +0800

We live in a material world. Happiness derived from being stuff-centered is always short-lived, anyone would agree.

One, wisdom. I’d be happy knowing that I’ve done things wisely. Wisdom is a gift, desire it from God and you will receive. James 1: 5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to.”

Two, love. I’d die without love. Love nurtures and sows the seeds of goodness in us. It changes our paradigms and outlooks on people, life and things in general. Love given is more valuable than love received. It’s the best anti-ageing formula, and best of all, you don’t have to pay taxes for it.

Now and then

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:12:22 +0800

It’s been unbelievably long since I’ve last posted a text post.

My 3-month experience in the CFAB programme ended just weeks ago. July ‘12 is heralding a whole new life altogether. I pray that I will be able to live through it without tracing my thoughts back to the former.

I’ve come to realise that, in life, if not everything, most things do not go as planned. Well, unless you planned for the unplanned. I’m now envisioning things which have merely been a dream before. But it’s like I’ve found a pen to trace the dotted lines but I’m uncertain that it’ll last until the mystery of the picture is unravelled.

The past three months were great. God’s plans are always perfect. I’m grateful to have met wonderful people in class, in church, and everywhere else. So much has been imparted, learned and lived. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my time. Though I was pretty reluctant to withdraw myself from the programme, this turn of events made me think that there are other opportunities that God has prepared for me. I know that my next journey will be a bumpy one; the route ahead is obscured with a thicket of uncertainty, but I’m all set to thrive in it. One thing’s for sure: God is with me!