In the spirit of sports..

ADSAlympics (Dental School's sports week) came to an end yesterday. Finally. The magnitude of the finality of this season of ADSAlympics dawned upon me as I stepped out from the sports complex yesterday. It is like a farewell to the highlights of all these years in Uni. It also meant that all the mistakes made throughout these season cannot be undone nor rectified next year.. this IS my final year!

Sports is one aspect that you can truly analyze one's character. Some people play sports to win, nothing other than victory is acceptable and so they end up being really sore and sour when they lose. Some people play sports with a positive spirit; always encouraging the other team-mates and these are the people who truly enjoy sports. One will like playing with the latter..wouldn't you? I'm not sure how to describe this, but sports bond people together in a special manner. It's just...special, unique. It's just amazing how God designed sports. :)

This - sports, have been a big part of my life in Uni.. to train and to practice for sports..maybe because I love sports. The thought of having a time to relax after clinics at 5pm lights up my day. Of course, it's the sports fanatics who played along with me that made this even more enjoyable. We play whether it rains or shines; we play with students of other faculties; we play even more during study week before exams.

I believe it doesn't have to be a choice between studies or sports, it can be both! :) That's entirely based on my own conviction. :P

If there was a moment..

If there was one moment I could...if I ONLY could just turn back time.. just that ONE second in time.. I could rectify all my mistakes.. can I rewind time? It was this close..just this close.

How frustrating is that? Knowing if you could erase it and change the outcome within that ONE second.

How differently would things turn out to be?

Sigh.

(A random photo captured at a florist during valentines' day. They're all handmade!)

In awe...of the One who gave it all..

While driving just now, the song: The Stand (2010 Awakening Album) from a random collection of songs, was played. Somehow, it reminded me about 5 years ago..even my blog's name is derived from the this particular song's lyrics...Completely to You. It wasn't just about the blog...but the passion to serve when I first arrived in uni, the fervency of my prayers and all that I wanted to accomplish within these 5 years for God.

With only 3 months ahead left in Uni, my final uni days, I definitely have a lot to reflect on and ponder about. Yes so first of all, how much have I accomplished for God? There's just a handful of people whom I have shared my faith with. I could have done better. But God is good - two of my closest friends went to church after all these years.:) Awesome! I have been praying for them a bit..lent my bible... it may be the first step but I believe a little seed has been planted. :)

Testimonies - yesss, I have lots of them!:) Some may be a little technical to describe in dental terms, but all in all: God has been so faithful. I remember how I struggled in 1st year, thinking I might be in the wrong course, if I've made some wrong choices, being bitter about scholarships, struggling to even pass exams, struggling to like the new way of studying, adapting to a new church...all that! Somehow, God's assurance was always there.

My spiritual walk - there were ups and downs. And in the 'downs'..the 'ups' just gets nullified. I doubted, I questioned, I demanded, I cried my way through these times..only to find God at the bottom of it all.. He knew..He knew all along. He knew EVERYTHING.

"You stood before my failure..carried the cross for my shame"

Friends - God brought many to my life. At different points of my life, they taught me different things. Good friends may not be walking alongside you all the time, but they will be able to catch up with you from where they have left off. Good friends remember your birthday even though they may be half a globe away, geographically. Good friends buy you real flowers on your birthday, knowing they're gonna die anyway, and even though they cost double the price; just because you like flowers. :P Good friends stand up for you. Good friends tell you to your face that they don't like a particular trait of yours, not to other people. Good friends email you to know what's happening in your life. (ok...now it sounds like I've adopted this from some random forwarded friendship email..I can assure you, it's not.) LOL..

Family - I LOVE MY FAMILY. I should get this printed on a t-shirt or something. :D I've learnt the hard way how family stands by you no matter what the circumstances are. They see the worst part of you...and they live with it. (Isaac lets me pinch him to bits.) And they love you anyhow. Isn't that great? :D

Just to continue, I was thinking about my blog again in the car after I heard this song. I was wondering why am I stubbornly not giving it up til now.. since I don't update it that often. Sometimes I think no one wants to/bothers to know others' thoughts. So most of the time I just refrain from blogging. But it's amazing how God hears every little thought that creeps into your mind. For my little negative thought was nullified once again (instantly) by a card from Qiu Ping. It was a cute, hand-made card, with a bible verse and a picture of us during Jamie's farewell. Most importantly, it was the words in the card that I was truly encouraged by. Words meant a lot to me. Haha..but I'm not sure about the impact of this to my determination to blog.

I shall........ keep an irregular update as I always have. =D

CMB - D02

Reconciliation

It is all about how much one values the other. It is when you decide friendship outweighs all that you have selfishly hoarded inside, when pride goes right into the dustbin. Many times humility is that fine line that determines the outcome. It comes with much practice. And it becomes easier in time.

What is there not to thank God for? =)

Ecclesiates 3:7
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak.

Project CMB - D01

• Today I've learnt a lot from Prof. Khoo. All the differential diagnosis' must be at our fingertips. One day I shall snap my fingers and name all of it. :P I'm truly inspired to do so.
  

• My best patient, fully compliant, one who never misses her appointments, told me she will be returning to India in January! There is still a lot yet to be done. Must hurry!

• Isaac called to say he passed his piano theory exam with 88%. So proud of my brother. ;)

• Willy koh koh called through MSN and chatted a bit. Mostly about his wedding plans. It's so exciting!
  

This is part of my project to (CMB) count my blessings each day. Day One completed.

Temporary

Temporary.

Things have been moving so fast and it seems like everything is temporary. All the busy-ness, quietness, sadness, happiness, playfulness, frustrations came to past so fast that I can hardly keep track. In moments of sadness, I tell myself it is temporal. When I am in a state of elation, I wonder how long it will last.

I have just been thinking that 'Temporary' is such a harsh word. It brushes off every mood and emotion that one should discover in the moment itself. It says 'whatever goes' and struts on in life with a defeated spirit. It says 'come what may' in a defiant tone. And beneath the facade lies a heart harden to the core like a stone.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Many times I miss out the first sentence: therefore do not lose heart. I think the best way is to count my blessings before I start another module of studies. That way, I wouldn't lose focus and get discouraged by things that are happening around me.

Ahh...my little thoughts again.

On another note, last week, a team of us went with Pastor John to FCC in BM to minister and to have fellowship with their church. It was a pretty small church, similar to GCC, my church in SP, family-based and the people were very warm. The amazing thing was that I met Pr. KA's brother there and I was wondering why he looked like the Ngs in my church back in Penang. It is a small world indeed! We had a great time of ministry.

I loved the song the worship leader sang that day. The title was 'yun shang tai yang'. If I did not interpret wrongly, it meant behind every cloud there is a silver lining.

云 上 太 阳

无 论 是 住 在 美 丽 的 高 山
wu lun shi zhu zai mei li de gao shan
或 是 躺 卧 在 阴 暗 的 幽 谷
huo shi tang wo zai yin an de you gu
当 你 抬 起 头 你 将 会 发 现
dang ni tai qi tou ni jiang hui fa xian
主 已 为 你 我 而 预 备
zhu yi wei ni wo er yu bei

云 上 太 阳 它 总 不 改 变
yun shang tai yang ta zong bu gai bian
虽 然 小 雨 洒 在 脸 上
sui ran xiao yu sa zai lian shang
云 上 太 阳 它 总 不 改 变
yun shang tai yang ta zong bu gai bian
哈 ～ 它 不 改 变
ha ta bu gai bian


Zhu yi wei ni wo er yu bei. Please remind me everyday Lord; that I am living for You!

RUSHING

There's been a crazy load of rush.

Rushing to read up for the next clinical procedure,
Rushing to fill up the appointments for patients,
Rushing to hand in assignments.
Rushing to finish up lab work.
Rushing to do mock preparations.
Rushing to sign folders.
Rushing to get patients assigned.
Rushing to read this, rushing to read that.

Just when you thought you are done, another load piles up or the cycle starts all over again.

It has been a good week for my family to steal some time off to visit HK for a family trip. Everyone had to make time for this trip as all of us are somehow busy with schedules and datelines. So it didn't really sink in that we were going on a holiday until I boarded the plane. Even so, there were 101 things running my mind, reminding myself the list of things-to-do when I get back.

Proverbs 4:23 written on sand in Golden Beach.

All in all it was a good trip. One word to sum up HK - BUSY. Amidst the buzzing city life; we managed to capture a few heart warming experiences with local HK people. A little girl by the name of Lam Lam. We met her on the bus on the way out from Gold Coast to Tsuen Wan MTR St. She boarded the bus with her mum and baby brother. We gave up our seats so they didn't need to stand. At first she was rather shy, then I started making weird faces at her - and she imitated me! =) Unexpectedly she tugged my sleeves and asked..(in cantonese)

LL: Nei cho le..(please sit)
I: It's alright. You just sit with your mum..

We boarded the same MTR and she came up to me again.

I: What's your name? LL: Ngo hai Lam Lam ah. I: How old are you? LL: Ngo sei sui. Ngo hai Yuen Long lok. Nei hai bin dou lok? (I'm 4 years old. I'm alighting at Yuen Long St. Which st. are you going to?) I: I'm going down later than you. (noticing her badly decayed upper anterior teeth..I asked.. - a typical dental student's question) Hey, how many times do you brush your teeth a day? LL: Once a day. =D
We managed to chat a little longer and she had to leave. She bid me goodbye and left. What she didn't know was that - she made my day.

Many questions came to mind that day:
How many of these conversations are held in a day?
Do all four year olds converse with such intelligence and concern?

As I observe a few more schooling kids alight and board the MTR, I came to realise that it is an entirely different culture altogether. Maybe it was because I was a born and bred Penangite through and through and have never really been to a metropolitan city other than Singapore. I realise how blessed it was to have dad and mum send us everywhere in a car. Some may call us spoilt brats - but I truly believe these were the precious few moments that worked immense wonders in drawing us closer to our parents.

I remember relating to my parents about my day in school - and if I was tired, they would like to know why. They used to wait for me and send me to a myriad of tuitions/piano/church activities - a rather routine schedule for them. Come to think about it: they really made it a point and make time to send and pick us wherever we went, however busy they were. I guess, deep down inside us kids, these are the little things that accumulate and assure us of our parents love for us. Through these few minutes too that I've learnt to listen to their day at work, views on politics, current issues - their concerns.

Ah..my little thoughts.

One more thing...

Naw, who taught that kid to brush only once a day? =P