Sunday, May 25, 2008
8:18 PM

Hello.

Dumdeedoo..

I love Jap food. I feel so much more at home here than I did in the States.. though of course, I still love the US of A...

Went to Shibuya and Harajuku, Sis and I actually managed to get FOOTWEAR. Bought a pair of pretty slippers...

Saw the Freak Show in Harajuku (aka all the uh, cosplayers in their jrock garb) and we actually walked to Meiji shrine to have a look.

ATE THE BEST KRISPY KREME EVER. *love, melts, love, melts again*

Yes, they have my favourite donuts here in Japan. Every brand in Singapore pales in comparison. (Even though j.co is my no-fish-prawn-also-good alternative in Sg, with Munchy's falling in behind and Donut Factory so totally lagging after.)

We were queueing (yes there was a queue for Krispy Kremes) for our yummilicious donuts when one of the shop assistants came out with a tray of piping hot, literally FRESH off the donut conveyor belt original glazed donuts and began handing them out to people in the queue. THE BEST FREE SAMPLES EVER.
And the most orgasmic donut experience ever. :D
It literally, melted in my mouth - icing, flour, and all. Warm and oh so good.
As Sis said, we'll never get such a fresh experience ever again.
I mean how often can and will you ever get donuts so obscenely fresh? And Krispy Kremes at that!

Uh okay and thats about the most exciting thing that happened today.
Lol.

We exhausted ourselves with so much walking that we stumbled back to the hotel early today - we were back even before 7.30pm.

Gonna turn in early tonight 'cause we've to be up early tomorrow to take the train to Disney Sea.
Train system here is like the London Tube. Aka, many, many lines. Many colours. But in Jap.

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Saturday, May 24, 2008
8:42 PM

Hello!

We're in Tokyo now, which means I'm (almost) back to our timezone. Tokyo's an hour ahead, as compared to LA being 15hours behind. So its time to readjust my body clock back. x_O

Love the service standards here totally. So much better than LAX airport. Bleh.
LAX airport needs to behave like one worthy of a major American city.

But well, everything always seems watered down in comparison with Japan - the pinnacle of service standards practically anywhere in the world.

Hotels here are small, as usual. Sis says she feels like she's on a cruise ship (lawl). Cause Japanese toilets are really quite, quite tiny. And there isn't even really much space for me to use Lappy because we have to use the LAN point and I can only go as far as the wires go - which means I'm crouched at the edge of my bed typing this.

Lots and lots of pictures taken (mostly by Sis because she claims she's the better photographer).
Proper vacation post sometime later.

Have missed both Mardi Gras and The Zone concert.
And I misssssssssssssss church.

Well at least there's Arrow camp coming up in a couple of weeks. Yayness. :)
And RT chalet!

I miss all the folks back home. :(

2 more days in Tokyo - will be flying back Tuesday morning.
Tomorrow - Shinjuku and Harajuku.
Monday - DisneySea!

Oh yes have I mentioned that the bulk of our purchases are probably from Disneyland?

Didn't manage to get many gifts for people cause we didn't really shop this time.
So sorry if I didn't get you anything!

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Thursday, May 22, 2008
2:37 PM

I love Disneyland. Although for a couple of moments today I started to feel just a teensy weensy bit too old for the place, the feeling soon dissipated. Well. It definitely is a different experience this time around. The last time I went to Disneyland was when I was 10 years old. And I still totally love being immersed in the atmosphere. It still brings out my inner child (which contrary to popular belief, never actually goes away), makes me highly excitable and causes me to buy loads of cute (and generally stuffed and fluffy) things.

Since I've arrived, my current plushie count is four.
My favourite purchase of the trip so far so totally has to be my Reese's Peanut Butter Cups beanie pillow/cushion. Yes, you heard me right. It's rectangular and shaped like a packet of Peanut Butter Cups and its orange and lovely and squishy. :)
The other 3 members of the crew are an Eeyore, Pooh and Shamu.
I'm such a sucker for these things.
So much for my resolution not to buy any more stuffed toys!

Anyway, not that I don't want to put up photos but I'm getting really lazy and sleepy.

Will do a full photolog, uhm, soon.. uhm, eventually.

*falls asleep*

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
2:07 PM

Hello! Don't know how long my batt's going to last. The only 2 two-pin plugs we brought are currently being expended on my Mom's laptop and the camera battery.

The past two days have been awesome. Would've blogged yesterday but was wayyy too tired.

Sis and I went to San Diego Seaworld yesterday without Mom cause Mom was sick (there's something in the water, she claims. So now we've bought distilled water in these big galleons bottles...).

It was amazing. My 3rd Seaworld - after Florida and Aussie. And I still love it. Each Seaworld is unique in its own way even though they all have the same shows and rides.

Seeing these beautiful creatures still take my breath away.
*in love*

And today was even more awesome 'cause we went on a Dolphin Safari - we took a boat out into the ocean to see pods of wild dolphins. And they were swimming around the boat and all, leaping out of the water, frolicking around, and there were like hundreds of 'em. Totally awesome.. We didn't get to see whales though they've been spotted in the vicinity the past couple of days. But it was still an amazing experience, riding up front in the hull of the boat while the waves brought us up and down and brought our hearts pumpin' the same way our hearts do on the coasters... getting our feet and board shorts wet and freeeeeeeeezing in the chill of the wind.

Was REALLY hard to get photos (which means we didn't get any) but Sis caught a video of them.

Am not uploading photos now cause I don't think Lappy's ridiculous battery can last long enough for me to blog a thorough entry. (As it is it's been switched on for 10 mins and the battery's already 56%.)

But while it lasts, here are some teasers.
(And while it uploads, Lappy groans and moans in flat batt-ness.)


Okay too bad, no photos. *marvels at her laptop's battery life*
0%!!!!! Blog more tomorrow after Disneyland.

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Monday, May 19, 2008
2:45 PM

Hello, day three now. The most devastating news today is probably the fact that we won't be able to go shopping at our 2nd Factory Outlet destination (oh horrors!). :(

But everything else so far has been good. We were at Citadel Factory Outlet stores today and I bought loads of stuff and got Levi's at a steal...

But was saving up to shop at the 2nd place, so well, now that may not happen.

Sis and I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain yesterday - the first thing I must say about this part of the world towards the end of Spring is that it is SO. RIDICULOUSLY HOT. Its even hotter than Singapore and since its dessert land and there are no clouds - the sun literally just GLARES down at you in its full 28 to 30 degree heat.

Got mild heatstroke/dehydration there and was seriously nauseous and giddy for some time. Took about 5 rides - queues were SO long, but it was fun. :) (Thank God for flash passes!)

Just a couple of pictures - we didn't really take many. Our bags were in the locker most of the time and we were too busy taking rides.





Sis and I are quite conditioned to roller-coasters these days so it takes quite a lot to get us going. But a lot of it was satisfactorily fun. :]

Then we tried to cab back from Six Flags to meet Mom at Citadel Factory Outlet - but we got a bad driver who brought us to DOWNTOWN LA which isn't exactly the safest place to be, especially towards evening - so we got pretty anxious when we tried calling cabs and no one knew where on earth we were referring to and stuff. It was starting to get dark and we'd already been stranded there for over an hour (we paid $100USD for the stupid driver to take us there too. Grr.). Mom finally took a cab down and rescued us and we headed over to Universal Citywalk.

Which was a really nice, happening place to be. Somewhat like the one in Osaka which we didn't really get the opportunity to explore.







(Spoils in my hand: 2 new Starbucks tumblers, one for me and the other for Agnes. And a bunch of Roxy tshirts.)

Ate at a fantastic Mexican restaurant for dinner - forgot to take pictures of the food because we were so hungry. There was a Mexican band and all. The food was really quite orgasmic. And the margaritas were pretty solid too. Good choice. We nearly ate at Hard Rock (ubiquitous to the Universal landscape) but it was full so we ended up with Mexican (I don't even remember the name of the place) which turned out to be a better choice after all! Daddy's good to us. :)

But here's a shot of the band.
And we had some lovely fried ice-cream dessert there too.


Today we shopped and came over to San Clemente - we're no longer in LA, technically. Just still somewhere in California. We're staying at a beach resort and it really looks like one of those places out of Baywatch or the OC or something - the kind you can imagine meeting some really hot surfer dude at. (And there are loads of surfers out there hitting the waves. Our resort is by the beach.)

So basically, yes today's shopping trip meant that we decided to forgo going to Universal Studios. We've all already been there at least twice or thrice anyway, though I haven't actually been to the LA one. There's going to be one in Singapore in a couple of years and I can't wait to take on some fun part-time job there. He he he.

And on a side note, I finally tried American Starbucks' idea of what Green Tea Frap is, and it tastes horrible. These people have no clue what Green Tea is. Its tastes like some sort of fruity Tazo tea and the only clue to its Green Tea-ness would be the fact that it was green. Other than that, there wasn't even a hint of green tea flavour to it at all.

Coming back to our resort - we get REALLY lovely sunsets here.
We watched it set earlier and it was, wow. The colours were just amazing.

Sis took the shots below and just CHECK OUT THE COLOURS.


Setting sun. Purple, pink, orange.


Post sunset.

Lovely. :)


Well yes. I am enjoying myself very much. I'm not sorry if any of you are jealous because Daddy God wants us to enjoy this holiday - and like I've blogged about before, its so funny how human nature leads us to berate ourselves whenever we're having fun because the devil doesn't want us to think we can be happy by doing nothing. Or by not working.

Well God wants us to sit back, relax and enjoy this holiday.
And thats precisely what I'm gonna do. :)

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Saturday, May 17, 2008
3:32 PM

Hello! I'm in LA now.
The flight here was 15hours on SQ Executive Economy (which means instead of the usual 3 4 3 economy class seating, its 2 3 2 instead).

Managed to catch like, 5 movies. o_O
Or more.
Lets see.
Fast-forwarded through a lot of Jumper because it was boring.
Watched 27 Dresses which OMG I actually liked so much and James Marsden was so totally adorable in with his bee-yoo-ti-ful eyes and cocky smile.
Then came Charlie Wilson's War which, as a History student and connoisseur of Cold War history, I well and truly liked and appreciated.
Decided to watch PS. I Love You after some deliberation and I CRIED like a wuss at regular intervals through the whole show. AHHHHHH I'm such a girl but I really loved it.
Watched a bit of some SERIOUSLY dead boring Japanese show in between as well. And the opening bits of National Treasure 2.

Plane food was good this time around - of course, long haul flights with SQ tend to be more pleasurable. The past few SQ flights have given me disappointing food (ie. Osaka). But this time's was a lot better (double standards!). In fact, as far as I can recall, Thai Airline probably has better food, if not as good, as SQ.

But dinner on the plane was really awesome just because they gave us a Ben&Jerry's BAR ice-cream for dessert and it was FANTABULOUS. Cookie dough ice-cream sandwiched in a layer of chocolate on one side a brownie slab on the other. Sinful dessert bliss.

Well.
Then we took ages to clear customs. Landed at 4.15pm - but with customs and waiting for the trasport service to the hotel - we only departed from the airport at 6.25pm.

Got to the hotel over an hour later at 7.50pm. And guess what, we're staying at the Hilton Universal City. Coolness. Was a bit O_O initially upon realization because my family usually gets service apartments or lower end hotels when we travel. Hilton isn't actually our usual travel fare. But it seems like Sis got points from her previous job so our stay here is actually free (leGASP!).

Thank you Jesus for these little luxuries. X)

So we had dinner downstairs. A buffet that could rival the very best Singapore could offer.
Some pictures.

Very good sashimi. And Sis and I have tastebuds that have been particularly difficult to please later. And they were, quite pleased.

In this shot - clam chower that was so thick it was literally paste. A very powerful chowder indeed. Potent wasabi in the background. A fun salad shot. And my sashimi and a very nicely done sushi wrap thing in very delicate, delicious skin.



The less happening food - which was the only one I managed to take because we finished off the very good lobster, steak, salmon and other misc seafood before I managed to sneak shots of it.

Glorious desserts (the most important part of any meal to me and sissy).


AMAZING Fondue - much tastier than many I've had in Singapore. PLUS white chocolate fondue which would've made Rene go mad. Too bad we aren't big on white choc ourselves.


Dark chocolate mousse which was so RICH it pwned me.
Creme brulee, nice bread and butter pudding and decent tiramisu.


The less happening desserts. Decent carrot cake and chocolate mini-cake. The strawberry ones were disappointing.

Didn't manage to sample everything because the spread was LARRRGEEE..
But it was definitely a good meal. :)

We'll only be at Hilton for tonight (its past 1am here) and another night - then we're off to San Clemente for another coupla nights before we head to Tokyo.

Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park tomorrow!!! Roller coasters! Many many many roller coasters!!

Okay. Must go bathe.
And sleep.

Goodnight!

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Thursday, May 15, 2008
10:00 PM

FLYING OFF TOMORROW!!! :)

As John says.. "Lizzy embarking on another gud lyf."

I will be thinking of all of you. :D (The other RTs especially. It shall be weird not seeing you guys now that I've become accustomed to seeing you 5 days a week.)

Packing has been a mess because I'm vain and want to dress well every day.

HAHA.

...

As usual, a lot more things I could've/should've blogged about but once the moment is gone - it becomes rather difficult to recover.


NUS still hasn't sent me a letter of acceptance. I'm now starting to get paranoid that I might actually have placed Accountancy as my first choice instead of FASS. ROFL.
Which will be oh so such a big terrible joke and I will end up in NTU Communication Studies as an inevitable end. Not that its a bad choice - it is a very good choice! Both are, and hence the good dilemma.


Talked to Mom earlier.. I love my Mom.
So many things about her to love.. :)

Anyway, its already 11.30PM now, this entry was interrupted by Jason's phone call -which I of course, am always more than happy to receive..

So good night everyone 'cause I'm still in the throes of packing. :D

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Saturday, May 10, 2008
10:22 AM

My teaching stint has officially ended. I'll still be in school next week for a few days but I'll no longer be employed by the English department. Lol.

Am to help with various Mardi Gras saikang and do up the Mardi Gras website.

Glad to see people wearing my shirt. Muahaha, although blue hasn't been very sellable. The purple and green are quite lovely.

It's been a really nice week - was sad to have to say goodbye to 14/08 and 16/08. The past 4.5 months have passed so quickly. I've slipped so much into 'teacher' mode that even Jason can no longer get away with grammatical slips without me correcting him.

I've learned so much in this school - one thing about the English department is that because there's always so much do, being a GP relief teacher means its gives you the opportunity to take on so many other roles and learn so many things. Yes, we may have wailed over how much more we seem to have to do on top of our regular workload, but I'm sure the rest would agree with me when I say we have learnt so much more because of this. In a way, its because the teachers have treated us like one of their own, not just as reliefs who owe no dedication and loyalty to the same cause the full-time staff are expected to take on.

Its been an amazing journey that I have no regrets having taken on. The more I taught, the more I learned, and I feel like I have grown exponentially in many ways just having been here these few months.

Thanks to all my students who wrote me notes - I suppose these are the moments where teachers feel that what they're doing actually holds true purpose and meaning, and gives them a reason to continue what they do - speak into the lives of young people who will one day hold the world on their shoulders.

I'm speaking as though I'm so old when I'm only but one of them too. HAHA!
In life, time and chance happen to us all. Under different circumstances, these very same people could have just been my friends, equals, or even superiors. But there's a time and place for everything, and by God-intervention it has been planned as such. And I'm glad I had the opportunity to sow seeds into these lives.

It is here at the threshold between youth and adulthood that I begin to see the world from a clearer, more focused lens. I truly appreciate my youth even more, now that I've seen but a tiny fraction of what the working world is like and what it does to a person, and how it could destroy a person.

Coach Gary shared yesterday on a couple of issues - respecting the parental authority placed over us and about dreams and visions again.

The session we had on dreams and visions at Fort Canning last weekend was impactful, (although I still don't know where I'm going. In fact I actually DREAMT that NUS offered me a scholarship last night. Funky eh? Considering they've not even sent me a letter of acceptance. Lol) and I could just go on and on forever - but everything just makes me so appreciate of the Ministry and of our leaders' stewardship over our lives. Arrow Ministry is totally the best place to be as a youth. :)

Anyway Coach Gary was just sharing, towards the end, last night, about the word provision - and how it is actually two words, pro-vision. And it was an enlightening moment for me. Because when you are for God's vision, when you HAVE a vision for your life, provision follows. In Proverbs (methinks), there's a verse that goes along the line of - 'Without vision, the people perish'. And I think vision is so important - especially to a youth, especially to one in the JC cluster. It is really the NOW word, the rhema word for all the JC youths out there.

Coach shared on how when you have a vision, having that vision, being visionary, knowing and seeing in your mind's eye what you want, this creates passion. And when you have passion, commitment to the cause of reaching and seeing for real what you have visualized, comes naturally.

Without vision, there will be no passion. Without passion, there will be no joy in what you do, and no success.

That is why Coach wanted the JC1s to visualize what they wanted for the A levels - already. And for the JC2s to visualize their careers, their university courses, etc. Because when you can see where you are going, you have the passion to want to get there.

So don't study in shortsightedness.
See your future, see it good, and know that whatever you're doing now - studying seemingly irrelevant things, its because you can see your future, and it is GOOD. And you are going to get there because GOD has gone ahead of you and made it good.

You are made for greater things.
I believe I am called for greater things.
The visions that God has placed in front of me when I close my eyes are visions I can scarce believe, right now, can come to pass.
But if God calls you for something, GOD is the one who will fulfill it.
And He will bring to pass His calling for my life when it is time.


So don't waste the opportunity to LIVE. :)




Anyway, enough serious talk... here are some photos from my 'farewell' dinner with the other RTs whom I'm going to be SO SAD to leave behind because I don't think there'll ever be another opportunity for the 7 of us to work together like this again. The future has very different callings for all of us. But I'm so glad that I got to enjoy this period of my life with them all.


A nice RT portrait of the 7 of us! :) @ Manhattan Fish Market, Central.


Annoying Amitha who hates all these cutesy hand signs.


I really love this picture 'cause I think its so FUNNY! Look at all the boys trying to look suave and us girls looking like we're the coolest babes on the planet.


The cows that Mifa and Maryam bought for the boys (RT FOREVER! Although, of course none of us would actually want to be RTs forever..) Unfortunately Mifa and Maryam didn't think about getting some for themselves.
The green bear is mine!! I loves itttt.

And they got me a whole bunch of really ROFL things.


There's like a hippo stapler (because I borrow everyone else's in the staff room), my green bear, a zebra-pig faced-looks more like a black/white tiger lock thats really cute and BUTTERLY Diva earrings (I'm queen of butterflies... I don't even want to start counting how many accessories I own have butterflies on them).

I really didn't expect this, along with the MEANINGFUL card that KM chose (there were like, a lot of symbolisms behind Why That Particular Card Was Chosen) and everyone wrote in. *was really touched* Felt almost like a birthday. Hehehe.

And all the guys made comments about my VORACIOUS and LOUD laughter in the card.
LOL.

And 16/08 wrote me a beautiful card too. I would post the picture I took with them but I'll like to get the one from 14/08 too before I do that.

I've enjoyed myself. :)
Maybe a bit too much too!

God is just so faithful that I don't even want to say anymore - His love doesn't need explaining. :)

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
10:47 PM

After the occasional griping and groaning after ploughing through (seemingly) countless essays and grammar, I (almost) cannot believe that this brief, yet amazingly fulfilling teaching stint is coming to an end.

I believe God has placed the desire in my heart to want to be able to reach out to this generation. Youths are like wet clay - whatever we harden into once we're older was shaped in this season, and I see so much hope, such an amazing sense of the future in the eyes of each and every life I get the honour of speaking into. And sometimes even pictures can tell all that.

I came across some of Mom's old photos from her youth some time ago. The most shocking thing that stood out was that back then, Mom still had the smile in her eyes.

Mom still smiles now, but she no longerwith the same confidence, vigour and expectancy that she had when she was young, wet behind the ears and unexposed to the evils of the world and disappointments of life.


Very few of us now, at our age, have lost those smiles.
That hope.
That sense of purpose.
And destiny.
And I pray that the lives I get to speak into never will.


On another note, although I'm primarily not a big Planetshakers fan, this is a really, powerful, awesome song.

Planetshakers - Healer
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

My Healer, You're my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

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Friday, May 02, 2008
11:32 AM

I marvel at how laden a word like 'LOVE' or 'HATE' can be.
At how letters,
so unremarkable and innocently harmless on their own,
can make or break a man when formed into words which form phrases and sentences and paragraphs and stories.

I marvel at the power that I have at my fingertips to mould or destroy a life.
At the power of the words that roll out of my tongue and fall from my lips to edify or to strike down.
Such power.

And how the unwise choose to abuse it.


He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
but he who is impusive exalts folly.
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
(Proverbs 14:29, 15:2)


I marvel.

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