Tuesday, January 24, 2006//
1/23/06
Encouragement for Today
"When God Builds a Testimony"
Glynnis Whitwer, Senior Editor - "P31 Woman Magazine," Proverbs 31
Speaker Team Member
Key Verse:
Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)
Devotion:
"Two certified copies of our home study? We need two?" I asked Pam,
our adoption liaison, in disbelief. My husband was leaving for Africa to pick
up our daughters the next morning and I stared at the wall in shock.
How could I have overlooked that detail on the adoption checklist? I'd checked
it at least 20 times. It said we needed duplicate copies of all forms, but I
hadn't considered the home study a "form".
It was noon on Veteran's Day - which was Friday - the start of a three-day
weekend. I couldn't imagine we could get another copy before the end of the
day, but I knew we had to try. As soon as I hung up the phone, I frantically
dialed the phone numbers for the local adoption agency, the director's cell
phone and our social worker. Trying to hide the panic in my voice, I left
messages at all three numbers.
Unsure of what else to do, my husband Tod, drove to the agency, in hopes the
staff was there. I sat frozen, staring out the window in disbelief and prayed
with fervor for God's intervention.
Since we had learned two weeks earlier we could pick up our daughters, I'd been
praying for God to cover the details. There were so many, that we felt
overwhelmed. We were amazed when all the necessary last-minute requirements
fell into place, and saw God's handprints all over the process.
Now, the day before Tod was to leave, it looked as if it would be delayed. I
was upset with myself for not having made sure we had everything in place. If
only I had called personally to talk through the checklist with our liaison, we
wouldn't be in this predicament. As I sat alternately berating myself, and
praying for God to step in and help with one more detail, the phone rang.
It was Pam. My heart leapt at her words. Although it wasn't normally done, the
director of the African orphanage was confident she could finalize the adoption
with the one home study they already received. I could have screamed with joy,
and wanted to jump through the phone to give Pam a hug.
I thanked her and quickly called my husband to tell him the good news. He was
just pulling into the parking lot of the local agency and almost turned around
to come home. However, I suggested he check and see if anyone was there, and
tell them our problem was solved.
A few minutes later Tod called back with amazing news. The director was sitting
at the front desk, listening to my message and had one certified copy of our
home study to give to Tod. We had our two copies, and we praised God for
coordinating another detail.
When I relayed the good news to Pam, she simply said, "The Lord loves to
build a testimony for us to share with others and He surely uses some
interesting events and people to build it with!"
This concept of God building a testimony helps me understand in greater measure
why God allows us to experience certain things, especially those that are
painful. In our situation, God allowed us to experience a harrowing two hours
in order to prove Himself faithful over the details.
A Christian's testimony always includes something about the character of God.
Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose." I believe the "good" in some very difficult life
experiences might be what we learn about God's unchanging nature and His
faithfulness.
It helps to know that God doesn't waste any life experience. As the Master
Builder of our lives, God can turn any "pile of sand" into a terrific
building block for our future testimony.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:00 AM
Saturday, January 21, 2006//
*************************************************************************************
Friday, January 20, 2006
Praying with Faith
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
— James 1:6
Have you ever been surprised when God actually answered your prayer? I have. Yet that is a lack of faith. And the Bible tells us that our prayers can be hindered by a number of things, including a lack of faith.
There is no question that faith is a key element in effective prayer. A lack of faith will hinder prayer, and the Bible tells us that when we pray, we are to:
Ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7)
Jesus, on one occasion as recorded in Mark 6:5, could do "no mighty work" in a city, because of the unbelief of the people. In other words, God wanted to work, but the unbelief of the people hindered Him.
And we can remember countless stories in the Gospels of people who were commended for their faith. Yet at the same time, because of the extremes that people have gone to with this truth, I need to qualify my statements. Yes, God does want us to have faith, but it isn't entirely dependent upon our faith. Realistically, how much faith did Lazarus have when he was raised from the dead? About none, I would say. So whose faith raised Lazarus? It was the faith of Jesus.
My point is that faith is an intrinsic part of prayer, but it doesn't entirely depend on us. We need to find the balance. Yes, we need faith, and we should pray with as much as we have. Yet at the same time, God can do a lot with a little.
*************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
1:07 AM
Friday, January 20, 2006//
thank God for creating such a marvelous thing on earth called ICE CREAMMMM!
was so super sianz today.
bad day.
a stupid bird shit on me!
wat the.....!!!!!
at engine canteen someday...
luckily only kana a bit.
was so DAMN sleepy during lecture etc, then still gotta go and meet my frd to pick up some stuff.
thus! SApphire went to eat ice cream!!!
yes la!
happy.
alright, now super tired. ate my dinner. and to my bed, here i go!
bball training later.
scary....competition's coming. it's jus TOO fast. not prepared.yet.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
6:09 PM
//
*************************************************************************************
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Hindrances to Prayer
You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
— James 4:3
Why are there times when we pray, yet our prayers don't seem to go any higher than the ceiling? What can stop our prayers from being answered in the affirmative? There are several reasons our prayers may be hindered.
The first is selfishness—having the wrong motive. We can pray the most beautiful prayers conceivable, but if our hearts are in the wrong place, and if we are motivated by selfishness, then God will not hear us. The Bible tells us, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). What is your motive? It can have everything to do with how your prayers are answered.
Another hindrance to prayer is having idols in our lives. God said, "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?" (Ezekiel 14:3). God is telling us that when we have idols in our lives, He will not hear our prayers.
A third hindrance is unforgiveness. Jesus said that when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him or her so that your heavenly Father will forgive you of your sin (see Mark 11:25). Are you nursing a grudge against someone in your life right now? If so, you need to deal with it so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Selfishness, idolatry, and unforgiveness—they can mean the difference between answered and unanswered prayer.
*************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
7:44 AM
i want to see tears of Happiness on That Day.
Thursday, January 19, 2006//
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
9:57 PM
//
it's tiring to keep to your plan. daily.
it's demoralising when you couldnt stick to your plan. daily.
it's mundane to do the same things over and over again. daily.
it's difficult to find motivation behind the things you do. daily.
it's disappointing when you couldnt follow ur plan and expectation. daily.
things will get boring.
things will get mundane.
if only you can stop doing.
if only you can stop planning.
if only you can jus let it go.
if only you can enjoy like nobody's biz.
if only you can jus do it and DUN THINK & WORRY.
if only you can be who you reali are.
5 promises that God delivered:
(a) God is who He says He is.
(b) i am who God says i am.
(c) i can do all things thr Christ who strengthens me.
(d) God is good and He never fails.
(e) God is love and He loves me.
surrendering. letting go. acceptance. approval. significance.
temptations. trials. prunning. struggling. rationalising. testing.
cross-training.
it's tiring tiring tiring to stick to the same old thing. daily. to follow the same old plan. daily.
but somehow, you cant avoid it.
cos you JUST need to do it.
sigh.
why do i haf to do it?
or rather, it's a choice. and i chose it that way.
since, i want it that way. then stop KB-ing, stop bitching, stop complaining, stop grumbling.
most importantly.
find Joy in the things you do.
if not, then JUST LET GO and dun do it.
life is short. be happy. stop worrying. stop planning.
stop planning in your head. in your mind. in your organiser.
jus stop. right now.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
9:41 PM
Wednesday, January 18, 2006//
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
A Litmus Test for Temptation
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
— Matthew 26:41
If we could see our own temptation as clearly as we see that of others, it wouldn't be all that hard to identify and avoid. Yet with ourselves, we are somehow able to rationalize our giving in to temptation.
Let me give you a couple of little principles to apply—a litmus test, if you will, to help you know if you are being enticed to evil. You can apply these two principles when you wonder, Is this a temptation? Is this wrong?
First, pray about it and bring it into the clear presence of God. When you are about to do something that you're unsure about, pray, "Lord, can I ask Your blessing on this? Lord, is this out of Your will?" If you can't pray about it with a good conscience, then it probably isn't the will of God. You are probably putting yourself unnecessarily in the way of temptation.
Second, ask yourself the question, How would this look if some other Christian gave in to it? If you saw one of your Christian friends doing the thing you are presently doing, would you think it was odd or peculiar? Would you conclude that it doesn't look right? If it doesn't seem like the right thing for your friends to do, then you are probably doing the wrong thing as well.
Stop and think, watch what you are doing, and stop and pray. You will save yourself from giving in to temptation.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
12:47 AM
FOOD. how can you live a life without all these heavenly food?!?! :D
Tuesday, January 17, 2006//
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:52 AM
Believe in yourself. - never regret living this life -
//
was looking through the photos that zenia send me yday...
realli wanan thank God for these 3 things.
(A) thank God for shijia and for who she is today. i am jus so proud of her! looking at her reminds me that DREAMS can be fulfilled.
(B) thank God for ah-Beng, for knowing her and that she is back in Singapore. miss her so much!
(C) thank God for candice. HAHA. maybe i never really told you that. but then i realli REALLI thank Him for putting you in my life for this past 16 yrs :)
i may not be physically, emotionally etc attached to you.
i may not be popping into your room every night.
i may not be lunching/dining/going out with you.
but then, everytime when i am with you. i have the comfort that no one can give me.
everytime i am feeling down, at least you cross my mind :)
HAHA.
you are important okies!
HAHA.
believe in yourself gal, live up to your dream. one life. live it. :)
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:00 AM
<< Hope. Faith. Love. Forgiveness. >>
Thursday, January 12, 2006//
Reinhold Niebuhr:
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime,
Therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
Therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.
Therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:02 AM
//
slept at 10PM last night.
never been so shagged before.
woke up at 6am today :)
lovely morning.
the sky is still dark...
no rain...cool weather.
last night, it was raining DAMN heavily. and VERY surprisingly, SApphire actually appreciate and enjoy it.
*look at my laundry basket...*
sigh...i need to do my laundry le...but then i am like looking and predicting the weather to see if i should take a step of faith and throw this big basket of laundry into the washing machine....
should i? should i not?
thursday.
so fast. weekend is coming soon le.
mummy called me AGAIN last night.
what is wrong with her??
keep calling me...sigh.
sorry, but then somehow i wish she will jus stop calling me.
cos everytime when she called, i sounded bad to her and it made me DAMN sianz.
sigh.
can she stop asking stupid questions?
can she stop asking me to go and tok to my brother?
alright.
i know it's jus me.
my fault. and i know it.
but, i jus cant help it.
alright, back to my FYP now.
too much to read, too much to do.
2006.
SApphire needs discipline in her life.
*************************************************************************************
In every day life people trust in many things. They trust in the tires and brakes of their vehicles as they speed down life's highways. They trust in Doctors and lawyers, plastic packaging and elevator cables. They rely on these things and they have hope that they will not fail. They deposit their savings and the fruits of their labor in banks and the stock markets. They trust in the military might of the nation, the local police or the revolver they keep in the night stand by their bed. Should they not rather trust, believe and have faith in the LORD God?
“whatever little faith that we have, is enough”.
*************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:00 AM
Wednesday, January 11, 2006//
this is today's devotion that i read from the FCBC official website and tot its quite interesting and encouraging.
my hockey frd once told me this very funny phase which she remembered from the "vampire" show.
"xiang xing jiu you, bu xiang xing jiu mei you"
a.k.a
"if you believe, you will have it, if you dun believe, you will not have it."
things may have started off REAL BAD since the beginning of yr 2006.
we can KB, grumble, curse and swear each time when we get suay and suay-er!
but do u chose to believe that the rest of the 350+days will be as suay or suay-er?
or do you still hold on to the belief that God is good and He will bless you???
i guess it's a choice.
a deliberate decision to want to change ur paradigm, to reframe your mind.
*************************************************************************************
Title: Request, Reason and Response in the Midst of Trials
Author: Warren Wiersbe
Read Psalm 5:1-l2
What do you do in difficult situations? Many of the psalms were written during difficult, often painful, experiences. In Psalm 5 we find two sequences concerning trials. In the first sequence (vv. 1-7), David is experiencing difficulty and makes his request--"hear me." (v. 1-3). Meditation here means "sighing, murmuring, groaning"--a quiet expression of feelings. When our burden is beyond expression, all we can do is sigh and moan before the Lord. The Spirit hears our groanings and intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26). David's meditation turns to a cry (v. 2; Heb. 5:7). Prayer is not always a quiet, joyful conversation with God. Sometimes it is a battle against the principalities arrayed against us.
David's reason for making this request is the holiness of God (vv. 4-6). He cried to God because He is holy and stands against the wicked and boastful. Although He will judge the wicked, God does not always judge sin immediately. David's response is worship (v. 7), individual and personal.
In the second sequence, David makes another request--"lead me" (v. 8). He wants God's way, which is the righteous way. In the midst of difficulty, what we need most is wisdom to know the will of God (James 1:5). Notice that David asks to be led, not delivered. God has a straight way through every difficulty that will lead us to victory.
His reason this time is the wickedness of man (vv. 9,10). Destruction means "a yawning, open abyss." An open tomb pictures defilement and death. Flattery is not communication; it is manipulation. Absalom fell by his own counsel. David did nothing. He let God do it all (Rom. 12:19).
David's response (vv. 11,12) is rejoicing in faith, love and hope. Joy comes from trusting in and loving the Lord. This kind of joy comes from God's work on the inside, not from circumstances on the outside.
The psalmist tells us to expect difficulty. We shouldn't run from our trials but bring to God our requests, our reasons and our response.
You need never be paralyzed by your difficulties. You have the privilege of praying to a loving, understanding Father, who knows your condition. He guides you through difficulty to victory. When your faith, hope and love are fixed on the Lord, you can face any difficulty or problem, and God will give you joy and peace within.
*************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
7:12 PM
contented tuesday.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006//
finally, we played against KE7 in the rain last night. we won.
finally, we played against RH in the rain AGAIN today morning. we won.
Sapphire SUCKS big big time.
miss pass, air balls and so-not-tight defence.
no wonder baofen complains about me...sigh!
this sat going to NYGH to play a frdly then follow by the tuesday final against EH.
last 2 chance to see her before she disappears from my life.HAHA.
good also la.
at least, i get to see her in my final year.
chengda. he played so well today. :)
impressed and so inspired too.
funny. how can a girl be impressed by both a girl and a guy at a same time?
nahhhh, not interested in either of them. and Sapphire also dun want to do that.
(a) wrong gender.
(b) wrong religion.
HAHA. no offence! :)
i am jus too rational le. which is hmmm...good bah! :)
Sapphire is contented and happy!
finally get to play pool!
haha...with my Miss.Mango-crazy Mindy xiao jie.
not too bad ah...better than i expected! :)
haven play pool for like ages le!
its good to be back at the green table, wearing a green shirt and poking the balls with my cue! :)
SHIOK la!
had a wonderful dinner with my church frds too.
though it was a short outing, but had great fun!
Sapphire is SO looking forward to my kayaking outing man!
Sapphire JIAYOU man!
be discipline esp. with your FYP.
be discipline esp with Him.
somehow, i am realli in the "alone" mood now.
DMS bah...haha..
sorry, if i am going to be MIA for a while.
needa some time to be alone.
needa some time to have my breathing space. my thinking space.
give me a rocket and i will fly to the Moon.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
11:20 PM
truly madly deeply.....UNHAPPY. urgh!
Sunday, January 08, 2006//
SUNDAY!
and it rained for the wholeeeeee damn day!
since i woke up at 8am to go to SOL then church and now back in my stupid hall room! aaAhhHHhhhHHhHH~~~help la!
i gave up my "renci" concert ticket for a stupid KE7 match which is NOW POSTPONED again!
urghhhhhhhh!! wad is wrong la!!
i am totally not gian to go to the "Renci" concert thinggy at all!
but tot since my family and relatives are gog, might as well join them. family bonding lor and somemore shijia is there.
actually i still can make it now.
but then the rain totally pissed me off.
NVM!
i shall pack my 1st comm hall disgusting dinner for this sem, hide in my room to watch my TV / sleep / do FYP!
i need sleep. definitely.
can the rain PLEASE stop.
can we chop chop finished the KE7, semi final and then the finals!?!?!
pleaseeeeeee, its a torture to get mentally prepared again and again and again....
anyway, i have decided.
think if it never rain on tues morning, SApphire is GOING TO KAYAK!
no 2nd thoughts.
i think i will go crazy if i give up my kayaking for the evening match and then in the end it RAINNNNNNNNN!!!
DOCTOR zhimin and qiaoyun. please help.
this patient has got a weak WEAK heart.
Bleah.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
5:10 PM
I Q.U.I.T. ......S | g H.
Saturday, January 07, 2006//
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1-6-06
Encouragement for Today
"Nobody Likes a Quitter"
By Susanne Scheppmann, Co-editor Online Devotions, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team
Member
Key Verse:
Psalm 27:14, "Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again:
Stay with God. (The Message)
Devotion:
It's that time of year. The time of year when people make New Year Resolutions.
I don't like New Year resolutions. Why you ask? Because I never accomplish my
admirable goals such as weight loss, exercise, a cleaner home, or more home
cooked meals. I give up around the third week of January. I quit.
Not only do we like to finish what we start, we want to be the best at what we
do. We want to win. Both my sons like to win at any game they play. I
remember when they were little, my oldest son had a tendency to change the
rules as the game progressed, so he could become the champion. I would watch
from the living room as my younger son's face turned red at the injustice.
With clinched his fists, he would holler, "I quit!"
Of course, this declaration always made my older son furious.
Nobody likes a quitter. Nobody likes quitters, except God the Rejuvenator.
Think about the Prophet Elijah. He called down fire from heaven. He prayed for
and received a downpour of rain in the midst of a drought. Then he quit. He
ran into the desert and sat under a lone scraggly tree with the attitude of,
"I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life!" (1
Kings 19:4, NIV) In other words, "I quit!"
However, God came to rejuvenate Elijah. He refreshed Elijah with food, drink
and rest. Rejuvenated, Elijah went on to finish his ministry.
Nobody likes a quitter, but God the Re-establisher.
Do you remember Jonah? He quit before he got started. Interestingly, God has a
way about changing our minds. After Jonah floated around in the stomach of the
whale for a while, God stepped in to encourage him to complete the mission to
Nineveh. The Bible says:
Then God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore.
Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: "Up on your feet and on your way to
the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They're in a bad way and I can't
ignore it any longer." This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh,
obeying God's orders to the letter. (Jonah 2:10-3:3, The Message)
Nobody likes quitters, except God the Restorer.
My favorite biblical quitter happens to be John Mark. This young Christian man
quit while on a missionary endeavor with Barnabus and Paul. He ran home when
the going got tough. His desertion made the Apostle Paul furious.
Have you already guessed what happened? You're right! God restored John Mark
back to ministry. God restored the relationship between John Mark and Paul.
Look at what Paul wrote, "Only Luke is with me. Get [John] Mark and bring
him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry." (2 Tim. 4:11,
NIV)
So what about you? Have you ever been tired of ministry, tired of family, or
sick and tired of being tired? Have you felt like throwing in the towel and
shouting, "I quit!"?
Unfortunately, I have quit more times than I like to admit. Yet, I know God the
Refresher, the Encourager and the Restorer. He urges me on just as He did with
Elijah, Jonah and John Mark. He whispers in my heart, "Haven't I
commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God,
your God, is with you every step you take." (Joshua 1:9, The Message)
Don't quit! Listen to God whisper, "Be strong. Be courageous! Keep moving
on the life path He has placed you. God see you as a winner!
*************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
12:47 AM
- no title -
//
speechless.
dun know what title to put.
sigh.
1) rain poured like nobody's %&(*&^&*%*% biz, and the KE7 game is to be resumed on SUNDAY EVENING @ 530pm!!
2) monday semi-final to be postponed to tuesday.
3) joanne, zhihong and me may not be able to go for the kayak (i am definitely damn disappointed and sianz and put off TOTALLY.) but still trying to work some stuff out
4) emotions. izzit getting too much? too overwhelming?
sigh.
listening to david tao "pu tong peng you" now.
nice song, great song...but seems lacking without the rain outside my windows.
sigh.
the right time to rain, and it didnt.
the right time to stop rain, and it didnt.
why? why? tell me why?
sigh.
sigh.
alright, maybe i am PMSing.
alright, maybe it's the "missing" feelings tat is making me so terrible.
no eye-deer.
no i-dea.
wat-so-ever.
let's see what is going to happen the next step.
next episode please.
and ya, remember to put the remote control next to me.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
12:36 AM
a low and big Moon hanging in the sky along the expressway.
Friday, January 06, 2006//
listening to one of my fav song now...."forever love" by gary barlow.
nice.
wat a day.
my brother finally quited school. waiting to be enlisted in the NS.
my dad finally decided to buy a Toyato MPV...sigh. not my dreamz car. sigh.
i saw her again.HAHA. during the EH vs SH match. was shocked when i saw the blue honda car at the car park when i was walking towards the src.
had a wonderful and DELICIOUS dinner at weilin house.
super nice and big bungalow.
her mum reali can cook. BAGUS.
never been so damn full before. NEVER.
the food is sooo nice.
man. simply overeat le man!
but gosh! NOBODY can ever resist such food. i mean NO ONE! :)
blessed bday weilin!
and blessed bday Miss. Gan.
haha, too bad. both of them dun haf my blog. :)
dun intend to give as well.
and YA! chengda told me he is single and VERY available! HAHA :)
goshhhh, he is getting cuter and cuterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! :)
haha, think he looks better with the tan.
sigh.
tomorz got another bball match. vs KE7.
God, you help me to play well for this match.
my final 3 matches.
and probably after that will be the end of my bball life le bah...
sigh.
gonna miss all these.
hockey. bball.
my teammates.
temasek hall? maybe not the hall bah....
but, i love my IHG shirt this year.
it's DAMN nice.
:)
it's reali a lovely yr 4.
lovely.
nice.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
1:25 AM
leaving with no regrets.
Thursday, January 05, 2006//
thank God.
the hoki finally DID it again.
yes. we won! the gold medal....a hoki medal before i graduate.
thank You Father.
though, this year i hardly played much, but then i reali enjoyed the times when i stayed at the sidelines cheering.
somehow, i still feel appreciated even though i am jus a sub,
appreciated by my teammates and my coach banghui.
hoki is reali reali a very good experience.
a very very lovely and encouraging team.
gonna miss the teammates, the pitch trainings and the frdly.
Sapphire wants to play hoki...
but then guess the matches i played yday, are probably the last of my life le.
thank God for the 1 goal i scored against RH and 1 goal i scored against KE7.
it was lovely.
at least God allowed me to bring back some precious goal for my last few matches.
on my way back from clementi dinner, i recalled the yr 3 and 4 hoki trainings that i have experienced.
haha...usually for frdly games i will get to play almost throughout the 2 halves, cos all the super zai players all never come..HAHA.
but luckily they never come, thats why i got to play so much and also to experience and learn so much.
hoki is reali a team sport.
it is MORE of a team sport than bball. i feel.
the court is small, and if you are good, you can still make your shot count even if it's 1:5 provided you are THAT good.
as for hockey...no matter how good a player might be, she still needs her left and right forward as deflector in case she missed the shot.
it's reali God's Grace that we won hoki yday when a clean sheet.
5 matches we played against other halls.
vs SH: 4:0
vs KR: 4:0
vs RH: 5:0
vs EH: 2:0
vs KE7: 2:0
and what reali pleased me was when i was leaving delta pitch, i overheard from 2 KE7 players that they reali admired TH players a lot even though EH players can be as good as well.
they commented our sportsmanship and our fighting spirit.
and one of them even approached me to congraluate us, to tell me how good we are, how happy she is for us, how impressed she is with us etc etc.
my God.
that's reali what i mean as WINNING.
even if you lost the match, but you played hard, played well, and your opponents respected you. you will still leave the competition hall with your heads high.
thats reali something very precious that i brought back from hoki.
no matter how much we were leading, we fight our best, to put up a good show.
we are never complacent nor give our opponent any chance.
even till the last match KE7, the players still chose to put in the main team instead of the freshies bcos they want to show the KE7 players respect and still played a good game.
but then, the most memorable part is during the 1st halve of the KE7 match.
it was a game played by all the graduating seniors.
winnie, me, shanti, yishan, muni, peijun, steff, mel, jiamin.
we wanted to leave with a game that belongs to us.
HAHA. luckily, we scored 1 goal! though we didnt play very well that halve...HAHA :)
but all in all, SApphire can depart from her hoki happily le! :)
no regrets!
and reali hope in the future, i will still be able to have a chance to play on the hoki pitch.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
8:57 AM
nice ride. nice dinner. nice outing :)
Wednesday, January 04, 2006//
NICE.
surprise surprise...haha, she came now to coach us today again! :)
think the way she coach is very similar to chengda, they like to tok a lot about tactics and logics.
frankly saying, among chengda, her and meilian, i seriously think that she is a better and more experienced coach. alright, candice i am not biased okie! i believe you think so too :)
thank God she is back.
in my yr 1 and final yr, at least i start and end bball with her! HAHA :)
good memories worz =)
went to ABC market (the 1st time) to makan dinner with her, nia and candice...
the COOLEST part is i got to drive her car!!! =D a niceeee BLUE honda! haha
errr...though i think i never drive as zai as her, but its a good experience! :)
a great dinner as well!
great memories and catching up. lovely.
let's hope this ends in a good way too.
pleasing to me, to everyone and especially to You too.
You know what's best for me.
Do not let me fall.
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
12:09 AM
surprise surprise.
Monday, January 02, 2006//
had the first match with KR today!
hmmmm, though we reali win them damn a lot in bball...but then we seriously UNDERPERFORMED man!
its definitely not even 50% of our usual standard.
but nvm, at least we won, and all players get to play.
all thanks to baofen.
HAHA.
it has been 4 years since i last saw her man.
haha, have to admit when i saw her, wo di que shi xiao lu luan zhuang.
HAHA.
used to have this major crush on her back in yr 1...HAHA.
actually, she not reali very yandao or wat lor...even candice also agrees!
but then, she jus simply got this X-Factor and Charisma.
happier to see her once again! :)
but then nehhhhh, wont like her de!
so candice, you dun xiang ~~ okies!
sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, played so little today! not siong at all!
BORINGGGGG!!!
like never sweat at all.
bleah.
TH reali got tooooo many bballers le!
:)
but Thank God, at least i got to play.
though i suck today! at least i got intercept a few ballssss!
let's kick their ass!
especially EH!
ps: zhihong! hope to see ya in the bball finals! :)
and ya, btw, jeannette tore her lingament, so she cant played in IHG le.
maybe you can send her some regards, cos i think she should be feeling rather down...
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
10:23 PM
thank God for the retreat
//
HAPPY 2006 people!! :)
the best thing about this retreat is the FOOD.
haha...been to so many camps, church stuff...HAHA, i bet those who went will agree with both hands and legs raised too!!!
i guess it must be the equation: 2006 = celebration = feasting!!!
besides the millennium counting which Sapphire went to orchard to count down, basically...almost all NY eve or Xmas eve, i will usually stay at home and avoid the crowd and watch my TV!! :)
boring hurr...HAHA.
this yr is a little different.
spend a 2 day quality time with my church frds.
went to err...indoor stadium to watch the fireworks.
surprisingly, Sapphire aint excited at all.
was feeling a bit loss actually.
haha...when i was watching it, i was telling huiyi, life is just like a firework. glamorous for that moment. and the next second, it's back to square 1.
reali so short-lived.
good things seldom last long hur..
then stephanie standing besides me says,"thats why you need to cherish every moment and do your best."
haha...frankly saying, i wish the retreat would have been longer. cos hardly got any chance to catch up with some peeps.
the New Year party in church was....WILD.
i told qiaoyun that i'm actually quite sketical watching the crowd in front dancing etc etc.
do they reali come church bcos they want to worship Him?
or izit jus another "in" and "trendy" thinggy?
jus another "zouk-out" party? which is....free?
but qiaoyun as usual said that even if the ppl come for the wrong reason, God will still have His way to make it right.
haha..skeptical. yes, i am.
but, towards the end, Sapphire was in fact getting a bit. tired.
too loud. too wild. too long.
and plus...hardly sleep much the night before lah!
was super sehhhhhh~~
when i reached home, i ate ONE ENTIRE honeydew and went to sleep. was so super thirsty after the whole church thinggyyyyyy.
and HAHA, i sleep until like 1pm today!
SHIOK!
now i am back in hall...waiting for 430pm to come...then get ready to go to SRC for the battle...
actually i am feeling a bit nervous alreadi...
but i believe that "From this day on, God will BLESS me!"
somehow, the retreat did recharge me a little. did wake me up a little.
i guess He knows that i needed that to detour my path so that it will be more "right" with Him. :)
knowing the truth/word of God --> obedience --> faith --> intimacy with God.
school is reopeing soonz. Sapphire is so damn sianz.
sighhhh, FYP FYP FYP!
sighhhh, i need to be more discipline, i need to start reading and doing my fyp...
but i simply got ZERO motivation and drive.
God grant me some urgency man!!
************************************************************************************
wat matters to me, matters to Him more.
************************************************************************************
--AbsoluteSApphire8--
4:08 PM
