with hearts wide open

Hello, there! I'm back in Kuching. I spent 3 days and 2 nights in Santubong Resort with my little brother, my close friends and a large group of people I've never met before. I had an amazing experience!

This was my first time joining the EBC Youth Camp. Thank you so much for inviting me, Theresa! I brought my brother along with me and yeah, he wasnt too happy about it at first until he met Sebastian, a friend from school. Then, came Jordan, another friend from school.

Honestly, I was hesitant about going, even though I registered weeks before. On the night of my last exam, I thought about calling Theresa and telling her I didnt feel like going anymore, with an excuse of needing rest after SPM. Ridiculous, really. But I thought I would just give it a chance, even when, in my mind I didnt think anything could touch me anymore, as if I have had enough.

This camp proved me wrong. So, so wrong because two amazing things happened to me on our last night there. I received my second gift and perhaps, a third one too. The Holy Spirit touched me, again and again, despite the fact that I had a slight fever that night.

I've never prayed over anyone before because I've always lacked confidence. I didnt think my prayers could move anyone and I didnt think I could ever be a vessel of Christ. I knew how to pray in tongues since I received the gift when I was fifteen, but I still felt insecure about my prayers. That night, when Pastor Ben called out those who felt left out and were not touched by the Holy Spirit, I saw my brother walked up. It made my heart leap in joy, I was so proud of him for longing for something in God. But at the same time, I was scared because, well, my brother's heart is as hard as a rock. He had always had a tough time letting go.

Pastor Ben and the committee members started praying over this group of people. I could see that there were two guys praying over my brother. Sebastian and Mark. I was standing in the corner, praying quietly for him but I could sense that he was still holding back. I was so worried and I had this strong urge to walk up and pray over him. I was so scared, but I did it anyway. I guess when he heard my voice, he stopped being so tensed. So many strong words came out of my lips and my brother started crying and was slowly letting go. When I ran out of words to say, I prayed in tongues. Even so, I could feel that my brother was still holding back. I then told him it's okay to let go and it's okay to fall because Jesus will catch you. Before I even finished my sentence, he was already on the ground.

I stared at him and thought, "What did I just do?". I didnt know what to think but I was thankful that my brother was finally touched by the Holy Spirit. I ran to Theresa and hugged her. She prayed over me and told me that I shouldnt be scared about what I had done because I was now a vessel and the spiritual bond I have with my brother is now stronger.

The second amazing thing was the fact that I received the gift of vision. When I was on the ground, begging God to show me something, begging to see His face and begging to feel him, a vision about one of the guys in the camp flashed in my mind. It was strange because I didnt even know him. This person was Joshua. The vision was a beautiful one, but sad and a little scary at the same time. I was so scared to walk up to Joshua to tell him about it but I knew that the message should be delivered. I was really scared because I didnt know this guy and I didnt know how he would react. Thankfully, I built up the courage to tell him about it by the end of the night and he told me that it was like an answered prayer. I was surprised, really.

Our tags were right, we are "never the same again".

freedom, finally.

I sat for EST papers this morning. And now, I am officially free! No more SPM and no more high school.

Well, technically, I'm still a high school student, according to our principal who refuses to hand us our certificates until the results are out next year. But hey, I dont have to wake up early every morning and put on a uniform anymore. So, yes, I've hit the jackpot!

To all my friends who will be sitting for Bible Knowledge papers tomorrow, I'm keeping you guys in my prayers, remember that ;)

Anyway, I'll be leaving for church camp on the 17th. My brother is tagging along too. I've a feeling he doesnt remember this so I really pray he doesnt freak out, like the last time mum signed him up for a camp.

It's going to be a fun holiday! I'm very happy now that my high school life has come to an end. No tears here, just random spastic acts whenever I think of my freedom. Haha! I dont know what I'm going to do next. I dont want to plan anything for now. I'll just go with the flow and enjoy myself while I still can.

If I were an insect, this stage of my life would be an instar and there is zero growth. I'm loving this instar stage right now! xD

Of God And Human Beings

Man calls sin an accident, God calls it an abomination.

Man calls sin a blunder, God calls it blindness.

Man calls sin a chance, God calls it a choice.

Man calls sin a defect, God calls it a disease.

Man calls sin an error, God calls it enmity.

Man calls sin fascination, God calls it a fatality.

Man calls sin infirmity, God calls it iniquity.

Man calls sin luxury, God calls is lawlessness.

Man calls sin a trifle, God calls it tragedy.

Man calls sin a mistake, God calls it madness.

Man calls sin a weakness, God calls it willfulness.

- Anon

a taste of my addiction

Well, hello! :D

Yes, it's been a while since I last blogged. SPM is almost over. I said almost because I still have to sit for EST papers next Wednesday. But hey, that doesnt stop me from enjoying my temporary freedom.

I've been spending my time playing The Sims 3. I spent a lot of time doing just that, actually. Some people, (I'm talking about you, Mel) dont understand what it is about the game that I get so hooked to.

I used to tell people I'm a control freak and I love the fact that I get to control people in the game. Or that I love being "god" and constructing faces. Well, that's partly true. Haha! But I guess the real reason is that I still want to play house. Since I've given away all my dolls and dollhouses a long time ago, The Sims 3 is the best substitute. I mean, TS3 is the most amazing game ever created! (to me, at least) It takes playing-house to a whole new level.

Plus, I get to pretend I'm an architect and build houses of my dream. (Yes, I did just say "houses") Haha! You have no idea how much I wish I could be in the game just to walk around the houses I built. Anyway, here are pictures from my current game! :D

By the beach :D

Hey, the baby's biting the bear

I dont know what she's smiling about. She does this all the time...

Look, he's all excited!

will you lend me a healing hand?

My back hurt really bad yesterday, I couldnt pay much attention to the words I was supposed to read in the history book. So, I decided to turn in early and went to bed.

Woke up this morning and felt like crying. I hate mornings like that. I stretched here and there but still no relief. I finally got up and brushed my teeth. While I was at it, I let myself think I was fine and there was no back pain. My body believed it for a second, so I managed to study while mum and dad read the newspapers. But an hour later, it was again, hard to study. The pain came back :(

Everyone was busy then and I had to massage my own back. Sad. It was hard and weird but I got used to it. Thank God for ketoprofen gels!

I can always massage my own back and shoulders but here's the thing, I cant keep stopping and squeeze my super stiff shoulders every time I write essays during the exams. And I have essays for every subject. Three weeks of exam sounds really crazy when I think of my back.

Sometimes I wish I could cut myself up, take my scoliotic spine out of my body and stretch it out with my bare hands. Okay, I know I know. Enough morbid thoughts. Darn you, physical pain.

I'm going insane here. I need Sheryl's magical healing hands.

Wait, no. God, I need yours!

"People talk of the sacrifices I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa.
Can that be called a sacrifice which simply pays back a small part of the great debt we owe God?
Is anything a sacrifice when it brings its own blessed reward in a healthful activity, consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny?
Away with such a thought.
It's not sacrifice- it's a privilege."

- David Livingstone -

always will be

Yesterday, mum kind of hurt my feelings. She saw me walking down the stairs and blurted out, "You're like a kid, Pip." I stopped and asked, "What?" and she went, "Nothing. I cant imagine how you would survive in college."

Ouch, mum. I really didnt understand where all that came from, so I asked again, "What do you mean I'm like a kid? What is it about me that makes you say that?"

"I dont know. You're just such a kid. I'm afraid you dont know how to take care of yourself if you leave this place."

Wow. How random and painful can such words be. I never get hurt whenever my friends or my sister say things about me. But when it comes down to my mum, every criticism and every comment that comes from her lips would affect me greatly. I cant tell how many times before have I been broken down from listening to her words. Her words matter so much to me, no matter how painful or how pleasing they may be. I always believe in them.

I always forgive her in the end, though, because I'm sure she forgets sometimes, that I am over-sensitive and emotionally fragile. It must be hard to be the mother of a child like me, but whenever I tell her how unappreciated I feel, she would always say, "You dont know how much you mean to me, Pip. If I could have ten of you, I would."

After talking to Mel about it, I understand now where all those words came from yesterday. It must have been really scary for mum to hear me say, "I want to get out of here for college." Mel told me, "She's a mum. I think all mums would lock their kids in the house and never let them go if they had the choice. At least I know I would."

Mum must have finally realised that I'm growing up and I'm leaving high school behind. She wouldnt have to wake me up early in the morning or drive me to school anymore. There would be a high possibility that I would leave home and be on my own. A high possibility that she wouldnt see me around as much as she did before. The fear she had for my sister; she would have to go through again with me.

I guess I will always be a little kid in her mind. But I do see that her trust in me continues to grow as time goes by. She let me drive yesterday, for the first time, without her or dad in the car. Traffic was really busy yesterday, I only had my brother with me and I was not confident at all. But she believed in me and that was all that matters.

So, to make things a little easier, I'll let you say anything you want about me, mummy.
You can say I'm childish, clumsy or irresponsible even if it werent true.
I'll let you treat me like a kid because I know,
I will always be just that in your mind.
But I wouldnt mind it at all.
I'm a little kid to the best mum in the world :)

boom de ah dah

My days go by just about the same lately. So many books and so many words, but evenings are my favourite. They're filled with Discovery Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Animal Planet. I cant tell you how addicted I am to flipping these channels over and over again. These songs are constantly stuck in my head. My favourite commercials! :D





Dont you just feel like smiling when you hear them? I know I do!

eyes for better reasons

To look is one thing.
To see what you look at is another.
To understand what you see is a third.
To learn from what you understand
is still something else.
But to act on what you learn
is all that really matters.

-Bits and Pieces-

Just like jam and bread

That's right, another update! ;) This is for a special someone.

Melinda didnt go to school today because she had to take her driver's test. When school ended, I texted her to know how it went. She told me that she had a whack road tester who doesnt like her. Unbelievable. How can anyone not like you, Melly? I need to see this whack road tester of yours so I can give him/her a solid whack in the head. Maybe I'll use the family "parang". Show em' how we settle things around here. Nobody messes with the headhunters!

On another note, Mel and I made a deal last Saturday. We promised we would each sing a song which reminds us of one another. Monday arrived soon enough. Mel sang first. Guess what song reminded her of me? Paramore's Only Exception. Odd, indeed. Apparently, I was her only exception. I sang her the theme song for Accidentally On Purpose. It really suits our little friendship.

"We go together just like jam and bread
or maybe birds of a feather!"

I hope you still have that little note I gave you, Mel. The one with the lyrics on it. Now, every time you watch that show, you will think of me. And you're absolutely right. Every time I hear Only Exception on the radio, I think of you! Yes, I'd have a smile on my face. Mum thinks I'm crazy every time I do that. But Melly, for you I will (you know that)

"So leng lui, oh!"

P.S. I wished you were with us to spend our Last Tuesday In School Day. Cass, Angela and I walked around school as if we were dramatically saying our goodbyes. Of course, we did kind of laughed at the stack of textbooks the kids still have to carry.

the best meat to ever grace a kitchen

In the past days, I've made and attempted many things in the kitchen. What a weird addiction I'm developing. I'm really loving the art of baking and cooking. Baking, mostly. Cooking, only when I have the house all to myself and I'm asked to make my own dinner.

I dont mind, really. I get very excited whenever I get the chance to experiment in the kitchen. But, I dont like it when people watch me, especially not my mum or brother. They make me nervous, it feels as if Gordon Ramsay was watching me cook. (I'd have to admit, he's pretty funny when he's mad. I mean, do you see how red he gets?)

Last Tuesday, when two big cartons of eggs arrived,
Mum: Ah, now you can bake until you go nuts and never run out of eggs.
Me: Haha. Maybe I should be a chef, since you dont want me to be a vet and all.
Kavan: Yes! You should be a chef. We can be chefs, together! *gets really excited*
Me: I'm thinking pastry chef, I dont think I would survive as a station chef because I'm such a perfectionist, I work really slow, just cutting onions.
Kavan: Okay. You, the pastry chef. I'll be the chef chef. (yes, he actually said that. funny brother of mine)

I immediately made cupcakes that day, after mum got out to buy some butter. When I stayed home alone (I seem to always be alone, lately), I made onion soup for dinner.

I knew I was going to have a good time today, when I signed up for an alone time again. Mum was busy out and about, getting things set up and ready for her kindergarten's concert. Dad and Kavan went off to kampung. I decided to stay home, and study. When I got tired of that, I attempted to make custard to top the leftover cupcakes. It didnt work out so well because I didnt put enough sugar in the custard and it tasted more like egg than anything.

There were still some egg whites left aside in a bowl on the kitchen counter (I needed 2 egg yolks to make the custard). So, I decided I'd have omellete for dinner. I raided the refrigerator for thing's I'd want to stuff in my omellete. Found exactly what I wanted!

The pork and potato omellete I made and ate.


Oh, the melted cheese inside!


I'm having one of the best Sundays in my life :D

distractions aside

To friends who have found me missing from Facebook, sorry I havent told you guys. I deactivated my account. This is only temporary, dont worry. I'll be back on December 8th. Yes, I still have another paper to sit for, EST, which is on the 15th. I'll have about eight days to revise, so nope, Facebook wont be such a distraction then.

I'm surviving pretty well without it, so far. Feels great actually, not having much to do online, apart from checking my emails for some homework and blogging about things in life.

Speak of things in life, I've got wonderful news!

My dear sister will be back this Thursday! Teehee. I cant wait. It's been pretty long. But, I must warn you, sis. Dont tempt me with The Sims 3. Okay, okay. I know you wont, but please please stop me if I ever ask for it. Even if I say, "Only for an hour" and even if it's the weekends. Dont let me. (Oh, this is going to be tough!)

But never mind. It will be worth it :)

I have exactly 15 days to SPM

Almost over

Being one of the school seniors, I am happy to say that I have only a week of school to attend :)
One of my friends, Emily in particular (you know what that means, Mel) suggested we skip a day of school on our last week. I havent put a thought on that yet. Already skipped yesterday, which was out of plan. Dont think I want to skip next week.

Why?

Well, because I'd like to spend as much time with everyone as I possibly can before everyone runs off when SPM starts. Trust me, we wont have time to meet up and talk or laugh together when that battle is in the process. I still am not anxious about it. I'm not saying I'm ready (because I most certainly am not, at least not right now), but I'm calm. Then again, I'm always calm about exams. It's nice :) Sometimes I think it's cool.

Hehe.

SPM will be my last school exam. Off I go, then, to the real world when it is over. Exciting!

Cant wait for the day I'd say, "It is finished," in a British accent, like a lycan in Underworld.

I'll take that as a compliment

I was never fond of my current school, perhaps because it was not an environment I grew up studying in, what with it being an all-girl school and all. I remember the day I first walked its grounds (exactly 32 months ago), I kept longing for the day I would leave. Everything was uncomfortable for me; the classrooms, the girls, the tomboys, the absence of boys, the food. Everything. I never thought I would survive the short past years. I was so used to being in a co-ed school and now, this sudden change? But I did and I kinda like it.

One time, C screamed in class and asked if anyone has a pad. I immediately thought to myself, "Never in a co-ed school would you ever hear that one!"

Everyone has an open mind and everyone is comfortable being who they are, and by "who they are" I mean being a girl and going through what girls go through, without ever feeling embarrassed :)

How I've changed since St. Teresa?

For starters, I have adopted the act of aimless hugging. Believe it or not, I was always uncomfortable with hugging or holding hands or anything that requires the sense of touch when it comes to expressing feelings. I would always use my words; the old-fashion way. I had a somewhat 'cold' heart and now, the heart has melted. And I cant stop hugging!

I am spiritually stronger. I'm surrounded, everyday, by friends who have close relationships with God. These people are not even the slightest bit ashamed of it. What moves me, really, is the fact that we are of different religions and we openly talk about it together. I have Muslim friends who are always genuinely happy to hear me talk about the miracles I've heard, read about or have seen. All this makes me feel blessed because racism doesnt rise here.

I learned to speak my mind. I used to always bottle things up. Now, I stopped holding them in and letting them eat me up. Instead, I let them out and I let go, which is a lot healthier, I must say. Especially since I'm an over-sensitive and emotionally fragile person. I still do cry, but crying is good too; it's another way of letting go :)

Most importantly, I am more of a girl than I ever have been. I dont think that would make much sense to anyone but myself. I cant really explain it but I do know that I'm beginning to love girly things that I used to despise before. Oh, dresses!

I plan to hunt for a yellow dress this Christmas.
Cant wait!

Take it away, Father

It's November. SPM is so close. But that's not what I'm worrying about.

It's the aftermath.

What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?

A week ago, I was in the car with dad...
D: I checked out Unimas this afternoon. They have a new campus. For matriculation.
P: Oh, how is it?
D: It's really nice there. You should take it. Matriculation in Unimas.
P: And study what?
D: Medicine.

sigh...

Two nights ago, when I was with mum and Kavan...
P: Mummy, where do you want me to go?
M: What are you saying?
P: College, university. Where do you want me to go?
M: I want you stay to close to me. UiTM or Unimas

sigh...

"Why, where do you wanna go?"

Honestly, I dont quite know. But I know I dont want to study in UiTM or Unimas. They dont offer the course my heart longs for. I really dont want to be forced into studying Medicine. Just reading about medical courses on websites of every local universities made me feel like flunking because I have no interest in it at all. (This coming from a person who would do anything not to flunk)

I spent the whole morning checking out university websites and whatnot. It's very frustrating. Can I just sit around and let God decide which college I should go to? That sounds a lot more comforting.

I trust You. So, take it away, Father :)