I miss.........

Currently lying on my bed with the laptop on my tummy streaming on 96Five fm. I miss K-Mart, Coles, QR, Fitness First, Sunnybank touhua, bubble tea, BOOST, Target, Brisbane River, La Dolce Vita, Hotmarket, Dollars and Sense, JACKPOT, considerate drivers, Two Wongs, Little Taipei, Winter, VALLEYGIRL....raah..raahh..raah...

The mind is my battlefield. Time for some strict training to stay tough.

The Computer. Should it be a 'He' or 'She' ??? Hmm..

I was listening to an audio sermon by Peter Wagner and he shared this joke before his sermon. Just to tickle your humour a bit...

Unlike the English language, the Spanish language gives items either masculine or feminine connotations. For example, the house is female in Spanish and the pencil is male.

A puzzled student asked the Spanish teacher, what gender should the computer be?

The teacher checked the dictionary and realized that there was no such word for computer in Spanish. As such, she split the class into two, guy and girl, to discuss and decide which gender should be the computer, and give 4 reasons why.

The guys decided that the computer should be female. Based on 4 reasons:

1. Nobody but their creator understands their internal logic!

2. When two computers pass information, no one else understands what they're communicating to one another!

3. Even the smallest mistakes you make are stored in the long-term memory!

4. When you make a commitment to one, you spend half your paycheck buying accessories for it!

Now the girls decided that the computer should be male based on four reasons as well:

1. To get their attention, you gotta turn them on!

2. They've got a lot of data but they're clueless!

3. You buy them to solve your problems, but half the time, they are the problem!

4. When you make a commitment to one, you realized that you could have waited a little longer to get a better model!



The girls won.


*LoL*......
any objections??? =P

Just another day in Kuala Lumpur...

Decided to get out of the house today. I had a shopping list in mind and I thought I better get that "chore" done before I officially start work this coming Monday. Yepz, I braved myself to drive on the KL road all by myself today. hehe... doesn't really sound like anything to be proud of but still, it's an achievement for me. =P

Honestly, I think I am getting kinda overly paranoid about the crime rates here (Am I????). Thanks to my parents and relatives who've been consistently sending me forwarded emails about crime incidents happening in KL, especially females who drive alone along the streets of KL (no sarcasm.). So yeah, first thing when hop into the car, I lock my doors immediately, place my handbag next to the driver's door (I was told to never put my bag at the passenger seat because there were incidents where motorcyclists would smash your window if you're waiting at the traffic lights, to snatch your bag... *GAaaaSSsPPPSS*) and drove off in the quickest manner.

First stop, I took a drive to Shah Alam Club to pick up my junior membership card which was due to be ready today. I am still eligible as a junior member before I hit 25, so my dad thought I should cease the opportunity to make use of the facilities while I am here. Coming back to this country club brought plenty of memories. My parents used to take the 3 of us here every Sunday for a swim in the evening when we were still little kids. It's sorta like our routine family outing. Reminiscence of the past...... then I noticed, where are all the Chinese?? Why is the club flooded with Melayus???? HAHA.. things change.
Since I was around Shah Alam, I remembered that some friends will be coming up here for Church Camp so I drove to look out for their hotel. Hmm.. am thinking of crashing in for their camp over the weekend. We'll know soon whether that'll happen. :P

Next stop, I head on to Midvalley Megamall. The carpark was almost full and considering that it's a weekday morning, I am utterly surprised. I went many rounds in the carpark and finally I saw 2 ladies walking towards the car just next to me. I moved my car forward and filtered left while I wait. When the car drove out, the car behind me slotted in! ARGHH... that really pissed me off and that reminded me, welcome back to KL, the place where you find inconsiderate drivers!*LoL* Anyway, didn't want to get overly annoyed about that so I decided to pray for calmness and peace and also for a parking spot. God is good...I'm special. Praise God~~~ I found a slot.. just next to the mall entrance. He sure does reserve the better things for us, eh?

Midvalley -- on a weekday. Packed, packed packed. I cannot imagine the weekends. =S

Next, Shopping time!!! I like shopping alone. What's in my shopping list, you wonder? I was looking for a huge bag with zippers on (to prevent snatch thefts.. it's all about KL babeh...hehe.) to carry to work everyday. Found 2 that I thought may suit that purpose but I got very fickle-minded and kept walking back and forth to compare both bags (I had plenty of time to kill anyway.). In the end, I settled for this one I found at Jusco.

Nothing outstanding in design but it's affordable enough to serve its purpose. It's huge enough to fit a laptop. This will be called my new 'rubbish bag'. *NyekNyek*

Anyway, also looked around for a pair of sandals to put on before and after work. I don't really fancy wearing heels and getting blisters at my heels tend to be a common thing. Needed something non-thongy because of stockings. I wanted something very comfortable and long-lasting. After much thought.... I settled for the old auntie all-time favourite BATA!!!!

I don't really care about the design but it's comfort and durability that matters now!! Can't go wrong with cheap and good BATA. =P

Spent a grand total of.... *jeng jeng jeng* 6 hours in the mall!!! Haha... yep, I love being a girl. Hold up, I have a reason for staying so long. I aimed to leave during peak hour at about 7-ish in the evening to test the traffic along Federal Highway because that'll be the same road I will be travelling on back from work. How was it...?? Creepy crawly slow. Hmm, what can I say? I'll get used to it.

Oww.. my legs are aching. I better hit the sack.

That's all for now... just another one of Miranda's lame-o daily life saga.... :)

I'm returning.....

... to where I first started walking. Yep, I am leaving for Kuala Lumpur (KL) tomorrow...where I was born. Can't believe I'm going back there sooner than expected. Gonna be stepping into new grounds. Gonna be rooted here for the next few years. Only God knows whether there'll be a next destination. Sounds exciting, eh? Yeah, I was excited 3 months ago, but now, to be honest, I think I'm more like, scared.

Funny how I didn't feel as nervous during the time when I left for Australia to do my studies. Beats me why.
I'm starting all over. New home, new roommate, new job, new friends, new church, new cellgroup, new car (soon..), new everything.

I wonder what am I afraid of. What's bothering my mind?? *stratches head*

God, please lead me to the church that you want me to settle in. I think that'll help cure the fear.

I think that's it.

Please pray for me.

PS: Happy Birthday, Samuel the old man. =P

Psalm 23

Man.. this little girl surely remembers the bible better than I do...
Doesn't this inspire you to pick up the bible and start memorising verses??
hehe... :)

I think I'm getting immune to goodbyes...

I was at away for the weekend at with the Passion (that's what we're called =D) Cell group for a retreat. Well, we didn't "retreat" to somewhere too far away, though! We were at Tanjung Bungah, which is still within the Penang Island. Lodged at an apartment called Stella Maris. Nice and cosy just next to the beach. Beach activity was fun. We build some sand castles, took lotsa photos and also one of the highlights was going canoeing at the Penang Watersports Centre. I haven't been exercising in a long time since I quit the gym, so... yeouch... my arms are still suffering from aches now!! *shame shame*!!
We also organised a prayer walk at a church-owned primary school at the mainland. One of our church member, sister Hannah has been a teacher in this school for more than 10 years now. The school is undergoing some challenging situations now and my sincerest prayer is that this school will continue to remain in the hands of the Lord. Observing the surroundings of the school has made me realised that I was so blessed during my schooling days.

The school compound. this is as big as it gets.

The classroom

Anyway, I grabbed this retreat as a golden opportunity for me to get to know the Passion-ites better. Don't know when will be the next time we'll meet again because sad to say that this retreat was officially my last gathering with these bunch of lovely peeps. It was not longer than three months ago that I bade my previous farewell and here comes another one. Oh well, bidding farewell is not the funnest thing to do. Perhaps I am preparing myself to be immune, if not used to this sudden flood of departure blues. Sometimes I wonder, whether it's just me putting up a front, showing as though I could handle goodbyes whenever I face one. I just felt that I don't want to tear over departures because I want to believe that one day, there's always a chance that we'll meet again. So I'd prefer to call this moment, "to be continued.. forever." (I got inspired by this phrase from a book I read recently.)

I handmade a personal bookmark each for the Passion-ites as a farewell gift.

The sport that hurt my arms... :S

We're getting better and better at these Kodak moments shots! HEHE... =D

the girls...

the guys...

2 more days before I leave for Kuala Lumpur. More updates to come!

Mr Wonderful

Specially for all singles out there waiting for 'THE ONE'....

By Arlene Pellicane

When I was in high school, I was blessed to have a lot of titles. Cheerleader. Honors Student. Student Body President. Youth Group Leader. But there was one title I was very displeased with. Dateless.

I think I was the only one to graduate from high school without being asked out. No roller rink dates. No fast food jaunts. Nothing. But God had given me a promise.

I went to a Christian school and one day after chapel, I was praying about my dateless state at the altar. To my surprise, the speaker came up to me and said, "I believe God has a message for you. He's preparing a man of God for your life." I cried tears of joy because like Hannah at the altar, I felt like my prayers had been heard.

Mr. Wonderful was coming!

Starry eyed, I began attending a Christian college where I thought for sure I would meet my match. After all, there were so many new, cute Christian boys everywhere! But once again, dateless. Four years later, I received my B.A. but alas, no MRS. degree. But I did come close.

My senior year, I began dating a terrific young man. He was involved in youth group and studying to be in the ministry. He was kind, smart, quick to smile, captain of the volleyball team, and cute to boot. The more I knew about him, the more I liked. I was in love! I thought beyond a shadow of a doubt, This is the Mr. Wonderful I've been waiting for all my life!

We continued dating after graduation, and I waited. Would he propose? God was about to prepare me for the answer.

One night, I felt terribly sad for no apparent reason. I began to cry in my bedroom. When I asked God why I was crying, I was drawn to the story of Abraham and Isaac. Was I willing to sacrifice my Isaac on the altar? Was I willing to let my relationship die? Tearfully, I said "yes" to God. A few days later, my boyfriend broke up with me.

I felt as though life had stopped. My heart ached for my boyfriend. I finally understood every sad song on the radio. I cried out for God to help me.

One day, I was walking along the beach and felt impressed to sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness." I declared out loud that God was faithful and struggled to believe it with everything in me. I prayed that God would either restore my relationship or take away my desire for my college sweetheart and bring another man into my life.

Months went by and God had clearly chosen the latter. So I waited for the real Mr. Wonderful to walk into my life. And waited. And waited.

The months turned into years. I was in my late twenties and once again, dateless. But God had given me a story to cherish during that season of waiting in my life. At a missions conference, I met a very godly couple who talked with me about being single and serving God. They took the time to get to know me and relate this story.

Once there was a winemaker who lived in a small village. When his friends came over, he would serve bread and ordinary wine. Wine that had been opened and closed again and again. But one day, a very close friend from a faraway place came to visit. "For you dear friend," he exclaimed, "I have a very special wine." He went into his cellar and pulled out a bottle of wine that he had been saving for years. It had never been opened.

The missionary went on to tell me that I was that special wine. That God was the Winemaker and someday, when the right man came along, God would present me to that man, untouched and untasted. Instead of being passed over, I was being saved for the perfect person by a tender and loving Winemaker.

So when the waiting became difficult, I remembered that story. The Winemaker was saving me for someone special.

I'm very happy to say Mr. Wonderful did come along. The first time I ever saw James, he was flipping hamburgers at a welcome barbecue at the graduate school we both attended. It wasn't love at first sight at the condiment bar, but he did catch my eye. We became good friends and it was perfectly clear to me that he was THE ONE. Unfortunately, it took him longer to catch this revelation so once again, I was waiting.

After months of being only good friends, I had to re-evaluate my desire for James. I was growing weary of the crazy way my heart beat when I saw him. He was dating other girls, so what was I waiting for? I surrendered my wish to be together to God. My theme verse was Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I prayed that God would take away my desire for James, or that God would place that same desire in James' heart. In that time of waiting, I learned to surrender my wishes to God.

A few months later, James asked me on our first date to Outback Steakhouse. Thank God he talked to a friend who discouraged him from taking me to Dairy Queen! At dessert, he pulled out a red rose and a yellow rose which he had discreetly hidden in his jacket. He said, "We've been friends for a long time and I want to date you and see if there's something more." From that moment forward, we were inseparable. Five months later we were engaged. Mr. Wonderful had truly arrived and he surpassed all my high expectations.

Next year I'll celebrate my tenth anniversary with my Mr. Wonderful. Was he worth all those days of waiting in high school, college, and beyond? Without a doubt. The Winemaker had put together a perfect match.