60. white Christmas?

in some countries, white Christmas means

having snow of certain depth on the ground on the 25th

but in some other countries white Christmas is when it is snowing

on the 25th even if it melts before reaching the ground..

so.....

does this mean Plymouth had a white Christmas??

i have frozen ice from the snow few days ago..

sadly,

Britain only consider it white Christmas if it is snowing on the 25th...

apparently, white Christmas is very rare..

so i'll just have to wait for next year to see if it happens..

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i had a busy Christmas this year.

well occupied with food;)

this is what i had for lunch

lamb shank with mint sauce

pork joint with apple and some other filling;)

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and few hours later i was enjoying my meal of chicken rice with my housemates;)

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we had a small gathering in the evening filled with food again..

this year, each of us has a secret Santa;)

all of us were so excited to get our presents..

Christmas this year was a lot more merrier..

more food and more presents..

this is my collection ;)

am still waiting for my present from my sister..

i understand that Royal Mail has a lot of parcels

so i will wait for it patiently..

thanks so much for all the thoughtful gifts..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

and God bless always ..

59. wingless angels

i have always find it amazing how God sends His angels to me..

how some people can make me smile just by saying the simplest things..

how i can smile just looking at them..even if we just met..

how it made me smile just by thinking of them..

knowing these angels make my life more meaningful and happy..

all i can do is to thank God for blessing me with these wingless angels

who are around me all the time;)

reminding me of how blessed i am in every way...

am thankful for those who has always been at a look out for my safety and welfare too..

God bless always!!

anyway...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

58. second winter..

winter is officially here!!!

and snow is expected sooner this year....

the temperature has dropped drastically from 10 degrees to -3

in less than a week..

it feels so much colder compared to last winter..

and i don't like it at all..

the only thing that makes winter more fun and bearable is snow..

so please do snow soon..

i don't like being in the cold with no snow at all..

it makes me want to be in bed the whole day under my thick duvet

and do nothing at all.. ;)

57. i miss you..

i really do miss you..

if only i can tell you that now..

i looked back at every moment i spent with you

and i wished i didn't have to say goodbye to you at all....

56. weekends..

every Monday i look forward to the coming weekend..

and ever since i started my classes in late September,

i haven't got any weekend with nothing planned in advance..

i really need a break to sort things out..

but last weekend was a super duper great weekend..

though i was busy and was not home till late at night,

i enjoyed every moment of it..

simply because i was in the company of great people..

after one year, someone finally came as promised;)

and this someone gave me a much needed break from other things..

just being with this someone made my weekend much more memorable..

thanks for coming..

it did mean a lot to me..;)

a rainbow we saw: a promise well kept!!

55. home...

not being home for so many family occasions upsets me..

it makes me feel like i have missed out so much in my life..

all i want to do now is just to be back home within the comfort of my loved ones...

to be a part of the laughter and joy..

seeing them via skype helps me ease the feeling a bit

but it feels very different from being there myself..

i know they did their best to include me in the celebration

by explaining to me everything that is happening..

seeing them makes me longed even more to be home..

really can't wait to be home for my summer break..

to be in the comfort of being home again..

~"HOME is where my HEART is"~

and that's for sure!!

54. of mountains and valleys

i just heard a very interesting analogy of life from a friend.

she said that in life, we all want to be on top of mountains,

always striving to get to the highest peak.

but we do not realise that we can be quite lonely up there.

we tend to be ignorant of other's needs and become selfish.

we forget our roots thinking highly of ourselves.

on the other hand, no one wants to be at the bottom of the valley.

it is our lowest point in life where everything seemed to be against us.

but we are never alone because there are a lot of other people who will be there to support us.

it is really not that bad being at the valley for it is fertile and full of life.

therefore, do not fret when we sometimes find ourselves at the valley of life.

it is not the end of our lives.

things happened for a reason.

if only we could just open our blind eyes to see and

appreciate the small things at the valley.

i guess i learn much more when i am at the valley.

appreciating the little blessings that i have overlooked when i was at the mountain top.

the land is so much more fertile that i can grow and bear the fruits of the spirit.

even though i could get a really good view at the mountain top once in a while,

i would still always prefer to be at the valley where the land is fertile and full of life.

53.bliss

it is a great feeling when something you have always dreamt of and thought impossible

happened to you before your own eyes...

i can't believe that it had just happened and oh my...was i on cloud 9..

i can't help but smile and grin to myself..

it felt a lot like a dream..

but i was really sure it did happened..

it really cheered up my long day of being in class from 9 to 5..

the best moment in my day :)

thank God that i was there at the right time and place..

i just love being in a blissful mood!!!

it feels so good..;)

I AM ON CLOUD 9!!!

52. how...?

how can i be sure that i can love you

if i cannot be sure that you would love the one thing i love the most?

*just some random thoughts..*

51. regret

~It is human nature to want to go back and fix things or change things that we regret. ~

John Gray

even though there are things that i have regret doing,

i still strongly believe that everything happened for a great purpose..

i do wish i could change things in the past at times

but it is not confirm that i would not regret that change in choice..

so no matter what choice i have made,

it shall be my experience..

regardless of it being good or bad..

50. two paths

come on!!!

just one word from you and i can finally make my decision

to go on which path..

just ONE word...

and i will know what to do next...

49. let Your will be done..

"No eyes has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him"

(1Corinthians 2:9)

i do not know what the future awaits me.

but i have always loved the suprises that He has prepared for me.

even when it was not something i had wanted,

i trust and believe that it is for my very best.

like what the mother says all the time in I Not Stupid-the movie

"it's all for your own good"

You have always provided me with so much.

i might not understand the things You do in my life,

but i have always come to realise that Your way is always the best.

You taught me new things from my own experience.

and it is from these experience that i learnt from my mistakes.

you may not be something i have ever dreamt of to have, but if my Father says you are for me then it shall be it..

AMEN!!

48. best homework ever!!

as a student in school, i remember wishing this every time i had to do my homework. i have always wished silently "if only my homework were to watch movies and drama series. and that my exams would be based on the drama series i have watched. if only this is true, then i would be the best scorer without even having to study or put in any effort". that was how much of time i spent in front of the TV that i was confident enough to admit that i could be the top scorer. what can i say..i was even nicknamed "the TV guide" in the family. i knew by heart what movie or drama at exactly what time. those were the days.....

anyway, my wish finally came true;) this year, i took Shakespeare on Film as my elective. my homework is to watch countless movies by this Great Man. yes, i had to admit that this wish was not exactly what i wanted..the movies can be super boring cause i can hardly understand the language used. and some of them are even in black and white. it can easily put one to sleep. but i have always find it a great accomplishment when i finally put the puzzles together and understand the message behind all those long and dull dialogue.

i have to admit that when this wish came true, it was nothing like what i had always dreamt of. it still felt like homework. and i had to force myself to do it. i had to stay focus and to analyse everything they do or say in the movies. it was nothing like watching a movie in our leisure time and just enjoying it..but what else can i ask for..i still enjoy it no matter how much i complained that it is dull and boring ;)

these are the movies i have to watch for this subject..mind you, it's not just four movies..it's more than that. each title has at least 2 movies to be watched. from different directors..so imagine watching the same storyline a few times again and again in less than a week..so there you go...serve me right for wishing so hard..;P

47. F.R.I.E.N.D.S

i know i am really bad at keeping in touch with the people who are so important in my life...sorry guys..just wanted to let you all know that though we are miles away and i hardly contact you, you are always being thought of..especially when i look back at our school-days photos..it never failed to paint a smile on my face..all the happy memories and crazy things we did back then..

MISS YOU ALL LOTS!!!

p/s: am looking forward to the day when we can finally all meet up and hang out again..

46. ;(

it made me feel really bad to know that i am the cause of your disappointment...

45. Happy 1st Anniversary

26th Sept 2010 is a rather significant date in my life..it means I have been in the UK for 365 days..

so many things have happened--the ups and downs of life..but i am trully enjoying myself here..

the people i have grown closer to..the new friends that came along into my life..

i have learnt to accept changes---weather, environment, friendship, food, lifestyle and etc...

these are the highlights of my 365 days..those that have earn a place in my heart..

1. finding a church and attending it alone (the biggest and loneliest challenge)-Oct 2009

2. visiting Portsmouth and watching my first football match-Nov 2009

3. going to Scotland and London for my winter break-Dec 2009

4. had the best fun with heavy snow in Plymouth-Jan 2010

5. celebrating CNY via skype.that's the best i could get of the CNY mood-Feb 2010

6. celebrating my first birthday abroad-Mac 2010

7. watching All England in Birmingham-Mac 2010

8. Malaysian Fest-May 2010

9. my sis and grandma came to Plymouth for a week.went to St Ives with them-May 2010

10. went to my first Christian concert of Hillsong and etc-May 2010

11. went to London and watched my first orchestra in Royal Albert Hall-June 2010

12. celebrated my 3rd Anniversary with friends-July 2010

13. went to a tour..7 countries in 12 days(France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Holland and Belgium)-July 2010

14. hibernating and simply feeling happy-Aug 2010

15. spending more than a week with my parents in London, Exeter and Plymouth;) - Sept 2010

now that i have listed everything, i dont't think i have been doing enough...maybe next year...i hope more meaningful and significant things will come my way...Amen!!

44. soldiers reunited

Came across this video and just felt that this is worth sharing.. the tears of joy when you meet someone you have missed so much.. someone you have always longed to see again..

43. meteor shower

my childhood dream finally came true yesterday. i have always wanted to witness one of God's most wonderful creation and i was blessed enough to be able to see it. even though there was only a few of it, still i am more than grateful for it. i saw 5 in one hour. i know it is really just a hand full but still it really made my day ;) out of that 5, only 2 appeared right in front of my eyes. the other 3 was just a glimpse of it. people always say that when you see a shooting star, make a wish and it will come true. but i was more excited to be able to see them than to make any wishes. to me, my wish is already answered---the existence of these shooting stars..

can't wait for the next meteor shower...hope it will be soon..

42. my best provider..

I know my blog has been "dead" since CNY.. have been thinking if I should continue writing here.. anyway, here's some update..

last week, as i was looking at my bank account, i was wondering how would i be able to survive here till the next allowance. yes no doubt that the allowance i get will be enough for my food and all but since i'll be travelling so much, i would have to really starve myself if i depend solely on the money i got. but praise God for He heard my prayers. minutes after that, a church member called and asked me if i would like to work during the weekend. my friends and i have been finding for jobs for a very long time and there was no respond from anywhere. and here i am being offered a great job in less than a minute. how great is His plans for me;)

and as i was working, the kind lady who works with me also offered me a job to babysit her daughters. i have always wanted to babysit here but it is quite impossible cause i need to be "qualified" to actually enable me to handle young children. that's how strict the rules are here..but because she knows me and trust me with her children, i do not need the cert..praise God for giving me such great opportunities..and the best part is that all these happen when i am having my summer break now. i can work without having to worry about my studies and all..am really always so amazed at how He plans my life..making sure that everything suits me best..

*sidetracking*

heard an impossible story but yet it happened..

she was from Thailand working in the family farm and as a young child, she had always hoped to get married and get away from the sufferings. that was her dream. coincidentally, he was in Thailand having a holiday with his family and by God's grace they met. they stayed in contact for a year and he invited her to come over to UK. after 7 months, they got married!!

maybe it is nothing really so special about their love story but i just felt that it is something so impossible.. 2 people from so different background and culture can end up together..nothing is really impossible if it is God's planning i guess..hehe..

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will be away in London next week...watching an orchestra and also visiting some of the famous places..this is why my money flies so fast...heee....

will be starting my Europe tour from 24 july to 4 august.. 7 countries in 12 days..(holland, belgium, germany, italy, france, switzerland and austria)....

41. cny mood

CNY eve-reunion dinner (13/2/10)

for the whole afternoon i was busy skype-ing with my family back home. it felt so wonderful to see everyone together having so much fun. though i am thousands of miles away, i am still apart of that fun and joy=) they had their reunion dinner before calling me but i enjoyed watching them play firecrackers and fireworks. the internet connection was not cooperating very well but it was fairly good. at least i got to see their faces. and i can conclude that i have put on some weight here. it was the same sentence from everyone when they see me online. hmm...guess i have to visit the gym more often now..anyway thanks so much for bringing the laptop around everywhere just so that i can be apart of every activity=)it has definitely been a very special cny for me this year. away from home but yet not so away...

i had my reunion dinner with my friends later in the evening but this reunion dinner is nothing great compared to the ones i used to have at home.it is just something to bring in the cny mood. each of us cooked something and my dish was grilled salmon. i know that it is not that chinesey but hey it's not that easy finding genuine chinese food here. so have to make do with what i have. my favourite dish on that day was the steamed chicken with herbs. it reminded me so much of my grandma's cooking. thanks to my two dearest friends for preparing that. it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of home. *hugs for the great job*

we hang around "karaoke-ing" with fast beat songs and later moved on to slower beats to commemorate Valentine's day. but one thing i find weird is how people react to rules and restictions. it is illegal in Malaysia to buy firecrackers but people do it anyway not bothering about the rules. here, it is legal and sold everywhere but no one seemed to have thought of buying it to play. how odd!!!



first day of CNY (14/2/10)

spent my first day of CNY in the church. a very different way of celebrating it i guess. i missed going visiting from house to house collecting ang pau. and of course the food i gobbled down in every house.

i went to a chuch member's house after the service for lunch. the couple had invited me over last week and i thought that it was for CNY but i found out later that it was just so coincident as they are not even aware of the celebration. my first ever British lunch with the company of "ang mo lang" or "mat salleh". the food was simple but simpy delicious. thank God that they did not serve cheese at all. find it weird but at least i didn't have to push away any food.


second day of CNY (15/2/10)

i was awake at 4 am in the morning. it is rather amazing to find me awake at this wee hour but hey i did it for the sake of my loved ones. my grand uncle and his family came from Penang and i have promised my uncle to skype with them. so there i was in front of the webcam with my eyes a quarter-opened. my eyes are not particularly big and round on usual days and it definitely didn't get any bigger or rounder to be awake at this hour. all of them were making fun of my eyes but who can blame my pitiful eyes. they deserve a longer rest:)...anyway i spent a long time talking to them all. i made them talk to me longer cause i was rather awake and i knew i would not be going to bed anytime soon. but i gave up round 6am. i dozed of again soundly....feeling happy and contented...

awake again at 10 plus and was back skype-ing. this time i was watching them practise their dance for my grandma's birthday party. i can't help but laugh at them everytime they started their practice. it was just hilarious!!! it was as if i was watching a live comedy. as i was enjoying myself so much, the internet connection has to misbehave at this time....it was a pity that i could not watch them perform live but i made my brother record it for me..i hope he did..thanks bro!!


third day of CNY (16/2/10)

third day of CNY was a busy day for me so there was no celebration of any. but i finally received the parcel that my auntie sent:) inside there were all my favourite food and snacks. more bak kua to be enjoyed. it came just in time as my first batch of bak kua is finishing. thanks yi kiu yong!!


forth day of CNY (17/2/10)

on the forth day there was nothing much also. it's just that i pampered my friends and myself with some "emperor food" (Lim:2010). i made bird's nest soup. it was the first time i made it myself and i was quite worried that it might not turn out as i expect it to. it's something too expensive to be experimented on. but thank God it tasted like my grandma's.


*the CNY mood is still here as i still have my cookies and all...and there's more cookies coming this week;)yummy!!! and thanks so much for sending me parcels of love..THANK YOU!!! God bless;)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! again...

40. chinese new year

this is the very first year i'm not celebrating it with my loved ones. after 20 years of enjoying really good home-cooked food, i will be celebrating my 21st with nothing much. it's a real pity that they don't celebrate it here.

i guess this is the whole list of what i will miss most....

1. i miss all my loved ones..it means so much to me to just get together. the company of these people can cheer the "moodiest" person on Earth.

2. i will surely miss the dinner on the eve a lot. all the wonderful food that my grandparents will prepare. shark's fins, sea cucumber, the yam thingie, prawns, crabs, fish,.....i don't think i will be able to name it all..there's just too many..

3. i miss fighting for food with all these piranhas. there's no such thing as calling everyone on the table before eating (like many traditional families do). we literally grab what we can. first come first serve.

4. i miss the time all of us squeeze into a small room just to use the air-cond. it was just amazing how we could all fit into it.

5. i miss the time all of us just laze around doing nothing.

6. i miss how the dining table is always full of food. a few minutes after it is cleared, food will appear on the table again. it's amazing how our stomach never feel full. or rather we still gobble down food no matter how full we are cause it is only once a year.

7. i miss playing cards with my family. i miss "gambling" using only 10 cents.

8. i miss listening to the noise of laughter and joy in the house.

9. i miss staying up till late at night chatting with my family.

10. i miss collecting ang pau on cny.

11.and lastly i miss counting my collection at the end of the day.

my 21st cny will be rather different. there'll be no family members with me and no sound of familiar laughter and joy.there's no one to fight for food with me. and sadly, the food somehow don't taste that good if you have it all to yourself. whatever it is, i will try to enjoy myself here with the cookies that my grandma made lovingly just for me=) and the bak kua that my mom sent me. thanks so much. these are the only things that brings the cny mood to me...there will be more cookies coming but for now this is all i have..

i will make the most of what i have and still have fun...=)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

39. the end of being pissed..

after putting in a lot of effort of controlling my own emotions, i finally gave in feeling pissed and frustrated. i have come to accept the fact that even if you treat someone well, you might not receive the same treatment. guess that's just the way it is. and the only solution is to not expect anything at all....--easier said than done--...

but what i went through is nothing at all compared to what my Saviour has been through. the pure and innocent lamb treated everyone so well but yet He was treated unfairly and was condemn. so who am I to complain when i face some challenges...

whatever it is, i thank God for blessing me with the ability to forgive others..and it definitely helps to know that i'm loved by my Saviour and my family and friends..

*can't wait to receive my parcel filled with the joy of CNY!!!*

38. quotation

this phrase just strike me as i was enjoying myself with taiwan drama..

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how can my heart be broken

without having been in love?...

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weirdly, this is so true..it has been broken countless time for many reasons..but guess i'll never be able to understand why my poor heart has so many wounds inspite of me never being in love.....or have i without realising it myself??? only God knows better...

37. looking forward

everything has been great lately. hardly any classes for 3 weeks already. usually only 2 hours of class for the entire week. yea it might sound fun but the truth is it can be rather boring when you have nothing to do at all. or in actual fact i do have my assignment due next week, but as long as i still have time i would not be caught doing it. it's just the culture i assume(or rather something i want to assume).

but yesterday as i was about to sleep i suddenly felt that my heart is hoping for something to happen. i can't point out exactly what i hope for the most because there were a few possibilities. i'm sure i'm looking forward to something but what???whatever it is i'm sure God will reveal it to me when the right time comes.


^peace^

36. snowy day

farah woke me up early in the morning today and we ran out to play..
we built a snowman that is around my height and named him Johnie Bob..hahah..

me, johnie bob n farah

i was supposed to have class at 9.30 but i played till 9.25 and was about to run to class when i saw the rest walking back..what else--went back threw my bag at the corner and continued playing..running around attacking each other with snow balls..it was cold and tiring to run around in the thick snow and zero temperature..but we still had plenty of fun doing that..guess playing with snow is something i will not get bored with---at least for now..hehe..am still very excited and literally jump with joy whenever i see it snow=)my prayers were answered i guess..hehe..

but despite playing around happily i can't help but wish that my family and friends back home were here with me enjoying it..sharing this happy moment with me...wish we could all play together and have photos taken as our memory............