Monday, September 25, 2006

Coming of Age

AHHH!! I'm 26!!

Its a little late almost a month since but just felt like blogging..

Day before:
The cutest person in the world and the winner of "who to get the door" contest took me out to circular quay at a gorgeous restaurant called the waterfront.. MY PET... The cute cute of the very cute only rivaled by my baby sister Little B =
Following photos are our attempts to "self-take".

Check out the view, the harbour bridge just behind us...




The other way u can see the opera house.




Lunch time special of a starter of vongele+mussels linguini tossd in olive oil, garlic and chili flakes and seafood pie...
How generous it was chock full of fresh fish, salmon pieces, scallops and prawns in a creamy carrot sauce topped with crispy puff pastry shell..












plus we both got a little high on yummy
cocktails



Day itself: went to work ...
My manager was really sweet to gather my colleagues at SUGiRS and went out for thai food in Newtown, then I met up Nin for shepherding in Glebe.

God was really funny that day, I had prepared stuff to go through with Nin that day. BUT we bumped into this guy that I seem to always bump into.. got to chatting .. I was in a funny mood that day with this strange courage to start sharing Christ with him and to challenge him to acknowledge God's goodness. Its funny cos he was hanging around the cafe and I was like " well we're going to do bible study now, you can join us if u like" and guess what he DID!?! ok well I remember at that point to also appreciate the interuptions of the day that God sometimes send our way... in a sense it became a "practical" session where I was able to with Nin work together to share about God with a stranger.. =)

The next part.. my silly man came to look for me, let's call him Mr Brocoli, I'm teasing him about his curly hair that to me seems to have grown out of proportion and desperately needs a trim.

Mr Brocoli and I headed home from Glebe so that I could get changed...



















Getting home he had
put a present on my bed and was trying to hide it.... but I saw it so I opened it, I felt quite funny cos he bought me like shower gel, bath foam and scrub .. I think I was a little disappointed cos I've always had the concept that soap and stuff u get for someone you don't know well as a nice gift.. not for ur girlfriend.. " but then again.. he made a pretty card and wrote some very sweet things inside, so I changed to a dress and we went out.

He asked me
"do you want to go to Leichardt or Newtown? hmmm, we'll just go to Newtown"
My mind was like
"ok,.. I was just there and u know I work uni and Newtown is where I always go..." so I asked "Can we go to Leichardt ?"

HE didn't know how to get there?..

" I think we can take a bus from this bus stop.." I finally said.
We went to the bus stop, no more buses...oh no.. " In my mind was .. this fella, never plan"
felt a bit sad but I didn't want to spoil mood though he was aware that I was really quiet.. so I just said why don't we go to Glebe. Though we go there like 10000 times but they have nice restaurants.. then he said we'll go have pizza!!?? PIZZA!!??

The obvious stark difference between guys and girls, perhaps even more pronounced in a crazed foodie like me, he's usually easily satisfied when it comes to food.
hahah it was really funny how guys and girls have difference expectations of things...

I got really quiet cos I felt sad tat he ddin't plan and the birthday dinner ask me to eat pizza, My Dad had called me earlier and asked me to go eat lobster on his credit card!... Oh well I said, maybe not pizza? so we walked deeper and deeper into glebe and I was getting further annoyed that he kept smsing on his phone but kept quiet. Finally reached this al fresco fish shop... looked really casual but I thought not much places left if we kept walking.. so we had a mixed seafood grill & grilled rainbow trout fillet & drinks.. Really value for money cos the rainbow trout +chips+salad only $10!! and the chips were like super yummy and crunchy fat..
Got back to my place, then I thanked him for the night.. he was like " don't u want to party still, its your birthday?"
"Party?you not tired ah? we're home already.. where else do u want to go ? "
" We can go to the roof top to party.." Then he pressed the lift to go to the roof.. this time I was getting suspicious...
" What... "
Then he led me to the roof top..

He had gotten my housemate Pet/Priscilla to help him set up a table on the roof-top with ice-cream+nuts , wine, candles and flowers...

"OH mygosh..." I was stunned.. felt really touched... and very bad for nagging him about not planning.. And he had held out when I was berating him about the importance of planning with all the sarcastic remarks about going to leichardt next time when we "plan" .. no wonder he had asked me what kind of ice cream I liked and how I would rank him on a scale of being romantic.. ( I had said -5 out of 10 by the way), said that a lot of sms from people had high expectations of him that I would be super happy this year cos I had dave to celebrate with me.. I felt so guilty.. But he was so sweet about it... Really thank God for bringing such a patient, caring guy into my life.. its amazing ..

Apparently he had already started asking Pet for advice for wat to do before hand and he had wanted to do dinner on the rooftop as it was one of our favourite places to go pray, look at stars etc but Pet had said a nice restaurant and flowers definitely (spot on for pris) but he felt it was too boring and planned the dessert thing..

He had come over to my place earlier when I was out and wanted to go buy the stuff but Pet offered to help him get them, the smses were all to her tellin her abt the situation and the "Mum" was actually Pet asking what time we'd be back cos she didn't want the ice-cream to melt. Pet told me he was really anxious over the whole thing, planning and what to do.. Feel so blessed..

On th rooftop he asked me again how I would I rank romanticism... 9 I told him, he said sorry tat he didn't plan for me to get angry or disappointed that he'd try harder next time with the present and that he had wanted to get me new bedsheets... but he didn't find any that were nice in my bed size... hah still so patient...

Really thank God for you Mr Brocoli.. =)



Monday, September 11, 2006

Sanctuary


Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and Holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving,
I'll be a living sanctuary for you."

" Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me." - Psalm 51:10

"Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no inquity have dominion over me. " - Psalm 119:133

"Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright
I will show the salvation of God." - Psalm 50:23

"I lift my eyes to the hills- From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth" - Psalm 121:1


Heard the best version of this song done by Jaci Valesquez... Made me think a lot in reflection of the verses above.

10th Sept Sunday was the first time I've lead praise and worship in church again after a long time last November being diagnosed with vocal nodules and undergoing 6months worth of therapy... Saturday night I was extra short-tempered, impatient, intolerant, restless... in other words going crazy..

1am: I couldn't sleep, had to go worship God alone.

"He who keeps you will not slumber.." - Psalm 112: 4b

Flashback of my past, the sin, the triumphs, the close encounters with God, starting the women's group, prophecies, the baptisms, deliverances, relationships...
He was there through it all, the darkness before the light, the healing before the serving, the loving before the giving, the waiting before the delivering.....

God God God.. I'm desperate for You, I'm lost without You.
Finally KOed to the strains of "Still" by Watermark.

Sunday came and went, the voice held out, the team solid... However I'm still desperate, I'm still greedy for more...

Today I tried to understand You, tried to fathom who You are... shall I try? to fail miserably when I can't seem to obey or live up to be blameless before You...
Yet, to deny Your exsistence or how much you mean to me would be just plain dumb.

You're so real so real its scary sometimes... yet I know my humaness and sin still separates You and me.




About Me

" One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple - Psalm 27:4