I just finished setting Q2 & Q3 of the sec 3 end of year paper - WOOHOO!!!!!!!! *applause*
There was just SO MUCH inertia getting started on setting this paper. Decided to reward myself with another quick entry here.
Now, Q4 & 5 to go...
Btw, I topped up fuel for the 2nd time on sunday, and asked the petrol uncle to pump air into the Honda City's wheels... SO FUN!!! Super exciting. And no I don't get commission but I think the Smiles rewards card at Esso Mobil is really very shiok. I save 10% every time I pump oil / buy stuff at the mart AND i earn points which I can redeem. Think I get to redeem $30 on next top up. Shiok right??
I've also just found a fellow car-crazy-colleague in AMK! Woo hoo! She lent me a car magazine today!!
August 21, 2006
Set apart
Today I learnt this:
If your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God.
James 4:4, NLT
Am I enjoying this world too much?
If your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God.
James 4:4, NLT
Am I enjoying this world too much?
August 17, 2006
New songs!
Whenever there's fresh music in my mind, I'm always very excited! Right now my mind's filled with lots of Lincoln Brewster - All To You album (thanks Minwei!!) and Paul Baloche - Greater Song album (thanks Jogs!!), and I'm so lifted by those songs. Lovely songs.
I also think there's just something about me with these chords:
Ib IV I9
Ib IV I9
IV V Ib IV
II7 V I
They get me crazy man!!! If you know greek like me, then you'd know it's chords of 'Lord I'm Amazed'. I'm AMAZED that i can love this particular chord progression so much. Alongside with several others.
I think I just really love 1st inversion chords.
Something I'd like to share here is how I was utterly surprised to learn that my sec 3 O Music class couldn't tell chords and cadences! I was just about to teach them the 4 (to me very) simple cadences - perfect, imperfect, plagal, interrupted - only to find that they struggled with the very thought of locating the tonic!
The HARDEST thing was to be able to TEACH them. The class was quite a flop because I didn't get the learning point across at all. I tried to break it down but they still looked blankly. "Cher, are you speaking greek?"
And that also made me wonder HOWWWWWW on earth I got it - the very concept of chords, tonic, solfege, being able to hear bass line.... I think it has to be YAMAHA training. Guys, if you're gonna send your kids to music class, send them to YAMAHA. All my yamaha graduated friends can improvise and apply music much more flexibly than others. I think back to how I slogged through 2 different music classes every weekend since I was 8-14 years old... it must have been those years when my music foundation was built. Please don't envy me - at that time I faked diarrhoea every other week to avoid those lessons. They were painful to me. Plus I was ostracized because I was the tallest girl in class, and didn't dress as nicely as the rest. :)
If you can think of a good way to teach cadences, PRAY TELL ME!!!!
Something that God showed me that's blog-worthy:
God says HE DOESN'T WANT THESE:
7
"O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
I am God, your God!
8
I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar.
9
But I want no more bulls from your barns;
I want no more goats from your pens.
10
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
Every bird of the mountains
and all the animals of the field belong to me.
12
If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13
I don't need the bulls you sacrifice;
I don't need the blood of goats.
Then WHAT DOES HE WANT?
14
What I want instead is your true thanks to God;
I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15
Trust me in your times of trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory."
From this, I learnt: God doesn't want our sacrifice, our service, God wants a RELATIONSHIP WITH US!
God wants us to THANK Him
God wants us to TRUST Him
He doesn't even need our service / intercessions / offering / tithes. HE'S GOT IT ALL!
Learning this has freed me from guilt of not doing enough of the above religious acts.
Jesus, thank You for freeing me. May You minister to whomever's reading this too. Amen :)
I also think there's just something about me with these chords:
Ib IV I9
Ib IV I9
IV V Ib IV
II7 V I
They get me crazy man!!! If you know greek like me, then you'd know it's chords of 'Lord I'm Amazed'. I'm AMAZED that i can love this particular chord progression so much. Alongside with several others.
I think I just really love 1st inversion chords.
Something I'd like to share here is how I was utterly surprised to learn that my sec 3 O Music class couldn't tell chords and cadences! I was just about to teach them the 4 (to me very) simple cadences - perfect, imperfect, plagal, interrupted - only to find that they struggled with the very thought of locating the tonic!
The HARDEST thing was to be able to TEACH them. The class was quite a flop because I didn't get the learning point across at all. I tried to break it down but they still looked blankly. "Cher, are you speaking greek?"
And that also made me wonder HOWWWWWW on earth I got it - the very concept of chords, tonic, solfege, being able to hear bass line.... I think it has to be YAMAHA training. Guys, if you're gonna send your kids to music class, send them to YAMAHA. All my yamaha graduated friends can improvise and apply music much more flexibly than others. I think back to how I slogged through 2 different music classes every weekend since I was 8-14 years old... it must have been those years when my music foundation was built. Please don't envy me - at that time I faked diarrhoea every other week to avoid those lessons. They were painful to me. Plus I was ostracized because I was the tallest girl in class, and didn't dress as nicely as the rest. :)
If you can think of a good way to teach cadences, PRAY TELL ME!!!!
Something that God showed me that's blog-worthy:
God says HE DOESN'T WANT THESE:
7
"O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
I am God, your God!
8
I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar.
9
But I want no more bulls from your barns;
I want no more goats from your pens.
10
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
Every bird of the mountains
and all the animals of the field belong to me.
12
If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.
13
I don't need the bulls you sacrifice;
I don't need the blood of goats.
Then WHAT DOES HE WANT?
14
What I want instead is your true thanks to God;
I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High.
15
Trust me in your times of trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory."
From this, I learnt: God doesn't want our sacrifice, our service, God wants a RELATIONSHIP WITH US!
God wants us to THANK Him
God wants us to TRUST Him
He doesn't even need our service / intercessions / offering / tithes. HE'S GOT IT ALL!
Learning this has freed me from guilt of not doing enough of the above religious acts.
Jesus, thank You for freeing me. May You minister to whomever's reading this too. Amen :)
August 10, 2006
I'm now a qualified driver!!!
Passing a driving test has SUCH a wonderfully liberating effect.
I'd like to recount how this whole driving pursuit started.
Back in 2002, I failed my 1st attempt mid-August, just before I flew to London. There was no way I could get a re-test before flying in Sept so I (foolishly) cancelled my BBDC membership. From then, I carried a great discouragement and fearful impression of driving.
It's been irritating sometimes when relatives come over and when they see me, they ask "So when are you learning driving? Go and learn ah.... Once you start work, you don't have the time!" And I absolutely abhorred the nagging.
One day (sometime April 06) I was so irritated by the nagging that I told God, "Lord, I'm perfectly happy being ferried around by people and bus uncles. But if YOU want me to learn how to drive, then You'll have to give me a push factor. THank You."
The push factor came shortly after, on 10 May 06, in the form of a letter. 'You have been posted to AMK Secondary School at AMK Street 22'. I was 1st dumbfounded, then enraged, because I also remembered telling God 'Lord please post me anywhere as long as it's near my house.' I stay at CCK! I smsed all my friends, 'Did God make a mistake?'
My mom is incredible. Upon hearing the news she basically told me she'll loan me $3k to learn driving and she's alright with the idea of getting a 3rd car for me to drive to work. I'm amazed at how she's so willing to INVEST in my life, and the amount of trust she's given me.
I re-enrolled BBDC on 13 May 06, this time with the sore goal of GETTING A LICENSE ASAP. Basically I need to, in the shortest time possible,
(1) complete the 4 theory lessons so that I can book advannced theory evaluation ASAP
(2) complete advanced theory evaluation ASAP so that can book theory test
(3) buy new PDL (which is also my 3rd!!) ASAP
(4) complete stage 3 practical so that can book for test date ASAP
Guys, if you've any questions about BBDC, PLEASE JUST ASK ME because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made back in 2002 - I was so un-serious back then!! Never take up something you were never too serious about in the 1st place.
I look back and give God ALL THE GLORY because He graciously allowed me to do all the above AND pass my 2nd driving test, within 15 weeks, just under 3 months. I'm amazed and immensely thankful.
Glory hallelujah to the Lord who gives wonderful gifts to His children!
About how the test went:
The test on 7 August was horrendous. I was already very confident about driving by then (I whacked my driving over 30 lessons) but the pressure of having this guy sit next to you, eyeing you up and down and judging you FEELS TERRIBLE! I made so many unprecedented wrong moves, I couldn't believe I passed! Basically I
(1) stuck the curb in S course AND crank course, he even had to break for me! 10 pts
(2) swerved out of lane when returning from right turn
(3) did not check traffic ahead and turned right onto the slope to find another car up there!
I was so nervous throughout the test (and I absolutely couldn't control it), that had the test route been any longer, I really, really, really think I had failed. But God is VERY VERY VERY good because He answered my prayers to pass, to get a very nice tester (God bless Mr. Soon!!!!!!! Thank God I wasn't given killer P**!), and a relatively short test route at BUKIT BATOK and NOT TECK WHYE! I'm so thankful, so thankful.
Jesus receive all the celebration praise!!
I'd like to recount how this whole driving pursuit started.
Back in 2002, I failed my 1st attempt mid-August, just before I flew to London. There was no way I could get a re-test before flying in Sept so I (foolishly) cancelled my BBDC membership. From then, I carried a great discouragement and fearful impression of driving.
It's been irritating sometimes when relatives come over and when they see me, they ask "So when are you learning driving? Go and learn ah.... Once you start work, you don't have the time!" And I absolutely abhorred the nagging.
One day (sometime April 06) I was so irritated by the nagging that I told God, "Lord, I'm perfectly happy being ferried around by people and bus uncles. But if YOU want me to learn how to drive, then You'll have to give me a push factor. THank You."
The push factor came shortly after, on 10 May 06, in the form of a letter. 'You have been posted to AMK Secondary School at AMK Street 22'. I was 1st dumbfounded, then enraged, because I also remembered telling God 'Lord please post me anywhere as long as it's near my house.' I stay at CCK! I smsed all my friends, 'Did God make a mistake?'
My mom is incredible. Upon hearing the news she basically told me she'll loan me $3k to learn driving and she's alright with the idea of getting a 3rd car for me to drive to work. I'm amazed at how she's so willing to INVEST in my life, and the amount of trust she's given me.
I re-enrolled BBDC on 13 May 06, this time with the sore goal of GETTING A LICENSE ASAP. Basically I need to, in the shortest time possible,
(1) complete the 4 theory lessons so that I can book advannced theory evaluation ASAP
(2) complete advanced theory evaluation ASAP so that can book theory test
(3) buy new PDL (which is also my 3rd!!) ASAP
(4) complete stage 3 practical so that can book for test date ASAP
Guys, if you've any questions about BBDC, PLEASE JUST ASK ME because I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made back in 2002 - I was so un-serious back then!! Never take up something you were never too serious about in the 1st place.
I look back and give God ALL THE GLORY because He graciously allowed me to do all the above AND pass my 2nd driving test, within 15 weeks, just under 3 months. I'm amazed and immensely thankful.
Glory hallelujah to the Lord who gives wonderful gifts to His children!
About how the test went:
The test on 7 August was horrendous. I was already very confident about driving by then (I whacked my driving over 30 lessons) but the pressure of having this guy sit next to you, eyeing you up and down and judging you FEELS TERRIBLE! I made so many unprecedented wrong moves, I couldn't believe I passed! Basically I
(1) stuck the curb in S course AND crank course, he even had to break for me! 10 pts
(2) swerved out of lane when returning from right turn
(3) did not check traffic ahead and turned right onto the slope to find another car up there!
I was so nervous throughout the test (and I absolutely couldn't control it), that had the test route been any longer, I really, really, really think I had failed. But God is VERY VERY VERY good because He answered my prayers to pass, to get a very nice tester (God bless Mr. Soon!!!!!!! Thank God I wasn't given killer P**!), and a relatively short test route at BUKIT BATOK and NOT TECK WHYE! I'm so thankful, so thankful.
Jesus receive all the celebration praise!!
Revamp!
Dear friends,
You must have noticed that (1) this blog has moved and (2) it hasn't been updated for quite a whole.
(1) happened because a colleague gave my personal email to the students in the school I'm teaching in now, and I was shocked to find that upon googling my ex-userid, ALL my personal stuff (photos n all) came out, hence the change, for privacy purposes.
(2) happened because for a long time I struggled with the purposes of my blog. It used to be to updated homies about my life in London but now that I'm back, I'm less convicted about that purpose.
Not till recently when, upon asking the Lord this question, He put it in my heart a new purpose for my blog:
To journal what He's been teaching me, so that I can (a) keep track and be reminded of God's faithfulness, and (b) encourage others who swing by.
And of course, where I feel like it, to let y'all know what I've been doing and stuff. :)
Here's to a new blogging season!
You must have noticed that (1) this blog has moved and (2) it hasn't been updated for quite a whole.
(1) happened because a colleague gave my personal email to the students in the school I'm teaching in now, and I was shocked to find that upon googling my ex-userid, ALL my personal stuff (photos n all) came out, hence the change, for privacy purposes.
(2) happened because for a long time I struggled with the purposes of my blog. It used to be to updated homies about my life in London but now that I'm back, I'm less convicted about that purpose.
Not till recently when, upon asking the Lord this question, He put it in my heart a new purpose for my blog:
To journal what He's been teaching me, so that I can (a) keep track and be reminded of God's faithfulness, and (b) encourage others who swing by.
And of course, where I feel like it, to let y'all know what I've been doing and stuff. :)
Here's to a new blogging season!
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