You are the reason

I've a new little brother!:)

His name is Geberegziabher Hailay, he's turning 8 this year and he likes football and science.

He's from Ethiopia, which has a population of 73.8 million but is only slightly larger than South Australia (In all, Australia has 19.7 million people).

For many Ethiopians, the staple food is injera, a flat, spongy sour bread. It is eaten with wat, a spicy stew; but meat is a luxury.

Most rural women recieve no health care during preganancy and childbirth.

HIV and AIDS is also a serious issue, as it is in other parts of Africa.

Comparatively speaking...

Ethiopia Australia

Population living on
less than $2/day

80% 0%

Population with an
improved water source

22% 100%

Adult literacy rate

Male- 49% Male- 99%
Female- 33% Female- 99%

% population undernorished

46% 0%

Life expectancy

47 years 80 years


David Palmer said something during our camp last year that really struck me. He said that in essence, we're living in the matrix. Or least, you and me, presumably from either Singapore or Australia.

The real world out there is not simply what you perceive it as, as you peer out of your window to observe your equally middle-class neighbour.

30,000 children worldwide die every day from preventable diseases.

More than 300 million children go to bed hungry each day.

Over 1 billion children and adults have no clean drinking water.

Does that mean I should in fact consider the option of slapping my future son for begging me or squealing and screaming for the next new wii, or xbox?

Well, before I get sent off under possible police custody for child abuse, I'll tell him that those statistics were not something I came up with before I settled into my 500-thread linen bedded king-size King Koil after a very satisfying mummy-cooked pork rib with peanut soup.


Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

www.worldvision.org.sg

www.worldvision.com.au

mimi: haha why??:) sorry i didnt talk to you on sunday..but will talk to you soon okay? busy studying up to easter break next friday!:) 3 tests next week, pray for me okay? love you my strong mummy:)))

kare: are you serious? that's good!!:) yeah go for it kare, God wants your heart of immediate obedience:)) haha what is facebook?? haha even my friendster is dying, how to get facebook hahaha:)

poi: poi poi!!! how are you? i wanted to ask you, have you heard of some Golden Key honour society before? it has Chapters in US..tell me if you've heard of it okay? how's everything?:) yeah, its getting colder..the weather's erratic=((

queen: haha good good..im also another discount queen;) dont worry..you'll find another hairband u'll love in no time i hope!:) go wear the hairband i gave you!:)

mel/queen: yar lar, she thinks she's our mummy hahaha. mel!! i hope ure doing sth cool for easter!! haha..queen's still acting as the 'poor girl' yeah? haha i think it'll be super funny!!:)) btw, go tag melvin's blog link on the left!!:) macci- ;) he thinks my blog is 'crazy' -_-
________________________


I'm glad I talked to Jimmy and Sweet on Sunday. And some part of Mel's life coaching nuggets of wisdom helped ask the tough questions as well.

For one of the first times in my life, I finally know what I want. Over the years, I've realised that I have to really want something in order to succeed in it. Once I commit my heart and mind into it, I will see it through to the end.

PSLE was one of them, then dance ministry way back, then came softball, now the Casey worship team. I really put my heart into all of these, turning up for practices no matter how tired I would be and knowing that second best just wasn't good enough.

Looking ahead, I know it's not going to be easy, but hey.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9

It's staring at me everyday, along with Psalms 23 and my "I believe in miracles" precious moments slab.


"You have to ask yourself, what is it that you'll wake up every morning to, knowing that this is what you want to do."

"Char you sound like you want it, it's just how much you want it."
"I used to watch ER and start crying because I wanted to be one of them."

It's okay, because I was trying hard not to cry throughout the whole conversation.


Oceans Will Part- Hillsongs Mighty to Save

If my heart has grown cold
There Your love will unfold
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands

When I’m blind to my way
There Your Spirit will pray
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands

Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of Your call
Hope will rise glory shown
In my life Your will be done

Present suffering may pass
Lord Your mercy will last
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands

And my heart will find praise
I’ll delight in Your ways
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hands

hy: now it's the visit karenandcharlene fund:) wanna join in fundraising? instead of getting a new and trendy laptop bag which i don't mind getting myself;) oh eh! that brand is made in melbourne! you can personalise it yeah? hahaha. i miss you:)

Everyday, they pass me by


I can see it in their eyes


Empty people filled with care, heading who knows where


On they go, through private pain, leading day to day


Laughter hides their silent cries, only Jesus hears


When will we realise, that we must give our lives


For the world needs the Lord.

_____________________________


debo: post ur results!! I replied u on my tag board:)

mich: haha replied you on my tag board too!:) hey i'll be goin to the city on sun morn=( bad timing huh.. =( okay, whiney kuku and i shall forgive ur blurness, in replacement of a date with you!!:)

mel: haha i only rem kuku and i bought hairbands together! haha cos the rest of the girls at casey aren't bimbotic, which is a very good thing anyhow. haha no im sorry, i can't let everyone else see my true colours, they wouldnt want me on the worship team anymore!! haha i cant cos i cant make to church that day, got a camp!!:) mel! hugs:)

kare: hey! haha i havent met you since sec sch days..maybe only once in jc? yeah..seems so long ago. :) but hey! hope you're having a great time too dear!:) God bless lots:) you can e-mail me if you want yeah? anytime:)

cherie: hahaha -bows- thanks! haha hope you enjoyed ur day..and i only just found out about your other half..am i slow or is it your fault? -_- hahaha:) have fun!!!

rawr: hahahaha okay HY COME. yeah, it'll be great to have you!!:) come after end of april at least, then i can drive you around:) i think my term should end mid-end-june:) shopping is good here..is it good in bris? hehehe;)

shuk: oh no..can you all stop holding me ransom, it's annoying!! hahaha. yar, since ure my good fren, i'll tell you!!:) yay! i hope we end up in the same group!! haha let's go pull a few strings haha..and hey! thanks for the email! that someone special is really very special;) will reply in a very short due course haha:)) take your time to pray and don't agree to too many responsibilities yeah? studies also come first, in a way:) -hugs, so proud of you!!:)

haha, okay Stella, quite true lar..haha.

1. You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

2. In the process of courtship, the approach that would make you feel irresistable is straight-forward, just tell you he/she loves you.

3. The impression you would like to give to your lover is optimistic.

4. You don't like it when your partner is emotional and/or too moody; and you don't know how to please him.

5. The kind of relationship you would like to build with your partner is one that you care not only about the present but also the future with your partner, a long-lasting relationship that you can grow with.

6. You care about the society and morality, you won't do anything wrong after marriage.

7. You think of marriage as a precious thing. Once you get married, you'll treasure it and your partner very much.

8. At this moment, you don't have the thirst for love, you can't do anything for it, you won't fall for it easily.

http://www.naucon.net/misc/tests/love_test01.htm

*Attn: long post ahead, read Bday shoutouts and tag replies below!!:)


Pink, Blue and the dog named Boo-



Today was declared our random blue day, after much ado about pink the day before..


So here's us with our twin blouse, aka 1/3 of Stella's present from the team!:)


Audrey, Claire and us with Israel! aww..he's really very very cute!:)


Sisters:)


And this one's for Mel..taken on my bday last year:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!:)


You're 22, serving God and enjoying Melbourne- how awesome is that? :)

*Warning, overload of us ahead;)


I think you think...


This one's funny, cos Wayne's in the middle by accident haha..


A tired housewife with her cheerful babysitter hahaha, but no, that's not the craziest shot..brace yourselves...

...
...


aiyo!! what's this...hahaha. our worship director caught with one of our fav bags!!

haha nah, we had lotsa fun!!!


Us with Caleb and Chloe!! (who have incidentally, some relation to the male model above)


yay reunited with mummy and daddy!!:)


The dudes and dudettes in pink!


Now with the bday girl..:)


And finally, to prove that you should still come visit us at Casey, a sane photo for you:)

HAPPY 20th CHERIE CHAN!! :)





Thank you sweetie, for being a great friend to me. From the day I knew you as my erhumph, partner in sec2, you've always been the cheerful sensible and loyal friend I know. Maybe one thing I regret for us, is being block-headed and not getting to know you deeper then. haha but hey, we're still friends and we keep in contact, so I'm happy:) haha..from SC to HC, in 2/2 and softball, I still think you're a wonderful leader and an inspiration to many:)

I hope that you'll really enjoy your 20th, and that you'll grow in the Lord in love and truth:) Thank you for putting up with me through the years and for bullying me with Jasin and Poi, I still love you!! :)

*sorry, the pics cant be enlarged, so sad!!:)

hy: ang ang!:) haha..yeah, if deb goes to ntu, then you guys can see each other more often!!:) okay, you must wear the earrings, take a pic and show me!!:) can you come to aust!!?!?!

rawr: nina!! thanks for your letter!! i loved reading it!:) was so happy when i got it haha..i'll reply you soon okay? been busy with my tests coming up..but im glad you have your 2 besties with you, so you wont be that homesick:) in the meantime, take care okay dear? :) you can come visit melb after sem 1?? :)

mich: hey dear!:) yeah, i read the poem at the time when i was feeling down, so it was a great encouragement from God, that He knows even the little grain of sand noone else does:) hugs you, my dean's list pontang-er;)

mel: melly!! yeah bel bel even knows how to wave and say hi!! fiona showed us a video of her doing that!:) haha we had our PINK party! but i couldnt find the pink balloons in time..so we'll wait for you to come back to have that okay??:) please come back soon, you and juls!!:)

ming: haha cool! you see them most days..it's good you all keep in touch, i feel so far away from everyone haha. but it's okay, im sure you guys are having a great time together!:) all the best when exams come nearer (whenever that is) okay? im sure you can do it:))

kare: haha kare!! havent heard from you since..i dunno..long time ago? hahaha.how are you? what are you doing now? haha tell me your blog add if it's not private or sth okay?? haha update me!!:))

shuk: haha yar i love that poem..haha yeah im starting to get busy until easter comes lar..are you going for ocf easter camp? go leh? im going:) yay okay! cant wait to use my slippers..and pls check for my grey gio jeans!! my precious forgotten thing haha. haha my dad's so cute..he comes home and goes, what's 'uber'? shuk said im 'uber sth'..hahaha. he doesnt wanna reply u here in case it doesnt seem cool hahaha. but he says hi anw:))

tomato: hey hey! how are you? havent heard frm you in a while..haha there're lotsa new faces in OCF, i dont know half of them haha. nahh..i think med's busier haha. im doing immunology, developmental bio and physiology..under the med department mostly, wah no joke arh. haha..but im sure you're doing well!:) yar tessa is real lar of course!! hahaha

lyn: haha im not sure what the flowers are called, i'll take a pic of them before winter comes!!:) haha i'll try to take sharper and brighter pics!!:)) take care lots yeah? :)

addie: haha addie!! email me your blog add okay? i didnt even know you had one=((( but hope everything's fine okay..and i saw some of your friendster pics..you're getting prettier dear!!!:) -grins:)

queen: haha the thing* was a friendster testimonial telling her about your surprise party!! :) haha if you're kuku queen, mich is kaka queen (for obvious laughter problems) and i am drama queen, then what is mel? haha..you guys had a hair band day meh?

yar, we miss you mel..you and juls (who doesnt read my blog =( ) and oh!! haha mel, you know melvin wrote that script and wanted me to play some bimbo private-schooled bratty girl role..he and audrey were like..that's so you!! -_- aiya, if you were here, you could play it better than me lar!! anw, fiona's taking over me, and kuku's the 'poor' girl, and she's gonna sing a song!!:)) woohoo ;)

yar, please meet kuku+kaka.. hahaha:) we miss mich! *chants:)

Everytime I forget why I'm serving, worship brings me back to my focus. The focus bigger than myself, what we were all born to do.

I just have to be disciplined and stay focus, although it's so easy to be distracted. Going to a bigger church always sends tingles down my spine (haha), because I suddenly see heaven open over the earth. It's actually always open, just that I forget to take time to stand in awe each day.


Can You Handle This One Too, Lord? poem by Debbie Kendrick

Can You handle this one, too, Lord?
It’s not a big problem
that would mess up my life
or anything like that —
it’s just a little thing
that bothers me now and then
like a grain of sand
in my shoe,

and i always figured
it was too small to
bother You with.
But today i noticed that
i’m starting to limp.

Can You handle this one, too, Lord?

Kristabel and Table Tennis!:)


Bryan Shuqing Me Jie!:)







Blurred pics of me awkwardly carrying Bel bel!:) Gosh she's so small:) @11 days old.


Mummy and Bel!:) Bel has mummy's nose!!:) and very long fingers..



Our BLUE film strip- starring the Casey kids: unkempt, unwashed after unpolished T-T! :)








Mel! : melly welly!!:) hey sweetie!! haha when i put up the pic of us, i was hoping you would see it!!:) i miss those times too..super fun lar=)) come back to visit, we miss you! haha we havent had our pink balloon party yet!! hahaha. hello dots is still a very bad game..hahaha. now fiona's with baby, so cant wait till kristabel grows up so she can play with us!!:) miss youuu:)

queen: yar lar you missed our stayover haha. anw!! you sure you want my phone meh..i think you'll get tired of it lar!! ebay's selling at 389aud -buy it now- leh. but im selling cheaper lar. haha tell me if you still want it..it's has 2 very good uses- 1. you'll always have a mirror on hand, big plus!! 2. if it's for an attention-seeking cause, then go for it hahaha. ;)

mingli: hey!! haha yeah i think they demolished it!! it's the over 15 storey totally blue squarish-looking apartment!! haha. oh hey that's cool! do you meet up with them often? :) majoring in geog..wow..haha hope it's all going well yeah? :)))

deb: hey hey! i hope you get in, if it's God's will!:) but my selfish agenda says that you should come here instead hahaha. i miss you! :) okay lar..scrappy is cuter?!? i think i'll appreciate him more when i go back lar..haha. okay, i'll take a pic of the flowers soon lar!:)

(*sorry if the photos are dark/blur..no editing was made!:))

Chinese New Year!!:)


My fav kids:) From top: Grace, Gaby, Chloe, Esther and Caleb ..awww:) They danced in red on CNY:)


While everyone was yu-sang-ing hahaha..


Kids these days haha.


And of course!! My new baby!! hahaha. Thanks Stella for the present -hugs, really love it:)


I like it better than my phone...anyone want to buy??


And while I'm at it, a list of my fav things:) Love this colour and the wooden buttons!:)


My mummy handstiched this specially for me in '04:)


My pencil case (I strongly hinted as a present for myself) since secondary sch days..from Poi!! and keyrings frm various people!:)



OCF Leaders camp '07!! The girls...



Another shot of my BF and I..outside my house:) Oh Deb, now that tree has pretty pink flowers!!




At Emalyne's place for CNY dinner with the Ocfers..


That's me swinging the sparkler with a long string in form of number 8. :) Daddy's invention!


Alex and Collette..our nice friends who let us stay for for 3 weeks!! :)



That's Tessa, their lovely poodle/bishon doggie..I've come to love her now!!:)



Tessa, lookie here!!


Our pineapple tarts in the making...with primitive weapons...


Ta DA!! Andrew, Jie and Li!!


ME! :)