Wow, it's been more than a month since I last blogged!! June was a pretty hectic month for me with my exams going on. Thank God that it went smoothly and I was able to answer the questions. The results will be released on 17th July, so I'm hoping for the best and trusting in God. I'm having hols now and rotting at home! I feel so unproductive most of the time! Well, it'll be ending soon anyway as the new semester begins on 20th July, which is in a couple of weeks.

Obviously many things have happened for the past month; the good, the bad and the exciting. I am just extremely glad to see that my cell group has been in good progress! And in some ways there is growth and I can see that we are more bonded (: Plus, I am just overjoyed that Simin has rededicated her life back to Christ and has been attending service and even our prayer meeting despite her busy schedule. I'm just continuing to pray that she will feel so belonged to 480 and part of our family. This Saturday, Jaya is coming for service too!! Yayness! =D Furthermore, I feel so proud that Jianchao and Sam brought friends to the badminton tournament past Sunday, and Angela's friend, Heidi was really open and fun to talk to. Let's just continue to pray for a mightier harvest and that our vision shall come to pass!

What else... Oh yes, dearest Joshua's birthday certainly kept me busy in June. Thank God for increased capacity that in the midst of my revision I was able to plan his 21st birthday bash with Jeremy. Thankfully, Mr. High Expectations enjoyed the party and everything went smoothly! We all had fun and it was nice knowing his friends and people from SOT. Josh was really touched and appreciated Jeremy and I; he even gave me a really cute photo frame which is now proudly displayed in my room. It always feels good to be a blesser and serve others, especially friends whom I treasure. Speaking of which, the next party to help out at is Denise's, which is another opportunity to be a blesser and love people more. I guess all these party planning sets my foundation to be in the PR and events management field in the future! Haha!

As for the bad, despite going through a financial wilderness, I am continuing to believe that I will get out of the valley soon and live in abundance. Something which impacted me through the Songs of Solomon bible study series was loving God and trusting in Him even when we go through trials and wilderness. So yup, I will live by faith, prayer and fasting (something which I ought to improve on! Crucify my flesh!). Thank God that my mum's out of her financial wilderness as she quit her job approximately a month ago. Now she seems happier at her current job. However, I am just rather worried about her health as a few weeks ago the doctor diagnosed that she is showing symptoms of a mild stroke. Her headaches and numbness of her cheek and arm areas are reducing, but yeah, I just have to continue to pray for her healing. Praise God that she's been coming for service for almost two months now and next Friday will be her first cgm!!!! *applause*

In the topic of healing, my eczema condition is evidently improving!!!!! All thanks to my ultimate doctor in Heaven - my Jehovah Rapha and of course, my cell group members' prayers (it was one of my prayer request =P)! Indeed, this year WILL be the year that I receive my COMPLETE healing ((: Wahahs!

What else... Oh, the session with Rev. Dr. Bernard on leadership last night was extremely impactful and mind-blowing. Certainly God was speaking to the whole church through him. I can't wait for a more awesome service with him this weekend. Alright, with my attempt to meet my goal weight (argh), I'm going off to jog now. Man, I think I have to jog doubly hard to prepare to face all the intake of the calories during tomorrow's steamboat dinner xD I am soo looking forward to finally having dinner with Elyn after what feels like eons!!! Furthermore, we'll be heading back to where 331 had our first CNY steamboat dinner last year!! So nostalgic! Haha. Can't wait for cgm this Friday as well, especially after 6 weeks of BS and prayer meeting. Okay, enough typing, and start jogging!!! =P

Praise God! I'm healed! Pain, fever and diarrhea are now left behind! Now it is time to get back to work; to begin my revision and mugging; to focus and put faith into works; time to be urgent in building His kingdom and the lives of His people. Tuesday night's rendezvous was quite a wake up call, but changes are always good and we are all believing and running with Rou's vision! Facing changes, I need to stretch myself even further and increase my capacity. If it is not out of love, what other reasons are there...? Need to be a more effective love channel; to love and to care. Ultimately, it all boils down to basics. We can overcome this! Not to be a sack of potatoes but a flock of geese (Haha! Dearest Rouxin's analogy is so adorable ^^) It is time to put on the armour and implement PFF!!!

Be very strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go...

Recuperation...

It has been five days since my surgery... Been rotting at home and doing absolutely nothing! Had such a boring Sunday ): I was cooped up at home instead of joining the 480-ians for pool. Whine whine... Though thank God that my recovery has been speedy; I'm able to talk more, but still can't fully smile nor laugh, which is an agonising struggle for me! The painkiller is making me groggy and my stomach feeling a little funny >< I hate it when my body doesn't allow me to do more fruitful things. I have so many things to do! For one thing, I HAVE TO and MUST begin my revision as well as my final Journ assignment... I'm starting to feel on th edge about my upcoming exams now =S Ahh... I can't think much and I'm feeling a little feverish now =| God, let there not be any infection; make me well! I'm praying that I'll be much, much better so I can have fun with my spiritual family tonight! Mien's suggesting that we head down to Holland Village! Ramen~~ At least I can have that! Hahas. Yeah, the texture of my food is getting more solid. But still... I miss chocolate T-T And you know what I truly, truly miss the most? This surprises me as well... I miss praying! Especially in the Spirit! )):

I confess that I WILL RECOVER by tonight!!!! D=

Just a random thought which came into my mind... Should I go back to dance? =\ With all the commitments and rehersals... Will I be able to juggle?

Another random topic: Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris is a totally awesome book! I'm so blessed by the book and am glad that I bought it. It has completely altered my perception on the issue of relationship. One particular thing which impacted me the most was it is not about "this is the man that I want, but rather a man whom I can follow." Deepness...

Instead of being at Riverwalk right now, here I am, immersing myself in the virtual cyberspace. Man, I don't like to miss cgms ): Sadly, though my spirit is willing, my flesh is weak ):

I had my wisdom teeth surgery this morning. Gosh, it was agonising! It didn't hurt actually, I'm not in pain either (thank God for my high threshold for pain), it's just that it is so, so uncomfortable; I can still taste a little blood, I'm swollen like a pumpkin, I can hardly talk and I can't have any solid food. Argh.

The first step during the surgery was to of course to numb my mouth via aneasthesia. Geez, there were so many number jabs!!! Like four or five I think. And one particularly "struck" my nerve and that was absolutely unpleasant >< So a few minutes later, after the aneasthesia kicks in, she then extracted my top tooth. While she was using the forceps and applying force, I was seriously calling out to Jesus repeatedly xD The top one came out easily but the worst part was when she moved on to the bottom one which was verging on decay. It took her nearly an hour O.O My jaw hurt when she was using her might and strenght to pull it out. It wasn't good news as according to the dentist, my roots were attached to my bone. Yikes. Throughout the whole time, I kept praying like mad! I knew God was with me throughout the whole surgery (: I was so relieved when she finally stiched up the wound. It was my first stichting ever.

I was thinking to myself, if I can survive this, bring on the braces! Lols. Or will this be the beginning of my painful journey... Ahh... So daunting. But honestly, this is not that bad and quite painless even when the aneasthesia wore off. However... I want to eat!!!! I only had like a bowl of cold porridge today =.= Anyway, another thing which struck me was that my friends did care and texted me (: Want to thank all of them for their prayers too (: Well, I'm continuing to pray that the swell will subside so I'm able to go to service tomorrow. Lay hands~!

Indescribable

Just a quick one to show how God never fails to amaze me more... ((:

Today was my very, very first time giving bible study!!! =O And my dear guinea pig was Melissa!! Hahahas. She's a sweet gal ^^ We managed to get a quiet spot at Long John's located at Central, and it struck me that just approximately a year ago, that was the exact same location which I received bible study! Wow... It just amazes me at how much God has use me and how much Holy Spirit has helped me to grow. Indeed, I feel so honoured to serve Him and His people (: So initially I was extremely nervous! I could feel that my heart was pounding and my voice was quite shaky. It's not Mel who made me nervy, it's just me and my sometimes-perfectionist-inner-me. Hahas. Always wants everything to be smooth and perfect. Nevertheless, as I prayed for wisdom and my desire to impart, everything just flows =D It definitely wasn't me; it was totally Him in and through me (: So yeah, it was such a frutiful time... Thank God that His presence was felt and that I managed to impart with examples of how God changed me and my experiences. Additionally, without a teacher's guide, I used those extra verses and notes which I jotted down to teach further. Yay, being hardworking last year did pays off =PP Muahas. But truly, I can't emphasise enough that it wasn't my own ability but His (: Also thankful that I have more opportunity to bond with Mel more.

Afterwhich, it was cell group meeting! Something which I look forward to weekly (: I was extremely impacted. The sermon was in conjunction to my desire for healing of my long-suffering of my eczema. Man, I cried like a baby!! I did not cry like this for a super long time! I couldn't help it; when I feel God's presence, I cry xD Plus, with His overwhelming, tangible presence, I cried buckets! Uber thin-skin to God (Josh, I'm thin-skinned to all men too kay, not just certain men!! *humph* Lols =P). Then all the members prayed for my healing as well as for Josh's long-suffering back and neck problems. As they laid their hands upon me, I immediately felt the power of the Spirit and broke into tears again (geez.. haha). Yeah, I believe that this year will be THE year which I will finally say a big GOODBYE to evil-eczema, and hello pretty skirts and shorts. Amen and Hallelujah!!! =DD

It is God's divine will that I will be in good health so to be a more efficient vessel for Him (((: In Jesus's name! ^^ I LOVE YOU!!

Posts Within a Post

Man... Time flies... It is about five more weeks to my exams, and then it is the end of this semester. I've got to say that this semester has not been a very smooth one; went through a few number of valleys. But I'm sure that from now till my exams, there will no longer be a valley; indeed, I will be out of it and I will succeed in my papers! ((: I will continue to believe in His promises. Greater is He that is in me (:

You know what, just a few seconds ago as I confessed the above statement, I checked my email and guess what, I scored a Distinction for my Media Law assignment!!! Wow!!! Praise God! I have been waiting for a good testimony to share, and yay, I've gotten one for this week! He indeed answers our prayers ^^ I feel so uplifted and encouraged now. All glory to Him =D Speaking of prayers, Dr. Cho's book entitled Praying with Jesus is simply awesome! Received sooo many revelations about Him and learned a lot about prayer life and praying effectively. A great and awe-inspiring book!

So yes, I've got to persevere on in my studies and strive to be a good finisher of excellence (: Fighting Sarah!!

Anyways, have some memories to journal about, along with photos! Finally, photos are filled here. Hahas. Haven't been cam-whoring recently.

My broher finally uploaded the photos we took at our KL trip in April. So yup, the one in pink is my Uncle Leo (: He was one of the most fun uncle whom I remembered most when I was in Penang as a toddler. Next to me is an uber mischievous cousin of mine. So cute!!

The one in white is Uncle Peter and his daughter, Ashley. That was the first time I met her! She's cute, only 11. Then I had a realisation... I'm exactly 10 years older... O.O *yikes*

The Carlos-es! Wahaha ^^ I've got to say the resemblances are rather obvious xD Aye, did not have a shot just me with Anastasia ):

Another memorable thing occured on May Day aka Labour Day. Grace, my cell member, Grace, who is from Korea, invited her to her house for an authentic Korean feast! Her house was lovely, had a very warm and homey feeling to it. The food was heavenly!! I can't believe she cooked them! They were so so so good. We were like all chewing while sniffing away due to the spiciness. The higlight for me was the Spicy Ricecakes =D

It was super shiok~ On top of this, there were also Kimchi soup (delightful), Stir-fry Glass noodles (causes salivation just by the looks of it), beef and authentic Korean rice! The food made my day xD Felt so touched that she cooked for us. So motherly of her!

In addition to Korean food, I had an extremely delicious Japanese dessert with Dor and Ting at a cafe called Ministry of Food located at the newly renovated Sembawang Shopping Centre. It was soooo [orgasmically xP] good!

To end this post, let me qrite about Mother's Day (: This year's annual event is more meaningful because my lovely mom went to service with me! It was her fifth service; additionally, she has been really automatic about coming for service (: Every mom received a $10 Attributes voucher, so I bought a book for her, entitled "I Dare You" by Joyce Meyer. Since the voucher can only be used with a spending of $30, I bought another book for myself. I hope that I can learn more through the book. After service, had dinner at Billy Bomber's with my mom. The food was actually good; beyond what I expected.

Ignite that passion in your life mommy!

Really pray that this year will be the greatest year yet for my mom especially in her walk with God. Furthermore, just want to thank God for a wonderful mommy and that our mother-daughter relationship will improve everyday. Nonetheless, I LOVE MY MOM =DD

When Will I Ever Learn...

As the title of this post suggests, yes, I just ask myself that question yesterday. Well, I have finally completed my essay which is an assessment of Authorship and Writing. The module is notoriously known as a killer module, and I've got to admit that it definitely, unquestionably, without a doubt (too much use of synonyms?) is a KILLER! I have to confess that due to my procrastination, it led me to that question in the title. Again, a late submission... AGAIN! Sarah, Sarah, when will you ever learn? Well, i just have to receive the penalty then, which is being increased to a deduction of 5% T-T It is a consequence which I have to accept because of my actions ): It's too late for regrets now; as the saying goes, 'no point crying over spilled milk'. Though I can just kick myself in the a**!!!

I don't know what happened to me over the weekend. I was rather moody, so just laid aside my essay thinking that I can handle it. As it turns out... NO! So yeah, back to my weekend. I had no idea why I was moody; I shouldn't have because service was great, my mom attended it for the second time (an answer to my prayer), my brother was back for the weekend, and we had new friends during cell group meeting. So why? I hate it when my mood precedes me. Perhaps it's just one of those days... Or were my hormones in domination? =\

Yeah, we had new friends, but I have to confess, I have forgotten their names >< (how loving of me). I am just bad in remembering Chinese names... Jian something... =.= Anyways, it wasn't a normal cgm, instead we had potluck and watched X-Men Origins: Wolverin! Wahahaha... The power of piracy =P It was hilarious though, as it wasn't completely edited, so we could see the ropes attached to the actors when they had to perform stunts. And some graphics were still in draft form xD But it was interesting to see how the movie is before editing. All hail to professional editing! Hahas. In conjunction with my mood over the weekend, I felt distant and detached from my cell members and I absolutely detest that as being closer to them is one of my desires and prayers! What was wrong with me... God, please give me self-control... Speaking of God, I have that bad feel of monotony in my spiritual life, again... Draw me close to you Lord...

Argh... I shan't dwell in the past nor past mistakes, instead look forward! Postivity, Sarah, and optimism ((: I watched a movie in cable last night with my dad (gasps! he doesn't share much similar taste with me in popular culture), I enjoyed the moment with him and the movie entirely! I fell in love with the music and the plot. It is an Indie-film (in which I am a big fan of, as they are not mainstream, thus not Hollywoodised), set in Ireland. The title is Once; it is more than a simple boy-meets-girl scenario, the ending is not a happy one (no one died, just that they did not end up together which is appalling as their chemistry is great). It's about a musician so lots of music were involved. Man, the songs are awesome! Those kind of songs along the line of Damien Rice, which I adore! One of the song is "Falling Slowly", and I just can't seem to stop listening to it. The music and lyrics are beautiful ((: Here's the link of it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkFB8f8bzbY

Falling Slowly
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Once OST

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along