scribbled memories

You Know You're a College Student...

2012-01-27T11:23:00.001-05:00

- When there's more than just school work to be responsible for. When you have a room, a job, a GPA to maintain.

- When you're walking around campus like a struggling puppy because you have a book bag, a bag full of groceries, and two packages to carry around.

- When you receive a tax refund form in the mail.

- When you're balancing three bowls, one plate, a bunch of utensils, dish detergent, a sponge, and a dry cloth down the hallway.

-When you're just dying to have a day where you can stay in bed and watch TV all day.

-When you're eating buffalo chicken wings from TGIF...
...literally thanking God it is Friday!!

From Prada to Nada

2012-01-13T10:50:00.002-05:00

"Sometimes you play a game even when you know you're going to lose."
"Well... sometimes you leave a game even when you know you're going to win."
"I wouldn't leave that game."

Goalkeeper's Goal

2012-01-07T23:35:00.001-05:00

<a href='http://foxsports.com?vid=fac369d7-cda9-4662-a062-1b4b3af67df7&mkt=en-us&from=sp^foxsports_en-us_videocentral&src=FLPl:embed::uuids' target='_new' title='GOTD: Howard scores amazing Goal' >Video: GOTD: Howard scores amazing Goal</a>
Tim Howard, goalkeeper, scores for Everton!

In his post-interview he explains why he wasn't exactly thrilled by this accomplishment...
Interviewer: Is there any pleasure when a goalkeeper scores against another goalkeeper?
Howard: Not much, not much. It's hard, it's not a nice place to be... so it's embarrassing. I certainly felt for the boy, but you know, I was happy we were winning the game and I was kinda hoping it would stay that way but...
Interviewer: Has it happened to you before either way; have you ever been beaten by another goalkeeper?
Howard:Yea a long time ago and I remember the feeling. It's not nice, quite awful actually.

Talk about my favorite goalkeeper. Biggest fan right here.

it's that time of the year...

2011-12-26T23:03:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where to start...

Number one, I'm still processing that I've finished one semester of college. It doesn't seem like it's over already. Surreal. It just happened. I survived. I made myself proud. I grew and learned and matured. I did it!

Number two, Christmas is over. Every since I finished the semester on the thirteenth of December and flew down to Maine, time has gone by so fast. I've eaten to the brim, had a good portion of actually playing soccer, and squeezed out all creative juices. When I say that I mean...

this.

and that.

& these.

and village!

Yea, I'm pretty awesome. I know. :3

Number three, Christmas was amazing. Basically it consisted of eating. I am known around the Perreault's house as the one who eats like a football player so if that doesn't give you a good estimate of how much I eat, I don't know what will. There was a feast on Christmas eve and a feast on Christmas day.

Number four, I love these people who have made me feel like I belong. :)

Back row: Mr. P, Mrs. P, Lyds, Cait, Me, Ian

Front row: Rachel, Kyle, Luke, JP, and Malcolm

Number five, how can you resist such a face like this?

"Tee oou, Hazel."

Giving Thanks

2011-11-27T13:03:00.001-05:00

I'm sprawled out on bed here in Jacksonville, NC, embracing the last few hours of my Thanksgiving break. In just a few, I'll be in the car - for six long hours - headed back to the mountains. I haven't updated this blog in such a long time and so I thought what better time to update my blog than on Thanksgiving break, reminisce on the past year, and express my thanks.

(So much has happened in the last past year, I barely know where to start. And honestly, I have something against cliché stuff so this is not gonna be a typical "I'm thankful for so and so (aka: friends, family, God)" sort of post, but I'm all for creativity. Let's see how this flies.)

♥ I'm thankful for the different aspects of my intellectual being. Thank God for the mental side of me that allows me to think critically, to solve problems, and to make smart comments like "Oh I knew that." My mental aspect also allows me to evaluate people's characters. I'm grateful I have an emotional side of me which balances perfectly when my brain gets the better of me. It reveals the other side of me - the less perfect, the more vulnerable side of Hazel. It probes me to give others a second chance to prove themselves. Then there's the spiritual side of things. There's the conscience which nudges me along the right path. There's the love and peace that controls me when I get too emotionally or mentally strained. And finally, the physical side (that needs working on) which allows me to move, to go about my healthy life, and that allows me to relax in the oddest positions.

♥ I'm thankful for the different changes in life that have caused me to grow so much in every aspect: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. They say change is the only constant in life. I've learned to accept it, embrace it, and go along for the ride. Whether it be moving to a different location or learning to relate to different people, whatever it is, I've become a better person because of these changes. I've become more independent. I've gained more self-confident. I've learned to relate to all different sorts of people. I've been embracing every challenge along the way.

♥ I'm thankful for dreams, loves, and passions. They keep you going. They keep you motivated. They inspire you to move on. They give you a break sometimes when other things in life drain you. They come in the form of ambitions, hobbies, people, anything really. Mine, for example, are stuff like a love for design, family and friends, little children, soccer. When projects overwhelm me, I am overtaken by my love for design and actually doing this stuff. When I'm having an emotionally rough time, family and friends are there to listen. When I'm tired of "adult" drama, I can enter the world of a little child where I can play, color, be carefree. When I just want a break, what's better than 90 minutes of watching some darn good soccer?!

♥ I'm thankful for open arms. With my real blood-related family miles away, I'm so grateful for the open arms of other families to make me feel welcomed. Thanks to my host family: Steve, Cathy, Mark, and Kelsey. Thanks to the LeBlancs: Michael, Jennifer, and the children. Thanks to the Tanners: Kyle, Cait, Lukas, and Malcolm. And thanks to the Perreaults: Mr. and Mrs. P, JP, and Ian. And for Aunty Kate, Aunty Sue, and Uncle George.

♥ I'm thankful that there's more to life than just this. Life's a journey and I've barely started. I've had quite a few chapters but that doesn't mean it ends there. I'm excited to see where life is taking me, I'm buckled in, and I'm geared up for an amazing ride with God by my side. (Okay, so for someone who doesn't like clichés, this is pretty bad.) But truly, it doesn't end here. This better not be your last visit to this website. :) Love you guyss.

2011-11-05T08:45:00.003-04:00

Early Saturday mornings :

Soccerrr. ♥ I mean, who in their sane minds can resist watching Tim Howard
play big for Everton?! Gotta love ESPN3.com

Blessings

2011-10-21T10:28:00.001-04:00

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

#o1. I thank God that I am surviving busy college life. I haven't missed a single class, haven't been late to class yet, or haven't turned up my homework late. My hardest class of the semester has suddenly become my favorite because I recently got 99% on my last project and my overall grade is 98%.

#o2. I thank God for the new relationships I've made in the last few months. I love both my ex-roomie and currently roommate and am grateful that living with them was/is pleasant. I'm glad I know a godly bunch of Christians that I go to church with and can talk about my faith. I'm forever in debt to my wonderful host family. I'm thankful for a group of people I can call friends. :)

#o3. I thank God for the fall break that I recently had. Even if it meant sitting in a car for five hours, finding my way to a neighboring town that was one hour away, not being to sleep in, spending my entire Sunday traveling, having the car smoke up.. overall I was glad for the break from my regular and usually stressful routine.

#o4. I thank God that I've been overall pretty healthy. I haven't gotten seriously sick such as fevers, throwing up, etc. Other than some occasional gastric, some minor cramps, a cold, and a scare that my TB test might just be positive (it isn't btw - I just came back from Health Services and it's negative!), I've been completely healthy. I just had a general health checkup on Tuesday as a requirement for my job and I was deemed completely healthy with no health or physical issues.

#o5. I thank God for opening the doors for me to get a job at the ASU Child Development Center. Although I'm just a substitute teacher with no permanent hours, I will be starting work on the 4th of November and actually earning an income. There were some bumps along the way - aka getting a SSN, very complicated process - but everything's falling into place and for that I'm extremely grateful.

#o6. I thank God for my family. For my parents who are still an emotional and financial support behind me. For my sister who's a free call away if I need to get her opinion on something or some help with a complex concept I learn in class. Or a free text away so I can tell her about my latest grade - which she calls "worse than an F". And I'm definitely grateful that she has a bigger bank account than me so she can book flights for me. Hee.

#o7. I thank God for those short sweet moments that can make an entire day special. Yesterday my roommate and I received a Halloween care package from her mother. I was so excited, omg like an eight year old girl on Easter... yes, I'm using Easter as an example because you actually don't get that much on Easter... ask my roommate, I was SO EXCITED. So we were expecting a package but we though there were only going to be two blank white T-shirts inside. I was still excited even though all I was expecting was a T-shirt. Sharon let's me open the package and inside there's like candy, this cool flickering pumpkin and a little craft kit thingymajigg. I was so exuberant, you have no idea.

#o8. I thank God for little things to look forward to. Like the tie-dye event this afternoon. Or the trip around Boone running errands and EATING OFF CAMPUS. I'm starting to walk in Central and not wanting to eat anymore because I'm sooo tired of the food there. Malaysians, don't take for granted the amazing food you have there. I miss it so much.

Sunday Road Trip

2011-10-07T10:09:00.002-04:00

I can officially say that I've been on the soil of three more states. :)

Discoveries

2011-09-26T19:12:00.000-04:00

My biggest apologies for not updating in the longest time ever. It's been crazy hectic, classes never fail to provide you with something to do, and I never have a dull moment. (I'm actually looking forward to fall break so I can get off campus and be a couch potato.) I haven't had time to write in my all-time private diary since.. I don't even want to know when. All I've been doing consistently everyday is writing in my English journal, simply because it's required for my English class.

So what's college life like, you ask. The first few weeks I was still adjusting and trying to memorize my schedule and getting some form of routine, but by now, my schedule is packed down hard in my body clock system. Here's what I've been discovering:

#o1. After making your bed, cleaning up your room, vacuuming, washing the dishes, doing your laundry, and folding all your clothes, the feeling is indescribable. You actually feel like you've accomplished something and been productive. After writing a paper, reading the required chapters of a textbook, designing a shoe on Illustrator... now that's another story. You still feel like you haven't done enough because there's still more homework to do.

#o2. Alone time is a very important factor in college life. Independence is an admirable trait. Without those two, I'm not sure how you would survive. You would either accomplish nothing or want to kick someone in the face.

#o3. Pandora is a life-saver.

#o4. I never knew triangles could be so versatile until I did this:

#o5. Did you know that the plastic 24-oz covers for soft-drinks/juice/etc. have these little pop-in thingys on the top of them where you can indicate if it's COKE, DIET, RB, or OTHER. I was so fascinated when I saw it in the lift coming back to the dorm and told my roomie about it like I had just discovered another world. Heee. :3

It's going to be a crazy week and I need to get back to that big pile of homework that is just pinning away from me to give it some attention. Till later. :)

The Love of God

2011-08-29T08:47:00.001-04:00

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made. Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade. To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky. :)

Just a quick reminder of how great His love for us truly is.

Oh The Life of a Walker

2011-08-17T23:27:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty sure I've covered at least 10 miles in the last 14 hours. And I'm not exaggerating. (It is an estimation though. I need to get one of those things to attach to my Nikes and see how far I've walked/ran.) But honestly, the campus is huge and I've walked around it, through it, under tunnels, over hills, left, right, and center. Again, I stop to state how amazingly fast time flies and tonight marks my fourth night in North Carolina and my third on campus.

Let's start where we left off. The last you've heard of me on this pretty badly updated blog I was in beautiful Maine visiting the Way Way Store. Well I concluded my time in Maine riding ponies, visiting the beach, swimming in the pool, playing bubbles with Ian, eating s'mores by the campfire, playing hide-and-seek with Ian and his walkie-talkies, sleeping over at Becca's, going shopping, and the list continues.

Ian and his amazingly cool bubble-blowing device

which he also got for free at Andy's Agway.

Gotta love that place - he keeps getting free stuff there!

Eating a s'more while making another.

Gotta learn how to multitask in this century.

(Sorry to point out, but my sister is a terrible photographer.

I mean seriously, she has no sense of focal point.)

If I'm not mistaken, that's Stoney and Ginger in the pasture.

Taking pictures of the P's driveway for a little graphic designing

project Mrs P gave me. I was pretty happy with the end result.

Me, Jackie, and Becca at Old Orchard Beach. That place

has changed so much. Busy busy.

On Sunday the 14th, I flew down to Charlotte on a very manageable journey that only lasted about 5 hours. No bumps whatsoever, and I arrived in one piece with all my expensive baggage in three pieces. (Because there were three bags, not because it broke into three.) Got to the hotel in Charlotte and spent an enjoyable time talking to many nationalities and the friendly INTAPP people. Went to downtown Charlotte and spent a boring time exploring the streets. Literally. Came across this sign that I just couldn't resist taking a picture of:

First thought: Sarah Ti

Arrived at Appalachian State University on Monday and there began the week-long of orientations that still isn't over. They've given me a tour of the campus two times already, and I'm probably taking another tour tomorrow. I think I'm gonna be losing weight instead of gaining any. Everyone here is so fit and active because of all the walking around campus and the many outdoor activities. The food is amazing though so I'm trying to eat more than I walk. It's pretty expensive but currently I have free meals as an international so I'm taking full advantage of that!

Gabriela from Brazil. Such a sweet girl. :)

Ruby from Malaysia as well, in front of
I-forgot-his-name bear in the Belk Library.

Tonight in particular, I had an amazing experience out on the Duck Pond field Contra Dancing (which is kinda like country folk dancing, I think) as well as juggling a soccer ball around with some of the guys. That proved interesting because I played barefooted and all the rest had sneakers on.. and I kept up. :)

This talented band led us through some really fun and

exhausting dances. I couldn't even pause for a moment.

It's 11:30pm and I am dead from all the walking, dancing, kicking, etc. I have freshman orientation all day long tomorrow, so I'm hitting the sack. I'll keep you wonderful friends in Malaysia updated as often as I can, and I would love to skype with y'all whenever I have the free time.

This Could Really Be the Good Life

2011-08-04T23:59:00.006-04:00

#o1, I have enough plane rides to last for a lifetime. Now, here's what I've discovered, flying by yourself is a lot (did I say A LOT) different than flying with another person. Reasons being: one, you don't have to lug heavy luggage that actually has a label that contains a picture of a stick figure hurting his back. two, you don't have to be so attentive about where are you heading. Just follow the person ahead. and three, there's someone to talk to. When I finally arrived in Boston, my voice sounded so coarse. Simply because I hadn't talked in such a long time.

#o2, a thirty-six hour long journey traveling across the world (the long way through the Pacific, mind you) is just toooo long to remain sane all the way through. Plus a two hour transit in LA where you're rushing to get through immigration and customs; the word 'hectic' couldn't be described better. I literally got at my gate just when the plane was scheduled to take-off. I am not exaggerating.

#o3, never sleep for 16 hours straight. Which is precisely what I did, from 12am all the way till 4pm. But that's how advice works, doesn't it? We humans advice other humans not to do things that we ourselves just did.

#o4, so the adventure begins, and we travel down the memory lane. First stop, the old house. They tore down that hideous looking, black barn and although I only once walked inside that building, I was still pretty attached to it. Other than that, same old house. With the grass overgrown.

#o5, second stop, The Way Way Store. Went there twice actually, once without my sister and the other, with my sister. Not that I minded going to the shop twice in a matter of three days. You can never get too much candy. Still getting a kick out of that red and white brick wall. :)

#o6, third stop, bodies of water. Yes, I phrased it in that odd way because I went to the beach one day, and the pool the other day. The former was too freezing cold to stay in there for too long, but the later was really enjoyable with plenty of water toys to play with. Lots of dunking involved too, with the culprit being mainly me because, even though there's a 10-year-old in our midst, I am still the smallest and the shortest making me the easiest to dunk as well.

#o7, my camera has the coolest feature ever created at the time being. It's called a smart shutter and first of all, it detects the face (like most cameras can do) and then, when the person of that face makes his or her face to smile, the camera automatically snaps a photo. I know, how cool is that. 8D

#o8. So yes, as you can see from the number seven up there, it's new gadgets for me. Spanking new MacBook Pro, Canon Powershot digital camera, and a new phone. :) It's been like, 3 days since I've gotten my new phone, and I've texted 82 times. Gosh, you have to love unlimited texting.

#o9. Ian has a new pet hamster (that looks just like my old class pet Brownie) and his name is Harold. We're actually not sure if he's a 'he', but we're guessing so. I mean, his name is Harold for a reason. So this is the story: Harold was picked up while we were getting grain at Andy's Agway in Dayton with a very convincing sign that read, "Hamsters needing a loving home." Plus, it was free, and who can resist free, cuddly, and cute little rodents. Certainly not me, and definitely not Ian either.

#o10. Last and certainly least (because I'm just trying to get this to an even number, and ten is a good spot to stop), I was actually going to join Lyds at summer camp but her foot (the one that was recently broken) is bothering her and she needs to go for physical therapy, so we cancelled those plans. Not that I mind, I'm just loving Maine so it doesn't matter if I'm out canoeing or sitting in bed rotting in front of the TV, it's still a well spent summer. :)

July Update #2

2011-07-25T03:27:00.001-04:00

Less than 3 days now before I board the plane and fly to America, where the next chapter of my life begins. The last couple of weeks have been pretty exciting, running around shopping for stuff, meeting the friends for the last time, and of course, you can never cross out soccer. So speaking of all the above, here is my second update of this month:

Sunday, July 17th, 2011 - Women's World Cup Final

2am, like a loyal ~~alone~~ fan. :)
with bloodshot eyes, a running nose, and looking like a sight.

I wish I could say with full conviction "It was worth it", but honestly, I'm not sure if it was. I made a drama at the mamak shop because every other customer wanted to watch the Brazil vs Paraguay game (screw Copa America) and here am I, hardcore US fan. (with my face painted and ribbons in my hair) Thankfully, they were kind enough to allow me to watch the game with no further interruptions, and then it was no longer Astro's fault, the customers'/mamak store's fault, but simply...

JAPAN'S FAULT. Hahaha, okayy, so it was a good game. I think a lot of people enjoyed it, if they were attached neither side, or if they were a hardcore Japan fan. But I did not enjoy it. To think that my team was this darn close to winning THE World Cup, and just let it slip through their fingers. I hate penalty kicks. I still love Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan.. the whole US Women's team.

But truly, kudos to the Japanese team, who have never failed to surprise the whole world in this tourney. :)

Friday, July 22nd, 2011 - Girly Time

Okay, so people are always asking, "What do girls do at sleepovers?" In answer to that question, we hung out watching YouTube videos of sweet love stories including Bee's brother's wedding video etc. Then like domestic girls, we walked to Jaya Grocer and went grocery shopping for our scrumptious steak dinner. (And took a picture in the middle of the road *points above) Basically, all the regular stuff girls do, cook, eat, talk, laugh, watch movies, fall asleep while we're midway watching The Proposal. Speaking of that movie, I have no idea what's up with me always watching it when it's way past my-eyes-are-still-open time.

(Sorry about the bad quality pictures, with five girls around, there wasn't a single digital camera. And then we went for my farewell dinner, and out of twenty people, still no camera. -.-)

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 - Mamak, Shopping, and Dinner

So Saphie arrived before the two sleepyheads (guess who?) were even up. Went for brunch at the mamak store downstairs. Hung out at the pool for a bit. Came back and painted our nails. Headed to One Utama. Walked through the park to get there, and well, Sarah got distracted and forced all of us to wear these flowers in our hair and take a picture. Shopping took a while, we came back and started the hectic process of getting ready. Bee was obviously the first ready. Put on these facial masks - the picture shall not be posted here for the sake of our sanity. Curled Saph's hair. Got into our pretty dressesss. <3 Headed to Rosemary Bites... yes we were late.

Thank you so much to my girls and everyone else who made this dinner possible. Big thanks to Saph for putting together that sweet video that I didn't get to finish watching, but sweet nevertheless. Thank you everyone for coming and making it enjoyable. Thank you to the ones in the video who said such kind things about me. I love all of you so very much and I'm gonna miss you all bunches.

Sunday, July 24th, 2011 - Lunch and Dinner with the Relatives

So I had lunch with my grandmother at this Japanese restaurant somewhere in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, I actually don't know where we were. It was pretty good. She loved it so much she even asked for the business card, so I guess that's a good thing. My parents are really bad translators, btw. I mean, waitresses were talking to me in Chinese and I'm like "Mom, mom, mommyyyy....." That happened multiple times at dinner too and I was expected to reply?

Dinner was ohhmyyygoosshh, so yummy. I think I ate the most out of the entire group. Met up with my father's side and had steamboat. Did I mention it was so good? Overall, good get together with my aunts and uncles and cousins. :)

--
Well that's about it. Gonna finalize my packing, let's hope it doesn't exceed 50lbs each, because it would be really hard to decide what not to bring. :\ I mean, I already had to part with my teddybears, and am really tempted to bring one of them... by holding it in my arms as I circle the world. HAHAHAHA.

Too Good to be True

2011-07-11T02:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's Women World Cup Quarterfinal match between USA and Brazil proved to be the most interesting, passionate, emotional, exciting, dramatic, breathtaking (the list could go on) match I have ever witnessed. And I've watched a million soccer matches. As Hope Solo put it, "Up and down, up and down. Emotional. I didn’t know if we were going to pull it out at the end." It had everything a soccer match could have, to say the least. Here's a list of what this match contained.. and my reactions:

(First things first, we're talking about Number One Ranked Team USA playing Number Three Ranked Team Brazil who also has five consecutive times FIFA Player of the Year Marta on their side.)

Early Goal - 2nd Minute
It is every team's dream to start off a match with an early goal. USA did precisely that - in the 2nd minute. It was so early that I even missed it, only arriving at my "mamak" store during the 4th minute of action.

Own Goal - 2nd Minute
Same goal, just a little twist to it: Brazilian defender Daiane scored the first goal for the USA after a brilliant cross by Shannon Boxx and a scramble in the box with her foot just pushing the ball over the line.

My reaction: OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THE FIRST GOAL.

Red Card - 66th Minute
Yellow cards are a different story. But a straight red card, now that's a turn of events. Marta with her skill and speed is brought down in the box by center defender Rachel Beuhler. Penalty given.

Penalty Saved - 67th Minute
Brizillian player Cristiane steps up to take the penalty, but it's saved by Solo!!

My reaction: Okay so yes, I am boiling here because of the red card that was issued, but SOLO JUST SAVED THE PENALTY KICK. USA are still leading 1-0!

Penalty Retaken - 68th Minute
Apparently Hope Solo was off her line, and the referee signals for a retake. Solo argues (I would too, if I were her!) and is issued a yellow card. Penalty is retaken by Marta, who converts it. USA 1 - Brazil 1.

My reaction: By now I'm just going crazy. I mean, what is up with the referee?! I order a hot drink to calm myself down.

Extra Time
The game goes into extra time with the score tied at 1-1.

Controversial Goal - 94th Minute
In the second minute of extra time, Marta took a pass from Maurine, who was apparently offside, to convert a beautiful left-footed flick that bounced on the turf and off the right post before settling behind Solo to give Brazil a 2-1 advantage.

Time Wasted - 117th Minute
Brazilian player Erika falls after a corner kick and apparently cramps up. Stretcher is brought on and she is taken off the field. She suddenly gets off the stretcher like nothing is wrong and runs back onto the field. Referee shows her a yellow card for clearly wasting time.

My reaction: Okay so there's a big difference being clearly injured and wasting time, and she's clearly crossed the line. I mean seriously, play fair. By now, with only 3 minutes + of extra time remaining, I'm like hyperventilating. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe ouuutttt.

AND WAMBACH SCORES THE EQUALIZER! - 122nd Minute
You cannot write a script like this. Extra time has gone into injury time of three minutes. With only a minute remaining, Abby scores the latest goal in Women's World Cup history!! To put it in Ian Darke's commentary, "Rapinoe gets the cross in... it's towards Wambach... OOOOOHH CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!! Abby Wamback has saved the USA's life in this tournament!"

My reaction: I should have recorded this. I was just making a fool out of myself. The whole mamak store were probably staring at me, for all I cared. I said to my dad, "I knew they were going to score! I just knew it inside of me, but I was too scared to believe it. This is just too good to be true."

Penalty Shoot Out
You can imagine how happy the US are at this stage. Who cares if it's penalties and we haven't secured a W yet, at least we have a chance now! Brazil are probably still in shock that they let in that late goal.

... and Hope Solo is the USA's solo hope.

Shannon Boxx (USA) - GOAL
Cristiane (Brazil) - GOAL

Carli Lloyd (USA) - GOAL
Marta (Brazil) - GOAL

Abby Wambach (USA) - GOAL

Daiane (Brazil) - SAVED!

My reaction: YESSSSS! I love youu, Hope.

Megan Rapinoe (USA) - GOAL
Francielle (Brazil) - GOAL

My reaction: *pushes chair back and gets ready to jump up*

Ali Krieger (USA) - GOOAAALLLLLL!!

@mPinoe - I don't think the #wwc could have asked for a more exciting, edge of your seat, piss in your pants kind of football (than) these QF's! #beautifulgame

U.S. vs Brazil: This one should have left you cheering - Let's say you're one of those who wouldn't jump on soccer's bandwagon with a bazooka to your head. This one still should have moved you. Read More

And that, is the end of an amazing match. You can guess my reaction - I jumped up, screamed, and then after standing up for a while like a sore thumb in the middle of a mamak store (that obviously didn't share my enthusiasm, being 2:30am in the morning by then.), I sat back down and watched the players celebrate. :)

Credit to USA for fighting till the end and for playing brilliantly for an hour plus with only 10 women. Loved the team spirit and unity, the persistence, and the faith. Abby Wambach and Hope Solo are definitely the women of the match. Now, for the semifinals against France. This is your cup, USA. Go get 'em!

P/s. I am convinced that whoever criticizes the women's game of soccer should have watched this game, for it would have adjusted your mindset completely. Even my dad admitted it beat many a man's game in terms of excitement, passion, and drama. And he is one critic of women soccer hard to please.

July Update #1

2011-07-09T04:14:00.003-04:00

Hello to my readers! It's been a while since I've actually written what's been going on in my life so you're much due for a proper update. First things first, the new blogger in draft is really... odd? I'm staring at this strange screen that looks completely different. But it has a pretty nice, with a sort of simple, orderly, sophisticated look.

Speaking of looks, my website will be going through a major change sometime at the end of the month or early next month. ~~Once I get my MacBook, arrive in Maine, and have my sister around to help.~~ I'll be using Joomla CMS instead, so lookout for something involving lots of pictures and colors.

Anyhow, it's a little less than three weeks before I fly to Maine. I recently purchased my suitcases, and have been packing ever since, or more like, my mother has been packing ever since.

So I've been meeting up with some people, spending some quality time before I leave. :) Had lunch with Naomi and went handbag shopping, which was pretty amusing because I can't speak Malay and Naomi isn't the type that goes shopping for bags. (Btw, all the best in Brunei!) Also went out for lunch with Ms. Cath and Roberts as well as suitcase shopping. Dropped by at ALC to visit Uncle Kevin and all the rest. Had dinner at Ry's house last night. :)

Lastly, tomorrow is a very special day for a lot of people. Shoutout to two of my very amazing friends who all are celebrating their birthday tomorrow: Pom and Bee!

Pom, you are the sweetest girl alive. I will never forget your endless stories, matchmaking skills, random hyper moments, planning the Christmas party, moving school moments I've had with you. Thank you for accompanying me at awkward moments, for listening, and making me laugh. ♥

And to my Bee, I'm so sorry I couldn't celebrate your birthday with you, but I trust you had a good time. Thank you for never failing to be a pain in the butt, for being that someone I could torture when I... needed to torture someone, for trying hard, for putting up with me, and for just being you. I will never forget the time when we had a major argument concerning your stupid computer charger and how Chanelle had to put a boundary of highlights to separate us. Gosh, I'm gonna miss youuu. ♥

Till later. Hopefully I get a chance to meet up with y'all Malaysian before I leave.

All Hail the Juggler

2011-07-06T02:45:00.002-04:00

This is just beyond, cool. I am in total awe of Tobin Heath, current USWNT player, UNC alumni, winner of NCAA championship and Olympics 2008, Christian, and only 23 years old. Definitely one of the coolest people existing. :)

Avillion Admiral Cove

2011-07-01T06:40:00.002-04:00

My family and I headed to PD for our annual family vacation. We stayed at a serene hotel/resort known as Avillion Admiral Cove. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but the only downfall was there was no sand. No sand, when you're literally on the ocean. No wonder it's called a cove, but I do love sand.

Basically, all I did was sleep, eat, swim, watch TV, and all that over again. Just a side note: never stay up to 2am because you want to watch The Proposal when you can barely keep your eyes open, have a pounding headache, and have bloodshot eyes. Seriously, I looked that bad.

Moving on, it's back to business with less than a month to go before the big transition in my life. I've thrown or given away so much of my stuff, but it actually gives you a strange sense of accomplishment that you aren't attached to your material stuff. July is going to be one heck of a month, but I'm so excited for every moment. Whether it be spending a few more precious moments with my beloveds over here in Malaysia or packing and flying to land of the free and brave, I intend to enjoy every second. :)

Gold Cup, U-17 WC, WWC

2011-06-27T02:54:00.001-04:00

So with the European season for football (as they call it) over, you might think I have a lack of games to watch and entertain myself with, but that was not the case. The last couple of weeks and the weeks to come, there's been so many important international cups and tournaments, I am happy. :)

Firstly, the Gold Cup which just ended last Sunday. After a difficult set of games in the group play, USA pulled through - as they always do - beat Jamaica in the quarterfinals, Panama in the semifinals, and reached the final against the biggest rivalries of all time: Mexico. I actually had to miss the final, but am pretty darn glad I did miss it, because it would have broken my heart into pieces. Just watching the highlights that lasted less that 10 minutes was bad enough. After taking a 2-0 lead in the 23rd minute by great goals from Bradley and Donovan, the US fell behind to a very much composed Mexican team. Final score, 2-4 to Mexico. My heart goes out to Lichaj, who was an inch away from saving the last goal, and Bradley, who had the perfect chance to score. If-only's once again, but the ball is round, and the game is over. Great effort from the guys though and I will forever be proud of my team. :)

Secondly, the U-17 World Cup which, sorry to say, I haven't been following very faithfully. The group stage is over and US have proceeded to the next round after a victory over Czech Republic, a lost to Uzbekistan (YES, I KNOW, UZBEKISTAN OMG.), and a tie against New Zealand. That left them tied at second place with New Zealand and lots were drawn to determine who would get second or third. They got second so they are now moving on to the knockout stage.

And finally, but definitely not last, and my biggest chance at USA actually winning something, the Woman's World Cup. It just kicked off yesterday, watched the first match between France and Nigeria, and really excited to watch the first match the USA play on Tuesday night against Korea PRK. I'm already planning that the US will reach the final. :) Just as a side-note: they've won the World Cup two times out of the five times it's been held and, according to FIFA, are ranked as number 1 in the world.

Other than those listed above, I still have the MLS and WPS to keep me occupied. Currently, I'm really impressed by Mike Magee and his heroic period in front of the goal as part-time debut goalkeeper for the Galaxy. Without a doubt, man of the match. :) Speaking of the Galaxy, David Beckham hasn't been playing recently because he's been having back spasms. That guy needs to retire.

In God's Supply Box

2011-06-21T03:54:00.000-04:00

So, the packing has begun and so far, so good. I've been digging up so many memories, and not wanting to let go off that torn piece of paper or faded friendship bracelet that holds a precious memory. But as the saying goes, "Memories Last Forever" without person or possession to help you remember it.

Anyhow, I stumbled upon a paper where I had written a little poem. It brought a smile to my face and I'm actually pretty impressed with my effort. I'm guessing I was maybe 13 at the time of writing it. Thought I'll share it with you guys:

In God's Supply Box..
Dear Child, when you can't seem to see what is ahead,
I have a new pair of glasses for you to put on.
When you make a mistake, there's always an eraser with me that you can borrow,
or white out if the scar is too big.
Don't worry if someone has hurt you,
because I've got a full box of bandages at different sizes and shapes and the best detol ever, called love.
When you're scared, you can crawl under my bed, it's dust free.
If you happen to need any help, you can dial 333 and I'll pick up.
It's almost like 911 but you don't have to answer questions, you get to ask them.
Secrets are always secrets, and if you find you can't trust anybody with them,
you can trust me, I promise you that.
This is what I give you, my child.
It's your choice to believe, to trust.
I don't want to be an abnormal person to you, I want to be real.
So never forget this, my child.
I have glasses, erasers, bandages, and detol waiting for you.
My phone number is really easy to memorize and my ear is always listening.
Now it's your turn to come.

Have a blessed week! :)

greetings, random thoughts.

2011-06-14T07:13:00.003-04:00

I've formed the conclusion that the only consequences of having too much time at home with no school work to do are the following: number one, you get lazy and fail to accomplish the little (but big amounts of) things you need to do, and number two, you think too much.

The later is more like the consequence I personally face. Because, being me, I can't be idle for too long without feeling guilty. But, thinking?! I mean, you can do that while you're going through your stuff, while you're absently surfing the net, while you're sewing or doing art projects, while you're cleaning the house, while you're at work watching children do their tuition compositions... (and yes, I did all that.) Anyway, here goes to my random accumulated thoughts.

While substituting for a tuition teacher, I was contemplating on how people can so easily indirectly influence you by subtle ways. It's scary to see how transparent someone's values are, and how easily s/he can push them upon others. It's amazing how much you can read about one's character by just the way s/he carries herself/himself, or the way s/he talks, behaves, and interacts.

While heading home, I realized how easily one compromises his/her values just to "keep the peace". Someone swears, and you let it pass even if it's completely against your values to swear. Someone shares his/her belief and you pleasantly ignore it instead of speaking up and telling him/her you believe contrary. They say ignorance is bliss, but it's more like the best way to easily escape doing the right thing. And many times, we resort to it.

While watching a soccer game, my brain randomly wandered to the difference between dreams and plans. Often we make dreams our plans, which is ridiculous. Because while it's okay to dream, planning is up to the Lord. In reference to this point, I'll refer back to an earlier post, which can be read here.

While slowing narrowing down my list of things to do, it dawned on me how very fast time is passing. Before the blink of an eye, I'll be packing, leaving for Maine, spending some quality time with all my childhood friends, and then orientation down in Boone, North Carolina before the first day of class. :) Today marks precisely 44 days before I leave. A simple reminder to treasure every second I have left with my beloved family and friends on this side of the world.

While composing this blog post, my mind is swarming with a mixture of jumbled thoughts, questions, and observations. Maybe I should be rediscovering who I truly am, define that strong set of values I believe I possess, and once again find my identity in God's sight. And maybe, after all, thinking isn't much of a consequence.

resolutions vs reality

2011-06-05T00:46:00.003-04:00

I have to say, graduating from high school is one of the greatest things one could ever accomplish. I mean, summer break? The best thing ever. Those two to three months you have of freedom. The amount of free time you have: bunches. The anticipation for college: indescribable.

Anyhow, I've been spending the last few weeks keeping myself busy with little odd jobs and small forms of entertainment. Okay, scratch the 'small'. So I've composed a list which I've entitled "Things One Should Do During Summer Break". Here's to my productivity:

#o1. Work out everyday. In my case, go swimming or jogging every morning.

#o2. Clear through accumulated junk. Through away half of it, give away a fourth of it, and keep the other fourth.

#o3. Spend good quality time with friends, creating memories, staying away from trouble, and refrain from spending money.

#o4. Eat healthy and say 'no' to junk food.

#o5. Touch up on your soccer skills at least once a week.

#o6. Refrain from distractions such as too many videos, movies, and soccer games.
--

And now, I shall introduce you to another list entitled "Things One Should Never Do During Summer Break" except that I actually did every point. :P

#o1. After one week of hardcore working out, you become lazy and make excuses such as "I need rest, I got hurt." (which fyi, is true to some extend). And getting a jab at the doctor's making your left arm extremely sore is a very good excuse why you can't go exercise.

#o2. When going through your stuff, you get attached to your accumulated junk which you obviously don't see as "junk". You come up with very convincing reasons why you shouldn't throw this or that away. In the end, you're wishing that you could bring 300 pounds of that junk with you to college.

#o3. Instead of spending quality time with your friends, you get all chummy with a horse, failing to keep your resolution of "staying out of trouble." Sure, you create some sort of memory, and money isn't involved.

#o4. Your grandmother gives you six cans of 100 Plus plus three bottles of Kick-a-poo. I mean, hey, someone has to drink it. And then, to top it off, you tell your sister to buy you all sorts of candy, so waiting in Maine for me is four grocery bags filled with junk food.

#o5. You go out to a patch of grass outside of your house to play a little ball with your daddy, who smartly kicks a long ball into the woody/foresty shrub by the side. You spend 30 minutes looking for the ball without success. Oh yea, lots of improvement on my skills.

#o6. You've watch about every single movie you have twice and still want to watch them the third time. You also watch about three soccer videos everyday. You stay up till 2am watching the England game which was a total disaster because I mean, seriously England tied with Switzerland?! You get totally bummed when the US are defeated flat by Spain with a 0-4 scoreboard. You plan to watch the USWNT play Mexico, and obviously are following the Gold Cup.
--

Okay so, I'm working on it. I really am.

always a bright side

2011-05-31T04:55:00.000-04:00

In the last few weeks I've gone through experiences and been in situations that are definitely the type you could classify as once-in-a-lifetime. They were trying, painful, and unique. But as I look back at what has happened, I realized that there is always something to be grateful for in every circumstance. Hey, it could be worse.

My Little Ronaldo

2011-05-27T07:25:00.001-04:00

There's those certain times when you just need to be alone for no particular reason. Well, I was having one of those moments, so I changed into shorts and a tee, plugged in my earphones, laced up my shoes, and went for a jog. I tried to clear my thoughts, to make some sense out of the jumbled mind I was currently having. Hoping that the fresh air and exercise could remove all my question and frustration.

No such luck. I finished my five rounds in record time, all the while observing the people around me. I watched parents taking their children out to play and realized that the older you grow up, the less it's about you. I realized that right now, I was in my prime stage of life when I want literally everything to center around me. I wasn't like a selfless parent, giving up her precious time for her children out of love. No, instead I was struggling with sharing the spotlight, because there was no love intertwined.

I headed to the park still trying to find answers. Stood at the top of the slide for a while, taking in the fresh air, listening to music, thinking. I observed a couple swinging, absorbed in each other. I watched a young dad come back from work and welcome his children with a big bear hug. I smiled to myself as a few little boys marked out goals with shoes and played a little game of soccer on the sidewalk.

And then, I met my little Ronaldo. I had moved to the swings and was swinging back and forth ever so slightly when Ronaldo ran up and sat on the swing beside me. He was barely 3 feet tall, clad in a Manchester United full jersey, with the Number 7 and Ronaldo etched on his back. He struggled to sit on the swing and finally, with a decisive push, plopped down into the seat. He turned to me, gave a shy little smile, and then started imitating me, swinging himself back and forth. I smiled at him, and we swung together in companionable silence. We swung together for about 5 minutes before he hopped of his seat and ran to join his brother.

I sat for a while longer, observing the little children playing together, even if they had met just two seconds ago. I watched as my little Ronaldo nearly fell, burst into tears, ran to his mommy, and then five minutes later was good as new, running around and playing. I watched as a mother pushed her son on the swing, a big smile and laughter written all over the little boy's face. I watched the innocent joy of a little boy when he found a toy car under the slide and ran to present it to his grandfather like it was the greatest treasure in the world.

And suddenly it dawned on me that maybe my little Ronaldo had taught me the greatest lesson of the day. That in those five short minutes, he'd shown me how to be innocent like a child, to enjoy every moment like there's no tomorrow. He showed me how to forgive and forget when you've had a rough day, been wounded, or nearly fallen. But lastly, sometimes it only takes a little time to make someone's day. No words said, no elaborate actions. Just, being there... being you.

So I want to thank you, little boy in your oversized red number 7 jersey, for giving me those precious moments today, and for making my day. :)

Faith

2011-05-24T09:42:00.002-04:00

"Faith isn't grounded on emotions. It's grounded on the will. It's grounded in the act of taking up your cross and following to Lord wherever He leads, through good times and bad, through dark days and happy ones. We're not tested and tempered in good times. Our true test lies in the dark night of our despair."

said Ella in Daughter of Joy by Kathleen Morgan

Closing the Chapter

2011-05-20T06:48:00.000-04:00

Bittersweet. They call fifteen bittersweet before you turn sweet sixteen. Why - I'm not sure. Fifteen wasn't bittersweet. Instead, what I'm feeling now, at the age of 16 (stop counting my years when I haven't reached them) is truly bittersweet. Maybe it should be reversed: sweet 15s and bittersweet 16s.

Freedom? Not really, actually. Finishing high school doesn't leave you with miles of what is known as freedom. Instead, you get thrown into the world of college: away from home, staying on your own, balancing school and work, saving every penny, worrying about what's next. No, definitely not freedom.

Confidence? Yes. Maybe not freedom, but definitely that sense of accomplishment. Like, "YES! I actually did it!" and "I'm going to college!" And that feeling, however small, that you'll make it through the next chapter of your life.

And finally, memories. The funny, the happy, the lessons learned, the tears shed. Definitely the people you met. Hopefully the impact you made. I could go on and on, but basically it's summed up in this: I love you all so very much, and thank you for all the precious memories you've given me.

Time to flip the page, however much I want to linger on the last paragraph, and close the chapter.

snapshots of my life

2011-05-19T03:38:00.004-04:00

I seriously owe you all a post with pictures. So, forgive the tardiness, but here comes a few pictures from a month + ago. :\

So this is an absolutely genius creation by Jello...

Easter dinner with the family and Uncle Carl :)

Resurrection Sunday. Dresses. Camwhoring.

Meet Mr. Egghead, my breakfast.

He was GOOD btw.

Field Trip to the farm.

... the picture says it all. :)

Outing with the girls on Tuesday.

We got this UH-MAZ-ING-LY cool table at Sakae Sushi.

Three teas, one coke. :)

That's all for now. Gonna go prepare for my LAST test and then I'm outta high-school. :D Feeeell the freeeedomm.

narnia :)

2011-05-14T06:11:00.008-04:00

Lucy [holds out her hand] Pleased to meet you Mr. Tumnus,
I'm Lucy Pevensie. [Mr. Tumnus looks at her hand curiously]

Lucy Oh, you shake it.

Mr. Tumnus Why?

Lucy I... I don't know.

Big News

2011-05-05T08:41:00.004-04:00

I like it when I get news. Because news is like, stuff you didn't know. :)

#o1. So, I was checking my awesome changht@appstate.edu email, and I got this email saying I was accepted into the Sisterhood Experience Residential Learning Center. :) That means I'll be staying in an all-girls dorm, which has awesome facilities. I'm really glad I got in, cause that was my first preference when I applied. Pray that I get a nice roomie, who's Christian. :]

#o2. Field trip report is coming along, just swell. It's really really cool, just believe me. It's so awesome I can't tell you. Plus, I don't want people who are going on May 21 to get any ideas. I still have a ton of things to do to complete it... and should be doing those things right now instead of blogging.

#o3. Today was my last PE, and just thinking about that makes me kinda sad. :(

#o4. ... I don't have any more news? :d

through the weekend

2011-05-01T05:28:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's May already. There's only 3 weeks, 15 school days, and 4 books left to go. And I'm a happy girl. :)

It's been a really eventful weekend, but what's a three-day weekend when you don't make full use of the nights of staying up late, and the mornings of sleeping in late. (Well scratch the later because I woke up at 5:30am on Saturday and 7:30 today - that can barely be considered "late".)

The Royal Wedding - I know this is so cliche of the girls to say, but HONESTLY, I love her dress. I like the Maid of Honor's dress too. The horse carriages were just divine. But other than that, the wedding was so traditional in a very British way and who doesn't kiss during your church wedding ceremony?! On another note, I am glad my wedding's not such a big thing. At least, I hope not.

Field Trip to Grace Farm - It was actually really fun, definitely not like my expectations. I think I only enjoyed it so much because we got to interact with the animals and a big plus, my team was awesome. I mean, seriously, we were all attentive and interested and stayed back the longest, while everyone else was like... eating lunch? I have really good ideas for my presentation too. :)

Soccer Training - which went wrong. By the time I got home from the field trip it was like, 4pm. And then I was starving, so I got myself duck rice. And then, it obviously didn't digest by the time I went out to play. So I got cramps halfway through, but still.

Visit to Mustard Seed - Bee, Isaac, and I went to Uncle Kevin's church today. It was good seeing Josh, Uncle Kevin, Grace, Brenda, Pastor Julian, and the rest. Love the worship there. Catching up with them at lunch was good. (Y)

Arsenal vs Manchester United - okay so if you know what a soccer maniac I am, you'll understand how badly I wanted to go watch this game. So, I had to make this ridiculous deal with my dad so he'll bring me to see it. The deal: I have to do his chores for 4 days. Anyway, so I'm watch the game tonight. :) And Luke and Noah are coming along.

If you have a sense of creativity and know Premier League history, I think you'll like this article. I think it's very well written: http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6445871/epl-royal-family

Have a great Labour Day, peeps. :)

Your Plans

2011-04-22T05:56:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder why Good Friday was termed as 'good' when what happened on that day doesn't seem good at all, if you didn't know the whole picture. I'm pretty sure today got it's name only after Jesus rose from the dead. There's no way the disciples called this day 'good' after seeing Jesus being crucified.

Just the other day, on the 19th to be precise, I stumbled upon a verse as I read my daily proverb. Evidently, the verse had spoken to me before in an earlier encounter, because I had underlined it. I remember reading the verse for the very first time, a few months ago, probably on another 19th of the month. It was during the period of my life when I was applying for colleges and planning my future out. Well, this verse stuck out of the page like a sore thumb. (Except that sore thumbs don't stick out of pages, forgive my bad comparison.)

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 19:21

I'm pretty sure the Pharisees and priests didn't plan for Christ's death to go the way it did. They wanted him dead and forgotten. That certainly didn't happen. I'm pretty sure the disciples didn't put it in their agenda that their master would be crucified on this Friday. Oh sure, they all had many plans. But it wasn't their plan that happened. Instead, it was the Lord's plan that happened. And that was the best plan ever made.

Even as we celebrate Easter this year, I want to remember and thank my Savior for being in control and letting his plan prevail all the time, even if at that very moment, it doesn't seem like the best plan. Thank you for being control of my life, for showing me your will, and helping me accept your plan for my life. Although things may not be going my way, I know it's your plan that is taking place. :)

To the Appalachians

2011-04-16T04:37:00.002-04:00

So it's pretty much official...

I'll be attending App State coming fall. :)

Did'ya know there's a Hazel Mountain nearby?

trusting You'll catch me

2011-04-14T05:08:00.000-04:00

I’m letting go of the life I planned for me and my dreams,

I’m losing control of my destiny

It feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe

So I’m letting go

Was reading Josh Brevick's blog, and his latest post about trusting in God put the word "trust" into a totally different perspective. Quoting him,

"So I was recently was praying to God... I was asking God, "God just let things work out this way, so that I can just avoid all the trouble of it." Then as I was reading the word something just clicked I guess you could say.

Trying to avoid troubles like that isn't trusting God.

If you know that God wants you to do something, don't avoid it because of troubles it might bring. God might be leading you to do something, but being afraid of the troubles that thing "might" bring is not trusting Him."

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher taught us a little lesson on trust that I will never forgot. We all took turns to fall backwards and she would catch us. Now, she was pregnant and she expected us to free-fall backwards into her arms. However, we did as we were told and she caught each and every one of us.

This is trust. It's daring to go out into the unknown, leaving the comfort zone, because you trust that certain someone to be there and protect you. But without taking the risk, trust doesn't come into the picture. Trust goes hand and hand with danger. Why trust when there's no risk involved?

Trusting is a scary thing. With our human nature, we all tend to shrink back from trusting. We all seem to fail when others place their trust in us. But placing your trust in God is completely different. And I know for a fact, he'll be there to catch me whenever I dare to take the fall. :)

Shakespeare, dear Shakespeare

2011-04-09T03:26:00.006-04:00

I've come to the point in life where I must read one of Shakespeare's books. Evidently, educationalists think that everyone should read Shakespeare at least once in their life. In my case, it means Hamlet.

(Speaking of educationalists, I don't get their theory. I mean, how insightful can a tragedy that Shakespeare write be? I could write just as good of a story in a simple sentence. "Hamlet wants to revenge his father's death. In the end, they all die." Taa, done. Masterpiece.)

Anyway, most of the time I'm reading the book upside down. Or, the other half of the time, it feels like I'm reading a foreign language and I'm racking all the matter of my brain to understand what the fellow is saying. (He is acting insane in the book, so that's proves its not entirely my own stupidness.) Only one in a million years do I stumble upon something insightful:

"Look thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatched, unfledged courage. Beware
Of entrance to a quarral, but being in,
Bear 't that th' opposèd may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgement."
-Polonius, Act 1 Scene 3

"Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love."
-Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2

The former is words of advice from a pretty foolish counselor, in my opinion. The latter is, well, Hamlet expressing his love to Ophelia, or his pretense expression of love, because remember, he's putting on a show of madness. Either case, I love the latter quote. It's really romantic/deep/profound. I like all three adjectives.

So I've narrowed it down to a conclusion of three points:
#o1. It is said that Shakespeare is a romantic person. Am I not right - who wrote Romeo and Juliet? So tell me, what is romantic about a guy acting lunatic, a girl who must deny her love for Hamlet, and the girl dies because indirectly, the guy kills her. And then, the guy dies too.
#o2. Does Shakespeare not know of forgiveness? Because, simply, if that element was present, we could cut the whole story short and have a happy ending.
#o3. 'Good' ghosts don't exist. Period. Exclamation mark.

And now, in accordance with the three points above, I will write my new, happy, and short version of Hamlet:
"King Hamlet is murdered by his brother, Claudius. Within 2 months after King Hamlet's death, Claudius becomes king and marries King Hamlet's wife, Gertrude. Hamlet, the son of the deceased King, finds out about the murder of his father (through logical means, mind you, not through a ghost.) and wants to revenge. Fortunately, forgiveness comes into the picture and Claudius resigns from the throne. Hamlet is appointed King over Denmark and marries Ophelia. The End."

Now, that's better.

the things I miss

2011-04-06T09:13:00.001-04:00

It's time like this when you look back

and miss the way things were. ♡

Have great courage

2011-04-01T23:30:00.002-04:00

"To defeat the darkness out there,

you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

End of March

2011-03-31T05:38:00.003-04:00

It's been a crazy last two weeks. I feel like so much has happened in just a matter of 14 days, the excitement could have lasted two months, at least.

- First of all, I got my acceptance notifications from both Abilene Christian University and Savannah College of Art and Design. I've also gotten scholarships for both. :) I was accepted into Appalachian State University about a month ago. All the colleges I've applied to have accepted me, so now it's up to me to choose.

- Last Thursday at PE, I had the time of my life playing soccer with the middler guys. :) Scored two goals. Made Leonard fall. :O Dragged Raquel into playing with me. (thankyouu darling <3) Loved every minute.

- Just yesterday, I headed to my "second home" to use Bee's laptop (mine was at the repair shop) and attend some SCAD virtual online fair. Listened to the presentation while my host and dog slept. -.- The former on the couch, the latter on my lap.

- Speaking of Bee, she's back from Australia! :) It's so nice having her back. Plus, she's totally spoiling my teeth giving me all sorts of candy. Just this afternoon I consumed half a bag of Chachos, a Twizzler, Jolly Ranchers, and a piece of cheese. Talk about trying to eat healthy. Did I mention I have really HIGH metabolism? You can't make me fat even if you tried.

- 30th March marks the sad, tragic death of a rat I just met. It was love at first sight. <3 She was so adorable, with a little fat white stomach. Thankfully, I got to play with her before she was killed and all her insides were opened up and examined. However, "playing" with her didn't go very well because she was so nervous all she did was poop and pee all over the table. In the end, I had to pick up the pooping and peeing rat and put her back into the cage. Watching her fight for her life was saddest thing ever, even worse then seeing her being dissected.

- On a happy note, Jason felt so bad for the rat, he went to the pet shop and bought another rat - supposedly her daughter - to keep as his pet. Isn't that nice of him? He might bring the rat to school and I can shower all the affection I want on it without the painful thought that it's gonna die soon.

- Today was last LifePac day. Didn't manage to take one test, so as of right now, I have 11 tests to go. Accomplished 29 books in this quarter. :) If I keep up my speed and stick with my schedule, I'll be officially out of high school by May.

- Got myself a part-time job! Will be starting next week.

- Really thankful to God that His plan for me is slowly unfolding and everything's coming together. Looking forward to the huge transition ahead of me. It's kinda bittersweet, but usually one focuses on the sweet part, and not the bitter. I have so much to do in the span of 5 months before I finally start college. Pray for me!

Making someone's day

2011-03-29T09:19:00.003-04:00

Ever felt like your day took a sharp turn and the next thing you see is a beautiful scene spread before your eyes, a rainbow in the sky, and nothing looks dull any more? And it's just because someone took the time to give you a compliment, a smile, a hug.. or made your day by a small deed.

For some strange reason, it makes my day seeing someone making another person's day. Like watching a guard buy ice-cream from McDonalds for his fellow guards, and even if it's just the RM1 type, he walks out like he's carrying the biggest trophy in the world. Like seeing dog and man spend a minute in their busy lives, rephrase that - in the man's busy life, to ponder in each other's silence. Like observing a bigger boy play with a younger one. Like seeing one person cry simply because her friend is crying. Like observing two people exchange a hug. Like watching someone's eyes light up with a smile because someone else just made his day.

But right now, I too could use one of those day-making experiences.

quick update

2011-03-23T10:21:00.003-04:00

It's been a good few days, with these little things to highlight:
#o1. I got 87% on my Math 1209 LPT. Not good enough for me, so I got Mr Nicholas to fail me. Took my alternate and got 100%. :)
#o2. I was accepted to ACU - that stands for Abilene Christian University.
#o3. I got a partial scholarship there! :D I'm pretty happy and surprised. I almost got the Presidential Scholarship, which is the most prestigious scholarship, just missed it by a little. I'm pretty content with the partial though.
#o4. My sister's in the news. "Lydia Chang of Biddeford" HAHA, cracks me up. Read it: here. She says she might get into the Biddeford newspaper as well...
#o5. The mother is baking bagels right now and I am about to go consume one, very soon. :) Nothing beats bagels and cream cheese.

Stuart Holden

2011-03-20T04:03:00.006-04:00

Nigel De Jong breaks Holden's leg three months before the World Cup. He works hard and recovers in time to play for the WC. His dad dies from a rare tumor and Stu starts an organization named "Holden Heroes". Now, his knee gets gashed up by Jonny Evans, with the probability that he could miss the USMNT friendly against Argentina and the semifinals against Stoke in the FA Cup. Stuart Holden, I salute you. You're the reason I support Bolton. :)

DailyMail | Soccernet | Official Site

EDIT;
26 stitches on the knee, scheduled surgery in London on March 21st, and off the pitch for six months - missing the friendlies, semi-finals, EPL, Gold Cup... Taking it like a man. All the more, the reason I support you.

@stuholden says: "Just had a sincere phone call from Jonny Evans wishing me the best in my recovery, def wasn't intentional, just unfortunate part of the game."
@stuholden says: "I can promise you all I will come back stronger and better than before. Have had bad luck in the past and will continue to beat it. #bwfc"
@ileksua says: "Stuart Holden, 26 stitches 6 months out, took it like a man. Nani, 5 stitches 3 days out, cried like a bitch."
@euanholden says: "Off to London to take care of the big man @stuholden . Road to recovery starts today. Nothing can phase this guy. #incredible"
@hazelchazel says: Salutes to you, Stuart Holden. You've been through a lot in a matter of one year and taken it well. I respect you.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle says Holden "has such desire, strength of character and a winning mentality, and he will draw on all those attributes in his rehabilitation."

Okay so he seems to be taking it well, Jonny Evans even apologized, but seriously? I'm still pretty upset and angry about that tackle. 26 stitches and 6 months recovery is a lot to deal with. I've got tons to learn from you, Holden.

BBC News | ESPN | The Guardian | Soccernet

home alone

2011-03-18T01:13:00.005-04:00

So I have to admit, I'm pretty glad it's Friday and school reopens coming Monday. Yea, I sound insane, but honestly, how nice can it get spending an entire week, aka 5 days, stranded at home with your computer, itouch, and books to keep you company? I'm practically suffering from lack of talking.

- Anyway, I've been keeping myself entertained in the kitchen. :) Seriously, I feel so domestic, it makes me proud. I think I make a good housewife. Yea, picture me laboring in the kitchen all day with an apron tied on, sweat pouring from my forehead, creating delicacies. No, I can't possibly imagine myself doing that for a living. That would be a sad life. I want a really interesting life, not one in the kitchen or at a desk, for another matter.

Back to the subject, I really was creating really yummy lunches.

Okay so I'm not good with names, but whatever it's called,
it's basically Vermicelli with garlic olive oil, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.
It was good. :)

And then I made my chicken pot pie.
This is what it looked like before it was put into the oven.

The result made me feel like a very accomplished and experienced cook. HAHA.

Next up: FOCACCIA BREAD. ♥ My mommy's gonna teach me how to make it... soon. Because it's so good, I can't possibly imagine having to part with it when I part with.. my mommy? ;) But seriously, I think everyone should eat it at least once in their lifetime. I don't anyone could possibly not like it?

- Other than laboring in the kitchen, I've been doing the regulars - school work, being lazy, curling up on the couch doing the synonym of nothing, did I mention being lazy - plus indulging in movies...

Omg, I'd rate this a 8.5/10. It is SO funny and sweet all in one.
Seriously, I love love love the dry humor. :P

Anna You'll have to kill me before you get a dime.
Declan Now that's an idea.

Pretty typical Christmas, nanny sort of movie. 6/10 perhaps.
Of course, the guy's handsome and the girl's pretty...

- Happy St. Patrick's Day! ~~Although I don't celebrate it.~~ I know I'm a bit late, but theoretically speaking, I think it's still March 17th somewhere in the world at this moment. Don't ask me which part of the world though. Anyway, some people go all out for this event. As in, you dress in green, you eat greens, you go look for your four-leaf clover, you dye your spaghetti green. I'm not even exaggerating. So I saw this tweet by Christine Rampone - she's the USWNT soccer captain just in case you didn't know, and I'm pretty sure you didn't - and she dressed her daughter up for the event:

Isn't that cute or what?! Her name's Reece and she gets to travel with the USWNT when they go play in China, Portugal, wherever. That is so cool. I am totally jealous.

- On a more serious note, keep praying for Japan and Libya, in fact the whole world. I know quite a lot of people in Japan and I'm really grateful that none of them have been affected. However, think of the families who have been affected, and imagine what they're going through. It dawns on me on how blessed I am, and here I am complaining and being discontent over the smallest things.

- I gotta go study and take my horrid Math test which makes no sense whatsoever. Then there's that honors essay that I've been stalling on for at least a month already. Oh, and lunch. Always, the foooood. :) I've been eating so much if it weren't for my high metabolism and exercising, I would be fat. Mind the WOULD BE.

Till later! :)

assurance

2011-03-13T22:18:00.001-04:00

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:6-8

It makes you wonder, huh? A few years ago, when I was so naive and frightened about all these disasters, I remember opening my Bible to this verse. Ever since then, there's peace in my heart and the assurance that God's in control of this world. :) Just a little thought for you as you go about your daily life. Bless!

we're ladies, and we cook the food

2011-03-12T09:59:00.001-05:00

So there's Bee, Raquel, Sarah, and I. Bee's infamous statement of the night:
"I'm nice to everyone except Sarah and Hazel."
Wow, Bee. -.- You could have said you're only nice to Raquel.
--
Anyhow, I had a blast of a time at Bee's house yesterday: cooking dinner with the girls, watching YouTube videos, laughing hysterically for no reason, playing with poor Romeo, pampering Roan, sleeping at 4am in the morning, and playing the Wii. Dinner was delicious, we had a feast - literally. There was spaghetti with either pesto or prego sauce, a big bowl of salad, soup, focaccia bread, and mashed potatoes. Only downside, we had no men to feed. AHAHAHA.

Today was unproductive, cranky, rainy, and moody with no work done simply because my Math and Science are looking like a foreign language more and more these days and also because of the lack of sleep I got. So, yes it's kinda like my fault so I'm not blaming anyone. :P Just watched the Birmingham vs Bolton Wanderers game and am so happy that BOLTON WON. :) Also watched Leap Year which is a really nice movie - I love the guy's dry humor. I would rate it 7/10. Yea, didn't I tell you it was an unproductive day? All I did was laze around watching videos... a movie... and a soccer game.

Thank goodness there's no school next week! :)

that odd feeling of apathy

2011-03-08T04:27:00.001-05:00

I need to get hold of this movie... somehow.

- School's been typical.
- Science is pretty interesting. Learning about light.
- Can't wait for this Friday and the week after that! :)
- USWNT made it to the final of the Algarve Cup. They meet Iceland tomorrow.
- Been indulging in Kingsbury's Above the Line series and Lewis' Amish books.
- Gonna go paint my toenails, listen to music, read, or simple laze around.

the thoughts on my heart

2011-03-03T08:33:00.001-05:00

It's ironic how every time I have something better to do, or something else I should be doing, I have this longing to blog. For example, right now, I should be studying for my History LPT, figuring out my complex and very confusing probability, or taking a language arts self test. Even better, I could be writing something more beneficial than this blog post, such as completing my Honors College application essay. Instead, I find myself here, writing this. Talk about discipline.

Anyways, to balance my guilty conscience, I usually try what is known as "multitasking" although its more like switching from one task to another frequently. It makes me feel somewhat better, instead of feeling like I wasted any entire night blogging, reading, or watching soccer videos. (Which is what I do, plus a cramped in 5 pages of work. Hah, now you know I'm no good girl.)

Currently, I'm talking to my sister and describing to her the ugliness of my knee wound which I formed last Saturday when I was playing soccer with the dad. This is what happened. He has the ball and is running towards the goal. I run after him, duhh. Next thing I know, I fall. (I am fully convinced it was a push, and since I'm so much smaller than my dad, it resulted in a fall.) So Clint-Dempsey-like, I know. =.= Well the stupid scab kinda disintegrated on me today, so now its very red and raw.

I guess my sister has it worse, she broke her leg.

Oh, and while I'm on the roll of being random and switching to different topics every paragraph, talk about trying to multitask. Here I am trying to blog, chat, and study - all at the same time. Not working. And did I mention, I love the preview button. It's so cool. I press it like every 2 sentences.

Well it dawned on me that February went by really fast. But then again, it is a short month. At this moment I have 19 LifePac books to go. :) I shall be finally done with high school in the month of May. I'm really really excited cause after that I have like, 3 months of nothing-to-do. HOW NICE IS THAT. I've never had such a long period of time when there was absolutely nothing to do since I was like, 4 years old or something. So yea, I'm all jacked and everything.

We all know there's been a lot of people leaving school to change to O-levels and all. And while I'm accepting it perfectly fine, there's always that lingering thought at the back of my head knowing it'll be my turn soon. What more, my case is so different. Here we have people moving to a new highschool. I'll be moving across the country, to college, to a place where friends and families aren't minutes away, to a completely new environment, to a new home. Just thinking about gives me jitters of equal excitement and anxiety.

Okay, so I should really get to the studying part of my night. :P But here's a very random post just so you see a little bit of what runs through my mind all the time. Multiply it by 1000 and you know how much I think and how far my thoughts wander. Oh, &btw, I'm really glad tomorrow's Friday. :)

et cetera;

2011-03-02T03:36:00.003-05:00

i love those guy friends that look after you.
Looking after you as in, if you talk about other guys that you like, they won’t get jealous or clingy. Instead, they’ll tell you if you’re wasting your time or to be careful. Those guy friends that protect you from getting hurt. They warn you about anything. They just care for you and you can talk to them about anything. There’s no awkwardness between you two and he makes you feel good. Yeah, that guy. A friend.

(via lissybliss)

snow + horses = pure bliss

2011-02-27T07:39:00.002-05:00

Did I mention that my sister lives there?!

As in, she can step out of the front door and that's what she sees.

If, that is, she is capable of walking. ;)

random and etc.

2011-02-25T05:45:00.001-05:00

Emily, Anna, Mary Claire, and Grace
omg, prettiest and cutest identical quadruplets ever. :)
click here

Evidently, my fellow girls enjoyed yesterday as much as I did. Read what Sarah said here, and Raquel's new blogspot here. If Bee had a blog, her post would have said, "Today was so funny. hahahahahahahahhaha." Or like, "IT'S NOT FAIR ZAC BROKE UP WITH VANESSA." So that's pretty much why she doesn't have a blog in the first place. Imagine all her one-liner posts.

So generally, I don't update the blog so often, but it's like, I have SO much to say. So why try to hinder my words when I could fill a page with my beautiful words. :) So here goes. Warning: be prepared for very random, incoherent topics.

- number 1, today was pretty depressing in a way. Simply because all I got done was a Math LPT which took from 9.30 to 12pm to complete, and even then, I'm not sure I'll pass. =X and to top it all off, the room was like one of those walk-in freezers, and thus forth, my brain froze as well.

- number 2, you have no idea whatsoever how very glad I am that it's FRIDAY. :) So much to do this weekend though, finish the science book, go for "training", and apply for Honor's College at ACU.

- number 3, I still have the long Psalm 51 to memorize. No complaints though, it's one of my favorite Psalms and a constant reminder to have such a repentant and honest heart as David did. Recently listened to one of Pastor Jeff's sermons which was based on this Psalm.

- number 4, cause You're the best thing that has happened to me, and the world will never take, the world will never take You away. ♥

Have a great weekend everyone. :]

Moments like this

2011-02-24T04:56:00.001-05:00

It's times like this, raindrops falling on the rooftop, when I'm so grateful for life. Not that I live a fairytale life - far from it - but my blessings are far more outstanding than my problems.

Just a few days ago, as I was helping my beloved Bee in her Math, she suddenly asked me, "Hazel, are you happy to be leaving?" I thought about it before I answered her, "It's kind of like a bittersweet thing. I mean, I'm really excited but at the same time, scared." I always thought high-school would last for what seems like forever. The future is like a big uncertain territory.

The thing is, I love where I am right now. The friends I have, the openness, the community, and the faith we share. I love it when we go to parties and pray for the birthday girl as well as gather together as a body of Christ to pray for someone. I love being able to talk about issues from a Christian point of view with my peers. I love the unconditional love they have for me, and I for them. I love the simple moments that make me laugh.

Moments like today. Going to PE and playing captain's ball. (Speaking of PE, my team beat 'em flat, I scored a million goals, fell on my butt, and wished I was a guy so I could join the soccer game.) Walking to 7-11 in the rain, drinking slurpees, and overreacting over the news that Zac Efron hooked up with some girl who's OLDER THAN HIM. Having conversations about undergarments and beer bellies. Getting texts from my gals which made me LOL. :) Even doing my horrible Math is a moment I wouldn't change.. ever. Or coming home to a stack of work so high, I'm surprise I have time to blog this. But the thing is, I'm grateful for my life just as it is. Yes, with all the imperfections too.

To sum it all up, I'm glad that I, like Paul said, have learned the secret of being content. You might say, "It's different for you, you're in an easy position and life is going fine for you." but that's not true. Sure, I don't have your problems, but I have my fair share of problems as well. Not complaining, just stating. But despite it all, at the end of the day, I can smile and say, "Today was a good day. I'm happy with my life." Because, truly, I am.

February 20th babies

2011-02-20T03:49:00.003-05:00

Okay, so evidently June is a popular month and all the babies come out on the 20th of February. HAHA. So today is such a special day for so many people, that I had to have a special post just for it. (Or more like, for one special person.)

Anyway, so happy birthday to all you 20th February babies: Marcus, Mercedes, Nathaniel Sanjeevi, Wendy, JACKIE ♥, and of course...

SARRAAAHHHH! :)

What can I say? I've known you for almost 5 years, we've spent our teen years together, watching each other grow up spiritually and physically. (If we did even grow. HAHA.) You know me the best. I can't hide anything from you. You have the loudest voice ever, the most addictive laugh, and the biggest smile.

So anyway, this post is a big thank you for being the best friend I could ever wish for. I could list the amount of things we've been through together, but that would disrupt the secretiveness. :P Just thinking of them makes me smile and laugh out loud. 10 years down the road, I'm pretty sure our "Remember when" conversations would go on forever.

I hope you have a blast of a birthday and don't go bumping into any glass doors, or knocking down glass cups, or dealing with anything made of glass, my dear bimbo. HAHA, I love youu. :)
--
EDIT: There's a new edition to the ever growing big family. Yesterday, my cousin gave birth to a girl, making her my second cousin once removed. (Or something like that.) So welcome into the world, baby Qistina Anees. :)

coloring my attitude

2011-02-19T03:38:00.000-05:00

"Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up."

says Allen Klein

the littlest bits that make up life

2011-02-14T05:08:00.000-05:00

xoxo;

We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:19

Biggest regret on this year's 14th day of February? I'm no longer in elementary school collecting my little valentine's day cards in my handmade mailbox made for that specific purpose. I'm no longer laboring over a handful of valentines, making sure I spelled V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E correctly and that the candy is taped on the card at the perfect angle. There's no candy necklace around my neck to sneakily eat a little piece of it every five minutes. But the thing I miss most is not the candy or the cards. I miss being that carefree young girl who only knew love as the only thing it's meant to be: pure, true, and honest.

"Those were the days" makes me feel anciently old, like I'm hitting the age of 40. But truly, those were the days. Turning 17 this year makes me feel so old, and I catch myself often thinking about my good old childhood days. I'd do anything if I could relive them again. The times when I would bike around my backyard with the sister, draw our dream house on the driveway with a box full of chalk, chew on sweet grass, and talk to our imaginary sisters. The times when we'd go out and play in the snow for hours, sledding and making igloos, like there wasn't a care in the world.

My little word of advice to you is to treasure every moment you have now, because tomorrow you'll be a day older. Don't want to grow up. Instead, want to remain young. And learn to have the heart of a child once again. Learn to be thankful for the little things that makes life special. Learn to be carefree and trust your heavenly Father to care for you, just like when you were eight you trusted your parents to protect you. Learn to be so taken by the small bits of life. And always ask questions.

My biggest regret on February 14th, 2011? That I've grown up. That we've all grown up. That we overlooked the little bits that make life great. That we've lost the heart of a child. And that, maybe, just sometimes, we twist up the meaning of love. We make it way more complicated then it was meant to be. Because, simply, love is loving because He first loved. Period.

Happy Valentine's Day. :)

we'll pull through together

2011-02-11T23:37:00.001-05:00

"The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can."

says Robert Cushing

of SuperBowls, Torres, and BlueRidgeMountains

2011-02-07T08:11:00.002-05:00

So the Packers won, and I'm pretty surprised I lasted all the way until like 6pm before actually knowing the results. The thing with Malaysians is that NO ONE, okay I take that back, the majority doesn't even follow the Super Bowl. I completely understand if you don't follow the NFL, but this is the SUPER BOWL for goodness sakes. Even a person as clueless as me about football follows the Super Bowl.

Well yea, I go to school and no one even knows that the Super Bowl is taking place as we speak. Or at least, no one mentioned it?

I find it ironic how different cultures are. I mean, in America, everyone's probably watching the game, fan or no fan, but here people are ignorant of such a big event and are working - or still sleeping - OR caught up with Chinese New Year. I think cultures are very interesting.

Other than the Super Bowl, Chelsea played Liverpool yesterday night, and GUESS WHO WON? In my very honest opinion, I think $50million is just way TOO MUCH for a player even as great and as handsome as Torres is. So I'm pretty glad Liverpool won; it only proves that Liverpool can still survive without Torres. :p

Received my admission package from ASU today, thanks to old and faithful Fedex. :) Looks like coming Fall I may be taking a picture in front of Hazel Mountain of the Appalachians like I did 10 years ago.

Just finished Even Now by Karen Kingsbury which only strengthens my opinion that Karen is the best Christian fiction author of all times. Her books are so touching and so real. She illustrates such reality into her plots, yet there's always God the forgiver and miracles. :)

It's been a great day, and to add to the joy, I got 98% and 100% on my Math and History LPT, respectively. Gotta do some Science now, after wasting a few hours doing some very fast novel reading. ;)

Toodles. :]

what I should have said

2011-02-04T02:52:00.001-05:00

Hello to all my faithful readers,

Well, I'm back to blogger. Got tired and irritated with WordPress, and even if it is in some ways better than Blogger, I think I'll stick to old and faithful Google. Manged to map my domain to this site, which I couldn't do for my WordPress. So in the end, it's a win-win situation.

I'm forever grateful for this Chinese New Year break; I'm loving every break from school I can get. Been lazing around, EATING, and doing work. :) Reunion dinner on the eve was nice - smoked salmon, shark fin soup, and spring chicken that are so adorably small.

It's been a slow start to the new year with so many uncertainties hanging from the ceiling. I'm the sort of girl who needs to know exactly what's gonna happen, or what's the agenda, or have everything sorted out in a very orderly manner. Slowly, I'm learning to take it by the moment and trust God to work in His perfect timing. Just a little something to ponder on. Till later! :D

♫ Colbie Caillat - I Never Told You

bric et de broc

2011-02-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

School's been quiet the last two days. I love it when it's so quiet and empty - less body heat and you can smell everyone's distinct smell. HAHAHA. It so happens that I can never accomplish work during school hours nowadays. I sit at Mr. Nicholas' desk for half the day doing a handful of Math questions and helping the others with work. Thus, the labor really begins when I get home.

You gotta love 901 sentence diagramming , people who can't write essays about Theodore Roosevelt, and 10th grade Math. Therefore, no valid complains except inverse trigonometry and polar equations. -.- Seriously, spare me. Physics makes no sense either.

Other than my amusing unproductive hours of the school day, I'm pretty glad it's CNY with all the angpaos and eating that comes with it. :) Hopefully I gain some weight. ;P The other day Sarah's like:

Haz, do you realize that we haven't grown since we met each other?!

Thankfully she's blonde and definitely got that wrong. At least, I hope so.

Well, I'm really glad for the 5-day-long weekend. Brought back 3 lifepac tests to complete. Hoo, hee. Speaking of that, I gotta prep for my dreadfully hard and tedious Math test. =X

My Life is in His Hands

2011-01-30T11:24:00.001-05:00

Oh I know that I can make it

I know that I can stand

No matter what may come my way

My life is in Your hands

Take that Cup

2011-01-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

USA wins Four Nations Tournament! :)

Fingers crossed that they'll win the World Cup this year.

Champions

2011-01-25T14:31:00.000-05:00

As I speak, the USWNT vs China Woman soccer game is going on, and I really really want to watch it (even found a live stream... finally) but if I do, my computer will heat up and crash on me. So therefore, I'm exercising discipline and self control and waiting for the dad's laptop to come home. :P Note to reader: I am a huge fan of soccer, especially when it comes to the US National Woman's team. :) They're about to win the Four Nation Tournament, I foresee it. :P Forever retaining their #1 best in the world rating. ♥

Halftime right now: USA 1, China 0.

Anyway, I must be boring you, but here's to a quick post so that every time you visit my wonderfully awesome website, you'll see something different than the same old post. (Although the last post is absolutely rad, I know.)

#o1. I am cooking chicken wings at this very moment. So much lurrvee.
#02. Inverse trigonometry can shoot me already. It's way too complex for even a complex brain like mine. Please, I really don't care to simplify an equation such as
sin (2 arccos 0.5)
#03. Last Thursday I had a fun time at the park, in the glorious sun. :)
#04. Colbie Caillat's songs are becoming a fav.
#05. I have an international admission chat tomorrow night.
#06. Waiting for my application acceptance letter, should receive it tomorrow. Oh, the anticipation.

That's all for now. Toodles, lovlies.

Enter title here

2011-01-20T14:15:00.001-05:00

Cause we're so hot

We'll melt your popsicle;

stare all you like

2011-01-17T15:33:00.001-05:00

Why not take a crazy chance

Why not do a crazy dance

Why not take a star from the sky

Why not spread your wings and fly

♥

not the only one :)

2011-01-16T10:51:00.001-05:00

http://www.socceroverthere.com

Looks like I'm not the only one who supports all American players. :)

late resolutions

2011-01-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

Grow 4 inches;

Okay, so yes, I'm a little behind in forming my resolutions, but better late than never. Faced with this ~~almost impossible~~ flight, I will have to exercise, jump, and eat... a lot. (I should add that I want to put on 5 pounds.) I have to admit though, it's not going very well and it's only like, the 2nd week of 2011? Maybe that's good news instead of bad, having 50 weeks more to go, but I see it as bad.

For one thing, I'm all ready to master this resolution of mine, only except that I was a total douche bag and hurt myself at PE. So here I am, with a scraped shin/knee, and two very sore legs which can hardly move and the only way I can lift a leg up is by using my hands and lifting it up. Took me forever to put my pants on, not even kidding.

So, in other words, I'll start my jumping once I can actually jump again.
--
(Everyone should know how much I hate MU and how much I love the US Woman's National team.) Chatting with my Daddy on IM:

hazelchazel: LIVERPOOL LOST. HA. HA. HA.

John Chang: I am about to switch allegiance to MU. Every team I start to support start to lose.

hazelchazel: good idea. then MU will start losing.

John Chang: Now you're getting the idea. Maybe, I should support the US Women soccer team.

9/10 ♥

2011-01-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

"You need only the courage to follow your heart.

I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like -

Love to leave loved ones for, love to cross oceans for,

but I'd like to believe if I ever were to feel it,

that I will have the courage to seize it."

-Amanda Seyfried, Letters to Juliet

All in a day's work

2011-01-05T12:52:00.000-05:00

#o1. The new school started last Monday, and it's pretty much mixed feelings throughout. However, here's to the little things that makes one smile. :)

- Bee is my neighbor, and a very entertaining one. I get to boss and bully her, she, in return, is an angel in disguise and helps me in my LA 1201. So sweet of her. *:]
- Upon receiving the sports activity survey/notice thing, Bee proceeded to check every single sport, including the OTHER option, where she wrote (or more like I wrote for her) TENNIS. We had a very good laugh when we realized there's only 5 days a week, and 7 sports. She is going to be one occupied girl. Hahah! I, on the other hand, crossed off FOOTBALL and replaced it with SOCCER. That's the rightful name, thankyouverymuch.
- Sarah stole my calculator but will willingly surrender it, I hope. :/
- Meet the 12 disciples, the big gang of guys in our school that stick closer than glue. When they all sit at one of the long tables in the cafeteria, it's the perfect picture of the Last Supper.
- Math has been a huge pain in the neck, but I will overcome it and reign triumphant! :D

#o2. I have an interview as one of the possible recipients of the Presidential Scholarship of ACU on the 15th of Feb. It's pretty nerve wrecking, keep me in your prayers.

#o3. Fulham 3, West Bromwich Albion 0. Clint Dempsey scored in the 56' :) Now this is what I'm talking about.

It's almost irritating when I hear so many negative thoughts nowadays. Sure, we all have our reasons to be unhappy or discontent, I personally have a million, but I'm trying to see the positive side of every issue, and spot the good parts of every individual. With this in mind, I hope you all have a very happy first week of 2011. :)

Dear Diary,

2011-01-01T07:50:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how fast a year flies by, and before I know it, this new year will be over. But despite the speed of time, I thank God for every new year that I've celebrated, for it is a memory of the year that I just lived. Therefore, on this glorious sunny day of January 1, 2011 (o1.o1.11), I look back on everything that has happened the year before - either good or bad, they have the fingerprints of God smudged all over them.

2010 started off well - me, being the determined girl that I am, was determined to make the year count. I started off with a profound list of resolutions, only to the number 8, but nevertheless, profound (as I just mentioned). You can read them: here. January was a month of transition, moving to the new school building, become one of the "older" ones in school, stuff like that. I was scared, having no idea what to expect out of the year. But I was determined to make the best of the year, and I did.

One particular thing that stands out was my determination to have discipline. I was determined I would say no to unnecessary things, use my time wisely, and not get into things that would pressure me. The year before (2009), I had been so involved in all sorts of activities, I found myself so emotionally and mentally worn out. It wasn't pleasant. I didn't handle my time very well, and continuously was denied permission to go out with my friends because of it. 2010, I swore, would be different.

And it was. I learned to say no to activities, outings - simple stuff that simply weren't necessary. Or simply too much than I could handle. It wasn't easy, I had to give up certain things I would have loved to do. But in the end, I learned how to manage my time better, balance work and fun, and my parents were more willing to say yes when I asked them if I could go out.

As I look back on my 2010, what shocks me is how far I've gone academically. I started off the year in the middle of 10th grade, thinking I still had two more years to go in high school. Since my sister was in the middle of her transition from high school to college life, I begin to seriously think about my own future. One evening, my sister and I started talking about it, and an hour later, all my plans had been shifted prestigiously. Looking back at the schedule she made for me, it continues to shock me that I actually accomplished it! I had to finish 11th grade by the end of the year (which seemed pretty impossible, for at that time I was still at 9th grade for Science and History), take my SAT in October, and balance school work with college applications. Well, I did it. I really did!

If I could pin point the exact time when I felt I went through major change, it would be October 2010. Even as the month approached, it continuously daunted me that this month would change everything for me. My comfortable routine of high school days would be broken. With all these thoughts in mind, I still was quick to invite October to my doorstep. I wanted change! I was getting tired of the regular routine anyways. Well, change was what I got. My days dragged on, practice tests kept me busy, and the college search started.

The last two months of 2010 has proved to be the busiest yet. November started off with me sitting for my SAT, which is definitely a once in a lifetime experience for me. (Who knows, you guys may sit for it more than once.) I went back to school, to be thrown headfirst into a series of end-of-school activities and preparations. We all know its practically impossible to accomplish a big sum of school work in a month like November. Well, I didn't have much of a choice. I had to finish 8 books (4 Science and 4 History) in the little over 2 weeks I had left. I'm talking about 11th grade here. I have no idea how in the wide world I did it, but I put in all my effort, free time, a little midnight oil, plenty of prayer, LPTs at the back of the main sanctuary during practices, but I pulled through.

Going back to that schedule my sister made for me, I knew it would be hard. It still is. But, going through everything I went through in the year of 2010 (and I'm not talking about only academics here), I've come out as a much more confident person. Confidence not only in myself, but in someone much greater. You see, I didn't do all this, I didn't survive all this, by my own strength. No, there was someone greater giving me the strength, the courage, the love, the discipline to pull through all the hard times of this year. Which brings me to my favorite Bible verse of all times, still written on the wall of my old room:

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

I want you to know that whatever you set your heart on is possible. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He will grant you the desires of your heart. He will give you the strength to accomplish what seems impossible in men's eyes. He will be faithful through it all, He will pull you through. The first step is trust.

As I head into the new year, I'm uncertain of all the details that this year holds. I know this will be a time of transition for me, finishing 12th grade, moving to USA, starting college, and all that is installed for me. Its a scary place to enter, unknown territory. There will be laughter and tears, good and bad times alike. But despite it all, one thing I'm certain of, my God will remain faithful. If God is for me, who can be against me?

Have a wonderful 2011. :)

Looking back on the year

2010-12-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

say hello to the first anniversary

2010-12-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

I am proud to say, I've just renewed my domain name, meaning this website has been here for exactly a year (as of December 25th, yes! www.hazelchazel.com is a Christmas baby!) Sorry if you guys were having a little trouble accessing this site, and ending up at an odd white, red, and green website that shows weird search related items such as Breaking Glass, Hazel Show, Hazel DVD, and Hazel Contact. I apologize, it kept on slipping off the tip of my brain to renew this domain. I trust that, if you're reading this, you've accessed the website. :)

Anyhow, Christmas this year was quiet, simple, and sweet. :) Which was good enough for me, for who needs loud, fancy Christmases when you've got joy, love, and presents! :P Plus, to top that all off, I had three scrumptious meals. Lots of smiles. :)

So this is just a quick note to all those who are going through major transitions in their lives. Jon Teh, I hope you're surviving. :P Michelle, all the best in Australia. Do your best in everything you do, and God will be there to help you. :) And Daniel, take care at NS. Although I've only known you for less than 3 weeks, I know you're strong and will be a witness to the people around you. Don't let others influence you, you do the influencing. We PKs are amazing people. ;) Will be praying for all of you.

Enjoy your last of week of holidays before school reopens. :)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. (Charles Dickens)

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Throughout this special day, my simple wish is that, while we celebrate the birth of Christ, we'll remember those out there who don't know the true meaning of Christmas and pray that somehow, someway, they may come to know the person who, 2010 years ago, came to earth to die for us.

♥ Hazel Chang

Profound

2010-12-23T10:03:00.000-05:00

"Did you ever stop to think,

and forget to start again?"

A. A. Milne

Light of the World

2010-12-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

Our hearts grow tender with

childhood memories and love of kindred,

and we are better throughout the year for having,

in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

#o1. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 5 days away! They say the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas goes by in the blink of an eye, and my! are they right. It hardly feels like 4 weeks have passed. Before we know it, Christmas will be over and the new year will be here.

#o2. My December has settled into some sort of makeshift routine. I either wake up with work to go to, some outing to attend, or a busy day at home. It's been so busy these holidays that not once did I find myself commenting that the holidays are so boring. (And that usually happens often!) There's still a million and one things I want to do, but I have like only 3 days available.

#o3. News of the week: Jonathan Teh is in America. Like, askdnakdas. One second we're chatting about next year plans, and the next week he's like, "Hi, I'm in the US." -.- Imagine my shock. I should do that too - fly off to the USA all of a sudden. :P Now I'm all alone in my odd exhibition of attending school after graduating already.

#o4. Oh well, I only have about 6 months to go. :)

#o5. Heading off to the shopping mall in a few, to do my Christmas shopping. :D After that, back home to decorate the cookies I baked this morning. I loveee Christmasss. ♥

#o6. Even in all the haste and hurry, cliche wishes, and background music - don't ever forget the true reason of the season. Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves. (Eric Sevareid) Blessed holidays! :)

Moments

2010-12-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

December has been a busy, yet enjoyable month.

Decorating for Christmas with lights, snowflakes, fireplaces, and SNOWSPRAY!

@Nando's + movie + sleepover ; ipod touch ftw. :)

For NARNIAA! :)

(I'd rate it 7/10, except why do they always change it from the original book?!)

2010-12-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

I came across a startling conclusion this morning. I haven't talked to a single person from school since school ended. I mean, other than the ones at camp or the ones I've bumped into. My MSN is practically half dead, I'm serious. I don't have any chat history for the entire month of December. I feel very antisocial. :O

Last couple of days haven't been very pleasant. I fell sick on Friday, causing me to skip work. My temperature went up to a soaring number of 102. I've had fever on and off for the last 4 days, including today. I'm physically very weak. Whenever I try to do something, I become extremely weak after 5 minutes of concentration. I'm terribly behind my schedule, and that's not a good thing considering the hundred and one things I have to do. I have work tomorrow, and I'm hoping I can muster enough strength to survive for 7 hours. I need your prayers!

College application essay and personal statement are calling. Till later. :)

Of PKs, sand, and roomies :)

2010-12-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

Just came back from an amazing 3 days at camp in Kuantan. It was probably the first camp I where I didn't know everyone - as in a school camp or church camp - and people are from everywhere around Malaysia. However, there was one particular thing we all had in common - we were all PKs. Somehow that simple common trait made me feel I could relate to them in a very real way.

I could give you this huge description of what we did throughout the entire time, but that would be pretty boring. Therefore, just as a summary, here's a few things that I count memorable during this time.

#o1. PKs should never be stereotyped. I went to this camp telling myself, "DON'T STEREOTYPE." And indeed, I'm really glad I didn't. Because we are all so different, even if we share a lot of things in common. We had the queer category which consists of David Low, and only him. We had the extremely extrovert ones (that kept everyone awake on the bus). And well, we concluded that we are all weird and unique in our own special way.

#02. PKs should never be held down by the expectations placed upon them. I think that's a big weakness in me that I broke away from during camp. So many time, we as PKs, are pressured by all these expectations upon us, we act and do all the right things. We get a spirit of control and become like a puppet pulled by strings, doing everything as a routine, an expected thing from us. However, we should break out of such a spirit and do things simply because we have such a strong relationship with God, we want to do it.

#o3. PKs are special. God has a soft spot for his sons and daughters and we as PKs are sons and daughters of pastors who are sons and daughters of God. (If that made sense to you.) God has given each and everyone of us a different destiny, and it isn't always in the ministry. That has got to be a stereotype: you go into ministry if you're a PK. But in fact, God has given us different gifts in different fields, even in the secular world. We are to be the light in the darkness, in every field in this evil world.

I was truly blessed by this experience, and I hope all the others who went were blessed too. :) Don't forget what you've learned from this experience, and continue impacting the world. :)

It's 9.45pm and I'm working tomorrowww. :O

Blissful Glee

2010-12-03T13:30:00.000-05:00

Visited my website yesterday to see that it was snowing! :) Made my day.

My December so far has been busy and productive. I haven't had a day when I could drop on the sofa and go, "I'm so bored." Nahh, no such thing as being bored when you have such an eventful life like I do. :P

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

First day of my intern job at VOGA Kitchen. Arrived at 9.30am, work only starts at 10am. Walked around, waited. Colleagues arrived, and I had to explain like 5 times who I was and what I was doing there. Waited for my boss for 1 and a half hours doing nothing. -.- She arrived, and gave me a huge stack of interior designing books to read.

Went to lunch with the colleagues which has got to be an experience to remember. They could only speak very limited English, so here I am, eating lunch with them and not understanding a thing they were saying. They occasionally asked me a few questions, all centering around where I was from, how old I am, and the language I can speak. Which happens to be only English, and a little French. Somehow I created the impression of being a foreigner, and they were constantly asking me about it.

Stayed up to 1am, watching the candidates for the 2022 Host County give their presentation. Australia's video was very creative, Her Royal Highness of Qatar was extremely convincing, Landon Donovan's replay of the goal against Algeria gave me shivers yet again, and Bill Clinton's speech was dreadfully long.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

- Christmas deco + major cleaning

- College and OG applications

- Watched England's presentation. It was really good. They had Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron, and David Beckham. It's a hige pity they didn't get it.

- World Cup Host Announcements: Russia ('18) and Qatar ('22) Bummers, cause I really wanted England and USA respectively. I think England really deserved it for 2018, although I had a gut feeling USA wasn't going to get it for 2022.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Took Bible 1208 LPT, making me feel very productive. :)

Headed to Ebenezer with the mom. The bus took ages. Public transportation is so unreliable. Lots of walking. Vegetarian lunch. 1 and a half hours at the bookstore. Bumped into Cindy. Bought two John Eldridge books, a notebook, and some stickers for the little cousin. All for my RM80 vouchers. Very very satisfied.

Note to all those with Ebenezer vouchers: You should go before Christmas. There's sale. :) So I got like, 20% off.

Daddy's birthday today. Having a steak dinner. ♥ Giving him one of the Eldridge books. And when you do read this Daddy, I hope you had a very wonderful birthday. Thank you for being the greatest Daddy on earth. Love ya!

Mixed and Matched

2010-11-30T08:49:00.000-05:00

The first two days of my school holidays have been hectic, stressful, and busy. Today marks the last day to complete my application to Appalachian, and I'm still not done. :\ Picked up my transcript yesterday, bumped into Bee and Sarah at school. ♥ Ran around after dinner with my dad looking for a scanner, who knew a scanner could be so hard to find? Called the college at 11pm, and talked to them for at least 30 minutes. Emails, texts, phone calls - so much to do.

Tomorrow marks my first day of work at Voga Kitchen, and to be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. I have this sort of mentality that goes, "Let's get this done and over." However, I have to be grateful for this opportunity and give it my all, after all it is one of my dreams to be an interior designer, so here goes. I'll be at Sri Hartamas, so if you live nearby, you can join me for lunch or something. :)

Next week's gonna be jammed pack. Monday will be the only day I have off, then I'm off to my FREE camp with the other PKs - Kat, Vicks, Ry, Josh, David, Grace Goh - so exciting. :D Friday I'll be working yet again, and that'll be one busy week for me. The week after that and I'm thinking of sleepovers and shopping outings with my girls from Aussie. :) For Narniaaa!

Hope you all are having a great holiday. Enjoy every moment you get.

Thanksgiving:)

2010-11-27T06:54:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving, Award's Night, and the last day of school have gone dreadfully fast, but at the same time, I'm so grateful its over too. The last week has been crazy for me. I've been balancing between preparing for Award's Night while rushing to finish my 11th grade. Not the easiest thing to do: lots of midnight oil burnt, and eye bags, but I've accomplished my goal. :)

I could give you a detailed account of everything that happened, but really, it isn't that interesting. Or I could give you a list of things I'm thankful for, but then again, you already know.

So to sum it all off, I'm pretty bummed that instead of sitting around the dining table on Thanksgiving eating turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, I was eating a rushed (and when I say rushed, I mean 3 minutes dinner) dinner at Quel's and running around at Grace. I so would of enjoyed a quiet evening at home instead of the night I had, but I'm grateful for that once-in-a-lifetime experience. :) No complains.

I'm thankful that I didn't have any candy corn to consume this year, so VERY thankful. I hate candy corn with my guts.

If you think graduating means a life of freedom, you are very wrong. I still have 12th grade to finish, a part time intern job for the month of December, and college applications to send in. Zoe and Mel are coming back very soon, I can't wait to watch Narnia, and I have the PK camp to attend! :) I'm thankful I'm a PK, MK, and TCK.

They say the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas go pass within the blink of an eye, and I'm hoping that's true because I can't wait for Christmas. ♥

Have a blessed holiday! :)
--
EDIT;

Happy birthday my darling Esther. :)

I've seen you grown heights since I've met you,
and I mean that physically and spiritually.
You've become such a beautiful girl who's considerate and thoughtful.
Love you so muchi. ♥ Happy sweet 16.

(Picture taken beginning of this year, and we look so young.)

Different Weathers

2010-11-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,

Wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

There is really no such thing as bad weather,

Only different kinds of good weather.

#o1. I'm in a light and easy mood, feeling carefree with nothing to do. Haven't felt that way in quite a while, so I'm embracing the feeling.

#02. Take that back, I still have another application essay to write, plus the graduation speech I'll be saying tomorrow. =X

#03. Finished the last book of 11th grade today, yipee. :D

#04. SAT results are out, ask me if you wanna know. :P

#05. Award's Night tomorrowwww! (I love my dress, can't wait to see how my hair will look, and I forgot to get the perfect heels. ~~Either way, they can't make me look much taller.~~) Graduation ceremony too. :)

To-Do List

2010-11-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

__ Contact ASU

__ Backdrop: sewing and painting

__ Drama Practice

__ Finish 4 more LifePAC books before November 24th

__ Follow up on referees

__ Get more letters of recommendation

__ Get SAT scores on the 23rd

__ Get Transcript ASAP

__ Graduation night (Prepare speech!)

__ Internship at VOGA KITCHEN

__ Make checklist for ACU

__ PK Camp in December

__ Update resume

__ Write two essays for ASU application

__ Write at least 3 more personal essays

__ Relax (did I mention that's impossible?)

__ ~~Kiss outings/movies goodbye~~

November babies :)

2010-11-13T08:18:00.000-05:00

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious

As to have friends at a distance;

They make the latitudes and longitudes.

♥

#1, Happy Birthday my darling Zoe. :) I miss you so much. Words cannot describe how much I miss and love you. I hope you had the greatest ever birthday ever, and I'll see you in December.

#2, thanks to all who made my 16th birthday special. Gracie, the cake was amazing and it was so nice to see you after the longest time ever. ♥ I had the greatest time ever, and we have never attracted so much attention at a restaurant before. My two favorite bimbos both "lost" something at Starbucks, but me being the genius (Y), "found" the missing things. Sarah broke a glass with one wave of her hand. HAHA. The gifts were amazing. :) And Tetsuo, thanks for bearing with all of us girls. x)

#3, I found the almost perfect dress for graduation. All thanks to my wonderful gals.

#4, I'll brought the 8 books down to 5. It finally looks like graduation is in the range of possible. :) As much as I hate Science and History, they're finally making some sense. Looks like I'll be sharing my ceremony with my big brother, which is a dream come true.

#5, Bob Bradley has picked the most questionable rooster for the USMNT game against South Africa. I'm still hoping they'll win. :) And as for the USWNT games against Italy, you girls can do it. :)

#6, TOMORROWWWW. :)

Head first, fearless.

2010-11-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

Words can be overrated, overused, and yet amazingly essential at the very same time. The best are the short and simple. So I'll do exactly that: keep it short and sweet. :)

I am glad to be back in school. There's Bee to nag with her work, Esther and Math 903, Jon Teh's retardedness, Tetsuo's loud chatter, and of course Sarah and Kat. :P There's Science and History, Science, History, Science, History, Science... yea you get my flow. There's noise, chatter, laughter. And there's Mr Nicholas to help me pull through the tortures of yet again, Science.

Of course, school's not perfect and I've caught myself many a times wishing I was anywhere but there. But hey, you gotta live by the moment and I'm treasuring every breath. Catching the positive, and overlooking the negative.

Oh, did I mention Science and History? I have 6 more books to complete by November 24th, no joke. Seems impossible but, impossible or not, I have to do it. Even if I have to burn midnight oil and be anti-social. Although, if I maintain a constant pace, I don't think I'll have to go to such extremes. But you never know, so pray I'll have understanding and knowledge, as well as discipline and patience.

13 days to the 23rd, and with that the scores. :)

Because of You :)

2010-11-06T11:48:00.000-04:00

& In every victory let it be said of me:

My source of strength, my source of hope

Is in Christ alone;

#o1. SAT - check. :) Another major step in the whole process of going to college is completed. I'm feeling pretty happy that it's over. Results come out on the 23rd, so till then I live in suspense.

#o2. I'm currently suffering from a sensation that feels like heartburn. Not even kidding. After completing my test, Daddy took me to eat at some Malay restaurant, the food was beyond the definition of spicy, so now it feels like stomach, throat, chest is burning.

#o3. I start school again coming Monday. I have mixed feelings. :\

#o4. USWNT lost to Mexico while I was taking my test. It is a dark cloud in my joy right now. But I trust they'll still qualify for the World Cup. :) C'mon USA gals, show them whatcha made out of.

#o5. Still haven't decided my 4th college, which is what I should go do right now. After that, I tackle my first personal essay for my ASU application. Plus, I have Opportunity Grant to apply for.

#o6. SAT wasn't the end to all busyness, it was only the start. Seey'all peps.

Note to Self: Stay Calm

2010-11-03T14:48:00.000-04:00

So that pretty much sums it up. 3 days is like, 72 hours. Well it be really specific, as of 6.45pm on November 3rd, there are 61 hours left. Yes, I counted with my fingers. HAHA.

Today was a BAD day. Really, worse experience ever, I vow not to ever let days like today repeat themselves. And if you really want to know, ask me personally. HAHA. xD Lesson learnt, stay calm. Its really essential.

Day 10: Heart and Soul

2010-11-01T15:52:00.000-04:00

So recently, I've been rereading Stories From the Heart and here's one for y'all:

What's It Like in Your Town?

Once there was an old and very wise man. Every day he would sit outside a gas station in his rocking chair and wait to greet motorists as they passed through his small town. On this day, his granddaughter knelt down at the foot of his chair and slowly passed the time with him.

As they sat and watched the people come and go, a tall man who surely had to be a tourist - since they know everyone in the town - began looking around as if he were checking out the area for a place to live. The stranger walked up and asked, "So what kind of town is this that we're in?" The older gentleman slowly turned to the man and replied, "Well, what kind of town are you from?" The tourist said, "In the town I'm from, everyone is critical of each other. The neighbors all gossip about everyone, and it's a real negative place to live. I'm sure glad to be leaving. It is not a very cheerful place." The man in the chair looked at the stranger and said, "You know, that's just how this town is."

An hour or so later a family that was also passing through stopped for gas. The car slowly turned in and rolled to a stop in front of where the older gentleman and his granddaughter were sitting. The mother jumped out with two small children and asked where the restrooms were. The man in the chair pointed to a small, bent-up sign that was barely hanging by one nail on the side of the door. The father stepped out of the car and also asked the man, "Is this town a pretty good place to live?" The man in the chair replied, "What about the town you are from? How is it?" The father looked at him and said, "Well, in the town I'm from everyone is very close and always willing to lend their neighbor a helping hand. There's always a hello and thank you everywhere you go. I really hate to leave. I feel almost like we are leaving family. The older gentleman turned to the father and gave him a warm smile. "You know, that's a lot like this small town." Then the family returned to the car, said their thank yous, waved goodbye and drove away.

After the family was in the distance, the granddaughter looked up at her grandfather and asked, "Grandpa, how come when the first man came into our town you told him it was a terrible place to live and when the family came into town you told them it was a wonderful place to live?" The grandfather lovingly looked down at his granddaughter's wondering blue eyes and said, "No matter where you move, you take your own attitude with you and that's what makes it terrible or wonderful."

I don't think that needs much elaborating, eh? :) I try to check my attitude from time to time, and I think I'm getting pretty optimistic. Which is two thumbs up. Makes everything seem brighter.

#o1. ~~Took my 20th practice today.~~ No I didn't, cause when I was on the first section after the essay, I realized that it was EXACTLY, like precisely, like #10 practice test on my sister's book. (Which I had taken already.) So instead, I did practice questions on College Board. Tomorrow will mark #20 therefore, and then #21 will be my last and final.

#02. Just in case you don't already know, my SAT date is this coming Saturday. I KNOW, LET THE DATE SINK IN. *exhales loudly* Time flies so fast I hardly blinked at the dates already a handful of days away. And I didn't even throw my alarm clock. HAHA.

#o3. Watched both USWNT qualifying games streamed live online. USA beat Haiti 5-0 and Guatemala 9-0, so I'm really happy. I mean, its really lifting when you watch a game and you're supporting team are playing absolutely wonderful and scoring like, every 10 minutes. :) HAHA. Fyi, the USA Woman's team is #1 in the world, so don't diss. Everton beat Stoke City 1-o and I'm pretty positive Tim Howard did well. HAHA. Fulham 2-0 Wigan Athletic, Clint Dempsey scored both goals. That's the way we roll. :) And although my other favorite teams like AC lost, I'm still very happy. LAGalaxy beat Seattle in the playoffs too.

#04. Today, I finally logged onto Facebook! :) Well, in conclusion, I'm really glad I took that fast, because it made me realize how stupidly addictive and what a time waster it really is. I kinda lost my interest for it now, and stayed logged on for like 5 minutes before signing off. That's a huge difference compared to the 1 hour I'll stay on it before. Who knows what I did in that 1 hour. It's really pointless.

#o5. Science a'calling. Really need to finish the book plus memorize vocab words. :\ After SAT, I'll still be as busy as ever, trying to finish off 11th grade to I can have a graduation ceremony. :D I'll also have college applications to send in, scholarships and grants to apply for, and maybe a part time job.

#o6. Just before I end, if you don't usually pray, I'm asking you to stop whatever you're doing now and pray for me. Because I could always use your prayers. Pray I'll do okay coming Saturday, and also that I'll find my 4th and last college to apply to. And that the whole college process and finishing high school busy schedule will go smoothly. Thankyous.

Day 9: Unstoppable

2010-10-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

Shout it from the rooftop

Write it on the skyline

#o1. Numbers are essentially important these days. For one thing, I am counting down a lot lately. 6 more days till my Facebook fast is over. 11 more days till the dreaded test date. 13 days till I start school again. 19 days till the birthday. :) 30 days till Thanksgiving/Award's Night/release of SAT scores. 1 month+ till Zoe and Mel's return and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader comes out. And well, if you really want to count further, a little more than half a year and I'm off to my beloved America.

#02. Just finished writing an essay about "The Pursuit of Happiness" which I think is my best written essay so far. :) We shall see what the English teacher aka Daddy says when he reads it later on. But it seems cogent, coherent, and all those nice describing words.

#o3. Next Degree's birthday bash went okay. Got to see Justine, Tommy, and Matthew so that makes it a big thumbs up. Worship was pretty good, found a group of God-fearing, wonderful girls with whom I prayed with. :) The lipstick thing was ingenious, it was so awesome-sauce to see bee's red nose and lips. With the whiskers. HAHA. Oh, did I mention I totally lovee Yunnie's naturally curly hair. It's like a doll's hair, shoo pwettyyy.

#o4. I'm still on my crazy soccer spree. USWNT play Haiti coming October 28th for the World Cup qualifications. After that they meet Guatemala and Costa Rica. USMNT will travel to South Africa for the game on November 17th. MLS season just finished, with LA the Western Champions. :) They will play against Seattle in the playoffs. Carlos Bocanegra got injured, but not to worry, St. Etienne are still doing wonderful. As for Borussia Monchengladbach - Michael Bradley, show 'em whatcha got.

#o5. Just found out I need to submit in my ASU application as soon as possible so I can access information concerning scholarships, letters of recommendations, and personal essay. Waiting for the Dad to come home and give me the green light, as well as the magic card. :P

#o6. Today marks Practice Test #16. Finished my sister's old book. Got the highest score ever. :) I'm feeling quite prepared. Science is figuratively killing me, and I should go tackle that right now. So till later, goodbye lovelies.

Day 8: Time to Party

2010-10-22T06:27:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling pretty swell right now. Number 1, studying for SAT has been doing good, considering I've gotten 2000+ for the last couple of practice tests. :D (It's not been doing good considering that I didn't progress very hard in my vocab words.) Number 2, today's Next Degree's birthday bash and I'm SO excited. :) Number 3, I have this absolutely fabulous (but extremely short) new hairstyle that makes me feel light and young. HAHA. And number 4, no practice test for today, yippee. =)

So since I don't have to take a practice test today, I did some sample questions on College Board which made me feel pretty good about myself as well. ;)

Ohyeahh, beat that. >:)

I gotta run. Going to school noww. :)

Day 7: 2100 =)

2010-10-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

Be the fire in my heart

Be the wind in these sails

Be the reason that I live

Jesus, be the center.

I am happy to tell you that I finally reached the target of 2000, exceeding it by 100. Now I'm finally feeling smart. Looks like all that studying actually did help. :D I still have a million vocab words and haven't reached "G" yet. :P Decided to stop going by alphabets, so starting today, I shall be studying an assorted lettered bunch of words.

College Board, my faithful companion in this whole crazy process of college preparation, has reminded me of something I didn't want to know.

18 days, are you kidding me?

Like Sarah said, when you were younger in a lower grade, you had lots of time to use the computer and chat with your friends. And then, as you grow older, you still want that same amount of time for chatting, but evidently, reality doesn't allow such exceptions. I think it's utterly unfair because not only do I have limited socializing nowadays, but I also have to cut down a lot of my time in front of the computer. (It's easier to do so when you're on a fb fast. ;] )

However, it's especially difficult when you're in the middle of a totally interesting conversation with a friend you haven't talked to in ages. (Like I am now.) I mean, there's so much to catch up on. And then he goes, "brb". =.= SO LIKE MATTHEW.

Essay to be written, and remembering the dreaded number of 18, I'd better get going.

Day 6: TGIFriday & Fifteen

2010-10-15T13:46:00.000-04:00

Word cannot describe how glad I am that it's finally Friday. My brain is burned to the core at this point. Today marked my 10th practice test, and although I don't exactly see a drastic amount of improvement, I'm working on it. Scraping the skyscrapers of 2000 but I'll reach it - see if I don't. ;) 22 more days, and College Board is my constant reminder.

(Fair warning: this post is gonna be jumbled, extremely arbitrary, and not at the least cogent. Keep in mind the condition of my brain.)

#o1. Yesterday I stumbled upon a piece of irony which made me think and as a result, make a promise. How often do we say something that perhaps is cliche or polite, but not really meaning what we say. For example, we go, "I'll pray for you." but when prayer time comes you completely forget about praying for that person. No bad intension involved, just mere forgetfulness. We end our wishes with a "God bless you" but do we really sincerely want God to bless that person? One may even misuse the words "I love you". Who knows. "I love you" are easy words to say when you're expected to love that person, or its a close girlfriend of yours (for the girls out there).

I made a promise to myself at that very moment to always mean what I say. And especially remember to pray for people I have said, "I'll pray for you." Because that can be the hardest promise to keep - think about it. They'll never know if you kept that promise or not. Its simply up to your own conscience.

#o2. Talked to the big brother yesterday. Haven't done that in a while. :) Made me miss him even more than ever. Because I will never stop missing him, but sometimes its more than usual. Before I went to sleep, I remembered that little insignificant saying he'll tell me. Its not profound in any sense, but I always remember it. He'll say, after one of my constant emotional breakdowns at the age of 13, "You'll understand when you're 15." And I'll think, what is there to understand when I'm 15 that I can't understand now?

Well after a few years of anxious waiting (and perhaps forgetting his infamous saying), I think I've finally hit the well. I do remember that when I turned 15 last November, I thought, "Well here's to number 15 and whatever I'll understand this year." And as my 15th year of this life draws to an end, I think I finally understand what he meant. So here's to the profound moment of revelation.

When I was 13, my sister was the constant problem in my life. I'll always be upset about the way she was so mean to me (biggest bully ever, I know), how I felt so much expectations upon myself because I was the sister of the great, genius Lydia Chang. Much more than that, but that pretty much sums it up. That's when Jon told me, I'll understand at 15.

It's rather vague what he meant, but I now understand what he understood. I don't think any words could describe it. But if you're the youngest in the family, I'll tell you this - you too will understand at 15. At 15, stuff like that no longer bothers you. Maybe its the carefree attitude that comes with puberty, who knows. But you also discover a new type of self confidence that leaves with the assurance that you are different and unique. Not even your blood related sister could share that uniqueness with you.

I guess its only coincidence that my sister left for college when I'm 15. Because that plays a huge role in understanding what Jon meant. I think the best way of describing it is this : Learning to let go. Letting go of the little grudges you hold against others, letting go of the friends whom you cared about (and who possibly didn't return the same feelings), letting go of the people who slip out of your life as quickly as they slipped in, letting go of the hurts, simply letting go. Because life's a journey, changes happen, and clinging on to the past isn't gonna help anything. And when we learn to let go, we realize how much we have now, instead of counting our losts.

The best part of letting go - the future ahead looks so aesthetic. Bright, colorful, and promising. And you don't have to look back.

So to bring that profound moment to an end, the song "Fifteen" by Taylor Swift comes to mind. Just because of the name, the lyrics are rather irrelevant in this situation. But anyway, it made me feel good that I finally understand what Jon meant. And like I said, don't try asking me what he meant. Because well, it's not exactly capable of being described with words but I did try. Maybe it's only something blood related, yea catch the pun, siblings can understand.

#03. Doesn't it bring shivers down your spine when you think of the amazing job the Chileans and Americans did in rescuing those 33 miners? It gives me shivers. It makes me proud of the effort people put in for other people. Lives are precious, indeed.

#o4. I'm getting pumped for the coming Friday. Staying at home is mentally exhausting because I work more than 6 hours a day. Worse than school, truly. So I can't wait for the break. :)

Oh, and on another note, who's willing to skip school to go out with me on the 5th of November? Hah, I kid. Be good children and go to school. But seriously, day before SAT has been proclaimed as a holiday by me for me. So I'm all up to an outing or something of that sort. As long as I don't study at all. I know, unheard of. :P

And andd, suggestions for my 16th celebration? Ideas are welcome. (My mommy was like, do you want a 6-foot ice cream too? =.=) And don't say, "YES! Let's do a 6-foot ice cream!" because that would be just mean. I am not crazy over ice cream.

#o5. My blog stats have been diminishing. I've been getting only like 10 visitors a day compared to around 30 per day. So c'mon peoples, clicky click, I know you love me. :) Toodles for now.

P/s. Its crazy ironic how coherent my title is with my blog post. Number 1, I'm really glad its Friday. And Number 2, I talked about being Fifteen and well, it's the 15th of October too. &lastly, number 3, Day 6 is for the letter F. So there you go. :) I'm ingenious, you don't have to tell me, I know. :P

Day 5: Ex's and Oh's

2010-10-13T12:36:00.000-04:00

Click here to read the sweetest story. :)

#o1. Today, I found evidence that all the writing and extensive vocabulary words actually have benefited me. I feel smart. :D Did really well in my Critical Reading section.

#02. Finished the Firstborn series by Karen Kingsbury. I like fictional novels but sometimes its so unrealistic. Honestly, someone like Dayne does not exist ever. You can never find a Hollywood star who's America's heartthrob that's totally in love in a typical girl - and to tip it off, is crazy after God's heart. I mean, seriously. Description of my dream guy that doesn't exist.

#o3. USMNT tied with Poland 2-2 on Sunday. Which was pretty okay because they played well. Big Man Altidore scored, and so did even taller man Oguchi Onyewu. (And I love his name because I don't know how to pronounce it - making it lovable.) And there was Carlos Bocanegra then, even if Landon was MIA. &just so you know: Bocanegra, Donovan, and Bradley are my favs.

#o4. Followed the US against Colombia (with the "O") game this morning. Tied 0-0, can you believe it?! Apparently the 4-3-3 formation ruffled them up and Bradley and Jones were stepping on each others toes. =.= (I blame it all on the fact that Landon and Carlos were MIA, and there was only Bradley there. HAHA.) Michael got a goal in, but Josy was offside. Don't you just hate it when a goal is scored but called offside. I mean, that 3rd goal USA scored against Slovenia in the World Cup seriously should have counted.

#o5. Anyway, since you all are suckers for US soccer and only bother following the Premier League or something, I'll leave you trying to analyze what I just said and go study Science. How's that for an ending? Adieu mes amis. :)

Day 4: D is for a "Dearth" Society

2010-10-11T15:02:00.000-04:00

I have two drafts entitled Day 4 and have never actually gotten around to publishing it, so let's get Day 4 done and over with. I still haven't mastered my dreadful C's, but I'm working on it - while moving on to D's. I'm kinda panicking because I've only done like 3/26 of my entire stack of vocab cards and its to 11th already? Shoot me already, my memory is failing quickly.

Anyway, tomorrow marks the day when I do a brand new practice test without Chech's erased marks over the right answer. (Which makes it painstaking easy for me, muahaha.) That shall be the real test of how genius I really am. I am hating critical reading increasingly everyday. Really, you can't expect my vocabulary to be that extensive.

Science, on the other hand, is going pretty good. Had a short visit to the school today, where Mr Nicholas imparted all his knowledge on the subject of chemistry to me - thank goodness. :) Spent some good bonding time with 'em buddies, which was a huge relief after been cooped up at home for the longest time imaginable. Laughter is definitely the best medicine. Visited the second home too. ;)

College applications are underway. I have yet to pick out people to write my letters of recommendation and begin that dreadfully long list of personal essays. Need to write my resume too. It's gonna be a busy busy 3 to 4 months ahead of me, I foresee it.

Dinner is ready and my stomach begs mercy so I shall close. It doesn't look like the blog will be very alive, after all my life pretty much consists of SAT, Science, college, food, sleep, work, did I mention SAT? Toodles.

Like Dandelion Dust

2010-10-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

This is called unfair. It probably isn't even in Malaysia. D:

Day 3: a "Capacious" Life

2010-10-06T13:37:00.000-04:00

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances,
but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
~Hugh Downs

Is a person's happiness based on circumstances or attitudes? Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples from personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science.

---

Above is an example of a topic I would receive to write an essay about. I have 25 minutes in total to write my essay. By the time I read the above plus actually think of examples to support my view, there's 15 minutes left to write it. Yea, well I go through this every day fyi. Welcome to the tortures of SAT.

For the record, practice test are a killer. I'm taking one every single day, so that translated into very simple English means: "I die everyday." Not even kidding. A practice test has 9 sections which takes up a total of 3 hours, no break in between. I don't know how I'm gonna survive on the real day. At home its much more comfortable because the desk chair is large - and don't forget it's twirly! - plus you have plenty of elbow space.

Besides space and comfortability, my worse crisis is definitely time. Seriously, I can never finish the math questions in the time they give me. &Math being my strongest point, that is bad because I'm getting them wrong simply because I haven't even done them yet!

And then there's these long reading passages that I could fall asleep reading. Yesterday I encountered one that was actually interesting. It was a portion of a story which was written with the same style of Jane Austen in a historical setting. Of course there was a tinge of romance, and just as I'm starting to enjoy it - it ends abruptly. I was like, thanks a lot, ETS. =.= (Yea, but I really wanna finish the story so I'mma search it up, HAHA.)

Staying off fb the last couple of days hasn't been much of a challenge basically because (1) I'm hardly on the computer and (2) ussoccer.com, mls season, and soccer in general is a totally good alternative. :P Galaxy remain #1 while USWNT beat China 2-1. :) Ohyeaa.

Well basically, I'm sick and tired of SAT and dying to get out of the house. I'm so psyched for the weekend because it means no practice test to take up half my day and leave me exhausted for the other half. Hopefully I can go out, do some shopping maybe, or something on that line. :)

P/s. I do not miss school. HAHA.

Day 2: B is for "Beatific" Feelings

2010-10-04T14:10:00.000-04:00

Hey peeps. :)

My weekend was packed with activities until I woke up Sunday morning with a cramped stomach and a very sore back. I was practically the definition of despondent, so my plans for a filled day went out the window. I planned on attending a university fair @ Hilton and seeing the representative of SCAD, but alas! I was in too much pain.

And how could I overlook Saturday and Sport's Day. (I'm counting my last's nowadays.) Picked up Charmaine and arrived at the very wet and muddy field @0715 hours. Ran 'errands' for Christina and Mr Nicholas, emceed, and proceeded with the telematches. The hip-hop performance was pretty good too. :) Oh and did I mention that my team is absolutely awesome? Cause it is, and we won. :D

Okay and then, I was innocently standing around when Bee comes and goes like, "Hi Hazel!". (I should have suspected something then, but I didn't put the adjective "innocent" for no reason.) Next thing I know someone (I don't even know who!) picks me up and Bee takes my feet and I'm carried and dropped into a puddle of mud and water. Of course, you can't forget the screaming but it didn't really help. And then I get up and Jill and Jamie cover me with more mud. (Like I'm not muddy enough already.) And then, of all things they want a GROUP PICTURE when I look horrendous and everything. =.= It was apparently my goodbye present, I mean how kind and appreciative they are of me. And now my back is really sore. You all should feel bad. Now I'm like an old woman with back pain.

It's okay I forgive you. :)

Well I arrive home in the worse state imagined, and stayed in the bathroom for 2 hours straight - not even exaggerating. I washed my shoes, my clothes, my hair, and myself. :P It took ages and ages to get all the mud off my clothes and stuff. I mean, I formed arm muscles just because I scrubbed so hard. Which is good. (Y)

Today marks my second day of preping for SAT, I've mastered 70 vocabulary words so far. (I need to make that 100 by tonight.) 33 days till doom's day - College Board never fails to remind me. Did a practice test and died a million times. Its so longgg and I'm always running out of time for my Math Sections. Seriously, how to finish 20 questions in 25 minutes? Please ETS, be reasonable.

Well the good news is I got around 1700 - 1800, so I'm pretty satisfied. (I mean, give me a break, I was sick with a painful stomach and a sore back while taking the test.) Plus, the evil test gave me a fever so I have every right to hate it.

Rested the rest of the day because well, I'm feeling pretty sick. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow, because I have another practice test to tackle, as well as my Science book, and more vocab. Pray for me, please.

P/s. Parentheses are the chill. :)

Day 1: A is for "Abstruse" Words

2010-10-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

Abstruse words, indeed. I abominate my increasing large stack of vocabulary cards. I am aghast. It is utterly convincing that ETS wants to abash, abase, and abate my very well being. It has left me feeling inadequately adroit, neither has it given me an accolade for my knowledge, but only serves to adumbrate me of the tortures ahead. I wish I was agile in my ability to memorize words, but that is not the case. I accentuate and advocate you to start your memorizing at a early stage.

Talk about learning new words. I've learned at least 30 new words in a matter of 1 hour. And well, if you can actually understand the paragraph above - I'll say you have a huge vocabulary. :P (especially if you're Malaysian)

1st day of staying at home and prep-ing for the dreaded SAT. It was peaceful and relaxing, greatly contrasting a regular day in school. Only thing is my mom is also staying at home with me, for the entire month of Oct - there goes my dream of freedom at home. Greeaattt, just great. :)

Also, today's the 1st day of my Facebook fast. I have to say, I decided to commit to such a fast at a moment's impulse. I'm not suffering - its only one day, and I've gone many a day's without Facebook before. It does get addictive in a way though, so I'm really glad I'm having this fast.

Off to making more vocab cards, deciphering my sister's messy handwriting, and reading more about the Math Section. Tomorrow's sports day at such an unheard of hour in the day. See y'all then - and my team is awesomee. :D

excalibur

2010-09-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

Today marks a very important day in my life, well in my classification - it's pretty important. :P I'm slowly closing one chapter of my life, and its a slow, gradual closing. Its like reading this amazingly good book and not wanting to close it when you're done, simply cause you want to turn back to every page that made you laugh, or cry, or bring back bittersweet memories. That's the best way to describe it.

Therefore I'm holding on to those few pages left, not wanting to close it - to let go, but at the same time so excited to move on. Almost like there's an amazing sequel coming after it, but I still want to dwell with the amazing book I just read.

That's exactly how I feel.

slow fade

2010-09-24T16:59:00.000-04:00

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

#01, amazing what song just came to mind. :) Slow Fade by Casting Crowns. Go listen to it and pay extra attention to the lyrics. I especially like the line, "It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray." Wow.

#o2, for your amusement and only that - I just landed flat on my butt and back while running on a freshly mopped floor. Genius, I know. No wonder we tell children not to run. I laid on the wet floor for like, 2 minutes, it was so painful. And then I went on facebook and liked the group called, Did you just fall?" No, I attacked the floor. "Backwards?" Yes, I am freaking talented. HAHA.

#o3, Day of Excellence is officially over. Sung my solo today, thought I did horrendously bad because my voice was so shaky and I'm pretty sure I went off key at some parts. I was so nervous. But I'm definitely glad that's over.

#o4, worship lead today. I'm very proud of my team for staying focused and not getting distracted in our one and only task - worshiping God. I think we did pretty well considering our terrible practice on Tuesday. :P

#o5, will be registering for SAT tomorrow and finalizing at least 3 of the colleges I will be applying to. Need to decide on a final college soon. Pray for me.

#06, haven't been doing much Science this week. It's killing, really. I have no idea what I'm reading. This 3-day weekend shall be devoted to studying my horrid Science.

#07, just finished skyping with my beloveds - Ang Bee Bee, Raquel Ho, and the sister. Fyi, I am still not over my phobia but I'm working on it, I assure you. Hopefully when I'm USA I'll be brave enough to skype y'all. HAHA. (It's not my fault, my phone-life was scarred.)

#o8. Our God is, indeed, an Awesome God. :D

you make me crazier

2010-09-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

Time for a proper update, I knoww. Let's see if I can type a short one out in 10 minutes? (I have 15 pages of Science still yet to be done and it's not making any sense.) You have yet to experience the definition of business if you ever step into my shoes for 1 week. I need to scream.

Last Monday, went to Baskin' Robbins with Ms Cath and the gals - Sarah, Quel, and Bee. Girls time out. :) We talked, serious talk, and had somber faces on most of the time, but it was fun. :D Thank you Ms Cath for the yummy ice-cream and sending me home for two days. :)

P.E. on Wednesday was fun. Scored a million goals in the all-timer game Captain's Ball. Simply because Bee is so good at catching on top the chair. HAHA. :) Beat the other team flat, but it was challenging nevertheless, lots of running up and down.

My weekend was filled with doing college stuff. The list of stuff I have to complete is just crazy long. So you take one list of things I have to do concerning one college and you times it by 4. Cause there's 4 colleges I'm applying to. :O

Not mentioning, I got an email from the International Director of Admissions at SCAD and she's coming to Malaysia. So I'm gonna be attending the University Fair on the 3rd of October and meet up with her. :) That'll be cool, but apparently University Fairs are crazy crowded and chaotic so not cool - considering that.

This week is jammed pack. DOE on Wednesday to Friday. And I'm leading for worship on Friday since BU3 backed down. Pray for me... and Gong, my co-leader. :P

I have 5 more LPT's to complete before the end of September, talk about it. :\ And then of course, the countdown to my dreaded yet anticipated month of October begins. 11 days more.

This is messy, but there's a short update about how hectic my life is gonna be... for at least 8 months. And then off to college babyy. :D It's worth it, all the stress, pain, and sweat. :P

simple as that

2010-09-14T16:14:00.000-04:00

Be joyful always;

1 Thessalonians 5:16

(It's amazing how hard such a simple verse can get)

philosophy of the week

2010-09-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

You serve God when you feel like it,

You serve Him when you don't feel like it,

And you serve Him until you feel like it.

My week of school holidays have been absolutely amazing. I thought I'll be at home 24/7 but it turns out that God had different plans. ;) Time for a proper update and get ready to hear how amazing life can be when you serve Him. I'm not just saying that because I know that and its like, Bible or head knowledge, but it really is true.

Basically Monday and Tuesday were home-alone days when I tried to study and succeeded. :D Haha. Did lots of house chores, you have no idea what needs to be done when you're lazing at home and your eye catches something. And then, of course, being the perfectionist that I am, I won't feel comfortable until its done. Hehh.

Wednesday, did a LPT, and then headed off to the workshop thingy at MACEE. Bumped into Kat, sat beside her, and then in the middle I saw all the latecomers - Saphy, Jo, and Josh. It was good, made me aware of a few more details I should look out as I continue this tedious job of looking for colleges.

Anyway, I think I only labeled this week as "amazing" because of yesterday. Last day at home alone, so I took it seriously and enjoyed the peace and quiet. To be honest with you, I love staying home alone. I talk to God practically the whole day, outloud. It helps. Cause its like, you're actually talking to someone. And you can tell him the most random things. Did you know He's random too? :)

Back to my Thursday, I set up my computer speakers right near the couch, grabbed my Bible and notebook, got comfy and listened to TWO sermons. Crazy good. That's when I heard the phrase I put above. Both sermons were on a series about worship, and I have never looked at worship that way before.

The simplest definition of Biblical worship is this:

Drawing near, bending down, and giving honor.

And according to Colossians 3:17, worship is simply whatever. As in, whatever. The way you would say whatever to your friend when they ask you what you want to do tomorrow. Or whatever you're gonna do when you get home from school.

Hebrews 12:28-29 says,

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

I've never seen such simple guidelines. Simply, with reverence and awe. How many times do we lose our reverence and awe of God's holiness? It says in Nehemiah that when the Word of God was read, the people stood up. We take of our hats, stand tall, and put our hand to our heart when the national anthem is played. In the same way, we should have such a culture of honor for God.

Reverence is the appropriate response of behavior in the face of greatness.

Awe is the appropriate attitude and the internal engagement in the face of greatness.

That's all it takes, to worship God.

I highly encourage you to go listen to Paster Jeff's sermons yourself. It's like, wow. Click here to listen to Why Do We Do That? and here to listen to In the Face of Greatness. I guarantee you, you won't regret it. Why do we always have to time to download movies and songs, watch funny videos on YouTube, but not have to time to hear God's Word? Honestly, something's not right there.

Today, I had to apply that serving-God-when-you-don't-feel-like-it concept. I was doing my morning devotions when I got a call from my dear Sarah asking me to go for this prayer meeting that Elaine and the Taman SEA people arranged. I said, okay I'll try to come, and put down the phone with no intension of going. I texted her 10 minutes later saying I wouldn't be going. She, on the other hand, started praying that I'll hear a little voice in my head telling me to go. She also told Bee to call me and try to convince me.

I got into the shower, all the while praying and spending time with my best friend. I was changing when I heard God speak. It was not clear or audible, but it was a definite urging to GO! I was like, "God are you crazy, it's 11am (the prayer meeting starts at 12), it's way too last minute, my parents will highly doubtfully let me go, so I'm not going." He answered telling me that there was a difference in saying "NO" to events that would only give ME pleasure and saying "NO" to events that meant glorifying God. I told him, "Yea I know that, I'll do that from now on, but not today."

Very clearly, "You can't compromise with God."

"Yea, God, I know that!"

And thennn, my phone rang. It was Bee.

God's timing is perfect, I tell you. It was like, true confirmation that I was suppose to go.

To my surprise, my parents immediately said yes without even wanting any details. Whoa.

&well, for the record, it wasn't even a prayer meeting because only 7 of us showed up, but we had a very deep and encouraging talk. Got to know the Taman SEA people much better, which is definitely thumbs up. Had lots of fun, laughing and chatting, because well, everyone loves Bee. :) Bonding with a group of strong Christian friends, talking about problems in our lives, getting encouraged - that's what can refresh your soul like *snaps finger* that.

I feel good, cause today was a good day. (In deep contrast to my last Friday, which was terrible.) I came back home, and I said to myself, "I actually went. Wow. I thought it'll be impossible." And listening to God, nothing can beat that.

Never lose sight of how amazing the God you serve is. Don't even lose the reverence and awe you should have for Him. And never ever forget, he answers prayers. But most importantly, when there's a will, there's a way.

Vouloir, c'est pouvoir.

insight

2010-09-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive.
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24

Stumbled upon this verse today while doing Bible. I've been meaning to search up this verse a while ago, but today I happened to find it without even looking. I had no idea it was the verse right before our SOAR 2010 Camp Theme Verse.

Well, its pretty straight forward and square. We can do anything we want, there may be rules, but no one can actually stop you. The simple point here is simply, not everything we do will help us. I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste my time doing something that doesn't even benefit you.

Anyway, my holidays are doing good. Right now I'm listening to a sermon by my old time favorite pastor, Pastor Jeff Tarbox. Its entitled, "In the Face of Greatness." Really good. When you have time, you should really try listening to sermons. Grap some chips, hit the couch, and you'll have no idea how easy it is to concentrate and get something out of it. (Not all pastors are as boring as it gets on certain Sundays) :P

P/s. I was looking through some old pictures and my goodness, memories totally flood in. I really really want to post up pictures of Matthew in a bikini and Lyd covered with flour - but I shall resist, before I get slaughtered later on. HAHA.

you got mail

2010-09-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, two things arrived at my doorstep. :)

#o1. A parcel from the sister. :D

She sent me some sort of craft kit that she got me from Japan. And she stole my notepads that I left in our old house. Don't you just love my puppies and penguins, are they cute or what? :P

I started to assembly the thingy-ma-jigg immediately. And check out the nails, I totally love them. :) (Oh did I mention, I was able to read Japanese - NOT!)

anndddd...

TAA-DAA! It was pretty fun to assemble.

#o2. My humongous SAT book. :|

My one is the 2010 edition (second from the left). Talk about huge. Plus, I have my sister's one (first from the left), which is the 2009 edition, and this Up Your Score book I told you about.

Did I mention I have this huge stack of vocab cards too? :\

I'm going to be busy busy during the holidays. Toodles. :)