If Spring's not here yet, at least the flowers are... =)

I think Spring is here!!! or at least it is coming v v soon... firstly the temp's been higher.. ard 10 deg C now and 2ndly... today as I was travelling in the bus to church... I looked outta the window and saw really beautiful n colourful flowers along many roads... the colours are soooo bright, vivid and cheery... so nice!!! =) love it!!! Flowers are just such pretty things... hehe....

Talking abt flowers... everytime I pass a florist in London... I have an urge to just buy a bunch for my mum!!! (The flowers here are ALOT nicer than in sg for some reason!!! ) She'll love them I know... cuz everytime I got flowers for her on her birthday or some other occasion, she was always v happy.. haha.. and maybe her love for flowers rubbed off onto me over the years... I mean.. being the very pratical person I am in most aspects (with the exception of cute things... I can't resist cute stuff... even when I know they are not very practical)... I would expect myself to think that flowers are not v practical gifts... as some pple say... giving flowers as a gift is not a good idea cuz after the flowers die then u'll just have to dump them... that's true.. but... I feel that for flowers, it's the thought that really matters... someone actually thinks u are worth going out of the way to get those flowers on the very day they want to give it to u!!! cuz flowers unlike other gifts cannot be bought at any convenient time way before the special day (be it a birthday, Mothers' Day, performance or whatever other special day... ) and of cuz.. not forgetting... there's the element of surprise and joy u get when u receive the flowers... which is just wonderful... =) or at least I feel so...

Another impt thing that many pple dun really think abt is... the handling of the flowers!!! alot of care must go into it to make sure the flowers still looks presentable at the time u give it to who it's meant for... (ok if u're the careful sort then maybe this will not seem much of an issue.. but if u're the clumsy sort like me.... haha... u'll understand what I mean)

Also... sometimes... things that don't last are what we treasure most... like the flowers.. cuz u noe they're not gonna last v long.. u'll take EXTRA care of them... at least I do... n even after the flowers are gone.. u'll remember that gesture of love/kinship/friendship and the occasion that was worth celebrating...

Most imptly, flowers remind me of the love God has for us... He didn't need to make the earth that beautiful for us.. but He did... just so we can enjoy them... and also... flowers remind me of the passage in the Bible Matthew 6:28-31) that says that if God uses beautiful flowers to clothe the wild grass of the fields which are here today and gone tmr... then how much more will He provide for our needs when we are so much more impt to Him? =)

Hmmm... looks like once again typing this post made me realise that I love flowers alot more than I ever thought I did.. never realised I actually had so many reasons for liking them cuz I never thought of them all together till I typed this today...hahaha... and makes me appreciate flowers more too I guess... heh...

Well.. one of my random thoughts again.. Haha... gng nuts...

Millie's Cookies

Simply yummy... =)

Waiting

Is it better to wait for something that is still a long time away but you know for sure (ok... we can't really know 100% what exactly will happen to us on this earth in the future but I think you know what I mean when I say 'know for sure' right?) will come to pass... or is it better to wait in hope for something that you don't even know will ever happen but there's a possibility of it happening ANYTIME in the future... hmmmmmm... I can't decide on that...

So many things in life have to be waited for... and as much as I would like all my 'wants' to happen right now (then again maybe not all NOW but at least soon)... I guess being patient has its merits... when u wait for something long enough n finally get it... wow.. it just feels great... but then again... not always.. how often have I longed for something only to realise that it's not what I really wanted deep down inside... heh... but I guess paitence is still something I should strive for... n contentment too... dunno if this applies to eveyone but I think it's often the greed n lack of contentment in us that makes us want this n that NOW... so I guess I really need to take a moment (a long one maybe) to reflect and think abt what I REALLY want... it'll make me more focussed I guess.. instead of chasing after every single little thing... (which in the first place I should not be doing!!! Why am I chasing after some things that don't last?!?!? And yet I still do... heh.. that's when I need God's grace I guess... can't overcome it w/o His strength to help me fix my eyes on Him alone)

Oopz.. if u're reading this now... I dunno if u've been able to follow my train of thoughts (my thoughts have been very random since yesterday n i have NO idea why!!!) Now I myself dunno what I'm really babbling in this post but it was just a sudden urge to type this... Like Sis Charissa always told me last time... I am one who really needs to either verbalize or pen down my thoughts in order to organize them and understand what I truly believe...

Ok.. so back to my original 'topic' of waiting... I guess there're quite alot of things I am waiting n longing for now... but it's not like a recent thing... all of them I've been waiting for for a while already... n sometimes it gets a little boring waiting... but.. I take comfort in the fact that all things will work together for good cuz my Sovereign Father is in charge... and all things have been and will continue to be beautiful in His time... =)

Ah.... getting my thoughts down really helps... =) hehe...

The ultimate 'get-fat-packs'

Led cell for the first time last night... quite an experience... couldn't formulate my thoughts very well at some points but the rest helped out n discussion was good as usual... so I didn't really need to do much anyway... someone else would usually come up with a good and apt explanation or analogy to help convey the points across... n yea.. for the first time also... we had cell mtg in my room last night.. =) it was quite nice to 'host' actually.. Only prob was that my room was really quite packed as it is rather small... come to think abt it.. maybe I wouldn't mind opening my room now n then.. (I can say this cuz Eunice doesn't read my blog... haha)

Yepz... and we had 2 BIG tiramisus after cell last night... contributions of Alvin and Justin (after they heard me say 'I want tiramisu for dessert next week!' when we were at Eunice's and Alvin's place last wed... didn't think they'd take me seriously.. but they did.. n both appeared w tiramisu.. one from M & S and the other from Tesco!!! A little too much tiramisu for the night but still.... thank you!!! =) You guys are so thoughtful!!! =) Hmmm.. so do i get to 'order' my desserts if I lead cell again next time? Hahahhaha...

K... gtg for now.. projects piling up n no progress... -_- o well.. God will see me through... =)

First CNY away from home... first CNY in London...

Had a reeeeaaaalllly wonderful 'Reunion dinner' at Evelyn Gardens last night... not only was the food good (and ALOT)... there were nice desserts and CNY goodies (like kueh bulu, peanut cookies and a few others), the most impt thing was the great company... it was just such a fun night.. =) Hahaha... we ate till we were soo full then went to play Fußball (table soccer).. even tho i can't play for nuts I had a really good time.. haha... and Teresa and Kenneth kept us VERY entertained with their 'unique' playing tactics.. esp Kenneth... who really uses his legs to play Fußball!!! Hahaha.. Anyway.. here are some pics of the food... yepz... we had yusheng again!!! Yeah!!!

And this was the SUPER NICE ice-cream cake that Cheryl made.. it was just soooooooo delicious... =) *yummy*

And this is Teresa and me... dear Teresa was the one who organized this whole Tuan Yuan Fan... =) Thanx ALOT Teresa!!! =)

Yepz... then today.. the first day of CNY... I called home in the morning... and greeted all my aunties and uncles (paternal side...) Happy CNY.... greet until tired.. hahaahah... then went to church.. was super in the mood for pictures so we took pics again...

then went to UCL (University College of London... I think) for the Singaporean CNY fair.. had nice chicken rice... =) haha... this was taken outside UCL...

Then met Binghao there and went to Chinatown... =) Bumped into Celestyn there too... really thank God we bumped into each other even tho Chinatown was sooooo crowded.. yeah.. cuz she was trying to call me but i just didn't feel my fone!!! *oopz* there were sooo many pple.. really 'people mountain people sea'... haha...

And we also saw the lion dance... the dancer under the lion and the drummer were caucasians!!! NOT chinese!!! Hahahahah!!! =)

Yea... me standing in front of Chinatown... =) nice lanterns eh?

Yea.. but yea.. although i've had ALOT of fun.. I still miss home... o well... nothing beats home.. but I am still VERY thankful for the wonderful time i had... =) hmmm...that's abt it for now.. tired.. *yawnz* slept v little last nite.. played too much.. hahaha.. =)

Yay!!!

Yepz... Yay!!! This week's been fun, fun, fun so far... On wed, my cell group went to Eunice's and Alvin's (the Linstead Hall Cell seniors) home for cell instead of having it at one of our hall rooms as is the usual routine.. anyway, their house is in Hammersmith and it was really nice and cosy... and Eunice and Alvin were sooooooo hospitable.. they cooked Jap Curry for us and Eunice fried HOME-MADE dumplings (as in she made the dumpling meat fillings and everything herself!!! So zai!!!)... then we started our cell mtg with worship which we don't usually have during normal cell mtgs too.. then after that was Bible Study... and then..... Alvin made us the peanut and red bean version of 'zi ma hu'... super nice.. n dear Eunice opened all the CNY goodies that her mum sent her from Singapore for us to eat also!!! SOOOOOOOOOO nice right? =) Thanx Eunice and Alvin!!! =)

Then yesterday (thurs) we had singsoc CNY dinner at the Harbour City Restaurant in Chinatown... we had yusheng and many other nice dishes.. =) *Yummy* And the whole atmosphere was just so cheery and happy.. and the nice thing was the huge gathering of all the singaporeans la!!! so many of us in the restaurant!!! =)

Here's a pic of some of the pple in my table...

Got some pics of the food... =)

Kenneth the 'fan4 tong3'... hahaha

Today was even better.. got to meet sec sch and JC friends!!! Ruth, Eleena, Celestyn, Olivia, Gabriel, Terence and I met for dinner and went to watch Wicked!!! =) It was just great... great company and wonderful show too.. the storyline was really nice and quite heartwarming.. and at the same time rather hilarious at some parts too.. hehe.. it was just a very nice blend... hehe... anyway, yea.. we took quite a few pics.. so here they are...

Then tmr is Tuan Yuan Fan at Evelyn Gardens!!! Yay!!! =) and sunday... I am gng to Chinatown to watch the parade and fireworks.. I heard it's gonna be sooooooo crowded but must go la.. I'm here only for one year... hahaha... kk.. that's abt it for now... tired already... *yawnz*

Fire alarms...

Fire alarms can be really annoying... especially when they go off at 2am on one of the coldest and rainy nights in winter... -_- Yea... I was sleeping in my nice cosy bed under my nice warm duvet when the alarm went off last night... *Sigh* But that's gonna be one of those unforgettable experiences that I'll remember in years to come I guess... as a part of hall life in IC... Annoying as it may be... and as much as I don't want it to happen again... I can't help admitting that it kinda added a little colour to an otherwise normal friday night - the gathering of all the hall residents outside Linstead... all discussing who was responsible for triggering the alarm... those who live near the kitchen that was billowing with smoke filling the rest in on what had happened... hahaha... it was quite a sight actually... so yeah... I guess when such things happen, I should just laugh it off and hope it doesn't happen again... =)

Can't think of a title...

Amazingly, the first 5 weeks of school has just come and gone!!! Wow!!! And... yay!!! I have completed 2 courseworks.... so that means no course work for awhile... I still have projects but at least they are not like the coursework that requires us to work on them every weekday (3hrs a day at least) for 4 consecutive weeks... -_- but at least the uni allocates cirriculum time to do these BIG projects.. not like in NUS... they give u the proj n u go and squeeze time out of ur already jam-packed schedule to complete it... haha... so... ok... Joanne is not gonna complain!!! =)

Anyway, it snowed again this week... on thursday... it was like the heaviest snowfall in London this winter (and apparently the heaviest in a few years according to a senior)... but cuz there were intermittent light drizzles between the snow showers especially towards late morning, the snow never really got to get thick and fluffy... it just melted away pretty fast.. but nevertheless... i saw it snowING!!!!!! and this time it was HEAVY (by London's standards) snow!!! =) And i actually took a pic of me standing in the open area in school when it was snowing!!! Ok.. it looks more like big rain drops but it was SNOW!!! yepz.. so happy.. i really got to see it SNOW!!!

And that below was taken from my room.. it's the lousy view that I have.. but at least i can see the nice thin layer of snow on the rooftops... =)

A little mini snowman built by Haojun and Kengseng (I didn't know it was them when I first took that pic and posted it here... editted this post since i juz found out!!!) outside my hall.. =)

Oh and this week I went to catch the Lion King Musical too... was quite amazing the amt of costumes and props they use... and the coolest thing was that I got like 60% off the actual price cuz we went like juz before the show and also there was student discounts... so we got stall seats that were worth 52.50pounds!!! And they were right by the aisle that the performers come trooping down towards the stage... imagine all the 'animals' you see in the Lion King movie passing by you.. it's sooooo cool... (or at least it was for me... Joanne is thrilled by silly things like these... Hahaha) and the props... some were really nice.. I like the pairs of 'birds' that were mounted on long poles... the way the wings of the birds fluttered when the performers maneuvered them was just so pretty and... and... fluttery... hahaha... ok... a little lacking in my vocab there... but whatever... you get the idea la... it was nice.. =)

The theatre...

Yea... that was my week mainly... besides all the work from the projects that is.. haha... and now i am looking forward to CNY!!! Got many plans for next week... hehe.. yeah!!! But I'm so gonna miss my mummy's cooking this CNY... my mum was just telling me what she was gonna be cooking for the extended family reunion dinner!!! Ahhhhhhh!!! I want!!! *Greedy* But most of all... I miss my mummy!!! Joanne is turning 22 but still missing her mummy... -_- but I don't care... I miss her... oh well... but nvm... 134days more to home... it will pass... God will see me through!!! Anywayz.. that's abt it for now...

Happy Birthday to my bestest best friend!!! =)

This part is especially dedicated to you, Yiling (but anyone else reading my blog can read it too): Yepzz...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEARIE!!! =) Thanx for coming down to London on YOUR birthday to celebrate it with me... it's so cool eh? We spent ur birthday in LONDON!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Hope u enjoyed the day... =) I did... it was great seeing u again n shopping w u again... and we bought the same cardigan!!! Yeah! =) Hahaha... Shopaholics we are... heh...

To Chuanyao: Thanx for accompanying Yiling down to London to meet me... =) If she had to travel alone I'll be rather worried for her... haha (I still have the nowhere-outside-Singapore-is-as-safe mentality)...

And this is for whoever who's interested in reading my blog...
Anyway, times is flying by quite quickly after all.. I still remember discussing with Yiling abt her coming to London when we were back in singapore in dec.. n now her bdae has just sorta came n gone liao... now the next thing to look forward to is CNY... =) It's gonna be my first CNY w/o my family... it's gonna be sooooooo different... which is not all that bad... cuz seriously, this time away from home is really teaching me alot... showing me how I've take so many things for granted... n also, on the flipside... even though I'll be away from home, there are nice friends here to celebrate CNY w!!! =) Yepz...

And this week I received 2 little surprises from home!!! A card & angbao from Mummy dear...

and... a little package from my dearest sister!!! =) *Happy, happy, happy* Yepz.. she sent me this little turtle!!! So cute right?!?!?!?

And I bet she didn't realise it is the same character as the one on my current pencil case... hehe...

Yepz... But now I gtg back to do work again... got loads to do.. all the projects... *sigh* But overall... I am still HAPPY!!! Hahaha... =)