Wow. The guys back home sure put up a heck of a show last weekend. Really regret not being around. Looked like they had alot of fun. All the decorations and props are so darn nice and expansive looking.
Gee. That puts some pressure on me to do a better job for the OCF musical.
Anyways, more pictures to come. Maybe a video. I hope someone will send me an article so I can post on the website soon. WELL DONE GUYS!!! I'm so proud to be a part of this company =)
Come for the Boys' Brigade 3rd Kuala Lumpur 50th Anniversary!!!
*Note: This entry is done cause there was no other way for me to resize the pictures.
Call me semangat or call me crazy.. but I've been up for the past 48 hours doing assignments!!! It's 7.15am now and again I'm in the lab doing up my life sucking routine. How's the essay at this point? Well, I've tidied up the introduction.. thats like.. 15% through? When's it due? 10am today.
Ironically, my essay is about how long-term planning is ineffective in a turbulent environment. How true. Two weeks of allocation for this.. and in the end I'm still doing my assignments last minute despite starting really early. I should use this as an example.
Wasted 5 minutes. Back to work!
5.15am in the computer lab. I've finished my second assignment and about quarter way done with my third. At this point. I feel really, really stoned. So bad I actually feel some of my nerves disconnected. Numb. The four hour afternoon nap and the thick dose of coffee I took earlier on didn't do the trick. Maybe it did.. but it sure doesn't feel.. alive.
I can't wait for the next 24 hours or so to just rush by like a rushing wind.. and I say I can't wait assuming my assignments all worked out and done of course.
I need a vacation. Feel like driving to the beach or something.. rent a car and head out. Any takers?
12.42am in the Monash Clayton's 24 Hour Access computer labs.. it's just the same as any other day of late. It's been roughly two week after my laptop adapter blew up. Sure its inconvenient.. needing to stay back overtime in uni just to useMS Word and read e-journals. There are times when I'd be home after class just for a quick nap before I'm out again.. walking or cycling to uni in the cold.. often when it's dark. With three assignments due, I really appreciate the comfort of using the laptop at home. Being able to watch movies to destress when I need a break.. chatting with friends using the full features of MSN Live Messenger 8.0 at my disposal.. all this done while lying down on my bed.. with the nice comfy quilt over me.. with my laptop sitting nicely on top of the quilt which in turn is above my lap. 
Traits that I really miss.
But I came to understand that God has been really gracious.. making a way out for me by providing the available computer labs to be able to do my assignments in. Though times have been difficult with seamlessly little time to study and time itself passing through like no ones business.. God's mercies are constant. How He has provided for me in time of need.. is truly amazing. Oh, and sufficient! At least I could still allow myself the destressing convenience of chatting with my friends and watching videos on YouTube. It's a far cry from what I've been able to do.. but I still by all means am truly grateful to God for His providence. Glory to Him in the Highest!
I've finished one assignment out of the three coming in this first round. The next 5 days need to be like clock work. I can't wait for my new laptop adapter to come.. but I'd like to take this "opportunity" to convert my sufferings to a form of fasting.. away from comfort and convenience.. learning to lean on Him in faith that through this technological nightmare He'll pull me through.
1.08am - I'm signing off. Going to Richmond with Hwei Sing tomorrow (God provided a car and a friend!). Good night.
It's almost spring! Love's in the air! Like somethings about to explode into a great feast of joy..
How does it feel like? Dilemma.
It's the most confusing feeling.. with thoughts of go and don't flashing at you at the same time. It's a clash between personal desire and the reality of things which goes against your favour.
It's as subtle as the dreams of buying a Ferrari.. but what you could really afford is a Kancil. Dreams which are only ideal in your mind but is nothing close to what dreams can reach in reality.
It's a mesh of stupidity and smarts with the thinness line between them.. with one moment you could say that what you did was smooth and the next move was extremely dumb.
It's a major distraction a person starting a new OCF center with many 3rd year assignments DOESN'T needs and would absolutely have none of.
Yet the heart and mind still plays games.
A loosing game.
Relapse. The heart says go but the mind says no, "Look around. No way. You'll only stumble. It's a one way. Don't be an idiot. You don't have time. What for? It's not mutual."
Then God speaks, "Lay back. Wait. Seek first My Kingdom."
I shall wait for the next spring of my life to come.
This years OCF ball, being my first, was held at Albert By The Lake. It was a fundraiser event for this years convention at the end of the year. Only 9 people from OCF Clayton went (takde semangat la!) while other centers sent like 40-50. Oh well. Better than none. Here are some pictures..
Hwei-Ming & I
Marianne and I (Ben's sister.. and Parkville OCF's Chairman)
Lydia and I.. we were from Taylors CF back in 2003
Steven and I.. pioneers of Berwick OCF!
Ping Han and I.. wow.. haven't seen him for years! We were both from the same batch in BB, though he's from 1st KL.. going through Basic NCO Training and Fireman's course together. So glad he's now serving with Carlton OCF.
Glorie and I.. both of us are Presidents Badge recipients.. Glorie was a former Staff Sergeant as well from 10th KL. Finally get to bump into her in Melbourne.
(Disclaimer: There was a shot of me and Hwei Sing aka Jesslyn.. but for some reason xanga doesn't wanna post that pic. So don't get mad at me for not featuring that one yah =P)
Cutesie pose!
OCF Clayton take 2!
Three weeks into the semester with thoughts of a busy week ahead.. starting with an important presentation on Monday.. but I decided to have none of that! Together with a bunch of OCFers we ascended upon Mt. Buller, one of the popular snow cap mountains in Australia. We went up in two groups - the random-happenning group and of cause the anti-social Joy-Jedi CG (just kidding!).. with a total of 6 cars. 
Pick up was at 2.45am. I was following Joshua Khoo with carmates Julian Saw and Elisa Mak. All cars gathered at Monash and departed at approximately 4am. It was less than a two and a half hour drive to the Motor Inn.. our home for the night. But we didn't quite stop and lazed around there.. we quickly rented our gear.. chucked our things into the rooms.. and were off on our way up hill!
I can still remember that moment I gazed upon the small patches of snow as we ascended bit by bit to the top. SO SATISFYING! I've always wanted to see snow. Now it's no longer a thing you only see on television.. it is REAL! (Okay.. very jakun Malaysian.. but I'm sure you all understand.. right?). Slowly and surely the surroundings turned white. Julian matched my thoughts exactly.. "It's like Narnia!"
On the way up Mt. Buller..
.. about 10 minutes later!
After hurrying getting our cars parked.. the most next sensible thing for us to do.. was to have a snow fight! But it didn't last too long.. maybe we realise that it was a little childish. And YES! I got to touch snow! Little did I know I'd be getting alot of snow in my face later on..
I was mainly boarding along Bullet.. one of the ski runs. There were a few.. but this was one of the longer beginner runs. The first 4-5 hours were horrible.. kinda made me regret coming for the trip. In the beginning it was all about trying to get up.. then it's about staying 
up. I probably fell down front and back over a thousand times. Thank God the snow was soft.. if not it would've been really painful. It was truly a pain in the ass (literally) with much pain also inflicted on my wrists. My bag threw me off balance. The moment I chucked it away in a locker I was able to go much much further snowboarding. So people.. do not bring your bags along while snowboarding. It's a real burden.
The mountains didn't feel cold despite it being -4°c. I was wearing only two layers.. maybe the cold "killed" my nerves or something. Despite it not feeling cold.. it was definitely was.. so cold my hair and sweat froze. Some people said I looked like Naruto! But really.. the cold isn't as cold as it looks. Snowboarding/skiing is quite a workout.
Time past by in a flash. Before we knew it, darkness fell and we were all tucked into Subway having tea (internal definition. For Australians tea = dinner). Soon we departed back to our motel.. but not before encountering some problems with the cars. Everything was frozen solid! The windscreen and other glass mirrors. All the cars decided to put chains on their wheels (something you need to do to gain grip under thick snowy conditions). Josh decided not to put.. cause we saw a few cars doing down without putting the chains on. So we went down first while the others were hestitant and waiting for the rest. Josh and I didn't wanna take a gamble as the snow was getting thicker by the minute. Once we cleared the snow we waited for the rest who never showed up after a 15 minute wait. So we headed back to the motor inn and was the first to reach. We took our baths.. and nicely thucked ourselves in.. even got the fire going to cook dinner. Haha.. I bet the others were pissed. Cause they nagged us to put the chains on as well but we didn't while they had to put the chains on and take them off again in the cold while the four of us were in comfort and warmt of the Motor Inn. Oh well, enough note on how smart we were. Ahaha!
The next day we played it safe cause the authorities told us to put the chains on.. to Joshua's horror. Apparently the chains mess up the balance/alignment of the car.. so he'd rather not put them on. Anyway, after a small fuss we were up and there on peaks of Buller ready to snowboard again!
There's nothing much to tell apart from the fact that most of us enjoyed ourselves during this trip. Towards the end of the second day I was just getting the hang of it.. and trying the speedier moves. Unfortunately I ran out of time and we reluctantly had to leave. I'm so so sure I'll be back again next year!
Looking up upon the skiing slopes of Mt. Buller
Me, Melissa, Rachel and Ruo (it must be said that Melissa also kept falling on the first day.. but greatly improved on the second day! So geng!)
Oh yes. A big THANK YOU to Jeremy Ye (left pic) for organising this and all the drivers, especially Joshua Khoo (note to BB members, Joshua is related in some way to Khoo Onn Soo, founder of 1st KL! He is also the nephew of Lt. Daniel Khoo of 1st Penang). I'm not sure about Mt. Buller... but I'll definately be snowboarding again! Next time maybe at Falls Creek. Who knows.. hmm.
On 2nd August 2007 an odd group of 11 students meet up in the premises of OCF Berwick. Among them was 1 pastor, 3 Clayton students and the rest students from Berwick. This is the first step towards Gods great plan for the uni!
No this is not a repeated topic.. it's a whole new series of unfortunate events! After the horrid Friday when everything broke down.. guess what happened today? My laptop adapter blown up!!! So at the moment I can't use my laptop.. which to me is a FREAKING HUGE deal! I need to get things done for uni, BB and OCF~! This feels like a bad dream...
I know the devils just trying desperately to discourage me this semester.. too many cheap tricks out of the ordinary. Please pray for God's divine protection over me....
