No one's blogged here for ages. I haven't blogged here for 2 months(or more) already! Ok I shall try to revive this. Though I don't feel like blogging about the past 3-4 months of my life, which includes lots of stuff like the O's, holidays and etc.

Today I went to Kat's church for Christmas service. It was really enjoyable and quite different from my own, but the grace preaching is the same, which is great news. :) Watched Kat's sisters performing, heheh so cute!

Watched the movie Faith Like Potatoes too, which was a really faith-building and inspiring movie. A must-watch for all Christians. It started out really dry(like the land and the weather in the movie) but really became very inspiring after the main character Angus Buchan accepted Christ. Go watch it if you can! Found some full movie links on youtube but not sure if they work, haven't tried. Anyway, remember the name, Faith Like Potatoes, there's a book by the same name on his amazing story which is 100% true. Will try to find it asap.

Really loved the movie cos I felt like this movie kind of spoke to me and because I have been lately(since before O's till now) feeling a bit distant from the Lord and really wanted to get back closer with Jesus and God. This movie really got me feeling born again, I really hope that after this, I can get back to a closer communion with God like before, and not feel lost or distant or empty like in the 2nd half of this year. Maybe there was a reason God put me in Kat's church today,to watch that movie and to try to rediscover the Lord again and trust God in everything just like before. I really can't wait to go to my church next week and hear my pastor's word(or God's word to the church and people) for 2010. Hmm I feel like joining my church's youth group for fellowship, maybe I should join the Arrow Ministry next year...

Anyway, it's coming to the end of December and I still haven't gotten a job or a prom dress(less than 2 weeks left!) Gosh I'm really leaving it late. I guess I'll just trust in Jesus to help me with this two things for He knows what's best and He knows my future.

Just wanna tell you guys one great phrase from the movie above: The condition for a miracle is difficulty and the condition for a great miracle is impossiblity. (as said by Angus Buchan, he should have added the part about having just a little faith as well though!)

On a side note, the movie the Princess and the Frog is really good too! It'll make you feel like a kid again, in a good way of course. It's like the Disney movies of old, think Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, (my fav movies when young)etc, great songs, great music and good morals. Ahhh what a feel-good and feel-young movie! Haha go catch it too if you can! Well worth paying!

Oh and if anyone hasn't caught New Moon yet and wants to know how it is, all I can say is, it's exactly the same as the book, if you liked the book, you'll like the film, simple as that. Can't think of any part they left out, probably a bit more exciting than Twilight I think. If you are a fan, you have to watch this, otherwise, spend it on P and F!(haha)

Well, that's all for now. Kat and Nat, pls blog soon too!

Mandy :)

Unearthing

Alone

Completely; utterly; perfectly alone

Drowning in the deepest realms of thought

There was nothing else she sought

But the purest; calmest; gentlest breeze

As she swung back, forth

Back and forth

Back and forth

The wind filling every corner of her conscience

Raging now

With intense emotion ;-

Ecstasy

Shame

Vehemence

Agitation

Ardor

Satisfaction

Zeal

Warmth

Grief

All in an overwhelming fusion

of swift, reckless, impetuous compunction

Future merged with past

Present no longer present

The whirlwind picked up speed

Round and round and round

And then all ceased

A standstill

She was flying

The wind lifting her up

Nothing could escape her sight

The path so straight and simple

She smiled

HELLOOO PEOPLE!

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good! SO GOOOOD!!
OHYEAHHH

Everyday is just so beautiful (:
Our undersomez gathering was fabulously satisfying; 4 MOVIES BABY. & YES, WRECKING THE CITY TOOOO :D
Where's our nehballers outing gonna be? Sentosa again? (:
Ooh Mandz, have a safe trip & rmb to bring back souvenirs for us! :D We'll go party some more with ya after you come back yeah ;)

Alright time to continue with slackin activities!
tata~

<3tash!

santa's tummy.

just got home. Ohhh tash, my tummy is modelling after santa's already! That was hugeee dinner :C Hahaha yes,second rank to the chilli one!
Need to exercise sooooon. !
Haha but had a great time with you nonetheless, keep wobbling!! ;)
P.s. She's a woman. And I don't think she likes us much. :p

Keep the fire going people! C'mon lets get it done and over with, but done to the best we can (: Whoot!
P.p.s. I still wna perform for grad night! MANDYYY, AGREEEEEE. We won't make you dance. Promise! ;)

You Raise Me Up

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.


Thank you, daddy & mummy(:










I'll really miss everything.

Aww, now that's the best complement you could've given to me but you're poem's the reason for its existance, so thanks for that;)

That's a fantastic improvement kath! It came from your effort dude, and your truly admirable determination (: Woah man, good job. Just keep up what you've been doing & you'll do incredible; like i said, you have it in you. Maybe you should start aiming for that straight A1s on your cert:)
Mandz, i dunno how you've done this time round but you have the wonderful quality of strong discipline, sheer perseverance & indefatigability. Awesome you are; all the way from when i first knew you. You aim for that 8 A1s too! :D
As for me, I guess my actions or rather, lack of actions have really shown up. Crying over spilt milk is no use, so I've learnt to look forward and focus on what matters the most. I've been praying that the Lord keeps me strong, especially since disappointment and this horrible sense of helplessness is coursing through my mind everytime i fail to keep my eyes on the goal ahead & glance at the disheartening results before me. The situations I am in aren't exactly making it any easier. But yes, i shant let these stop me in any way. My every stride should be that of the Lord, and my source of strength drawn from Him who lives in me; and i in Him. All i need is to put all my trust and faith in You, Lord.

Alright, just some updates on interesting things going on!

My grandma's in town:D She's really really cuteee! hahaha and she reminds me so much of daddy.
I've finally submitted my SJI application yay!
Im getting rounder and rollier every second :(
I realised i may not be good at them but i really do love bio & lit. (thank you so much for reviving my passion for it MS; that simple session was really insightful and i dont think anyone could have done it better)
(Mandz, thanks for your ego-boosting high praises but i really aint good)

Oh yeah & i cant wait for the meaning and reason for your poem, since my interpretation was kinda way off haha. Dont keep me in suspense please!


<3tash.

Haha and wow again. You know,reading your viewpoint of it always leaves me feeling amazed. Yep, I really meant it when I said, the way you write makes it look like nothing below your explanation...the best complement I could ever have :D even though it wasn't rly supposed t be tt meaning in general. I'll tell you the meaning soon, and ofc the reason ((: maybe in the clay blog.

Hmm hope you guys are contented with your results for prelim 2! Haha I improved by like 6 pts man. :D really have to give thanks to the Lord, I seriously have no clue whr tt came from. Tash, don't worry too much about these papers, the Lord has already set ready a path for you, just take it in His stride. (: although I truly do hope that you'll be in the same sch as me! Haha we'll tear the place down man. Whoo!

Hope to hear from you guys soon!
;)

Haha hey i decided to give my general interpretation of the poem for now, instead of describing the feelings you were experiencing. Hahah hope it's not too way off :P



The gist of this poem is that it revolves around the hunting of a female dear; a doe, and it accentuates the helplessness and survival instincts aroused when an animal is placed in a situation wherein it knows its life is very much in danger.

There is a great sense of foreboding and anxiety as tension is built up to the moment where the hunter makes the crucial decision to make his move and pull the trigger. This tense innervation is layered upon from the first line of the poem, 'The heart stutters with each drop'. Already, a great sense of fear is created as the doe is shown to be somewhat aware of the fate that lies before her.

The surroundings are described with few words, but with much impact and meaning. The snowflakes that are falling are said to be 'ravenous', to be voracious and famished, explicitly indicating that the doe is not at all oblivious to the presence of the hunter, who she believes to be a highly threatening predator, being dangerously desirous of her life.

The setting is that of a dark, quiet and calm night. As such, the atmosphere gives a delusional and contradicting feeling when compared to the real emotions felt by the doe.

The doe is seen to be weak and defenseless when put up against a human with a gun. The doe too, knows that she is no match against a machine invented by a species intelligent beyond compare.

She brings herself to keep moving, in a courageous attempt to devoid herself of the danger that lies before her, though a part of her seems to form a sense of acceptance toward the despondent idea of death. The word 'thickets' is suggestive of a dense growth of plants, creating the image of impenetrability and thickness. Perhaps this represents the thicket of unreality that had existed and flourished before, standing between her and the facts of life. However, this thicket has now started to wither and die, representing the dying of the protective shield, brought with delusion and absolute isolation from suffering and the experiences of painful realisation. This leads to the doe's increasing exposure to the harshness of hard cold truth as the reality of the situation begins to sink in.

Her natural instinct to fight for her life still remains vividly present though, as she uses her intellect to try to escape from the predator. With 'silent cogitation' and contemplation, she attempts using good ole techniques attained when playing hide-and-seek in order to slip away into the dark depths of the forest. Sadly, she is easily outwitted by her predator and the 'penetrating', piercing and tormenting death awaiting her is further outlined by the 'cadaverous', corpse-like moon.

The hunter has 'anesthetised the nerves to' his soul in preparation to take the life of another living being. He is cutting himself loose of his conscience; the extremely powerful and complex mixture of ethical and moral principles that inhibits one's actions and thoughts. For it would not be possible for him to commit such a heartless act with the glaring knowledge of his actions continuously stabbing at him.

The simplicity of the situation is overshadowed by the 'intricate', complex and entangled thoughts racing through the hunter's mind as the weak shield of emotional numbness is overpowered by the sheer strength of inner conscience, causing the smallest of cracks in it and allowing a tiny stream of thoughts to trickle through the vastness of his mind.

However, the stream is far from powerful enough to resist the physical motive pulsing through the hunter's being. His body is poised and ready to kill; every move no longer aided by the usual train of thought and reason. Then he struck; the doe fleeing for her life, but just a second too late. And the mocking laughter echoing into the night merely confirmed the dismal fate she was destined to.

All too quickly, the dirty work was done. But the pertinacious doe continued struggling for her life, pulling onto the 'invisible string tied to her presence' in a morbid form of a game of tug-of-war.

Once the action was done, the hunter's conscience comes crashing down on him again, much like a gigantic tidal wave; engulfing his mind, soul and body. He watches on with deep regret as the doe breathes her last breath. The pangs of guilt become far too great for him to handle, and he breaks down within; his soul a crumbling mess.

The doe can't hang on any longer; her heart no longer beats. The immensity of his swift action in that single moment weighs down on the hunter and makes him wish that he had never done it. Knowing that he wouldn't even be able to hear the quickened pulse of that frightened doe ever again squashes the life out of his very soul. A part of him had died.



Yup, that's basically what I think the poem means. Man, I definitely need to brush up on my skills. Haha sorry if it aint what you meant at all:/ Oh and i haven't tried writing abt the feelings part yet..

Woah, that was a really good poem(:
Did you actually write it? Hahah im havin my doubts.
It can be my practice question for the unseen poetry section:D

BALDIES ROCKK.

Ohman im really starting to feel like a ball :/

Aiyah gotta rush off now,
tata!

<3tash.

snowy serenade

The heart stutters with each drop
Like the ravenous flakes falling slyly
On a hush serene night
Sending chills down the spine of the weak.
Amidst the storm, the thickening blanket of white
A glow is emitted from the eyes of the dignified doe
As she continues to cast her weary soul from the dying thickets
Through the silent cogitation, she makes herself unknown
Yet little did the debilitated doe see-
Even with the penetrating marble crescents mirroring the cadaverous moon;
It was the distance that anesthised the nerves to my soul.
Exchanging of glances only added to the tensed tranquility
The gush of the wind and strumming of my own pulse filled my ears

Intricate patterns of snow danced around me
As my bare frozen foot took the square forward
Like a chess piece approaching the king
The muffled shuffle of the snow;
The unforeseen step...
With the flick of the tail and the mist of white emulsion
The doe takes her retreat, only never to return
Her embedded prints in the shaft blown away by the harsh jeering of the unpassionate winds.

The cord of gunpowder unleashed with the pull of the invisible string
Tied to her presence
Though the night is veiled; my insides set off with the explosion of fiery display
The further she pulled, the steeper the ache
Pain ran deep, scorching every surviving part and ignoring the blustering cold circumstance
It burned; diluting my sight
As the clouds parted and the breeze became forgiving

The stuttering ceased
The heart capitulated
And everything became no more.