2011

the end of the year is always a time of reflection on how the year has been, and also of hopes and wishes or expectations on the coming new year. last year i was working a lot in december, and

also on new year's eve so not much time for reflection there. so, since i'm somewhat free this

time around, why not? i mean, looking back is not something we should be doing too often

because it might make you yearn for something that's already past, which might hinder you from fully moving forward. which is something i have a tendency to do if i don't watch myself. but,

looking back also makes me realise how much i have to be thankful for... everything that h

as happened, the people that crossed my path and somehow or rather touched my life in

unexpected ways... just shows how blessed i am, and how loved i am by the Creator i call my God and Father.

anyway, to avoid being draggy and boring, this is a display of what's been happening Denise-wise in 2011... one picture in a month. hopefully it won't be too long-winded :S

January

meet ups and gathering with friends and family

February

Goodbye penang! back to christchurch with a bad case of homesickness lol.

also, the big earthquake which devastated chch.

which consequently allowed me to visit melbourne for the first time (blessing in disguise? i don't know)

March

Denise's birthday! getting old hmm...

Also, christchurch earthquake memorial

April

Easter! Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!

Easter picnic after church (enjoying the last of the good weather)

Also, uni graduation for some of my friends.

May

Exams nearing, so lifegroup girls start packing study packs for our peers.

June

Janice and Sonia in town!

Also, my flat's first party.

July

Snow snow snow! transforming the world as i know it into a winter wonderland.

August

occasional warm spells... the spring flowers are budding! i'm always happy when the flowers start coming out.

Also, having to say goodbye to a well-loved senior/ lifegroup leader/ & friend.

September

combined lifegroups day out.

also, spring is officially here! walking to uni under a canopy of cherry blossoms... priceless!

October

Rugby fever grips NZ. NZ wins world cup, we get to meet the All Blacks. enough said :D

November

Enjoying the greenery in the botanical gardens.

a lot of packing and clearing up the clutter of the year to be put away while i'm away for the summer. a lot of headache trying to settle accommodation for next year as well.

also, balik kampungku! Hello penang!

December

my baptism

also, first cruise trip in my life

and christmas :)

one sleepy blogpost

some things you think you don't want that you realise you want only too late. when it's already gone. or need. come to think of it, you can run after all the things in the world but it's the thing that you don't want that you need. and realise too late that, that ship has already sailed.

and the story is, i always end up doing things like that.

so i probably should've changed all the 'you's to 'i's. sigh

onward to an unrelated topic, i was listening to the mashup of 2011's popular songs that a friend posted on facebook (yes i'm ashamed to say i'm on fb waaay too much than is healthy these days), and boy what memories they brought back. it was as if i saw snippets of 2011 just flashing through my brain as i listened to the mashup.

adele's 'someone like you' - healing from a broken heart

katy perry's 'fireworks' - singing it after having jap food one fine sunday afternoon in chch

adam levine's 'moves like jagger' - one of the late night hangouts with my flatmates and jeremy in our flat. i think it was one of my hyper nights where i was crazy dancing to their eye-rolling.

i can't really remember the rest of the songs now, brain not functioning at full capacity at the moment... pretty sure there were more. songs sure have a way of bringing back memories. whether you like them or not... but whatever it is, and however this year went, i know it all happened for a reason. there were good bits and bad bits, and i'm glad the end of this year seems pretty plesant and laid-back so far. it's a good way to end the year. i wonder what song i'm going to end the year with.

haha this is so unrelated (or is it?), but i'm thinking no matter what i say, i'll still need a musician bf so he'll be able to understand and talk music with me. and make music together... won't that be romantic? ok, enough now. goodbye!

driving in penang

i'm proud to say, after driving only twice in 10 months, i've finally been driving in penang once again. small feat for many people, but big achievement for me! mainly because i'm kinda terrified of driving, and i have been so out of practice. i feel so independent haha!

traffic, and drivers are still as bad as i remember them to be. always a lesson in patience and anger management :)

if they knew the real you

it's just so incomprehensible how someone can be so rude to their parents. if it were me doing that, i think i'd be very severely dealt with. what is happening to people nowadays that respect for their parents has just disappeared? i'm not very old, but at least i know not to yell at my parents or talk back to them even when i think they're wrong.

why do good kids turn into big monsters when they grow up? now everyone just tries to agree and not take offence with that person, not because we're scared, but just to avoid having confrontations. it's just so sad isn't it? your relationship with that person, revolves on just tip-toeing around their ages, hoping not to diffuse the ticking bomb.

and it just makes me sick to see them treat their friends so well, but their family like crap.

all i want, is a drama-free holiday where i can relax and enjoy my (i think) well deserved vacation from studying. it's just so annoying that people make judgemental assumptions that i'm going to be this and that, or do stuff... which honestly, i don't give a rat's ass about any more.

so just please, stop making me feel like an outcast in my own hometown, and let me enjoy my holiday in peace.

only 5 more days to go.

i am ecstatic!

after 3 days of eating liquids and porridge... i'm really looking forward to the best food in the world. and i miss miss miss my family. i want to be pampered by them already. haha.

packing is underway. i'm actually packing way faster than i thought i would take. you see, all you need is an empty afternoon and a very bored denise.

you know you're getting older when...

your mum has changed her tune from:

"wait til you're working to date. concentrate on your studies first!" (typical asian parents)

to:

"so, you have a lot of single friends huh? anyone that you're interested in?"

yup... i am getting older...

what are your passions?

so a week ago, i attended this SHAPE course, which was basically a course to find out my strengths, weaknesses, gifts, and how to use them to serve, and to grow them. you get the gist right? and one part of it was to talk about our passions; where our heart felt most inclination towards. and i really loved that section of the course because, ok to be honest, i seldom talk about my passions, because... people tend to get that glaze-eyed look when i start animatedly

enthusing about them. haha. guess i don't make my passions interesting enough, or people just don't really share the same passions as i do. that's why i become somewhat disappointed they don't share my enthusiasm as well. perfectly normal.

but i can share them here right? i mean... you'd like to hear about them, riiiiiiiiighttt???

denise's passions 101

1. animals

this, i really have my cousins to thank for instilling in me a love and interest in animals from a very young age. they were the ones who showed me the wonderful world of animals, dogs especially. because of them, i learnt about the SPCA, and what they do for homeless pet animals, which impacts the local community as well. so yes, i am VERY passionate about the SPCA, specifically in educating the public about responsible animal ownership (really.. puppies are not toys you can chuck once you get tired of them), the importance of spaying and neutering your dog/cat (the dog's testicles are not yours... so neutering him will not ever affect your manhood, plus he will never know), and of course... adopting your pet instead of buying them. man, i could go on and on about this, but i can see some of your eyes glazing over already.

hmm but maybe i should really get back to the spaying/neutering debate in the future. i really stress that you should spay or neuter your pet, unless you're a certified breeder who knows what you're doing, and will be responsible for the babies that result from breeding. true story: after my aunt neutered her tomcat, his eyes became less slitty and shifty, and he didn't roam around as often as he did when he was a randy pre-neutered cat. and we all know that "accidents" can happen. what if Fluffy the beautiful purebred poodle was violated by a dirty

street mongrel? can you really afford to maintain at least 6 full grown dogs? give them away? yeah i suppose you could, but how many people would want mixbreeds nowadays? and where do they end up....? at the SPCA for a time til there's no more place for them and....

(picture taken from here. also, do check out SPCA Penang)

and that's why i'm being such a drag and sermonising. sorry! i'll stop now i promise. haha i guess now you know why i hardly talk about my passions.

2. reading

ever since my 4th or 5th peter and jane book (which i had to be bribed to finish), i was hooked on books. as a child, i was rather nerdy and bookish.. just always had a book with me. why? because reading is awesome! i think some of my relatives think i'm a bit weird for it. that's asian culture for you, that's why i kinda prefer it here... enjoying reading is so much more acceptable here. plus, it's easier to find a guy who reads as well. it's not a must, but i think having a boyfriend who reads and doesn't think you're such a nerd for reading, would be awesome.

but as i progress on in my degree, i want to take this love further... i want to help people read, and understand, and love books as much as i do. i believe that every one should at least have the ability to be literate. and i don't know what to do about this, or how to go about this yet, because i've only realised this teaching side of mine. and as much as being a teacher freaks every bone of mine out, i'm actually rather excited to teach and have my students experience the wonderful world that reading opens.

omg i sound like such a nerd ==

yeah, so now you know... my hidden (or outward?) propensities as a nerdy person. sigh, but it's true, i love wandering around museums, and my idea of a wonderful date is to sit in the park with my guy, surrounded by beautiful flora, a brook gently gurgling somewhere nearby, and just reading or talking.

but that's enough about me. what about you? have i prompted you to search your heart and discover what you're passionate about? what are your passions?

seeing

I close my eyes and I see stars,

deep stars giving way to deeper stars,

deeper stars bowing to deepest stars

at the crown of an infinite cone.

-Annie Dillard, "Seeing"

do we simply look, but not see? that maybe we're part of a bigger plan for our lives. that maybe, just maybe, it's ok if we don't get what we desire so much this time around, just to make way for the chips to fall into place. when i look at the stars... i feel small, i feel awed, and closer to that plan.

and that's why i really love those few lines.

i think i caught the fever

a year ago, i was complaining to my mum about how nz is so rugby obsessed

denise: ugh so not looking forward to the rugby world cup next year. i shall never understand rugby, why can't they like football instead?? it's just so violent!

a lot of touching in rugby

me this year... (after i discovered how amazing rugby really is and how hot some of the all blacks are.)

denise: aurghhhhh what?? you call that playing?! TRY TRY! Cmon ABs!! go Cory Jane you sexy beast!

hmm what can i say? rugby is actually very entertaining to watch, and easy to understand... plus, i'm in new zealand, and this year, we're hosting the RWC, so it's not difficult to get into the whole spirit of things.

and what's better, the All Blacks managed to make their way to the finals, so this sunday is going to be INTENSE. can't wait!

after beating the Wallabies.

that was an especially bloody match, a few people had to go off the pitch to clean up before continuing.