Less Is More

Immersed

2011-11-26T05:44:00.000+11:00

Okay, I'll admit it. I forgot that it was Thanksgiving yesterday.

In just one week, I have been so ~~busy~~ free that I became complacent in my walk with Jesus. Once, I penned down, "Lord, it's good to be back in Melbourne; at least my routine is predictable enough to spend time with You". Well, there is no more Melbourne. Change.

Lord, but, I already made plans where you first placed me. It was exciting. I thought I had caught on to something you started in my heart; a hidden desire to serve alongside in encouragement. The timing seemed right and the situation was emergent. Ideas were shared, approved, and put into action. Then everything... changed.

Lord, I question it, "Really?"

He said;

Your heart may not understand it, but your spirit will catch it.

Now all I need to do is respond to His voice; worship.
Speaking of which, I am missing being on a worship team!

So I will take You for Your word, Jesus.
This is going to be GOOD!

Jesus, be my 2012.

Just Fork It

2011-11-09T15:30:00.002+11:00

Matthew 25:14-30

It was my turn. He bent down and looked at me - it wasn't intimidating; more like an affectionate kind of look. He placed them in my hands and said, "These I entrust to you; do what you think is right." And he drove off.

I looked at them, slightly baffled at what they were and what I was expected to do with them. We had a chat about what we planned to do with the talents and why we had different amounts. Maybe it became a little tensed because of that, I don't know - I'm the sort who wouldn't really notice. As we headed home, I was still thinking up an 'action plan' for these talents, then someone caught up to me, "Hey, what's up! Thought of what to do yet?"

Interesting conversation; it felt as if he was testing me. So I subtly retaliated, "Yeah, I have a few plausible considerations. What're you going to do?"

Almost immediately, he enthusiastically started sharing the grand plans he thought up to grow his talents, which were bigger than mine, by the way.
I guess I asked a good question.

"Anyway, back to you."

So I shared my rough ideas with an obvious tone of I'm-not-sure-I'm-still-thinking-ness because I wanted to continue the conversation. He seemed like he was listening rather attentively. To cut the long, awkward, walk home short, I managed to get a few real action plans from that encounter. I should think about them more, pray about it. I did.

**********

We all walk the road that God has paved for us, learning to trust and not lean on our own understanding. For some, He lights their paths and makes them straight; others, not yet. He deserves more than just acknowledgement, though. He deserves full emphasis.

Eventually, I arrived at a fork in the road. I tugged at His shirt, "Pa, what now?" It came down to two options: to stay where I am and watch the talents steadily grow, or take a more drastic, 'make or break' approach. To my surprise, He led me towards the riskier path. It was an inaudible whisper, one that came with clarity, peace, assurance. I heard, I understood. I chose the latter option - after all, it's no risk, no return.

Now, ~~I think~~ I know what to do with the talents.

By His grace and for His glory, they will mature and multiply.
So that when He returns, He will be pleased and say "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

I will be returning to Malaysia next year with a heavy heart as I leave the lovely city of Melbourne.
Surprise! Yeah, it was for me, too.

But first, I must finish this leg of the race well before taking on that change.
Excel, I will! For YOU, Jesus.

Spring Break: Turning Twenty

2011-10-20T21:21:00.002+11:00

Random facts:
This year, I turned twenty, and I feel like so much more is expected of me.
I'm studying in Melbourne, living with someone who perfectly complements my weirdness.
I do my own groceries, laundry, cleaning, boil my own soup, watch my own diet, pay my own bills, keep my own curfew.

I was born on 23rd September 1991, at 11:54am.
On the day I was born, Chinese families celebrated the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival -i.e. lanterns and mooncakes.
That night, the moon was at its brightest.
And it was the autumn equinox, with more sun during the day.

**********

Year after year, I quietly prayed for Him to put people in my life whom I could love and who would love me back. I never really had a best friend, mentor, or accountability partner like many do. There were those who made me stronger through the different seasons of my life, and I appreciate that. He has taught me to first love as He loves, if I want others to love me - and I did. The result: priceless.

I'm blessed with an amazing bunch of girlfriends and bros who spur me on, cell members who are accepting and encourage excellence (we bring out the ego in each other, haha) and lastly, a family who supports me in real time.

This year, I had my first real surprise party, courtesy of Cheng Hong, YY, and everyone else who made the effort to come and wait an hour for my late arrival. Haha. The sequence of events is as follows:

"Let's go shopping and then for a nice dinner."
"Hey Chris, let's wear our new clothes!"
"Oh, do you mind if I stop by my friend's place first."
"Eh isn't this Jia Sheen's place? Maybe not."
"Wait, this is Jia Sheen's place." *looks suspiciously at YY as she puts on her classic haha-got-you grin
SURPRISE! YOU'RE LATE!
"Thanks guys, sorry I'm late!"

Click here and here for the full albums!

Veli epi!

And there were surprises at connect group and cell night too!
And from home :)

Click again for pictures!

Sho epi!
Sho nais, all de keks!

Now, here's 20 ~~embarrassing~~ things you may not have known about Christina.
Only because I felt so so loved this year. And also, because I'm very thankful that there was no sabo-ing involved, thus I was not embarrassed in any way.

1. I am naturally shy. Really.
2. I can't speak Mandarin and I speak Cantonese like an angmohlang.
3. I don't like sour foods, but I have a sweet tooth.
4. Europe would be a good place for a honeymoon, probably Italy.
5. Seafood is yum!
6. Too bad I can't dance.
7. I have entomophobia.
8. Most of the time, my being late for something is caused by either waking up late or not knowing what to wear.
9. Unfortunately, I don't have the habit of replying texts or messages instantly.
10. My favourite colour is yellow and my favourite flower is the sunflower.
11. I want mustard yellow pants.
12. My favourite season of the year is autumn.
13. I miss being a Science student.
14. Apparently, I look funny when I eat ice cream.
15. I have a short attention span.
16. I wish I could sing better!
17. To some extent, I'm quite siu jie.
18. My first paycheck will go back to my parents after paying tithes.
19. I want to be there for my brother as he grows up.
20. I played Neopets until I was 17, and I recently thought about reviving my account. Haha.

So there you have it.
Thank you everyone who made my 20th birthday one of the most memorable! :)
Wonder what presents await me at home, haha.

Spring Break: Where Love Sparked

2011-10-13T02:04:00.001+11:00

If only I did meet a dashing young gentleman with the big dreams and a soft heart for Jesus, and wouldn't it be wonderful if love did spark between us. But there was no such incident, haha.

Sparks did fly though, all over the place.
He ignited them; the existing flames burned brighter.

After that weekend, everyone leveled-up. There was excitement and eagerness, humility and acceptance. This is your next batch of leaders, OCF. Loaded with God's strength and endurance, they will pave a new way of working things out. They will take adverse hits with joy and confidence, and they will stand. With arms high and hearts abandoned, we must stand. Carrying each other's burdens, sharing each other's joys, building one another up. So open your hearts to God's touch for He will not disappoint; open your hearts to people for they have been intentionally placed in your path.

LTC Retreat was amazing, not just because the people were amazing, but because God showed up and rocked our lives. C'mon! Can't wait for the next one!

Photo credits: LTC Retreat '11 @ Cheng Hong

Psalm 37:4 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

Spring Break Diary: The Beginning

2011-09-28T11:50:00.002+10:00

Week 8 of this final semester was by far one of the most hectic weeks I've ever experienced in my university life. I don't know how the engineering and medical students do it, but I certainly did not excel in juggling my work for that week. I salute for those of you who have more than 20 contact hours a week, and have multiple assignments due within days of each other. Here's a summary of events since then until the beautiful day that was my birthday, haha.

**********

To get through Week 8, I:

skipped almost all my classes (except one which really was compulsory),
slept for about 5 hours each night, for which the only reason why I managed to get FIVE hours of sleep was because I sleep through my alarms (which I was regret),
pull my first full-on all nighter, complete with not brushing my teeth, having my butt glued to the same spot, forgoing looking into the mirror for more than 2 days, and etc,
was shivering in the morning after 3 cups of coffee that night.

Of course, there were highlights of that night. The main one was being cared for by the loving housemate, YY, who cooked dinner for me and bought lunch for me the next day. TLC! :3

Braised lamb stew; absolutely delicious!

So I handed in my last assignment for that week 5 minutes late, as a result of my desktop crashing for unknown reasons. My computer hanged and the time stopped a while before that, causing me to think that it was only 4pm when it was already 4.40pm. Wahlao, my heart jumped, and so did the rest of my body. Printing errors made it worst since I have to hand it in by hand at the student center. Thank you, Jesus, that there were helpful people there, if not I would've been so lost.

I stared at the two assignment boxes for a good 30 seconds, watching others hand in their assignments and making sure that I put it into the right box. Then I left to meet Hezreen, who was visiting Melbourne. Even though I only sat there for 20 minutes before leaving for E-Night, it felt good to catch up with college mates - it was liberating, acting young again - and the fact that I could enjoy spring break was also liberating. Haha.

With the girls: YY, Myself, Hez, Caryn

As we sat at 1,000 Pound Bend, I (and YY) couldn't stop thinking of the shredded duck and preserved vegetable fried rice YY bought from Rose Garden that day. :3 In all honesty and seriousness, it is the BEST fried rice EVER to enter my mouth.

Ran to the Law Building to meet Joyce for E-Night after taking a few bites of the fried rice and concealing my face. E-Night (Love, God) was beautiful :) The organizers put their heart into planning and running it, and of course, you could see that the amount of effort they exerted was to see their friends come to know more about God. From the welcome packs, the games, the emcees, the programs, and the amount of prayer that went supported them, it was all about God. Kudos! Click to see what happened that night: Love, God.

That night, I felt immensely blessed to be in the company of my cell group :) It's a mixture of reasons, I guess. Yes, we were quite a talented bunch, if I may say so myself. Lol. We have singers, musicians, a professional dancer, a few amateur dancers (hehe), a very tech savvy dude who rocks the P.A. system, chefs and connoiseurs, etc. And best of all, they make me feel like I belong in the group because we're so comfortable with each other (sometimes maybe too comfortable).

I have just decided that I will post in batches. This is the first batch - pre-spring break.

Hungry. Off to ~~brunch~~ lunch, bye!

That's It, I'm Singing At My Wedding!

2011-09-13T21:37:00.002+10:00

"One of the most beautiful duets I've ever heard" -- Adam Levine

Adam, you're right! And you're hot. :9

Cross-Border Conferencing

2011-09-11T14:29:00.002+10:00

Nothing like a call from home :) And news of tose and chap fan.

Convinced by Christ?

2011-09-10T01:56:00.001+10:00

To the MUOCF Committee 2012, the outgoing committee, the leaders, the LTC participants, the members, you who go to church, you who call on Jesus as your Saviour, you who love God;

**********

August 30.
Luke 10:20

"However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you..."

Jesus said, in effect, don't rejoice in successful service.
The snare in the Christian definition of 'serving' is to rejoice in successful service, to rejoice in the fact that God has used you. And the tendency today is to put emphasis in service.

"... but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven."

But, rejoice because you have established that you are rightly related to Him.
You can never measure what God will do through you if you are in the position of being rightly related to Him. Once you are in that position by salvation and sanctification, remember that you are put into your circumstances by God Himself.

It is in the beauty of the reactions of your life to those circumstances that you will fulfill God's purpose, and find that He is pouring rivers of living water through you. It is by His mercy that He does not let you know it.

Beware of making your usefulness to Christ the selling point of your Christian walk. It is the work that God orchestrates through us that counts, not our estimated usefulness. At the end of the day, all that He wanted was one who would bring a relationship of worth to the table.

Hence, remember that service flows out of our heart and is secondary. The primary is the existence of our relationship with the Father.

The Pit

2011-09-05T05:00:00.001+10:00

Today, I faced the adversity resulting from my own actions. Many viewpoints of that, I suppose.

Thankfully, God was watching, amused. And He chose to speak opportunely.

Chris: *adversity
YY: Choose two numbers between 1 - 9
Chris: 7 and 8
YY: Hmm, 15 is an odd number, which means [blah]
YY: Alternatively, you can flip to 7, 8, and 15
Chris: Oh, see Psalm 7:15! :O

He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.

Intense.

Demi Tanah Airku, Malaysia

2011-08-31T08:39:00.000+10:00

Keranamu Malaysia,
Tegakkan nusa, gagahkan bangsa,
Susunlah seribu langkah, menuju ke hadapan.
Bersama mensesah pekat malam,
Menerjah gelombang, berlari mengejar cahaya.
Walau berdepan sejuta rintangan,
Sekali pun jatuh di medan perjuangan,
Namun tetap meredah, mencapai wawasan

Alangkah damainya negeriku ini
Dilimpahi rahmat, kemakmuran dikurniai
Bangsa bersatu, berjiwa waja
Semangat patriotik kian membara.
Penghormatan kini menjadi nyata
Tiada penindasan, tiada penghinaan
Kemerdekaan terus terpelihara
Demi tanah airku, Malaysia

--Disadur dari 'Sajak Keranamu Malaysia'

Famine Feedback

2011-08-26T02:42:00.000+10:00

In the middle of OCF, I waited impatiently for my clock to strike 8pm so that I can start counting down the hours due. I had a really late lunch and a cup of coffee after, so I was full from 4pm onwards. I listened to Wen Yi as she shared the Gospel in 5 minutes whilst I planned my activities for the next 40 hours. I thought of how many hours I will spend sleeping, how I would keep myself indoors to conserve energy, how to lock away the Milo or hot chocolate so I could say that I survived on water alone, etc.

Then 8pm came and OCF ended. We split into cells for Bible Study and later on went for supper. I joined the cell at Pancake Parlour, only to sit quietly in the corner and watch everyone devour a short stack each. It was fun to see the look in their faces as they poured the maple syrup over their pancakes. They happily enjoyed their supper, and a few of them proceeded to order another round.

Questions started coming during the meal itself.

"Why are you starving yourself for 40 hours?"
"Have you done this before?"
"What're you going to do? How do you not eat for 40 hours!"
"What is the purpose of this Famine? I don't see why people need to starve."
... dll.

Of course I answered them all, haha.

Anyway, to cut the long story short, Saturday evening was definitely the hardest time. Eventhough I went to get groceries at the market in the afternoon and discussed the menu for Wai Yee's 21st, I thought the Famine went well until 9pm came.

I sat down, tidied up my desk, took out my textbook and notes to catch up on Corporate Finance. It was a complete failure of an attempt. I took forever to complete one lecture and ended up not learning anything from it. I barely did anything for the second lecture. After twiddling my pen for a while, I just leaned back in my chair and stared blankly at the uninteresting wall in front of me. I stayed in the position for quite a while and counted that I had 14 hours to go. Every 2 minutes I contemplated of just cutting back to 30 hours instead of 40 - the Malaysians were doing 30 only anyway!

But I'm proud to say I persisted! Low on brain fuel, I packed up my study materials and climbed into my bed after talking to Mum. Did some browsing, then slept at 1am.

Fortunately, the last 8 hours weren't as tough. Went to church for Worship Weekend and said "Hi" to God as He came into my heart again. Then went for lunch after church.

That's it. This round was way better than the 30 hours in Monash! Almost died for that one. -.-

Perhaps it was easy to get away with fasting from food. You could distract yourself from the hunger, or sometimes your stomach just stops complaining after a certain point. But the lack of nutrients even for one day drained my energy. I couldn't think intellectually, felt cold easily and was constantly lethargic. I basically got nothing done, because of the low brain fuel.

I thought of the children. I wondered how they could run around enjoying the breeze, free-spirited and without worry like the children we know, if they were constantly deprived on such basic necessity such as clean food. How would they have the energy to do children-y things? What about children who are forced to work hard labour or something - what do they survive on? Do they know about what they need - food, water, shelter, etc. What is their perception of those needs - do they perceive?

Fasting was a participatory event for us, but for them it's kind of compulsory. It was a glimpse into their lives, even though it's just for 40 hours. Feeling thankful for His blessings is one thing, taking an active step is another. I took the 40-hour Famine challenge to raise others' awareness of global hunger, as well as my own. It reminded me of a small spark He lit in my heart for people - my neighbours. Gotta get into action!

Thank you all for supporting the 40-hour Famine movement here in Melbourne! To those who chipped in, thank you so much for your encouragement. Next year, do the 40-hour Famine!

Let's go do something real.

Day 21: The Best Medium of Art

2011-08-20T03:19:00.000+10:00

Pictures.
The best thing they do is capture memories.
In those memories were people;
In those people were emotions.
They told a story, painted a scene,
Wrote history and created dreams.

Pictures.
I'd like to think they tell a lot about a personality,
Her thoughts and the situations that accompany.
Back when she was in love;
Now when she found her truth.
Being herself and letting loose.

Pictures.
They allow us to share.
Look, that was when I had bangs!
And everyone asked me why I did it.
Look, it was windy in Italy,
I couldn't help but say "Take one of me!"

Pictures.
I like taking them and being in them.
Too bad I've to sleep now,
Though it was an interesting attempt.
I did use to like doing this,
But it was never really my thang.

Pictures.
I shan't use one to show you
How blessed we really are.
Tonight, many go to sleep needing
More than just a comforting hug.
Remember, every dollar counts.

Donate here: click!

Day 20: Instant Likeability!

2011-08-19T01:59:00.001+10:00

ADAM!

Maroon 5 - Harder to Breathe

Day 19: A Passage From A Book That Has Touched You

2011-08-15T04:23:00.000+10:00

You cannot lay up for a rainy day if you are trusting Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1).
God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command - "Let not...".

Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order to do it, until you get into the habit of putting God first and calculating with Him in view.

-- July 5, My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers

So I haven't started reading books yet; it was one of the good habits I wanted to pick up at the beginning of the semester. I suppose I didn't properly inform myself by not sticking a big fat note in front of me as a reminder.

The excerpt above was a post I wrote last month: click! It was when He said to me, "Chris, you either up your game or you lose out", and it was the season where I couldn't deny His Voice anymore. I am thankful to say that by God's grace, I did up my game. I am still be at the start of a new walk and I know I still need to continue pursuing bigger goals.

Going to start reading Nehemiah, okay? Okay? Okay. Okay! OK.

Day 18: A Picture That Makes You Feel

2011-08-14T03:39:00.000+10:00

Feel... happy? Feel... surprised? Feel... privileged? Feel... dissatisfied? Feel... fat? (I already have a picture of this, btw: click!) Feel... loved?

Oh, I know!

Taipan Pork Mee

It makes me feel Chinese, hungry, like I'm at home, loved and appreciated by the people whom I enjoy this with, reminiscent, happy and excited, but most of all, thankful for the blessing that is being able to enjoy food.

If I've not approached you yet, I shall share with you now that there are many people who don't have access to luxurious food like this. Many children are malnourished and diseased because they simply don't get enough food. For this reason, World Vision Australia has organized the 40-hour Famine to raise awareness of this occurrence amongst today's generation of future leaders. Participants go on a 40-hour strike on a basic necessity (e.g. food) and source donations towards this cause. The donations are channeled to villages in the East Timor Islands, Indonesia, where food and other basic needs will be provided to the people.

So please, join the 40-hour Famine to feel what it's like to go without food for just under two days. Fast solid foods, technology, basic amenities, or clothing if you like (but please fast wisely). If you'd rather not, fret not! You still can contribute by donating to the Famine fund. Australian readers, click here for my profile and follow the instructions: click to donate! Malaysian readers, find out more about the 30-hour Famine event happening at Monash University at their event page: click to join!

Every $1 YOU give can make a difference in the life of one child. Go for it!

Day 17: What You Want To Be Remembered For

2011-08-13T03:05:00.000+10:00

Christina;

She loved her Jesus.
She loved her family.
She loved people.
She was the coolest wife and the coolest mom.
She led worship well.
She had a nice smile.
She was funny.
She was friendly, easy going, great to hang out with!
She was different. (?)

Day 16: In Five Years, I Want To...

2011-08-10T00:20:00.000+10:00

Get married.

I'm kidding.

Ideally, I would have graduated with a Masters and started working in a field where I can use all that I've learnt in university. My work will be stationed in a government-linked firm, obviously in Malaysia. I will be in a position where I will be up to date with current affairs and be able to do something for my country. Specifics? I'm still searching. Heh.

Having said that, something I'd want to see myself doing in five years is singing. Maybe singing at my wedding :O I want to serve in the worship team in church, as a vocalist or even a worship leader at that time.

I will be 25, hopefully at the peak of my maturity in Christ.
I will have a boyfriend of whom I'm proud to introduce to the world! *swoons
... and the rest will fall into place as I look to Him as my Guide.

Day 15: My Life Changing Moment

2011-08-08T03:11:00.000+10:00

My 18th birthday.

Having just recovered from heartache, I was surrounded my one the most amazing bunch of people, ones whom I've always been praying for. Albeit, at that time, they may have meant less to me but the important thing is that they are my confidante's now - and I am ever so blessed to have them in my life.

That day, MCF talked about BGR, the godly way. I learnt that I've been getting it wrong all this while, without God. I made some things right that night. It was a different level of acceptance, that I could finally make it into His arms without guilt.

Although I still slipped up countless times since then, the difference is that I am not overcome by guilt, regret, uncertainty, etc. because "He has overcome the world" (John 16:33). And I understood that at a whole new level, a victorious one.

I turned 18.
I found God as my Father and my Best Friend.
I knew His love and grace and power.
It changed my life all over again.

Third Time's A Charm

2011-08-06T04:25:00.000+10:00

Before I sleep, I just have to say that today I've been blessed thrice. Words of encouragement are purest when they come without reason and unexpectedly. I'd like to think it was because I mattered to them - just because they remembered me, or were prompted by Him to remember me, as they prayed. So privileged!

So thank you, the three of you! I certainly miss you all loads :)

Oh, and today, we saw one of the clearest rainbows ever before OCF. Beautiful reminder of God's promises and His Presence.

Gluttony

2011-08-04T01:48:00.003+10:00

An unglam picture that shows who I really am. Underneath the smiley and dressy exterior is a down to earth foodie who isn't ashamed of who she is - I am a princess! CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!

I'm Old Fashioned, I Love The Moonlight

2011-07-23T04:57:00.004+10:00

All jazzed up

'Twas a good night at No Black Tie, which is next to Palate Palette (I want to go there one day). It's cosy interior is certainly no place for doof-doof music, just good acoustics. Yes, there was a cover charge for the performance, but as a jazz noob, it all sounded good to me. I don't know whether it was worth every ringgit, but small talk, good company and good music tied the night together.

There are so many things left to do! And despite being able to spend more time with people this time round, it feels like there are so many bridges to build and relationships to grow. 3 more days! Going back to Melbourne will mark the start of new healthy habits, and the end of some others. Some things, I don't look forward to facing them. But my God says they're necessary if I want to end my university life well.

I thank God that I had the opportunity to come back these holidays to spend more time with more people. But this time, I really am heavy hearted to leave for Melbourne again. Audit lecture right after I touch down -.- haha. Oh well.

Cheers to changes, good ones.

Only 5 More Days In The Extreme Heat

2011-07-19T14:28:00.002+10:00

Disclaimer:
I'm NOT going to start the 30-day Blogging Challenge all over again! So the challenge for me is to just blog each day whilst waiting for the rest of them to catch up - that's 14 days of blogging. Such a shame I just missed the half-way mark by 1 day. I didn't notice that! I even have a draft of Day 15, actually. Must be too busy studying la, which finally paid off - by God's grace :)

**********

Yesterday was my beloved, one and only, everyone-says-he's-cute brother's birthday. Calvin's 15 now! If you haven't wished him happy birthday, please do it now: click for his profile! We went for dinner at one of my favourite places to go with parents, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Ah, I remember the first taste of their signature Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp and Baby Back Ribs I had when I was in San Francisco itself. Heaven!

So Calvin invited two of his privileged friends to dine with him and the family: Shuya, the proud-to-be-Japanese boy, and Kah Chong, the dude who won the class debate about why Hitler isn't to blame for starting WWII. Intelligent friends he has; we talked a lot about WWII and Shuya told us about why Japan lost the war in style. "No one else lost by atom bomb, right!". True that.

We finished dinner and left for home without a bootay shaking birthday episode. But we didn't go without the cake, of course. Luxurious ice cream cake of rich vanilla filling coated with smooth Belgian chocolate. Yumz! Switch off the lights, sing song, blow candle, cut cake, snap snap snap pictures! Then introduced the boys to Monopoly Deal, which they had much fun with. Smart boys, playing strategy on their first round! I remember my first round, I lost terribly.

Happy birthday, Calvin Boy :)

Wow, I haven't typed such a detailed post of my day in a long time!

Now, I'm finally going to eat pork noodles!
Wilson is late.

Changes --

2011-07-12T12:04:00.000+10:00

They're coming, sealed with prayers.

It's Not Him, It's Us

2011-07-05T13:57:00.000+10:00

"Chris, would you just UP YOUR GAME."

You cannot lay up for a rainy day if you are trusting Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1).
God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command - "Let not...".

Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order to do it, until you get into the habit of putting God first and calculating with Him in view.

2011-06-30T13:27:00.001+10:00

So I'm on the couch with my laptop (which needs an urgent OS upgrade) at 11am waiting for Fie & Shev to pick me up and head to 1U for a much awaited for shopping trip! If you don't know, Zara goes on sale today!

It's been a while since I've blogged, and I'm getting bored of tumblr haha.

Ummmmmm...
I don't know what else to say here because THEY'RE HERE! KTHXBAI!

Day 14: Best Mashup

2011-05-29T15:02:00.010+10:00

Wonderwall of Broken Dreams

by Oasis, Green Day, Travis and Aerosmith
(sensored somemore :|)

Day 13: Something That Always Makes Me Laugh

2011-05-28T04:15:00.030+10:00

TanChengHong - at his best. :)

Tontonlah video iniiiiiiii: klik!

Sangat hebaaaaat! (Y)

-- Yao Yun

Day 12: Orli & I Have Things In Common!

2011-05-27T22:48:00.003+10:00

Grr, I don't have a favourite music artist. Here's one of my favourite actors: Orlando Bloom.

Yum.
OHMYGOSH, HIS FAVOURITE COLOUR IS YELLOW!

Here's some good facts about the gorgeous Will Turner:

His birthdate is January 13,1977.
He's married to Miranda Kerr in July of 2010, and they're proud parent of a baby boy, Flynn.
He's around 5' 11" (180cm).
He's allergic to peanut butter.
His adoptive father, Harry Bloom, died when Orlando was 4 and was a legendary figure in anti-apartheid circles in South Africa.
He was dyslexic; now he says he's "mildly dyslexic".

Favourite colour: Yellow
Favourite foods: Pasta, pizza, oatmeal, rice and vegetables, and baked potatoes
Favourite football team: Manchester United (roar!)
Favourite type of girls: "Nice, sweet girls" (sounds familiar :D)

Day 11: Best Self-Shot

2011-05-26T15:46:00.000+10:00

This was a tough one! Too many good shots. Haha, you have to agree with me because I don't say conceited things in public very often. Joke.

From the photo, you can tell:

I'm into music
I like cute/statement pieces of clothing - the whole casual look
I'm cute *peace sign
I like stripes & colours
I still watch TV & cartoons
LOA - parading around in a bright yellow Spongebob hoodie = nothing better to do
Yellow is my favourite colour
My hair is black and I have side parting
I always have accessories on me (see star necklace)
I wear specs, the thick black framed ones

There you have it. So much of Christina. Hurhurhur, await my return to Malaysia!

Day 10: Dreams

2011-05-26T04:16:00.001+10:00

Last night, I dreamt of snow. :)

It was a normal day during the exam period. Yao Yun and I were at home in our respective areas, studying very hard and being very productive. It's supposed to be like that in dreams. Around 5pm, I started getting restless and look outside to see what the weather is like.

It looked fuzzy at first, something like almost fluffy rain. Then I realized, it was snow!

"OMG!"

I knock on YY's door and excitedly shouted, "YY! Come see!"

We walked onto the balcony and smiled widely at the sight of the snow falling.

The end!

Day 9: I Pray For Change In:

2011-05-23T16:45:00.070+10:00

Malaysia
So many things about my beloved country;
For the crime rate to fall dramatically
There must be transparency and justice
A forward-moving, english education system creates value
Hygenic washrooms would be great
The unreached to be reached
etc.

Japan
For the radiation crisis to ease
Its people to recover and find Jesus
The economy to spring back

Hearts, many of them, to say "Yes" to Jesus.

My attention span, ability to stand and speak out, attitude of procrastination, affection towards Jesus, ambitiousness to grow, analytical thinking, appreciation of blessings, always-waking-up-late, and, ass to unflatten.

Weather - winter to be warmer and Malaysia to be cooler. But then again, what would Malaysia be without the heat? Haha.

Day 8: Who's President Material

2011-05-22T16:45:00.000+10:00

I honestly have no idea, but YY had enlightened me with:

OPRAH!

She would kinda make a good president, no?

Day 7: The Favourite Cover Of Your Favourite Song

2011-05-21T21:36:00.002+10:00

Firstly, I must state that I do not have a favourite song. :/ But this one that I love:

Sweet And Low (Acoustic) by Augustana

Day 6: The Earliest Memory

2011-05-21T00:16:00.028+10:00

I've never really had a good memory. That's why I like taking pictures; they capture moments.

Besides the vivid memories of foodfoodfood and playing cards during the annual CNY celebrations, I've always remembered the period when my mom was pregnant with my brother.

I remember I've always wanted a younger sibling, but I can't remember if it was because I was lonely or something. My dad would pick me from kindergarten, and I would always be so excited to go home so I could see Mummy. As my dad opened the door, I'd look behind the door to see if she was in the living area. Times when she'd be lying on the couch, I'd run inside the house, smiling, eager to say hi and listen to the belly. Haha, I'm so cute. Can't remember if I've ever heard anything, but the excitement was so pure. I couldn't wait for my younger brother/sister (I probably didn't know at that time, neither was I particular). Ah, those were the days!

Today, I'm still uber excited to fly home and see Calvin. See how tall he's grown, whether he's still skinny or if he gained any weight, hear how much more his voice can break, listen to him play the guitar and pick up singing, dress well and stand tall. This time I want to hear him tell me about his principles, his thoughts about God, his relationships and friends, etc etc deep stuff etc.

Day 5: Banana Fanana

2011-05-19T03:10:00.000+10:00

THANK YOU, MUMMY! <3

Actually no, I'm not going to write about my mum because I talk about her too often - in a good way. This is to a certain someone who I don't normally think about, but was once a significant part of my life. Juicy, lol. I traced back my thoughts and I arrived at this point where I discovered Jesus in a whole new light. Now I want to write two letters!

**********

Dear Serene,

This is going to be short. Thank you for being my confidante, albeit for a short time. I've always recognized that you were one of the angels God placed in my life. We shared similar experiences and struggles, we liked the same things and we had the same questions. We kicked off the first time we met, and I remember that I shared my heart out because you were still a stranger. But we became so much more. (I sound like a lover now)

Thank you for being a sister when I needed one. I never knew what to call you at that time, because I hadn't learnt how 'sisters in Christ' were supposed to be like. Thank God for you! I'll never forget what God spoke to me through you:

Sometimes God takes away because He has something better planned for you. Be willing to let go.

Not the exact words, but that's the main point.

Thank you for being honest and straightforward in our conversations, however few there were. Thank you for never being ashamed of Jesus; you showed me how impacting the confidence we have in Jesus can be.

I pray that wherever you may be in your journey with Him now, there will be increase in accordance to His plans. As you embrace life, may He always be exalted and never forgotten. And I trust that every life you impact will be for Him. Amen!

Don't forget me! I'm here whenever you need anything :)

**********

Banana Fanana.

Thank you for the sweet memories and the sparks that flew. Thank you for the thrills and spills, glitz and glam; it was fun while it lasted. You probably have no idea, but from what happened, I made the decision to look to Jesus. It was because of how things turned out to be that I found Jesus again and realized that I was looking in the wrong place. I learnt the significance of words and to not make empty promises.

I'm sorry I lied, but I don't think things would be much different because we've grown to lead rather opposite lifestyles anyway. I wish I told the truth, but more importantly, I wish I had told you about the Truth. Because of that conversation, I learnt that things must be brought into the open and I try to do that - although the phlegmatic side of me still tries to avoid confrontation.

I pray that you will encounter Jesus in the near future, and He will be real to you such that you can't say no.
Um, I don't know how to end this so I'll say Amen and take care.

Day 4: Paradise

2011-05-19T01:03:00.010+10:00

So I kinda cheated.

The first thing that came to my mind was somewhere with a beautiful beach, but with the city nearby. Of course, paradise could also include a private jet at my expense. "But then", I thought, "a food paradise would be epic!". Nomnomnom.

Malaysia is a paradise in its own way :) Because paradise can't be paradise without the people I love.

Day 3: The Deserted Island Playlist

2011-05-17T03:34:00.000+10:00

She Is Love by Parachute or Sweet and Low by Augustana
Click! and click!
I somehow just really really like these songs! But yeah, they can get boring after a while. Then it can be one of those songs on shuffle that you don't actually listen to but is just there. Haha.

She's A Genius by Jet
Click!
Or any Jet song that I can make guitar sounds with. Must have some fun 'yo. I like Jet lah wei. *ti-niuniuniuuuu!

Two Is Better Than One by Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift
Click!
Couldn't decide on an emo puppy-love song. But it'll be a song to remind me that I once was a girl who once fell for a hot boy *swoons. Lol, I kid. Just to remind me that I'm a girl and I like boys! >:)

Stayin' Alive by The BeeGees
Click!
Gotta have some more fun! And add some of that oldies funk into it.

This Is Our God by Hillsong
Click!
And finally tone down with Jesus. I definitely want a Jesus-related song, so I will always remember the awesomeness of God. Maybe Today Is The Day would be an interesting alternative, haha. As in, I will rejoice and be glad that I'm here on this island etc. You know?

Okay, I admit this wasn't thought through properly, lol.
I like Brandon's Coconut Song selection and the reason why he chose it - because it reminds him of the different uses of a coconut. Genius, I tell you!

Day 2: Inspiration

2011-05-17T01:40:00.002+10:00

People. People-watching is something I like to do - call it a guilty pleasure. Sitting outside a cafe, looking at the people who walk past, what they wear, who they're with, is the other thing I do when I'm out and not shopping. But things become much more interesting when I'm sitting in some place with people I know - like church. Haha, creepy. Anyway, that's not the point.

People. More importantly, ordinary people with a passion.

When someone genuinely speaks about something they're passionate about, it pierces through to you, or to me at least. It leaves an impression, and I remember things that they say - especially when I personally know them. They inspire me to speak up and not be ashamed about what I'm passionate about.

Someone who's passionate about music puts their heart into practicing, writing songs, singing, and it translates when they perform. When someone sings a song they wrote during worship, there's a special ring to it that communicates the message to the audience (or just me). They inspire me to express myself through music - to sing better, harmonize more, practice more and play more songs, and to select a favourite song haha.

A writer can take their thoughts and put it into writing - and that's uber cool because I don't have that talent.

Friends who take time off their schedules to call and ask how're you, or ask me out for coffee to catch up, or offer to pray for me without me asking, etc. They inspire me to be a better friend/sister.

When my brother suddenly becomes extra nice to me during the time I'm back in Malaysia, it tells me that he missed me when I was away (or perasan). He takes time off to hang out with me, he unplugs the modem because he knows I want to go online, he directly asks me to 'come and talk' with him at night, he picks which earrings and shoes to go with my outfit, etc. He definitely inspires me to be a better sister.

Lastly, my mom. Wah, I cannot describe. I have to be a better daughter!

I don't want to forget Jesus in all this talk about passion. I always pray for a greater passion for things. But Victor mentioned this:

God can't give you passion; that's for you to give God.

Ditto.

Day 1: Guilty Pleasure

2011-05-16T01:43:00.001+10:00

Two words: SYOK SENDIRI.

I like to take pictures of ~~myself~~ my outfits in the mirror.

Blogger syndrome.

Like this:

These were taken last year. I stopped this year, because... there are better cameras to take for me now. Lol.

**********

Another two words: MIDNIGHT SNACKS.

Nothing beats getting out of bed, or off the chair, at three in the morning, walking stealthily towards the kitchen to check out the snacks cupboard. Yes, there is a compartment where we mostly stash our junk. I say 'stealthily' because I don't want anyone else knowing that I'm still awake and looking for food - not just any food, junk food.

Knowing that there are assorted flavours of cup noodles hidden somewhere makes the hunt even more exciting, since I'm not just looking to rip open a bag of chips. The best thing to have in the wee hours of the morning is a tomyam Maggi - with egg. OMG! This is a true thought; I do have Maggi tomyam somewhere in the kitchen. And it's hidden. :O

Despite being sick, I had half a TimTam just now. Seriously, TimTam White is the best thing ever, alongside TimTam Dark Chocolate Mint.

Of course, there are so many other things that I do that no one else knows. Like talk to myself when I'm writing essays.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge

2011-05-15T19:05:00.004+10:00

Melanie, Brandon and I are going to take this on. Hopefully it has some de-stressing effect.

I just realized that the topics are quite hard. :/ Wonder if can change to a funner one, but probably too late - they'll kill me, haha.

Join us! Day 1 starts on Sunday, 14 May 2011.

Day 01- Guilty pleasure
Day 02- Something that inspires you
Day 03- The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why
Day 04- What you imagine paradise to be like
Day 05- A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life
Day 06- Earliest thing you can remember
Day 07- Favorite cover of your favorite song
Day 08- Someone you think would make a good president
Day 09- Five things you want to see change
Day 10- A dream you had this past week described in detail
Day 11- Favorite picture ever taken of yourself
Day 12- Your favorite musical artist’s life story
Day 13- A memory that never fails to make you laugh
Day 14- Best mashup you’ve ever heard
Day 15- A moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most
Day 16- Something that you want to do within the next five years
Day 17- What you want to remembered for
Day 18- A picture that makes you feel
Day 19- A passage from a book that has touched you
Day 20- A band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them
Day 21- Your favorite medium of art
Day 22- Someone you would give your life up for without question
Day 23- Most awkward first impression you feel you’ve ever given
Day 24- Something you did as a child that other people remember you for
Day 25- Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail
Day 26- Your definition of love
Day 27- Your definition of the meaning of life
Day 28- A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were.
What is your definition of happiness?
Day 29- What you live for
Day 30- Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days

An Excerpt

2011-04-21T02:38:00.005+10:00

Because I typed this in when I didn't have my journal with me, and thought I'd just share a little bit of what goes on in my journal.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for being real in my life, in many new ways. I hope I don't get caught up and miss out on your Presence that's everywhere at anytime - let it be something that's so evident in my life that You/people just can't miss it.

Lord, I must say that I've been feeling lost, purposeless, flighty because I'm not hearing you the way I used to - the thought of not having Jesus close to me like He used to scared me, it still does. But you, You are my Father, You are my Best Friend, You are my Provider, You are my Strength and my Joy, You are my Teacher, You are my Guider, You are my heart-to-heart Person, You are my Refuge and Shelter, You rescue me and You love me like no one can, You satisfy me, You make me new, You forgive me. You are my God.

When am I gonna stop talking about how I can't feel God's Presence that's so abundant? When will I learn to admit that it's NOT about how I feel, but rather it's about what God has planned to do. I wonder how much 'practice' pastors get at this. Lord, You're all I have out here - like I said, I love Melbourne because it's where I can really get time off to look to Jesus.

May my life reflect your Glory and be a life of worship to you. Help me to remember that there's no limit to God; His surprises are never ending, and they're all for the Glory of His Name.

Jesus, be my everything, be what's left of my 2011 - and more.

--Christina, 03/04.

2011-04-18T03:05:00.002+10:00

Mel, you inspire me to blog. Really! And it's been fun having you around in Melbourne :) I wanna do one those 'blogging series' thing - like every day for one month post about what you eat every day (such a boring topic), or like what Elfie and Shev attempted to do here: Scroll down and find 30-Day Challenge.

But the last time I tried completing a challenge, I fell short: 30-Day Facial Expression Challenge.

Probably because there was no motivation to be on top of the rest, no incentive to even reach day 30. Lame!

So someone has to do it with me; any takers?

Pork Fiesta

2011-04-14T03:53:00.003+10:00

This is an automatic update at the sight of interesting pork-related matters.

Australia is currently holding the International Pork Fest (click!) this whole April. I wonder why they're so keen to encourage households to consume pork. Both YY and I find that the pork here has a certain 'smell' to it; it's not like the pork at home! Does it have anything to do with the gender of the pig? The one's in the market are female.

Australian pork - female belly pork and pork ribs

Appropriately, we made Bak Kut Teh the other night! Best taste of home on a cold, rainy night :D Specifically, it was Klang BKT - as the packet suggested.

Look who paid us a visit

Okay my real update is coming soon. It's already a draft!

The First Bubble: Tulip Mania

2011-04-03T03:09:00.003+10:00

That's right, Prof. John knows his tulips well. He has some in his office, and people often ask him why he has tulips in his office. Then he would shout at them because they know not of the history of the delicate tulip. "How can you not know of Tulip Mania, baby?!", he would asked in his loud tone, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief - he's supposedly know for his dynamic hand signals in class. Rather entertaining to watch/listen to, I'd say.

Feast your eyes on this, and click! for more on Tulip Mania. You better read up before going to see Prof. John. But he probably won't want to see you. So just see Adam Fedai, already.

Hope

2011-03-20T00:18:00.004+11:00

I'm touched some of you still check back with hopes of finding an update, really! :)

These days, God has been teaching me how to recognize small blessings that bring hope, joy and strength. My heart goes out to Japan, and the current crises she faces. The great nation of more than just sushi, shaken by a tsunami and its aftershocks, but humbled by a worsening nuclear crisis. How God works in sovereign ways reminds us of Who's in control - it broke my heart, but restored it at the same time.

Click for news update.

My prayers go out to those who are praying, hoping, searching, mourning, surviving, and waiting - may His grace be more than sufficient and His peace comfort them. Also to those who sacrificed, may His joy be their strength and His love envelope them. I pray for mercy upon the nation, the capital Tokyo, and her people to be spared. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

¹ I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
² When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
³ I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
⁴ You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
⁵ I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
⁶ I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
⁷ “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
⁸ Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
¹⁰ Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
¹² I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
¹³ Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
¹⁶ The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
¹⁷ The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
²⁰ You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
--Psalm 77

Hope amidst destruction.

My Update,

2011-03-15T02:31:00.001+11:00

It is coming.

Merry Red Velvet Christmas!

2010-12-25T03:29:00.007+11:00

Merry Christmas :)

Jesus loves you!

So, what're you doing for Christmas this 2010?

I did:

Operation Christmas Child, Australia by Samaritan's Purse; and
'Love is a Verb' by YB Hannah Yeoh @ Sunway Pyramid and CityCare

I want to do:

Gifts of Hope by WorldVision
Bake Red Velvet something!

There are 12 days of Christmas, right?

I think so!

Piano Time

2010-11-23T17:00:00.008+11:00

Dear all,

I have been on an unannounced hiatus and have been stuffing myself with the glorious blessing that is Malaysian food. Of course, no exercise whatsoever has been carried out to compensate for what seems to be constant binge eating. Sometimes I even think about what I would crave for when (by God's grace) I get pregnant, and how much I would actually consume. I want to make my handsome (by God's grace) husband go to great lengths to prove his love and commitment to me by satisfying those future cravings.

Ah, food.

Funny how the first thing I write about after weeks of not blogging is food, when it should be about my Saviour, Jesus. Victor once mentioned on his blog: If the only times we go to Him are the times when we're in need, He will create those needs time and time again in order for us to go back to Him every time. Humbling; I couldn't agree more.

If there's one thing I want to thank God for, I want to thank Him that I've come this far in my walk with Him, despite hiatuses, to be assured of His presence and guiding hand over my life.

He will not let you go, no matter what stage of life you're in - put some faith into it!

Cheers, to Jesus taking over my 2011!

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

Regards,

Christina Leong
Vacation Trainee
(13.12.2010 - 13.02.2010)

Baptism Sunday

2010-11-22T12:12:00.004+11:00

Welcome to the church of the Holy Cabbage;
Lettuce pray.

Hahahahaha, it's hilarious!

Back to the point, last weekend was baptism weekend. I'm glad I went to church because I hadn't attended a baptism service in Bridge Church before - I always miss it, likewise for Super Sundays. They conducted the service a little differently from how DUMC does it. There were only 4-5 people baptized each service, and each of them told their personal stories about how they came to know and love Jesus, and why they were getting baptized. They probably beforehand but none of them were reading their testimonies from papers in their hands; whatever was said was simply a familiar story being told.

Maybe I didn't pay much attention during baptism services in DUMC, maybe because many people were baptized at once. But yesterday I was challenged to think of what my baptism meant to me since I've not actually thought about it before. It was simply just 'an outward act to say that I believe in Jesus' - which is true, but it's a textbook answer. I guess it's time to take 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" to the next level;

"... and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience before God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

--1 Peter 3:21

Ah, baptism :)

Those Three Words

2010-11-06T16:37:00.010+11:00

JESUS' GOT IT

I love using the words 'henceforth' and 'hereafter' in my assignments,

especially when you're writing a formal report. :D

Absent

2010-11-05T01:26:00.004+11:00

I miss my brother.

But heck, I don't even really know what I'm missing. I didn't get to catch him grow taller than me. I didn't get to listen to his voice breaking (we're not virtual people). I don't know what he's like in school. I don't know what he does when he's supposed to be studying. I didn't get to listen to him pick up the guitar watching YouTube. I didn't get to watch or inspire him to keep fit. I don't know what kind of style he's into now. I don't know what he wants to be in the future. I haven't asked him for his opinions in a long time. I don't know what his principles and values are. I don't know what he believes in. I don't know what he bases his decisions on.

I miss my brother. I want to know him, not just hear my mum tell me that he is no longer the boy we used to tease and boss around - because he's growing up and I'm not there. Not cool!

Dear Lord, I pray for Calvin. I pray that he will continue to find favour You, as he has been all this while. May You guide his every step and bless him in all that he does - his studies, his relationships, his being in You. Above all, I pray that Calvin will seek You only to find that with Jesus, there is truth and love and joy. I pray that he will choose You everyday, in everything, every time. May You be his personal Lord and Saviour when he makes the decision to say that prayer.
I pray all this from my heart, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Classic Dark Chocolate Brownies

2010-11-03T02:15:00.006+11:00

This is so exciting, baking and all. Baked these brownies for cell last week - guinea pigs, haha. Oh, I can't wait to cook! Why, just today I cooked mushroom chicken as comfort food. But somehow it just doesn't taste or look like the one I have back home, though it tastes good. What's next? C'mon, throw me something to cook up!

**********

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 27 minutes

Serves: 10 large pieces

Ingredients:

125g butter at room temperature, chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar
150g dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180°c. Grease and line the base of a baking tin with baking paper.
Bowl 1: Sift and mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and optional walnuts in a bowl.
Bowl 2: Place chopped butter and dark chocolate pieces in a large heatproof bowl. Okay, so there are a few ways you can melt and mix the two. There's the cool melt it over boiling water way, but I used the cheating microwave way :P Place the bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds. Take it out and stir the butter and chocolate together with a wooden spoon. Repeat this for about 3 times. You don't need to wait for the chocolate to melt entirely - it just needs to be soft enough to be pressed and mixed together with the butter.
Bowl 3: Whip the eggs at high speed until frothy. Immediately add in the sugar and vanilla essence and mix well.
Add Bowl 3 into Bowl 2 and mix at a medium-low speed.
Slowly add in Bowl 1 and mix well until combined.
Pour mixture into the baking tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Check with a skewer/toothpick to see if it's cooked. If you want it gooey, there should still be some bits left on the skewer/toothpick. The baking time really depends on how you like your brownies, and the oven temperature. I reckon about 27 minutes would give you crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside kind of brownies. YUMZ.
Remember to leave it to cool before cutting it up! Serve up with ice cream or dust with icing sugar.

Baking is seriously sinful. How do those bakers bake and give it all away D: Maybe they don't have YY to say "Keep some, okay!" :P And then have a chocolate free diet. :(

Delight

2010-10-29T00:29:00.009+11:00

Just in case you didn't know;

I LOVE shopping. Yes. I've to admit that I am that kind of stereotypical girl who loves to shop. Shopping is the best therapy a girl can get! SO EXCITED, CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK TO ZARA!

I love food! Since I learnt to cook after coming to Melbourne, I found that I like to cook. And I've always loved chiq's who bake because they always have nice treats for people - so I just picked up baking, too. Secret: Sometimes looking at recipes and walking through Woolies gives me a slight thrill to think of what I could try to whip up *shy. Currently, there are brownies and muffins on the countertop. Fat :(

I really enjoy the whole idea of dressing up - picking out a stylo mylo outfit with shoes that compliment, and putting on a natural coat of make up to freshen up the look. Jazzing it up with some bling and a pair of aviators. Syok! Now if only we had more places to go.

I absolutely love the idea of spending a whole day out with my girlfriends, catching up over a cup of good Melbourne coffee and yummy pastry - especially on a beautiful autumn day. Yeah, we can even dress up for that! Oh, I love girl talk! And another good idea would be to sit at the cafe, watch people walk by and pick out hot guys together! *squeals

Who'm I kidding, I would LOVE to have the opportunity to travel when I'm financially self-supportive! The big NYC with the girls, Hong Kong to indulge in glorious food, tour the UK with my future Macho Man, Bali and it's beautiful beaches with some crazy friends, Japan to experience the ultimate hustle and bustle. So I'm a city girl who enjoys the beach at the same time. Oh, should do a Cuti-cuti Malaysia trip next time also! MMM.

I've recently come to appreciate the smell of a bookshop. What's so funny, lol. Yes, I know that you know that I know that I don't read - I stopped reading in early high school, lost the patience to read. Anyway, because I've made a few trips to Koorong (Christian bookstore) in the past two weeks, I've come to like the smell of its pages as I flipped through some books. Wow, revolutionary change!

Oh, how can I forget music. I love karaokes and sing-a-longs, acoustic jamming sessions, or just watching jam sessions. I said acoustic because that's all I can play *sad face. I'd love to play the piano more often so I can get better at it, learn to harmonize well naturally; I always wished I could sing. Yeah, I wish I could dance too -.-

I like free barbecues and picnics at the park.

I like watching the latest movies and telling people that I've already watched it because it makes me sound happening. Haha, loser.

I like making lists of everything. You don't know only.

I like water.

I like quality time with my family, of course.

I like it when I buy things for people because it makes me feel thoughtful. Haha.

I like pork noodles. OMG!

I like getting gifts and surprises.

I like familiarity. I like knowing who to put on my speed dial. I like knowing who I'm going to text first about anything. I like knowing who I can call when I want to someone to go for a walk with. Etc. Ho hum.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
-- Psalm 37:4

But what does your heart desire; what is that flame burning for.

I desire to excel, because God is a God of excellence and perfection.

I desire consistency in my actions and emotions, my quiet time, my prayer walk.

I desire to have a heart of worship, a heart that's compassionate and caring, a heart that loves.

I desire depth.

I desire courage to speak.

I desire guidance and encouragement; I desire to guide and encourage.

I desire to know You more through Your Word, through prayer, through faith.

I desire breakthrough and salvation.

On top of all that;

So delight yourself in the Lord.

Retrace Your Steps

2010-10-22T17:38:00.000+11:00

Yesterday in cell, Joanne reminded us of why we are Christians, why we 'need to be saved'. It all boils down to humility - I can relate.

March 3: The Abandonment of God

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave..."

Salvation is not merely deliverance from sin, not the experience of personal holiness; the salvation of God is deliverance out of self entirely into union with Himself. My experimental knowledge of salvation will be along the line of deliverance from sin and of persona holiness; but salvation means that the Spirit of God has brought me into touch with God's personality, and I am thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself, I am caught up into the abandonment of God.

-- Oswald Chambers

Get back to basics with what or who you're living for. To each his own; I pray that we'll be clear of where we stand in our walk with God.

Some Real Baking: Banana Bread #2

2010-10-22T01:52:00.004+11:00

Okay, so we have a confession to make.

Banana bread #1 was quite a failure because its texture turned out to be too compact and hard, although it tasted fine. Also, it didn't rise properly because we ran out of self-raising flour - so we 'made' our own self-raising flour by following the instructions from here. It's perfectly normal okay, many people in Yahoo! Answers do that. However, we did still get positive feedback from all you supportive friends out there. Kudos to you! Even though it was probably because we managed to distract your attention from the failed product with the more attractive ice cream and whipped cream. Haha, you all also fail.

See, it was so short :(

In our dissatisfaction, we decided to try again! And this time it turned out much better! We used a slightly different recipe, but added some secret chocolatey ingredient: Tim Tam Crush in Double Choc Crunch! Woohoo!

**********

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
125g melted butter
3 large over-ripe bananas
Secret ingredient: 1 pack of Tim Tams

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the base and side of a tin and line it with baking paper. Ideally, you should use a loaf tin since it's banana bread. But we used a square cake tin (because we don't have a loaf tin :/).
In Bowl 1, sift and mix the dry ingredients together - flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Don't forget the secret ingredient!
In Bowl 2, whisk the wet ingredients together - eggs, vanilla extract, and butter. You can use a whisk or an electric mixer, but it should be very lightly whisked. The colour of the mix should be pale yellow and have some bubbles haha (like in the picture).
Mash the bananas and add them into Bowl 2. Mix well.
Slowly add the contents of Bowl 2 into Bowl 1 and mix well. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to fold the ingredients into each other. In the process, add the raisins in as well. I think we sorta overmixed at this step, the batter looks too smooth.
Spoon batter into tin and bake for 50minutes. Poke it with a toothpick/skewer to check! Let it cool first before removing from tin.
Serve with maple syrup and butter for breakfast, or ice cream for dessert. Fat fat!

'Til the next idea!

Some Real Baking: Banana Bread #1

2010-10-17T02:05:00.012+11:00

It was all YY's idea to make banana bread. I actually wasn't aware that banana bread is distinct from banana cake until I came here. Back in Malaysia, all I knew was banana cake. Now that I'm here, all I hear about is banana bread and not banana cake anymore. So I tried to google to clarify the difference between banana bread and banana cake, here's what I got:

Banana bread is a quick bread that contains mashed ripe bananas.

--Redirected from 'Banana Cake' (Wikipedia, 2009)

So apparently they're the same thing. Hmm.

**********

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
125g melted butter
3 large over-ripe bananas
3/4 cup raisins (or pecan nuts, walnuts, chocolate chip)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the base and side of a tin and line it with baking paper. Ideally, you should use a loaf tin since it's banana bread. But we used a square cake tin (because we don't have a loaf tin :/).
In Bowl 1, sift and mix the dry ingredients together - flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
In Bowl 2, whisk the wet ingredients together - eggs, vanilla extract, and butter. You can use a whisk or an electric mixer. You would want to obtain a light, slightly creamy consistency. You can't really see the texture from the picture, but make sure not to let it get too thick. Whisking should take about 5-6 minutes whilst an electric mixer would take about 2 minutes (the video said so).
Mash the bananas and add them into Bowl 2. Mix well.
Slowly add the contents of Bowl 2 into Bowl 1 and mix well. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to fold the ingredients into each other. In the process, add the raisins in as well. I think we sorta overmixed at this step, the batter looks too smooth.
Spoon batter into tin and bake for 50minutes. Poke it with a toothpick/skewer to check!
Serve with maple syrup and butter for breakfast, or ice cream for dessert. Fat fat!

**********

Pic 1: YY's excited face

Pic 3: Served up with Connoiseur's Caramel Honey Macadamia ice cream - imba

International Suit Up Day

2010-10-13T22:59:00.005+11:00

So we suited up today! :D This YY almost didn't suit up. But we shared heels, thus completing our outfits. Unfortunately, no one else in our lecture nor tutorial class suited up, though we did spot some Asians who suited up in Union House. I'm glad we did though! Yay, thank you YY!

I just downloaded PhotoScape on my computer after a long time of sticking to Picasa. And I decided to try the collaging feature. Sweet.

Look at our BUTTS!

Cool, I've been blogging very often.

On Impulse: Banoffee Pie

2010-10-12T00:26:00.011+11:00

Who knew I had the guts to actually make something I just thought of the other day, especially when it's baking something. Well, this Banoffee Pie didn't exactly need any baking whatsoever. But hey, I now have a recipe to share!

I must say, however, it really could've been done better.

Banoffee Pie (banana + toffee) is an English dessert made from cream, bananas, toffee and boiled condensed milk. It's often considered a comfort food type of dessert and is popular because of its simplicity (Wikipedia, 2010).

**********

Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 tin of 400g condensed milk
3-4 large bananas
1 pack of chocolate wheat biscuits or digestive biscuits
75g of melted butter
300ml whipping cream
chocolate or chocolate powder

Method:

To caramelize the condensed milk, fill a pot with enough water to cover the tin of condensed milk by a few inches. Once the water boils, slowly put in the tin and cover the pot, leaving it to boil for 2 hours. Carefully remove the tin with a pair of thongs and set it aside to fully cool for at least an hour. If you're in Malaysia, that would probably take longer.

It's really important to allow the tin to cool. Otherwise, the contents may 'explode' when you try to open it. As a result, you may want to replace caramelized condensed milk with toffee syrup as a precaution. I did this, because I was lazy. Haha.
For the rest of the pie, start by crushing the biscuits with something like a rolling pin. Because I don't have a rolling pin, I used a wooden spoon lol.
Pour the melted butter in and mix well. You don't need the biscuit bits to stick together, you actually want them crumbly.
Transfer the mixture into a cake tin and spread out evenly. Put the cake tin into the fridge for 15minutes for the base to harden.
Peel and slice the bananas. Open the can of caramelized condensed milk.
After 15minutes, take the tin out of the fridge and pour the bananas on top of the biscuit base and flatten it out. Then, add the caramelized condensed milk on top of the banana layer and spread it out evenly.
Put the tin back into the fridge to chill for another 20 - 30 minutes.
Whip the cream using an electric mixer (or a fork :p) until stiff. Top this over the pie after the 20 - 30 minutes, then refrigerate it for another 20 - 30 minutes.
After all the chilling and waiting, top the set banoffee pie with grated chocolate or chocolate powder. Be generous, not kiam siap!

Ah, I forgot to buy digestive biscuits when I went down to Woolies, and I didn't notice until I reached home. So what did I do? I took out a packet of my beloved Chocolate Wheaten biscuits from the stash cupboard. And I crushed them D: (see left picture) But at least YY complimented the result.

Other stuff to share with you about since I've just handed in my last assignment, and it was good because God is good:

I used the whole bottle! D: Imagine the amount of.. calories.

Awesome biscuits I had once back in Malaysia!

I saw them at Woolies today and Paul was too enticing, "Buy it, Christina, since you've finally found it! Buy it!" And he said some other rubbish I couldn't remember, lol.

Ah. Fat season.

Oily & Greasy: Char Kuey Teow @ Gurney Drive

2010-10-11T02:54:00.004+11:00

That day, YY and I were walking home after handing in The Legendary Assignment. Ah, it was a walk of much relief. Just then, the sudden craving for Char Kuey Teow kicked in as we had a short chat about dinner.

"You know what I would like, char. kuey. teow. The spicy, oily kind!"

Melbournians, if you don't already know about this awesome Malaysian restaurant that serves really good, if not the best, Char Kuey Teow in the CBD, now you know!

With enough 'si ham', chilli and tauge, the Char Kuey Teow at Gurney Drive is authentic as it gets here in the CBD - as suggested by the seasoned Malaysians. The only thing missing is it being served on a small pink plastic plate on a banana leaf. Then again, banana leaves are quite rare around here, so it's excusable.

A few of their other dishes are worth trying too, like their Loh Shi Fun and Fish Head Noodles. If you want to try something else, look around at what the other tables are eating or what's being served up. It's so exciting! :D Ah, Char Kuey Teow. How I wish you were RM3.50. The price is pretty good though, it cost $8.50 - which is considered to be relatively cheap.

Gurney Drive Penang Malaysia Hawker Food
284 Victoria Street
North Melbourne VIC 3051

Google Doodle!

2010-10-09T02:09:00.001+11:00

Yeah, happy supposed to be 70th birthday, John Lennon.

Google doodle, whee!

Garlic !

2010-10-08T17:02:00.004+11:00

YY at her best *thumbsup

Managemnet worry that control wil be lost and that subordinates will be loose cannons in light of all free meat.

In a nutshell, research has overwhelmingly provided research that supports that transformational leadership is more empowering and fosters member and group cohesion.

Rugs From Me To You

2010-10-07T04:47:00.006+11:00

Up at 5.00am with YY working on the OB assignment, the one with a reputation.

Oh no, look! It's The Legendary Assignment, *woooooo (ghost sound).

**********

Super cute!

All Time Favourite: Braised Dry Yee Mee Noodles

2010-10-03T01:31:00.011+10:00

Okay, I'm gonna try this food thing all over again. Haha, support me okay!

**********

Let's start with something basic and close to the heart, but absolutely yummy. You can't go wrong with Yee Mee!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 - 25 minutes

Serves: 2 (Christina & Yao Yun's portions)

Ingredients:

1 portion of dried yee mee (there are usually 5 portions in 1 packet)
2 chicken drumsticks or 100g of diced chicken thigh meat
4 pieces of dried shitake mushrooms
4 chicken meat balls
a few chinese cabbage leaves
3/4 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon of thick chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon of Maggi seasoning
2 tablespoons of Shao Hsing cooking wine
a drizzle of dark caramel sauce (black sauce)
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
a pinch of chicken powder
salt and white pepper to taste
water

Method:

Boil the water. While waiting for the water to boil, season the chicken with salt, white pepper, Shao Hsing, sesame oil and put it aside.
Soak the dried shitake mushrooms in hot water about 10 minutes or until the stem is soft. You can slice them up later or leave them whole. Wash and cut up the cabbage leaves, and defrost the chicken balls.
When the mushrooms have softened, take them out of the water. Bring the 'mushroom water' to boil in a small pot. Cook the chicken in the water first, adding water if/when necessary. Add the shitake mushrooms and chicken balls when the chicken is almost cooked.
While the chicken is cooking, boil the cabbage in a separate pot with a pinch of chicken powder. This would take about 5 minutes. When the cabbage has softened, transfer it into a bowl and the remaining water can be used to cook the yee mee or chicken.
Put the yee mee into the pot containing the chicken, chicken balls and mushrooms. Make sure there is enough water to cover the yee mee when it's flat (horizontal) in the pot. Leave it to boil until it can be broken up. Then, stir it in the pot so that the ingredients are mixed into the noodles.
At this point, add the oyster sauce, chicken stock, Maggi seasoning, a small pinch of chicken powder and salt or white pepper to your liking. Towards the end of the cooking process, add the dark caramel sauce according to how you like your yee mee to look and toss in the boiled cabbage.
Serve up!

Hahaha, this is so weird. I just asked YY what's the portion of yee mee called. In Malaysian, I would call it biji. She asked me why I wanted to know, and I said that I was just wondering and laughed. Hello YY, now you know why. Type away at your 'leadership and empowerment' stuff.

Someone faster teach me how to label & link my posts!

Hearts On Fire

2010-09-30T12:20:00.002+10:00

It's too often we limit God to our expectations of Him - consciously or unconsciously. Why, I did that just the other day. My perception of my personal situation or struggle led me to expect that God would speak to me on whatever it was I was struggling with. I unconsciously allowed that expectation to limit God to help me only in that area of my life which I thought was the biggest thing I was facing at that time. Wrong.

God spoke alright; He spoke of a whole different area, one which I had casually forgotten amidst my efforts of dealing with my struggle. Instead of telling me off for what I'd been doing wrong, He reminded me about what I could have been doing right. Rather than channel my energy into fixing my situation, He suggested to try going with His flow.

I guess what I'm trying to say is God is BIGGER than we think, and so are His plans and His words. LTC was a wake up call to take up the challenge - not to straighten the path I've been walking on - but to change course and walk on the straight path He's laid out. Instead of letting our flaws and weaknesses stop us from growing with God, why not play on the strengths that He has given us - because we shouldn't let the negative define the rest of our walk with God, but the positive.

I hope my sentences make sense, because I'm currently having writer's block. Ho hum.

Back in Black

2010-09-29T03:28:00.006+10:00

Yes, the blog is aliiiiiiiiiive!

I'm wanting to start posting up recipes! :D I know, so 'ambitious' right - like I'd keep to it. But I do hope I would though. Should I just post 'em up here for the time being or I don't know, start another blog?

And can someone please help me out with labels, like its html/css coding and stuff? Thank you! :)

Beware: Killer Bug!

2010-08-24T01:40:00.004+10:00

Forwarded from Loy Yao Yun *serious face.

Small, but dangerous; please be careful.

Dangerous bug: it won't bite or sting, but don't ever smash it!

Because it's internal fluids are more deadly than cobra venom.

Be nice to bugs, people!

From Scratch

2010-08-14T01:21:00.003+10:00

A shot from my homechurch here in Melbourne, Bridge Church (formerly known as Richmond AOG) @ Bridge Road, Richmond.

I realised that I've not mentioned anything about my church. Haha, cute church name, right.

Today was prayer and worship night at OCF; today I was reminded how the phrase "We're all in this together" is more than a cheesy line from High School Musical.

Yong Shen went up front to share. With the microphone in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, he told us, "Okay, I'm going to share something with you guys, I may even start crying. But I'm not going to--" and he continued. A few sentences later, we all knew that he was holding back his emotions - in other words, he tried not to cry.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna cry". But he didn't; control macho.

Without hesitation, Joel and OJ got up from their comfortable seats (the seats in the Evan Burge are soft and nice to touch, heh heh) and stood side by side with Yong Shen - Joel on the right with his arm on Yong Shen's shoulder, and OJ on the left with tissue. Since Yong Shen too macho, he ignored the tissue.

I saw this guy standing in the front - trying hard to control his emotions as he spoke to us, but stripped down and in complete honesty before God. And that is the real deal. He reminded us/me to run to God, not only in our times of trouble, but in our times of success. He challenged us/me to stretch our trust in God and exercise our faith, because GOD IS GOOD. He asked us/me if we have been praying for salvation. He showed us/me that being real with God is all that matters.

I saw his brothers alongside him offering support, prayer, encouragement and drive as he shared. Praying for him before the cue, standing with him as he stood, affirming him while he spoke and encouraging him at the end. They reminded me of people I know who would have done the same. They challenged me to be that person for someone new.

That's the kind of man I'd like; that's the kind of friend I'd want to be.

It's humbling.

A Real One;

2010-08-09T23:37:00.007+10:00

coming soon, right after I'm done with my first assignment.

Meanwhile, I just want to share something with you:

Left: This was my first taste of pork noodles in Melbourne in Coconut House. There may be better ones out there which have yet to cross my path - maybe down in the suburbs.

Right: My favouritest pork noodles!

Had a crazy amount of rice tonight for dinner and ditched the gym. Good job, Chris.

Back In Action

2010-07-29T01:24:00.011+10:00

HELLO!

Well, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I had too much of a good time back home, and Streamyx really was/is a pain. I've so many pictures to post, but I shalt not do it here because it will be redundant since I'm already uploading them on Facebook. But this post will still contain random pictures which I don't want to post up on Facebook. Not because of the reaction or comments they may collect, but because I don't know where to put them.

Look at the list(s) I made right before the holidays started: click. Not bad right! I can proudly say I shopped and ate with all my heart. :D

Having been in Melbourne for 4 days, it hasn't really hit me that the semester has started. This time, I'm taking a third year subject: Investments. Lord, I pray that You will grant me not only the required wisdom to ace this paper, but even more so that I can excel as an accounting & finance student for You. Amen! I definitely will be needing more prayer than just that.

Okay, see pictures first lah. I forgot what I was supposed to write about. :8

I'm afraid of heights, okay.

Pic 1: I must show you my cute heels!

Pic 2: Breakfast @ Issus; YUMZ.

Curry chicken, chicken rice, broccoli. Okay, you can't see broccoli here but there was broccoli!

Guess My Team

2010-06-28T03:34:00.008+10:00

Hint: It's NOT Spain. -.-

In No Particular Order

2010-06-20T22:23:00.014+10:00

Nowadays you can do anything virtually with Google.com. The Google people must be very rich. Cool right these wainbow roses! They kinda hurt your eyes a little bit right; luckily I selected the 'small' picture size when I uploaded it.

There are so many lists I want to make!

After exam, I want/am going to:

~~Grab a good drink & dessert at a cosy cafe somewhere in the city with my ~~housemate~~ YY Sweetie.~~

EOFYS shopping. DFO!

Watch a World Cup match at Federation Square. YAY!

~~A real Melbourne breakfast in the company of my ~~housemate~~ YY Sweetie.~~

Trip down to the suburbs.

~~Mini road trip with cellmates to Dandenong.~~

~~Steamboat porridge with MonKies. ~~And paella?~~~~

Productive much!

Holiday To-Do's:

Serious family time. I have explicitly told my mum, "Mummy, I'll bake and cook for you, okay!" So I'm going to be ambitious and say I shall attempt some real cooking with my mum. Haha.

Pamper thyself. This includes a nice haircut, mani-pedi session (alright, I'll do the manicure myself and just get my chilblained toes prettified) and a facial before I fly back to Melbourne.

Watch all the movies I can catch at the cinema for only an average price of RM10 per movie. Take that, Hoyts. I'm very sad that most of you have already watched and cried at Toy Story 3, Shrek: The Final Chapter, The A-Team, and Karate Kid coming up soon. C'mon, watch 'em with me!

~~Load my hard drive up with more songs, good movies, chick flicks, BBT, Glee and House.~~

Road trip! To my favourite food place in the world, Ipoh: I'm comiiiiiiiiiinggg!

~~Pre-suggested activites with some amazing people: rock climbing, potbless, ~~karaoke,~~ ~~sleepover. Save the dates!~~~~

FOOD SPAMZ. *serious face.

Believe it or not, I'm going to try hard (not my best) to exercise regularly throughout the week just so I don't gain fat weight.
Get myself a study Bible :)
Future related errands: ~~Think about next semester's subjects - which Finance paper you want to take, YY Sweetie?~~ Prepare resume for next semester. Internship? ~~Check textbook availability.~~

SHOP. OH ZARA, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU; I wonder how much fashion I've missed out on. Game face onz.

Eat at fancier restaurants just to dress up and work a nice pair of heels. Girl's days & nights out, please!

~~Spend one whole day in the Monash & the epicly missed Aquarium in the company of its fishes; probably on CF day in Week 1.~~

Label all my blogposts. Then figure out how to do the html encoding for them so they appear on my blog, haha.

~~Have a cooking day! Who's up for it.~~

IFA D:

I Got A Package!

2010-06-20T03:19:00.006+10:00

Look what I got in the mail that day! If only I checked my postbox more often.

Oversized jumper, yay! Just what I was thinking of wanting but not getting.

Pedigree gift pack, with my name on it. Canggih, they all. YAY! Thank you YY sweetie for collecting it for me.

Chilblains

2010-06-19T01:08:00.004+10:00

Watch out, people who are coming to Australia with cold hands/feet! These scared me a little bit, wondering what the heck was going on with my toes. At first I thought it was carpet-mites or something, since we hadn't been vacuuming. But it's wasn't. I guess I revealed the non-cleanliness for no reason. Two more papers to go!

Too bad I didn't take a picture of my toes when I first had chilblains, they're a lot better now. I've been wearing socks, as strongly suggested by the doctor. Don't like wearing socks at home -.- I'll probably go get some cute pair of furry house slippers soon. For those whom I have told about my toes and those who, err, want to know more, here's some information.

**********

Chilblains are itchy and/or tender red or purple bumps that occur as a reaction to cold. The condition is also known as perniosis, and is a localized form of vasculitis - a form of disease that feature inflammation of the blood vessels. Children and the elderly are most often affected. In children, recurrences each winter for a few years are common but complete recovery is usual. Right; hear that, children?

Chilblains are due to blood vessel shut-down in cold conditions. They occur several hours after exposure to cold temperature. They are sometimes aggravated by sun exposure. Cold causes constriction of the small arteries and veins in the skin and rewarming results in leakage of blood into the tissues and swelling of the skin. Those with poor peripheral circulation are more likely to develop chilblains - i.e. blue-red mottled skin on the limbs.

Common sites for chilblains are:

Backs and sides of the fingers and toes (this was me)
Heels
Lower legs
Wrists of babies
Over fatty lumps
Nose (this would be unsightly)
Ears

Each chilblain comes up over a few hours as an itchy red swelling and subsides over the next 7 - 14 days. In severe cases, blistering, pustules, scabs and ulceration can occur. Occasionally, the lesions may be ring-shaped and may become thickened and persist for months. Thank God this wasn't me.

Unfortunately, chilblains respond poorly to treatment.

To prevent chilblains, the hands and feet must not be allowed to get cold. Do not smoke! Nicotine constricts blood vessels. The following measures may help to keep you warm:

Insulated and heated home and workplace
Warm clothing, especially gloves, thick woolen socks and comfortable protective footwear. Keep the head and neck warm with hat and scarf. Have layered clothing on your body.
Avoid substances that might constrict blood vessels; these include caffeine, decongestants and diet aids
Before going outside, soak hands in warm water for several minutes to warm, then dry thoroughly
Exercise vigorously before going outside

Study hard, everyone. Germany lost :(

2010-06-14T04:49:00.007+10:00

Half a biscuit woke me up like a cup of hot chocolate would to watch the Socceroos play the hamsem Germans! I should've eaten this while studying. Only got 7 more biscuits left :( I'm thinking of getting somemore because they're on sale now, and they're so yummy, especially when dipped into a hot drink - the biscuit melts together with the chocolate when you bite into it! Oh, I just tried the other Arnott's I bought, Shredded Wheatmeal, and it's not like Chocolate Wheaten at all. So I'm going to buy somemore! Okay, I know this is one of those completely random and useless posts.

My Business Finance lecturer is not nice >:( He's really one of those evil lecturers, who don't provide the students with anything - no past year papers, no solutions to the sample papers, no solutions to tutorials, no tips, etc. How am I supposed to know if my calculations are correct?

WAHLIU GERMANY! SECOND GOAL IN THE FIRST 30 MINUTES! Who'm I kidding, I do support them, and Spain. But the Socceroos are not bad actually, they're trying quite hard. But not hard enough! HOHO. Victor, you should've stayed up and watch with me so I wouldn't have to be typing this sad post alone at 5.00am with no one to talk to online. Oh, that was a close one, Socceroos!

Wah, today was super unproductive. Chris, you can't afford to be this unproductive anymore. You gotta complete the Section C tonight, by the time the match ends. This is tomorrow's full forcing schedule:

12.00pm Arise

12.30pm Be stationed at study desk with simple lunch. Maybe a sandwich. Devotion.

1.00pm Full force!

5.00pm Break

5.15pm Full force! By now, you should've arrived at Section B Sample Paper 2

7.30pm Dinner

8.30pm Shower

9.00pm Full force!

12.00am Discuss answers with YY Sweetie

2.00am Sleep

Okay bye. YUMZ CHOCOLATE WHEATEN BISCUITS.

Cornify @ Chrome

2010-06-10T22:52:00.003+10:00

Please click for sparkly information.

2010-06-06T23:45:00.006+10:00

Oh my goodnessssss! Tomorrow I'm going full force, I'm serious. Here's the plan:

8.30am Arise

8.45am Good breakfast

9.00am Devotion

10.00am Full force!

1.00pm Lunch

2.15pm Full force!

5.30pm 10 minute break

7.00pm Dinner

9.00pm Full force!

1.00am Rest/Sleep

You may be thinking, "What the heck are you doing going full force only now?!" Well, that's because my first paper is on the 16th. Hee hee.

**********

//edit

Plan fail. Cough syrup. Woke up late. Arnott's biscuits are the most awesomemest!

Cleaning Up

2010-05-30T16:31:00.002+10:00

The other day after coming back from a weekend with my relatives at my cousin's place in Frankston, I came back quite tired. As I was lying around on the couch, I planned in my head the duration of my nap and whether or not I should shower first so I could nap better or shower later so I would feel refreshed after the nap. Then I got up and knocked on Yao Yun's room, "Can I take the vacuum please; I feel like vacuuming today." Mind you, we haven't had an actual 'cleaning day' since Easter Camp, which was about two months ago (but we occasionally clean the toilet okay).

So I vacuumed the living area, my room and study area, the kitchen and toilet floor. Yeah, we vacuum the toilet floor because there is no drainage outlet for the outflow of water if we were to wet the floor. The first two times cleaning the toilet was very troublesome. We used to constantly wonder how the locals clean their toilets. Figure that.

After vacuuming, I thought of what else I could do whilst still in the mood to clean. So I proceeded to nicely tidy up the kitchen counter and the area around the cooktop, gave the toilet a little scrub, and rearranged the stuff in the storage compartments so there would be more easily accessible space to keep more of the things we buy and also to allow easy access to the important cooking stuff.

It was a very satisfying and fulfilling feeling when I was done because it'd been tugging at me for so long, and the carpet was getting dirtier. Good job, Chris! I rewarded myself with a long, warm shower - I have to cut down on that, water is expensive lah.

Similarly in our walks with God, there are some issues we've put on hold or continuously postponed, telling ourselves (and God) that we'll get to it.. eventually. Maybe it's time we stopped thinking it, got up, knocked on the door and said, "Okay, it's time to clean up". Maybe it's time to identify the things that're taking up unnecessary space and make way for the important ones. Better late than never. Better sooner than later. Because when we're done, or rather God's done with us, we will look around and see that all things, God works for the good of those who love Him. Of course, good for those who love Him ultimately equate to good for Him.

I Have Achieved Good Composition!

2010-05-24T23:06:00.005+10:00

"I don't know what I did, but it's good."

Frankston Beach

Elevate

2010-05-18T13:41:00.009+10:00

-- "Take It Higher", XYZ Camp 2009

Our God is bigger, our God is greater, our God is better; our God is love, our God is good. Stop; and take a look at where you're at - enough? Why stick with, and reuse what you have which is outdated, and remain at this stagnant level?

Our God is a god of increase, of excellence, of perfection - He wants to take you to the next level; elevated. How much deeper are you willing to go, how much higher are you willing to jump, how much further are you willing to run - to get to that next level?

God knows. He knows. Hang in there, because you know He knows what's best for you and what it takes to take you higher.

In the darkest hour, God was doing His greatest work - it's just a matter of time.

Our God is so much more, our God is Yahweh. He is what you need Him to be, where you need Him to be, when you need Him to be - in your darkest hour.

Let Your Heart Seek

2010-05-12T14:57:00.008+10:00

I wouldn't say I've had a crazy weekend, but I will tell you that we worked on our assignment 'til the wee hours of the morning over the weekend. Thank God that we finally handed it in yesterday.

God has been good to me! He granted me the necessary brain functions to work late, kept me awake at night (unfortunately not during the day), drew my attention to Him in church. I was at our first cell prayer meeting, I'm sharing in cell tonight, and leading worship (yay!) in Homecell this Friday.

But, I've not been good to God. I've not been taking QT seriously, allowed my focus to shift all over the place, lost my direction again and again, gone against His Word, making empty promises. I've been self-focused, which brings up the question: How much of God do I actually want in my life?

Where are you with God today? How much of God do you want in your life?

Don't Judge Me;

2010-05-06T00:54:00.014+10:00

because I wouldn't judge you!

I know how some people hate doing tags, hate reading bloggers post tags they do, think tags are lame and pointless, etc. I have a secret confession: I secretly like doing tags! But I'm too chicken to post them on my blog or anywhere public because I used to think that people would think I'm lame and have nothing better to do.

**********

What's the best dream you've ever had?

I don't remember dreams, but I'll tell you how I woke up from one recently.

I was talking to this person and I think it was either a rather intense conversation or it was really funny and loud. We burst out into laughter and as we were about to continue talking, the person started speaking in vibrations. I was like, "What're you saying?" and he/she continued vibrating. Then I snapped out of the dream and realised that it was my phone alarm. URGH SNOOZE.

What last made you laugh?

Go ahead, click it!

What sound do you love?

I'm not sure; I like a guy with a decent voice strumming a guitar while singing.

Do you wanna know what smell I love? The smell of GOOD FOOD.

Do you have any nicknames? What are they?

Err, yeah, courtesy of Andrew Chua. Don't wanna tell you, shy.

What are the five most important things in your life?

God, family, friends, food, money/music *shrug, haha.

What phobias do you have?

Entomophobia.

What 3 physical features do you get compliments on most?

Body size, face, ass (I wish, lol).

What animal would you love to have as a pet?

Puppy wuppy!

Pick up the book nearest to you. Open to page 37, paragraph 2. What is the first sentence and what book is it?

The present value P is the sum of money that corresponds to today's value of the future sum promised.

Pierson, Brown, Easton, Howard, & Pinder, 2009, Business Finance 10th edn., McGraw-Hill, Australia.

What is your favourite food?

CHINESE! And anything sweet.

What inspires you?

My mum. :O

What is your biggest pet peeve?

~~Notting~~ Nothing I can really pinpoint right now.

What is your favourite flavour of ice cream?

DULCE de LECHE @ Koko Black.

Anything with caramel. I like cookies and cream too.

What is your favourite season, and why?

Autumn, because I think the orange and red colours of the leaves are quite pretty. And got nice clothes to wear, plus it's not too cold.

Winter is good too, beautiful white snow. :)

But in summer, you get to wear sexy clothes because it's hot. And spring is when love is in the air. Oh no.

What movie do you never get tired of watching?

Disney movies, I think. Lion King!

What song always makes you happy?

You Make My Dreams, Hall and Oates.

On a rainy day, what is your favourite thing to do?

Hot chocolate!

Do you prefer hugs or kisses?

Both. :)

What talent do you wish you'd been born with?

I wish I could sing really well.

What's the longest you've gone without sleep?

I've never stayed up all night long. Haha, wuss.

What's the dumbest purchase you've ever made?

GAP tank top, RM49.

Write a story in six words.

There's a princess in Potato Land whohadbeenwantingtogoouttoseetheworldeversinceshecouldwalk,butherfatherneverletherforhefearedforhersafety.

Do you have any scars? Where did they come from?

Chicken pox scar on my face :(

What is the first thing you notice about people?

I check them out from top to bottom.

Do you feel like you have life figured out?

In the process. Jesus is awesome!

Looking forward to anything?

YEAH YEAH! 30th June! (Flights fully booked :()

When was the last time you were told you were cute?

Very recently. I'm very cute :)

How long do you take in the shower?

I think about 20 minutes for a hot shower on a cold day.

What is your favourite Disney movie?

I couldn't decide.

How do you feel about your siblings?

Love my brother. I can't believe I'm missing out on his puberty. He's taller than me now.

Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning?

Before dinner, because after dinner I always get lazy.

Would you go out in public looking like you do now?

Yeah.

What was the first thing you said this morning?

"Mmmmmm~"

**********

Oh, another thing, I skipped the questions which I spent more than 1 minute thinking about and the emo questions as well; lazy, haha.

Okay bye!

God is GOD

2010-05-05T00:28:00.009+10:00

I've been typing and backspacing, staring at this space for the past 10 minutes, thinking of a nice way to portray what I want to say so that perhaps you will be able to feel how I'm feeling - or for lack of a better phrase, "understand me", lol. But I'm not going to say that, because it just sounds so cheesy. Yes, I was trying to glamorize the point I want to put forward in this post, but I couldn't come up with anything.

So, the only thing I want to tell you today is what God has been reminding me since last week and what I've been trying to grasp.

**********

God is GOD. His plans are more complex than we try to simplify. His words are paradoxically challenging. His provision is more sufficient than what we ask. His love is a flood far more overflowing than the waterfall pictures we paint in our minds. His grace and presence is more real than we expect. His strength is greater than the pile of work on our backs and the to-do's on the list. He is bigger than the tremendous amount of stress and pressure we face everyday.

God, is so much more than our judgement and perceptions of Him.

**********

Yeap, that is what I want to share today. I wanted to continue, but I think I will leave it at that for now.

Not the best sunset picture, but look at the mix of blue and orange - it made my night.

Beyond Words

2010-04-22T23:31:00.004+10:00

Well if you only knew the pain that I've been through; since when did it become all about you? As you can see right from the start I've said the truth, but if the truth means nothing to you, then what am I supposed to do?

And I'll still love you beyond what words can say; I'll take your every suffering moment and bring a better day. I'll still love you more than what I hope to be. Let me wrap my arms around you, let me take your breath away.

Microwaving Water

2010-04-19T18:10:00.006+10:00

Okay, Cheng Hong, you're right. Text Calvin to read this and tell the family. o.o

A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup 'blew up' into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc.., (nothing metal)..

General Electric's Response:

Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it or adding anything into it.

Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter: 'Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).

What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point.

What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken.'

If you pass this on, you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and suffering.

Satisfaction

2010-04-08T00:28:00.003+10:00

When we face certain changes, expected or unexpected, we pray. We proclaim that God is our provider, that He is our pillar of strength and our guide, that He is with us every step of the way - Amen to that! And sometimes we also pray that we will learn to be dependent on Him. How often though, do we ask ourselves if we are actually depending on Him?

Well, We have a God who can and will satisfy every need we can think of.

The question is less of whether God will provide for us, but much more of whether or not we will let Him be the one source of our life.

Keep all your life [constantly] open to Jesus Christ, don't pretend with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone.

-- My Utmost For His Highest

Cooking

2010-03-18T00:17:00.003+11:00

Look at the size of that.. you tell me what vegetable that is.

It was bigger when we bought it.

2010-03-13T20:39:00.004+11:00

When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic.The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because he has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong calm sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

-- My Utmost For His Highest

Expectations

2010-03-08T00:52:00.004+11:00

They don't just happen, sometimes.

You need to first have expectations, and to have expectations, there should be something you want to fulfill. Then when you take action to achieve that something, you want those actions to be productive; you expect those actions to produce a result that will contribute towards your goal. What is your action plan?

Having expectations is not all that. Often times during camp briefings and what not, we're asked to 'take a moment to think, and write down our expectations for this camp'. Important. But we can't wait around to have our expectations met without attending sessions, taking worship seriously, praying and talking to God, starting meaningful conversations, etc.

My expectations for this year are to grow deeper - in my relationship with God, my knowledge of God, my relationship with my family, my friendships, my studies, the talents that God has given me.

Dear God,

I am sorry for slacking in effort, and being proud to expect you to listen to what I want you to do for me. Guide me and teach me, Lord, to change my attitude of approach to this new environment of living in Melbourne. I want more of You, Jesus.

Amen.

2010-03-07T00:37:00.003+11:00

Never act on impulse on a feeling that it is God's will for you to do. If you do, you will end in making difficulties that will take years of time to put right. A bad decision with a good ending does not make it a good decision at the end of the day. Wait for God's time to come, and He will do it without any heartbreak or disappointment. Wait for God to move.

Refreshed

2010-02-23T00:05:00.004+11:00

He told me that

He is above all else;

He is God Almighty;

He is ever present;

He is in control;

He is our provider;

He's the one we should turn to;

He knows us;

He renews our hearts;

He will see us through;

He is enough.

Touchdown

2010-02-20T00:06:00.004+11:00

Day 1: Arrival

I flew on SIA's new A380 aircraft. Comfy.
A cute boy sat behind me in the airplane.
I watched The Notebook for the first time; I like romantic movies.
When I checked my mailbox, there was this Optus letter saying that my application for the awesome broadband plan I've been bragging about was rejected and therefore I will not be having the bragged about awesome broadband plan. Booo.
Had IKEA's meatballs for lunch at a dollar-to-dollar price.
Watched Mum in action @ cooking dinner in the small kitchen. Yummy, rather healthy dinner.
Slept late.

Day 2: Windy

Walked on Swanston Street to get bank account and mobile number done. Sweet, I loved the wind.
Decided to not walk out with only a t-shirt and extra scarf the next day.
Missed the first orientation program, but managed to replace it.
Got lost and did not intend to ask random strangers for directions because I/we were stubborn.
Met Melvin and walked around together from building to building finding our respective venues.
Spent a few hours in the computer lab settling enrolment.
Picked many random orientation events with Yao Yun - e.g. 'Friends of Unnatural Llamas (FOUL) Picnic', 'Queer Picnic', and also 'Maths & Stats Society BBQ'.
Finished up renovations at home.
Slept late.

Day 3: Sunny & Hot

First time being chased out of the apartment by Mum... because I woke up late.
Bought household items at Big W and self-checked out the items. The machine was clever.
Scouted for broadband options and found a reasonably good Virgin Mobile deal with Optus.
Rushed back home, then to uni for course advice appointment. We were late.
Walked back and forth between buildings to settle some errands. Enrolment was messed up.
Finally realised, "Man, my feet hurt!"
First cooking lesson at home. Good food!
Set up internet connection.
Blogged!

2010-02-13T04:44:00.004+11:00

Today, I wore my new specs for the whole day :D

Today, I also got liquid washing detergent in my eye. Ouch.

2010-02-10T04:12:00.004+11:00

My prawn sho cute; it has horns.

Horny prawn.

Sweet Tooth

2010-02-04T18:59:00.002+11:00

Today, I went to the dentist for a forced checkup before flying off to Australia. Going to the dentist is one of the least fond moments of my childhood; I hate going to the dentist. The last time I went for a checkup, the nice dentist man told me I could perfect my jaw structure by wearing braces for three years, if I want to. :( And I thought I had a nice smile with nice teeth.

This morning after poking at my teeth for a while, the dentist man's daughter told me I have a "small cavity right here *pokes cavity with sharp pointy thing*" and asked if I would want it filled up. I never really thought my teeth would have any problem, but there I was getting the 'small cavity' filled up. Sneaky little bugger.

Then she advised me to only eat lunch in an hour's time and chew using the other side of my mouth. Unfortunately, Carrefour had many samples on display today. Must be the CNY spirit. I think some tiny bits of the teeth filling started falling out.

Hmmm.

I don't really know what else to say. Bye!

IREALLYREALLYLIKEBBT

2010-02-02T14:11:00.006+11:00

"Aiya, scared me wei!"

"Rated The Worst Movie Of All Time"

2010-01-27T03:16:00.005+11:00

Teaser

2010-01-25T05:52:00.007+11:00

I love you, sweetie! (R)

2010-01-22T04:24:00.002+11:00

Andrew: I haven't seen you in ages. So busy is it?

Chris: (no reply)

Andrew: ... I'll take that as a yes.
Chris: Haha sorry, stalking hot girl.
Andrew: ... Christina, stop looking at yourself in the mirror

"Imma Buy Some Belts After This"

2010-01-17T04:34:00.006+11:00

Champion!

Patrick Star

2010-01-05T01:37:00.008+11:00

I've come to realize how much I adore Patrick Star. I was watching Spongebob Squarepants today, and WOO, it was so farnee! Cheng Hong, you would've lovelovelove-d it.

I wanted to post up a short clip of my favourite moment of the episode with one of my favourite quotes by Patrick himself: Well it may be stupid, but it's also dumb (serious face). But I didn't have the patience to source for it and gave up after 10 minutes. I did, however, find this!

**********

Patrick's character is, in many respects, very similar to that of his best friend, Spongebob. Both are very playful and childish, both are complete idiots, and both are troublesome annoyances to those around them. However, Patrick is far less capable and dynamic than Spongebob. He has little to no practical skill: this is most notably shown in the episode "Big Pink Loser", in which Patrick struggles with such simple tasks as sweeping or opening a jar. This is also evident in "Pat No Pay", when even the most simple of tasks Mr. Krabs gives him prove to be extremely difficult for him to accomplish. Thus, Patrick's character could indeed be very well summed up as that of a "Big Pink Loser".

While both annoyingly foolish and clueless, Patrick is shown to be far more dim-witted in terms of thought processing capacity, often failing to grasp the most basic of situations. At times, Patrick's stupidity is so potent that he suffers from lapses of memory (such as trying to eat a chocolate bar twice) and complete shutdown on any thought whatsoever. In an episode where he attempts to think up a song, it is shown that foul-smelling smoke leaks out of his head.

Patrick lives under a rock, literally, on 124 Conch Street — two doors down from his best friend, right next to a man who hates his guts and 400-yards away from the Krusty Krab. The home's exterior is featureless, apart from a small yellow weathervane, which is shown falling off on numerous occasions. Patrick is sometimes shown to sleep on the ceiling, although far more often he is shown sleeping in a traditional bed. Patrick spends much of his day sleeping under his rock. There are many inconsistencies in the depictions of his house due to the nature of the cartoon and utility treatment of backgrounds: in one episode, his house is depicted to be nothing but a bed and a chest of drawers, yet in others he appears to have a kitchen and a living room. Also, certain episodes tend to depict the surface below the rock to be completely flat, while in others there is a considerable amount of depth below it. Patrick claims to have built the house himself.

Although he is unintelligent and is usually carefree, magnanimous, and generally detached, Patrick has demonstrated a cold, shrewd, even sociopathic side at times. In "I'm with Stupid", SpongeBob volunteered to act stupid around Patrick's parents in an attempt to improve their opinion of Patrick. However, Patrick takes the act to far, to the point where he actually begins to believe that Spongebob is that stupid. All the teasing and embarrassment from Patrick and his supposed "parents" eventually proves too much for Spongebob, who runs away screaming and crashes through the wall of his house.

Patrick's parents are first shown in "I'm With Stupid", although only at the end. A couple named Janet and Marty, presumed to be his parents, appear throughout the episode, but are at the end revealed to be confused imposters.

Patrick's non-linear family tree, seen in "Rule of Dumb", which also reveals him to be related to Gary the Snail:

Hope you had fun, lawl.