Of Pirates, Sea and Fantasy

i do love the sea.

take me to my fantasy.

i'm still sane =)

23 May 2007

the sun was shining brightly at 7am, and the air was warm at 15 degrees. i received phone calls from my dearest parents, and thought it would be just another day, apart from the last lecture of the academic year and a scheduled lunch to look forward to.

all seemed pretty routine, except for the secret joy knowing that it is my special day.

all seemed pretty routine when the lecture ended, the students clapped for the lecturer and left the babbage, except for the tinge of disappointment that no one suggested to stay behind to take pictures-- it was, afterall, the last lecture that some of us will ever have together.

all seemed pretty routine, as i walked towards the all too familiar biochemistry department prepared to dash through my essay that was due before lunch, except that i thought jinyang had decided to follow siewkit to join the mugging club.

then i thought i heard dingdong's voice. and this group of excited people suddenly appeared from the bushes with a bunch of flowers-- a birthday surprise right at the steps of the biochemistry department! and there they sang the birthday song ...

the group ( comprising natscis, engineers, medic and vet) at the biochem department. haihan took the picture. picture is courtesy of jinyang =)

i hope i didn't look too stunned. i was pleasantly shocked, and slightly dismayed with myself that my daily whereabouts have become that predictable. but it was indeed a lovely celebration =)

thank you everyone for taking precious time off to make my day =) and especially to those who planned the surprise =)

2o. no longer a teen, but slowly embracing adulthood. everyday is by the grace of God, and may i age gracefully.

the very english hat is the birthday present from the group

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

someone dear expressed that he is afraid of leaving home: afraid of the isolation from caring people, and of the loneliness that entails.

but i want to reassure him that God is good, and He blesses His children through the bonds of friendship, both new and old. He knows and cares for our physical (material/ mental/ emotional ) needs, on top of our spiritual life in Him.

i always say that i am blessed with people who love me, no matter where i am, and i couldn't re-state this more. let all this love be channelled through me, so that i too will be a blessing to those i encounter =).

Blessed with Love

i am blessed-- blessed with friends who love me so much that they unreservedly shower their concerns and encouragement, and time to listen and to help.

it reminds me of parents' love-- how parents have to face the world for a living and still come home to shelter the kids with unreserved love, no matter how weary.

"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us... God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." -1 John 4:12, 16

thank you to you both, my lab partners =)

The Gift of Prayer

the daily bread series has been about prayers quite often lately. and so is the verse that is fed into my blog everyday.

agnes came up with the very good idea of praying for a particular cg mate for the week; my prayer buddy reassured me he'll remember my prayer requests.

the shepherd and sheep game ongoing in cf lets me know that my shepherd cares for me, and i care for my sheep.

the gift of prayer. it's like the gift of a credit card to someone else's bank account. just swipe, and you have access to all the resources it entails. it's accepted worldwide-- anytime, anywhere. all you need is just faith that the cashier won't scorn at you when you offer to pay with a plastic card instead of tangible cash.

but sometimes i am too blind to see even such simple faith. i head dive into the whirlpool of toil and exhaustion, inefficiency and desperation, all of which are part of a deadly positive feedback cycle. a positive feedback can only be stopped when it self-limited, or when there is external intervention.

the sermon yesterday was on mark 7:24-37. it was about the faith of gentiles in jesus's healing powers. the pastor spoke on the holding onto the promises of God, which are solid as rock, and which have sustained his believers through ages of persecution. God has made many promises. and one that is made for the time now is matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

and so i will hold on to this, though my mind tends to wander into the realms of transport systems and proteins even in prayer. but this too, i know i can bring to my God, for in His promise i can ask for anything.

i ask for renewed faith, renewed joy, renewed dependence, renewed strength.

Which Disney Princess are You Most Like?

You are most like Jasmine!

You are an exotic beauty who enchants everyone you meet. You love going on wonderful adventures and have a special fondness for tigers.

ok, i think i hear thunderous laughter.

it was from a game designed for 3-year olds found on the disney website. and i think i got this result because i have black hair and think a tiger would be an ideal pet. i played the game again, choosing a horse for a pet the second time, and got snow white instead. so the hair colour must be the dominant factor.

but why not mulan? i like mulan.