Au Revoir 2010, Bonjour 2011!

Happy New Year!

Wow, it's the year 2011 already.
I honestly don't know how 2010 just flew past just like that, but yeah...it just did.

It's been about 2 months since I last blogged, but I felt like I needed to close the year 2010 with a final blog post before I abandon this blog.
I think it's been a bit of a hassle and a chore the past year to blog.
Don't get me wrong; I love blogging, but it's just that things have really picked up and I've had my hands full with various responsibilities and activities.

Now whether I start a new blog remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, as my final post...I'd like to review how 2010 went for me.
Call it a thanksgiving post, but this will certainly be a lot of that.

2010 as every other year turned out to be another eventful year for me.
I think the best part about life is not knowing what comes next, which can also be the downside of life.
But when you've got God watching your back, you cannot be more prepared than that to face life.

Ups and downs,
Smiles and frowns,
Laughter and tears,
Joy and fears,

I think there were too many moments that is of significant mention but absolutely cannot be listed down, because it'll take forever.
Maybe just a run through of the more significant events...

• Started to pursue my final academic qualification in the form of the professional qualification of ACCA.
• Met and made new friends whom I cannot be more thankful for.
• Went through a personal tough time in life carried over from the previous year (2009).
• Grew close with some people and unfortunately, strayed away from a few others.
• Had my first road trips just with friends only (Malacca, TWICE).
  
• Started juggling between work and studies.
• Took over the Harvest Youth and assumed further leadership responsibilities.

There were a whole lot of other pretty significant events, but suffice to say that there isn't enough time to list them all down.
As always, every year is a journey to discover one's self, and 2010 was no different.

I remember the moments of disappointments, frustration, heartbreaks, and tears.
And yet I remember the many moments of laughter, joy and excitement.

I remember telling myself at one point in time "I cannot wait for the year to end."
And yet I remember at certain points in time when I wished time would have just stopped there and then.

I remember the many moments when I felt so alone, unloved, and unwanted.
But yet, I'll remember even more fondly of the many times God sent people to let me know that I'm not alone.




There's been such a mixed of emotions throughout the entire year, but I know for a fact that if it was not for God...I honestly would not have had the courage and purpose to persevere on.
I think the most important thing for me was knowing that regardless of what happens, God was always going to be there.
And I have to thank Him for His faithfulness in seeing me through yet again another year of craziness.

It seemed at times that I was alone in facing the various challenges of life, but I thank God that He has been faithful and absolutely tolerant of my insecurities.
He's kept the faith in me, and has always been the only person I could turn to when nobody was around.

As I close this post (and coincidentally, this blog) with this final post, I'd like to thank God for specific things...




I thank God for God. There is absolutely no other reason as to why I'm still alive today but for Him.

I thank God for family. Family is something that we take forgranted sometimes but honestly, when some people don't even have family...I have a God-given family who has been with me through thick and thin and have supported me in the many decisions that I've made along the way.

I thank God for friends. I'm one who honestly appreciates friendship a whole lot. The year 2010 was crazy in the sense that I've lost some really good friends due to misunderstandings and mistakes made on my part. Good friends are real treasures that I hold close to my heart, but I've been blessed with a few really good friends who have never left my side regardless of how I've treated them. And I love you guys from the bottom of my heart.

I thank God for new friends. The number of friends I've made this year whilst in ACCA has really added to my joy of 2010. I think this bunch of people are honestly fun to hang out with, despite the fact that we tend to have to 'nerd-up' due to the intensity of the course. Some whom I've grown close to and come to love dearly.

I thank God for trials and challenges. I've had my fair share of them, but they've definitely brought me one step further to my dependency on God and helped play a part in terms of contributing towards the building of my character and maturity.




There's so many things to be thankful for, but I'll stop here.
It's been an awesome year, but I'm looking forward to 2011.
I know whatever happens next, God will bring me through to yet another year as I continue to live this life to fulfill His plans and purposes in my life.

I pray for the best to every single one of you reading this right now that the year 2011 will be one of prosperity, abundance, and a year of awesomeness.

Stay awesome!
God bless.


Happy New Year!


New Year's Eve @ Desa Park City! ACCA-ians for the win!


Ended the year with the people I adore. Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

Overload!

I'm starting to realise what it means to have too many eggs in the basket.
I honestly would not have expected having so much to do so late towards the end of the year and it's almost like a windfall of responsibilities.
Time management is probably my biggest issue and it's probably hitting me that it's about time I grew up and start being the person I'm supposed to be.

Besides the fact that I have my major exams coming in December, there's still
...the HCC youth group and upcoming Christmas events to handle.
...the KDU PAC prom to plan for next year.
...the part time job that's starting in 2 days time.

I'm swamped with work, losing my wits end, and I'm going on a continuous emo streak for the past few days.
I know it can't be good, but I need a way to manage my portfolio of responsibilities and execute my plans and time management accordingly.
I know this can only be the start of me becoming a better person...

Lets just pray I make it out of the next 2 months in ONE piece.

I'll Never Sing Of Love, If It Does Not Exist...

Men have always been on a quest to find love.
Fairy-tales were created with ideals and perfection as the theme.
Little girls dreamed of "forever" and "happily ever after."
Love was an idea of happiness and a bed of roses.

Of blooming red flowers and boxes of chocolates.
Sparkling jewelry fit for a queen and accessories to match.
Candlelight dinner with music seemed like the perfect evening.
And a dance to end the night, a kiss to seal the deal.

But I don't live in a world of ideals.

Being open means unnecessarily being vulnerable to be hurt.
Never loved for both the good and bad, perfection a fleeting desire.
Selfish personal needs always prioritised above compromise and love.
Broken hearts the common outcome, buckets of tears flow endlessly.

Regret, disappointments, and disbelief the obvious emotions.
The meaningless endings that are compounded by reality.
Who's to say that the scars and reminders will ever go away?
When love has become a taboo and a luxury only the optimists can dream of.



For me...
I'm tired of being impulsively optimistic.

It's time to bask in God's unconditional love.

Faithful You Are...

A statement used to ring in my mind...

"When nothing makes sense, look to God."

But now I realise one thing...

"In everything good or bad, look to God."

More now than ever.
Tomorrow is a better day. : )

Let Go And Let God!

Gah!
Bleargh!
Ugh!
Pfsh!
And any other expressions of frustration.

Past few weeks have been pretty frustrating.
When you're given multiple responsibilities, every little thing decides to divert from the initial destination.
It can be frustrating deciding what to do, which to tackle, and how to go about it.
But I've learned a thing or two when faced with circumstances that are unfavourable.

1. Stress is a result of poor time management. Proper time management, and most of the time things tend to fall into place.
2. Life will only become more complicated, and it never becomes easier.

But my biggest lesson, is this...

You either let circumstances overwhelm, overpower, and overexert undue pressure on you...OR you can turn to God and SURRENDER!

I'm still learning to let go and let God.

In My Life, Your Will Be Done...

So many times I have asked God, "Lord, I need Your direction in this. Speak to me."
But then...I've never had an answer directly from Him.
I've wondered for a long time whether I'd actually get to hear an audible voice that tells me straight to the point.
Often I've struggled with the decisions I've made on whether the voice I've followed was God's, or just my own.

But in this week itself, I've learned that God may not speak to you directly...but He speaks nevertheless.
I thank God that He's been guiding me all the way through without me knowing it, every single step of the way...

ACCA just pretty much blows your mind.
You'll never be sure if you'll excel, or fail miserably.
Passing is NEVER a certainty.
If I'm honest with myself, I'll be frank when I say that I worry and fret over my studies, particularly this semester.
But mum made a statement that reminded me of His faithfulness.

"Be confident! God has taken you from your degree to ACCA. He's given you the scholarship to complete this. His favour has always been upon you. Don't you think that He'll see you through the whole thing?"

I realised that I've been looking at the circumstances and worrying unnecessarily.
But I'm thankful...because I know that it is at that very moment that God used her to speak to me and to remind me..."Hey, I'm in charge. Don't worry. I'll bring you through this. If I'm faithful to bring start this work in you, I'll be faithful to finish this work I've started in you."

And I guess there are times when God clarifies things through the people who will be affected by the potential decisions.
This is perhaps more frequent...because I honestly ask God, "Where do I go from here? Should I do this? What do I do next? Is this the right thing to do?"

I've been struggling with something close to my heart, taking the time to look at things in the right perspective, weighing the possible implications of the possible actions taken, and most of all...asking God, "What should I do?"
I believe in every single major decision (or every other decision, if possible) that God's opinions always matter the most.

I guess you could say I was persistently stubborn in regards to this matter.
I wanted to be dead sure that this was the right action to take.
And God amazingly gave an indirect answer to my question and put me back on the right track.
Though no doubt I've denied the facts before me, but an answer like that was a clear indication of what I should do (or in this case, should not do).

I've learned that the difference between going ahead with a decision made on my own wisdom and a decision made on God's direction can be the difference between getting stuck in a sticky, messy situation and walking in His will and achieving great things.
Though as humans most of the time we see things through our carnal eyes and are easily swayed by emotions tend to make decisions that we regret later in life.
But for me personally, if you live for God who knows the beginning and the end...you can NEVER go wrong.

I'll stay true to You, Lord. <3

Friendship Is A Single Soul Residing In Two Bodies...

This post is again specially ordered by a certain someone.
Due to the special 'order', I've decided to get off my lazy chair and actually get to work on the Malacca post.

WARNING: This post is probably one of my heaviest posts ever in terms of image. So, read at your own risk!

Malacca Food Fest 2010 (26th-27th July 2010)
As the title suggested, a few of us went down to Malacca for a road trip.
We crashed at a dear friend's place, namely...John Sung.
The amount of food we ate was ridiculous, the amount of laughter we shared was insane, and the friendships that I've learned to appreciate...AMAZING!

So, I'll let the pictures do all the talking!
Enjoy!

5 of us met up at Bukit Jalil's bus station and took a bus down to Malacca.


Josh!


Shawn!


Andrea!


Jewel! And yes, that's her real name. : )


And of course, yours truly.

John and his family were truly the best hosts you can ever imagine.
They not only took care of our accommodation, but they drove us around for every single meal and took us on a tour around the city of Malacca. You guys are amazing. <3


The guys.


Goofing around.


Pitstop #1: Taiwan noodles!


It tasted better than it looks.


Pork ribs. Sorry peeps, this was non-halal.


Group picture (minus John).


Next up was of course the famous Jonker Street.


Pitstop #2: No trip to Malacca would be complete without trying the chicken rice balls, though I must say...a little bit OVERRATED!


Group picture again!


Pitstop #3: Dessert, and another specialty from Jonker Street: Durian Cendol!


Group picture! W00t....


And yet again.


Tired yet? : )


Jonker Street's mascot.


The next James Bond?


Stopping by for a drink!


"We were here."


Off we head to our next destination!


Pitstop #4: Lo han kuo. I have no idea how to spell it, but in Bahasa...Air mata kucing.


Smile for the camera.


Free promo! But...it was really really good, and extremely cheap! RM1 for a bowl. It doesn't get any better than that.


Nyeh!


Group picture!


Pitstop #5.


Cendol, again!


Mee rebus!


A close-up view. There was also rojak, but I think you pretty much know how it looks like.

We took a short hike up a hill after that.
More for digestion purposes, and of course...for picture-taking purposes.


Top of the world!


*kicks* xD


At the foot of the hill, they had miniature replicas of buildings around Malacca.


They looked pretty real.


Until we came about.


And this is what happened.


Reenaction of King Kong! xD


At the foot of the hill!

After going through so many pitstops and walking around, you'd expect one to get tired.
But not us...


We headed down to the Portuguese settlement, hoping for a sunset.


I think we were all just really tired from all the walking.


This was supposed to be a possible candidate for a movie poster. Drama much!


The cast?


And then we went crazy.


And everyone had to take a picture with Jewel.


Funny poses.


And even weird ones. The tiredness just got to us.


A decent picture with John!


And an even nicer picture with the sea as a backdrop.


We started acting all silly. : )


The boys had a group shot!


And then a crazy shot!


And finally, a group shot.


And in the future...maybe even a band called "Circumstances". xD

After all the photoshoots, we headed back to John's to freshen up...and then, it was back out again for dinner.


Pitstop #6: Northern Indian cuisine! This was the mutton curry, which was uber good by the way.


Dhail!


With naan.


Some spinach veggie thingy.


The sauce for the next dish...


No idea what this was, but overall...everything tasted like heaven.


Woo hoo! Brinjal!


Group picture!


Our next stop was the Melaka river cruise.


Random!


Overhead bridge! Sorry, I get excited when I see a lighted overhead bridge.


Lights!


Another overhead bridge!


Another random shot!


Awhh....sho cuteeeee. : )


Pitstop #7: Dessert!


Pitstop #8: Capitol Satay Celup!


The sauce.


Pre-supper.


Work in progress.


Om nom nom...


Enjoying his food very much it seems.


Nothing beats Malaysian food, ei Shawn? : )

That was how day 1 ended.


Pitstop #9: Beef noodles was up for breakfast with meat balls. It was so cheap, I wouldn't have minded bringing back a few packets. Not to mention, it was yummy!


Meat balls!

Post-breakfast, we headed over to the beach.
This time, with actual sand and not just a nice view.


Getting a wee bit excited, are we? : )


Poser-fied!


Group jump shot #1!


Group jump shot #2!


Random shot!


Here's us @ the beach!


Now with Jewel in the picture!


Crazy shot by the beach. A must at every outing to the beach!


Pitstop #10: Our last stop before we headed back home to KL.

It was more rojak, cendol and asam laksa.
Hence, no point putting pictures that kinda look similiar.


This is us on the way back!


Another final shot...


Josh's face is classic! He loved Malacca a whole lot. : )


This was goodbye from all of us...

I think you guys really made this trip memorable.
It's never the activities, but always the company.
I love you guys with all my heart.
We'll do this again soon.
Stay awesome! <3

And if you're reading this, congrats...
You've reached the end of the post.
Thank you for reading.
Stay awesome! <3

P.S.: This post took me 2 hours plus to come up with. A certain someone better appreciate this. xD
P.S.S.: Picture credits go to everyone, especially Jewel, John and Shawn because they were all from your cameras. : )
P.S.S.S.: The rest of the pictures can be found on Facebook.