in ho chi minh right now. its a lovely place. it feels like singapore a while back. i think i never make it as a tourist. i hate the tourist stuff. i think the way to enjoy a country is to spend plenty of time in the place, take your time to live in it and then you discover the things that you never seen before. i hate the - let's go to this this this and that that that. i need to understand the history before i want to know. anyway, i am not a war history person. it affects me too much personally. but its great being in hcm. i like some of the old shophouses that you dont see much in singapore and the overhead cables and all. i like walking around and lazing. and not knowing where i am going. God is good. i think SL probably hates me now. i was so nonchalent when we were walking around in the day. thats me. i hate talking when i am 'walking'. come to hcm. it is a good place. it is far safer than in phnom penh. yea.

dont really feel like typing about the trip. dont even feel like taking pictures.

RACHIE darling - I LOVE YA LOTS! hope you are enjoying your trip in the UK.

i miss my mum. haha. i havent called her since i reached hcm. i called her as i was leaving kampong speu.

lala. at the hotel lobby in full view of everyone. reading as i am typing.

i journal a fair bit. but i dont take pictures much. i havent finished even one picture. i should start drawing more as i go back to PKH.

lalalaa..

in a strange emo mood. wanna be...

sigh.. i dont know..

hahahahahhahahaha..

why is it just because you disagree then its wrong? we are so judgmental. i am. we all are, somehow. have i said before, i am kinda.. materialistic. not that i value material things, but i do choose my stuff quite selectively. for example.. i have many sketchbooks that cost 20-30 dollars. blank sheets cost cents per page.. but good design, good music, good artistes are worth the money. i indulge once in a while, bigger sketchbooks, new colour pencils, and while i indulge, i still fulfill my responsibilities to my family, my accountability to God and so whats wrong? just because we disagree.

anyway, i was telling my mom whether daddy could drive me to the airport earlier.. like 4.30 or sth. i am meeting shuling at 5. i just want some time to muse over things over a cuppa coffee. haha. mom asked me why i wanna sit alone. you cant your mom you enjoy being a loner. haha. she dont believe in being alone. haha. but i guess shes gonna do that for me!

i cant fit everything into my bag. and i think my bag has exceeded the weight limit. it would be fine if aunty yvonne didnt have those stuff we have to bring up. no, i am not complaining. its just that i am annoyed that things didnt go as planned. but oh well, i get to buy a new shoebag along with a new towel and new trackpants. ok. right after i typed that i decided that i will not buy a new towel. i dont use towels, why do i bring them then. hahaha.

today's worship is awesome. thank you God. rach, well done! and the kids were just so cool. its like its really a youth worship. nat played awesome drums. i was just looking at him cos if the pianist fails to attract my attention, i will look at the drummer. haha. anyways, he looks so 乐在其中. just simply enjoying the presence of the God he worships. i had fun at cell too. we are such a weird group. we had fun today i think. we learnt about prayers. and rach is so funny. we wanted to pray according to the steps, to allow them to understand what it means to enter God's temple, first with thanksgiving, then praise, then knowing that we have sinned and then petitioning and interceding. but she didnt really get all the steps right then minny said she will pray first but rach was like.. no way, i am already halfway there. haha. hilarious. i really liked the way grace responded today. cos she had to serve in main, so she left first. but i havent heard her prayer requests so i asked her online. she shared and she asked for the other requests as well so that she could pray for them. i think thats a very grownup thing and its really a joy to hear that. anyway, tim prayed for me in YE. and he asked me to go up as well as shirley's good friends to go up too. but only rach and ben stood up that moment. haha. so they said i had only that many good friends.. but its really cool to have my loved ones praying for me. hehehe. then i prayed for juan, sarah and gerald. it was funny too.

i was so distracted during main. tim's on my left and ian's on the right. minny, david, sarah and yanleen were behind. we were passing notes. and laughing. tim drew on my hand and its still there. we were having a good time at the wrong time. but it was fun. uncle benson and the kua family blessed us wth money for the trip. dora and some of the queenstown cell blessed us with prayers. and aunty georgin handed us a number we can turn to in cambodia. its awesome, all these people and more.

i carried thad for the last time in six weeks. i am gonna miss the thams. they are sucha cute family.

i am kinda sleepy. nites!
last post until i get to some internet stuff in phomn pehn.

(:

i was sitting around in my jeans just now. cos i put on a lot of weight lately, just wanted to make sure i fit into them well. i still need two pairs of socks and 2 pairs of trekkies. bleh. hahaa. i just messaged mz sir. he will be in hcm in june! i am so thankful. familiar face! hehee, i have never met any one familiar outside singapore before. so its kinda exciting.

went to andrew's house today because tim and min's wedding meeting is held there instead. actually when they ask me for the meetings, i do nothing but laugh at the madhouse-comedy and then eat lunch. todays lunch was pretty good. i had rendang, prawns.. woohoohoo.. i am growing fat. hheee.

farewell. i got lots to do tomorrow and monday.
i will be back - 6 weeks. no feelings yet. i will just start freaking out on monday night. peiqi peiqi, will you meet me at kallang mac like the last time before i left? you could bring yujun along too.. hahahhaa.

yea man. byebye!

(:

in the morn, i kinda wanted to stay home cos i got quite a number of things to do. but i went out and its kinda nice. but i guess i rather be a loner or a solitary person because i dont like people doing things for me. i care a lot about how people feel and all, and i get upset easily. when people dont speak their mind and heart's desire, nicely, they always end up getting hurt. how lame is that. honesty is really important. anyway, i ended my day well! heehee. i had mighty joe young but i hate the cinamon. i had kickboxing and all and i stink right now but i am so lazy to go and bathe. tomorrow we are going to andrew's house instead of tim's. yeayea.. i dont wanna eat mackers. i am gonna borrow my bro's jeans. hiak hiak. he is in china now!! hahaha.

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in the days of my youth, when i was young and reckless. i was sitting around des canteen with randy whom i call uncle. he asked ernest once, ernest james paul, why does he drives a mercedes. randy was expecting a legitimate answer - good engine, etc. ernest replied - randy, i am an arrogant bastard okay. haha.

very frank man.
whoa.
the stuff i remember.
haha.

i was reading my archives.
i am kinda weird.
in a strange way.
i am flying on tuesday.
i havent got my money changed yet.

yea.

(:

thad

thad, originally uploaded by shirley_s.

thad thad was sick a while back. now he looks better right? thank God for thad thad. thank God for watching him when he was sick. thank God for all the grace and mercy He shown when i least deserve it. i serve an awesome God!! anyway, thad is so cutee! mummy jo said that he learnt that new face today. i sent the pic to them already. hahaa. aunty laura and uncle pak chee hosted us for dinner tonight. i am such loser. got caught in the jam and couldnt meet william and jo in time. then i couldnt find the bus to take to tim's house and he had to pick me up. and i am such a klutz, i missed the place that he was going to take me. sigh. anyway, we had the usual, chicken, rice, soupp!, vegetable and fish.. but it was really nice sitting around and eating together. i got victimized. they were speaking in cantonese making fun of me cos i cant understand it. we played taboo after that. uncle pc and uncle william really couldnt function after 10. they lost to catherine and shuling. hahaha. its kinda fun. i wanna have a nice big dining table or living room next time so that i can host friends, the youths, the kiddos, my students, its gonna be fun right? haha. like this. y'know, the good thing about having money is the ability to give. i bought so many presents that it kinda look like christmas at home. for shu, ian, ernest, sooling, i got burnt cookies in the fridge. i like it! hahhaa.

i am getting over the sad stuff. perhaps learning that its a dog eat dog world and we cant always get the best out of things, the way we want. i guess i am too sensitive sometimes. being the youngest kid at home and getting pampered all the time doesnt help much in the big ugly world. but i am growing stronger i think.

i thought its kinda awesome when sooling messaged me just now. she just finished her exams today and she cared enough to remember that i wanna go to queensway. ITS COOL MAN!

my mum is getting jealous of thad. hahaha. cos i got more pics of him than her. but she always dont wanna let me take pictures of her. hahahaa. I LOVE MY MOM! ALOT! ALOT! hahaha. my mom is this awesome woman, wife, and mother but i dont wanna grow up to be like her. cos she cant cook my fav dish, she is too nice to her kids, she is a faithful wife, always looking beyond herself for her husband and children. i dont think i can ever be like that. she is a long suffering woman. poor mom! but i really love her lots.

i kinda miss where i am now. anyway, i saw this writing book that i really really liked at taka. but the one they have left is crap and they dont have what i want. i am so sad. and i wanted to sew yesterday and it was crap as well. i didnt finish it. i cooked lunch today and it turned out bad. oh well. i got kickboxing tomorrow as well as BS.

(:

anyway, i forgot something. my seventeen year old friend, your design conscious friend cant afford to buy you mr p table lamp. i will take you to asylum and you pick something. hahaha. then claim it from mr loke. hahahaha.

i went shopping today. shopping for the people i love before i leave for 6weeks. not very long but i want to leave nicely. haha. i bought a nice book. so sweet. and i cant find your book in mph, ian. can i just give you a voucher or sth, then you pick what you wanna! or not. i will go shopping somemore tomorrow.

kinda glad to be going off cos i wont spend 2 months pay in that case. hahahha. hohoho. finally some savings. hahaha. i need to get a job. tuition anyone? primary school!

i got funny friends' friends. hahaha. i was just reading emails. hahhaa. they crack me up. ahaha.

i wanna get something for my prayer buddy because she remained faithful even when i was not. lalalaa.

i wanna bake. no lemon cheesecake k! hahaa. kinda difficult actually. haha. i lost the recipe! oh dear!!

i wanna stuff myself silly before i leave for cambodia and pray that i got discipline to lose it when i am there. hahahaaha.

this is a silly post!

(:

the trip feels so real now that exams are over. the paper is sooooooper tough. if only i can pass it. my brother flew to china this morn. and then i will be leaving. oh dear oh dear. the house will be super quiet without us. i slam the door and he watches the teevee. thats a lot of noise. no i am kidding. jiayou ee-yer and friend for your geog paper. study hard and maybe you can see dr wang one more time in the exam hall. haha. i didnt 'see' dr want today cos i was concentrating very hard on my exams and i didnt look up. he is very very very er, erm.. i dont know. he asked very very difficult questions. i studied the mongols, the merchant class, t'ang, sung, urbanisation and maritime trade in sung. and the question he asked was account for the change or sth in the merchants from the Warring State period to the han dynasty. i never touched the han, the han is like centuries away from the sung. eh. i studied merchants in the ming. aiyaya. i hope i can pass. my mind was a total blank when i went in. terrible terrible.

):