It's very interesting how each kid can differ so much from the next. lol.
did the testings on two kids (both k2 this yr) concurrently on the sunday that just passed. haha. they are very different.
the one which amazed me was the second one. lol.
the kid (not sure if i can say out the name here due to privacy issues. haha) watches bleach and naruto. lol. and gundam seed.
i'm like o.o
but not bad, he likes tests. hahaa. so he was very good to complete my test though he was already very tired. sniff sniff.
i spoke to him as a soldier. i explained to him that even naruto goes through tests to become a chuunin and what nots.. his dad helped us a lot. hahaha.
it's really quite different to see a guy doing parenting and a girl doing parenting. really quite different. lol. in the ways they relate to the child.
Can learn quite a lot from them. hahaa. pick up good ways of disciplining and loving the child, and don't learn from the bad ones. haha.
------------------------------------------------------
I think, as a human being, it's important to know your body well. Not just emotionally, psychologically, but physically as well. Like the state of your body (for me, it's definitely not at its healthiest :D hahaha).
Think especially for females, since there're hormonal changes through the month, meaning that at certain times of the month we'll be more vulnerable to certain things (e.g. BGR, depression, low self esteem). If we know what our bodies are going through, we can prepare ourselves better, so as not to be alarmed at why we feel in a certain way, or fall into the trap of deception when we're more vulnerable. Knowing the changes will help us manage our energy levels better too (for eg, when i'm pms-ing, I get tired very easily.. so need to schedule in more rest periods.)
I think for me, it also helps me to know when certain things are more of a physical thing, and when certain things are not. so it's good to know your body well to be able to differentiate and tease out subtle things.
hehe.
a bit hard to type in detail here 'cos i know both genders read this blog (though i am fine with typing it here, it may be awkward for some people). so yea, if you wanna discuss more (and you're a female), pm me :)

I usually operate on internal motivation (if u dunno what this means, and decides to google it 'cos you wanna learn about the meaning, that's internal motivation. if you dunno what it means, and have no desire to want to know the meaning, yet have to find the meaning 'cos ur lecturer wants u to write an essay on it, tt's external motivation), but there're tasks which bore me so much that i have to bring in external motivation to complete it. lol.
for e.g. typing in the spelling data for k2 kids. hahahaa.

Today is Hope's first ever combined service. It marks an important change for the leadership of Hope Church as well.
I am going to miss Pastor Ben and Pastor Dinah.
Think they're very dear to some of our hearts.. probably 'cos Pastor Ben prayed for some of us as we became Christians.. and Pastor Dinah took the effort to remember details about me and Jitsy even after a few months..
Like what Florence says.. Just feel very 舍不得。
may they continue to be used greatly in the States=)

I think the past 2 months and 20 days of my life have not been easy. hahaa. i feel as if i've been tested more than ever in these past months. lol.
but think this phase has just ended (and going on to the next phase=D).. so taking the time to type out some stuff =] hahaa.
I pray that whatever is typed will encourage and will empower as well :)
okay. it sounds like i'm going to type very chim stuff. LOL. i'm going to type random thoughts.
I learned these few months that prayer really works. that faithful prayer works. and i really thank God that He's restoring the people I've been praying for, and working in their hearts. Think when I hear of the restoration, I can't help but give thanks, and can't help but be touched at God's hand working in their lives. That though it may be painful for them at that moment, but as God helps them to make sense about it and they share about it, I can't helped but be amazed at how God uses their testimony to encourage me much as well.
I started to know the limit of how much I can bear. Think in the past, I've been tested, but the intensity is different.. think this time, sometimes it felt as if it's just one emotionally battered day after another. Like can have a lot of weird things which are (as David puts it) not healthy for the soul happening all in one day.. then got more weird things happening in the next day.. and time with God becomes so crucial and so precious because you just can't that time to another day. that if you just leave it there for one day and not bother about it, the heart is much wounded, and bleeding becomes hard to stop.
I've also experienced the comfort and love from God in a greater measure through these few months. The God of comfort is indeed the God of comfort.
A few verses that have been popping up (like God will speak these verses to me during my times with Him, then they'll pop up again either in service, or unit..) and have given me great comfort through the months. I've typed some of them in the past entries, but share a few more here.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
" Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Psalm 130 - Psalm 131
" Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, O Lord, keep a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
therefore you are feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love,
and with him is full redemption,
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

(Psalm 131)
My heart is not proud, O Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore."

There were times when I felt like sleeping, or not caring, or running away, or hiding somewhere, or pretending it's not there (not thinking about it).
But think God always reminds me that running away from it will not solve the problem. hahahaa.
and I'm reminded of the song 'God will make a way, when there seems to be no way'.
The lyrics of The Valley Song encouraged me a lot as well. Especially these four lines:
And though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

You have calmed greater waters, higher mountains have come down
It reminded me that what I'm experiencing is real, but temporary. It reminded me that greater deliverances have been given by God. It reminded me of the size of my God when the size of my faith is not that great. It reminded me that there're a lot of people who experience more things than me.

I'm thankful for the people He's sent into my life as well :) For the 2 people who spoke to me when I had no idea who to speak to (due to the need to protect), for the opportunity to know some of the sisters much much deeper, for how things turn out to be in other areas of my life.

So I'm quite glad to have the chance to go through this period of time =) That I have the opportunity to be tested and questioned about fundamentals, that I have the opportunity to stumble and be picked up again, that I have the opportunity to learn so much, that I have the opportunity to share.

ah.

The fatigued mind draws a blank.

Your Spirit soothes my tempered soul
And moulds it to Your way
Crafting it with skillful hands
Like a potter with his clay.

And though often my wayward heart
Walks down the wider way
You protect and beckon me
On the narrow path to stay
----------------------------
Was sitting at amk hub today when I felt something crawling up my arm. Thought it was my bag or something, then it went higher up. I was like. Hmm.
Then went to touch it, and felt something that was quite big O.o And my first thought was, is it a huge grasshopper or something?
It (whatever it was at that moment), fell to the floor. lo and behold, it's an adult (a tad blur) cockroach. I was like. hmmmm. Interesting.
The girl beside me saw the cockroach and said this (she was on the phone) "oh my gosh it's a cockroach, it's a cockroach, it's a cockroach." I think in my heart I was like O.o hahaha.
Of course the girl stood up and moved away. And the little insect has successful captured the eyes of 5 other people.
Oh well. I think the little thing was more scared of us than us of him. lol.
tried to capture it, but was quite unsuccessful. oh well.
----------------------------

My plant :) hahahaa. Have a few others. This one looks super interesting.

i'm still looking for a suitable shampoo for my hair O.o
lol. think my body's a little weird. can't use extreme products.
for example, for the face, i can't use facial foams that're very harsh/too moisturizing. so neutrogena's deep cleansing foam (which i've used before and found the product to be quite good, but not suitable for my skin) was not suitable for me 'cos it dries my skin pretty much and throws it into a nice imbalance.
i've tried MANY kinds of shampoo before (pantene, loreal, organics, some weird salon brand, clear, ascience).. so far the weird salon brand was the best. haha! it costs $20 per bottle though O.o and it's a bit too nourishing for my head:S
i need a mild shampoo.

Has been experiencing more of God's comfort and mercy (in my life and seeing in the lives of others) these two months.
Like i said before, I think God has sent some of the world's most wonderful people to be around me :)
So many things have happened in the past 2 months, that it's kind of hard to believe that only two months have passed.
Quite tired.
Share a testimony :)
Had sore throat since last friday (still having sore throat...) and my voice deteriorated due to the sore throat (it's a bacterial one.. not 'cos of too many heaty items, or mistreating my voice). yup. so on wednesday and thursday, it was quite bad (possibly due to the fact that i didn't sleep on wed night, and have managed to catch only an hour of sleep in school and less than an hour on the bus). i did all things on thursday to try to get my voice back ('cos got worship prac at night) - drink honey, ate honey and lemon lozenges(bought by jonathan and joseph), drank barley (given by guanrui), drink lots of water, eat vapodrops (given by katerine)... even drank pi pa gao (recommended by sida). hahaha
so my voice on thurs and friday was not good (though it did recover by quite a bit on friday, but my voice was still harsh. Actually, my voice was harsh and quite
'sexy' this morning when i did experiment too...
but really thank God! once i started to sing for the praise and worship, my voice was returned to me and i could sing with ease. that was amazing compared to just an hour ago when i had to strain to get the notes out. hehee.
yay!

I met up with a very dear sister yesterday for lunch :)
I missed her a lot, so I'm really glad to catch up with her.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Met Wailam (a speech pathologist) today in the office. haha. was quite surprised to see him 'cos i don't usually see him.. (he comes in on tuesdays and thursdays, i generally come in on mondays and fridays). Quite a nice guy :) he's very friendly. hahaa. didn't do much work today 'cos he was sharing with us (me and mani) about his hometown. I think it's a small town in Ipoh. hehe. Not exactly sure where it is. He was saying how there's a lot of dead water surrounding the area 'cos the British had extracted all the tins from the tin mines and he will go fishing when he goes back home to visit (his whole family's in Malaysia, but he and his wife are both staying in Singapore. Mani said he's the oddball. haha)
He was also sharing about how Anna and the King was filmed on location in his hometown, in some golf course.. (we found the golf site on google map, but i can't remember the name. haha) and he and his friend went to sign up to be on screen in the past. lol. apparently, the set was made of styrofoam and what-nots. Oh yah, he wanted to sign up 'cos it was chow yun-fat. According to him, they get 100 ringgit per day if they get selected, regardless of whether they're used in the end. It goes like this: when you get selected, your measurements are taken on the spot and there's a tailor made costume for you to wear the next time you're called to come. then you wait at the shooting scene till you're needed to be used, and if you're not used in the end, you still get your 100 ringgit at the end of the day. no wonder Hollywood's budget's so high O.o
he was also introducing sungei lembing to me. lol. introducing the sea of clouds, the rainbow waterfall and the factory at the third deepest tin mine in the world (of which the key is still with an old man in the village). haha. and encouraging me to go before my work starts :S
then after that we were talking about japan! hahaa. and he gave tips on how to travel around japan, about where to go.. i think something interesting he shared was about geishas. there's a place that they train geishas in nikko. hehe. he went to akihabara as well 'cos he's a collector of toys. hahaa. nikko really looks very pretty in the pictures he took with his wife=)
so yes. didn't do much work today. haha. talked to mani a bit too, about housing prices and what-nots. hahaa. found out that she lives a few blocks away from my tuition kids! hahaa. so near!
hahaha. i wanna go japan. and i do want to go to sungei lembing once in my lifetime. lol.

ah. i feel quite stupid now.
i've brought my data and all, but i've forgotten to send the excel sheet which i was typing the data in to my inbox. lol. hahaha.
faint.
Here's a song that i like a lot :)
You can find the song here
Heh. The song was in my laptop.. but since my laptop is spoilt, i can't really upload it onto imeem.
Here are the lyrics :)
Valley Song (Sing of Your Mercy)

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
All my back bruised and nearly broken
I'm crying out to You

Chorus
I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

When death like a gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear you aren't listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness and the hunger
For a faith that is yours

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

Though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down