a title i can't think of

it's 1am and my stomach is all sorts of hungry. but i'm just too sleepy to drag my lazy arse to the kitchen. plus it's not good to eat late at night right? especially if you're trying to combat highly unwanted tummy flab.

eating is such a waste of time really.

and for me, such a big distraction. sometimes in class i mentally picture the things in our fridge and check off the stuff i need to use or can use for lunch/dinner/random meal :( either that or i'll be imaginary-shopping in the Countdown of my mind already. a product of growing up in malaysia... oh the hype about food! anyway this is NOT a food post, because i did that once before, and also the mere mention of food sends my tummy growling in protest against my being resolutely unkind to it.

to digress...

the more i get into my course, the more i realise how much i enjoy writing. of course, academic writing is nowhere as fun or carefree as say, writing in this blog. but even so, it's fulfilling to know you wrote something that got you an A. haha... yeah i know i know, very modest there denise. it took me a while to warm up to writing uni-level essays, and weirdly, i'm doing so much better at 300-level papers than i ever did in 100-level. maybe all it needed was some understanding and TLC to love me back.

i'd like to say that writing does to me what music or art do to some people, but music and art are a big part of my life as well. but there's this thing about writing... where you are able to organise your thoughts and immortalize them on paper/ the internet(??). i express myself much better through writing... those who know me know i'm not so articulate and that i tend to lapse into silence at times. yes i am shy and i tend to be awkward when i'm shy, so i'd rather not talk... but also, most of the time there are just so many thoughts swimming around in my head i can't seem to pick out the ones i'd like to say. so writing gives me time to catalogue them and make sense of them.

and why this whole long long unnecessary monologue about why i sometimes talk less, i don't know. sometimes i wonder why less extroverted people have to apologize for not being more demonstrative.

guess that explains why i'm always drawn to guys who are outgoing. haha.

time

time flies.

and with time, healing.

like the tide of the ocean, gradually carrying away all the sorrow and hurt.

i can't forget what happened, or how i felt about it..

nor can i bring back the motivation to continue a friendship.

but with time comes forgiveness. comes restoration.

and yeah, though i lost a few things, but i gained so much more than i could ever imagine:

wisdom, strength, dignity, and a reminder of God's unfailing love.

and it sucks to hear about other people facing the same things i did a year ago, a few months ago. i can imagine their pain, and the sadness, and i can't do a thing to help but listen. but one thing i do know, God heals all pain through time. even the ones that haunt you day and night, in your thoughts, in your dreams.

people should be more careful while handling other people's hearts. they break so so easily.

and people should also learn to guard their hearts from losers who don't care.

another snow day?

man it was so packed in the grocery store just now.

seems like everyone's stocking up and preparing to be snowed in for the next 3 days at least.

and i'm like:

a) noooooo i'm tired of the snow! i got sick 2 weeks back because i very cavalierly went out playing in the snow without any regard to my health and wellbeing. so, yeah no... snow just makes me paranoid i'll fall sick again.

i guess this time i'll be anti-social and stay in my warm flat and drink hot cocoa and curl up under my warm duvet. and enjoy the pretty snow from there :)

plus, the aftermath of snow is just... annoying. it's slippery everywhere and wet. walking anywhere is just such a pain cos you have to be very careful where you step. and you just can't help slipping no matter where you go.

but on the other hand...

b) if we are snowed in, then uni will be closed, and no classes means i get 3 whole days concentrate solely on my assignment. which is great since i work better when i'm uninterrupted.

dilemma dilemma...

haha but as if it were up to me. it will snow or not snow whether or not i want it to. so... the thing to do is be prepared for the worst. yes, we've stocked up on enough food to last us the whole week. perhaps it's time i invest in a pair of cheerfully colourful gumboots.

spending saturday night at home. lalala...

and feeling sleepy at 10pm.

like an old person :S

on chivalry: part 2

some time ago, i wrote a post about chivalry and how we women would like to see the men in our lives practise some chivalry. so, i recently came up with more... from my own experiences and also from observing the people around me. well it's not a Must Do or You'll NEVER be a Gentleman type thing. just you know... guidelines. it's always the smallest things that counts. hopefully i won't come across as being too fussy

4. if you're picking a girl up and it's raining, definitely take your umbrella out, walk to her door and shelter her to your car.

i can't stress how good it will make you look, both to the girl (whether or not you're into her), and her parents. the truth! my mum is always praising guys who do that for my sister.

5. when picking a girl up and you know she'll have lots of luggage or stuff, come on over to her doorstep to help her with it will ya?

sure, we girls can manage it... after 2 rounds maybe, but it's always nice to have an extra strong arm. and and and... what better way to show off those biceps and bulging veins (i happen to know someone who likes that haha *cough*ning*cough*) than by straining them carrying a heavy bag ey? ;)

6. just don't be calculative

i know i do that sometimes, and it irks me. cos calculative people are not attractive people. can you imagine being married to someone who won't wash a dish more than he's supposed to, because the rest is yours to wash?

i think i've just exhausted my store for now. if i can think of more (oh the horror? haha) then look out for a part 3. but for now... no more :)

hair through the years

have been sifting through old photos because the comp needs to be reformatted, so since i don't have much extra storage space (read: harddisk), have to throw out some stuff i duplicated and what not. it's funny how my ocd in keeping my room and personal belongings neat and clean

doesn't spill over to my computer. because it is quite a mess. for one, i don't bother arranging

my music, and movies, and most of my pictures orderly. so they'll be here... and there... and

hidden in some other folder. which works fine most of the time cos i pretty much know where

the stuff i use frequently are, but a nightmare if i were to gather them all up.

but looking through old stuff can be quite interesting sometimes. like i found a bunch of photos i

forgot about. and it brings back a multitude of memories, feelings, thoughts that i had at the time they were taken. like how awful my hair used to be.

seriously eeek right? sigh i know..

[be warned! if you don't like looking at pictures of me, then it's best you close this window now]

and after that i decided to look for the different hairstyles i had over the years. at least the documented ones anyway.

the earliest i could trace back was 2007

pretty sure there were earlier years but am lazy to find them all.

so 2007

not too bad, nice and straight(ish) long hair.

2008

got tired of my long hair and cut it off.

2009

had bangs for a lil while.

very early in 2010

i love my long long hair in these pics, but i still cut them off before i went to nz. wanted to save on hairdressing money haha.

2011

shoulder length

and then i cut my hair real short

but i reckon the best was in 1998

man i was so cute!

*some self love going on*

so it turns out that i don't have any classes today. my monday classes only start in august.

still in holiday mood though everyone else's pretty much 'back to school'. feel so free :P

don't be passive about it

was perusing Boundless and an article about leading and submitting caught my attention. and i have to say, i find myself agreeing with so many things this writer bring up. i quote:

"That's how a guy thinks: "If I want something, I'll ask for it." But what a woman typically wants from a man — particularly in the area of romance — is for him to, very literally, take her up into an adventure that is larger than her own pursuits. She is not fashioned to have a man come alongside her, simply living with her and staying out of trouble. At the core of her being, she longs to see leadership she can respond to and enthusiastically support."

"What he ought to do, both gently and courageously, is assume the risk and inform her of his interest. In effect, he needs to suggest to her that she alter her previous plan and come along with him. This requires a mature willingness on his part to assume responsibility not just for himself, but for her as well."

"Too many men today lack such confidence. Such a man is himself confused as to who he is, so why would he want to go through life with a woman committed to him? It seems frightening. Passive men take the path of least resistance."

i know i'm kind of a bossy person. comes from being an oldest child and always being in leadership positions when i was growing up. i generally just like taking charge and seeing that things go well, and most often than not.. my way. but in a lot of situations, i find myself respecting the decisions of the people around me if they explain why it's better than mine. which is why i need/ want a man whose leadership i can respect and submit to. if i can ever find a guy who takes the initiative to lead, first and foremost, in his family, and in the community around him, i'd definitely be behind him supporting him in everything. i'm pretty sure i can play the supporter role well too :) (if i were to be given an advisory position *wink*).

well, that guy is bound to come along i'm sure. meanwhile... i am getting hungry! it's so annoying to look for food to eat when you're sick. food for the sick are so bland.

my flatmate and i

march

now

hmm, wonder if we've changed much.

but we've definitely gotten closer this year.

:)

softly sweetly

finally it's a friday...

one of the busiest, and most difficult week i've had so far this year. but i'm sure things'll pick up. pretty sure this is called the wilderness. lol

the good thing is, although God drives you in the wilderness and leaves you there to wander around for awhile, it doesn't last. i know i'm in this season of my life for a reason and i am very comforted that i don't have to face these things alone. ever realised that being in the wilderness is a very humbling experience? you are stripped down to the very core of your soul where at that very moment, the only one thing holding you together is your reliance on God's strength.

like i said, it has been a really tough week.

but i've also come to see that like the pot which has to be burned in the fire for a long time to avoid so that it will be tough and durable when it's used, i've found that i have some strength of character that i never knew i had. i've actually learnt so much more about myself and what or who i want to be through the heat. yes i've been burned and it was excruciating pain, but i feel like i will come off stronger, much stronger from this.

i know God's timing is never off. over the past two weeks, we have been doing a series on the Book of Ruth. and in a way, those sermons have been preparing my heart to deal with trials. Ruth is a quiet, simple and well written (my pastor says it's a very linguistically pleasing) story about God's faithfulness (and Ruth's too), and has always been one of my favourite books in the bible :D i don't really want to go into too much detail over the sermons but Ruth adamantly clinging to Naomi and her God, and without looking back on her past life... i am inspired by her. and the promise that one day God will send me a Boaz as well: honorable, influential, responsible, man of God (and he's rich too!)

anyway enough about that.

i've finished 2 courses already *huge sigh of relief*. it's really getting to me, i went to sleep last night spelling out my thoughts in transcription (which is the weird symbols you see in dictionaries fyi).

and i'm off to watch x-men later (can't wait!)

only one more paper to go next saturday and i'm free to be as idle as i want to. although i don't plan to be idle at all. just the thought that i can be if i wanted to is enough.