its been a very random & awesome tuesday. (and blogger's time/date setting is messed up, its not on sg time nor is it on SA time.) lastminute & random trip to joburg with m-l. saw an amazing lightning storm, loaded a huge sofa into a bakkie, went out for chinese food, and the one day that i could sleep early, my brain decided to run at topspeed & i lay awake, in bed, until a freaking 5am. seeeeeriously, i just want to unplug my brain sometimes. and today was, well, a very conflicted, but blessed one still.
somewhere between the wrong and the right.
somewhere between the darkness and the light.
somewhere between who i was and who you're making me.
somewhere in the middle, you'll find me.
with eyes wide open to the differences,
the god we want and the God who is,
but will we trade our dreams for His?
are we caught in the middle?
because i am. or rather, my flesh is. i'm stuck. somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more. its such a huge opportunity. and exciting too. but i know where i am supposed to be. problem is, for the third time, i feel sooo attracted to it that i feel i will regret this or that my life will be characterised by a series of could-have-beens. but that was just my carnal self talking, i see that now. not that it makes things any easier..... (because i wish knowing it would make things easier!)
2 of my econs mates are going & we only found out after the list was released. and then, i checked the list of companies available. and things went downhill from there. went home to nap & think about it, and this song really spoke to me... my dreams for God's plans. am i willing? sometimes, for me, direct questions are key. pft. today makes me wonder how many more times i have to say NO. no. no. N.O. *brain, did u get that? N. O. NO. stop running wild now! NO.*
quite an exhausting day, but met thloki & molly for coffee in school. and it was so great listening & learning. i hope greatergrace will eventually come to sg. they resemble the church in Acts (noted by another visitor, but something i fully agree with). now, time to pack my room & catch up on that elusive sleep. its a long day of project discussion tomorrow. eishhh.
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
an overdue update.
Monday, October 18
it is what it is.
a. long. overdue. (and more organised) update of all the nonsense that i got up to over a very happening spring break. (: it was a trip of many firsts. and of course, manymany exciting (more like DUMB, when i finally see this trip from in hindsight). i've got quite a few short interrupted spurts of stories here and there thus far and its going to be impossible to list them all down (plus the stupid comments i've heard!). so this is a short overview of the awesomest (and some of the dumbest) things i have seen, heard and did. (:
so, 4 guys and me jump into a tiny car 2 days before spring break officially starts, and we head off into the unknown territory of Southern Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe with no plan except a map, a return date, and 3 destinations. that very long sentence i just typed contains so much more experience than i can ever express. amazing huh.
to be honest, it wasnt the best trip i've taken. i've been to more and less exciting places, travelled with more and less planning, but this was, i would say, special. partly because i guess i'm a teeny bit more mature, somewhat more observant and accepting of people, and a whole lot more flexi-time/schedule. these were probably why the trip came out well overall. but the experiences were so.ultra.freaking.cool! before i get into details, these are some of the highlights/eggciting/cool stuff that happened.
the victoria falls. one of the seven wonders of the world. it. was. breath. take. ing. seriously. Great barrier reef is awesome and yes, i've never seen the other 7 natural wonders, but this was.... (i wont ruin it with my description). we spent a day on the Zimbabwean side. and i'm veryvery set on getting back there and into the Zambian side to swim in the (very aptly named) Devil's Pool. [parenthesis: seeing that made me think of how Satan tried to tempt Jesus to throw Himself off the cliff and how he misquoted scripture]. that was just incredible.
Zimbabwe - Gwanga: accommodation "crisis" (according to the dutchboys)
Zimbabwe - Vic Falls: typical msian-style bribery on the roads, encountering the terms "forgetment fee" for certain "grass products", x2 wedding proposals in 1 night (heeelarious!),
Botswana - Maun: teaching the boys how to be a little smarter and ask for directions, campfire: getting initiated to the rites of outdoor fires & getting burnt.
Okavango delta: mokoro trail (its a traditional canoe), elephants up closee, REAL camping, hippo which was a bit tooo close for comfort (!!), trekking through the bush at 5.30am in the morning.
Francistown: wandering around town alone taking photos and getting threatened, talking & drinking with some smart and not-so-smart people.
Gaborone: william (awesome kid whose dad gave me & shane free accommodation), climbing huge rocks. oh, and achievement of the trip: seeing one little dutch boy learn how to ask for directions! hehh.
the trip wasnt ultrasuperduper fun. but it was amusing. the dutch boys unknowingly provided me with a lot of amusement. another conversation i cannot forget:
L: "oh, nooo, i travel a lot..at least 2 to 3 months every year i'm travelling.."
me: "i see, where to?" (at this point, i am truly interested in what he's saying. its still early in the trip)
L: "spain, italy, names about x number of countries in europe."
me: "wow, thats a lot of europe.. but outside europe?"
L: "nah, this is my first time in another continent"
me: "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"
L: "yeah.. *looks surprised* why? europe is very different!"
....
conversation goes on while he tries to explain how different europe is, (i believe him on that point and i know i need to go to europe soon), but eventually, my brain shuts down with the thought, oh my goodness! and conversation dies off because L has "won" the point/argument/conversation (whatever that exchange of words was.) ok, honestly, first few days, that was just plain annoying. especially when he tried to argue with me about photo pixels & the rule of thirds. but then, once i realised (it did take a while) his style, it started to become really really amusing. shane told me he played games with them, arguing from yes, and to a no, and they'd oppose him just as vehemently. see what i mean by amusing??
photoblog update HERE. (:
anyway, just to explain this long post: i am procrastinating yet again. leopards dont change their spots...
a. long. overdue. (and more organised) update of all the nonsense that i got up to over a very happening spring break. (: it was a trip of many firsts. and of course, manymany exciting (more like DUMB, when i finally see this trip from in hindsight). i've got quite a few short interrupted spurts of stories here and there thus far and its going to be impossible to list them all down (plus the stupid comments i've heard!). so this is a short overview of the awesomest (and some of the dumbest) things i have seen, heard and did. (:
so, 4 guys and me jump into a tiny car 2 days before spring break officially starts, and we head off into the unknown territory of Southern Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe with no plan except a map, a return date, and 3 destinations. that very long sentence i just typed contains so much more experience than i can ever express. amazing huh.
to be honest, it wasnt the best trip i've taken. i've been to more and less exciting places, travelled with more and less planning, but this was, i would say, special. partly because i guess i'm a teeny bit more mature, somewhat more observant and accepting of people, and a whole lot more flexi-time/schedule. these were probably why the trip came out well overall. but the experiences were so.ultra.freaking.cool! before i get into details, these are some of the highlights/eggciting/cool stuff that happened.
the victoria falls. one of the seven wonders of the world. it. was. breath. take. ing. seriously. Great barrier reef is awesome and yes, i've never seen the other 7 natural wonders, but this was.... (i wont ruin it with my description). we spent a day on the Zimbabwean side. and i'm veryvery set on getting back there and into the Zambian side to swim in the (very aptly named) Devil's Pool. [parenthesis: seeing that made me think of how Satan tried to tempt Jesus to throw Himself off the cliff and how he misquoted scripture]. that was just incredible.
Zimbabwe - Gwanga: accommodation "crisis" (according to the dutchboys)
Zimbabwe - Vic Falls: typical msian-style bribery on the roads, encountering the terms "forgetment fee" for certain "grass products", x2 wedding proposals in 1 night (heeelarious!),
Botswana - Maun: teaching the boys how to be a little smarter and ask for directions, campfire: getting initiated to the rites of outdoor fires & getting burnt.
Okavango delta: mokoro trail (its a traditional canoe), elephants up closee, REAL camping, hippo which was a bit tooo close for comfort (!!), trekking through the bush at 5.30am in the morning.
Francistown: wandering around town alone taking photos and getting threatened, talking & drinking with some smart and not-so-smart people.
Gaborone: william (awesome kid whose dad gave me & shane free accommodation), climbing huge rocks. oh, and achievement of the trip: seeing one little dutch boy learn how to ask for directions! hehh.
the trip wasnt ultrasuperduper fun. but it was amusing. the dutch boys unknowingly provided me with a lot of amusement. another conversation i cannot forget:
L: "oh, nooo, i travel a lot..at least 2 to 3 months every year i'm travelling.."
me: "i see, where to?" (at this point, i am truly interested in what he's saying. its still early in the trip)
L: "spain, italy, names about x number of countries in europe."
me: "wow, thats a lot of europe.. but outside europe?"
L: "nah, this is my first time in another continent"
me: "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"
L: "yeah.. *looks surprised* why? europe is very different!"
....
conversation goes on while he tries to explain how different europe is, (i believe him on that point and i know i need to go to europe soon), but eventually, my brain shuts down with the thought, oh my goodness! and conversation dies off because L has "won" the point/argument/conversation (whatever that exchange of words was.) ok, honestly, first few days, that was just plain annoying. especially when he tried to argue with me about photo pixels & the rule of thirds. but then, once i realised (it did take a while) his style, it started to become really really amusing. shane told me he played games with them, arguing from yes, and to a no, and they'd oppose him just as vehemently. see what i mean by amusing??
photoblog update HERE. (:
anyway, just to explain this long post: i am procrastinating yet again. leopards dont change their spots...
another day, another story.
Wednesday, October 13
today's story is about refrigerator quibbles. sounds interesting hey. lets just call everyone in the house w,x,y &z. oh yes, and there's me. (:
so last night, i came home to find a note on the refrigerator by w, saying, "GIRLIES", could we not set the fridge thermostat to such a low temp because "my stuff keeps freezing >insert sad smiley here<". and it ended with a great big THANKS!! >insert smiley here<. keep in mind, its summer now and its h-o-t. ok, i will keep my neutrality here because it is just so amusing. but this morning, i find ANOTHER note! written on the bottom by x, which went something like, could we also wash the dishes after using them and eat ONLY the food that you buy. Thanks, x. talk about being direct! thats not the end of it.. our friend y, poured out her entire thoughts on paper & wrote an essay about guidelines and suggested rules on community-living. sometimes i love some of my housemates! (:
and if anyone is wondering, z and me are staying the heck out of this. no. way. i. am. getting. involved. no. way. but, well, w found a bone to pick with y, and guess what she suggested? *drumroooll* HOUSE MEETING. about what? THE FRIDGE TEMPERATURE?! seriously, never in my entire life could i have imagined i came all the way to south africa to experience one of the many joys of communal living - having a house meeting to agree on the temperature setting of the fridge. i am half ultra-amused and half ultra-exasperated. these few weeks are going to be interesting. especially since w gets really stressed about her papers and well, this is submission season. oh. and i forgot to mention that for w, her communal-living skills are negatively correlated to her stress levels. i wonder how i will react to these house-dynamics.
personally, she's already getting on my nerves. but, anyway, house-drama aside, its been quite a happening week. i took my photo of the day today. it isnt fantastic and i'm loathe to show it, but sadly, i think i've forgotten how i used to love taking photos that told a story. now, i make photos to record memories. though they're special because of when & where they were taken, sadly enough, they dont really have any value to anyone else. i think i need to hit the "restart now" button. i have 2 more months to get this going. :D
meanwhile, from the time i spent blogging about this house-drama and watching grey's drama, my international economics project remains un-researched. but i've learnt a lot about life & people. (: so i did come to SA for studies after all, just that these are studies of people in various contexts. i.e. arrogantly ignorant europeans who dont function all that well when taken out of their uniquely different european region, blissfully or maybe, not-so-blissfully ignorant afrikaaner guys who have never taken the minitaxis but, a lot more positive lessons from people actually. (: oh and i forget, i've also learnt about a lot ignorant girls who assume something about almost anything and who finds herself in the dumbest of dumb self-created dilemmas. (i cant criticise so many people without some self-criticism too right?) but its true, and i'm all the better for it.
so last night, i came home to find a note on the refrigerator by w, saying, "GIRLIES", could we not set the fridge thermostat to such a low temp because "my stuff keeps freezing >insert sad smiley here<". and it ended with a great big THANKS!! >insert smiley here<. keep in mind, its summer now and its h-o-t. ok, i will keep my neutrality here because it is just so amusing. but this morning, i find ANOTHER note! written on the bottom by x, which went something like, could we also wash the dishes after using them and eat ONLY the food that you buy. Thanks, x. talk about being direct! thats not the end of it.. our friend y, poured out her entire thoughts on paper & wrote an essay about guidelines and suggested rules on community-living. sometimes i love some of my housemates! (:and if anyone is wondering, z and me are staying the heck out of this. no. way. i. am. getting. involved. no. way. but, well, w found a bone to pick with y, and guess what she suggested? *drumroooll* HOUSE MEETING. about what? THE FRIDGE TEMPERATURE?! seriously, never in my entire life could i have imagined i came all the way to south africa to experience one of the many joys of communal living - having a house meeting to agree on the temperature setting of the fridge. i am half ultra-amused and half ultra-exasperated. these few weeks are going to be interesting. especially since w gets really stressed about her papers and well, this is submission season. oh. and i forgot to mention that for w, her communal-living skills are negatively correlated to her stress levels. i wonder how i will react to these house-dynamics.
personally, she's already getting on my nerves. but, anyway, house-drama aside, its been quite a happening week. i took my photo of the day today. it isnt fantastic and i'm loathe to show it, but sadly, i think i've forgotten how i used to love taking photos that told a story. now, i make photos to record memories. though they're special because of when & where they were taken, sadly enough, they dont really have any value to anyone else. i think i need to hit the "restart now" button. i have 2 more months to get this going. :D
random, disjointed thoughts.
Tuesday, October 12
some very random thoughts from today.
- the housemate is back. and our house (the rest of us), is in mourning. ok, i exaggerate. she's not all that bad, really. just that she's got a few not-communal-friendly habits. like, not flushing the loo and helping herself to other people's food. and i should probably stop entertaining these thoughts..... these few months came with quite a few personalities. i.will.learn.
- i have exactly 65 days left before i leave SA.
- should probably study. i've got another test tomorrow afternoon. and bigggg deadlines coming up. not really that much different from NUS deadlines, but i feel a lot less stressed because, i'm not clawing desperately at marks for that elusive A-grade.
- it struck me today that i havent eaten out much at nice restaurants here. but i have time to catch up on that.
- the rand is appreciating against the sing dollar. or rather, the USD has depreciated against the rand, and because the sing dollar is pegged to a basket of currencies (of which includes the USD). i would be getting less rand for my dollar if not for the fact that my mom does things to the extreme. i.e. when i asked her to transfer 1k, she transferred a whole lot more, so now, i dont have to worry about exchange rates & when to pay my housing bills. funny how things work out sometimes eh?
- i want to see a shooting star!!! (random spurt of conversation overflow)
- the housemate is back. and our house (the rest of us), is in mourning. ok, i exaggerate. she's not all that bad, really. just that she's got a few not-communal-friendly habits. like, not flushing the loo and helping herself to other people's food. and i should probably stop entertaining these thoughts..... these few months came with quite a few personalities. i.will.learn.
- i have exactly 65 days left before i leave SA.
- should probably study. i've got another test tomorrow afternoon. and bigggg deadlines coming up. not really that much different from NUS deadlines, but i feel a lot less stressed because, i'm not clawing desperately at marks for that elusive A-grade.
- it struck me today that i havent eaten out much at nice restaurants here. but i have time to catch up on that.
- the rand is appreciating against the sing dollar. or rather, the USD has depreciated against the rand, and because the sing dollar is pegged to a basket of currencies (of which includes the USD). i would be getting less rand for my dollar if not for the fact that my mom does things to the extreme. i.e. when i asked her to transfer 1k, she transferred a whole lot more, so now, i dont have to worry about exchange rates & when to pay my housing bills. funny how things work out sometimes eh?
- i want to see a shooting star!!! (random spurt of conversation overflow)
a-picture-a-day. i've yet to catch up with all the pre-Tuks pictures. & this is just a funny one for today.
another random picture of the day, just because.
dont you just love the demanding face of this baby! and her parents are such awesome people-personalities too! (: ok, i think this post was random enough. photos of babies & failed (but funny) jumpshots, and of things ranging from economics to astrology.. its probably about time to resume my studying.