No matter how much support you have, no matter how many people to hold you accountable, in the end you're still fighting your own battles.

My dear blog, I've been ignoring you.
Well, maybe I will share about my crazy lemon cravings lately.I think its because of the recent heat wave. It all started when hungry me was walking by this quaint tart shop. One bite into their lemon-passionfruit tart and I found pastry heaven. The sweet crispiness of the pastry, with a buttery kick paired perfectly with the soft and tangy centre. Perfect summer dessert. So begin my lemon cravings. I found myself licking cut lemons the other day. And I add lemon to everything, yogurt, pasta, fish...I even made lemon cheesecake.

Ah but its so hot lately, and I don't wanna eat something heavy on a hot day. That will only make me all the more lethargic. I wanna try this Lemon Mousse recipe!

And with the extra lemon curd, I'm gonna make that magical Lemon Tart.

Oh maybe a lemon mousse may be too cream-heavy. Maybe another option for light lemon dessert would be Lemon Souffle!

Oh and one thing I've been meaning to tackle are gooey choc-chip cookies! I've never been good at making cookies. I cant seem to get them the way I want. With my tendencies to wing-it, my cookies always fail - either spread too much, burnt outside,uncooked inside, too crispy, too brittle...well I've never tried the soft-centred ones so I will want to try this Choc Chip Cookie recipe before I go back. =)

Oh dear with all my ambitious plans to bake, whos gonna eat? =)

Shhhh...don't tell my guy, but I've been having marriage on my mind a lot lately *nudge nudge wink wink* ;)

Not that I can't wait to get married, mind you. I'm not the type of girl who would plan out my dream wedding down to the last detail. Well, true, I did think I'd be married in my early 20s. But that was because I always thought people will get their act together and be ready in their early 20s. Boy was I wrong.

Relax, dear, I'm not in a hurry to tie the knot or trying to pressure you to 'commit long term or get out'. Hehe ;)

Nope, I'm thinking more about the purpose of relationships. What are the characteristics of a God-centred relationship. How can I glorify God through my relationship. How can we edify each other. How do I know if he's The One. How will I know when I'm ready, we're ready...Then it's not just the big-picture questions, but also the little little ones, like, how can I be a submissive wife, how can I be a Godly wife, how to handle arguments, disagreements in a Godly way, how to resolve this issue or that issue the Godly way...

I guess when I prayed for God to lead the relationship, I never thought He'd show me all these issues. Its kinda overwhelming, but at the same time I'm kinda eager to discover what it means and how to glorify God in this aspect of life.

Hey any long-time/short-time couples out there who have advice for me? I'm all ears =)

Oh, Congratulations to a certain funkymonkey out there! A good friend and a sister, her journey is always encouraging and inspiring! I'm so happy for you! :D :D :D

The Gift I Bring You Today
By Gloria Gaither, a book of simple prayers.

The Gift I bring you today, Lord
Is not easy for me to give.
Oh, not because I don't want you to have it,
I do.
But becuase it is in pieces and scattered all over my life.
If it were in one neat chunk, it would be easy.
But at this point, I'm quite sure I can't even find them all-
and some pieces are such strange shapes
I'm not sure I'd even recognise them to give You.
Si I'm giving You the pieces I see and recognize,
the ones I can identify.
And I'm giving you my pledge:
If You'll help me find the rest of the pieces-
no matter how long it takes
or how deeply embedded they are
in the fabric of my days-
I will give You those, too.
Is that something You'll accept?
It's sort of a gift on the installment plan, I guess.
And like an installment, You own it and have it coming.
Please search my heart
and know that it is my true desire
to give You all of it.
My gift to You, Jesus, is control.
Save me from the influence of a world, a time and a culture
that brainwash me daily in every way
to believe that being in control,
taking control,
and never losing control,
is the only way to live.
I know that instead it is the quickest way to die.
It is the Eden story all over again.
Today, Lord, take control of my life.
I give You all the control I can find.
Help me find it all and give it with joy.
Amen.

Sometimes I do feel emotionally down. For reasons too personal to share.
I thank God for being the anchor in my tumultuous life.
I think I need a good cry.

This is for my baby back in Singapore. I was hearing this song on the radio this morning and it just warmed my heart. Makes me miss you so. =)



(When I first saw you, I saw love.
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.
And after all this time, you're still the one I love.)

Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

Bridge:
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

Chorus:
(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'

(Bridge)
(Chorus)
(Chorus)

I'm so glad we made it
Look how far we've come my baby

Just wanna say I really appreciate you. =)

Muscle ache, joint ache, muscle cramp, cuts, scrapes, giant bruises...
I thought exercise was supposed to benefit you?

Haha..actually cardio-wise I've never been better I think. NAPFA training back in JC days also I just want to srape pass only cause I find cardio the most difficult. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed my 'East Coast Park' here! The ride to Henley Beach, then to Glenelg, then back to city. Wow! I didn't know we had such a lovely trail! And I really really love cycling! :D

I try not to say whether the day is good or bad because everyday should be a good day because God gave it to us :D but Friday was just one of the most uplifting days I've had! The beautiful nature, the quietness of personal time, the perfect weather and warm balmy breeze, the lovely scenery, the lovely food, the kindness of strangers, the friendship...thank God for His blessings in many ways. :D

"I am beginning to feel that we need a preliminary act of submission not only toward possible future afflictions but also towards possible future blessings. I know it sounds fantastic; but think it over. It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good. Do you know what I mean? On every level of our life - in our religious experience, in our gastronomic, erotic, esthetic, and social experience - we are always harking back to some occasion which seemed to us to reach perfection, setting that up as a norm, and depreciating all other occasions by comparison. Both these other occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own new blessing, if only we lay ourselves open to it. God shows a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we're still looking for the old one. And of course, we don't get that."

Excerpt taken from The Joyful Christian by C.S. Lewis. Have a lovely weekend my friends! :D

My dear readers,

I know I'm meant to be in Adelaide. Somehow it just fits me perfectly. Yet at the same time you're more than aware of my difficulties finding contentment. Ah but God is so patient with me constantly reminding me why this place suits me. So here's my short but ongoing list of things I love about the city.

1. I like how my place is just the right distance from uni and the market. Just enough for me to incorporate a short exercise into my daily routine.

2. I like pedestrian pathways.

3. I like old heritage buildings made of stone showcasing the craftsmanship of those stonemasons.

4. I like how when something happens in the city, the buzz is very tangible.

5. I like alfreso dining.

6. I like running without sweating.

7. I like that uni has buildings with character.

8. I like the blue colour of a sky here on a sunny day.

9. I like the facilities at my apartment - gym, sauna, jacuzzi, pool, tennis court. Even though I seldom use them, good to know they're there. Haha.

10. I like the maple-shaped leaves on all the the plane trees lining most of the city streets.

11. I like how its a walking city, not a driving city.

12. I like to live in the city.

13. I like how to the East, hills, to the West, beaches.

14. I like how to the North of uni, River Torrens in its man-controlled natural beauty, to the South, Rundle mall.

15. I like how colourful flowers here are.

16. I like how I pass by the sushi sale at the end of the day.

17. I like how friendly the market stall owners are.

18. I like strawberries.

19. I like that everyone speaks English.

20. I like the fast internet speeds.


So there you go, 20 reasons to start with. =)

When I first came here, I didn't immediately jump into Overseas Christian Fellowship. Well, I did have some attitude and thinking problems, but the main reason was because I felt my whole life I had been too sheltered. From a Christian family active in church, to being active in CF in JC; I was afraid that when I eventually get to the working realm where I'm busier with lots of things on my mind, I would not be able to commit to any Christian fellowship group then I'd be disorientated. Also I know of many strong Christian elders who are not actively involved in Christian groups, yet their lives are a strong testimony, nonetheless.

So I did consciously try to strike that balance in where to focus my time. I wanted a more 'normal' life that people have, but without sacrificing my walk with God.

Hah. So much for that. Where we choose to spend our time directly reflects our priorities in life. I can't choose to have a 'normal' life and choose God at the same time. God will demand my time, my focus, my life. To follow God wholeheartedly is to choose God above anything else. Even though I feel the Christian circles comfortable, perhaps its because that's where I find my God.

Not that I have to choose between Christian or non-Christian friends. I love both equally and hope to be a blessing to anyone, regardless. It's more I'm choosing to seek and fear God. If I find Him best in Christian activites, than that's what I'll do.

How then do those Christian elders I observe are able to have so many other 'secular' things yet enjoy close fellowship with God? Hmmm...perhaps one day when God puts me in those situations I'll trust Him to be faithful. But for now, as I still have choice, pray I choose to follow God. =)

So anyway after many wordy posts, heres a picture I hope will make you smile as it did me. Have a lovely rest this weekend my friends! =)

Credits to The Sartorialist

Come now, recall some of the funniest/randomest/weirdest Facebook status updates you've come across.

I used to be rather snobbish, thinking that people who display their every detail on Facebook are attention-seeking narcissists and exhibitionist.

But then again, its the reason behind posting particulars online that counts. Truth be told, I was the attention-seeking narcissist and exhibitionist when I posted my updates online, looking to garner many 'likes' or comments. God showed me my wrong reasons here and then I tried to refrain. But I still extrapolated that purpose onto others who post their personal details online. I didn't realise I was being judgemental of others.

Now I'm beginning to believe that people can be openly personal and specific online for pure and proper reasons. I believe some people use it to reach out to others, some people really just want to update their friends, some people use it as a cry for help, some people simply just find it funny and amusing.

So another lesson learnt: In our actions, there is no easy black/white, good/bad, wrong/right; as long as we examine the motive behind our actions. =)





Oh dear..I told you I had a lot of random thoughts over the last few days =)

This semester has been interesting. I learnt much about stewardship of time and money. I took a part-time job and found the money SUH-WEEEETTT. With (more than) a bit of extra cash, I found myself being an irresponsible steward of money, and also my time in that I was not putting my priorities where they should be, chasing the money much.

I like how a brother shared in proverbs 30:8-9

"Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

I learned that time and money are not my own, instead lent to me to be used for the Glory of God. =)