A rush of blood to the head

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
-- Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



All i want to do is just curl up on the sofa (if i had one) and read any book of the Harry Potter series (except maybe the prisoner of azkaban). Anyway I checked my exam timetable and realised that my papers fall on three consecutive days of the second week of exams! Hectic, much?





What is it about datelines and the need to do well academically that gives people some sort of high? Students all around the world - face it - love the feeling of wanting to fling themselves off a building while rushing last minute work. No wait, i got that wrong. We love the feeling of submitting a paper that was finished five hours before, AND the fact that we can get a credit for it..! Well, Now that i've got that figured out, it's back to me switched on hardworking mode. French bright and early, oui, sans aucun doute - Bleah. But can't wait for dinner, and dessert. Did someone say mickeys?! (insert sound of stomach rumbling and saliva dripping)

A plus! x

Walking the line

Slept in so late for the first time this semester :) If only womens had room service, breakfast in bed sounds like a good idea for the first day of the mid-sem break?


Anyways, Lishan, Soo and I headed to Glebe in the afternoon and I bought so much stuff for a spanking 35$. Very proud of myself haha, and we decided to have dinner in college instead because we're far too tired and almost broke (for me anyway) to go out.

Alright, tonight I will stay in and eat junk food and watch gazillion episodes of HIMYM and maybe even a movie or two. Apex you are seriously a lifesaver!


Righto, hope you guys are having fun like i am! x

You don't know that I'm noticing

"Look, other bands, they want to make it about sex or pain, but you know,
The Beatles, they had it all figured out, okay? "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The
first single. It's effing brilliant, right?... That's what everybody wants,
Nicky. They don't want a twenty-four-hour hump sesh, they don't want to be
married to you for a hundred years. They just want to hold your hand. "

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

these lyrics, they weren't made for us

I went a bit crazy because it hit me so hard in my face i couldn't possibly ignore it but it's about 70 days till i'm going Home! It's like O'lvls countdown - i can clearly see the huge number cards (that people sometimes forgot to change each day so we got a bit confused) that they place at the old building at the parade square, just behind the podium.


Big Exo Day was Fantabulous! And I'm off to watch 500 days of summer now, aren't YOU (you know who you are) jealous!

I am hopeless, but i am free

You know how somedays you've just been stuck in your room for way too long and then you start feeling like an albino who has never seen the sun for half a decade and you start being all claustraphobic and the walls seem to be closing in on you but because you've been glued to your chair for eternity you can't even move - yes, not even to go to the toilet? And then the world seems grey and dreary and your emotions suddenly run on an all-time history-making high, and no one you really want to talk to is talking to you and every single thing becomes ever so annoying and itunes simply doesn't play the songs you want to hear. PLUS You Have No Food?!?!?!
I mean SERIOUSLY what is 2000 words and the geopolitics of oil anyway when you are 18 and young and hopeless and fragile but (Supposedly) Freeeee! That's right maria mena you tell them.



Alrightttttttt, much better lol , goodnight (:

Etudiante

Thank God His love isn't based on the amount of times I go to church each week, or the amount of times I flip open the Bible, the amount of times I am generous to the needy and helpful to the poor.

Thank God for His love so great that my failures can never overcome the death of His Son. Jesus has died and rose again, and because we believe, we are also alive and Free in God.


Have been busy these past few days, am determined to not just settle for a pass for my assignment due on Monday. It's 40% and I keep getting stuck, so thank God I managed to get a substantial amount done last night even though i had to miss powerhouse - Reggie Dabbs was amazing so i heard ! - , seeing that my weekend will most definitely be busy what with Big Exo Day and then church on sunday :(

Plus, french test tmr and i am flipping out. I really need to work harder.

Okay time for lecture, it's a hot sunny day, how blessed are we? :)

God Bless x

"The Meaning of IT"

I've tried to say it a thousand different ways. I've tried twisting the words inside out and doubling them back over onto themselves. I've tried coming up with words in different languages, because maybe they have words for this thing (I couldn't say what it is) that we're missing in this one. I've tried saying the same words over and over again in hopes that this time they'll mean what I want them to mean. I've tried writing it down and spelling it out and stressing each syllable across intercontinental static. I've filled up pages and pages of paper with what I'm trying to say, but never with what I mean to say.

-Loren Barnes

As if you actually were inside a saltwater room

We are not justified by works, but by faith. And through faith - through the simple act of believing, of allowing ourselves to believe in Someone we cannot see, but can feel, allowing ourselves to be receptive to God and allowing ourselves to submit to someone whose thoughts and ways are far greater than us - That is righteouness.

Romans 4:4 tells us that when we work, our wages are obligatory, but to those who do not work, but trust God, their faith is credited as righteousness.

It IS that simple. It means that believing is everything. And the problem is truly believing is the hardest part.

Righteousness comes From faith.
The promise of Grace comes By faith.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God"
Romans 5:1-2


However, instead of praising God for only the good things, we should also rejoice in our suffering.
But the Bible doesn't just say we should because we should. Instead, Paul tells us of three things in the book of Romans. He declares it through a peculiar, different type of faith, something I'm sure some of us can relate to, but to others in this world, it is possibly the most ridiculous thing ever.

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope."
Romans 5:3


1. Suffering produces perseverance.
Suffering - going through hardships and obstacles and pain - these we face almost everyday. But this isn't just to harm us, but is to create endurance and perseverance. I was reading The Screwtape Letters the other day, and there was this bit that said that even though God loves us so much, He allows us freedom - something the devil shuns - instead, the devil wants perfect control of our lives. But if we are in God, we will most certainly stumble, and fall.

However, I doubt Paul is implying that Suffering is good, or even okay and fine. Or that it should be welcomed in some masochistic sense. As was pointed out in the last CG, we should not boast about our sufferings. That was not what we are made for - we were not made to suffer!

Instead, I guess what he means is that, if we have met and encountered God, and our lives have been transformed, and we have received the gift of life and love - well, then suffering and death and mishappenings will not be able to obliterate it. Yes, that gift of salvation and grace given to you because you were chosen by God - it trumps all else.


2. Perseverance produces Character.
If we are to get through our sufferings, perseverance is definitely key. It is a communal quality that can be found in each of us, and it produces a character much sought for by the world (but more often than not, is lost despite its obviousness) - one that enables us to "resist hopefully and love faithfully".

"This word "character" is a word used to express refined metal that has had its impurities removed. In the same way, through patience a person has impurities removed from his or her daily living and life and is purified. In this way a person is prepared for that time of taking part in the glory of God." (Rev. Takao Kiyohiro)

3. Character produces Hope.
This is the best part, I reckon. We are justified by our faith - neccessary in all equations in this sense. Through this justification of faith, we are at peace with God. The gap of sin seperating us since the time we were formed, since the fall of men through the disobedience of the first man - it is bridged, and we are reunited with our Creator.

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us"
Romans 5:5


This is precisely what the Gospel, what our beliefs and faith is all about. There is suffering, there is unpleasantness. They are part of the fabric that constitutes the freedom and the terror of life. Without one we could not have the other. But they are to be embraced in love, however difficult that is, not shunned. This is not romanticism. It is hope. And hope never disappoints.

Similarly, the Holy Spirit was given to us. Not only have we been redeemed by grace - the best gift ever, we are also given the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in us. So that even though our human nature and physical body might fail us, the Holy Spirit continually strengthens and renews us.

Such generous acts of giving - life through death, and to be at peace with God - isn't it sufficient for us to have that bit of hope? And hope. Hope isn't just wishful thinking. It's knowing for sure that one day, when oour body wastes away in this temporal world, there will be our spirits rejoicing and finally reunited with God in paradise. For eternity. Hope is knowing that Jesus bore the weight of the world, that he chose to sacrifice his life, and this one act of love has saved all of us from perishing.

This hope is not easily obtained. But it is the only hope worth having. It is not simply optimism - we do not merely expel the pain for the moment, or avoid the situation, and prelong the suffering. With this hope, the agony that cannot be excised without an annihilation that also annihilates us is transformed into peace and joy. And That is what salvation in Christ means.

"His death resulted from his willingness to embrace the hated other (the
Samaritan, the outcast) and from living a life among enemies he refused to kill
but instead loved. It is for that reason that his wounds give hope. Not
because suffering is good, but because when viewed in the light of Jesus Christ
it points towards a risen life that is not captive to the forces of death, but
rather seeks transformation. It is the art of hoping against hope"

God Bless x

Two are better than one

After a brief conversation about How I Met Your Mother last night, I was just wondering what is it about these kinda shows that i like (you know, the sorts with the same jokes - though the novelty is never lost on me thank you very much - and the same storylines)

And then I realise why I love such shows is because of its portrayal of friendship. Yes - not love in the form of BGRs, but another kind of love.

"The love I am referring to is the love you have for a best friend. It’s
unique and so important to have. It’s more than just affection for someone; it’s a deep underlying connection. The
comfort of knowing you can tell them everything, and not have worry about being
judged. The first person you tell when something exciting happens, or when
something scary happens. The person you turn to when you need to vent. The
person you can laugh at because they will just laugh back at you. The person you
need to tell things to so your brain doesn’t explode. The person who can make
you feel better when you’re having a tough day, the one you turn to for advice.
. The person you can have full conversations with by merely exchanging
glances."

-Le Love Image

Friendship is important. It's really what keeps us going. How many times have you sat in front of your best friend and poured your heart out without inhibitions. How many times have you sat with your best mate checking out the chick at the next table? The little things, the big things - they are so precious.

I openly proclaim my love for my friends (not all the time). Sure, that might be creepy but Love is creepy. And I reckon underlying that whole 'thug love' thingy, is really something romantic. Not in a I-want-to-kiss-you way, but similar, like I-want-to-hang-out-with-you-talk-on-the-phone-for-hours-read-our-old letters-to-each-other sort of way.

And I Love it. I love the idea of love, I love to love. Love is something all of us can be generous about - what do we have to lose?


1st Samuel 18: 1

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.


It's being one in spirit with someone. The NKJV version puts it even more nicely: "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."


Love. Friendship. Intertwined, one cannot do without another.

Also, choose your friends wisely. You don't need to have many companions, the Bible says it will cause you to stumble. Instead, cherrypick and carefully select friends that will stick with you through thick and thin, friends that will correct and encourage, not lead you to adversity and discourage. People don't understand how much influence a friend can have over you. The thing is, there is peer pressure, and very seldom can one not give in to it. So choose the right 'pressure' for yourself.

"Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."

Proverbs 27:5-6

Jesus saw his disciples as friends too, and defined the true meaning of friendship.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends..." (John 15:12-15)

I love you guys - you know who you are in particular x

leloveimage.blogspot.com

"i remember my heart beating 50 miles an hour and wondering how i could sit there in his arms and feel so comfortable, like my heart wasnt completely broken inside of me and my life hadnt fallen around me months before"

What happens to a dream deferred?

"And their shape and their hair and their eyes and their smell and their voice.
That suddenly, these things can exist and you're not quite sure how they existed
without you knowing about them before."

Everyday I wake up, look at the sky, feel the sun kiss my skin, the wind zip through my hair, have water trickle through my fingers, hear the cawing of crows and the roaring of engines.

Everyday I wake up, and being alive - that is a miracle.

Breath, and laughter, and thoughts, and words, and mobility...

It amazes me how intricately we are made. Our bones and blood, the tiny hairs on our arms, the heart, pounding steadily to the rhythm of life. The brain with its capacity to hold countless of information

"I’m just an idea that happened upon love." Jason Mraz

So lovingly created by The Creator. The complex body stripped down to its very precious details - all summed up in words, and there men stood, at the beginning of times, made up of the very dust we walk upon.

You don't need to be 'perfected', you already are perfect. You are made in the image of God, you are nothing short of perfection x

We Have Met The Aliens...And They Are Us

Only two options when you come home at 12 in the AM - go to sleep, or use the computer and rave about the last movie you've watched :)


District 9, my friends, is Fantastic. You Have to watch it - probably one of the best science-fiction* films I've caught. I (and Soo) were very impressed it will probably be the most talked about thing between us for the next seven days or so lol

For once, humans were regarded as the 'bad guys' - though not entirely. Can I say I hated the kernel dude with a vengeance and was so happy he got torn apart alive by the aliens? I know, morbid as it might sound, you just gotta watch it for yourself.

But apart from the constant blowing up of stuff, and referrences to movies like Ironman and Independence Day, I felt that the movie had an acute portrayal of human behaviour. Plus, Sharlto Copley, who plays the lead character - Wikus van der Merwe (?!) was absolutely awesome. Like, he's just so awkward and selfish you can't help but like him :)

Annnndd I found it funny how Copley had the weirdest name ever, but the aliens had boring normal names like Christopher ?


To top it all up - comical. Yessssss, sexual relations with a prawn aka Alien ? Why not? And of course if that was to appear in the news, the face of the alien had to be censored, because they need their privacy don't they? Human rights and what not?


Facts:
1.One actor (Jason Cope) plays all the talking aliens in the movie.

2. Most, if not all, of the alien interaction and dialogue with Wikus during the eviction scene was improvised by Jason Cope (as alien) or Sharlto Copely (Wikus).

3. The District 9 alien homes were actually shot in a recently evacuated area of impoverished housing. The homes you see the aliens getting evicted from were homes that humans had recently been kicked out of, for real.



Question: 1. How do the aliens and human beings understand each other? That part I couldn't wrap my head around. 2. Why does it take three years for aliens to get home, isn't their technology superb? (The technology was soooo cool for once I yearned to be ugly and be able to speak geEk language of sorts)


But.
What a movie. Just the right amount of necessary elements for a film. Perfect ending, Peter Jackson, please don't make a sequel thankyouverymuchbye x

Looks are....what other than deceiving?

COME ON!!!
This person is representing Singapore in the infamous, much talked-about Miss World 2009! It's hard enough for the reputation of a great nation without the broken english, but...this?!?

Completely Embarrassing. The next time I intoduce myself and say that I'm from Singapore, people will look up and notice, and instead of the usual "Oh its a fine city! Very clean!" or "Don't they ban chewing gum there?", they'll go "Can't you guys speak English? Isn't it supposed to be your first language? Are you a bimbo? Can't you say leopard prints and hospitality without sounding like you are lapsing into a seizure any minute now?!!?"





Wore a bijini down orjerd road?


Come on Singapore, you need to look beyond the neighbourhood ahlians and ahbengs. Your education system, i'm sure, is top rated. English is the language of administration in this country! Even if you can't help looking like an ahlian (it could be genetic, i mean, who knows?), or having a strong singlish accent, it doesn't mean your pronounciation cannot be at least close to correct.


Jeez-a-Boom! I need to watch that video again.


AND PLEASE, WE DON'T ALL SPEAK LIKE THAT, NOT EVEN THE POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS!