A Fireproof Life

who: yan (via webcam), mel, damo, me
what: webcam fun
when: last tuesday
where: ken's place
how: webcam pics (rach) & edits (yan)
why: little exam prep and assignment break/distraction

From Mark Connor's blog: "An interview with Rick Warren"

"I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for."

"You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others."

oh, and... hamster dance ftw~! ROAR kids =]

current thoughts:

- why am i blogging heaps lately?

- the development of friendships: the interactions and time spent with one another - resulting in
1. knowing what the other is thinking
2. the automatic thoughtfulness
3. knowing what the other wants
4. putting yourself out there
5. messages of encouragement
6. smiles and laughter

- how much my head still hurts from last week's fall

- internet: i found myself really needing the i-net, after an adsl outage in vic today. C'mon rach - lean more on God! - priorities~
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. " Prov 3:5-6.

- loving the church's bible reading through proverbs =]
"Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge." Prov 18:15.

- the complexities of love

- how i survived sleeping after 4am every night for the past 4 nights

- how awesome would it be for someone to mish-mash songs on the piano for me
i.e. "love story meets viva la vida"

- how having"build me up buttercup" by the temptations on repeat has really made me hyper happy =]

zzzz time now - seminar/study time tmr!

national anthem: a song of devotion and loyalty adopted by the country

its a very random topic to discuss, but came about when mel and i were singing national anthems last night.

Singaporean anthem: mel's country of residence for most of her life. apparently most sing ppl lack loyalty: mel doesnt like sg. Devotion maybe, with the NS stuff, tho i know lots of s'poreans that wont go back for that either.

Malaysian anthem: lol its amazing that i still remember how to sing it - but the malay a bit wrong i know.

New Zealand anthem: by far the coolest anthem i know how to sing - cuz in school we had to leam the maori and english version awesome as. hehe wish i could visit nz again, no: not for the sheeps, but for the scenery. which reminds me: came across an old maori song that we used to sing in primary school, very nice song - sung by Hayley Westenra, a girl from my school (Cobham Intermediate) in nz...who's now like a superstar...awesomely amazing voice! The song totally reminds me of my childhood in nz =]

Hayley Westenra - Pokarekare Ana

Australian anthem: lol, my parents used to think that waltzing matilda was the national anthem. but yeh - it an ok anthem: hehe too used to it now. Which reminds me again: of rubgy league/union. I miss it! Used to watch it heaps in nz - ah the rivalry between the all blacks (nz team) and the wallabies (aus team)! LOL - i also decided to watch the haka again in youtube, i rmb how me and my bro always loved watching the haka! The haka is a maori dance performed on special occasions, as a welcome, or celebration. Ka Mate, is a type of haka used by the all blacks in international rugby games: its like a war dance to intimidate the opponent - but beautiful to watch. It involves lots of aggression, scary faces, grunting and chanting and lead by a group leader.

ah~ back to study now =]

Ok i finally uploaded the vid that the bendigo gang made for grace's 21st.

for info on the vid read:
http://a-fireproof-life.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-and-there.html

edit:// decided to take vid off again...in case of alerting higher authorities. blink me if u want to see it and i'll link u up =]

LOL - its been quite a while since i have blogged. Many have commented about my lack of blogging, however - i do not see this lack of blogging as a bad thing - it means that i have been super busy (not study type of busy tho) or found have found another portal to discuss my thoughts and rationales. I fear that my 4am sleeping time have a profound impact on the way i view the world - for one, i have learnt many a things from insightly feedback from friends and exploration of ideas. However i also fear that influences around me can and will change me. Already i have experienced some negative and positive effects from influences - wow: a little insight from LG allowed me to dig deeper into this topic that have been tossing and turning in my head.

After countless nights of thoughts - i believe that my parents are right: even tho i tend to not acknowledge their wisdom in many matters, they have a big part in steering me in the right direction every time. Theories and unfruitful analyses have taken up much of those "alone" times. Waiting for answers is always extremely toilsome but sometimes all u got to do is have faith. Complete trust in the Lord, that he will reveal particular insights to you in due time. Often i'm impatient for answers, for knowledge: failing to realise that the journey is often what is needed to obtain the answer. In a timely fashion, CityLife started the book of Proverbs this May - i shall follow closely, waiting, thirsting for wisdom. I love my bible - especially the cover: like a jug of water...for those who thirst!

On the lighter side, the past few weeks of uni have just flown by, however marked by several highlights. Birthdays, social nights, random video-ing, breakdancing, and...eating have proven more fun than studying, and hence resulting in the extremely high play to study ratio. Here's one of the outputs of 2nd year dent so far (a few impromptu vids):

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Air-5

lyrics by: sarah, rach, ika, mel, damo, ken, harry
special thanks to yuin, thu, henry, lorry, and doey

music:
katy perry's "hot and cold" - remake + new lyrics
rob thomas's "little wonders" (GWSC class of '07 graduation song)
I'm from barcelona's "the painter" (featured on HIMYM: w00t! awesome as tv show)

note: due to consensus of the group - we've decided no to put the video up - till later, maybe xP. But if u wanna view it, just ask =]

My 18th

Dent Pre-clinical Lab

Mel's backyard makeover

Sitting at 2am, i suddenly find myself in a state of peace - i don't know if its "you alone are God" on constant repeat or the feeling that this year is going to be dramatically different. Yes, it is the 2nd day of uni, and no, i havent started any study at all, yet, there is this apprehension in the air - something is going to change. I don't know if it going to happen now, or sometime in the future, but there is something stirring in my heart - the year of revelation, the year of empowerment, the year of change. All through last year, i constantly felt that nothing has been done, nothing has been forwarded in God's kingdom in Bendigo - why does it sometimes take that long to realise stuff?

I've always been a really big thinking sort of person - the analytical stuff, but it seems that something is blinding me from releasing one's potential in Bendigo. Hmm, i guess i just have to rely more and more on God and ask Him to use me daily =] Yesterday, something reminded me that life is not meaningless, we have chances, opportunities - we must take hold of them and not let them pass by. Have the courage and faith to jump in (or dive in) and trust God.

Also, i was reflecting on my goals for last year. I totally believe that i know a little part of God's plan for my life, but am afraid to take the risk, or i end up making excuses to not perform it. The holy spirit urge is constantly pushing me to "just do it" - cmon rach!! I pray that this year, something will change, and i will have greater confidence in God's plan for my life =]

anyways random notes here and there. must sleep now - or watch the k-drama janice lent to be *hehe* =P

The treadmill show really keep you listening to the song LOL. =]

After months of footy-less friday, sat and sun nights, i watched my first footy game of '09...
AWESOME!

I miss the close games
I miss the missed chances
I miss the flying marks
I miss the tackles
I miss watching Essendon kick butt

Today's game was between Essendon and Bulldogs - a bushfire appeal match. And, it was awesome as - it was a super close game. Essendon triumph at the end with a 1 point win =]

To more awesome games *web hi-five* (lol, how i met your mother craze xP)

And so, i recently got addicted to "The Big Bang Theory". And i must say, its awesome!! Its about 4 geeks/nerds that live across the hall from a girl. And so the contrast between them begins, and it gets super funny, esp if u know loads of scientific jargon. Gosh, im ROFL-ing all the time. My fav qoutes so far:

Penny: I’m a Sagittarius, which probably tells you way more than you need to know.
Sheldon: Yes, it tells us that you participate in the mass cultural delusion that the sun’s apparent position relative to arbitrarily defined constellations at the time of your birth somehow affects your personality.
Penny: (puzzled) Participate in the what?

Sheldon: Engineering - where the noble, semi-skilled laborers execute the vision of those who think and dream. Hello, Oompa Loompas of science!

Leonard: Well, if you're sick, get some rest and drink lots of fluids.
Sheldon: What else would I drink? Gases, solids, ionized plasma?

~

Sheldon: Yes well, I’m polymerized tree sap and you’re an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns to its original trajectory and adheres to you."

=]

1. Never offer the patient a hand to squeeze - their pain during extractions will show as chinese burns on your arm

2. People learn quick under pressure

3. Instruments names that u learn in uni doesnt matter when your dentists says: "short needle (Local anesthetic)", "ball (ball burnisher)", "spoon (excavator)"

4. When talking to a child, refer to all dental materials as "my weapons to destroy all the bad bugs in your mouth"

5. Smile: its contagious

Ah, as most people know - i have been working as a dental assistant for a while now. And today was a pretty awesome work day. Since starting the job, i've really only handed the scale/clean cases (which were somewhat repetitive); ortho and impressions. But today i got to see 2 patients that had their teeth extracted - yes, im very excited! Also, i got to see a composite filling and a chipped tooth being fixed.

However, today i also felt the pressure of dentistry - you need the ability to think quick and learn fast. With the guy having his chipped tooth replaced with a composite resin, i was worried cuz i've never learned about the procedure before and it was a fast procedure, as exposure of the material to light sets/hardens the material. So i got slighty heighten when the dentist was telling me to get all these materials (like clear strip, g-bond, A3). I had no idea what she was talking about, and also, the mask meant that i could barely heard her. I was running around frantically getting stuff, and asking where stuff was, so i think she got a little annoyed. I felt useless - sigh! But it really tested how well i responded to situations and ability to think quick. Im blessed to have the opportunity and the dentist taught me so much already!

There was this one patient - a 6 year old girl, who has a few permanent teeth and about 5 rotting baby teeth. So the dentist called for an extraction. She little girl was so scared, even themum had to sit in the dental chair and hug her during the entire procedure. An extraction means that LA (local anesthetic) had to be applied - via a NEEDLE! The dentist tried to hide the needle but when the girl saw it, she started crying and screaming. She cried so loud when the needle hit the gums, i felt so bad and my eyes actually went watery. Then it got even worse cuz the dentist didnt put enough LA, so when she started to extract, it hurt really bad, and then another injection. During the extraction, the teeth chipped and root fragments were stuck in the girl's gums, so the dentist had to excavate under the gums. All along the girl was uneasy, but i heard the mum whispering a story to her daughter in malay - which really calmed her down.

There was also this one guy, middle aged man who was scared to get his teeth scaled and clean so he came in the surgery and when the dentist told him it would hurt a little bit, he fled and said he wanted to come back under LA to scale and clean - i thought that a funny.

Ah, a totally random day - gosh i learnt so much today.

What: The Offspring's "Kristy, are you doing ok?" completed on guitar and piano
How: Guitar tabs from Ultimate Guitar; piano - by ear =]
When: yesterday (6th jan) - in 45 mins flat =P
Why: if not at work, do sth useful!! *cough* less drama *cough*

Ahhh - anberlin is coming to melb and me cant get in!! 3 days from my b'day (1 Mar) - and on Feb 26th, anberlin decides to hold an 18+ concert in melb.I missed the opp in yr 11 cuz i didnt check their site then now they decided that it shud be an 18+ concert. Sigh - one of the downfalls of not being 18 yet.