Lest I forget...all of Your goodness, the blood You have shed...

Holidays!!

        Hello people! First of all, I wanna say, "Happy 21st Birthday" to Ashley Ho Yue Li! Your life has inspired so many people, including myself. Looking forward to continue doing life with u and Aaron :)

       Now, a bit about myself...i just completed my barrier exam not too long ago, so I'm currently on holiday!! woohoo!! Results are gonna be out soon, and I'm half scared and half excited as well. Very odd feeling indeed...

        So what have i been doing since holidays started??  well, nothing much....muahahaha!! Can't believe I can actually watch a movie and not have to worry about studying after. So last week itself I rented 6 movies!! Oh, and btw, i totally LOVED the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie! So cool! I don't care if anyone thinks it's childish, but let's get this straight once and for all.....I LOVE THE NINJA TURTLES!!!! Oh, and another thing...I started training in other martial arts to complement capoeira...namely grappling, jiu-jitsu and hopefully some boxing/kickboxing. I found a really good deal too! Like...$20 for the first 8 consecutive days of training. So, that's 1/3 of my holiday training for just $20! But of course after that it's gonna be something like $20 per class. After the last class, I was covered in bruises.

        Other than that, I've just been hanging out with my family and friends. Really having an amazing time. Honestly, I've really been blessed. If I count my blessings, it would amount to the size of a mountain.

        Oh, and more good news. Over the years, I've been praying for a few of my friends. Recently (or maybe not so recent, but i only found out recently), 3 of them received Christ. To me, this was great news. Like the villagers who heard of Jesus through the samaritan woman, now my friends can say that they don't believe because of what I've told them, but they believe because they've seen for themselves the goodness of God! So, make a note to yourself, prayer works! even if when u pray, nothing happens, take note of this...God cannot be mocked. He hears and He will answer in His own time.

A new car and a busted ankle...

Hey all,

        Before I begin, I wanna wish my dad a very Happy Birthday! Thanks for being the great dad that u are! May God continue to shower His grace and blessings over your life :)

        Sorry I haven't been updating my blog lately. You see, lotsa things have been happening lately. Well, for one, I bought a new car!!! Woot! I bought a 2004 Toyota Camry Altise Sport on the 23rd of September. It has a 3.0L V6 engine and is pretty huge. Best part is...it's black. I love the car so much but it gets dirty pretty easily since it's black. keke...It's a really handsome car and I'll post up a picture soon.

        That brings us to the 2nd part of my post. The reason I don't have a picture of my car up yet is because a few days after getting it, I busted my ankle. lol! So I can't be bothered to go out and take pictures. So how did it happen?? Lemme guess...the 1st thing that comes to mind must be capoeira! Well, guess again...it was kinda like this....

        That morning, I was rushing to go for my community placement and initially wanted to wear my brand new leather shoes. But I was late, so I just used my old pair of leather shoes which I've been using for the past century (soles have all worn out!). Later that day, I finished my class at uni, and it was raining. So, I was running to a friend's car. Seconds before reaching the car, I took a wrong step and entered a world of pain! hahaha....I know a lot of people think I'm crazy, but through this event I learned that I really AM crazy. You see...most people would have been either crying or cursing, but I found the whole situation hilarious for some insane reason. So I was laughing all the way. Yups....all the way to the medical centre.

        And this is the even more hilarious bit...Warning to anyone who lives on the Coast! DO NOT go to the medical centre at Market Square, Varsity Lakes! A friend drove me there and I entered hopping on one foot. After waiting for a while, a man walked by mumbling something and then walked away, not even looking me in the eyes. So I just ignored him. Moments later, he came around again, looked at me irritated, and said in a harsh voice, "Come in!" Only then did I realise he was the doctor. So anyway, I picked up my shoe and hopped over (without any help from him!). When I entered he told me to lie down. He examined my foot and after causing me more pain, he said, "I dunno what's wrong. I don't think u broke a bone though. U need an x-ray". I then asked an innocent question that he seemed to be offended by, "In that case shouldn't I get a CT scan or MRI?". Glaring at me like I was a total idiot, he simply replied, "U need an x-ray". Okay....So I just sat there as he bandaged my foot (btw, his bandaging was terrible. No technique at all!), then quoted to me RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). He asked me to elevate my foot with a pillow whilst sleeping. Since the air seemed a little tense, in the midst of my pain, I cracked a joke and said "Oh, haha...even if I tried that, I prolly move too much in my sleep to keep my leg up". His reply was shocking...he rebuked me and said " I'm just telling u what's best for u. If u don't want to follow it, that's up to u!" I was stunned beyond words. The worst part was when he said, "Don't bring your x-ray to me. I close in 5 mins". I mean....what the???? haha...But thinking back, it was pretty funny :)

        So what is wrong with my ankle?? Well, I sprained it. No bone fractures, but I think there's ligament damage and I had to be on crutches for the past 2 weeks. But during this time, I've just seen the best come out of some of my friends in the Gold Coast, and of course my beloved parents who came up to visit me. They've been really really sweet helping me in any way possible :) I feel so blessed! *Happiness* Anyway, a giant thanks to everyone who gave me a hand when I needed it and those who showed their concern. Muchas gracias!!

Who am I?

Kogarah Bed Racing
        These are just some funny pics from the Kogarah street festival where the main event was a bed race to raise money for charity. I had a great time with my mom.

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Amazing Friends
        A giant "Thank You" to Aaron, Ashley, Darrel, Nydia, Melissa and Jeanne for hanging out with me last Saturday! Just wanna say u guys are amazing and I'm honoured to do life with u.
I appreciate u all for taking time out cause I know for most of u, it's exam week. Really touched...=)

From left: Jeanne, Melissa, Nydia, and Ashley

For some reason, no one took pics of the boys...hmm...lol!
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Who am I? (inspired from the song "Who am I" by Casting Crowns)
        That's a question that recently caught my attention. "Who am I?"
In the light of eternity, I am, but a 'vapor in the wind', 'a flower quickly fading', and 'a wave tossed in the ocean'....

Yet...

For my empty promises, I've received His blessings...

For my wandering heart and adultery, I've received His faithfulness...

For my ungratefulness, I've received His forgiveness; a second chance...

For my pride, I've received His mercy...

For my foolishness, I've received His divine guidance...

For my inability, I've received His favour...

For my idolatry, I've received His holiness...

For my torn heart, I've received His un-failing love...

For my broken body, I've received His healing...

For my troubled spirit, I've received His hope...

For my insanity, I've received His peace...

For my weaknesses, I've received His strength...

For my sins, I've received His grace and eternal life...

and having nothing of true value to give in return, I've received His only Son...

   Truly I am nothing but a vapour in the wind...but I'm thankful that I have someone that places value on my life. Someone who catches me when I'm falling. Someone who protects me when I'm hurting. Someone who saves me when I'm drowning. Someone who watches over me when I'm sleeping. Someone who chooses to light the way, even when I go astray. Because of that someone, the sun shines for me, and life is worth living =)

Breaking radio silence...

Hehe...sorry everyone, for not updating u guys...been rather busy with uni work.

On the 19th of July 2006, I went for the Colours of Asia night at uni. It was organized by the Malaysian Society and Thai Society. There were some fun performances (eg lion dance) and some pretty odd ones as well.

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Today, I went to the Bond Christian Connection's (BCC) Big Day Out. It was a day long leadership/motivational seminar with time out for some meals and fun at the beach. Here are some pics from the Big Day Out:

Just something a friend drew on my hand...but what it says is so true (that I love Jesus!)

In recent days, I've been spending more time with God. All in all, I just wanna say this...that my God is faithful and HE cares about the little things YOU care about. The next time you pray, do it with all your heart and truly cry out to Him, for He hears your prayers. There is a promise in the Bible from Luke 18 about the persistent widow:

"...pray and not give up (v.1)...(read the parable yourself)...will not God bring justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see to it that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (v.6-8)"

When we pray, we should claim the promises of God for our lives. The Bible is full of promises, and they are for us to use as a constant reminder to God. Not that God has forgotten us...for He numbers the hairs on our heads...but He desires our fellowship and faith in Him.

Adonai, I just wanna say...thank you!

Happy Birthday to Mom and a great weekend...

    Hey all, its late and I just came back from studying with some friends, but for some odd reason I feel like blogging. First of all, I just wanna wish my mommy dearest a very Happy Birthday!!! You've been amazing in my life and I can't thank God enough for you. So thank you for being the great mom and person that you are. You've not only inspired me, but countless people around you. May God bless you abundantly in everything you put your heart and hands to. Love you so very very much!! *Hugz*
    The past weekend was exhausting, but I had great fun with my friends. Eugenie (my friend from like the beginning of time...) came over to Gold Coast to visit. Thanks for dropping by :) So, we decided to meet up at Surfer's Paradise on Friday, go to Movieworld with a coupla my friends on Saturday and to Byron Bay with Alvin on Sunday. To fully view pics, just right click and open it in a new window or tab. Otherwise, left click it, and click again using the scrolly thing on your mouse (if u got one) and u can scroll the pics up and down.

Surfer's Paradise:

With Eugenie at the Surfer's Paradise Night Market

With Jeanne. Thanks so much...esp for the car. Really appreciate all u did :)

Movieworld:

Eugenie, moi, Shrek, Jeanne, Princess Fiona, Shirley, and the birthday gal..Miki

Batman. The guy didn't even get off his Batmobile. Was super disappointed, but what can I say...he's Batman :)

That scooby-doo ride was pretty scary, but I had fun :)

with Chris and Batboat

just being posers...

Byron Bay:
Pics are of Eugenie, Alvin and me :)

And to end this post off...well, I had heaps of fun those coupla days. But haha...I was sick the next day. Other than my classes, I just stayed home n rested. But it was all good, coz an angel took care of me...

Exciting Times...

    Hey everyone! The past few days of my life were most eventful, but before i say anything else I wanna wish my dear friend Ashley, a very Happy 20th Birthday!!! You've been such a great friend to me. Words can't express how wonderful a person you are and I hope you have a blast on this special day! Thank you for being such an inspiration to me and those around you.

   
    Also, a very Happy 20th Birthday to my very dear friend Stephanie Thomas. She's a real hottie and just last month (March), she won Malaysia's Top Female Model of the month. Steph, I pray God will continue to lead you and guide you in everything you do. May all your dreams come true. I really hope you win the finals at the end of the year. *HUGZ*

    So lets start from Sunday. Filhos da Bahia Capoeira School had its 13th annual batizado (grading) at our new academy. The event was a huge success and there was a display of amazing capoeira. Famous mestres, profesors (teachers) and instructors came from Brazil, Argentina, and all over Australia. Filhos da Bahia currently has branches in 6 countries all around the world: Brazil, Australia, South Korea, New Caledonia, France and Japan. Capoeiristas were not only pulling off gravity defying stunts, but also challenging each other in the roda. During my turn, I played against Profesor Cachaca from Grupo Porto da Barra.

    Cachaca is known to be rather aggressive in the roda, so I was extremely careful. This cost me my usual flow in the roda, but I managed to hold my own for a while before going down via a headbutt to my midsection. From the moment we shook hands, there was no hint of mercy as I was bombarded with kicks to my head. Most were blocked using my arms but one actually connected to the top of my head when I couldn't totally esquiva (dodge) in time. However, I'm just glad he didn't get me in the jaw or neck, since that was where he was aiming for (i just took out 3 wisdom teeth!). Only at one time did he drop his guard and I actually manage to get in a kick to drive the point home. Most of the time I could only defend. So, after much hard work, I was awarded my 3rd cord. Woohoo!! A capoeirista from Japan after me wasn't so lucky though. A kick from Cachaca actually connected straight with his face....nose bleed! Poor guy! (we don't use protective gear) I was rather sad however, since it would be the last time I am a part of Filhos da Bahia since I'm moving to Gold Coast and will be joining Zambiacongo. So, here's a pic of me and my instructor, Camarao.

    Then on Monday, the funniest thing happened. My connect group planned a surprise party for me. But guess what I surprised them instead. Haha! I totally forgot about Connect Group!! So there they were with cake, gifts and all, but no bday boy! Darrel called me an hour after it started, and I had to drive down to the city. Funny thing was they forgot candles and a lighter, so I was made to bring that as punishment. Haha! But we had a blast anyway. Thanks everyone for celebrating....me!! :) love u heaps! oh, and Ying made such yummy kenyaku (is that how it's spelled?) jelly!

    On Tuesday, I had a birthday lunch for my family members, close friends, and school mates. I felt bad that I couldn't invite so many other people (esp my CG), but my house can only fit so few and it was a really last minute thing. Hope you guys understand. But thanks heaps to everyone. I really love you guys. The gifts and cards you gave me were really thoughtful, and I wanna thank everyone even those from Malaysia, who wrote me a message in that album. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Terima Kasih!!

   
Well, thats all I'm gonna blog about for now. Take care everyone. Much love...

ps-if you read this blog, lemme know by commenting. And thanks Howee for the wonderful feedback!