Baking Day

It's a rather lazy Thursday afternoon with alot of breeze. How I will miss staying in big, airy Joy Court! I just read more of Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs, which really makes the Singapore Story come alive. Tons better than boring National Education lessons which we had in school.

Since today is such a free day, I have decided to do some baking. Will make a trip down to NTUC later.. Brownies or mango crumble, or both? Hehe I'm going to swim and then cook Japanese with Cheh on Saturday morning, so am looking forward to that. Then await Somebody's grand arrival in Singapore! Roll out the red carpet! I can't believe we're meeting after 2 months of being apart. I'm used to not having him around already, but I'm sure things will be fine. Haha got to practice my Mandarin in the meantime.. Dun wanna be labelled a kantang. Excited... :) Can't wait for him to meet my family and friends and experience the life I live here. He will be so overwhelmed!! Xin instructed me to tell him "Eh Carol's CGL wants to meet you". Hahaha.

Separation is hard. He keeps dreaming of me; how come I don't dream of him? It's not fair. Only in dreams can I be in 2 places at the same time.

Inquisitive Itchy (the neighbour's cat) is on my window sill playing with the curtains now. She followed me into the house last night! Naughty... Anyway Whisky has recovered; his eye is much better and he is cute and clean once again. :)

Vincent comes to visit

Shoutout: Vincent is coming to Singapore in a week's time!

:D

God's blessing

I just want to give thanks to God for providing my family with the ideal house!
We'll be moving to Tanah Merah next January (of course I won't be there; will be welcomed back in June to a brand new home. hehe)

Truly, the whole house-hunting episode is nothing short of God's amazing provision. My parents were going on an intensive 2 week search for a new house and getting rather tired and anxious at the end of it. They were almost going to sign the contract with the Malay owner of a 3 storey corner terrace, even though they had reservations about it. The turning point came when Mum asked my Dad to pray. As I was out for cell group, my parents and Dazz prayed last night, for God's direction. Coincidentally, I prayed about that too, that morning itself! Then this morning, my dad searched Classifieds property, then went straight down to see the house, skipping his breakfast to do so. (This is unprecedented) Got to the house, looked around, liked it and signed the contract with the agent/owner in 5 minutes. Just like that! Both my parents had a very good feeling about the house.

-10min walk from MRT
-spacious enough for extended family. 4+1 rooms
-big living room
-garden
-reasonable price
-bright and breezy

It just reinforced the message delivered by Ps Philip Huan a few weeks ago- When God opens the door, He opens it completely. :)
He always provides us with the very best!
Praise the Lord!

neglected

My poor blog is so neglected.. :(

Most personal things that matter to me are written down in my journal already; I don't think I wanna publish it here. You never know who's reading!

Anyway, the chapter from the book I'm reading is about how God speaks through circumstances.
2 things that I could immediately apply to what I learnt.

1) The South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan.
For sure, ppl question why God, if He's so mighty, doesn't save them from being killed by the Taleban. All I can say is that, God is sovereign. He is still in control. I like the remarks made by Daniel's friends when they were in the lion's den.. Draw some parallels- I'm too tired to type it down now.

2) Whisky's return home. :):):)
I am ELATED.
Will elaborate more on this tmr.

Just have that niggling sense that I need to articulate what I learn, before I forget.

Good night, world.

Whiling away the time

I feel like I'm whiling away my time by reading too much.
Should just get my butt out of the house!!!
And stick to timetables. And exercise. Seriously need to get fit again. My fitness freak boyfriend either plays tennis or goes to the gym every day. I feel like such a slob now! Ahhh

Playing badminton today. Perfect rainy weather now. :)

going around the world

Maureen is coming to stay with me this Saturday! She will embark on her whirlwind tour of Singapore and Malaysia. Whoa super fast... Hehe exciting.

Vincent coming next month. :)

And I will be in Cambodia from 25-27 Aug. We were supposed to go a week earlier but tickets were sold out. Done my research on Siem Reap and Angkor already. Whee! I wanna go to Penang too...

Cherry blossoms: I miss him

Wishing you were somehow here again.

I serve a warrior God

Learnt some French today; I'm still not sure if it's something I wanna pursue as my external module. It's a completely NEW language; the last time I've had any contact with it was 7 years ago at the MOE language centre. It's a beautiful language, but one which will require much effort. This or Psychology? It's alot more appealing to me now after my sister's pregnancy. I can apply whatever I learn once the baby is born. How a wee babe makes its first contact with the world around it and how it gradually matures, finding its relation and making its contribution to society. Birth and new life- fascinating.

Li Kai passed me a total of 10 Christian CDs yesterday. Thank you! Timely and greatly appreciated. :) Got to catch up with Ephraim too, really miss this brother, full of wisdom and advice! Haha.. he taught HuiXian and I how to initiate spiritual conversations. The 1st step is that God must be relevant in our own lives. Then make Christianity relevant to the lives of our loved ones. Also shared with us how to answer difficult questions like our stand against pre-marital sex etc. The key is relevancy. Prayer is also important. I feel alot more fired up now... :)

Also started reading this book passed to me from Cheh "Becoming a Woman who Listens to God". It's very good and impressed me of the need to "abide in God's word". He/she who does so are then disciples of Christ, with knowledge of the truth which will set us free. People often dangle the verse "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free". But how will you know the truth? Where is its source? And we have to look at the preceding verses to know the answer: "If you abide in my Word". Read from the book of Joshua today too; and I got to see the warrior God, fighting for His people, delivering into their hands victory afer victory. He is not meek, passive, distant or out-of-touch, as is the common notion of God, but directly involved, intervening to give His people hope and victory.

Brownies

Blogging so much recently. I just baked the 2nd batch of brownies :D Hopefully the texture will be better and not so sweet. Have to perfect it then I will move on to mango crumble or mango shortbread. Still, very happy that Xinxin and my family like the brownies!!! Hahaha my very first baking attempt (with Jiamin) in a very long time. This time I will bring some for the YA. The LT aim is to bake some for Vincent's birthday. :) Preparation starts now!

Last night's Bible study on Joshua by Ps Philip Huan was excellent, like the previous week. I'm very glad I went for it; it spoke to me, challenged me and fulfilled the need for good, in-depth study of God's word. Have I given that fundamental love commitment to God? Going to church, reading the Bible, and other Christian activities is not enough.. They are just add-ons which flow from the basic commitment. It's time to get back to the basics.

Do I value other things/people more than God? Very honestly, yes. It's time for God to be first place in my heart again. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".

heartache

After hearing sharing from a good friend/sister of mine, I'm quite glad that I already have my significant other so I will be spared all the match-making and whatever insensitivities that other people may display. I feel for her because I've been through what she has and it really sucks to have things blown completely out of proportion. Shudders.. Some things should just be kept private.

Anyway, jiayou to this sister of mine: You are special and loved. :) Things will get better soon.

But being in a relationship has it's own problems too. People, well-intentioned as they are, tell me conflicting things. Some to be serious and work things forward while others say to play safe, guard my heart and keep my options open. Don't know.. I'm happy as things are. Anyway I'm not even 20 yet! Still have plenty of time.. This aside, I can't wait to for him to be here. :)

Daddy called me just now, excited like he had a secret to share. He asked me whether I wanna go to Cambodia. 17 August. Definitely!!! LOL I will grab any chance to travel.. Vincent will be visiting around that time and maybe, just maybe I will get to go back with him. Jason is with him now, they're having so much fun in Penang! Lucky lucky lucky.. Nice to see the 2 best friends joking around together again.

visitor this xmas?

Grace Tan may be coming to visit me this Dec in Nottingham! All the way from Kenya! How cool is that?? We've not met each other face-to-face for 2 whole years now! My oldest and bestest friend. Ahhhh can't wait to see her and show her around! :) And of course meet and interrogate the boyfriend, like how we've discussed many years ago before she left for NZ. Hehehe..

Other happy visitations being made around the world: Jason (Msia) is arriving in Penang soon, to visit Vincent. Lucky Bluebird! Wished I could go too.. Maumau (HK) is going to stay with me this end of July. And Vincent is coming to Singapore next month!

So many joyful reunions being planned... :)

Life is beautiful.




P.S I just uploaded some new photos online.
http://picasaweb.google.com/carolannekoh/LifeIsBeautiful

no more lazy holiday

Alrighty, I've finally finished most of the important stuff on my holiday to-do list.
Redeemed the points Daddy accumulated to book my flight back to London in September, after much trouble. That's what I don't like about online bookings, because they can't and don't tell you what's wrong. Apparently I couldnt book a return flight because the dates were more than 6 mths apart so I needed to book a more expensive ticket. Only found that out after numerous attempts to book different dates, 3 calls to the customer service hotline and a "I need to talk to you now" sms to the boyfriend. Sheesh!!! So anyway, I'm going back to the UK on 17 September. 2 months more in Singapore..

Other things to do:

1) Learn to cook/bake
Part of preparation for next year!

2) Learn French

3) Read more
- Bible
- Christian lit
- The Economist

4) Volunteer my time/effort
- In church?
- Charity?

5) Make chrysanthemum tea for family everyday

6) Exercise!

7) Clear room and belongings for easy moving out this Dec

8) Spend time with family

9) Practice vocals

10) Spend time in prayer


Yes, no more lazy holiday but a constructive and refreshing one!

sentosa outing

A day out in sunny Sentosa

Wei and me in the fairytale old woman's lived-in shoe. Wei is still pretty much the same; a very loyal friend and girlfriend!

ROAR :)

Thong jumping lots and lots of times for e camera. He has changed so much.. it makes me sad. Especially thinking back on the old VJC days when he was so passionate for God. Perhaps in a good way, it has made me alot more determined not to lose my own faith in God.

Love

The heart is the happiest when it beats for others.

haircut

I cut my hair today, after 3 months! My 1st thought: Aaaaah I look like a Japanese tai tai!!! :( :( :( Shoulder-length curls with fringe! Aaaaah!!! Good thing the curls are only temporary. Felt so sad as my long tresses were snipped off and left in a heap. See I do have my girly moments.

Have been having cramps for the past 3 days non-stop. Pain is so bad. :(

On a lighther note; I'm really glad I turned up for cell group/area meeting last night, even though the cramps and perceived lateness were making me very grumpy and pessimistic. It felt wonderful to worship joyfully together with the young adults, something that I missed in the UK. Also to hear real life testimonies of their growth, which really encouraged me. I see it in Eugene's stepping up to be a leader, Huixian's boldness in leading prayer and worship, Loyalle's dedicated service and concern for other members, Shella's increased passion for God.... and many more from my peers.

Here are young people, in their prime of their lives, actively seeking God and supporting fellow believers even when worldly distractions abound. I learnt alot from James' message about "Getting the right culture". I want to do my part too and improve in areas I'm weak in. Eg. Be more expressive, approach people who I perceive to have nothing in common with myself, take the initiative to change! God has really given me opportunities to develop inter-personal skills in the UK, especially in hall and in the Christian Union, as I was sharing with Loyalle and Weichuan in the cab home. Now, I not only want to apply what I've learnt back home in Singapore but improve too.

Out of my shell- finally! It's very encouraging when ppl tell me there's something different about you. Adrienne (who does facials for me) told me it's the way you carry yourself; alot more confident and outgoing. :) It's easy to slip back into the old me but please remind me to make a deliberate attempt to change!

The tauhuay and youtiao afterthat was yummylicious!!! Satisfied another craving. :D Next is tang yuan!

Also learnt about the 4 Love Languages.
1) Gifts
2) Quality time
3) Acts of service
4) Words of affirmation.

My love languages are 2) and 4) I like to affirm and encourage my loved ones, as well as spend quality time with them.
What are yours?

my darling and me

You & me

VJC June outing

VJC girls June outing
Venue: East Coast Park
Theme: Hawker delights + looong walks
By Fionne Tan (organiser)
That is all of us- sugar-puff-honey-crunch-fio. And my dear fio, you are right I bet you were always left in amazement at the litany of nicknames and secret codes. Wahaha.. Divine, PomPom, Nice Smile, MJ, Potato... Oh my!!! Hahaha thanks for reminding me of those hilarious times girls.. Hehe it seems like ages ago that we were in college. I really miss PE lessons where we played netball, tennis, soccer, ultimate frisbee, handball- and Mr ___ (I forgot his name!) the best PE teacher ever who always played with us. Also all the teachers, all so memorable and quirky in their own way. More important are all of you, who I'm so glad to say still count as being among my closest friends. Thanks for making the stressful JC period more bearable with all the humour, meaningful talks and support. It seems so long gone now, especially as I read through Fionne's entry about her memories in VJC. We've changed, we;ve moved on. And yet we remain friends. :) I'm glad.

Some memories I won't forget.
1) Hui and Wei helping me to wash my skirt in the toilet. I was and still am, touched and very grateful! Thank you for being there for me in such an emergency situation. lol

2) The fine system. Haha! Hui's brainchild! Which, as a result of all our late work and ponning school, amounted to an ice cream treat after PE. :D

3) Always forgetting to bring my tie on Mondays and having to sneak into the hall by the back in order to avoid Mr Seet. Also for having to rip out the string at the bottom of my shirt which was subsequently confiscated my him. What did we use to call it? I've forgotten already. haha
Getting caught for my short skirt more than once.

4) Deciding what to eat during lectures and tutorials. Delicious VJ food!!!

5) Best meaningful conversation ever: (in my opinion) We were at Lido sitting down at the benches waiting for e movie to start. I asked you girls, and Thong too, to share what each thought the other was going to become in future.. It was quite eye-opening, getting an insight of what your friends thought of you and what you would become. :) When everything was still heady and uncertain, the possibilities are endless. I vaguely remember: Thong= pastor! politician. Huimin= boutique owner, fashion stylist. Hui= resturant owner, food connoisseur. Me? = writer, journalist. How close are we to that now, I wonder?? How far does your course in university determine your future path in life?? Quite alot I think.

post jetlag

I think I'm finally recovering from jetlag. Managed to sleep through last night without waking up until 10am!!! Woohoo no more 5am-5pm nights.
Caught up with the VJ girls yesterday at ECP. It was great fun meeting them again! :) :) Ate, chatted and laughed and listened to all the latest happenings in their lives. Exciting stuff going on. hehe.. Fulfilled all my hawker food cravings too. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to polish off everything. Shame on us! Talked to Vincent afterthat too, thanks for waiting 4 me to come home. :) the webcam is finally working!! YAY we can finally see each other. :)
Went 4 the Mango sale this morning and lazed around for the afternoon. Watched this Hallmark movie- Homeless to Havard which was excellent.Very inspring and based on a true story. Made me cry at least twice.
Alrighty, off to play badminton.
Waiting for Grace Tan Ai Peng's call tmr morning! Hehe :D

Bitten by the travel bug.

Bitten by the travel bug.

Hello hello! I'm back from Eastern Europe and Nottingham; touched down in Singapore last afternoon. :) Super tanned now; because the sun was scorching hot in Eastern Europe and penetrated that many layers of sunblock we girls lathered on. Went out to eat Crystal Jade with my parents and Dazz as my Welcome Home meal. Delicious!!! Haha. I can't sleep now; still jetlagging- sigh. Some pictures to share with you- from Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow and Berlin. :)

Highlights of the trip were watching a concert in one of Vienna's many stately palaces, extreme biking in Krakow (my first near-death experience lol), the cheap and gd food in Budapest, going to Auschwitz and the Jewish Museum in Berlin, getting my Birkenstocks way cheaper than in Singapore, lazing around in Starbucks everywhere we went, eating mouth-watering dessert everyday, singing all the backstreet boys, westlife songs with Fifi and Jin .... and many more. :)

Really enjoyed bonding with the other 5 people, from Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia on the whirlwind 11 day tour of Eastern Europe. Laughed non-stop at Jason, who's ultra funny and the twins, whose only goal on the trip was to hunt down all the kebab, Subway and Starbucks outlets in every city. lol.. Also got closer to the girls- Fidelia and Maureen who are wonderful. :)

Some pictures to share.


Schoburn Palace in Vienna. Just one shot from our summer collection taken in every city. :D
Maureen and Jason, the resident couple of our trip. Super sweet and funny! :)
3 of us girls in Krakow. Yours truly in front of the panorama of Buda and Pest.

exams over!

Hello everyone, the exams are over!!!!!!! Constitutional law was bad; not only was the paper tough, the exam itself started one hour late! The statutes (ie Human Rights Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, Scotland Act, Devolution of Wales Act... just to give u a taster of what Consti Law is about) were printed only on the morning of the exam itself. -_-" When we finally got the statutes, they were still hot from the printing. And I was still sick. Oh well at least it's over!

What have I been doing?
Well, have been going to the city centre everyday for the past 3 days with Vincent to eat, shop and celebrate. :D So far, we've had Italian food at Frankie & Benny's, Vietnamese at Phat, American at Burger King (haha), Malaysian and Thai at Pretty Orchid and various nibbles along the way. Yummy! Vincent also cooked his signature carbonara with lemon sole last night (excellent!) complete with a very good hosea wine and absolutely scrumptious chocolate mousse. Bliss! And afterthat he taught me about wine-appreciation. I spent at least 30min swirling the wine in the wine-glass, while spilling alot of it on his rug. haha we finished the entire bottle of wine by ourselves last night! Face was so red. Hehe.. also watched Spiderman 3! It was very good, in terms of how they fleshed out the characters and their inner battles so realistically. God made us all with free will- in everything we do, we can make a choice.

Now I'm staying in to rest and read up about Eastern Europe, where I will be going in just 3 days time. Can't believe it's so soon! Fascinating reading up on cities with layers and layers of history behind it- you think of the myriad of civilisations and occupiers that came and went. Suddenly, our modern world doesn't seem all there is. It is but here and now and a tiny stretch on the timeline of mankind. And perhaps someday, people from the future will look back into our world with inquiring and renewed eyes.