getting lost.

its been a refreshing few days. sometimes, God just opens doors when He wants you somewhere. sunday evening, i was stuck at home with no means of transport to church. i.e. m-l couldnt give me a lift & my bike was still out of business. walking 30min was my only option, accustomised as i am to this place, walking home alone at night is still a nono.

yet i think God had it planned out, cuz i rmbred some other exchange stdts rented a car for a short trip, but they werent using it. so i went to ask the driver, praying reaaally hard that she'd trust me with it a second time & not think that i was trying to free-ride of something. awesome thing is, i got to drive to church!!! ((: felt sooo nice to be driving myself, for a moment, i could just picture myself living in SA, or anywhere for that matter, having a job, a car, a house, driving myself from one meeting to another. well, the message that Ps Jabu spoke about was really good, but it was the conversations after that really struck a chord. thought-provoking, insightful and a huge blessing.

the adventure began at 9pm though. i drove right across pretoria to malem's home. i did it with my written directions and a map on the passenger seat, so getting there was fine. it was a teeny bit scary driving through the dark unlit sections of innercity Pretoria,and then through some not-so-nice suburbs, but i got there unfrazzled. the drive home was a different thing altogether. malems suggested a different route; one that was more direct (but also one which got a bit confusing in the city centre). i trusted him, but i forgot to check the confusing bit with him, and so, being me, it was a major recipe for getting lost.

lost i was. i found my way to the main road, Church St. and got lost smack in the middle of the city. (see map) at first, it was really interesting to notice the quiet streets and dark buildings.

then, it gradually got scarier as i started noticing random, not-so-nice-looking characters lingering on corners (with minivans). at one point, i was turning circles in Church Square because i couldnt find the exit!! & i was so worried, because, well, 1 round is ok, but going 2 rounds, its super obvious i'm lost & hence, a target. I was praying, & i remember saying God, pleaseee guide me! and seriously, this lorry came out of a junction that i never noticed, and i followed him out of the square!! (cool ah!)

except, getting out of there was the start of my late-night speeding through the city. i was quite directionless and i just took turns in the general direction which i thought i was headed... (plus, there weren't any garages where i could safely go & get directions..) lets just say it was a very bad idea to follow a disoriented agaration. i ended up near the pretoria zoo & down a very dark road (right next to an underground taxi interchange & some apartments). once i recognised that from my 1st-day-in-SA-excursion with the other backpackers, i knew i was very very far from where i should be. braked in the middle of the road, did a very fast u-turn & headed back towards the lights...(it was a one-way, but i really couldnt care) i dont really know how i got out of the city eventually, but somehow, i found Church street again...

scary night. but i'm just glad i got home. malems called to make sure i was back safely AFTER i found Church Str, which was great timing cuz i didnt have to worry him. haha. so well, that was a nice little adventure there. somehow, i always end up doing stupid things & getting myself lost everywhere i go.. but then again, i cant and wont complain about the consequent experiences (because i see so many things that i wouldn't have! & its quite cool, AFTER the experience)

sooo.. that was my little Sunday adventure.

i am perfectly contented to spend tonight at home.

thinking, reading, and probably subconsciously recovering from last night's adrenaline.

above: getting from hatfield to danville. 2 ends of Pretoria city.

Church Str gets a little hard to follow in the middle, but i found my way out.

EVENTUALLY.

team japan. all over the world.

i miss team japan muchhhh.

those were an incredible 5 weeks.

from doing every-single-thing-every-day with them to being on different continents... big jump. its only been less than 2 months, but i feel like i've been here forever & the outreach seems like a long time ago.and the future beckons.. its exciting & i'm in anticipation of it, but every now and then, it strikes me that this place is so different. especially when we pass by familiar places.. i just cant help but think how awesome it would be to have Abie, Jonothan, Malems, Martin, Regina, Sebastien and even Monica for company.

at random times like this when i cannot sleep, i think about such stuff. and i'm happy that i've had the chance to really know these awesome people, but i'm also nostalgic and i relive those times again. not being emo, but just missing people. which is really, just a part of life. & then life goes one & we live it best as we can, knowing that one day we will all see each other again & that we're each running our own (long & tiring) races.

oh. but for my race, i'm on the downhill, relatively easier-going part now.

and that is nice.

but there's another 30% test on wed! (i dont even know when mid-term is anymore, the days are just flying by)

i'm kind of motivated to study for this because the last test for social work, i got a grade of 86%.

its insanity because i havent seen a mark like that since like, secondary school! & best thing was, i only studied 1 day ahead.

with the guy's hosts, john & trudy.

in the van before our crazy baboon experience!

love this crazy picture. :D

and lastly, our mini photo-shoot in an off-limits area whilst waiting almost 3 hours for the train (!)

the outreach was a major highlight. you 'ave no iDEA!

edit: tonight was awesome because i went to visit malems to pass him pictures. & it was great to watch a few of the capetown(CT) videos with him & talk about the amazing times we had. (the drive there & back was quite an adventure, but that story will come tomorrow.) so nice laughing at sebastien & all our team's stupid antics together! ach well, we are all starting our new journeys. one prayer request: my other team leader is sick again with a form of meningitis that the doctors dont know how to cure. please pray for healing & strength!

huskies & puppies!

i have a new nice picture to share here. (: i wish i knew how to make it appear bigger on the website, such a small icon doesnt work well at all!

a nice quiet week here in Pretoria, its the calm before the storm. at home, that usually refers to a surge in deadlines, activities & work. but here, :D its referring to a coming flurry of activities & travel!

the zimbabwe plan is coming along really well. but spring breakkkkk!! ): and most of the exch stdts are away on a weekend to Swaziland to join in a huge party where the king of swaziland is going to choose his 14th wife........ so, uhm, kind of obvious why i'm here in south africa and not swaziland. i dont really think topless african girls, alcohol and a polygamist are really that attractive.

& yesterday's braai made me even happier that i didnt go to swaziland! m-l's church had a braai at one of the member's hugeee house. but that was not the highlight even though it had a tennis court & a swimming pool. IT WAS THE 10 DOGS IN THE HOUSE. more specifically, 8 handsome huskies, of which 6 were puppies!! they were the cutest ever things!!

see, huskies are handsome & have a beautiful coat & the bluest eyes ever, AND! i miss hector. so getting to play with one very hyperactive dog is already very rewarding. (the dad husky is super active & he behaves just like hector, bouncing up & down & standing up on his hindlegs). and then, after i actually meet the host & talk a little about his dog, he casually mentions they have 6 puppies. 6 veryveryvery adorable puppies who play & nibble & tumble all around. cuteness overdose last night i think. haha. and one particular puppy fell asleep in my arms for really long after i played with him!! super cute (((((:

super cute & amazingly blue eyes! not a nice pic, but i was too busy playing with them to take nicer one.

i love this place!

its already the end of wednesday. time flies!!!

quite an un-happening week i must say. but a plan is coming together for a weekend away. and i really hope it works out just fine. spring break is still undecided though ): i reaally want to go to the other african countries before it gets freaking hot!but no one else seems to have that plan.. its all cape town, blahblahblah. capetown is really awesome, yes, but how does it compare to Namibia and Botswana and Malawi!! (Malawi is where David Livingstone went, and he's like my childhood hero!.. or somewhere close at least) looks like madagascar & mauritius are not happening because flights here are FREAKING EXPENSIVE. and well, i have a self-imposed budget. one thing really great about my parents is that they're all for the experience, and money isnt a major concern because they're supportive of my travelling (well, the fact that they didnt bat an eyelid when i told them i chose South Africa for exchange shows something!) but, i'm going to travel as cheaply as possible, and do what the locals do! (which is cheap) only tourists come to south africa and spend a bomb on safaris. (: i'm not a tourist, i'm a student!

highlights this few days: skype with regina & sebastien again (: haha. SOOOO much miscommunication!!!! even though we were talking, no one really understood anything.

we ended up typing with the audio-call still on! so essentially, we were only listening to laughter and keyboard noises. but i loved it.

& again, i am so thankful for technology! first it was the doulos people, and now its those 2 in europe. and another was today, when we went to listen to shane (one of the cool american guys here) play live music at a pizzeria near our place. it was really nice to just chill & listen to good music. he's got some good stuff. (www.shanepalko.com) and after that, 3 of my housemates (i have 4, 1 german, mexican, chinese from china and american) and i had a good talk. and then jamie also said something that made my day. (: she said that she really respected me for my religion.

it was something that was really different from the entire house, and that specifically, "it is the way you live". well, she isnt at a point in her life where she realises how much we all need God, but that short 5minute conversation really encouraged me. i guess its so obvious partly because of the extremely secular lifestyle of everyone else. and even though it may not lead to any differences in anyone's life, i'm just happy that i was able to be a small testimony of the relevance that God has in each of our lives. because, she also commented about her friends who were "religious" and all, but lived lives that totally contradicted their values, and she saw congruence in mine. this is really not about me despite it being so encouraging. because there are so many things in my life that fall short of being a testimony, but i know God is changing me through this trip & this is just testament to how much He has changed me over the years. no one would have said anything like this when i was younger.

so i really cannot cannot wait to get travelling in september! (: first the long, self-declared weekend, and then, the awesome september spring break that lasts 12 (or more) days, depending if i self-declare a few more days before.. HEH. the travelling does mean i need to buck up and finish revision & assignments BEFORE i go, which is quite a bit of work. but cramming all that work into 2 weeks will just make me feel like i'm back at NUS for 2 weeks, and after that, HELLO TRAVEL! :D now i just need to find a travel buddy with the same idea of traipsing through the southern african countries.

but i'm loving every single day here! the crisp cold air, walking on dusty paths from university to home (while that darned bike remains unrepaired), enjoying my postgrad lectures & the readings that come with it, the people here, and even, to a certain extent, i'm enjoying the company of some of the exchange students. previously, we didnt really have that much things in common, and with everyone so party-minded, i was really doubting the building of friendships. but now, i'm starting to appreciate their quirks and i like my housemates. (:

oh, and a funny thing (that wont be so funny when i get back home), i'm REALLY getting used to african time, and i love my african schedule. i havent been to this 9.30am class in like.. 7 lessons or something, i didnt even know where it was today! but when i went, i wasnt lost in class & i could follow the syllabus just fine. awesome huh. i will really pay for it when i get back home. but I AM IN AFRICA NOW! still amazes me sometimes. but at random points in the day, i still get moments where i go, "omg, i'm really doing _____ in south africa!" like, in class, or walking, or whilst shopping...

september is coming!!!

cycling!

its been an AWESOME weekend. like reallyreally awesome.

just 2 bummers:

1. MY BELOVED FILM CAMERA IS ACTING UP AGAIN. pft. dont ask me how a mechanical camera can die when i havent done anything to it. but it has. the rear shutter doesnt fire unless i switch it to bulb mode or to the fully mechanical shutter speed of 1/90s. which sucks. because, 1 day it was working, and the next day, it wasnt. ))))):

2. MY BIKE HAS A PUNCTURED TYRE. after the amazing day out at Groenkloof nature reserve, it decided it had enough & i've got a flat rear tyre.

now that i've ranted about those, let me get to the awesome stuff. (: friday i met up with marianne, the other singapore girl who was on the 5wk outreach as well. (5wks outreach, another 5wks in Zambia helping out in an OM ministry and then another 6months at OM training!.. and she's just finished her A's last year. THAT is what i call amazing). ok anyway, so hanging out with another singaporean just rocks lah! hello singlish. haha. we didnt do anything special, but having such company is really quite cool. & i need to go to Zambia after hearing all that stuff! (but i will. soon.)

and kofiehuis (i've learnt the correct spelling) at night was great too. the church service was real african-style & i just loveee this song that they sang. There's no one like Jesus. in Sotho (which we sung that night) its Ahona ya tswanang le Jesu, and in Zulu, Akeko ofana na Jesu! i reaaaally love this song! & seeing some of the men sing so loudly & doing the actions, just amazing. another meaningful conversation at night with a guy who was getting off heroin, well, m-l did the talking & i didnt because i have absolutely no idea, but it was such an eye-opening experience.

on saturday, i went mountain-biking! its the real stuff with freaking crazy slopes & turns & scenery. a few highlights: getting there early (and safe). i cycled about 50min to get there while the rest took a cab & since i was early, i started biking & admiring the nature. it was SO peaceful & beautiful, and it STILL amazes me that God has brought me here!! so, the others got lost etcetc (whats new right), and eventually we started on the route about 2hours later than planned. better still, we went on the 21km route without realising it. very good.... but the adrenaline rush made up for it. a few scraps along the way, but we made it out just fine.

going to Groenkloof became a plan because i heard that you could cycle & see wildlife up close. (not lions or meat-eaters, duh) but giraffes etc. things like this, you hear about it but sometimes it never really happens or you find out it was an exaggeration etc. in this case, it was SO true! and even better!! as the front 2 bikes rounded a sharp bend, they braked really hard such that their back wheels skidded in the dust and it nearly caused me to collide into them. their reason for doing so: 3 HUGE giraffes crossing the dirt path barely 10metres away!!! and a lot more giraffes on both sides of the road. amazing or amazing!! it was a magical experience when i got off my bike and started walking nearer.. to see a wild giraffe eating right in front of you, its just an indescribable feeling of being so close to nature & to see what God has created. i've never marvelled at animals in the way i did. the giraffes were so close i could see their fur & muscles & those insanely long necks & legs. i'm not a gd storyteller, but with experiences like that, i wish i was better. so, anyway, pictures will help. (:

i look kinda weird here because i was unprepared for the shot but i'm glad i have at least 1 pic from the day. well, the girl wasnt really all that interested to help me take a photo anyway. (and yes, i am a little bugged, but not dwelling on it).

and here's another picture of someone else just to show how close we were to the giraffes! SERIOUSLY.

my bike (when we took a break).

and thats us when we FINALLY got to the end point after an amazing ride. i am soooo going to do it again. it was exhausting, but great.

the punctured tyre. i really thank God that the temporary patch survived the ride home! i cycled my heart out because it was getting late & i really didnt want to be stuck in the middle of brooklyn with a flat tyre. but i got home within 35min.

i think i have a problem with verbal diarrhea these few days.

i dont really get to talk about this so well, that's what blogs are for. (:

older posts and nicer pics (than these) are on www.hueyspicspirations.blogspot.com

the kofiehuis (:

just realised i havent blogged ANYTHING about the most amazing 5 weeks of my life(as of now). from now on, whenever i have some assignment to procrastinate over, or a part of life now that reminds me of the 5wks, i’ll post an nice story of my encounters in Ga-Rangkuwa & KwamHlanga & Capetown (: i think it beats everything i’ve done/experienced here. & in time to come, i think this will be the highlight of SA for me. I kind of hope not, but i think it just might. =\

i haven’t really gotten round to writing my update of Capetown although i’m glad i finished it for the rural outreach, but i will soon! (: & thank you everyone for your prayer support back home!!

So i spent the day at kofiehuis again, and the one special conversation that i had today made the entire day of slacking around very worth it. But before that, i should probably introduce the coffeehouse first.

its a small little derelict building that sits on the corner of 3 very busy streets and its engaged in street ministry. They have programs for streetkids, occasionally the adults and they have a weekly Friday dinner. it’s a huge dinner where volunteers come and the people get a full hot meal and some decent respect. The streetkids come from places like Zimbabwe and what the KH(kofiehuis) does is that, everyday, they pick up these kids, bring them to the shelter for a meal, a bath and then a program which is either aimed at equipping them with skills or teaching the Word of God. So there’s a fixed group of about 30 kids that they’ve been doing stuff with for the past 2 months. Normally, the KH is shorthanded, but just 2 days before i first dropped in, the entire lot of kids decided to move to some faraway place for greener pastures, now the KH doesn’t have any kids to do programs with! (tough ministry eh..but hence for the days i’ve been there, there was a lot of free time, like today.)

Back to the Friday dinners, last Friday, i was just going round looking at everything that was going on and helping where i could, (parenthesis: it is seriously AMAZING to see >100 street people sitting in church, some praising, some watching, and then being SERVED a hot meal as if they were in a restaurant. also seeing how the many Christian volunteers just serve these people with such love is just, woah! personally, i think if they were asked to wash their feet, i don’t know who wouldn’t!)

but i digress, after dinner, i was chatting to this guy who slept on the porch of the KH every night with a few other homeless guys. And we went from talking about China (obviously, because i am Chinese and no one knows that Singapore even exists......) to his life; in short, he was angry with God and for everything that happened to him. his disappointment and hurt were just so clear in his eyes, and he kept asking me, if God can do signs, wonders and miracles, then why doesn’t He do them. (and yes, long debate possible here, but lets avoid that for now) he demanded to know why God could but didn’t and he said he would never go back to God unless He did something. Well, i tried to explain to him about how God uses people to bless others (w.r.t the meal he just had), and also about how God, being God, doesn’t do what a man wants him to do and etc. But nothing that i said got through, and i was clearly getting him more worked up (which is something that i learnt to avoid in Capetown). Obert (the 14yrold formerstreetkid who lives at the KH) came to my rescue and told me i was needed inside.

Until now, i’m not sure if he knew, because these kids are smart in this way, or if he just came because he came. But i left the conversation feeling quite troubled and sad, because, although what this man went through was nothing like Job, it was more than enough. I’ve been praying for him a lot over this week, because i just felt i had to, and i couldn’t really do anything else. But today!!! Today was really cool (: just as i was waiting for France outside the KH, this guy came up to me and told me he got a job today! He was really happy!! It was supposed to be a one day job, but the boss found him to be a hardworking guy and gave him a permanent one! He was so full of hope for the future and kept making plans to rent a flat, get off the streets, and watch movies etc.. eventually, the conversation kind of came back to where we left off last Friday, and he said, Ying, God gave me a miracle today! He gave me this job!....and that TOTALLY made my day because God is awesome. and i don’t know what happened over this week that was different from his last 2 years in SA, but i know that God’s pursuing this man’s heart and He did something special in this guy’s life today. the guy’s an alcoholic, and he drinks “to forget the hurt”, but we talked about that today as well, and he said he wants to stay sober and keep this job for real. And, well, we will see about that, but i’m amazed really. (:

So i’m seeing him tomorrow just before the dinner, with a big bottle of coke to celebrate his job & the start of his journey back to God. I’m excited to see what God has in store for him. but also, because i’m going to conduct a few photography sessions for the youth at the shelter (its another amazing place that’s closely linked to the KH), and i’ll do this while we gather more kids for programs at the KH. egggciting!

& that is the Kofiehuis for you. (: the OM training team spent 2 weeks on outreach at this place and they even slept on the street corner for a few nights just to start to understand what it feels like. now i’m starting to understand what made this outreach so unforgettable for my leaders.

PEEKTURES:

that's obert, the 14yrold teenager who looks like a little kid, and has the nicest smile EVER.

and thats me cooking pap, in a pot which is more than an arm's length in diameter and depth. (trust me, its HUGE) and that wooden stick i'm using, looks like an oar that could row a boat..

HELLO OLD BLOG (:

reopened this blog to post stuff about SA here. (:

and i think its quite funny how the titles fit!

it definitely aint the same here in south africa!

and i AM being set apart! (:

set apart from home & a lot of my old assumptions&personality,

and set apart to Christ as i live this adventure knowing Him better in SA!!

and the picture is suuuper old! i took it in switzerland in 2006.

suddenly, i feel old. hm. but ok, so the template REAAAALLY SUCKS.

xin: big hint, preeeeetty pls? (:

but i really ought to be doing my important job of determining where south africa's comparative advantage lies in trade. (because, that piece of assignment was due two days ago, hehh. and i am procrastinating now, again.) but i was trying to think of how i can tell people back home about the awesomeness of SA without typing it x1938 times, and this was my idea, which i'm implementing now because everyone does stupid things when they want to avoid doing something. and i am just like everyone else, in this regard.

hooray SA! (:

and today was quite a nice day. had my R10 americano at +27 which is the internet cafe about 2minutes from home, (its where i do all my photouploading), and just went through another routine day here which included a long run to the university's lake (yes, the school is so huge that they have a separate campus full of sports facilities, and its bigger than 5 VJC's, maybe like 3 bedok reservoirs. so, yes, there's a small lake within that place, and i loveeee it there!). plus, monetary economics class in the evening was challenging but entertaining to say the least.

context:

iitahlian professor who spiks eengleesh like dis, a huge complicated algebraic equation that needs manipulating, and a class of 30 people, half of whom have confused looks on their faces (yours truly included).

Prof: "so you move dis ere and you ged dis, and then you have this blob right here! *points to huge chunk of alphas & betas* (i nearly laughed out loud to myself...) so after more blobs about 10minutes later, Prof: ok, we have enough of blobs today, see you next week!"

amusing ttm. ok. if you did not understand this, read THIS from the now defunct page. guarantee u will understand.

coffeehouse tmr (:

and old post #3, DONE! (:

August 17th, 2010

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01:13 am - of tests and everything else. its horrible how i alwaaaaays blog when i have something else more important to do. like my paper on cohabitation for example. i forgot all about the deadline until friday night when i got home from coffeehouse and looked at my plans for the weekend. and, OH WOW! I HAVE A 7 PAGE PAPER DUE IN 4 DAYS! (plus an exam which i knew about, but didnt bother studying for) because, well, i'm in AH-FREEE!-ca.... so the paper isnt all that hard, the topic has been set, the outline has been given, the segments of the essay have even been weighted, and the readings have half the info i need...... (quite amazing!! half my work is done for me!) BUT... butbutbut. me, being me. i havent done the other half, which is getting content and writing it. now, i've got my basic content outline & the sources and i'm procrastinating the writing bit. this slackness is going to kill me upside down next semester... oh, and i sat for my first exam here in SA. it was a JOKE i tell you. felt like not even JC level questions. "define active listening", "discuss the components of empathy",.... oh! and the best question, " LIST down the FOUR factors of .." MY GOODNESS. its a university course for goodness sake.... i read the questions in disbelief and for a moment, i just thought, crap why did i study so much stuff in-depth! if i had just memorised all the definitions, i would ace this test.. but seeing as which i didnt bother AT ALL with definitions...... HAHAHA. the results will tell if i've been studying effectively. and have i mentioned, communal living is so much fun (: on sunday, everyone was home. and we spent sooo much time in the kitchen.. its amusing that we were all just procrastinating so much! HAHA. at one point in the day, all 5 of us were standing in the kitchen, complaining and eating or staring at people eating.. its 12:57am now, and i think i just heard some activity in the kitchen.. point proven. time flies in afrika, in exactly 4 months and 1 day, its hello singapore again. i want to stay here! its not stressful! and i love speeding around everywhere on my bike. the risk factor adds to the edge, especially when i cycle home from church at night. and i really like church here. its so warm & welcoming & sincere & just so... nice. something interesting, the church is full of architects.. architects and architecture students. they go "wow, economics!", i go "wow, architecture!" (influenced by kevinong obviously) hahah. and i just realised i've typed A.LOT. i should have been typing words about cohabitation, but this is relaxing. and unlike home where everything becomes really quiet only at 3am, i get the same effect here at 1am. (: when the weather warms up, i'm going to take walks in the tuksdorp compound. AND I NEED PLANS FOR THE SEPTEMBER BREAK!! i have 11days to travel! and maybe make plans for a weekend trip next week. the only thing that is lacking now are nice travel buddies. but that, i will have to trust God that i make travel plans with the right people. so, my essay is due in 16 hours. and i have class in 8 hours. yay me. (: time to start work again.

August 16th, 2010

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12:08 am another week has ended. crazy how time flies. last weekend was quite awesome. (: met malems at sunnypark (its about 15min by minitaxi) was only a littleee bit unnerving when i got off the taxi to find myself on a street full of vendors and random people milling around and being the only non-black in the area. plus, i had my camera in my bag, so i walked reaally fast in the direction of the mall and stepped into a place of safety (in my humble opinion) very hurriedly. amusing, now that i think of it, but not so at that point of time. coffee and a good chat later made me realise just how much God was working in our team on the capetown outreach. (which reminds me, i have yet to finish typing that last update about capetown). malems' perspective and experience of our team also brought me new insight, and the team dynamics were really very interesting! after that we dropped into the coffeehouse across the road and that was where my kofiehaus adventure began. but anyway, joburg over the next 2 days and pilanesberg on sunday! pilanesberg national park was amaaazing!! we set off at 4am and reached at exactly 6.30am when the park gates opened. so i got to see a real african sunrise! haha. well, every sunrise is real, but this one, i saw inside a nature reserve, surrounded by bush. but the most awesome thing, the radio station which was blasting out party-type of music for the entire journey there, started to play a christian program with worship songs!! see, no one else in the car was a christian, and just to have a song of worship playing in the background while i'm in Africa, living a dream, holding my camera and watching a sun looks like a huge red ball rise in the distance.... no words can describe that feeling man. seriously. and of all things, the song that was being played was "this is the air I breathe". God really knows how to take care of people. best. host. ever. haha. i was really so blessed by that 20minutes or so. the rest of the day was spent going "ELEPHANT!" "ZEBRA!" "GIRAFFE!" etc... and the picnic, my gosh, i have NEVER heard such silence!!! it was sooo peaceful! even with so many other people having huge braai feasts.... awesomeness. it would have been even more cool to have people from home to share it with, but i loved it nonetheless. ach, so much to update. the week was eventful as well, especially wednesday when i went to soccercity to watch bafana play ghana. cool experience, but after that the real 'adventure' started. this was an adventure with people (really). oh and of course, like everything that has happened here so far, i'm safe where i should be. thursday and friday i went to the coffeehouse, which was just so cool. fastforward this weekend. and i miss the girls a wholeeeee lot. ): but i wonder what response i will get if i call home and ask my parents if they'll support me to put my studies on hold for 6months and go for OM's MDT that starts in Feb.... my thoughts are running wild. ohhh welll.. i conclude, its not going to happen. but i wish. (: its ironic and very possible actually.. i'm living a dream here in SA and i'm dreaming of more dreams in SA. but a girl can dream, cant she? :D

August 7th, 2010

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03:32 pm - of j's. jehovah witnesses in joburg. so, of all things, the friend of liu (an exchange student) turned out to be a jehovah's witness AND he brought us to hang out with more jw "brothers & sisters". it was fun even though it was a teeny bit disconcerting at the start, but they were nice people and we had a lot of fun talking and iceskating. side note: the day i decide to be game and try a bum-slide (i.e. move really fast on skates and cover the rest of the distance on your ass), i fall and hit my head so hard that now i have a huge bump. no brain damage done though. heh. back to the topic of the jw-weekend. at night i went to google jw on my phone (internet on my phone is so useful!) and i started to understand a little bit more about them. today was just weird. because, they brought us to 2 chinese shopping areas, one aptly named China Mall, and after breakfast, they left us to roam around while they went to "evangelise". & apparently, its a weekly activity they do regularly. after that, when paul (the chinese guy's friend) gave us a lift back to pretoria, God answered my prayer last night for opportunities to talk about their beliefs. he started by asking me about freedom of religion in singapore & when i asked him in return, he started talking about how the jws were persecuted in SA for refusing army conscription. and the conversation that ensued......well..lets just say that i asked all the questions in that conversation & the awareness of my ignorance of the bible has been amplified. hah. but this is what i get when i ask God to use this SA experience to grow me. because i am learning SO MUCH. Lord, some of Your wisdom now would really help. thank You.

August 6th, 2010

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12:33 am - yay weekend! its the long weekend, and i dont have anything thats like, "omg!SOEXCITING!" planned... but i think its going to be quite nice! going to joburg over friday & saturday for ice-skating (???) and stuff like chinatown (another ????...i didnt come all the way to AFRICA to go to CHINATOWN!)... but since liu (one of the chinese girls here) asked me to accompany her, so.. i think it'll be fun in terms of a chill sightseeing experience. but! sunday will be awesome because we'll be going on a day excursion to pilanesberg game reserve! photo-galore!! (i hope. because that 70-300mm lens may just utterly disappoint) so, i'm not exactly expecting national geographic quality kind of pictures, but hopefully i get some nice ones with my boyfriend & his awesome wideangle...and monday, mountainbiking somewhere!! one thing of concern to me, i'm being lulled into a false sense of security here i think. i just bought my bike yesterday and i'm so excited about being able to ride around like to church and go on cycling trips and everything!! butbutbut.. going to the singapore embassy today really introduced some doubts because of the way the guy reacted to the news that i used a bike... i know i'm not going to do stupid things like cycle into the city by myself or really stupid stuff like cycling out at 12mn, but now, i'm wondering... FINALLY watched inception last night! (about 1year later than the rest of the continents, but at least its here!) and it was sooo good. something random: i was thinking what my life in limbo would be like. would be interesting to dream it! dreams. its such a big word. (: AND NO WAY I AM GOING TO BE A BRIDESMAID. OR ANYTHING THAT REQUIRES ME TO WEAR A WHITE DRESS, ACT DEMURE AND/OR TOSS FLOWERS. (: boo to december 2010. but big yay to 2011. and bigger yay to the weekend!

August 3rd, 2010

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01:25 am its been a good few days. major stuff: sending regina off (even getting there & back was a miracle in itself), m-l's ladies' fellowship (learnt so much!), african mini-concert of gospel songs(my hair kept standing) & weekend-speculation with the housemates (egggciting)... speaking of which, i havent taken ANY pictures of the house, the housemates, school and other random stuff! i better do it before i get so used to living here that i lose sight of all the unique-ness of the place...and i should probably start using my boyfriend a little more, now that i have him back (((: i have only shot a grand total of 3 frames since he got back! but developing film here is just sooooo expensive... been doing quite a bit of thinking these past days. anything and everything major in my life came up. some thoughts i dwelt on & prayed over, others not so. but thats always the case i guess, cuz there's always something that holds back... tomorrow is a new day. and school here is just like school at home. in the sense that i'm ALWAYS late. but now with 2 postgrad courses i'm taking, slacking off is not an option anymore. hopefully it keeps me on my toes, if not next sem, i'm just gonna die dealing with work, readjustments and cell once again. ok but that is one example of something i AM.NOT.GOING.TO.THINK.ABOUT. not until 5 months later. funny how at home the 5 months leading up to this adventure dragged its feet so slowly...and here, i'm thinking, its only 5 months.. pfttt. save me from this retarded brain that does not know when to shutup.

old post #2.

July 29th, 2010

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08:25 pm - the nightmares of africa. so.. in south africa, if you dont get into class early enough, you sit on the floor. (from one of my econs mates here) at least that has been my experience for 3 classes in 2 weeks.... life here is quite chill, people sit on the grass and talk, have lunch, nap. postcard perfect. its what all universities use for publicity purposes...even NUS. but of course, no one does it! except maybe the construction workers just because its easily accessible.but i'm sure if they were given a choice, they wouldnt be there.. but anyway. today was the first time i didnt feel treated like an idiot in class. took my first postgrad class on monetary economics & i had a blast! seriously, this guy is the first prof that didnt insult students' & their memories. maybe i am being too judgmental here & i dont know the education system here, but every lecturer here treats students either like sec sch kids or idiots, directly & indirectly. they'll give u a page number & point out the sentence for you in the readings during lecture, they'll ask really basic stuff & actually review those stuff when they dont get a response, or like one prof i have, he'll just openly insult the education standard in the university. back to the point. i realise i digress a lot recently. i like this class, the work sounds interesting, and the people are quite awesome (: too bad its only once a week. i had a crazy nightmare yesterday morning too. and it was just soooo bad that when i woke up, i was breathing really hard, & suuuper thankful that it was only a dream. pft. somehow, nice sweet dreams are always too elusive to be remembered whereas nightmares ingrain themselves in your memory. and next weekend looks set to be an exciting one. (:

July 26th, 2010

10:16 am what a weekend. (: and of all the times, inspiration chooses to strike at 11pm... but as usual. productivity doesnt kick in until approximately 2hours later. it is now 4:08am. and i have settled the audio and profile pictures for the simple video that i'm attempting to make of the UGC outreach. if this is to succeed, i need to get it all done by friday. (plus the photo editing, of which i am notoriously slow with).... but its fun & i ought to be sleeping, given that i have an 11am consultation with the prof who's offering to tutor me one-on-one for a previously non-existant theology module... BUT. i think i've slept too much these past few days. and i'm barely sleepy now.... africa is treating me waaay too well. goodnight world. or rather, good morning. my housemate is going to be awake in 3hrs for 7.30am class. ooh la la. bad habits die hard.

July 23rd, 2010

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06:22 am - interesting days. module registration is a BEACH. (as sebastien would say) so.. my run-in with university mess-ups hasnt ended yet. wednesday i managed to find out the time & place for Monetary Economics, a post-grad (honors) course and so, at 5.20pm, i happily made my way to the humanities building, found the classroom at 5.30 and very contentedly found a seat as i waited for the 3hour class to start. i waited, and i waited and i waited. then i waited somemore. all this while, i thought, ok, so the lecturer is a little late, maybe its a small class thats why no one is here yadayadayada. by 5.50pm, i was still waiting. i toured the entire 3rd and 4th floors' classrooms.. i had spent the ENTIRE wednesday going up and down different buildings and offices looking for this course to be approved and i was not about to give up. ... by 6pm, it was hopeless...... a good thing was that i got to go to mary-lou's church that night. i seriously hope this never ever happens again. wednesday afternoon, one of my social work modules location changed and only after the lecture on innovation started did i realise i was in the wrong place. checked and re-checked the timetable, and ended up going to the dept to find out the actual classroom. no one knew, until someone checked the system and saw a last minute change in venue. *applause* i went into class 20min late (and it was RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE I WAS EARLIER, *more applause*). but at least i made it, attendance was probably 50% of the enrollment. THIS. IS. AFRICA. amazing. really. but its been a great here. i'm enjoying this sabbatical even if i do miss people a liiiiittle bit, i'm in my happy place. i wouldnt trade this for all the ban mian & yu pian mi fen & prata & char kway teow & what-have-you in the world! i'm gonna have a HUGE withdrawal period when i get home. dieeeeee. heh. but at least i get to escape a whole semester of bidding & chionging!! HEE. i will enjoy it while it lasts. speaking of studies, its also interesting to see how academics vary so little even across continents. there are those who couldnt care less, who cant teach for nuts, who criticise policies&institutions upside down, who genuinely care for students, etcetc. but their education system is really quite crap. econs students are only introduced to the idea of PPP in a 3rd year course?!?.......& this is a very reputable university we are talking about... another thing about africa, drinks are SO CHEAP. a cocktail costs me 5bucks, a beer, 2bucks. weird thing is that food can be more expensive than drinks. hmm. some highlights, i cooked pork soup today (: and it was a success. skyped w xin&joel as well which was really nice. one thing good about being away is that i'm not the one getting disturbed anymore. i think i'll be going home to some interesting new dynamics. cant wait for the travelling to start...... but school is quite awesome even if classes are SO early.. July 21st, 2010

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06:21 am - THIS IS SOOOOOO AFRICA. up down up down up down up. pft. modules are kind of driving me nuts. for one, i got registered for a course that doesnt even exist. exegesis of the OT. which is a cool course because i will get to study Psalms and Ecclesiastes. so the prof has offered to take me one-on-one which is amazing, but its a postgrad course and now i'm not sure if i can handle it... so now as i'm looking for another course that IS being offered so that i dont waste the prof's time, i find out that the other course i have registered for doesnt seem to exist on paper!! it has a timetable & a venue, but the admin at the school of theology says that it isnt offered by them... this is crazy. i will give it ONE LAST SHOT TOMORROW. i really do want to take the chance here to go for a course on the bible, but it seems like i'm taking one step forward and three steps back. thats not the end of my problems. my module on the history of development economics (stated on the website & unchanged since its inception(as i understand from the prof)) has, in the span of 5minutes, morphed into a module on HEALTH economics.... the method it was changed was like this, the prof walks in, introduces the course, and says, the original content of this course has been bumped up to a third year module (which i am ALSO registered for, and says NOTHING about a change in syllabus), and we will now be studying, health economics. yadayadayadaya. very good. i was ready to take on Todaro (the guy who wrote my previous textbook) and everything about development, and i'm stuck with health economics. mmhmm. TIA ttm. and FINALLY, (as of now) my last problem is getting a module verified. at home, i am qualified (by now) to take the level4000s which are honors classes, but here, because i'm a year 3 student, i cant take Money Economics because i have not done the year 3 modules HERE. i've cleared ALL the level 3000 core modules at home which probably covers way more i'm sure, but noooo, i'm a year 3 student, so i cant take postgrad (honors here is postgrad) modules. and so i've been going up and down the entire economics building from one office to another, and even though some of them are really helpful, it sucks that in Africa, everybody goes home by 3pm. so today, after i finally found the name of the person who's qualified to certify me, lo and behold, the offices are empty and everyone's GONE! wooohooo. its like a treasure hunt with a time limit. or maybe, patience-limit. hooray me. 9.30am class again tomorrow, and then i have 2 hours to play treasure hunt again before another 4 hours of class. south africa is getting on my nerves. (but maybe i shouldnt be complaining because bidding & appealing for modules back home is a whole lot worse)..... hooray. but a sincere hooray for social work. which seems to be an awesome course to take with awesome lecturers anywhere in the world. Current Mood: annoyed

Old Posts - 30th May to 20th July

July 20th, 2010 03:44 am my mom has learnt how to use smileys..... WOAH. i'm wondering if thats good or bad. at least she hasnt figured out facebook. i'm thankful for that. today was pretty good. although i've come to realise that admin all around the world is quite similar. lots of waiting & walking. the difference between the inefficiencies here and at home in NUS is not the level of inefficiency, rather, its the people who care so much about students. out of allllll (and i met A LOT) of admin staff today, there was only ONE who was nonchalant. everyone else worked so cheerfully and warmly that i was too awed to be fed up with the waiting. lessons start tomorrow, YAY! (: my first real braai in south africa tomorrow. another crazy date on skype/mobile tomorrow. tomorrow's gonna be a good day, tomorrow's gonna be a good good dayy. yeaa-aa! July 19th, 2010 05:41 am - today is the day. today is the day, that You have made, i will rejoice and be glad in it. i wont worry about tomorrow, i'm trusting in what you say, today is the day! i'm putting my fears aside, i'm leaving my doubts behind i'm giving my hopes and dreams to you Jesus I'm reaching my hands to yours Believing there's so much more Knowing that all you have in store for me is good And i wont worry about tomorrow Im giving you my fears and sorrows Where you lead me i will follow Im trusting in what you say Today is the day! so it was a pretty awesome sunday. 3 highlights, which is basically everything I did today. firstly, church at Lynnwoodrif in Pastor Anthonie's small congregation - the Jesus Life Community. i made my way there on my own in a minitaxi again and it felt nice to see familiar faces and talk to people about ministry in Cape Town. then i got a lift back from Ps Anthonie, and the next highlight came when i was lying on my bed and just praying for everything that came to mind. God was really quite awesome, and i'm again in awe of how God can just bring to mind so many scriptures that guide me through my thought process. and the last highlight was when jolanda, a friend of malems (my team leader on the Cape Town outreach) called. (: it was a huge blessing. she brought me to a students-church near campus and we got to talk about everything from studies to ministry and even to germans. amusing! evening church at Elim was great as well. i would consider going there more often. BUTBUTBUT!! today's newest & best highlight: talking to sebastien (over skype) and to regina (on the phone), simultaneously. HEH. i think it was a nice surprise for regina & really great for both me & sebastien. its really crazy how bonds can be formed in such a short time. (i'm not complaining). July 18th, 2010 07:09 am - i'm really 21. i think i'm just almost 2 months late. but, a WOW moment came just now when i realised, i'm 21. quite an amazing way to begin my 21st year on this earth actually! exactly 1 week into my 21st year, i step onto the continent of South Africa alone. exactly 6 weeks into my 21st year, i finish the most amazing outreach ever. and exactly 7 weeks into my 21st year, i will be starting school in SOUTHAFRICA...... i thought i got used to the idea of BEING in SA, but it turns out i'm still amazed today; that God would grant me such a crazy desire to travel & see the world and that i am actually, really, definitely in South Africa. not only that, but i'm staying here for a total of exactly 6.5 months..... sorry, my slop of a brain just malfunctions when it comes to comprehending just how far God has brought me. it is going to be a year of many many many firsts... like REALLY VERY MANY. i'm only JUST starting school and i've had more first-time experiences than i can even count! ahhhhhh! and if this is how i'm going to start my 21st year on earth, i can only imagine what God has in store for the rest of my life! goodness me. July 17th, 2010 11:55 pm - moving out. or not. over the last 2 days, i have been entertaining this idea in my head to move out, into cheaper accommodation and away from all the clubbing and drinking and what-nots at hatfield. i could probably save up to R500 a month (about 90SGD) for the next 4 months, with more comforts such as not having to share a shower with 4 others, and many other stuff like the practicality and etc. and it would work out. but i just read this email from Prime Time With God and this is how the prayer started: Today's Prayer Dear God, Thank you for being orderly and powerful and loving and understanding! I need your help. You know there are difficult people in this world. There always have been and always will be. Some people can be avoided. Some people I must see and deal with, so I need to know what to do.... etc. it struck me that moving out just isnt the right thing to do. i can change the circumstances i am in, but 1. God is orderly - He had this planned His way, 2. God is powerful - He can enable me with all that i need, 3. God is loving - He loves the people around me and me, 4. God is understanding - He knows what I am like and what i feel and what is best for me.. YET, He put me here. so, i think i need to start getting to work being a good testimony, making friends, socialising and everything so that i can try my very best to live out this verse where I "become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." and here comes the part where i whine. but i shall replace that with the great time that i had, chilling out with martin and abi today. both martin and i agree that its good that the last of the team is finally going. sad but at least we can all start getting on with our lives now. i'm more ready to start socialising again i think. (: 5 months here!.... unbelievable! plus, i hope i get some students to give tuition too. that would be reaally nice, like REALLY. (: To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 1 Cor 9:21. 05:06 am - orientation and everything school-ish again. i came across my cousin's blog while mindlessly flipping through facebook, and the way she writes is so captivating. her words just sweep you up and carry you into a world not your own. and its partly embarrassing how i upkeep this with frivolous & un-entertaining stuff. so today, i will write, with a bit more thought put into words. (: but that feeling's gone now.. bit too difficult to handle. today was a good day in all. orientation talks were reaaally boring. like, reaaally! (imisspeoplenow.hmph). and getting to know the other international students was, well, normal. i mean, how different can get-to-know-you sessions be.. its the same old questions with slightly varied answers and well, its the old me, but i'm just not a huge fan of meeting new people. so there. after that we had a "surprise" that the international office arranged for us, which was an outing to some place in garsfontein where we were taught how to play the jambeh around a fire & had dinner. that was cool except for the fact that i didnt bring my camera & i was really wishing the team was here. its no fault of mine that jambeh = sebastien & the team. never seen or heard of one until the crazy swiss drummer introduced it to us as a worship instrument. but what i loved about today was the solitary walk i took back to tuksdorp to get some warm clothes and the phonecall. even though i was freezing on my way back, it was nice just being cold and praying. i will take more of these walks soon, which reminds me that i need a bike. i'm going to buy myself a secondhand one (the campus is HUGE plus i'll use it for tour de soweto in september! so its justified). and i really missed talking to regina. (hello my friend hello!) it was so nice just to talk so easily again. long chill out conversations ttm. makes me wonder, how long a friendship will take to form here, and whether it'll be something meaningful or just a you're-cool-to-hang-out-with type of thing. or... i dunno actually. all sorts of different type of friendships. one big challenge is that, THERE ARE SMOKERS IN THE GROUP OF 28 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ): i am a spoilt Singaporean, i'm sorry. its a new day tomorrow. going with martin to hang out with abi in joburg. can we just get the introductions and the goodbyes over and done with please. on a side note, i'm still living out of my backpack. ohwell July 16th, 2010 01:01 am - quiet days with highlights. this week was a real bummer in comparison to the last weeks. but God has been faithful, and i've been having good times with people. monday's final ceremony was the official closure to our team. but sebastien & i decided to go ahead with the plans of visiting abi in joburg so when i reached the hostel, i occupied myself with getting a rental car. tuesday was very awesome & it was good that i didnt get a chance to sit down and miss people.. left home at 7.30am and got back only around 11.30pm. it was a lot of driving around with sebastien & getting lost. went to a game reserve, touched lion cubs and did a lot of fun stuff with abi. and then, headed back to pretoria to pick up regina & malems, which was the start of an awesome night. (: wednesday morning, i had to return the car really early, and came back with nothing to do, having decided not to go for regina & malems' graduation. so i sat on my bed and moped a bit. i think i deserved time to do that and have a little bit of me time. went out for lunch with the new german housemate, and it made me miss regina and the team even more because, she was german, and although it was quite refreshing to be talking about travels and academic stuff again, i missed the conversations with the team a lot. but as i was heading (on my own) to waterkloof to pick up this laptop from mary-lou, regina messaged to ask me to go for the graduation. thanks to the loooong walk i had to take because i got a little lost, i had time to think about it and eventually, i went. and now, i'm glad i did. (: today, i havent stepped out of the room since i got up about 7am and i've just spent the entire day looking at photos & videos & reading the bible & journalling and doing stuff that helps pass time, but doesnt help the "imissyou" part. and then came the nice part of talking to people back home. and that was quite a pick-me-up. so all my housemates are here, but i've only talked to one of them. and even though i heard a lot of chatting and laughs today, i decided to give myself the space i need to be antisocial and just hide out in my room. i'm changed, but still a work-in-progress and this part of me feels like i just need some time alone. i will get over this. just dont feel like doing it now. He leads me beside still waters. July 15th, 2010 04:15 am - BACK! its been an awesome 5 weeks. too much has happened for me to even start listing it down. but God has exceeded my expectations in so many ways. and i've tasted & seen that the Lord is good. now comes the tough part where i'm thrown back into the secular world with a "non-ministry" focus, even though missions doesnt really stop here. i'm back with my laptop and contactable again! (: facebook on my phone was a huge blessing, but i'm so glad to be able to type out my thoughts once again. and can i just say i love my keyboard. (: this has been the most awesome outreach i've had by far. sure, china was great and going with the HAHAs and the other yc people made for some good times, and the lessons learnt there were very useful as well, doulos was great in itself & fun & amazing. but this Ultimate Goal Challenge, i saw God work in my life, i made friendships that i never imagined i could ever make (not in just a few weeks), and i learnt so much about God and myself. the team was awesome, the friendships were just crazy, the ministry was both rewarding and challenging, and this person here learnt a lot about herself. i'm still a work-in-progress, mind you. (lesson gleaned from todays graduation ceremony of malems & regina) but now jeremiah 29:11 is starting to become heart knowledge on an even deeper level than before. i am going home in december, refreshed and ready to lead again. a bit emo because i can never get used to farewells. but it will pass. ASIA 2012!!!!!! ------------------------------------------------------------ 30th May 2010, 04:41 pm - the adventure begins. (: last minute packing to the max. but in just 2 days. my adventure will have begun!! cannot.wait! this is what i've been counting down to. (for an entire semester) exciting and scary. happy and sad. i'm ready to take on the world!..... i think. amazing how God has brought me thus far. and how He will bring me further. hello africa. (: