Third year here I come!

Dear diary in cyberspace,

Thought I'd try out left aligned and see how it feels.

So I'm meant to be finishing off my apologetics module and I started off well, I promise. I wrote 600 words in 90 minutes before I get a text from mother dearest that second cousin Jacob is at our house. Peoplework before paperwork right? So I pack my mac, Bible, Deluded by Dawkins? and put God Delusion back in the library. Can't believe they don't have Deluded by Dawkin's in the library shelf. Surely if you have the atheistic view you should consider the Christian perspective also? Maybe it's not politically correct or the library simply doesn't know it exists. I asked the lady at the enquiry desk if they could order but she said I would need to pay for it. Strange. Needless to say, I said no judging by my current situation although might pop back in tomorrow and ask how much. If it's a few bob I wouldn't mind if it means the general public would have access to it.

Back home, 3 year old Jacob is cute as ever. We watched 2 episodes of Peppa Pig, Postman Pat and Teletubbies (extended version). Didn't even know Teletubbies had an extended song, I personally feel a bit robbed the last 10 years. Suddenly really want to eat tubby custard now. Strawberry custard nom nom. When I get a disposable income I will definitely treat myself to a bit of Ambrosia. Mmmmm...

Today is Thursday and it's scary seeing as Saturday 2pm will see the arrival of the prospective training centre (TC) students. I'll be embarking on my 3rd school (Saturation School of Missions) and will be the first student to be doing 3 consecutive schools. Most would do a year, save up and do a second. Of course, some have done several years but remain in the same school but going to become student leaders, staff, house parents etc. 

*sigh....

Never thought I'd be a student this year. Never liked education much but then I guess this is more a centre to equip people to live life skilfully. It is not the distant teaching from tutors that one may experience at a normal UK university. I'm the only student that I know so plenty of accountability choices to choose from! Also this year is non-residential so it's my first time being in the TC but living outside of it. Slightly sad because I won't be around students 24/7 but then also quite excited!!!

Finally I can use my crockery again and have my own room yay! I can look out the window during my quiet times and paint to my heart's content at night. I have images of doing morning runs, coming back for a banana milkshake, shower, quiet time then pack my bag and head off to lectures. It probably won't be like that. I'll run for 2 weeks before realising that actually doing a paper round is plenty of exercise for my little Asian body and painting would be a once in a blue moon activity judging by the degree workload. Still, if I conduct master management properly...

Ah rambling when I should really be writing on how to answer theological questions. Bought the long-awaited September issue of UK Vogue yesterday. Few things make me so happy. I haven't bought a magazine in a year so this is a real treat. But, at £4.10 my wallet felt very empty indeed. Interesting read though. There was an article about the Head of Fashion Louise something at Central St Martins. The fashion world seems to evolve constantly and I have long jumped off of the bandwagon. Oh the photography! The use of light, composition, colour, concept is so inspiring. Makes me to upgrade to an SLR. All in good time :)

Did some calligraphy today, the Tudor kind, mind. Sister Ching-Yee got a set for her birthday but being the Asian that she is, decides to save it for a special occasion. I broke into it for her :) let me let you the nip fitted into the pen perfectly. The ink was Windsor & Newton and was truly exquisite. Now all I want to write in is gold and jet black.

I digress.

So...last 3 weeks have seemed unproductive, probably due to the fact that i procrastinate, get distracted and end up doing things like cook lunch and write on this blog. I've spent many times meeting up with London friends to interview them, which is acceptable as it is for my module. But. I can't help but feel like time is just flying by. Wastebook has eaten away many hours. Selling clothes on ebay also takes a while. Then again, why do I need my summer holidays to be productive? Am I being a Martha for the sake of feeling organised? Joanna Weaver's book about Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World has really convicted me of my performance mentality. SATs is constantly on my mind because I need to do it but then I find it hard to switch off when I am having Mary time. Guess it is all a choice.

Today was a lot better. I went for a run around Highgate in the morning, prayed in the gardens, came back, read the Word, reflected in my journal, read Vogue(!), made lunch, did book-binding, calligraphy and that was that.

Life is still busy but I realise how much momentum is actually externally generated. Although I am pretty good at building momentum myself, it sometimes feels a trifle lonely in the big city. Guess it's time to go back. Bought my 90L rucksack, hiking boots, running trainers, gators. I'm ready for South Africa in January! UK for this term. Wonder what Jesus has in store for me? Probably continue to work on my pride, don't think this stronghold will be completely dealt with for a while. Independence, performance mentality, grace giving and receiving, quick speech, the list goes on really. It's been a humbling experience knowing that in my weakness He is strong and despite my shortcomings He still loves me before I even do anything. A friend said that YOT is very much about finding out the bigger picture, SSOM is how you fit into this picture. Well, 2nd year on CAA stretched me in my art and my dancing, at least now I know my capacity is greater than I actually think. And hey, at least I'll come back tanned and fit with a slight Afrikaans accent!

Ah wow my brain is everywhere. So much information. In nutshell life is great, God is even greater and 2012/13 will be a momentous year in finding out what the gospel of the Kingdom looks like!

[insert goodbye in Afrikaans!]

Hindsight...

...is a beautiful thing. Just re-read my post after having published (rookie error) I realised I didn't mention the lovely people of Ellel, Baak! Wake up Ching, stop focussing on interior decoration! But yes lovely people like Henry, Samantha, Michelle, Wilhemina, Gerbert (think that's the Dutch spelling) and the lovely man who runs the place. Peter! Hurrah! Jack. Oh lovely Jack with his friendly smile and can-do attitude!

Highlights: climbing those high-as A-ladders and using the sheep to fluff the dust from the ceiling. Seeing Jono & Danie using the jet-wash machine on the outside windows. Filming posh intro and outro with the delightful Emma A with clothes borrowed from the lovely Ann-Marie. Ah what a quirky lady! Gleaned a lot of wisdom from her.

Had such a great time during socials. Emma A gave foot rubs. I gave hand massages. People played cards. Had a ping pong, oh no, excuse me, TABLE TENNIS tournament. Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition :)

Oh the talent show! Jono & Charlie MC-ed at St Gorst, Germany. Emma A & I did Holland. Good ol' Em and C. I played a louder, Essex-esque version of myself called Chelsea who wore a side ponytail and elongated the last word of every sentence. Apparently someone said I was scarily realistic. Watch this space RADA!

Mmmmm pancake house with satay chicken pancake and other half with apple, cinnammon and various other bits in ramekins. Thank you JTC and Ellel! Well done to Paul Kloppers, Steve Lee for leading missions this year. So proud to say you are my leaders! Well done to Sinta Price for being pregnant and staying at home. You are just as much part of the missions as we are! Tim for being the loving husband he is and staying home to help her pick up things. Never realised pregnant women find it hard to bend over to pick up things. I hope I can pick up things in the future. Hm...maybe my proverbial future hubby can buy me those things that London Underground litter-pickers have. There's food for thought!  

Ah. Tim actually came to Belgium for our first international production of the Dream Giver. Made such a difference having our spiritual dad around. Such a precious time!

Ok, enough ramblings for now. Really do need to do my interviews for apologetics module. Eph 6 and Ps 91 yes! Belt, check, helmet, check, breastplate of righteousness, check! Bring on the sword of the Spirit and feet of readiness! 

I'm back!

Hey chaps! Sorry for the AWOL. Term 3 at CAA has been a bit hectic. I just about had time to read my emails and catch up with friends on facebook. I promise that I will tend to this blog more regularly in the next 3 weeks.

So...last term has been really incredible. We had missions to Belgium, Germany and Holland. Ah man such a blessed time. We were in EU just less than a month and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. So good how God brings us closer together and not only that but we could form genuine authentic relationships with the people we were working with.

Time with the 9th Hour guys in Belgium was so precious. Never did I expect to spend time with Texans there! Got to stay at Rachel's place - a mere 5 minute walk from the European Commission and you know what? I went in there!!! Exciting times. A friend was working there and she said we could sit in on one of the press releases. I asked the diplomat a question, which I wasn't supposed to. Oops! Got a bit scared, thought maybe the security man would ask me to leave but alas, the spokesperson answered my question with tact and I stayed in my seat until we decided to leave. Phew! Must admit I felt a little intimidated by the way the journalists asked questions. Can't exactly say I'm familiar with high end protocols. 

Moving on...Germany was fabulous! Stayed at Martin&Heike's and met some lovely people. Lilly Franks really came to mind and Ina too. Crazy ladies of God! Had so much fun designing and painting the murals at the school. I had the honour of leading a team of enthusiastic people. So good to work with friends. Sadly the photos I took got lost after my mac crashed :'(

This brings us to Holland. Ah man Ellel Ministries. Felt like I was on the set of Pride&Prejudice. They had gorgeous chandeliers and art nouveau wallpaper. Dark wooden tables and chairs with curved legs. I've decided in my mind that the more curved things there are the more expensive everything is. Then again you have straight minimalist tables in London penthouses that cost a bomb. Hm...might have to rethink that general statement...

Came back from missions feeling refreshed. We had our personal DVD projects and group DVD to do and it was fun but not without its challenges. God really highlighted the performance mentality I still had and the way I handle my time and stress. My fear of failure was something that kept cropping up throughout the year. It was as if God was saying "Just because you've overcome it once doesn't mean you won't have to deal with it again. It just means it will become less of a stronghold the more you cover yourself with My armour."

Hard lesson to learn but thankfully it happened. I handed the DVD in, without contents but hey! The cover was done! The contents I handed in a few days later. Missed the deadline but for me that wasn't what God wanted to teach me. He was teaching me that whatever you start you must finish and finish it strong. I'm not sure I finished strong but I sure as tried!

The group DVD was great. I showed it to my grandma which was great. First time I actually presented any work of any calibre to her. Also showed her my Kinetic Award. Yes ladies and gentleman, I got my very first award! It's made of glass, got my name inscribed and everything! Bwahahahaha! Also paid my IDTA membership finally and received my certificate! I am now a Teacher of Dance in the Freestyle Faculty. Boom! Certificate thing cost £70, the frame I put it in cost 25p. Go figure. Long live the Asian in me! From afar it doesn't look like it's made of plastic I guess...Got my beady eyes on this really nice dark wooden one from Wilko's. Haw haw haw!

Hm...not quite sure what else to say. There's been quite a lot of happenings in between but those are the most poignant. 

Oh oh oh. One more thing. My uncle bought me an external hard drive! Western Digital 1TB baby! No more lost files. No more saving SATs and videos onto 3 memory sticks! I got my amo rejoice rejoice!

I really cannot contain my excitement. Wanna see it? 

I asked my uncle to inbox me the price. He said "free for you :)"

How generous! What a blessing. At first I said no la! You can't pay for it. Like seriously, my uncle let me stay at his apartment 5 years ago for a whole week rent free AND he gave me money to buy food groceries. Thank You Father for Your providence!

Now that my mac is fixed and I have an external, there's nothing stopping me from completing my 3rd year BTh. Can you believe I'll be a theology graduate in a year? Not only that but I'll be a full-time student on Saturation School of Missions at Jubilee Training Centre. The course focusses on urban and rural missions. Half the year I will be based in Maidstone then the next half I will be in...wait for it...South Africa! Mwahahahahahhaa!

Yes please boerewors, biltong, iced tea and swimming pool! Yes please missions in townships and clinics! Ah so excited!!! In December also going to Hong Kong and hopefully Malaysia. Lord, I feel so blessed to be a part of Your perfect plan :)

So that's it folks, thanks for reading and I will speak to you soon.

再見!

A Tale of Two Sisters

Well done to my sister Ching-Yee for surviving the 30 hour challenge set by London College of Communication! Thought I'd show give some support and encouragement by making a little card for her.

2 Samuel 6:14

A response to my passing my International Dance Teachers Association qualification! Thank You Jesus for making all things possible! I couldn't have done this without Your grace and Your strength. I didn't expect to pass this, having left this last minute and running away from it all. But you showed me that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. You also showed me that I can do things though You and that You will never give me more than I can handle. 

I thank You that You are a creative God and You inspire so many of us. You use so many things to speak Your love language to us. You made the stars to shine brightly at night. You make a beautiful sunrise every morning as I do my paper round. You put people around me who love me and demonstrate Your love. 

Lord, I am not sure where I'd be if You were not by my side but I am very grateful that You chose me to be Your daughter. I do not know what the future holds but it is a journey and I rest assured knowing that Your plans are perfect.

Praise You Father!

Lots of love,

Your daughter.

Hurrah! My sister has survived 2 decades on earth...almost!

So...my sister will be 20 in 2 weeks. For reasons unbeknownst to me, she is celebrating her birthday in advance. I was not invited but no, I will not take the bait. Last year's birthday kareoke with family and school friends was a bit awkward.

Anyway, here are some presents her friends bought her and I thought I'd share this with you!

Finger printing yes please! Ah man. I can't wait for Ching-Yee to open the plastic film and use it so I can experiment and turn my fingers into all sorts of colours!

Gotta hand it to the Japanese, they certainly have a knack for creating all things cute and functional! Note the cutlery with the faces, stored in the lid so it is not contaminated by the food. Also allow me to draw your attention to the moveable partition, which gives you more choices to what variety of foods you want to put in it.

This just makes me want to drop everything I'm doing and start designing cute household items...for about 5 minutes before I get a grip and remember why I do what I do.

再見!

A shop to feast your eyes on

Ok so as I was walking from my friend's house today I came across a really nice shop. I didn't  go in, otherwise I'd get frustrated that I can't afford to buy anything.

No, I was good and stayed outside. I couldn't help but admire the window display though...

Look at the cute teapot and cup necklaces on the cake stand!

I especially like the white tee with the bear saying "Will sing for honey". 

If I ever manage to get my hands on some printing equipment, I would really like to start screen-printing things again. That'll be the day!

Safe

This is what happens when you give an illustrator a dance to choreograph...

Still lost in the lyrics!

Easter post

Baaaaaah! It's been long since I last posted! Apologies for my inconsistency. You must forgive me, things have been a bit hectic where I study and I've put this blog on the backburner. Now I'm here!

Wow so my last post was in January. A lot has happened since then...

We've had the annual Jubilee Fashion Show and this year's theme was Dare to Leap. Hats off to this years Yotties as they've done an excellent job in upping the ante.

I myself really enjoyed it from a CAA perspective. We only performed one dance and song so I was able to sit in and watch the second half. So proud of them! When the urban dress category walked on it brought back so many memories of last year's show. They put me in this dungaree/cain rows ensemble - fix up look sharp init!

Also had the You Rock kid's club in Feb. Had the privilege to lead the drama team and teach the rules to the kids. In all honesty I didn't really expect much as I never really liked kids all that much. YOT last year slowly restored my love for children but still I would probably choose old people over youngsters. But hey see how God works! I loved every minute of You Rock. Seeing the production and all the departments work together - the music, dance, drama and art - really made me proud and the look on the parents' faces made it all worth it. We are walking in the legacy now as 4 of the girls are now doing the Pulse dance club - that's a 50% increase in the space of a fortnight! God is good!

Also sat my dance exam - thank goodness! Man, it's been a thorn in the flesh since day one and really something I've had to wrestle with. The exam was on tuesday and I didn't really truely begin to do the written work until the friday before. It was a frantic rush, I danced most of saturday, the slot in sunday afternoon and monday. I'm not quite sure how I did it but it must have been in God's grace. I was cutting music on GarageBand monday night (or tuesday AM, however you look at it) and printed off my portfolio an hour before my exam. Talk about cutting it fine! Thankfully the external examiner told me to perform the dances I was most familiar with. I must say I'm very glad that I actually took the exam. It was definitely playing on my mind not to do it. Then I remembered that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13) and God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)

If I am a daughter of the Most High, why should I live in fear? If God gave me the strength to run a half-marathon last year, why can't He give me the courage to take this dance exam? I questioned why I agreed to doing the IDTA. At first it was just because I had the opportunity and it's always good to have a qualification but actually, it has the potential to impact more than just myself. With it I can teach dance in any dance school across the globe. It can enable me to do more in the Pulse dance club. Who knows? Maybe God will use me to spread His message through the medium of dance. 

Finally, we also had the CAA production, the content of which I am not allowed to say. All you need to know is that it'll be worth the wait! I have to play characters that are very demanding roles. I have to depict emotions which are very draining. It has been such an incredible journey and really forced me to reflect who I am on stage and off stage. I feel so proud of my fellow CAA students, staff and leaders. It's been a hard slog but it's totally worth it and I wouldn't have it any other way.

That's Creative Arts Academy term 2 condensed into a few paragraphs!

Character development