mgc = sampat

Yeah, as yen said, can't really tell who's who. Kekeke.

p/s: i think i'll look good as a superhero. =P

Random. Maybe.

someone offered to take a photo of the photographer.

thank you.

it's like I've forgotten how to smile for the camera.

My life that is forever intertwined with the piano

Guess what? Bluetooth adapter has malfunctioned, and so I can't upload any pictures. Ah well. Sila tahan post ini yang padat dengan perkataan dan completely void of pictures. Terima kasih.


Met Sam Lee in PJGH today! He's back from his superlong-May-till-Sept holidays.

Me: You don't play the piano here?

Sam: Yeah, I do, actually. Thanks to my friend (emphasis not mine) who told the music director that I can play. And so I play the bass and the piano.

Ohhh ok. Who's the music director?

Tuuu, that one. I can introduce you to him, if you want. And then I can let it slip that you can play the piano.

-_-

-paying up at the counter after lunching with Sam, Desmond, and Cheng Sze-

Sam to Desmond: She can play the piano very well.

Desmond: Oh izzit ar? Good good.

Me: Oi, Sam!

Oh ya, he's the one who got me into playing the piano.

Revenge la nie?

Yup. Kekeke.

Although I have no idea why I'm the one who terkena the dendam against Desmond.

Ah ha.

That actually reminded me of Friday's CG at Ms Choong's place.

I took a seat next to Grace and left Geng Yi with the sofa (which he'd probably have to share with 2 others).

Geng Yi: Oi, let me sit la.

Me: You sit on the sofa la. Muahaha.

-sometime later, while waiting for the rest to arrive-

Ms Choong: Ohhhh ok, ok. Tse Hwei will play then.

?_? + o_O

Come, Tse Hwei, sit at the piano. We can start already.

I looked at Geng Yi, and guess what? The dear fellow was standing beside Ms Choong (i wonder why) and snickering, albeit sheepishly.

Faster go sit at the piano. Then I can sit your place. Kekeke.

-_- !

Anyway.

I joined the Jeremiah CG at Ms Choong's house, just to make an attempt at another means of berkamcheng-ing with PJGH-ians.

It felt so much like Malacca - All that sitting around waiting for people to arrive when we already thought we were late, using the Spectrum of Praise for singspiration, feeling tempted to drop a pin in the moments of silence during the discussion just to see if it could be heard, the makan and discussion of movies and politics around a dining table afterwards...

Ahh. Good ol' Malacca.

I was quite afraid before going for CG. Especially after all that Geng Yi said about the CG having 20+ people, about the CG being very serious (somemore cannot wear shorts? apalah) and only a few people talking wan etc. (that happens in the Bible study back home too ah ha...)

But as Anderson* closed the session in prayer, I told God, "God, I can do this. Thank You for bringing me here."

Yeah, everything was quite Malaccan except for the fact that we had no fish-head noodle soup and there was no studying of the Bible. Hmm.

I shared about the importance of the Bible to me. It's funny how the Bible has suddenly become the one link between me and my identity as a Christian. I don't go to church 4 days a week anymore. I don't plan youth programmes or troubleshoot problems in the youth. I don't play the piano every time there's something on in church. I don't help to wash dishes. I don't need to play host to anybody. I haven't been explaining anything about the Bible to anybody. Haven't been encouraging and listening to a brother or sister's sharing.

I've lost it all. All that had made me feel like I wasn't just a pew-warmer or a regular attendee in church, or truly a servant of the Lord.

How do you feel like a servant when you're not serving diligently?

How do you feel like an older Christian when you're not exhorting a younger one?

How do you feel like a disciple when you're not discussing the Bible?

How do you feel like a Christian when all you do is attend church?

Ahh.

This is truly a step out of the comfort zone.

I'd always thought that being out of my comfort zone meant serving till I dropped. (cuz I'm pretty lazy and lethargic)

But here, God reveals that being out of my comfort zone is actually not serving the way I used to.

Uncle Min Choon shared last Sunday that we always think, "Must come to church and get involved only can do something for God". I never fully realized the reality of that until I found myself in it.

It's a struggle to remember why I am a Christian, and why I go to church.

Not because I do Christian things, and not because I need to do Christian things.

Such a simple truth that I'd always taken for granted.

Oh ya. Sang a wonderful song in church today. Was so captured by the lyrics.

I hear the Saviour say,
"Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise
"Jesus died my soul to save"
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
I'll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus' feet.

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.

All in all... Dad was right.

A church is only as good as the member of the church who takes it upon himself to take care of you.

In this case...

A church is only as good as the members of the church who take it upon themselves to take care of you.

Thank you, Cheng Sze, Desmond, Geng Yi, Grace, Ms Choong, Pei Win, and Sam.




*one of the youth advisors. trying to get to know the people thru devious means, like matching the names in the bulletin to the people upfront. hey, have to la. how la am i supposed to go up to the church members and ask them their names? tak kena tempat. ish ish.

note: dialogues and events penned down (or typed) according to author's own perception and interpretation. success in sueing for inaccuracy or misstatement is highly improbable.

note 2: i did not forget Juen and er Shanny. this post is based on today and fri. hee.

random statement: i am now the "girl with currypuff crumbs in her hair". don't ask me why.

random statement 2: desmond taught me the secret to getting past level 1 of Desktop Defence. sam shook his head. bah.

I went for CG in my former contract tutor's house

Then I remembered a verse, and it went, "In your anger, do not sin." A sense of peace flooded through me. I knew what I had to do, and my spirit was calm.

What is it about the Bible that does that to us?

What is it about the Bible that affects us the way no other book does?

Anderson, Petaling Jaya GH, Care Group

It's different

It's different when you're in a room of 34 law students.

The other committee groups I've been in will skim over designs and details we usually call "trifles".

Here, every detail was expounded in even greater detail.

I must add that I've never seen so much passion and conviction in any other committee meeting.

Everyone speaks up.

I felt like Chelsea and I were one of the only ones (besides the rest of us in our bureau) who didn't talk.

People who know me will know that I rarely speak up when the situation calls for it the most. I speak up when someone is very obviously twisting a Biblical doctrine. I speak up when I'm in MGC's committee meeting. Sometimes. About stuff I know. Like washing the dishes.

But I rarely speak up.

And to my shame, I confess that I rarely speak up even for my friends.

Every word is mulled over and contemplated, every tone and gesture carefully calculated before I form them in reality. What if's flood in every time I want to say something.

Hence, I always walk away from a meeting feeling dejected, stupid, and emotionally down. Because I never say what I want to say, or what needs to be said.

Today, as the chairperson asked for a show of hands, I showed my hand. I waved it in the air like I was losing the school bus.

"Can I say something?"

I can't remember the last time I spoke that phrase.

I did say something. I said something for me, my ideas, my ideals, my friends' ideas, ideals and efforts.

I don't know if the claps that came after I sat down were sincere, or if they were just a mockery of what I had to say (which was quite a lot, i can tell you), but I felt much, much better after saying it all.

Only ten of them (excluding members of the high committee) voted in my favour, leaving 18 to vote for the other option.

Sucky. Maybe I made some people a little disgruntled. But still, I could keep my head held high, because this was one of those times I had said all that I wanted say. Everything.

Everything.

I thank my friends for their support. Especially Chelsea. T_T (not that i don't appreciate the rest of them, but before my 'speech', i asked chelsea which one she would vote for, and she'd honestly been saying the other one was nice and all, so... i take her vote as a very loyal and noble gesture)

As for the rest, I wouldn't hold it against them. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just hope they'd had carefully and neutrally considered their decision after listening to my mini-speech.

Ahhh.

In such a mood to read those 2 cases for tomorrow, 3 cases for next week, 5 cases for assignment, and 8 cases for Tort now.

Lalala.

er no, this was not a vote for presidency or whatever.
it was something else, which i'm afraid i can't reveal.
oh ya, that reminds me.
i discovered a drink called Whatever, and another one called Anything.
marketing strategy, huh?

talking about men

liverpool: follow feelings wan mah...

chelsea: cannot follow feelings wan! you must have a list of requirements then only you get the benar-benar berkualiti wan!

manchester: must have feelings also!

chelsea: ya, but must have list!

manchester: yeah, but then the list cannot too rigid la. like want the hair how and how or what.

-silence-

chelsea and liverpool: eh you are the one who says want guys with long hair.

manchester: o_O


then mulalah the laugh-at-tsehwei-for-a-full-minute moment.

Footstool Players.

Really. Totally different from what they did for "Walk His Trail".

Less (much much less) narration, more acting.

Less serious, more funny.

Less historical, more relatable.

Title of drama = "That Crazy Little Thing Called Love".

Website: www.footstoolplayers.com

For those in PJ area, Life Chapel's hosting it on 12 October, and Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall on 2 Nov.

Die also must go.

Uncle Dex asked me what part was most relatable to me, and I said the one about the prison (not telling you guys what "The Prison" is all about tho. no, it's not about some mother visiting her son in prison. hohoho.).

Pokoknya...

I agree that it's frustrating when a guy refuses to let you into his brain, no?

They just can't understand that not letting you into their brain = not letting you into their lives.

I also know what it's like to feel like you're a disappointment to someone you care about.

I have also sung songs to Jesus when I was crying in the bathroom.

All in all, the most relatable scene to me.

Besides the 2nd last scene (i know, i know, grammar salah).

Public: What's the 2nd last scene?

Not tellin'.

Ngwak ngwak.

That's it.

I'm bringing a bus-load of friends to the one in PJGH.


*edit* plus i also understand what she meant when she said "I'm trying to tell you how I feel". it doesn't happen very often. once the door closes, it never opens again. usually. yeah, there's always the share-again-with-the-person-to-help-each-other-grow thing, but being afraid of having the door slammed into your face again kinda makes things a little different. cuz when you share for that purpose, you're not being vulnerable. being vulnerable with another person helps you grow far more than you can ever imagine.

on another note, unc D said something profound: "You took the trouble to invite your friends, and I must play my part as a host to them."

good philosophy.

shall apply that in mgc.

by the way, take a look at this award-winning (seriously) video:

i'm writing in lower case

i think i should...
i think i have to...
i think it'll be the right thing to...

to be one's self as one likes.

how sad it is when that right is denied.

it's like having to stand when i want to sit down.

it's like sighing at my perfectly clean book when i want a piece of paper to fall out of it.

it's like not hearing what i want to hear.

worse still, it's like hearing something i don't ever want to hear.

it makes me want to look away.

look away and just be sombre.

sad.

solemn.

but that's not who i am either, is it?

to be one's self as one likes.

ah.

the pain it instills when that right is denied.

trust His heart when you can't trace His hand

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't see
How they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blinded to the truth
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
When you don't understand
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
He sees the master plans
He holds our future in our hands
All our hope is found in Him
We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
Like a tapestry He's weaving you and me
To some day be just like Him

Babbie Mason, Trust His Heart.

saw this on a friend's blog.

wat i did to prepare for exam. ohya. plus the smiley face badge i promised.

Perfect Summit

ah ha. it's a detective game. sort of. quite lame la.

he has a funny beard, no?haha...

Adventures of A Cow

clicked on this game because chelsea likes cows. ah ha.

supposed to like save a poor cow from a cage or something.

never made it to the cage tho. liverpool quite cekap at this game. lol.

oh ya somewhere in between...

liverpool: "ms lim *yang sedang khusyuk bermain game*...

you're wearing your shirt terbalik."

The Cake Quest

another lameo game la. you have to eat cakes to become fat in

order to fart your way through stone walls and to speed run.

but you can only jump high high if you're thin so kinda have to

plan a bit. i had fun farting. =.="

seoks sent me a mooncake via pesta tanglung dedication.

last but not least, this is the smiley.

don't ask me why my face and neck are super red and my hands and leg super white.

This is what I'm doing now. ^_^

New school semester:





At the first week:






At the second week:






Before the mid-term test:






During the mid-term test:






After the mid-term test:






Before the final exam:






Once know the final exam schedule:






7 days before final exam:






6 days before final exam:






5 days before final exam:






4 days before final exam:






3 days before final exam:






2 days before final exam:






1 day before final exam:






A night before final exam:






1 hour before final exam:






During the final exam:






Once walk out from the exam hall:






After the final exam, during the holiday:

'tis an email i got from a friend

updates.

Attempted to be adventurous.

definitely the last attempt.

Realized Malacca does look historical

And that i'm not really sure if that's the straits of malacca *shame*

Visited the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum for assignment.

was very impressed by their rich culture.

Attended J.U.I.C.E. Nite 2008 music practice.

we call it multi-tasking.

Got involved with representing the law fac in the UM merdeka parade

split into 3 groups (chinese, indian, malay dances) of 9 each. each group consists of chinese and malay.
these are the chinese dancers practicing.

danced till 1am for 2 consecutive days

Went to Mid Valley to buy cheong sam top.

this thing cost me rm70 ok. don't play play.

Ate my first pretzel.

Made new friendships and strengthened old ones.

louis

lulu

shan

stella

sue-lyn. she really, really reminds me of shu lynn.

yasmin

^_^" and -_-"-ed not a few times

and they were are so proud of it.

Found some Tintin shoes.

hooi ping's shoes

Snapped a photo with an astronaut.

er yeah. he's supposed to be an astronaut. you know, the one that used to model.

Took a photo of Lee Chong Wei.

yeah. i said lee chong wei.

Attended a surprise party.

Observed racial integration.

that's sharul trying to camgigolo (yes, yes, your copyright. sue me. =P).

Wished I'd paid more attention when growing up as a girl.

Watched a friend ascend the stairs as a bride.

ei ein. congratulations.

Made fun of Ken's eyes

everyone else did too at the wedding dinner. =P

Met almost the whole of Malacca (or maybe just MGC) at Ei Ein's wedding in PJ.

adults' table. others present: benghui & yokewoon, gengyi & grace, matthew & julie, shaun, me.

unc gim yuen

auntie yoke ling

kids. matthew: "geng yi's children."

Yamseng-ed with an empty glass.

Yamseng-ed twice with an empty glass.

And then I signed Chelsea and Jason up for Flirty@10.30 and we (she did, but technically i did as well cuz it was my jasa =P) won RM100 and 60 Sencepack.

I then spent a few days trying to think up designs for the LawNite t-shirt and ticket, and finally got the real designers to help me cuz muka aku pun langsung tak macam designer.

On Saturday, I got myself into the Law Career Convention, working as a salesperson for the LawNite fund-raising stall, where I thick-skinned-ly went around the law firms' booths selling badges (which I will happily put up after my test) and sandwiches (to the non-Muslims). Selling sandwiches was pure torture, especially when I had to hand them out to people myself without actually taking a bite. Sigh.

Went out with sis and her friends to makan the Ipoh Chicken Rice thingy, which was expensive but totally nice, especially the ajinomoto-dominated soup which I think I'm not supposed to like.

Went to church again today, and we had station stuff by the youth instead of the usual sermon. First station was about loving ourselves as we are and dealing with our imperfections. A young guy named Melvin who had his right leg amputated some years ago, but is now running his own IT-based company with his twin brother, shared his testimony.

2nd station was a "TV show", about friendship. 3rd station was a short Footstool Players-like skit about "Weak is the new strong". I personally thought this station was particularly interesting and well-done.

Final station was the falling-blindfolded-off-a-high-place-into-the-12arms-of-6-brave-volunteers exercise, where the theme was "Let Go, Let God".

Quite a good day. I was put into a group with 2 teens and many aunties and uncles. Ah. Practiced my muka tembok thing again, except with the aunties this time. I even attempted to kam cheng with a random auntie who poured tea for me. Her name is Vithia, just so I'll remember.

Have begun to tire of people forgetting my name and mispronouncing it (not just in church), so I now say: Chester, whenever people ask my name. And consequently, I have also mastered the art of doing so with a straight face, and keeping the straight face when they say, "That sounds like a guy's name", and when I reply, "Nope. It's short for Manchester."

Ah. Lameness.

It's what not hearing your name properly does to you.

Some aunties apologized for not noticing me, but at least they made a move and said, "I haven't seen you here before" during those moments of nothing-to-do-ness, and I must confess, as I did to them, that I haven't been mixing around with the aunties long enough for them to notice me.

Have been invited to a couple of care groups, and the Ladies-in-Touch. I think that's the only way to kam cheng with the PJGH folks, so I shall seriously consider. I think if I continue targetting my peers for kam chengness, I'm going to spend forever doing it without much fruit, so I shall modify my pemetakan pasaran strategy and expand my horizons a bit.

I'm kinda writing randomly and without thinking because I'm supposed to study for a Legal Methods test and Kemahiran Maklumat test this Wednesday, and I'd better do it fast because I can feel The Pain coming, and when it does, I'll be on my deathbed with neither desire nor capacity to much of anything else. I also have my tutorials to complete, though I must say with an adequate amount of jolliness that I feel that I can now prepare less for Contract tutorial ever since Ms. Choong stopped being my tutor and I got En. Ahmad Saufi instead, because he tends to agree with me when I speak in a clear, calm tone, and it would seem as if he is not as precise and drilling as Ms. Choong (though I really prefer her much much).

Tort tutorial is on Wednesday, meaning I have to prepare for tutorial and tests by Tuesday. I also have my Kemahiran Maklumat project to hand in tomorrow by 4pm. It's actually quite simple, except I have no idea what my facilitator wants with my title: "Explain right supply law for juvenile offenders", especially since there is no such thing as supply law online and the title obviously contains one or two grammatical errors or typos. Plus I haven't been able to find my facilitator and will have to rush to look for her and do it tomorrow.

Also, I have to get my SMS pin for Bank Islam Internet Banking once again because there was a foul-up with the service the last time I did it, and the customer service mail service is happily being inefficient.

Ah, the language I use when I'm being random.

Oh ya, I'm quite happy with the freebies I received from the uber rich law firms during the Law Career Convention. There was even one notebook WAY thicker than the current journal I have from Popular, with lovely systematically well-spaced lines and a blank page after each lined page, just the way I like it. And I have received so many pens that I have nowhere to keep them.

Brought Sarah and Ruth to church. Am trying to get Sue-Lyn and Will to go as well. I hope Pei Win has a bigger car.

I want so many people to go to church!

But I also wish the PJGH-ians would be much friendlier.

Thankfully, the adults were quite friendly today. Juen was, and always is, as well.

I saw a dude today on the pulpit, and was just thinking of telling Juen later: "That guy looks like Benjamyn Phuah" when he (as if on cue) introduced himself as Benjamyn Phuah.

That's all.

I have a tummy-ache and haven't taken my bath.

But I simply must mention that I love working with people, especially when I'm not the leader or doing any organizing work.

Buhbye!