want to appreciate...

those who have been keeping me in their prayers, and smsing me!!

it's a foreign land (if only for the fact that I'm the only non-caucasian :P), and whilst I really feel @ home now, it's great to know I'm still in your thoughts!!

Thanks Wes, Sab, Ange, Vee for your msn/sms messages! They've come through @ the most awesome times, and I'm deeply appreciative of them!

Mikey, your visits have truly been God sent, and help me to remember who I am.

Ami-gurl, you know your place in my life, and without your pushing, I dunno if I'd be here :)

For those who should be in here somewhere, please yell @ me, cuz I'd hate to miss anyone - thank you especially, for all those who are also praying for me!!

*phew*

long time no post, well long time no breath :S

Orientation week is finally over, and in hindsight, it's been a bit of a back breaker :P

Since the last post, I learnt about everyday spirituality, did common work, learnt about using your body to 'balance' a room (pechang: non-violent solutions to violent situations), and made a pumpkin lasagne, amongst other things, with everything coming to a close on Friday.

Also helped out from 6:30am-4:30pm with Sam and Joyous's wedding, which pretty much KO'd me for the day (thurs).

Saturday was mega sleep in day (!!), woke up, met up with Ange and Mikey for lunch, then went off to the first of the Chinese New Year dinners @ Malaya, which kinda sucked... bad service, mediocre food and drunk people (from other tables) singing karaoke are not my idea of the ideal CNY celebration :(

Garage Sale!!

The Chew-Ong house are having a garage sale from 10am this Saturday (21/1) @ 4 Neera Court, Glen Waverley - if you have the spare time and are in the area, come by and say hello!

whoops, correction...

That should be UYB, not OYB... I was reading the legitimate document on how this, ah, process is prescribed, trying not to laugh and vomit simultaneously... I mean, it was a STEP-BY-STEP guide... eep...

Just got back from the 'burbs - ducked down there quickly to see my ami-natic girl, well, quickly is a subjective word, isn't it... travelled down @ 5:30pm, not realising it was actually peak hour :S

Harrowing, stressful and fun, would be the words describing the weaving techniques used to make my way down the congested motorway... I mean... wow... why do people even bother... so glad I was on a bike...

Will be away for the next two days, on a retreat with my fellow resi's to Queenscliff!! Should be a great time, will take photos where I can.

Take care all, will see yas when I get back :)

d3 continued...

General things we've been up to include semi-drinking games last night to get to know each other! Hehehe, when you see me next, remind me to go through "fuzzy duck" if you've not heard of it... hehehehe, that game cracks me up...

We also went through a whole bunch of questions, from which we've gleaned a list of (favourite) movies we're all going to make a point to watch throughout the year! See? They ARE my kind of people :P Titles like Magnolia, Goonies (!!), Death to Smoochie are going to make this year that much more fun, and of course the classics (not mine, funnily enough) include Back to the Future, parts I & II.

Today was by far the hardest to get through, having only gotten 5 hours of sleep (the person responsible for which will go unnamed - RLS is their punishment I say...) and a topic by which I'm squeamish as about - needles!!

We went over what to do in an OD, how to handle and dispose sharps/fits, the various lingo, refresher CPR (rremember DR ABC everyone??? I didn't...) and... OYB - it's a way of getting the drug into your bloodstream if all your veins have collapsed.

10pts if anyone can figure what OYB stands for... *still squeaming*... needless to say, I was quite queasy all the way through this mornings session... bleh...

day... hang on, it's day 3?!

Gee... am already losing track of my days :P

Am pretty much unpacked and settled into my room now (will take photos if the place when my memory kicks in, or you COULD just visit (174 Collins Street, Melbourne)), have already figured out what more I need (passport, bin, tissue box... hmm... what else...) and am just easing into the mindset... of if anything, just being the only asian around!!

But I already love the people I'm staying with @ Urban Seed, the other four resi's - Naomi ('nomes), Raelene (Rae), Chris (well, Chris) and Alasdire (Ali). They're great fun and very livable, but yes, it IS only day 3 :P

RMIT will make a great blog writing stop - with some round-about ways, I can access pretty much all I need to (i.e. msn via e-messenger), and so far God has provided the money I need! He has definitely been my mana provider so far...

nate & the city...

Hi all!! Have finally found an all too brief moment to drop a post - day one of orientation officially over, so far so good :) Will post more as I get more settled, but until then keep me in your prayers please :P

Looking out the window, and seeing the city RIGHT there, is something that's going to take a bit of getting used to... so far, it's still an adventure - the w/end retreat has actually be resched for this Thurs-Fri (will be tenting in Queenscliff with the other four resi's), so that's where I'll be at... this is nate & the city, signing off for long overdue sleep...

so much to blog about... not enough brain power...

:P

In the span of, well I guess half a month (since my last post), so much has happened that has been blog worthy, but everytime I've sat down in front of the keyboard, the words have failed me

Being able to write the sentences that will do justice to the experiences that I've been blessed with is a daunting task that looms at every blog composition session...

But whilst it does not contain any of the content of the past many weeks, I can type this post about the amazing day that is today, and I can re-affirm that it is not a bad day to be alive :)

I'm sitting in Jo's room, on her mega supa computer, looking out the window @ what is a beautifully blue sky - one that's not brilliant white with heat, nor one that's overcast grey, listening to the real version (i.e. not addy composed) of "I can only imagine", gradually losing myself in quiet worship, and for me, slowly finding again the things that really matter

It's the start of a new year, 2005 is no more, and with 7 days already crossed and gone, it's high time to get stuck into 2006. For me it's going to be a year that's going to be so different, so alien and new, well at least, if all goes well :P

My wish? Is that you and I will experience all that God will have for us this year, and that I'll get to do it, with all of you.

Let's make this year the best one yet!