today.

me & my big mouth....... refer to a post earlier:
"somersault in sand, check. somersault in water, check. i would very much like to leave out the somersault in air component. it would hurt less during the flip, but a lot more when landing. " 
update today: somersault in air, check. thankfully, the landing didnt hurt as much as logic & physics says it would. God did indeed keep us very safe. and i'm now in capetown. (:

being here actually feels overrated now. i'm just up the road from where our team spent 3 weeks sharing the God's love. and now, its so weird to walk the same streets, knowing that everyone else is at home. but i should probably stop emoing and remembering the city for what it was, and take this opportunity to experience the touristy side of it (even if im not much of a fan of touristy stuff). anw. its the wrong time for a trip down memory lane. i shall go read and sleep and recover from today. after experiences like this, i wish that my trust in God's ability to defy logic extended to more aspects of life.

ok. another day, another adventure.
my dad has this uncanny ability to get us into situations.
be it his fault or not.

overrated.

but instead of ranting, i should probably just count. my. blessings.

even if right now, they seem like they can only be counted on one hand. 

so.. i am thankful that i get to see more of South Africa. (even if it is rather limited by paranoia & wishy-washy-ness & over-accommodation); i am thankful for the ally that i have in my brother (even if it does get rather annoying when he has no opinion on what to do, and overly strong opinions of church); i am thankful that i am not bald & am not at boiling point with my dad; and lastly, i am truly, truly thankful for the surprisingly great amount of patience that i have had thus far. it brings the concept of Christ's strength in my weakness to a very different application, one that i'd never have expected. 

so i am back in contact after 4 days of living in the mountains (ultra poor internet connection), and am now at coffee bay along the Wild Coast of SA. (: it is indeed wild. and it is beautiful. but, no thanks to the type of travel companions i have, the 3 approaches by weed & pot dealers + the hippie atmosphere/lifestyle + rain&cold = we leave this awesome place after just 1 night here. in favor of a tourist spot further south. my hopes of going cliff-jumping (jumping 14metres off a cliff, into the sea), have thus jumped off the cliff of expectations & have been dashed to pieces..... maybe, there still might be a teeny ounce of hope that i get to do that further south, but, for now, it looks like that activity is put off until my next adventure in the world. 

back to coffee bay, i'm at a backpackers that is situated at the foot of a cliff, right next to a river mouth that flows into the sea. its quiet, its full of character and its also, a very temporary abode. ok, so my contact lens has rolled somewhere into my eye for the umpteenth time today. that means i am blind in one eye until i get it out & it also means that maybe i should stop conversing with my blog and whoever reads this & get some sleep. i think its the lack of proper conversation for the last week or so thats causing this verbal diarrhea. 

goodnight world. i will be back with more nonsensical updates pretty soon, i expect.  

last leg of sep.

this is the start of the 3rd leg of my sep: a one-month holiday trip with my dad and brother.
its been a busy few days. and, as usual, i'm just avoiding whatever i can.
tomorrow, its just the 3 of us. and, by the end of it... ...

happenings-wise, my brother got caught for staying over. but we got off with a warning. zz. of course right, leaving in 1 day already, what can they do?

anyway, i'm just really glad for all the experience i've had with saying my goodbyes. at the risk of getting immune and being overly callous about it, practice helps. especially seeing that, this is africa. and, who knows if i'll ever be back here again?

i really dont know. but, anyway, i hope the trip goes well. even with less than optimal company, i managed to have a really good spring break trip. i hope its the same here as well. every single day will be a test. but, something tells me that the very same days will bring grace in my life like never before. its always a new challenge ahead. this was coming, i would never have guessed that it would come in the form of a family holiday but... well, one thing im sure of is God's love is sufficient to sustain me even when i feel like crap.

ugc was ultra amazing.
tuks was eye-opening.
we will see what this brings.

oomph

its been a busy weekend. & amazing one too. not going to zimbabwe didnt result in any loss of happeningz & learning. (: i was so tired last night i slept at NINE pm.. it was supposed to be a nap, but i only woke up at 4am when i started freezing.
& i learnt so much! (: expectantly waiting for more.

spring day & whatnots

ok spring day. very. interesting. day.

pontsho invited me to a spring-day gospel concert featuring a famous african gospel singer. but it was way more than that. the opening acts lasted 2hours. there were dances, songs, a praise session, and more songs. i only knew the first 2 songs that the church worship team sang.  but it was really really really really awesome. i realise now, that our outreach church experience of ear-piercing music, spontaneous mass-dancing (cool stuff), singing, shouting etc, that was a TYPICAL church experience. because, it was the same tonight! except the sound system didnt screech feedback & static all the time. but conclusion: africans can sing. VERY WELL.

after the interval,  the main guy came on... my first formal introduction to african gospel, & it sounded amazing! cant wait for heaven!  but when he started preaching, it was the prosperity gospel.. at first i felt bad for being so condemning about the message,  so i started to listen really carefully, and confirmed my doubts. this guy was just making sweeping statements about victory and success, and it was just discomforting to see how the audience responded so strongly! I was learning so much just being there & listening...and there was this point where the guy said,  there's someone here tonight that God wants here and He wants to make you great when you hear my message! and, being the cynic that i am, i almost laughed to myself because i thought, yes sir, you're talking about me, because i'm here & i’m praying your message doesnt stick in the hearts of these people, & you're getting it wrong, its God who's being made great tonight by all these people who're giving spring bash a miss.

apparently, this is the first time they've done a concert like this for spring bash.. because here, spring bash is a HUGE event. and when i say event, i actually mean partying/drinking. its a university holiday (weird, its like they're PROMOTING this!)... a lot of crap happens when people get drunk. but anyway, the organiser said a few words & i realise that this event was organised with good intentions, a great initiative & a love for God.. a highlight also, was seeing the number of people rededicating their lives to God once again and also the salvations that took place!!

oh. and because this is african time, the event which was supposed to end by 9, ended at 11.45pm. a new friend i met walked me to hatfield square to meet up with the other exchange students (who are not home yet), & as we were walking to the entrance where there was an entry fee,  this huge afrikaaner slammed into both of us! he was so drunk that he wasnt even running straight. (my dad tells me how he got away with drink driving as a teenager last time was to run in a straight line instead of walking) anyway, after he rammed us, he took off with an even bigger guy chasing & screaming at him.... VERY NICE WELCOME.

i was prepared for drunk people (seeing that the drinking started at 12noon..yes its crazy),  but not this!! as we were recovering from the shock, a black guy got thrown backwards (he literally flew) onto the grass patch, and another guy was shouting at him.... i'm a little freaked at this point because i'm still outside the square & if its that bad OUTSIDE, i'm not sure if i want to know whats INSIDE... luckily for me though, for some reason, the security has stopped allowing people inside..so i go home amidst the chaos. i'm told that its such a huge event that people drive from joburg & further to join in! crazy world.

& so, anyway, now there's bad music blasting all over, i just heard more gunshots from somewhere, and there's a group of drunks singing outside the fence. Pffttt. 

HOORAY FOR SPRING!

today was quite an awesome day. cant remember all of it now, but it was great! and tomorrow is spring day! (a majorrr university holiday here to celebrate spring) i will elaborate tomorrow, its quite a huge celebration here.i've got a really nice to-do list that i'm really looking forward to.

Things to do tomorrow:
1. internet cafe - get ladder :D (will update more on what i used it for IF IT HAPPENS!)
2. cycle to sunnyside - get cheap groceries
3. run at univ. lake
4. chill next to lake: reading & QT
5. church/worship service - i havent decided mid-week church or huge worship event (for christians who dont party & drink on Spring day)
6. watch beer pong - there's a 'team' competing & its going to be fun!
7. hatfield square - (will update more as well)

ahhhh. ok. highlights today:
- self-declared break after working so "hard" over the weekend for that international economics test (which i still messed up & will probably fail but, nevermind, i will just study harder for the other test)
- nice day of classes for socialwork and i got full marks for the class test (yay!)
- arranged with mary-lou to go to the apartheid museum in joburg this saturday (and then to her dad's restaurant again! its got awesome food, plus its free for us!)
- attended a chillaxed reception at the university's oldest building (>150yrs old!),
Also, i was told by Ms Moloi (one of the heads at the Int'l Stdts Division who's super pro-Singapore) that the Singapore High Commissioner was talking to her recently, and it turns out that his kids (around my age) are coming soon and he thinks it would be great if i could meet up with them (?? ok i really dont know what to think of this, but it would be cool maybe!) haha. so i have to call the embassy sometime soon or something. i have no idea how/what/where etc. (that was an interesting chat)
- packed my room!!! (IT IS NICE AND NEAT AND CLEAN NOW!)
- caught a movie with some others
- chilled in our tiny kitchen with the housemates for >2 hours just talking (: loved it!
- ANDANDAND!!! SPRING BREAK PLANS WERE SETTLED IN LESS THAN FIVE MINTUES! THANK YOU GOD! :D
 ok this one needs details. hehe. so xinyu and i go to the guys house after the movie & we ask shane & thomas if they've made any plans for spring break. as it turns out, no they have not. i ask if they'd like to join us to slowly make our way up along the eastern coast, with no solid plans or anything. thomas says, ok! sounds interesting, do we drive? i nod, and he thinks a bit more & then he says what about doing that in zimbabwe? *BRIGHT LIGHT GOES OFF IN MY HEAD & BELLS START RINGING* YES!!!!!! haha. shane & leon suddenly get excited too, and xinyu nods really fast, BINGO! WE HAVE A PLAN! :D the cancelled Zimbabwe-Botswana weekend getaway just got extended to a 12-day Zimbabwe, Botswana & Zambia tour! 
AWESOME OR AWESOME!? 

we dont even take much time to decide car or bus because, as it turns out, thomas has an idea in mind of trying to buy a TRUCK (!!) that was advertised in a parking lot in hatfield! i will find out about that tomorrow because they will call & find out. but either way, THIS. IS. SO. SO. GREAT.  Victoria falls, Kalahari desert, Okavango delta (only inland delta in the world) and etc.. ! for 12 days!

my goodness. i'm quite amazed at God's hand in this. the Zimb-Botsw 5-day trip got cancelled due to really weird reasons like someone's cash not being disbursed in time & another person's test being rescheduled, just too much of a coincidence!and i was feeling quite bummed about it even though it helped to know that God had a better plan somewhere.... i didnt know what, and i CERTAINLY DID NOT EXPECT THIS!! SERIOUSLY. the Zimbabwe weekend (ok, 5days) plan was a concession on my part because i wanted to take my time & not rush through the countries,  now IT REALLY IS GOING TO BE OWN-TIME-OWN-TARGET travel! and i really wanted to do this over spring break, but settled for southafrica's coastal travel cuz no one seemed that interested in going far away,
and AND NOW IT IS ALL HAPPENING!! its just AMAZINGGGGG. :D hehe. i'm excited. plus, the company's gonna be fun too! & no tiptoeing around touchy egos that some of the girls here have.
ahhhhh. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH LORD!!! haha. when God blesses, wow, he really doesnt hold back.. i dont know how the trip will actually turn out & what will happen, because today was just talking, but today is enough of a reminder to me that God DOES have EVERYTHING planned. i'm excited to see what it is. and for some reason, this excitement isnt limited to my africa travels, but i feel really expectantly of what God will do at home, when i get home.
hahah, its so weird that i'm thinking about this, but i'm so excited about spring break! :D

but first, tomorrow.
and then saturday.

grrr. but..

boring, bummer of a week.
the zimbabwe plan flew out the window because people backed out.
well, things like this happen all the time & i'm in africa... SO. plan B (:
but anyway, i entrusted this plan to God, so its not working according to my plan,
but its still in God's plans. i wonder what.

and now, i am blogging again because i have a ton of stuff to study! & an assignment to write that comes with thickthickthick documents to read & analyse. MAJOR BOO.. the sun was shining so nicely today as well & i was stuck in the house trying to study. i've never liked the sun as much at home, but here, I LOVE IT. i spend a lot of time in school reading (and eventually napping) while lying on the grass under the sun. its awesome. and when i get the chance to, i cycle to the lake, lie on the grass & read. note to self: find a quiet lake in Singapore (if possible)

life here has been pretty nice. i could really really live here.. at least while i'm studying. there's so much to do outside of school!ministry opportunities abound, a lovely nature reserve (one of many) within cycling distance, nice dinners costing only 10bucks and road trips to look forward to. until they get cancelled, like zimbabwe! speaking of road trips. its been 1.5 months here in school, and i still havent done a weekend away!!!! (joburg is not counted, thats like going to johor) on a brighter note, spring break is in 2 weeks, and it lasts for 12 days. WOOHOO.  plans in the works are either going up the eastern coast of south africa, throwing in Lesotho & Swaziland. or, if i can find 2 more people, going up to zimbabwe, through zambia and back down from botswana. the latter is an option that will get done either sooner or later, but it will SO get done.

people were talking about homesickness today. and it struck me that we are LIVING here. we are building relationships, developing bonds, moulding & being moulded. buying groceries, checking budgets, finding our way around, making certain routes our own,  recognising & slowly befriending the familiar faces, adapting to life as it is lived here.  when i leave, i'll know where to shop, what brand of bread i like, how to get to my favorite coffeeshop,  how much meat to bring to a Bring-your-own-meat-braai, and so much more!
names of places and roads will no longer be a strange-sounding word on my tongue, but they'll carry with them, memories & recollections of sights, sounds and smells.  these months here will always remain a part of our lives where we were absent from the happenings at home,  where friends & family lived lives without our participation, where, for a moment in eternity, we are South African students in the city of Pretoria.
this must be what it feels like to be a missionary overseas, although that would be waaay better!

this city really grows on you. i've stayed a month-half in taipei, 2 months on a ship and (as of now) 3 months here. and its a little bit like how the ship became "home", except, that "home" was a lot bigger & moved a lot more.  i really hate to imagine how it would be when the time comes for me to leave.  because, far off as it seems now, it will come way too soon. once i get back from spring break, its a month of classes, then exams, and my second (and last) travelling segment.

eish. i better get back to studying. lekker (good) slaap (sleep) not happening tonight neh.

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.

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!!!

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.