50 days

So, I've been here in South Korea for almost three months now. And as I've said it so many time before (because it's true and it's a good reminder to myself) that this place and her people are beautiful in so many ways :) But I also miss Malaysia and her people very much, and my heart is definitely there. :)

So, here's the countdown! Fifty days till my flight home. FIFTY! 50! Five-Zero! (Haha, it's not really that big of a deal :P Every single day is indeed precious.) Fifty days till home, family, loved ones, friends, and so much more. I'm excited but I'm also so aware of how much I'm going to miss Korea.

I want to make each day count. Bless someone, do something meaningful, try something new, grow in faith :)

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

- 2 Peter 1:5-8

I want to be prepared to go home, refreshed in God. With the knowledge and assurance that He is enough. :) I want to look back at these days and thank God for them and for what He has done and is doing in me. 

So, here's to 50 days to come, with God, here in Korea! :)

Picture taken from http://blog.connectionthebestmedicine.com/?p=1674

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Oh! Yesterday was my dad's birthday :) I am thankful to be able to call him "Daddy" and am blessed to be known as his daughter :) 

I love you, Daddy :) And I miss you truckloads here in Korea! Thank you for providing and caring for me all these years! For teaching us through your words and actions and for inspiring us is so many many ways. I love your heart for God and your compassion for people and pray that day by day you will continue to grow in His grace and refining. You're my hero, Dad! And one of the most important men in my life :) *BIGHUG* God bless you!

I love you :)

Wish I was there, PKV :)

Hello my fellow brothers and sisters :) This picture came up on my desktop the other day and it made me feel really nostalgic. It was during one of the AGM's where we took up the roles of those before us as well as a change of PKV's advisor. I miss each and everyone of you.

Well, the reason why I'm writing this is cause T.H.E. Camp is happening tomorrow :) And how I wish I could be there! Even as the leaders are preparing for whatever else needs to be prepared for tomorrow, I pray that each one of you will go with much expectations and excitement :)

THE Camp 2010, Cameron Highlands

This was camp during my first year :) And also the beginning of serving in PKV for me :) I thank God for the relationships we formed and all that He has brought us through. We're already in final year weihh!! (To those who are in my batch - Timothy, Joanne, Daniel, Philemon, Deborah, Noah, Sandra, Elaine, Sarah, Jun Ling :) Ahh, the memories. May you continue to walk each day in faith and grow deeper and deeper in love with Christ :)

THE Camp 2012

Lots has changed over the years and God has brought in even more new people into our family :) I can't wait to meet the new juniors when I come back :D Take care of one another and love each other earnestly, okay? :) It's all part of being God's family.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. - 1 Peter 4:8-9 

Finally, specially for my two favorite girls :) Remember this? Every time I think about this I will laugh to myself :D Hehe, funny lah.

Camp Director Debs! :) It has always been such a blessing to have served alongside you. Your encouragement and prayer and your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit has blessed us in so many ways. I wish I could be there this time round but I guess God does bring us through different seasons and phases in life. I'll be praying for you all still :) Keep trusting in God and enjoy what He is doing amongst you. May the joy of the Lord be your strength :)

Princess Joyce! Haha. Don't merajuk ok? :) And you don't always have to be Martha. Be Mary and sit at the Lord's feet, enjoy His presence and learn from Him. He is sovereign and almighty! And He is at work among you. Trust Him :) Thank you for all that you have been doing. Don't give up, persevere :) And know this; His strength is made perfect in weakness :)

I love you and miss you all :) Have a good camp! God bless!

Day 1 - Leaving Home

Never been so far away for so long in my life. Of course, there'll come a time when this will seem so trivial, but for now, it's quite something to me. 

My parents, Yew Leung and Ernest were at the airport to see me off. It was quick goodbyes and constant reminders to be careful and wishes for have a safe journey. I really love and miss them all :) Oh, and the night I flew off was Yew Meng's birthday too. Happy birthday, rounds. Am going to miss kacau-ing you these four months!

Leaving home makes you appreciate and miss your loved ones back home :) 

leaving on a jet plane

So, I'm flying off to Korea tomorrow! Wow, that's fast :\

In the past two weeks, I ended my teaching practice. It was bittersweet. Learnt a lot being in the school for about eight weeks (two weeks of Raya break do not count, haha) but there seems to be so much more to learn too. Was very touched by the efforts of my students in saying their goodbyes. I'll miss you, girls :)

Fellow Trainees :)

Had a family dinner on Monday - farewell for Yew Leung and I + Birthday celebration for Yew Meng and Sieh Ping + Celebration for Yew Kong's thesis successes (speaking and writing) I'm going to miss home :)

Tuesday was debriefing and reflection in UM about our teaching practice. Insightful and inspiring :) It was good to see everyone again. We laughed, told stories, encouraged each other and for Vindy and I bid farewell to our beloved coursemates. Had a makan-makan with Dr Visha and the Moral bunch :)

Dr Visha, Hanan and Vindy :)

With Shikin and Kat :D

All together now :D

Banana leaf - Yay! :)

Also got to meet up with Huey Lin, Jared and Ernest at The Grind :) It was good hearing from the working and the fresh graduates. I felt like a kid :P

Huey Lin, your perseverance and work inspires me. And when you ask, "So, what can we do?" It reminds me to keep asking that question too. 

Jared Koh, thank you for sharing and challenging us to become missionaries, teachers, politicians, people who make a difference. hope you get your call one day! heheheh. 

Ernest Lee, thank you for journeying with me and always showing me what it is to put love into action. Keep doing that, keep reminding yourself that God's call is better than what the world expects you to do/earn/be. 

 *To these who inspire and encourage me to make a difference in this broken world*

SWEEPers :)

Favorite boy in the whole wide world! :D

Today, we went back to the refugee school for awhile. I missed the kids. :) Hugs and high fives given. And was reminded at the end of the day how blessed I am to have Ernest in my life, such a BIIGG heart he has! :) Ernest, thank you for being patient, understanding and loving towards a broken, sometimes confused and often times confusing girl. I love you.

So anyway, all my bags are packed...

*starts singing*

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

...

Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane (aeroplane)

Don't know when I'll be back again (9th January 2013)

See you soon :) Hope I'll blog more when I'm there!

New chapter of my life, here I come :D

kurang manis

i was asking my mom as she was cutting a watermelon how do we choose good sweet watermelons? cause i've always wondered that every time we had to go shop for a watermelon :\ she said, "ask your dad."

so, i did.

and my dad said, "you press the watermelon. if it is hard, means it's ripe." (note that there was no mention of how sweet the watermelon would be)

okay, got it.

"how about all those patting the watermelon and listening to its sound thing people always do?" i asked.

"mm, don't know." dad said.

and we went on to taste the watermelon he had bought...

which turned out to be...

not sweet at all :\

"this is not sweet!" i said. my mom agreed with me.

and yew meng said, "well, diabetes is pretty chronic now. so, we bought kurang manis watermelon." then he took a bite and said, "wahh, this one really kurang manis!"

-.- mmhmm.

now, my quest is to discover the way of choosing a sweet watermelon :)

time to jog

yew leung: i think you should go jogging...

wai yan: why? fatter already?

yew leung: ....

wai yan: ....

yew leung: cause i fixed your jogging shoes already

 

hee, love the little brother

another goodbye

Last of my grandparents gone home to be with the Lord.

Bye, Poh-Poh.

I remember how you used to wait for us to come back to Ipoh for visits. You'd be waiting at the window and when you saw our car, you'd get excited.

I remember we had to speak loudly to you cause you were deaf and could not hear us. You used to wear a hearing aid but after some time in your old age, you didn't wear it anymore.

I remember how you made your way around, room to room, in little steps, clinging on to door frames and chairs for support. Your fall many years back did that to you.

I remember that before we left, we would all hug you one by one.
And the last time was when we went back to see you after Mah-Mah's funeral, about two months ago.

I hope you're happy in heaven now. And one day, I hope I shall meet you there too.

Chinese New Year 2011

In God, we are comforted. In God we hope.

beauty that refreshes

we were saying we could photoshop some sheep into this picture and go on to say we went to New Zealand :)

Took a trip with the family (minus Yew Meng, tambah Jack) and went to Janda Baik to visit Kok Onn. The place there is pretty amazing - simple and beautiful :) I like!

Travel bunch :)

Our intended trip was a camping trip (sleeping in tents, start a camp fire and roast marshmallows, swim in the cold river, eat canned food kind of thing). But plans changed and we decided on a little more comfort. But we still did a bit of the intended. :)

Swim in the cold river - checked!
Swimming against the current was pretty fun and entertaining :D

Start a camp fire - checked!
No marshmallows though :\

Instead we used the fire to dry ourselves :P

That night, while Kok Onn and Yew Kong went into the jungles to catch lizards, Jack, Yew Leung and I took  the poncho, laid it on the ground and spent a good two hours on our backs looking up at the stars. There were so many many many of them - uncountable!

We believe we found the Big Dipper, Small Dipper and Orion's Belt (and Orion who is very tegap!) but after google-ing about them, I have my doubts :P haha. We tried to find the North Star and assumed we found it. We also saw a shooting star flash past us. Other than that, we munched on tiger biscuits and drank mineral water. There were one or two kelip-kelips in the nearby tree.

The beauty of God's creation is simply amazing. The creation reflects the Creator :) And indeed it echoes in my heart, "Who am I that the Creator is mindful of me?" and with that I am filled with thanks and gratitude that He is mindful of me and He does care for me.

And this beauty refreshes me.
(or maybe it was the cold river water's effect)

When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?

Psalm 8:3-4

God bless, everything is God blessed.

Ask her about God’s goodness in her life and she will tell you about how God blessed her with a job as a clerk even though she had no qualifications whatsoever. She’ll tell you about how God provided for her children’s educations. And throughout her testimony she’ll say several times, “God bless, everything is God blessed.” And she always assured me God will provide.

I’ll remember her waiting up for me or my brothers when we were out late. She always disapproved of us going out and sleeping late. A few days back, she told me not to come home so late because it was dangerous, for girls especially. She always cared, always loved. I thank God for her life which has blessed mine.

"God bless, everything is God blessed."

yew leung and mah-mah :)

Mah-mah (my grandma) passed away today at 3.30pm. Passed away peacefully with almost all her children and grandchildren around her. As she breathed her last, we each said our goodbye’s and i love you’s to her. She has gone to heaven and one day, I’ll meet her there. We’re okay with letting her go, we just miss her very much. ♥

busted

today, i helped my mom dye her hair. it was fun cause we both had no idea how to do it with any proper systems, whether it’s from up to down or down to up, side to side. i don’t know. i just spread and combed through her hair with the dye.

because her hair was short and we had mixed the whole bottle of dye, we decided to dye my hair too. though i think there won’t be much difference as the colour is pretty dark (macam the first time i dyed my hair. super fail )

and as she spread the dye through my hair and tilted my head to the left, she said in shock, “Eh, why got earing here wan?! Since when you poke?”

uh oh. busted.  

i pierced my right helix in february and up till now, my parents have been pretty oblivious to it. hmm.

but mum’s ok with it, i guess. there was no further comment.
just, “Thanks for helping me dye my hair.”

fishaway

lately, i've been needing a getaway.

so my dad was going fishing,
and i haven't gone fishing in a long time.

and i remember how much i miss fishing.
the calm waters reflecting the trees and the sky,
waiting patiently for a bite.
quiet. peace. calm. rest.

and so i went on a fishaway :) with my dad and yewleung.

and this was what i got...

time spent with my dad and brother

pretty blue sky

a new friend. he's a charmer!

and i got a fish :) big one!

now, back to life.

i think i need to get a hobby.

like how daddy loves fishing.

i need to find a getaway hobby :)

...besides sleeping :\

have a lovely weekend :)

light & love

yesterday was,

Yew Kong & Charity's wedding :)

time flies. too fast.

my big brother is now married.

and STPM is this week already.

but i thank God.

i thank God that He is there through every season of our lives.

through the growing up years, watching over us and shaping us to be what He wants us to be (when we let Him).

teaching us to trust and hold on to Him through the crazyy times.

the painful times.

the hopeless times.

the desperate times.

He was there and will be there.

He puts little reminders along the way,

to remind us of Him, His love and who we are in Him.

He loves us.

God loves me.

:)

and that is what matters most.

i don't know how the post about the wedding turned into a post about God's presence in my life. hmm.

but anyway, yewkong's name means friend of light and charity's chinese name means true love.

light & love;

that's what God is to me. :)

familee.

now a little bit bigger :)

there's plenty of pictures :) but all in different cameras. will compile them together soon. i'm contemplating whether to go back on my little pledge to not facebook and just sign in to post up the pictures. hmmhmmhmm...

i don't have many of the newly-weds on this camera.

...

will post more up soon, promise.

but the promise has no due time in it. :P

and to miss inkkie,

Happy Sweet Sixteenth :)

you are precious and loved!

and despite them having their wedding on your birthday, i don't think they were trying to steal the limelight from you :)

*and your dress turned out purple in this picture! :D

we love you much.

i shall continue studying now.

oh, and people asking about STPM during the wedding and how my preps were coming along, was just really really potong on such a joyous occasion.

ah wells, it's a small talk thing.

kids' shampoo

one day when yewmeng was bathing in the bathroom upstairs :)

we had this conversation across bathroom doors.

yewmeng | waiyan

ehh, you're using the lavender soap i bought. nice right? :)

mmm, okaylah. eh, you using the kids' shampoo ar?

yeah, but i don't like it :( nice meh?

nice...go into my eyes not pain.

-.-"

can squirt into my eyes also not pain.

he's so weird.

but,

i love him lah :)

messy genes

i know where i got my affinity for messiness from. my dad :)

was supposed to get my passport *grins* done today BUT there was a huge crowd there. so, we'll be going again tomorrow, earlier.

followed my dad to his office in UM and his office was really a mess. like a hurricane ran through or something. but i have no qualms about it, i'm kind of okay with messes.

:) i love my daddy and am glad he's home.

okay, back to the books. pfft.

happy birthday, uncle keong :)

family gatherings are the

BOMB :)

and yesterday, we gathered to celebrate uncle keong's birthday.

this is uncle keong and his daughter.

the adults

the kids

inkkie and i

the youngest one of us all, emmett.
a kid filled with lots of energy.
he's like a, like a gummy bear! you know when they drink the juice, they start bouncing here, there and everywhere? seriously, never stops!

we were playing with fire at the park after our dinner and he wanted me to light a match. we wanted to teach him a little bit of manners, simple 'pleases' and 'thank yous'. and this how our conversation went.

emmett waiyan
hey, light the fire for me.
wait, what must you say first before asking people to do things?
*silence*
please...?
please.
please what?
*silence*
please...light the fire?
please, i like the fire.

hehe...reminded me a little of 'mind your language' episodes.

all in all, i enjoyed myself. good food, great company.
i love love love my family :D

helloo, august break!
now, if only you were longer and there were no trials right after.
that spoils it all, boo.

happy holidays!