riceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

BIG DAY OUT!

wow.

This was the first time i've been to the first RICE event, and i was very impressed! this year it was held at Bicentennial Park, bigger and better than ever! There were so many different kinds of stalls, food and drinks and games of all types - and azns absolutely everywhere! the talks were catered towards non-Christians, so they were short but interesting and simple enough for everyone to understand.

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jumping castle for the kids (and some of the older leaders too!)


There were dozens of clowns giving out balloon animals (haha..helen's worst nightmare)


the clown, the camera stand, joyce and meika.


playing tug-of-war


street drama performance...(this is how secret agents eat apparently)


giant jenga (it was even taller than ash! =P)


twistering it to the max!


emily and miriam... (the game was called: choke to death on a marshmellow!)


during one of the 3 talks


shaz and me

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Overall i had a really fantastic time, my favourite place was the e-cafe- it was just a really good place to sit and chat! and best thing was that there were no queues for it...everything else had soo many people queuing up for it (especially the fairy-floss!) Most notable memory was when Revive (the band) started singing 'nananananananana...i'm carefree how about u!' ohh maan!! such good memories from kyckstart came flooding back =) though i really think their lyrics today should have gone like this: 'nananannananananaa...i'm sunburnt how about u!' because the weather was sooooo perfect today- it was like we were in summer! praise God!

ooh i simply can't wait till next saturday: RICE RALLY!
where? sydney town hall
when? saturday 6th august
time? 7pm-9:30pm
theme? there's gotta be more to life

come to RICE RALLY everyone!! it will be even better than today was!!!!

happily busy

wow - it's amazing how fast a week can go by... it's the first full week of school since term started, and it's actually been quite good! i'm not stressed out, i don't have any assessments until next week and i'm really enjoying the beautiful weather that has stayed...

and besides the fact that my chemistry trials are coming up, i've been very relaxed and enjoying my life, despite being busy with school and extra-curricular stuff.

this is my weekly timetable:

sunday- church in the morning
monday- taekwondo in the afternoon (don't get home till 5:30pm)
tuesday- chemistry lectures at sydney uni (don't get home till 8pm)
wednesday- extension maths in the morning (starts at 7:30am)
thursday- extension english in the afternoon (don't get home till 5:30pm)
friday- eyf in the evening
saturday- maths tuition in the morning

but praise God i've been able to juggle church and school and other things fairly well so far! it seems i've come a long way since year 7 when i was sooo disorganised =)

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GUESS WHAT??? I CAN COME TO BOTH RICE EVENTS!!!!!!!!!!!
hehe...seeding has paid off ^^

yr 12, here i come...

subject choice forms for year 12 arrived today. what to do??? =S

here's my list so far:

4u maths
2u english
2u biology (to replace 2u chem i'm doing this year)
2u software design
2u distinction course, either philosophy or cosmology.

things to consider:

- must have 12 units minimum
- can't decide whether to do distinction course or geography (geography scales down, and i can't stand the subject and i hated doing the SGP, however i don't know how much work a distinction course involves)
- dropping ext 1 english coz it's too much work for only one unit, but i really like the course! (grr...why can't they switch the advanced course with ext 1 course?? i'm already dreading doing 'journeys' next yr)
- what do i want to do in uni????

At the foot of the Cross

Fearing the battle was over
And I'd already lost the war,
I was tired of trying and failing.
I just couldn't fight anymore.

So, dragging my battle-scarred body,
I crawled to the foot of the cross.
And I sobbed. 'Oh please, Father forgive me.
But I tried...I tried.. and still lost.'

Then the air grew silent around me.
I heard his voice just as clear as the dawn:
'Oh, My child, though you are tired and weary,
You can't stop, you have to go on.'

At the foot of the Cross, where I met Him,
At the foot of the Cross, where He died,
I felt love, as I knelt in His presence.
I felt hope, as I looked in His eyes.

Then He gathered me lovingly to Him,
As around us God's light clearly shone.
And together we walked though my lifetime
To heal every wound I had known.

I found bits of my dreams, long forgotten ,
And pieces of my life on the floor.
But I watched as He tenderly blessed them,
And my life was worth living once more.

I knew then why I had been losing.
I knew why I had not grown.
At the foot of the Cross came the answer:
I'd been fighting the battle alone.

At the foot of the Cross, where I met Him,
At the foot of the Cross, where He died,
Then I knew I could face any challenge
Together - just my Lord and I.

- by M.K. Leaser

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How often we struggle through life, trying to do everything ourselves... but instead of relying on our own strength we should learn to rely on God. It's hard, seeing as we're such independent creatures, we don't like the idea of depending on someone else, it makes us feel vulnerable and weak. But that is far from the truth! It is faith and reliance on God that makes us strong, it is in Him that we find our protection.

flying dreams

wow, i simply have to blog about this. this morning i woke up after having one of the best dreams i've had for a long long time!

most of the time, i can't really remember my dreams very well, except for a couple very vivid ones...and this was one of them.

i think the reason i had this dream was because i slept really well - school was sooo exhausting that i simply collapsed into bed on friday night at 10pm...and i didn't wake up till quarter to ten this morning...

in my dream, i was able to change into a bird- an eagle, i think it was...i remember trying to find a secluded spot where i could morph so that no one would find out my secret, and it was the most amazing feeling of flapping my wings hard to get off the ground, and then easily staying afloat using the wind currents... being a bird was so much fun, i flew higher and higher to get away from people who were trying to catch me... and i remember looking down, and thinking that i must be up really high. what i remember most vividly is that sense of absolute freedom, i could fly anywhere i liked, as far away as i wanted to, and no one could catch me though they did try...

wish i could be as free as a bird in real life.

colossians 3:1-4

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Prayer:
- to set my heart and mind on things above
- to not be drawn back into the materialistic philosophy of this world
- to remember that fulfilment of this life is found only in Christ

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well, it's been two days now back at school... it's only 9 am right now, but i'm already tired! at least i don't have any work to do (i did it all in the holidays) i kinda wish i was at MYC instead, i'd rather be struggling to understand biblical truth than struggling to understand quantum mechanics in chemistry... but I know God has placed me where i am for a reason; and so i'm going to live my life the best i can while i'm here...can't complain really...could be worse...

on a totally different topic, just thought of something that points to how cheap asians really are....i know it's not just me who goes to bookstores and reads in there, but doesn't actually buy the book in the end...and i absolutely refuse to start a new maths workbook until i've used up every last inch of paper in the old one...and i bet everyone else has got in their kitchens somewhere mountains of spare plastic containers that you get from take-away...

living 4 eternity

I'm sitting quietly in the study...staring at the screen before me...it feels strange to think that in two days this peace, this repose will be unmercifully shattered. And as i lean back and glance out the window - one part of me yearns to return to the exciting, to the busy existence that has become my life - but the other half of me longs to stay here, in the quiet routineless blur that is my holidays; the days slide into the nights and the nights wander into days; no worries except when the next meal is arriving...

and as i sit here contemplating, musing about the possible ups and downs i will face in the week ahead - one thought strikes me. It gives me clarity of mind even as my eyes adjust to the semi-darkness caused by the sun hiding its face behind the clouds...

when school starts again - everything that has been so clear will become troubled, all that is in the light will turn to shadow, and all of which i have worked towards will fall apart.

for this is what this whole blog has been about: living my life here in a way that reflects where i am going for eternity. i want to live my life to reflect the fact that i have been saved and to show where my true home really is: eternity with God. this is my desire...but it's acting it out that's the hard part.

church camp was something i'd been looking forward to, for a long time...because i needed the bible teaching, i needed the fellowship, i needed to put myself back into focus with God. and i did that, and it felt amazing! to have my mind and my vision for the future crystal clear, to look forward to That day, to throw off all these insignificant worries and strive for what is ahead...to know with perfect clarity what this life is all about...to have such overwhelming joy as i reflect on the Cross...

i don't want to lose all that.

but as the threatening prospect of school looms overhead, i already know...it is with a sinking heart that i go back, because i already know that over this term, i will lose focus, i will get stressed, i will fail to live as a Christian should, i will suffer, i will complain, i will have conflicts with parents and friends, i will sin. and that's a scary thought.

but i know i will not be alone: when i am scared, or worried, or suffering - God will always be there, by my side, guiding me, protecting me, loving me. And of course there are my fellow brothers and sisters, giving me a helping or encouraging hand up as we run this race together. There is much comfort in knowing that.

it's tough a lot of the time, being a Christian. but i knew to expect that: do we not follow Christ's example? and did not he suffer while he lived, and his life end by being nailed onto the Cross? so i too, must follow my Master and take up my own cross - all the while looking forward to the glory that will come! for one thing, i pray...that in everything i do, Christ may be glorified!

a gift for Golda =)

Only so much time left in Paradise,
Your heart wrenched sore with emotion,
What kind of a life have you known -
Filled with so little love and devotion?

In the time that you have spent here
It's been amazing getting to know you better
I cherish you as a dearest friend
We are sisters in Christ forever

You opened your heart to us
Courageously told us your story
Only pain did I see in your eyes
No hope for redemption or glory

My heart was filled with compassion
I reached out as any friend should
With encouragement, and understanding
I gave what love I could

But the agony of separation awaits us
Something no friends should face
And we're more than friends -
We're family! Tightly bound by God's grace

Soon we have to say goodbye
What words of encouragement to say?
We will never ever forget you
Until we meet again one day

An ocean and half the world
Can't separate good friends
And though the future is uncertain
We know this is not the end

May our Lord protect and guide you
Our prayers are ever with you
Hold onto Christ and the Cross
Grow up in Him, faithful and true

And on that day, when we see Him coming
On the clouds of heaven above
We'll be reunited for forever and day
In perfect community and love

Nothing then can separate us
No death, no sorrow, no fears
God will be our God, and we His people
He will wipe away every tear

This is the hope to which we hold
The glory for which we run the race
So take my hand, we'll run this together
And one day, we shall see His face!

maxing it out - steamboat style!!

17 people all crammed into one dining room...
2 gas stoves one on either end of the table...
1,638,037 fish balls to eat by the end of the night...


Come get it, boys! (the meat!) ... Golda looking worried

Is that a carrot?! ... Beef Bible: milking the gospel

Traditional Chinese Shot ... Joey laughing at Nate's constipated look

Smile everyone! ... "silly" pose turned into "unprepared"

Carrots that look remarkably like radishes...
Chillified dudes who look like walruses...
Sham looking soo hot right now...


joey: ooh maybe i could rub chilli on my face ... The Walruses - Before

you WANT to EAT?? ... joey: gimme another egg and i'll juggle 'em

MORE CHILLI!!! ... sisters in Christ

Jeff trying to open the gas can with his mouth ... frankie and angelina jolie

Enough funny memories to last a lifetime...
Fellowship that is bound by the love of God...
Friendship that will never fade...


joey hurriedly eating while frankie is occupied ... mixing it up - ohh yeah!

mMm: chocolate ... fondueeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

joyce and ness ... jeff and dan

... priceless.

- church camp 05 -

From the 8th of July to the 10th of July I was at Merroo for church camp. This year the theme was all about community. The first talk was on what community wasn't compared with what community was, the second talk was on how a community functions- we are all part of the body of Christ and everyone can contribute, no matter how small their gifts may seem; and the third talk was on building a community up through encouragement. Our new pastor, Paul Bottrill, gave the talks and it was really great to get to know him better.



For me, the most helpful and encouraging session was the small group sharing time. We shared our testimonies about how we became Christians and how we are going to continue to serve in the future. It was in this time that we found out a person in our group had actually accepted Christ a few days ago!



Overall I had a really great time, not only did I learn a lot, but there was wonderful fellowship and many funny memories...even though I was really tired after having only 3 hours sleep on the first night, and 6 hours sleep on the second night, I would give anything to go back!





for more photos- http://flyingdreams.dotphoto.com

i love sydney =)

what a beautiful day it was today! perfect blue skies, perfect Sydney weather. and thankfully, i wasn't stuck inside on such a magnificent day as today, 6th July is my mum's birthday and so we went...*drumroll please* to Pancakes on the Rocks! haha, after more than 6 months persuading, i finally got my parents to agree to go...so, with map in one hand and camera in the other, we drove out to the city and found our way to the famous restaurant everyone has been telling me about!


i had to take a photo - just to prove i actually went and am not making it up. The best bit was that we headed out just in time for brunch, or a very big lunch whatever u want to call it, and there weren't that many ppl there! in fact...there wasn't even a queue, and we got a table right away.

good thing too, coz half an hour later i daresay the ppl waiting outside were pretty uncomfortable, as the line wasn't getting any shorter! i had a chicken and mushroom crepe...soo nice, and incredibly filling...but i couldn't leave without trying one of the famous dessert crepes...







i had the Bananarama, and i declare grilled bananas to be the most delicious thing on this planet that i've tried so far in my life. bea's was a vanilla choc surprise...anyone getting hungry?




unfortunately we were sooo full we were in danger of spewing our whole meal out again...eugh, i've never been so full in my life...i was having trouble breathing..seriously!





after an absolutely wonderful meal, we decided to take a quick stroll down at Circular Quay...u know, just to walk it off...a bit of it at least...and of course, we couldn't bear to waste the fantastic view...





(btw, hover over the pics to see the captions. also, if u've got mozilla, right click and select 'view' to see it full-size...hehe a trick i learnt from jeff!)




*sigh* i do love sydney...where in the world would one find perfect weather; warm sunny days with naught a cloud in sight...in winter? my beloved sydney =)