I think when I look upon this day for years to come, I will exclaim out what a joke it is. That life and death can be separated by just one line. But it's no joke. It's more of a timely reminder that birth and eternity are just a breath apart.
And how more timely that a health epidemic plagues us at this moment.
I'm not afraid of what is to come. Even if I'm called home at this moment, on this day, at this place, I am not afraid. It's all I've been looking forward to. But what if I have not fulfilled the extent of my calling here on earth? I don't want to leave any things undone, any stones unturned. I want to live out the life my God has planned for me, to shine as He has commanded me to, to fulfill the commission He has given.
How apt it is to discuss death on my birthday. Other than the fact that someone dear to me passed on to be home with the Lord one day after I turned 18, I think it's just right for me to die to self once more on the day I was given life.
Father, I thank you for wonderful 22 years here. I know that this world is not my own, I am just passing through on my way to Heaven. And on this day which I was given physical life, I re-dedicate myself unto You. Mold me, break me and use me O Lord. Forgive me for the times I took for granted the Grace You've had so freely given. On this very day, I set my priorities right once more.
You are First in my life. You are All in my life. You are God is my life. None, no one and nothing can ever compare with You. Teach me to love you more. Teach me to yield more unto You.
I couldn't help myself! The colour are so bright and pretty in the shop, and it has been beckoning me to enter in since January! Now that I've done it, I feel no remorse at all. Despite having spent around SGD$60 for 1 dress and 1 cap (what a bomb, considering how cheap shopping can be at Mongkok), I console myself by telling myself H&M is a good brand, the dress is pretty and made with good materials.
Not to mention it's my pre-exams incentive and also my birthday present.
If you're interested in knowing the follow-up action after the student demonstration...
The school administration hastily put together a dialogue session to reach a resolution. Even as this entry is being churned out, they are still engaged in deliberation (something I learnt from my ethics module hur) and dialogue.
If you ask me, I actually salute the school administration for their prompt reaction to the student's demands. It took them only 4 days to organise this whole session and they're so open about it! Seriously, in Singapore's context, the ringleaders would have been caught and executed in the dark. Okay, I'm exaggerating.
At least WKWSCI had an open discussion after the chronicle incident.
I find Hong Kong more open to different opinions and also more open to discussion. Despite the fact that they only can elect 50% of their legislative council, the people are more vocal about the issues that surround them, (as compared to singapore bo chap attitudes or just a selected few vested parties) and the fact that they actively participate in such discussions show how much more democratic and concerned they are.
But the fact that they speak in rapid cantonese means I can't follow their disucssion so for all I know, they're just sprouting crap. Hur.
Still, it's a generalisation since I'm always stuck here in HKBU. Things may be different elsewhere, somewhere.
So exciting!! Tell me huh, when do you get things like this back home? The only thing we're allowed to do and will do is to hold "peaceful" demonstrations in Hong Lim park. (read: the chronicle incident)
Let me give you an overview: It was the same matter of discontent as we had last semester. The uni administration is introducing the 1 room-3 residents policy. The rationale for the move is to accommodate more mainland students. The school administration is promising definite hall room for mainland and foreigner students, but overlooking the needs of local student. So these local students are unhappy that they have been "sacrificed" as a result of the uni wanting to attract more business from up north.
It started peacefully (or should I say quietly) yesterday. They gathered outside the main library and just sat there. Today, however, they made their pilgrimage to the halls and ask for some big figure to step down.
NTU only saw the hall presidents and clubs presidents gathering to hold talks with the school administration, and also some proposed "wear-black" day which didn't come through. It's amazing what Hong Kong students are capable of.
Quite interesting to end my study semester here. Hur hur. Btw, today is the official last day of class.
There is this awesome Hong Kong mango dessert that my mum raves about and has me slurping it up happily. Considering how much I don't really like mango, it's amazing that I always head to the same dessert store to have it. It's called 杨枝甘露 and it's really just mango, pomelo, ice and some milk stuff which I deduce to be condensed milk or coconut milk.
And they're into mango, sticky rice and black glutinous rice. I had it once in thai style and my friends have tried it thai-style and hong kong-style! Oooo lala!
Desserts here in Hong Kong make me happy by default. They make me grin and pat happily on my bulging tummy. They make me forget about the cold or the heat or the hole I've burnt in my pocket after shopping. Sugar sure does release the endorphins to make me happy!
And why am I raving about awesome sweet stuff?
Because although they cannot be in my mouth now, thinking about them helps to release some endorphins to make me less unhappy about last minute work bombs and ambiguous project instruction and blahness in life.
Plus my looping praise and worship songlist on itunes = all-surround calmness.
Today marks the turning point of my return. As of tomorrow, I will not be able to enjoy the same numbered day in the next month. Because by May 21, I'll be on home soil. And we're having a farewell party for exchange students tomorrow. How timely can it be, right? It seems a tad too early to be saying goodbye but since it's the last week of school and we'll be scooting off once the curtain falls on this stage of life, it's better to catch us when we're still loitering around.
Oh, and today is cranky day. So much bad emotions accumulated ended the day in frustration and tears. Blah. I just need to unleash.
Here in Hong Kong, my friends and I will try to reward ourselves once in a while. Like for instant the expensive dim sum treat at Serenade Restaurant that overlooks the waters, seafood at cheung chau and our already-twice dim sum treat at awesome New Star. (Note how I'm sprouting out restaurant names easily rather than just referring to "this" or "that" restaurant. hur)
Although these treats are really occasional, usually once a month unless there's a special celebration that particular month, we still feel the pinch on our wallets when we sum up our accounting every month. I think it's a foreign-student syndrome - the i-need-to-watch-over-my-expenses streak in us. Seriously, who ever thought of doing accounting back home? Then again, it makes me reconsider my spending ways back home and perhaps even start a habit of keeping track of my expenses.
The point is, today we had our spurge of the month! Except that we didn't pay a single cent. We met some Singaporeans in the church we had been attending since Jan but only got to know them last week. Their hospitality overwhelmed us immediately. They offered to bring us out to lunch today, which they did. We went to this atas Shanghai restaurant for lunch which had never ending supply of food. I lost count of the number of courses that were served one after the other.
And the most priceless thing (other than dining with big names in SG and HK universities and the occasional awkward silences and the umpteen times we introduced ourselves): the bill.
A roaring total of $7777 HKD which amounts to more than $1500 SGD.
My face has been experiencing a series of pimple breakdown for the past 2 weeks.
It started as innocently as one or two irritating pimples at hinge of my nose bridge at the area between my eye brows. THEN it spread to the entire nose bridge region. That part subsided and now it's my MOUTH area that's giving me problem!
It's like from upper lip to my c-section! AND they're small tiny pimples which you can see the whitehead and so feel like squeezing them! AND also huge red pimples which I hope don't leave a scar (though my itchy fingers gave way to one and I think THAT ONE will leave a scar).
As of now, my entire area around my mouth is like a battlefield. Which seems to be a losing battle for me.
Whatever it is, dirt under my skin or "heatiness" in my body, I just want to purge them out!
I have: 1) European film paper - 2000 words minimum 2) Intercultural paper - 1200-1500 words 3) Ethics deliberation report (group effort) - 3000 words 4) Persuasion project - at least 14 pages long 5) Asian cinema essays - YET TO BE RELEASED
And people say that exchange students can afford to slack off. Seriously speaking, do you really think that students who have been trained under the iron fist regime of Singapore education will slack one bit even when they're away from local soil?
Unlike NTU, we do not have recess week here. And rightly so, if you ask me, considering how they give out holidays like WATER. They had one whole week off to celebrate cny and now another week off to celebrate Easter. I realise something, other than these 2 week-long holidays, there were no other public holidays that interfered with school days. So in other words, for every public holiday that coincides with classes, they just give the whole week off. How cool can that be huh?
Anyway, some happy moments in the past week; we went to ocean park! In some sense, you won't feel as kiddy as you would if you're in Disneyland but it was still scream-able and enjoyable fun. There were the rides that you can find in Genting's theme park and of course the fishes and dolphins.
I laughed my heads off, the usual way I always do when I'm in scary rides.
the beautiful ticket. and you don't need to guess whose ticket that will become.
I have a certain habit: I write a Good Friday post every year. It's more of a personal reflection of what Christ has done for me. Despite not being in Singapore to celebrate the bread and wine together with my family and friends, it does not mean that Good Friday is less good this year.
It's funny what Christian celebrate. Don't you think so? I mean, how can people celebrate a death? It wasn't meant to be happy thing, nor is it an occasion to pop your party boopers to. How more inappropriate can it be but to mention "death" in a conservative society?
It's true. Death is never meant to be happy. Yet this death, despite not having a happy ending on Friday, will lead to eternal victory on Sunday.
We celebrate a death because of what is to come. We celebrate His death because only through it, then can we have life. We celebrate death now before we know it has no hold on our Saviour. We celebrate a death on Friday, and eternal life on Sunday.
all for love a Saviour pray "so Abba Father have Your way Though they know not what they do let the cross draw men to You"
What other great ways to start my second last week of class than having a surprise test!
Yup you read me right. It wasn't supposed to be a surprise. The test was scheduled for Wednesday but apparently the date got changed on the day we decided to skip class. And no one had the courtesy to pass the message to us.
So we 4 blur exchange students were still exclaiming out innocently why she gave out empty OAS sheets when Prof dropped the bomb on us. We thought they were used to do teaching evaluation or something. Poor Sara-Jean and May didn't bring their books to class (it's an open-book test) and they had to run all the way back to hall!
As Sheryl said, it's an angry day. Totally blah-ness.
I wonder if You knew what it would be like 5 days later?
You do, don't You? That beyond the triumphant entry, the faces of people, the palm leaves and them supposedly shouting "Hosanna Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord", eventually they would reject and despise you 5 days later.
Yet You chose to enter into the Holy City, knowing what it held for You; knowing that it was going to be the last week of Your ministry here on earth.
"I will run to the Hiding place Draw me ever closer to look upon Your face"
We celebrated Palm Sunday in church today, with songs of victory and triumph and also with little children waving palm leaves. It was so special, coz we've never really celebrate Palm Sunday back in LE. Truly one of the memories I'll bring home with me.
The answer is NO! In comparison, I'm more insane right here! Our justification is that no one knows us here so no one will remember our crazy moments. Though I think some locals we see along the street may get fascinated at times when we students/tourists act too nuts at public places. (i suspect someone was taping us down when we went a tad too crazy talking while waiting for the mtr!)
Oh, and of course we have photos to document down any evidence of madness.
I couldn't help myself! The colour are so bright and pretty in the shop, and it has been beckoning me to enter in since January! Now that I've done it, I feel no remorse at all. Despite having spent around SGD$60 for 1 dress and 1 cap (what a bomb, considering how cheap shopping can be at Mongkok), I console myself by telling myself H&M is a good brand, the dress is pretty and made with good materials.
the beautiful ticket. and you don't need to guess whose ticket that will become.
welcome to ocean park!
hello little jellyfish
us with Whiskers, ocean park's mascot
see how much i love wan chai
the lol signs in hk
remnant sign of doing work