Thursday, June 30, 2005 07:20 p.m.
I can't go for bible study tonight because mummy decided to organise some family dinner at our house tonight. Augh. I really wanted to go because they're doing the book of Daniel and it'll be so interesting because we're also doing that for Bible Quiz. Anyway, met up with Sarah, Michelle and Tab at Suntec Swensens today for lunch and omg, we had the most brainless conversation I've ever had with them! But it's good! Haha. Let's see. We talked about romance, chocolates, white flowers, blogs, shopping, holidaying together, Sarah Lee's marriage fund, how to get a perky butt, healthy eating and so much more! Haha. The only reason why butts and healthy eating came into the conversation is because Sarah is way obessed with her weight. Haha. But it was so comical! I really enjoy their company! :) I want to go shopping this weekend. Have a few things in mind so I hope mummy follows me out. Pretty confused about certain things at the moment. I want some answers but I know these questions don't really have answers until we actually get to that stage/place. I don't know. I think the questions and uncertainty about what's going to happen holds me back. I don't know?Wednesday, June 29, 2005 08:18 p.m.
My Uncle left this afternoon and last night was farewell dinner! I'm going to miss him because he's really fun to hang around with! Last night, we had la mian, fishball soup and kueh pie tee for dinner and after that, he opened a really good wine for the adults and for my older cousins and I, he made us a glass of martini each and then after finishing that up, my cousin made us all a drink that tasted a lot like Baileys but way way much better. He mixed a shot of vodka and Kahlua and poured in fresh milk and some ice. Really nice! Even my dad loved it! Managed to secure myself an internship at my uncle's company next summer! Going to be working in LA and Anchorage for 6 weeks minimum. Pretty excited about it. The only reason why I wouldn't go would probably be because I failed my first year finals or I get a better offer somewhere. My mum's looking to see if I can go to Glasgow instead or work in one of the big fours in Bangkok/China but I'm more interested to work in my uncle's company because I can go to Anchorage and besides I'm probably going to work in one of the big fours during my professional attachement. My mum actually plans quite far ahead but I think it's quite good because at least I have something to work for. These little things makes university sound more exciting but when I think about the course I'm going to do and how I'm going to have to adjust so much and adapt to a new environment and make new friends, I get all scared and start dreading university. I'm don't quite like being taken out of my comfort zone.Tuesday, June 28, 2005 10:40 a.m.
OK. So I'm having abit of problems with my PowerBook. I have no idea how to load in a CD and now I have to go search for the user manual and I don't know how to change from one internet browser to another quickly. Just last night on the phone with Edmund, he was telling me how to do it and I just did what he taught me but I only can switch quickly between different applications and not different web browsers. Not feeling well and I don't feel like doing much today but once again, it's a full day and I have a farewell dinner for my Uncle tonight. I kind of feel that oreientation takes up so much of my free time. I suddenly feel like time is really precious right now and I want to do so many things and spend time with people but with orientation and all that, I'm left with only about 1.5free weeks before school officially starts. Augh. I feel like we're on the brink of something new and exciting. But I also know I shouldn't run because once I fall through, coming up and recovering will be tough and long. I'm still wondering what will happen when my orientation ends and we both start school. And I don't quite know what I want. Maybe you don't either.Monday, June 27, 2005 06:49 p.m.
So it really does take me 1.5 hours just to get to get to school. I don't believe it. And it takes me 20minutes to walk in a straight route from the north spine to the south spine. I don't believe it either. The school's huge and really far from my home! I think I either need rollerblades, a bicycle or a car to get me around campus. I got lost today and had to ask 3 times for directions because after walking the straight route, I still had to walk down a long long flight of steps and turn here and there and in the end I was so fed up I just wanted to cry. My mummy better come up every thursday and friday night to bring me home and she really has to send me to school on friday and monday mornings.Sunday, June 26, 2005 11:44 p.m.
Guess what guess what! My mummy bought me the Apple PowerBook G4 today for my birthday! Was originally intending to get the Apple ibook but after much consideration, I decided to go for the PowerBook because it has much more functions, the available space is double that of the ibook and the PowerBook is 1.5GHZ while the ibook is only 1.2GHZ so the PowerBook runs much faster. And for all that differences between the PowerBook and the ibook, the difference in cost is only about $1000. What's more, I realize that the ibook looked really plasticky and it didn't look that good after all. So there, mummy bought me the PowerBook!
Still trying to get used to the functions and all since I've been a PC user for don't know how long but so far, I'm loving my PowerBook. I didn't quite realize it was such a beauty. I know my Dad wants this so much because all he has is a mac desktop and he's hoping I won't get used to it so that I'll just pass him the PowerBook. Hahaha.
Anyway, last night was my uncle's 50th birthday dinner at the Tower Club. We got a pretty good view of the national day rehearsal and it was awesome to see the flypast and all that! It's nice being so high up (65th floor) and being able to eat and see the whole CBD area, Sentosa, the small little islands around Singapore, the Port, Marina Bay, Padang and all that! The place was very nice and quiet and we even had Versace dining ware! I don't understand why they can't just serve up food in normal china ware and instead use Versace dining ware! Aren't they afraid someone might just steal it and sell it for a few hundred dollars? Food was extremely delicious and I was so so full at the end of it.
We adjourned to another Uncle's place after dinner to cut the birthday cake. My mum and her siblings had their durian party too and I really felt like puking when I smelt the durians. I hate durians! The smell is really over powering and I realize it's either you totally hate durians or you love it like mad. You can't be like "I'm ok with durians." After that, my younger cousins wanted to perform a birthday skit for my Uncle so we ended up staying there till midnight. Really tired by the end of it all.
Tomorrow, I am going to venture out to the far end of Singapore. Have a medical examination tomorrow morning at NTU and my lovely parents have decided not to send me so that I can try out for myself how long it takes to get to school. I really hate it. I reckon that the journey is going to take me 1.5hours? Yes, I need some kind soul right now to send me to school tomorrow morning! Please! If you send me to school tomorrow, I'll buy all your meals for the day! I don't want to spend 1.5 hours traveling! Thank God for my mum's ipod and storybooks.
It's times like this I wonder why I am so stupid to not choose SMU when it's so so near home, Orchard and civilisation and I wouldn't have to stay in a really far end of Singapore and share a small room with someone and have no aircon, no clean, cold, dry toilet, no cable TV and possibly, very few friends. Let's not forget I'm 1.5 hours away by bus and train and 25minutes away by car from the people I love.
;
Saturday, June 25, 2005 09:49 a.m.
I wonder why the sudden change in attitude and actions. Maybe, just maybe. Let's see how it goes. I'm at my mum's office right now. I'm too lazy to even take a bus on my own and get all hot and tired that I rather wake up 30minutes earlier so that my mum can give me a lift. Going down to KAP soon for breakfast with Victoria (she's going to SMU)and to exchange our stories about our recent trips and buys, then it is down to church for Bible Quiz game plan meeting and after that, there's cell leaders meeting before I have to attend my Uncle's 50th birthday dinner tonight at the Tower Club. No idea what to wear again. I still can't get over the fact that school's starting in 29 days! Why why why why why so fast? I don't believe I've been having 6 months of holidays. It doesn't seem that long now that I think about it. 29 days! 29 days! Augh!Saturday, June 25, 2005 12:22 a.m.
Tired tired. Started out with breakfast and a long chit chat with the girls, followed by driving, afterwhich Edmund came by the driving school to pick me up and we went for dinner at Thomson Plaza, had cell after dinner and then Sarah and myself got a lift to Melvin's house for supper and to wait for our parents because the folks were having cell there. Long day. Tomorrow is yet another long day. I'm starting school in 30 days time and it's so unfair because SMU starts school exactly one month later than I do. No idea how I'm going to adjust back.Thursday, June 23, 2005 06:52 p.m.
I went shopping today! Lovely lovely! I haven't been able to buy anything nice in Singapore for quite a while and today I managed to get 3 tops! Saw a really nice skirt too but I don't know if I should get it. Went for a late lunch after shopping at the Thai Restaurant at the basement of Taka and now I'm here at my mum's office waiting for her to send me to church and it doesn't make sense to go home when I have to be in church in 25 minutes! We're going to study the book of Job and suffering tonight at Bible Study! Should be really interesting especially after the recent tsunami disaster! Tonight, there's season 2, Episode don't know what of One Tree Hill on Channel 5! Go watch it!Wednesday, June 22, 2005 09:57 p.m.
Realizations. Conversations with a certain someone over the last 2 days have made me realize how fortunate I am and how much I really have to thank God for his numerous blessings. Just clicked today that sometimes as we progress up the wealth/social or whatever ladder, we tend to forget the people still left behind and we think that everyone is as fortunate as us and we go around sometimes, unintentionally putting down those trying to climb the different ladders by our actions and words. Hmm. Those conversations have also made me realize how much I want a particular thing and at times, miss it so desperately but common sense comes knocking not long after and I think I know what I should do about it and how I should deal with it. My days are going to be horribly packed from tomorrow onwards! The sudden realization that school is starting very very soon (32 days to be exact) has made me panicked and that has resulted in me filling up my days with everything I can possibly fill it up with. The next 2 weeks are also going to be packed with golf games and big family dinners since my Uncle is a golf fanatic and this is his first time returning to Singapore after leaving it 15 years ago so at any free time the golfers in my mum's family (which basically is us kids above 18 years old and all the adults) have after playing golf, we organise a major dinner. I hope I don't get sick of golf. I still have to bring my 9 year old cousin to Wild Wild Wet and the Night Safari after his Dad returns to the States. Let's not forget the upcoming orientations that are probably going to take up 2 entire weeks of my remaining holidays. Ah. So little time, so many many things to do. The reason why my days are packed to the max. Realized recently also that I can't multi task for nuts! I used to be able to talk on the mobile, cross the road safely and still spot someone from afar. Now, I can talk on my mobile, stand at the side of the road to wait for the traffic to clear and realize after putting down my mobile that the traffic has been cleared many times and I've been standing at the same spot for 3 whole minutes! I can't even talk on the phone, use the internet at the same time and have the TV on in the background. My brain just doesn't function that quickly anymore because it takes me quite a while to respond with a particular action after my brain, or whatever that's left of it, has processed it. Definitely not that mentally agile anymore. Dreads! Season 1, episode 2 of One Tree Hill is on tonight on cable TV channel 18 at 2330 Hours. GO WATCH IT! You won't regret it!Saturday, June 18, 2005 11:26 p.m.
I don't know what I should wear for tomorrow's mega family photo taking! It's the perfect time to take a family photo because everyone in my mum's family is back! All my older cousins who went overseas to study are back for good and my Uncle who left Singapore 15 years ago after marrying my Aunt and have not been back since then has decided to take the 16 hour flight from LA and accompany my Aunt and my cousin to Singapore for their annual summer holiday! So, since everyone's back, we have to take this mega family photo. 6 couples each with at least 2 children, my single Aunt and my grandmother. Great. The crux of the whole matter is that I really don't know what to wear! Black pants? Brown pants? Long sleeve shirt? Even if I choose a long sleeved shirt, I wouldn't know what colour I should wear! Or should I go with my purple toga? We had a family gathering last night to welcome my Uncle back home (my aunt and my cousin are no big deals since they come back every year. Haha) and all the ladies were talking about what to wear. The men have to wear shirt, tie and jacket so my Aunt said that we ladies have to dress up to match the guys. Just great. I'll figure something out tomorrow. Went for a haircut today because my mum insisted that I do something about my very thick hair. So chopped away 3 inches of my hair while she went for her facial then I went over to her facial place to get my brows done. We both went out shopping afterwards and my mum got her diamond earrings and she got me 2 pendants and a pair of earrings too! Mum bought me some vitamins and a gorgeous pair of pumps! I like my new pumps! Dropped by the supermarket to get ginger before coming home. After that was Father's day italian dinner at Tanglin Mall. We built our own pizza and it was super delicious because we had all the toppings we wanted! Haha. I'm glad my Dad liked it too. Anyway, church tomorrow so I should be getting some sleep! It's going to be a long day.Thursday, June 16, 2005 05:42 p.m.
It's funny, in an unfunny sort of way. After going through my admissions handbook and figuring out for myself the different datelines and what forms I should quickly fill up and submit, there was this sudden rush of fear, loneliness and to a certain extent, some degree of apprehension. I can count the number of friends I know off my 2 hands who are going to the same university with me. Let's not even start with the number of friends I know who are going to study accountancy with me. I really never felt more alone starting school. During the first 3 months, I had Nic, Sarah, Michelle, Clara etc and after that, I had Nic, Michelle and so many other SCGS girls (even though alot moved to the other schools after the first few days) It doesn't help that I'm still so scared about accountancy. What if it's so difficult to understand? What if the lessons are so dry? What if I spend all my nights in front of the calculator and thick stacks of financial reports? What if I can't cope? There won't be accountancy tuition! What if I don't do well? What if it's not what I'm supposed to be doing? Then of course, there are other fears. What if I get a horrible room mate who leaves her food wrappers in the room to attract roaches, mosquitos and lizards? What if my roommate plays loud horrible techno music (I like jazz and soft rock) and she sleeps late at night and leaves her clothes all over the room? What if she hates Christians? I'm exaggerating, of course, but it's always good to think of the extremes. What if my roommate is an ultra quiet mugger? She doesn't read much, hates shopping and only knows her enginnering stuff and can't share with me her views about politics and the economy or the world and can't girltalk with me about shopping, the best eating places in Singapore or whether Lucas or Nathan is cuter in One Tree Hill? It'll be death if she hates One Tree Hill! What if I have no friends in my lectures and tutorial groups? What if everyone doesn't like me? What if I'm that weird, fat loser who dresses weirdly, has no friends and sucks at her studies? What if my project members are darn lazy and they leave me to do everything? What if everyone mugs so hard and competes with one another and I'm left eating the dust? Will I make friends in school? Will I have fun? Will I be able to cope? Then of course, there's the school. What if the school proves itself to be the most boring university in Singapore? One part of me is still dreaming (and hoping) that my parents will say "Here, birthday surprise! You're going to The London School of Economics and Political Science to study Economics and Politics in September!" or "Surprise! You're going to The University of Chicago to study Economics! But that really is a remote possibility since my parents are not good at surprises. I don't know. I fear I'm being too honest here. I think it's the going-back-to-school blues. Augh. You know what, I think it'll be different if I was waiting to enter Chicago or LSE. The rush of excitement of what's in store, leaving home, experiencing a new culture and all will make the fears seem much smaller. I don't know. Somehow, it SEEMS like starting school in Singapore has much more fear than excitement. Augh. I need some retail therapy.Wednesday, June 15, 2005 12:09 p.m.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005 12:38 p.m.
This week alone, I've had 3 friends come up to me and tell me they don't think I look like an accountant. Friend A: " You don't look like an accountant." ( I heard this countless of times, it doesn't even have an impact anymore)Friend B: " You don't look like you play with numbers."
Friend C: " You don't look like you count money." (For your information, I count my money each time my dad gives me my allowance!) I really wonder what I look like if I don't look like an accountant. An enginner? An economics and political science student? (I wouldn't mind!) A doctor? (I want) Friend A thought I look like I'll do something related to advertising, marketing and all. Hello, I have zero creativity! Anyway, I saw my lovely BMW 6 series again this morning. My dad's going to bring me to test drive it when I come back! I hope he gets it for me when I pass my driving, though I seriously doubt it because my mum won't allow him to and because she doesn't believe in spoiling her kids so I'll just have to earn enough to buy that car! I want to earn my first million by the age of 29! Partly because Ryan wants to earn his first million by 30 and I just want to beat him! Haha. I have no idea how I'm going to earn that amount (Do you know that business grads have a higher starting pay than accountancy grads?!!) but I'll probably watch over Ryan's accounts, make sure he's paying his taxes and that he's not in the red, then embezzle a million from his accounts on my 28th birthday. He probably won't realize it since he's not an accountant and I would have earned my first million! Haha. (Ok, I'm kidding. I'm really not that dishonest.) Have I also told you that I think my mum's a horrible driver? She sees a car about 100M away from her and then she accelerates because she thinks she has alot of space and when her car is almost kissing the car in front, she brakes, changes lane and accelerates again till she's almost kissing another car and then she brakes and this goes on and on till we reach our destination. Horrible driver because if you sit long enough in her car, you feel like puking with all those braking and acceleration. My dad picks up speed much gently and he rather drive at a constant speed than drive quickly then brake so his driving is much much smoother. The good thing is that my mum gets me to my destination quicker than my dad. FYI: I timed how long both of them take to send me to church. Mum = 8mins. Dad = 12mins. And it used to take mum 4 minutes to send me to JC and dad, 7 minutes. I'm off to Bangkok this afternoon with my sister and my mum for 7 days! Mum's partly working and partly holidaying. Sadly, my dad can't join us because he's flooded with work but he told me this morning during breakfast that he might just fly up during the weekend! Can't wait to shop eat shop eat shop eat shop eat shop eat shop eat shop eat and get a good solid massage. Hopefully, my jeans won't be too tight by the end of 7 days!
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 10:24 a.m.
I feel absolutely very uncomfortable when I read emails, blogs or MSN messages and people type like this: "Moi boifrend is goin to SMU!""Frenz 4evaz!" (What's with the "z"?)
"I'm staeing at home todae."
"Sighz, u juz now got call me? "
"I'm meetin my frends tonite" (Why can't you just slot in a "g" in meeting and an "i" in friends?)
"Shall we ged a coffee?" I'm sorry if you write like that but I feel extremely very uncomfortable! It's alright if it's just a couple of random words in the entire message but if the entire message is peppered with all these short forms and funny spelling ( I don't even know what to call that kind of writing), it really, really irks me! I know my english, writing and grammar is not perfect but that kind of writing bugs me like crazy! Don't even get me started on people who write with big and small letters.
"HeYz, WaNnA mEeTz uP N hAf dInNa tOnItE?"
Tuesday, June 7, 2005 09:47 a.m.
NASA Proves the Bible is true! For all you scientists out there and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation and shows that He's still in control. Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called "myth" in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill. President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore Maryland and a consultant in the space program relates the following development: I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite up, and have it bump into something later on its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite, and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down. They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out and they said. What's wrong?" Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time. They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer. Finally a Christian man on the team said. "You know, one time I was in Sunday school and they talked about the sun standing still". While they didn't believe him they didn't have an answer either. So they said, Show us". He got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with "Common sense". There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, "Fear them not. I have delivered them into thy hand: there shall not a man of them stand before thee". Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy if darkness fell they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right - "The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day." (Joshua 10:13) The astronauts and scientists said. "There is the missing day!" They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it was "about (approximately) a day" These little words in the Bible are important. But they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes you'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits. As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings. Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said "Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?" Hezekiah said it is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the Shadow return backward 10 degrees." Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow 10 degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe! Isn't it amazing? Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth! References:Joshua 10:8,12 &13; 2 Kings 20:9-11 By the way, I know some bibles write "10 steps" instead of "10 degrees" but it's just different translations. 10 steps = 10 degrees. I decided to count it on my own and see whether 10 degrees = 40 minutes. Now, one full day has 1440 minutes. Therefore, for the Earth to rotate one degree, it would take 4 minutes (1440/360). Thus, if the shadow moved back 10 degrees, the total time must have been 4X10=40minutes!Sunday, June 5, 2005 05:51 p.m.
I am super tired. I take a super long time to fall asleep at night. Even though I'm drop dead tired, my mind's still running a marathon so I'm kept awake. I don't know how people can take those 10minute catnaps during lunch time because I take more than 10 minutes just to fall asleep! Anyway, yesterday was the Sec4-J2 retreat at church and in my opinion, I thought it was a very warm, inspiring retreat. If I'm a J2 right now, I'll be so motivated after all those talks that I'll probably get down to mugging right away! Fellowship was great and I liked it alot because there didn't seem to be dominant cliques so everyone was talking with one another. I met SCGS's vice head prefect, Clara, yesterday too! Didn't know she came to our church so during dinner, all the scgs girls were talking about teachers and all that! Charlotte, Ryan and myself helped to set up dinner. We made it a candlelight dinner at ACS's plaza and got everyone to just sit around on the floor to eat and talk without any pressure and all but I think after a while, many candles blew out but it was quite cool still because a few of us brought almost all the candles to our side, lighted all of them up while the rest sat in darkness! Haha. Setting up the dinner too was equally fun and stupid! Sunday school teacher's meeting afterwards and was too tired to stay over so I just went home after the meeting. Church today then met up with Jac for a while. Now I'm just waiting to go to my grandma's house for dinner. I don't quite know why but I feel like I've lost a part of my confidence.Friday, June 3, 2005 01:19 p.m.
Last night's bible study's theme was Right Living and besides examining Proverbs, we defined Right Living, talked about why it was necessary and looked into Psalms 112 which starts off with these few words."Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands" The Psalm goes on to talk about the rewards of right living and talks about how an evil man will fare. I thought this was very interesting because many non-Christians look at Christians and go, "Oh, you're going to church every Sunday and reading your bible everyday because you want your 'rewards'" Well, Right Living certainly has great rewards and some rewards are material rewards like wealth and riches as what the Pslamist said or it could be something less obvious like Peace and Joy that the Lord gives which the world cannot give and the world cannot take away! But. Sometimes, the good are cut down and sometimes, the wicked prosper! Just like the example of Job in the Bible. That's when Psalms 112 is very encouraging! "He (The righteous man) will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor." And that really is when it gets interesting and practical. I strive to live right in God's eyes, diligently read his word, try to put into practice what I learn etc etc because I want to know more about him, because I want to have an intimate relationship with God and because I want to please Him, honour Him and worship Him. It's because I've tasted how sweet a relationship with the Lord can be that I don't want to forsake this beautiful relationship. Surely, there are rewards, sometimes material but most times not. Like during the A levels, when the Lord gave me tremendous peace even though I haven't completed revising my entire syllabus. But I'm not aiming for the 'rewards'. I'm aiming for an intimate relationship. I'm aiming to please God and live right. The material rewards and all are just little extras. I'm want to live right because right living is a reward on its own and I'm not living right because I want a reward. And come what may, I know that whatever bad news or horrible circumstances I face, like not getting into Harvard (what's with me and Harvard) or flunking out of university, my heart is steadfast because I trust in the Lord and I know that even if my world crumbles and I have no money, no friends, no As or no whatever, the Lord will always be my shepherd. I have nothing to fear. By the way, my definiton of right living is: Striving to live in harmony with God's laws even though obedience is costly. On another topic altogether. I'm really mad with Channel 5 because they didn't show my One Tree Hill and The OC last night!
Thursday, June 2, 2005 03:14 p.m.
The folks are back and I told you I was right about my Dad and his shopping! He got me a skirt that is sweeping my knee! Haha. But thankfully, his taste has improved! He went to the mall I frequent and got me 2 really nice big bags! I love it! This time around, he got really good chocolates too and an inflatable chair for me! Haha. Mum bought home a toiletries bag that is probably too pretty to be used and lots of shampoo and shower gel! Apparently, a french company was having their exhibition at her hotel so she bought bottles and bottles back! It's really nice smelling so now I have different flavours of shower gel and shampoo like apricot shower gel, apple shampoo and lotus shampoo! Had breakfast with my Dad this morning and he was complaining about how the people in China have no etiquette. He had to transfer in Shanghai from SQ to a China Eastern flight because the factory was in a province and he was just so appalled by the service and the people on board the flight! He said that on the flight from Wenzhou to Shanghai, there were 12 people at one time queeing outside the toilet, 2 ladies talking so loudly across the plane and this lady next to him with a crying kid. The lady wasn't even supposed to be sitting next to him and she kept asking him to switch to the back of the plane where her relative was sitting so that the entire family could sit together. My dad pretended he didn't understand Chinese because he thinks she should have arranged with the ground staff to sit all the entire family together and he had the right to sit there and he shouldn't have to move to the back of the plane where it's stuffy. (Good for him!) He said people were using their mobiles in midair and there was nothing much the stewardess can do because people didn't care, people were rushing out of the plane when it landed and the stewardess didn't even bother picking up the pillows that fell on the floor so the whole place was really messy and noisy. I can really imagine how fed up my Dad must be. I know he likes it to be calm and quiet when he's flying. But seriously, I'm not like blaming all the Chinese people and definitely not saying that all Chinese people are like that but I had bad experiences too. When I was up in Shanghai in February, I was buying some bowls at this market for my mum and I just happened to ask the guy for the price. And when I realized it was too high, ( I didn't even bother bargaining), I said xie xie and walked away and the next thing I know, he was running down the street, chasing me, shouting at the top of his voice and asking why I didn't want to buy his products and kept on demanding that I buy it! All the hawkers were looking at me and it was freaking embarrassing and scary! Honestly, their social graces must improve if they want their country to progress and they should really stop spitting and talking so loudly! What use is it if the economy is doing so well but the people don't have proper etiquette and social graces? After a while, who would want to do business with them or visit China? You don't see Australians chasing you down the alley of their flea market when you happen to ask for the price of the product and don't buy it in the end! Anyway, there's bible study tonight! Should be really interesting because we're on the book of Proverbs. During this week alone, I've read at least 85% of proverbs! I'm not kidding. It's our homework and Proverbs is a highly interesting book because it's easy to digest yet it's so full of practical truth and is applicable even after so many years! Society is indeed still ridden with greedy, selfish people, people who gossip, evil men who plot evil schemes and adultery and all are still roaming in society after 2000 over years! So the book of Proverbs offers insight and advice on how to run away from such traps, why parents should discipline children, how and why we should seek after Wisdom for Wisdom leads to the knowledge of God, how to go about leading your life and alot more! It's really worth reading. You don't even need to read the entire book or an entire chapter. You can just read one verse because one verse has enough truth to enlighten you and make you think about your life and the way you lead it! Wow. I wrote alot. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------