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| Impressive - that crossed my mind when I read about fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson. Why? Because she's a tween blogger - only 13 (or 12 when she was "discovered") but is a fashion critic in her own right. Sure, some doubt her talent and dress sense (it is subjective after all), but I truly admire her eye for detail, fashion knowledge that belies her tween years, quirky personality and cute sense of humour!
You'll have to see it to believe it - check out her blog, Style Rookie and her flickr account.
And while you're at it, and if you have time to spare, do check out what The Chicago Tribune, New York Times and other bloggers/mags have to say about her.
extremely stylish and talented, IMHO
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Cheap thrills of life include seeing 'The Lovely Bones" in my ads section on the blog (otherwise it's just some ad I never notice!). The book was really good and the story even sadder. While I have read reviews online that the book's subtleties were lost in Peter Jackson's silver screen adaptation because he just makes everything so epic, I think his interpretation of heaven might be interesting, judging from the trailer - so beautiful! And the casting of Susie Salmon and her sister are seriously spot on (in my mind :P). Moy, we SO have to catch it since we missed TTW!
On a separate note, I enjoyed Sunday's sermon on Psalm 1. (Technicalities-wise, I think Unc KK Yap did an excellent job - his
Powerpoint quality alone, with super eye-catching graphics alone puts
my standard of presentations and teaching to shame! And he had
relevance too, quoting heavily from Francis Yeoh's interview. Very
well-prepared, IMHO).
The Psalm was good to read and sing too as well (okay, the singing was a teensy bit weird, but a great way to remember God's Word!) Especially verse 3, which has been reverberating in my mind since Unc Sasi read Jeremiah 17:7-8 a week of two ago:
Psalm 1:3
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit." I want to be like that tree. Picture a beautiful huge evergreen tree with wide spreading branches by a stream. I never want to fear when the heat comes or worry during times of drought. And to always be fruitful in what I do.
The challenge however, lies in verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night. Choosing to walk in God's light, or choosing to scorn His will - these are the choices you (dear reader) and I have to make everyday. Small decisions culminate in a destiny. There are only two ways to live life. Will it be a rollercoaster theme park life, or a journey? | | |
| Whether it’s…
… Fighting zombies with a pea shooter and tending my Zen garden
…. Buying synthetic filling to (ambitiously) hand sew felt dolls
…. Helping solve a giant Sudoku puzzle late at night
…. Bombarding Chuen with text messages in real (Malaysian) time and being able to spend time together
… Walking Shorty Poopsella and Blackiness with dad and laughing our heads off when they tire themselves out too quickly
… Kacau-ing my ex Form 3 now Form 4 monkeys
… Being able to watch a movie on the silver screen!
… Silly email exchanges to book airplane tickets with ex-Barney club members
…Hilarious, ranting and nonsensical Gmail conversations with Ko
… Failed sleepover with the girls and the realization how old we now are
… The rare but much treasured conversations and texts with Moy
… Shorty’s darndest moments and quotes
… Lok-lok time with the fatties every Monday
… “cheong kei” times with the fatties
… Excitedly anticipating the upcoming weddings (Bruce, Manda, Ben Ng, Lyd, Pammy – so many that it’s a little overwhelming actually :P)
… Getting to know and teaching a new bunch of youths
… Here’s hoping this year will not slip me by but that I’ll remember the little things and the simple joys of life.
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| Kat: Guess what....?
Shorty: CHUEN'S COMING BACK!
Together: YEY!!!
[repeat]
(We did this every now and then. Now it is modified to "Chuen is back")
It is still surreal that there is no "deadline" this time round to his time in Malaysia :) I was also pleasantly surprised with one of my best presents this year - the book I was coveting [refer to two blog posts earlier] but didn't have the heart to buy :) Thanks dear hehehe....
Some have been asking me whether my blog is dead or why I haven't blogged in so long. Since it's New Year's Eve and a an apt time to reflect, plan for 2010, review goals, where I want to head/aim for (which I think I failed miserably at this year), I guess it warrants for a proper blog entry.
When people ask me how 2009 was, it's hard to give a good answer. Reason being I have lived most of the year in survival mode, or in a reactive manner. Compared to my first year of working where I planned ministry and work well, this year was just, "deal with whatever is thrown at me" and the urgent rather than the important. I hope to do better at time management this year as I haven't been very efficient, which wastes time and thanks to opportunity cost, I lose out on so many other things such as spending time with family, catching up with the Journos and bestie, investing into the lives of youths and their spiritual health, MY own spiritual health, etc.
There has been no one particular verse that has been a guiding light this year, which reflects the hustle and bustle pace of my harried life and the need for unhurried time with God. One of the goals for 2010 would be to practise the discipline of spending time away from people [which isn't easy for me], to withdraw to a solitary place to seek time alone with God. I have Yen Nie to thank for accountability as she pokes and prods me every now and then about this over Gtalk :)
Having attended the funeral of A Keng See's mom recently, it was one of the saddest funerals I have been to. Yes, she was a Christian so we can look forward to seeing her again, but it was the closeness of the family that made the parting so difficult to bear (and to witness). Made me realise that one of the most important things in life is relationships. I realise I have not invested much, or could have done more in this area this year. It is sad that it takes a funeral to remind me of this every now and then, but I am grateful that so far, the funerals have been full of hope in the midst of despair, and that I have been graciously given the chance to change how I live my life in light of death, and the brevity of life. The passing of my RBS mate Markus in February continues to be a challenge for me to live a full life.
Work-wise, my company has felt the brunt of the economic downturn and our desk felt the pressure of more expectations - the "squeezing more out of less" sort of pressure. I guess it is not exclusive to just my company but everyone else too since it has been a year of economic tumult, which I am glad to note, is likely to see an upturn in the coming years, albeit a slow one. It is work that continues to test my faith, as chapter 1 of James says, as it has forced the best and worst out of me.I have blown my top, said hurtful things and reacted selfishly many a time, and will continue to work at my flaws and shortcomings and learn grace. Work has also given me lots of new experiences - travelling alone in foreign places (walking a good hour around Brisbane), meeting so many people I would not have met otherwise (meeting ESPN sportscaster John Dykes was kinda cool, but more so because he is my brother's idol!), done things I would not have done otherwise (abseiling) and learning to accept people who are vastly different from me.
Happy times have been times spent with my TRU class this year, especially our discussion group times, class outings (most notably Janda Baik) and preparing for the very fun Retro Nite. They have been the source of my joy and the inspiration to keep growing spiritually.
Going to US was also awesome. But that warrants another entry altogether (yes, very much procrastinated this one :P)
Off to another funeral now. Do pray for Dims, Jund and Reesh + family for comfort in their time of loss - their granddad passed away this morn.
Till next entry, have a blessed new year everyone!
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| No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
-Michael Bublé's 'Grown-Up Christmas List"
I am excited about Christmas. One where we can make a difference, hopefully.
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