how can i not be stressed

when i just cant seem to get it right.

a few more days.
yet so little time.
argh.

Lord, i need wisdom.

thank you!

thank you dinner 2007.
marks the celebration of 2006/07 work year for the committee.
for the whole club also.
hehe.
spent quite some hours rehearsing and slacking and phototaking before the actual dinner started.
haha.
i ought to have put the time to better use. maybe. hehe. :)

as usual, shall let the photos do most of the talking.


thank you 12th comm!
it's been a great year.
though some of us have been though a really hectic year.
but things wouldnt have been the same if we didnt take up the roles.
it has been really nice knowing all of you!
special thanks to my bosses for tolerating my sharp comments.
thanks to the entire comm to have to bear with my loud voice.
haha. thanks to everyone for all the fun and laughter.
we had fun song-signing didnt we?
although it was REALLY a BIG challenge.
haha.
at least it was better than chicky dance!


click on the picture for a larger version!
thank you dinner 2007.
a great time of photo-taking.
loads of good food.
hehe. i ate really quite a bit!
gosh.
haha.
but if only the dessert was fried ice-cream~


hehe. dada and me!
thanks girl for being such a great partner to work with.
hehe. sry that you've always got to clear up quite a few things when i dont have time to handle.
seems like a whole big pile of workload on you when we should be sharing it.
thanks for being so efficient.
and for being being a great companion in the entire committee!
love ya loads! ^.^


hehe.
zncl2 unites again!
it's been so long since we 3 take pictures together!
haha.
yay. so fun. hehe.
chiew chiew. thanks for being a great helper!
can't really thank you enough.
hehe.

and before i end this off.


photos from peishan's 21st birthday celebration!
hehe. just put a few. hehe.
once again, happy birthday babe!

time flies.
the week came and is soon about to be gone.
got to make better use of my time to finish up revision for the quiz!
zhien ganbatte ne!

day 1 of my mid-sem break

decided that i shall just post sthg since i'm online.
shall be trying to cut down on online time.
cos the lappie is a major distraction.
and i need to MUG.
what an agenda to set for my break.
haha.

oh well.
just a bit about my weekend and today.
else nothing much generally to update.

saturday went to peishan's bday celebration.
hehe.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
adult le wor.
haha.
welcome to the club!
older and more domesticated?
haha.
well. in a flash.
we've known each other for 2/3 of our lives!
at her bday celebration.
didnt know that many ppl.
but just sat down and talk.
and got to know some of her other ntu friends.
hehe.
and then talked to her mum and brother.
i probably know them better compared to the other ppl present!
how honored to take the photo with her family together!
*grins*
hehe.
shall post the pics when i get them from her.


got treated to home-made mooncakes on sunday during lts!
joan and michelle actually made mooncakes themselves.
oh man.
i wonder if i ever really put into good use what i've learnt during home economics.
haha.
they actually made nice mooncakes!
and they are younger girls than me.
oops.


this is what i really feel like blogging.
haha.
there's that bit of excitement about moving.
yet there's also that bit of stress about moving at this time.
hehe. i wonder if it's me just thinking too much.
but there's the need to unpack so that i'm organised enough for school since it's going to be an over the weekend thing.
oh well.
at least there's a really nice place!
the living room is cool isnt it?
hehe.


went on a walk down memory lane today.
haha.
had to settle some due bills.
so went ghim moh area.
the area hasn't changed much since i last went.
but it has changed quite a fair bit since i graduated from jc.
haha.
but still.
there's the all-time favourite jiu jiang.
bought waffle to eat while i was there.
and then walked home.
haha. was reminded how 'hardworking' i was then.
walking to and fro school just to save some money on transport.
hehe.


but i guess i'm more 'hardworking' today.
look at the weather.
very clear sky right?
haha.
it was so hot!
to walk back home was quite a hot experience.
haha.

oh well.
shall stop blogging for now.
dont have much to say liao.
i need to MUG hard already.

feeling.
weird.
dont know how to put it also.
just weird.

closing in to mid-semester

one more week of school before a break.

having been updating for quite some time.

wont be a really long entry i suppose.
since i dont think i can really recall every single thing that has happened.
shall just blog about the significant few.


one of the rewarding things of being a teacher.
got this on sunday. and it really made me smile.
hehe. :)

celebrated mum's birthday too.
ate so much until i was so so so bloated.
haha. had so much ice cream.
saw this really cute winnie the pooh ice cream mooncake.
rather ex though. hehe.
but it was a great dinner.


thanks to ying. got a donut treat.
though not from the perpetual long queue donut factory.
it was still a really sweet treat.
hehe.
welcome to the donut craze.


had a crazy thursday last week churning out the group report.
many thanks to linda and chiewlin who ignored the growls of their hungry stomachs.
just to wait for me for dinner.
it was a splendid simple dinner at ah fang.
hehe.
i miss the days in hall.
eating at ah fang seem such a rare thing now.


went to do some cleaning up over at the new place recently.
my room has got all the furniture in.
so it's just left with really clearing up my stuff over here.
and waiting for the move.
thanks to sis for all the effort in settling all the issues required.
thanks to mum who generously forked out the money to get the stuff that we wanted.
it was more of a want than a need, in a way.
there's just that kind of mixed feeling associated with moving.
the excitement of moving for the first time in my life.
yet the anxiety of having to pack properly despite being in the midst of heavy school workload.


just on sunday.
got to eat goodwood park's durian snowskin mooncake.
woolala.
it's real good stuff.
the smell can simply make one drool.
but then again. eating the whole of it at one go can be something really damaging to the body.
how heaty.
hehe.
ate half and gave the other half away.
well i'm satisfied with a simple treat.
sometimes i just have to reward myself.
once in a while.
hehe.

nothing much that i can really recall.
so i shall just abruptly end this off.
doubt i'm really thinking much now.
i'm rather worn out.
havent been getting much rest.
definitely less than 5 hours each day. it's just how much lesser.
bleh. even now i feel a bit sick.

so much that i dont seem to know how to handle.
yet i know God is faithful.
the only thing i know i ought to hold on tight to.
is just Him and Him alone.
some things are tough.
but nothing's impossible for my God.
the only thing to do is trust.
i'm learning. to be thankful always.

into week 4 - je suis fatigue

though i'm quite worn out already.
i just thought i need to blog.
so that i dont pile up more things.
and treating this as some form of destress for the time being.

i only got home at 12 midnight just now.
sounds cinderella-ish.
but well. i forsee a really crazy week ahead.

just a bit about my last week.
nothing much in fact.
school's really busy.
and it's not getting any less busier.
in fact. my workload is piling up.
there doesnt seem to be much net movement in my in&out-trays.

last monday. meeting.
enough said.
i'm thankful i got a ride back.

last tuesday. class. tuition.
my student's ca.
seems like she made some improvement.
i'm glad.
missed the bgr workshop because of that.
so i'm going to attend trainer nic's class.
someday.
haha.

last wednesday. a long day of class then to the long-awaited cell group.
wednesdays are crazy in terms of classes.
still. cell group is the greatest consolation mid-way in the week.
though seemingly small in number for now.
but there's hope. God will surely do something. He already am i believe.

last thursday. rot 5 hours away at the election booth.
just passing people forms to fill in so that they can vote.
i ought to have done sthg more constructive.
sigh.
then headed for co for counselor's briefing.
mandarin. i've got to familiarise myself with it.
so out of touch. i think i sound china-ish.
agape healing rally coming soon.
praying for a change.
praying for a what-seems-impossible-but-is-always-possible-for-God miracle.
pray with me!

last friday. hosted welcome tea.
which resulted in having to miss prayer meeting.
and i felt really odd.
sigh.


last saturday. a whole load of fun at pasir ris park.
my only form of workout for the week.
cant believe i was that packed in my schedule.
or should i say cant believe i nua my week through.
the tertiary ministry had an oikos at pasir ris park.
had some simple team games.
before the bbq.
took some photos with my rather-limited phone camera.
which i think is scenic.
i love the beach!
time to start saving up for a good camera.
while waiting for the food to cook.
played captain's ball. so i got my workout.
haha. i had fun.

sunday. the Lord's day.
what else can i say?
it's good to be found in the house of God. :)
then went watching a french movie with michael at night.
quite a silly french comedy.
the dialogue was in french.
i kind of dont understand.
only managed to catch a few phrases.
good thing there were subtitles.
else i'd probably have dashed out of the place with my head swelling.
someday i should visit france.
j'aime le francais!

anyhow.
today i'm tired.
counting down to 3 more days.
well a little less than 3 days.
and then that's about it.


oh well. time to hit the books again!
mugger zhien heading out.

Jesus take the wheel

take it from my hands

'cos i can't do this on my own

i'm letting go

so give me one more chance

save me from this road i'm on

Jesus take the wheel

- Jesus take the wheel by carrie underwood

and somehow. i think something's very wrong.
hmmm. i need to look into this.
something's wrong. somehow.

it's week 3 already!

time flies.
into week 3 of school already.
hehe. even the smu ppl are back to school after the long break.

effectively a few more weeks left to the end of this semester.
soon i can count the number of weeks left with both hands.
time flies when it's a university semester.
i need to be a better steward of time.

shall just update.
since i see dust gathering on my blog.
havent been updating.
cos i'm rather tired.
adjusting to the pace of school.

so far.
week 2 has been quite a pressurizing week for me.
i sense the pressure placed by the academic requirements of the modules i'm doing.
somehow it seems as if the challenge is great.

last monday...

i learnt french for the first time.
i can some sort of do a self-introduction in not-so-accurate french.
hehe.
bonjour.
je m'appelle zhien.
je suis singapourienne.
je suis etudiante a ntu.
je h'abite a singapour.
je parle anglais, chinois et japonais.
venturing into my 4th language!
it's getting tougher though.

had a visit to the doctor.
bleh. horrible to be sick.
shant elaborate.
but i'm getting better.

marked the final formal committee meeting for my term.
still i had to stay back in school today.
just a few more things to handle before fully handing over.
and clearing myself off the commitments.


last tuesday...

was a simple day.
a short day in school.
with a tutorial which i didn't really prepare.
got to work harder for this module!
not easy not easy.
but definitely not impossible.
gonna ganbatte.


last wednesday...

a long day in school.
almost didn't have much of a breather between classes.
but it's not the worse yet. wait till it's week 4, 7 and 8.
hehe. still i'm thankful.
had a combined cell group for this week.
hehe.
had a short ice-breaker.
which was rather hilarious.
we're just so creative!
haha.
looking forward to see our cell groups move to greater heights!
definitely appears to be not an easy task now.
but with God as our strength. we'll see breakthroughs!


last thursday...

morning classes got me so tired.
i dozed off a while during lecture.
so i've got to do my self-study.
lagging.
hehe. but learning to catch up. (hmmm. seems like a mismatch between what i am saying and doing. bleh.)

played badminton with irwin and daniel.
met a girl by the name adeline from nie who joined us to play when her friend left. :)
had my right arm aching the next day.
probably due to the fact that i havent been playing for AGES.
haha.
but so far so good.
i'm at least engaging in some form of sports once a week.
hehe.


had a great dinner with bethesda, daniel, wesley and jemie at cafe cartel.
we indulged in food.
just look at the hungry guys gobbling up the ribs. eeks.
what i ordered wasnt that nice though.
bleh.
oh well.
nothing really fascinates me more than desserts.
we sat and chat till 9 pm.
before ordering cakes! cos after 9 pm. cakes are at 50% discount!
woolala.
hehe. the truffle is really nice.
soft cheese cake. hehe. i'm currently into cakes.
haha.


but the best was the company.
we had a good time sharing.
hehe. our dreams.
let's keep our dreams alive ya?
hehe.


last friday...

had a class which threw me directly into the pressure cooker.
haha.
the tutor assigned the groupings.
so i'm in a group with nobody else i know.
kind of have to adjust all over again. getting to know people. managing group dynamics and stuff.
and the tutor freaked everybody out with the assignments.
think just for this module.
i've got a stimulation game to play.
about 4 or 5 presentations to do.
about 6 written reports to do.
and it's just for ONE module.
faint.
aja aja fighting!

had a good time during bible study.
though i was rather worn out and drained after a shocking class.
still. i learnt. i received.
learning to really receive strength from God daily. :)

visited beelian's house for the first time.
hehe. saw a lot of childhood photos!
haha. cute. i wonder how i should do up my room.


the weekend...

i was encouraged.
i know there are challenges ahead.
even now i'm struggling with them.
school. ministry. emotions. thoughts.
i must say i was fearful.
God dealt with me.
to come to terms with my fears.
to face the times i suppress and run away. choosing anything but to face what i couldn't handle.
to stop Him from just breaking me.
i realised many a times when challenges come.
i looked at myself instead of God first.
the more i did that. the more i see that i can't.
but God had something better. He wanted me to see that i can because He is with me.
He wanted me to see that He can.
He wanted to give me strength.
He wanted to reassure me that His grace is more than sufficient.
He wanted to mould me.
i'm struggling.
no doubt. i feel weak.
but now i know and i'm sure. that though i'm weak. my God is strong.
all i need is to just stay close.
very close.

moving forward.
learning to partner with God to move ahead.
to align to His plan.
learning to yield.


into week 3 i go! ;)

week 1

just a quick update.
it's already week 1 into school.

and it has been a rather simple week.
given that the classes are not in full fledge yet.

my first day back in school was well spent.
had an early morning class for 2 hours for the day only.
but i had a meeting in the evening in school at 7.30 pm.
so i had 9 hours to spend in school.
printed my notes and stuff after class before meeting christabel.
went for a swim at ntu src swimming pool for the first time.
and i'm really very mountain turtle.
so i guess there are parts of the school i've yet to really explore afterall.
swam only a few laps.
but i think i'm getting darker now.
cycling trip the week before + swimming this week.
hehe.
after that met our freshies daniel and wesley for lunch at canteen 2!
hehe.
had waffles finally. after so long.
after that took the shuttle bus around ntu.
christabel and i had our really enjoyable prayer ride!
haha.
meeting at night.
when i got home i slept so soundly.
must be the swim.
each time after swimming. i feel like i can sleep way better.
haha. must be some water theraphy effect.
looks like i must swim a bit more often.
hehe.

tuesday was a no class day.
simple day sleeping in.
ran some errands.
met beelian.
tutored.
simplicity itself can be an indulgence.


wednesday slept in quite a bit.
before heading school for auditions.
quite an easy one.
so i ended very early.
i hope it's the same for the regular practices too.
then i won't have to rush for cell group!
christine came back.
and gave us a krispy kreme treat after dinner.
hehe.
all the way from LA!
how cool is that?!
that sparked off my doughnut cravings quite a bit.
hehe.
thanks girl.


thursday morning was spent at church praying for the nation.
how wonderful.
i think i received a lot from what pastor shared.
shan't allow the past, which has no future, stop me from moving into God's plans for me!
i'm more than a conquerer in Christ!
after that spent some time chilling with christabel.
then went for wesley's birthday celebration.
though his birthday was a week ago!
the celebration was fun.
the agar agar was so cute. in the shape of a dog.
i couldnt resist taking a picture of it.
hehe.
the food was great. i love the rojak!
and more importantly, i'm encouraged by he shared. :)

friday was spent helping out with tutoring at church office.
then headed school with junjie.
gosh. that lecture.
the topic seems tough.
hmmm gonna have to put in some more effort this semester!

a few interesting things to share.
hehe.


passed by carousel. this dining place at royal plaza on scotts the friday the week before.
and saw these lovely cakes.
hmmm. someday i must try these.
they look really pretty!


went over early this afternoon to take a look at my room-to-be.
the room looks rather small.
but i think it's still an ok size.
hehe.
i think it's going to look nice. hehe.
i cant wait!
hehe.
and the kitchen is going to look pretty i think.
the contractor was good at sketching!
:)

but now i'm not feeling quite well.
sigh.
a few days back caught a flu.
and has been either having a runny nose or a blocked nose to date.
now coughing so badly.
that i seem to experience shortness of breath at times.
i'm sick and tired of hearing the whizzing sound in the lungs.
i guess partially cos i'm unfit.
partially cos of slight asthma.
sigh.
and i felt so bloated after dinner the night before.
think some form of indigestion.
today i didnt even feel hungry when it was close to dinner time.
although i only had chee cheong fun for lunch.
forced myself to just eat.
but i think i cant really enjoy food for now.
bleh. i need to get well soon.
well.
heading to week 2!