Why Nobody Should Give Me Chocolates For My Birthday

Here's a lovely picture to entertain you guys while I'm busy wreaking havoc in the Edit HTML section.


Be thankful I don't have Photoshop to make it more graphic.

Good evening!

p/s: the chocolates were from my cousin in Germany.

Me = CSS + HTML Noob

Ever since I've gone back to active blogging, I've found that I'm a noob of many things.

Anyway, I'm revamping the blog's template cuz it's so not nice to see. However, being the noob that I am, the blog will either end up uglier or revert back to the old template.

I have to go fetch Shaun from GBS before I can continue with the sidebar thingys.

Thank you for your patience.

Buhbye!

My Latest Obsession: Typing Games

As you can very well see, this game is called Keyboarding. This game is odd, because the letters on the keyboard have all been reassigned and you have to try and type words using the new keyboard, which is, of course, quite difficult. And kind of pointless. Cuz it doesn't really train your typing skills now, does it?

No, I do not say that just because this keeps happening!


Speed Typing - a game where you have to type speedily.

Dots. Such a lack of imagination in naming one's game. Ah well, to neutralize the sarcasm, I shall add that the game does that that red cancelling thing when you make a typo. And then it does that rather bland thing of calculating the number of typos you make. Basically, you keep going on and on till you make 12 typos and then you can start saying "GG", as guys seem so fond of doing nowadays. In MGC anyway.


This one is one of the series under The Typing Test, that is supposedly updated daily, meaning there are 5 different games each day (does that mean the link wouldn't work tomorrow?). This particular one is simply labelled Typing Game #1, where you need to type a whole paragraph of words correctly. The number of typos will be recorded at the end of the typing. This one's slightly (emphasis on the 's' word) more interesting because you're typing a story. For instance, I now know of the story of a person named Quiteria (the name just feels golden). And there was this really interesting part about how love turns a bleary eye into a pearl and whatever other ugly stuff into beautiful stuff. I have bad memory, can you tell?

Shucks. Not many good typing games out there.



Try this if you're still not rooting for The Typing of The Dead. It provides the same basic tutorial for the home row as TTOTD does. Of course TTOTD has more than just a basic tutorial (*sokong sokong*).

Can't get past what happened to the honest shoemaker after he went to his work-bench bright and early the next morning though. Anyway, I'm gonna try to beat those high scores! Cis! (Do I sound like I'm too free to you?)

I Took Typing Lessons

...Online. The results:

103 words

Speedtest

A slight improvement.

Yay now I know how to use my RH pinky on the keyboard! Plus I realize typing without resting my wrists on the laptop / desk makes typing much faster.

Maybe now I can play the piano better! Buhbye! *goes downstairs to try*

Typing Speed

Whoa!








Ok ok. I admit it. I lied.

92 words

Speedtest

For a more accurate measure of your typing speed, I eagerly recommend The Typing of the Dead for PC gamers.

[To MGC-ians: It's the one Shaun was playing in church the other day =P]

Overview:

Put down that joystick, agent! There's only one weapon that's right for this mission: a computer keyboard. Set your fingers on the home row, then type like your life depends on it to blast those marauding zombies back into their graves. There's no room for hunting and pecking here -- only the fastest and most accurate typists will survive!

.Taken from http://www.gametap.com/home/play/gameDetails/000482550

It's actually a parody of House of the Dead 2, except instead using violent stuff like guns, we get to kill zombies delicately, using - get this - the keyboard! Some of the zombies also use drumstick (as in the chicken's drumstick) instead of dangerous, sharp weapons. Yay for world peace!























You have got to look at your character (and your "comrades" in the game too) - a minimum of 30 seconds of laughter guaranteed.

Anyway, this game is fun if you're the type who enjoys a good laugh and really wants to know your typing speed. It measures your speed based on a few other factors, such as accuracy, decision-making, and speed. There are actually 2 other factors which I can't remember. All of this is shown after you complete a full level (there are 6). At the same time, the game also ranks you based on your typing speed and your high score - calculated by the number of civilians you save and the number of zombies you kill.

Want the game?

Get it from me via file transfer =)

Oh, but you need a really erm spacious (me = computer terminology noob) flashdrive.

The Riddle of the...Um...Juliet?

Ceh, the Namecaller berteka-teki pula. I'll post one too:

Juliet was found dead in her room one night. Her room was high up in a doorless tower. The only means of entrance was the window that opened to her room. There had been a storm the night Juliet died. The window was opened, and there was only glass and water on the floor. How on earth did Juliet die?

.First heard from deLaMer's Singaporean cousins

________________________________________________________________________________

By the way, Ms Johnson's retirement day in MGSS was very well done. Or maybe I've just had too much of MHS's singing + solo spree for every celebration we have there. I took some pictures with my cameraphone, but as the previous post clearly indicates, they wouldn't make it up here very soon. I'll try my best to get the pictures Mr Chong (the school photographer), but if I know him well enough, I'll get them in no short time.

Ms Johnson herself sang a song for us (ok, them, the current students of MGSS) and told a completely revised version of the story of Mary and Martha. Now Martha is like some jahat glory-seeking, power-hungry person *gah gah gah*

Anyway.

MGSS students put up very good performances. The MGSS Dikir Barat team stuck true to its reputation of performing with gusto and humour, and it was especially delightful to see the team muhibbah spirit in the team, with Chinese and Indian students blending in quite nicely with the Malay dikir-barat-ers (I am a fan of making up words).

I'd better stop here before I go on and on and make this a long post that's not about the Riddle of the Juliet.

Next post sometime soon!

My Schedule for the Day That Arrives In 4 Minutes

Yes. My clock says 11.56pm. I repeat. My clock.

Anyway, on to the schedule:

• 7.00 am - Wake up to my handphone's alarm and hit snooze for another 10 minutes
• 7.10 am - Breakfast!
  
• 7.20 am (konon) - My Hobby + Bathe (Please refer to sidebar for further details)
• 7.50 am (konon-konon, considering the prev one was konon) - Do something with my hair
• 8.00 am (enough with the konon) - Shut the doors and windows and drive off to MGSS
• 8.30 am - Sneak into the school and look anxiously around for Seoks
• 8.40 am - Sit in the darkest shadows at the sidelines and um watch *Ms Johnson retire
• 9.30 am - Chit-chat with teachers
  
• 10.00 am - Hang around with Seoks and Chiao Wern
• 1.40 pm - Drive to Ong Kim Wee to pick up Shaun and Ken
• 2.10 pm - Lunch at home
• 2.30 pm - Sweep the floor upstairs
• 2.45 pm - Wipe the tables (yeah, I know I should do this before sweeping the floor *stubborn*)
• 2.50 pm - My Hobby + Bathe
• 3.20 pm - Quiet Time - Psalm 119: 17 - 24!
• 3.50 pm - Take in clothes and fold them
• ~4.00 pm - Mum calls and asks to take out the food~
  
• 4.03 pm - Continue folding clothes
  
• 4.10 pm - Take out the food in the fridge for dinner
• 4.11 pm - Help Ken with homework
• ~Depends on how much homework he has~ - Nothingness
• 6.00 pm - Unique Flavour, 8TV (woohoo!)
  
• 7.00 pm - Dinner
• 8.00 pm - Livia comes over and we leave for Ujong Pasir
  
• 8.13 pm - Pick up Adrian and Andy at Ujong Pasir
  
• 8.30 pm - Practice for DMSJ Presentation on March 8
• 10.30pm - Arrive home & Check TV for shows
  
• ~Depends on what programme there is on TV (no, I don't remember them)~ - Sleep

There!

Looks so busy but actually nothing wan.

I'm off to sleep!


*Ms Johnson = Principal of SMK (P) Melaka [MGSS] 2001 - 2008. Will be retiring tomorrow. I mean, today. (Yes, the clock now says 12.18 am)

Why My Blog Looks So Dull

*words words words words*







*words words words words*







*words words words words*







*words words words words*






That's why.


Oh ya. Maybe the commonplace layout contributes too.


*Hey! I have original pictures! Yay!

...p/s: I skipped Pic2.jpg. Didn't notice leh =D

A Way Through The Sea

It is during the dreaded World War II, and the story revolves around 3 friends - Peter Andersen, his twin sister Elise, and their Jewish friend, Henrik.

WW2 in Denmark meant German soldiers in the streets, German patrol boats in the harbour, and German fighter planes in the sky. Before the invasion, no one in Denmark cared whether a person was Jewish. Now the Nazis are secretly rounding up all of the Jews who live in Denmark and sending them to prison camps in Germany. Suddenly, Henrik and his family must escape!

Sweden offers the only place of refuge, but with soldiers lurking the streets and Nazi boats patrolling the sea, only a miracle can get the Jews to safety!

.A Way Through The Sea, back cover

I picked this book to read in the bathroom a few years ago mainly because I had nothing else to read.

Anyway, I thought it would be some childish adventure kind of thing, considering the fact that the heroes (and heroine) are 11-year-olds. But as usual (you'd think I'd have learned by now), I was wrong. It's a Christian book, actually. But the hints of Christianity are not as strong as some other Christian books I've read. For instance, Peter is the one his uncle Morten talks to about Christianity. But that occurs only once, and Peter doesn't come out of that scene a believer / convert or anything. His entire family, with the exception of his uncle and grandpa, is a self-sufficient family, with apparently no thoughts or talk about God. However, as the youths get themselves deeper and deeper into dark waters (literally), Peter begins to pray to the God of his Uncle Morten.

Not the kind of flowery Deliver me, O Almighty One kind of prayer, but the type we all sometimes mutter when we find ourselves driving down the wrong lane of the road with a car heading straight for us, when we find ourselves in Telok Mas and almost approaching Johor instead of getting to Semabok in Melaka for tuition, when we find ourselves in Rawang and a housing area instead of heading towards the Orang Asli village in Tapah, when we find ourselves trudging in Brinchang, the highest point of Cameron Highlands instead of happily scavenger-hunting in Tanah Rata of Cameron Highlands, or when we stub our toe against something and are struggling to stifle a cry of pain.

Well, for me anyway.

Henrik himself, though a Jew, shows no sign of dependence on the Jehovah that his family serves.

Anyway, they have a homing pigeon each, and Henrik brings his with him (Number One) to his place of refuge. While struggling to stay alive, the three make a promise to use Number One as a means of what could well be their last communication with each other. When the twins make it back to Denmark, they rush to the pigeons' cage and find Number One there waiting, with a message from Henrik. That was the part that sent my goosebump meter flying. Maybe because the author had waited till then to show how God's written Word can really speak to us not only in times of trouble, but also in times of relief and refuge, times of deliverance.

Indeed, the Lord is the Lord who delivers. And Isaiah 43:16 will always have a special place in my heart now.

Bear with me as I give you a last excerpt from the book (emphases mine) - The Epilogue:

There are many true stories of the rescue of Danish Jews during World War II, even though this one uses fictional characters. In the space of just a few days, thousands of men, women, and children were hidden in Danish homes, and the Danish people helped them to escape. The rescue of the Jews was a bright spot in the dark year of 1943; out of about seven thousand Danish Jews, only a few hundred were captured. It made the German leader, Hitler, furious.

Part of the reason so many escaped from Denmark was because everyone agreed that they would not let their friends and neighbours be captured and sent to prison or death. That had already happened in other parts of Europe. All at once, everyone in the country knew what they had to do. They weren't afraid to do the right thing, no matter what the risk.

Just like Moses. One writer has said that if the Danish rescue of the Jews had happened during Bible times, it would have been included as another chapter in the Old Testament.

Who knows?

The story does remind us of the Exodus account, when God's people escaped through the Red Sea.

God was working in special ways then, and again in 1943.

Many people are asking these days: Why do I need to read?

Because God works in special ways.

He always has and always will. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we read true stories, or fictional stories based on true stories, we see God's hand in everything. We see Him working.

And then something clicks.

I've read this before.

In this case, we read A Way Through The Sea in Exodus of the Bible.

Who knows what other ancient Biblical tale will reveal itself in the book you hold in your hand today?

I end with a quote from Margaret Fuller:

A man who does not read good books has no advantage over a man who can't read them.

*Picture taken from http://www.fetchbook.info/search_Robert_Elmer/searchBy_Author.html

WTM Intrigue - How-To-Lose-Boredom For STPM Leavers

The Magic Keys:

CTRL

+

ALT

+

DEL




Voila!

CPU usage 0%?

Move your mouse in a perfect circle a couple of times.

Voila!

CPU usage 2%!

Want to make a mountain range?

Open 3 tabs simultaneously, type an address, and refresh continuously.

Voila!

In classic JJ-Rudy style:

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Note: Only for the unemployed.

Random Comment

Dad mentioned the Persians in his overview of 1 Kings.

Sis and I glanced at each other and shuddered.

Ever since I watched 300, I've had a very bad impression of Persians.

*shudder*

*Shudder*


Gah! *Big Shudder*!

"If Only I Had My Tools"

Get your tools ready and God will use you.

Paul La Botz

There was an awful train wreck. Many were hurt and bleeding. Some were dead. Cries of pain and anguish were heard everywhere. Then someone said, "Is there a doctor here?"

There was a doctor on hand, but, as he saw the broken, bleeding bodies, he cried out helplessly,

"Oh, if only I had my tools! If only I had my tools!"

If a skilled doctor needs tools to work effectively, how much more do we need "tools" to deal with eternal souls. Are we concerned enough to prepare ourselves to be effective in winning children to Christ?

How To Succeed In Winning Children To Christ, George B. Eager, p.39

I think all MGC-ians would nod woefully when I say that the current group of children in the Children's Hour are quite literally monsters. Little monsters they may be, but monsters nonetheless. And I haven't even begun to exaggerate. Brrrr.

This book caught my eye as it was lying among the piles of Sailormoon manga I had in a plastic bag. Thank God for His perfect timing! Because if it were just a year earlier, I'd have dismissed the book as irrelevant to the likes of me.

I'm not gullible enough to think that I'll become a super Children's Ministry guru after I finish this book, but I'm optimistic enough to believe Eager's words:

I am convinced that there are thousands of people who could and would win children to Christ, if only someone would tell them what to do and how to do it.

So far (I'm only up to p.39 - yes, I'm a slow reader), the book has highlighted several mistakes I have seen adults make, and mistakes I have made myself, in teaching and dealing with children. For example:

• Teaching that God put all our sins on an innocent 3rd party - Jesus. This has caused many children to say / think that God is a meany in heaven.
• Laughing at children's "silly" sins. One example in the book was when a little girl confessed to Eager that she had the sin of breaking her glasses. I thought it was silly, really. Until I read on and found that it wasn't quite so silly after all.
• Talking about receiving salvation from the "minimum" point of view, i.e. "All you have to do is confess your sins, repent, and receive Him." It should be a "maximum" kind of teaching, i.e. "In order to be saved, you must confess your sins, repent, and receive Him as Lord and Saviour."

Enough about me.

I believe the author deserves a shine in the spotlight.

*George & Laura Eager

Place of Birth : Valdosta, Georgia

Relations : Laura Eager (wife) and five children

Currently : Founder and director of The Mailbox Club, writes and publishes The Mailbox Club Bible correspondence lessons which are distributed world-wide. He and his wife reside in Valdosta.

History : In January of 1953, his 7-year-old son was tragically killed. God used this heart-breaking experience to bring George and his wife to Himself, and to lead them into the work of presenting the gospel to children and young people. He draws upon practical know-how gained from over 3700 evangelistic meetings with children and young people:

• How to get your message across
• How to give an invitation
• How to counsel effectively
• How to lead a child to Christ
• How to evangelize children through the mail
• How to teach victory to children

*Details taken and suitably modified from How To Succeed In Winning Children To Christ, George B. Eager, back cover

To MGC-ians: Ever wondered how on earth you could possibly tell little Eric the Gospel? Maybe you can at least know the right things to tell him through this book. The how-to-get-him-to-sit-down-and-perk-his-ears-to-listen-'stead-of-runnin'-around-everywhere thing, we can figure out later.

A Regular MSN Life

I tell El Sen how nice it is to have everyone in the family back for CNY.


So I mentioned a couple of times that when something rhymes, it must be true [Copyright (C) ElSen]. Jun Yi decides to employ it in our conversation about DMSJ.

Oh ya...

My super yeng cousin

Chor Yeow's back from Germany! ^_^

My super sweet cousin

Faster come back, Lin! T_T

Let's See... What Other Interesting Titles Are There Besides "Updates"?

Ken challenged me to a wrestle today. My mission was to fling him onto the couch three times in one minute.

"Must until the moving thing on the clock reach one round!!"
"It's called one minute, Ken."

After I flung him onto the couch the first time, he intelligently realized I could do it three times quite easily. And so he crawled on the floor and stuck to it like UHU glue to pretty much anything. And so I lost to a 10-year-old boy at wrestling.

**

Shaun got a new cover for his bed. It fits him perfectly.

He insisted on blogging about it, so I'll leave the pictures etc to him.

Spoiler: Ken said that if he couldn't sleep, he could now count sheep.

It rhymes, so it must be true. [Copyright (C) El Sen]


**

The website for applications to government universities is now open. I don't know what course to register for besides Law. I mean, there are 8 spaces there =.= If I add any other courses to the 3 Law courses I've already put in, the chances of getting Law would be much slimmer. But if I put just Law... tak dapat macam mana?

I know I want to do Law, I really want to do Law, and I die-die also want to do Law. But does the government share my passion? Without the government's approval, my dream stays a dream.

What will my diary be like after March and June? Will it be full of joyful thanksgiving to God, or consolations for myself and struggles to thank God in spite of all?

Frankly, I'm afraid.

**
I've started on the questions for our DMSJ contestants in PowerPoint form. Yup, I like giving myself work to do.

**

Someone called me a vinedresser.

Someone's Dictionary: Vinedresser = penganggur.

-_-"

**
I missed watching Sweeney Todd with Yen and the rest.

**
Shin Shin is back from the UK!!!!!!! I missed meeting her before the 2nd day of Chinese New Year because I missed watching Sweeney Todd with Yen and the rest.

**

Chinese New Year is here~ The world will be filled with red again. I like red, but not when there's too much red. And I personally think red doesn't go very well with gold / yellow. Maybe when the colours are on a princess's super glamourous dress, but not on angpows and lanterns. And the deafening and irritating sound of the drums and Chinese New Year songs are really... deafening and irritating. It's not like I'm being biased or ashamed of the Chinese culture, but I never liked loud and choir-like (like when they sing the Chinese songs in one voice) music anyway.

Many Chinese think that Christians are deserting their heritage and roots by preferring "Western" stuff like Christmas and... I don't know... black stuff (?) to Chinese New Year and other Chinese cultures and traditions. While we have the right to exercise our individual taste and preference, I suppose we do give the impression that we're ashamed of our heritage sometimes. Like when we can't even speak a proper Chinese sentence or write our name in Chinese.

Chinese New Year resolution (copy Shaun): To study Chinese all over again and improve my oral skills. I found my English-Chinese dictionary! I mean, the one Lin lent me *sheepish grin* Anyway, I was saying: I found my English-Chinese dictionary! So as long as I have sufficient discipline, the resolution shouldn't be a problem. =.=

There. Isn't that too much red?

**

By the way, I heard something on the radio and thought it was really nice. Here's the MV - "Teardrops On My Guitar" by Taylor Swift:

The guy mentioned at the start of the song, Drew, is a real-life person in her real. He also knows that he's the guy in the song ^_^" The chorus is especially touching. Who doesn't appreciate a forlorn true one-sided-love story? And I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who can really relate to this song for their own reasons.

But if it's that hard to hold on, then...

Just let go.

Just let go.