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With the recent drama about UM trying to kick me out,

JPA chasing me for some document issues,

and me trying to maintain my grades here to keep my Singapore scholarship,

I think life is exciting.

Hahaha.

Brings back the dramatic days of having to pay back MOE my scholarship for breaking my bond with them...

The simple pleasures in life will suffice to remind me that life ain't that bad.

Brought Andrea out for a birthday lunch! And bought her a Starbucks Christmas mug that she's been eyeing! :-) Happy birthday, Andrea and mum! Haha. My mum's bday too =P We talked about everything under the sun and moon... and she gave me real, authentic and workable medicine for my phlegm!

I actually owe another 3 friends outings but I don't know how to squeeze everyone in di. =|

Santa Claus dropped me off a can of coffee outside my room door with a sweet note stuck on it. Haha, Lilian off to enjoy her holidays! While I'm stuck here with another 2 exam papers. Similar modus operandi as Dab a while ago. < 3

Discussing Legoland plans with CP, one of the most complicated trips we've had to plan thus far simply because of timing and transportation issues. :O At this rate you may very well see me in Bintan/Batam next week instead of playing Lego bricks.

Packing to go back for good! And looking forward to a Beauty and the Beast Musical with my sayang =D Hahaha, hey, if I can watch Twilight with him, he can do this for me. =P Ok la, it was an impulsive thought simply because it was on Groupon. I would never consider such a thing otherwise.

And the Low brothers wanna go out for makan! Hahaha =) Sweetly waiting for me to go back so we can all go together.

And oh my friends/coursemates/unimates back home have been such great encouragement to me, constantly checking on my sick and exam status through FB, WhatsApp and Line... thanks peeps, you know who you are. :-) (What would we do without technology???)

I maintain, all I need are a few awesome and caring friends to make me happy. :-) No very-many-friends for me that can't be bothered with me nor care less if I live or die, thank you very much.

Till I blog again, have a great day! =)
Joanne

Hello Blog

Blogging from a very sick POV. haha.

The night before my first paper, something huge entered my eye and refused to come out, I had to sleep tearing/crying it out... I think it was cried out in the end, at the expense of a hugely swollen right eye when I woke up. LOL. Good thing I woke up at 5am and had time to let it 'deflate' :-)

Caffeine wore off halfway through the exam and my right eye started to droop. =D Talk about a memorable exam experience, what more in a foreign place! hahaha.

So now, in the midst of exam, I'm still vacillating between to extend or not to extend my studies by an extra sem. -__-

Should I? Should I not??

Of course, life will be easier if I just extend, let this sem go in peace, and relax my way through the rest of the 3 semesters.

If I don't extend, I'll have to go back to UM and slog it out over the next 2 semesters.

I do want to maximise my uni experience at the same time. Uni ain't all about studies, right?? I don't know, now leaning more towards extending cause I think the benefits outweigh the cons. =P But I may change my mind in the next hour/day/month. :O

Since I'll be leaving Singapore in 1.5 weeks time...

What have I done??

Universal Studios - Twice,
Night Safari - Twice,
Little India - Stayed here,
China Town - Stayed here too,
Marina Bay Sands - With mum next week, saving it up for her since I'm not a garden fan,
Numerous shopping malls - Can't count, soo many,
Bugis - Numerous times,
Geylang - Many parts of it =P,
New Creation Church,
Trying to catch City Harvest this weekend,
Smaller churches around, including a Catholic church,
Runs around NUS (such a teeny weeny campus!)...
Caught up with friends staying here (Thanks for the home-cooked dinner, Sara!),
Opened my room up to 5 people (Andrea, your things are still here!),
Had fun, all in all. =)

Hmmm. I know I've missed out a few 'attractions' - Singapore Zoo, Pulau Ubin, Singapore's high-up-Eye-thingy...

When I go back, I wanna:

Go to Melaka and Kuantan in Dec,
Go to Penang and (maybe) Singapore for shopping in Jan,
Go riding to far far away lands with Joash,
Go to Sunway Lagoon with Joash (Since Tambun wasn't exciting enough.. find a place closer to home),
Oh! I'll be in Bangkok with family Dec 13-17,
What else??
Just spend good, quality time with my boyfriend, family and some friends. Hehe.

The most important thing about Singapore?

I've strengthened bonds here. :-) Ironically enough, with people back home. Goes to show how you need distance to make you closer. LOL. During my few trips back home I've spent quite a bit of time in UM, catching up with coursemates, having good 'discussion' sessions... hahaha...

Went for a office site visit with AMG during my last trip back, that was REALLY good (They weren't gonna ask me to join them at first cause I thought I was in Singapore, but it was my study break so I barged my way through). First hand experience in the publishing world's office. Datuk B was really insightful and made me really excited to secure an internship place with her office...

It's funny, how I managed to juggle my assignments with AMG's assignments throughout this sem. I gave way more priority to AMG's articles because I enjoyed them so much more. =P

Regrets about joining this training? Despite the fact that I had to travel back in the midst of crazy deadlines and assignments? None! It may have added slightly more stress and caused me to pay less attention to my work in NUS, but it was worth it.

Having completed 3 trainings this year... really, that's all I have to say. The 12 hours of training we underwent may not seem that much, but the things we gained from it... amazing. Definitely nothing uni could have taught us. Oh, and also the fact that UM is sponsoring this training + their amazing food (maybe cause I'm stuck in NUS) helps. =P Am having another 3 trainings next year.. looking forward to it. I've never liked working on Saturdays, but I do enjoy these.

And of course, the friendships I strengthened through these trainings is definitely a plus point. :-)

So random la my blog.

Haha. Now off to nurse my aching throat. Have a wonderful day ahead!

*Looking forward to going home permanently - no longer need to message friends through Line/Facebook/WhatsApp/Gchat/Skype in order to keep in contact!*

*Dang*

Fell sick the past few days, sick to the point I had to confine myself to bed and moan in pain. Lol. Fever, aching body, flu, the whole works.

So I thought about letting my exam paper tomorrow go - heck, I'm not even sure whether it's transferable in UM since it's definitely not 75% of the course proforma back in UM.

Then I collected my final essay and saw the grade that made my heart leap: "Solid A" with a big circle around it. (Yes, remember what I said about lecturers and their grades in NUS.) Apparently there are people who get "A's" and I guess some get "Solid A's". Considering how last minute I was with that essay, I was caught completely off-guard with that grade. Pleasant surprise though :-)

But... As a result...

Suddenly I feel like I ought to give this paper a go. Because in my other assignment for this course I got a A/A-. So I'm guessing this subject is my best bet to get a "solid A" in NUS.

Problem is I've only just started studying for it a few hours ago. And I've got a fuzzy head what with my flu and cough and whatever else evil that's striking me. Trust me to blow something like this at times when it matters the most!

*Takes a deep breath*

Although... I must say Twilight with Joash was fantastic yesterday! =P Hehehehe. I'm still pretty incredulous that my boyfriend who is a Twilight fan. (And you can most certainly tell I have little interest in Twilight. But I'm learning, I am! Yesterday's one was sweet!)

Back to the books till my fuzzy head screams in protest!

Joanne

Mad Cravings!

Oh drat.

Having food cravings now! (No, it's nothing related to being a girl. Just a "I realllyyyyy miss Malaysia" moment!)

Nasi Dagang in 1 Utama.. with chilli potatoes... at least, until Joash introduces me to his always raved about east coast version, I'm still in love with what 1 U offers.

In dire need of some chicken/pork Katsu Don.. the NICE version. The ones I've had here have been... below mediocre thus far. Haha. Maybe cause I ain't willing to spend so much cash on food here.

Had curry mee hoon today - Old Town White Coffee. Was pretty ok, so that solves my curry mee hoon craving.

Oh... and the nasi lemak from the Taman Megah market... :-O

Haha. :)

I'm also having non-edible cravings like white water rafting (ever since CP and I failed to get that in Sandakan) and playing in a waterfall. Oh, and beautiful strong waves washing over me.

Had a pretty exciting day today, got drenched thoroughly cause of Singapore's storm. *Macamlah xde hujan kat Msia* But in Malaysia I'm less prone to wonder out using public transport when it's storming, I guess. =P

Haha, I'm missing it so much I'm gonna drop by a cousin's house in Johor this Monday evening till Tuesday morning. Have an event (ASEAN Learning Journey) on Monday and Tuesday.

Oh and I wanna goto Labuan to see another cousin!

Oh oh and I wanna goto Penang and see long lost friends!

Oh oh oh and I wanna go back to PJ so that I can see my long lost boyfriend!

=D

Singapore's 24/7 Mustafa Centre is AWESOME. Wish Malaysia had one.. imagine, I can shop anytime I want! =) Went there at 7am this morning. Haha. Desperado. Came back and collapsed in bed for a few hours. Then went out to attempt to attend City Harvest's service only to find out that my friend and I had gotten the wrong location. -__- By then we were wet rats.

But it was fun! :-)

On a side note, I completely forgot about Dad's Birthday on the 6th of Nov! :-O How time flies... Have a wonderful, 57th birthday Dad! :-) I liiike talking about you... I talk about you a lot :-) You've made me proud... love ya! :-)

God bless,
Jo

Photo Blog!

So I decided that my blog needs some spicing up...

Ok, not really. I'm just really stressed out by the essays I have to complete by this week.

So here goes!

Haha! Say hi to momsy Kate Low! =D You know you're in the modern era when your mom-in-law camwhores with you. ;-)

Meet...my man! In his super canggih leather jacket that I proudly sponsored! =)

Captured from my com when he was skyping with me. =D I love to see him so relaxed... such a rare sight!

Our mad gallivant around the jungles of Sandakan with a RM22 per night hostel bad. CP: "After all these years... we still have big legs. -__-" Ok, I admit my Xena legs means I can't wear super high heels unless I wanna attract attention to my calves, but I like them! A well-worth  last minute trip, only possible when you have an impulsive friend... and an equally impulsive streak. Buas, as Joash would say!

Meet my *slightly* mad friend, who was so terrified in the Agnes Keith house you would have thought she saw a ghost. She clutched and clung to me till I felt violated!

And meet me! The boss! =D

Say hello to the tiger that caught my MANLY 23 year old boyfriend's attention... he immediately bought it and wore it out of the shop. He even excitedly told the cashier that he didn't need a plastic bag for it.  If you want it, head over to Tambun Water Park!

The only person I know who can grin and laugh when a humongous python is curling and slithering around his neck. Singapore's Night Safari: They needed a "big, strong man" for their show... guess who they picked? ;-)

Oh, hello again!

My teammates! NUS' Inter-Faculty Games. :-)

Her face says it all. :-) Hi Rounds! Eh I look rounder here too! Forgot when these pics were taken. Catch up soon, k??

What happens when your already freaking tall friend puts on 4-inch heels? When we stood up to walk out of 1U's Sushi Zanmai a waiter widened his eyes and asked, "How tall are you??"

Say hello to Fluffy, in memory of Joash's favourite dog. And the snake that he got after this courageous, death-defying-python act! Happily sleeping in my Singapore bed.

The Queen of PJ. 
I'll be back soon!

Sorry about the disorganised and scattered pics! No time di! Wasted an hour! Haha, cya & God bless!

Through The Years

I miss camps :-(

In particular, Christ-centred camps.

I know, so random right.

Haven't been to any since.. I dunno when??

Used to attend 1-2 every single year without fail since I stepped into sec. school.

I think, camps always reflect my current stand with God. The arrogant 12-year-old I was in my first CF camp, a girl who didn't think she needed God (haha, I refused to up go for any prayers, was the only one who didn't go forth that year.. talk about pride) to the broken, angry 19-year-old girl I was when life underwent all sorts of unbelievable crises I myself can't believe it up to today.

So what does it mean when I've stopped attending camps altogether?

I don't know.

I'm not seen as a 'good Christian' lately, that much I know. (Especially in the eyes of 'better Christians.') But I don't mind, I'd rather be seen like this than a hypocrite who acts all holy-moly when I know my inside is a complete mess.

I have friends who come to me for answers. And it's always a dilemma for me: To give the Biblical answer that I would have given before, or to give the most truthful answer: "I don't know"? Most time it's the latter, because I really don't know. I've been searching, but until the day I find an answer that my heart can accept, all these are just shallow, empty words.

I've had people sit me down and try to work through my questions with me. Problem is, I know all the explanations they have. And I know the apologetics needed for them.

This song used to be the background of this blog, used to be the song I sang in my darkest hours.

May it someday ring with truth again.

I See Angels Before Me

What do you do when you have 4 essays to complete in a week? And you've yet to even complete one?

You wake up early, wash up, and dress up... to go for fantastic day of shopping and lepaking with friends. :-D

(Oh, and I nearly took up their offer to stay over at their hotel in JB. Then I stopped in my tracks, asked myself what kinda deep grave I wanted to dig myself into, and said a sad, pitiful "No.")

Haha. At first I only considered having lunch with Elaine and Yvonne (the Lim sisters I mentioned in me blog previously), but they invited me to shop with them... and I stopped thinking, and started living. =P

It was a fantastic (although too short) shopping spree! We went to Mustafa Centre and Bugis. Hahaha I was so stressed out I bought sooo many things to make myself happy. (Reluctantly checked my bank account and *gasp* I'll hafta stick to hostel food these few weeks until the 2nd half of my scholarship comes in.)

It was a good time of talking and relaxing, I consider them angels who suddenly asked me to meet up late last night. =P God knows I needed this break, desperately. And I only agreed to leave my essays alone for a while cause I felt obligated to meet up with them. :-) Otherwise it would have been another long, dreary and uninspiring day of working in front of the com.

Oh! And while walking to Cheers (it's like Singapore's version of 7-E), across the green green sprawling field... breathing in the cool 1.12am night air... I suddenly got inspiration for one of my essays! Happily bought meself 2 paus and 3 fishballs (donated one to Lilian) and walked around a bit, basking in my moment of enlightenment.

:-)

Ok, seriously. Now it's back to work. At the rate I'm going, I'm gonna get obese and deaf - all this reliance on snacks and loud music blasting to get my sluggish brains moving.

Have a nice day! =D

Jo

I miss my boyfriend! :-O Internet was too lousy to Skype tonight :-( I'm in a public area outside Starbucks, sharing internet with sooo many people my Youtube takes sooo long to load. Eh wait. It's a sign that I should not Youtube. =P

=P

I'm grinning away after reading comments about a certain first lady sitting in between LCW and WMC.

Hahahaha.

But since I'm on a rather generous scholarship by her I'll hold my tongue.

Anyway... about a month left to go in NUS! And... how has it been??

Oh I just can't wait to get done with this sem. *phew*

Joash and I are gonna see Beauty and the Beast! A musical in Sunway Lagoon's Amphitheatre. =D *excited* Simply because it's the first time we'll be going for such a show together! It's nothing compared to Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera (by my standards la, unless if you prefer Disney) but I'm saving that for our honeymoon. =P

Essay after essay haunting me. Haha, so fed-up of essays. I was so frustrated earlier I did 10 push ups. Talk about desperation!

On a side note, I went to see an open rehearsal of Handel's Messiah, and it was amazing! I've watched so many plays and dramas and instrumentals here that I feel pretty fulfilled. :-) Back home I've only attended such shows on and off, guess I'll make more effort to attend them more now. Guess that's the difference between your home uni and temp. uni - you wanna experience so much more in your temp. uni cause you know it's only gonna happen once.

Singapore has been a pretty good experience, my buasness has ensured that I've nearly explored every nook and cranny of Singapore (more than the friends who actually study fulltime in NUS anyway), except for cycling in Pulau Ubin and entering the Garden by the Bay.. something like that.

Now I feel like exploring the whole of Malaysia.

Oh! We went to SIA recently, and it was pretty interesting. Ok, I'll admit part of my interest was due to the fact that I happen to have a best friend who is a pilot. Buuut, apart from that, it really was pretty interesting. I would have liked to slide down the emergency slides of the planes and tried their water evacuation training in a real, 3 metre-deep pool with real strong waves.

(Yes, I'm only interested in the exciting parts la. Haha.)

Training under AMG has been going well, the learning curve is so steep that my magazine articles have improved from displaying zero magazine-writing-knowledge and being told that I'm "too poetic" to articles that need only be edited once, even then with small changes.

I feel ready to take up my job of writing articles for etc. magazine again! hahaha. Won't be so stressed out now and hopefully my articles won't be slaughtered anymore. =P

Ok, enough blogging! The Lim sisters have just contacted me, meet-up in Singapore! :-)

God bless,
Jo

Heylo

:-)

Haha. I don't even know why I'm smiling when I've not even finished one essay out of my 4 yet.

I'm now sitting next to a wonderfully big green field, outside Starbucks, enjoying the breeze.

No, wait. Actually, I'm too cold for comfort. It stormed earlier and there's a humongous fan turning above me. -__-

And my study partner has gone off to bed.

And I had 4 packets of green tea to keep me up.

=D

Feel like doing something violent. Completely, absolutely violent. Hahahaha. No outlets here laa. :(

You know what I feel like doing??

I feel like banging on a drum set. LOL! With my no skill hands... but just feel like doing some nonsensical offbeat rolls right now.

Maybe because my life has been like that lately - incorrect tempo/rhythm.

haha. Literature betul. Just did a review on how sound can translate landscape into sound-scape. =P

Just remembered that I left my entire bed in a mess earlier so that I won't be able to sleep until I've cleared and folded my clean laundry away. :-|

Well, that ensures I'll stay here longer I guess. Till I'm ready to face the pile of laundry that has no where to go but into my cupboard.

-__-

On a side note, I collected another A- and B+ recently. Haha. No, there's nothing to be proud of.

I think I've got friends down here this weekend! But they've yet to contact me. Lol.

Thus far my room has housed so many people I feel happy. Haha :-) The sleeping bag is turning out to be darn useful.

This week, no one can come in though. I've missed my usual once a week clean up because I was so busy with work and travelling and entertaining meself.

And yesss, my LDR is going perfectly fine. hahaha. =) (Cause we keep meeting each other anyway. It makes me happy to travel 5-6 hours just to see him for a while. =P) It's been 2 years + of seeing each other! How time flies... and how our relationship has blossomed! Hahaha. Me am extremely happy with him, and I hope he is happy with me too!

Sorry abt the incoherent and fragmented post.

This happens every end of sem. =P

Till more coherent days,
Jo

I'll be back!

Hi Joanne, wow! The statement, "I'll be back" - has been an encouragement with hope for many in history. The greatest was from our Lord when He said that He'll be back for those expecting his return. Then nearer to our time we have general M'arthur assuring the Filipinos when he had to retreat for a while in WWII. Now we hv Joanne Lim making the same statement to those awaiting. My my! Miss Lim, you are also a history maker bcoz there is more than one who's awaiting your return-God bless you abundantly.

=) From the very fingers of a very special Uncle George Low!

Indeed, I'll be back! Hahaha about the history maker part, I dunno. I do miss his curry wild boar.. he attempted to teach me the last time I went back to Kuantan but Joash and I went out for so long by the time we reached back he was done. :-O

It's week 12! And everything is due next week because NUS only has 13 weeks.

And I've got 2 more presentations to go, 1 was done today. 4 essays to complete.

:-)

Oh, and 2 articles from my training.

=D Who says life isn't good?

OH I went to USS Halloween with Joash... hahaha. Oh me gosh. Sorry, can't blog about it. You need my entertaining actions and demonstrations to give you an idea of how absolutely terrified I was... and how Joash totally (did not) reacted to my fear. Let's just say he laughed me off as a 6 year old. =P

Anyway, I'll blog better later. No blogging ooomph now!

Tried to find some photos but dunno where they all disappeared to. Haha.

God bless,
Jo