Nuring it is:D
There is a super huge grin on my face. It's been there for a while.. at least ever since i found out that I'd gotten into nursing!!! My 2nd uni now - UTS - and already the sound of it feels like home. It's wonderful knowing the Lord's direction for my life. I've been feeling a conviction that this is where He wanted me to go but not having absolute confirmation (in the form of UAC approval) for most of the year is certainly a trial. It certainly reminds me of Proverbs 13:12
"Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." But how wonderful of Him to answer. Thank you Lord.
Last Tuesday was enrolment day and it took
four hours. Mum took me there, for which i'll always be grateful.. i had the ID, vaccination record card, uniform fittings and ordering the nurse kit all done. It's so exciting looking at the uniforms and kit .. it had a stethoscope, a little watch thing, goggles, extendable name badge thingy- the works. And out of my 5 compulsory vaccinations, i've had 2 and going for my 3rd one tmrw! I feel like a total lab rat. Thank God I am as healthy as i am. Classes start in 3 weeks and right now, i'm resting like it'll never be the same again lol. I'm simply beside myself with joy, knowing that this degree was chosen by God for me, and that I will do this course with His blessing.
There's so many other things to look forward to.. it's incredible how that day of days just rolls up on ya. Turning 21 has got to be one of the most spectacular occasions for a reunion with close friends, and that's exactly the excuse i am using:) In a few short days D.V., i will be celebrating with family at a buffet, then with friends at a restaurant the following night. Funny, it sounds like it should be the other way round hehe. And lovely Barbara wants to organise a get together lunch involving everyone from church and some from other churches we know too, which will be a week later. It feels like another pivotal year.
Around November, i hope to spend quality time with the grandpoppies to celebrate grandpa's 80th. Double celebration!!! Actually it's almost a triple celebration for me as my birthday comes right after Chinese New Year. There's just too many causes for celebration these days. And something else super exciting is happening - another lady is moving in soon! More on that later. For now, I wish everyone an advanced Happy Chinese New Year and safe journeys. toodles.
Close to the end
Oh wow, this year has just been one quick whip-up.. it's second last week of tafe already and i'm already starting to miss everybody and everything here. I love having 3 classes that do computing, coz it means plenty of time to netsurf and catch up with buddies.
It's been a really great year. I don't feel at all in the mood to update but for the sake of memories here's the creme de la of the past.. period:
1. Met a lovely lady called Lyndal who's now like a sister. After staying with us for a fortnight, we now keep in touch via mail and phone calls. She represents a new kind of world to me. But the best bit is that she's now a christian and professed to be saved, praise the Lord s2
2. I've now been at the Lodge (my work) for close to 5 months. Getting to know my workmates and the residents better and better. I love having such a flexible workplace that's preparing me for my future role as a nurse. It's cool too how they chuck 2 separate parties for Christmas - one for the residents and one for the employees. No idea which one to go to or whether i wanna go to either lol. There's waay too many parties this year - mainly 21sts!!
3. CA (other job) has also being ultra flexible. I'm finished at Dulwich Hill but have also worked at a new school -Trinity- which is lovely.
4. I am now so close to finishing my Cert III in Med Admin! Really excited. Not sure what my plans are really. Dunno where to begin looking for jobs or when. I just wanna stay in study mode for alap (as long as possible:)
5. Went to a Chinese wedding on Sunday. It was a 9-course affair. Now before you gawk at the idea of 9 dishes, keep in mind that Chinese servings are small. Like bowls that fit in the palm of your hand small. Still i was fantastically stuffed by the end of it all. I loved been able to spend time with May for the night.
6. I have plans to visit China next year around this time. I haven't celebrated New Year's in China for eons. It's goina be great.
Oh bother.. i don't wanna keep writing:P Basically day after day has just been activity-plus. Deferring this year has been the best choice ever. I've learnt and grown so much. And there's still so much more to do and learn.. i particularly love having grown closer to the Lord thru it all. He has blessed me in ways unimaginable. Thank you.
Tafe
It's so nice and breezy today. Latest on my "learnt" list:
- Tafe teachers are very willing to help you out with work (as in looking for jobs)
- One such job worth looking into is as an official poll attendant - check out
http://www.aec.gov.au/ (the pay is high and what can beat the thrill of a new experience ey)
- How to write letters (i'm serious)
- There is no occasion where a Snickers bar isn't appropriate for lifting one's mood
- How to genuinely like someone (quit whining and look at their strengths. Everyone's charming in their own peculiarities)
- What you wear can really affect your mood (but that -admittedly- is an individual thing)
- A lot of things aren't really that hard. It's just a matter of how you approach it. I found that by focusing on what's important, prioritising and simply speaking with people-in-the-know; it's actually quite a pleasant journey.
- the English language is very fickle (actually i learnt this some time ago)
That's from this week by the way.
What an awesome institution the world is.
Thank you God:)
Y'know..
..the Lord never ceases to amaze, surprise and leave me in awe at the most surprising of times:)
Blessed be His glorious name.
the clouds are clearing ~~
Hasn't the weather been simply spectacular lately??? Oh- and just a word of warning: If you're looking for a post that has nothing but mumbles, grumbles and a whole lot of nitpicking in it - look elsewhere. Right now. Coz I have nothing but things to praise and God to attribute the cause of all praise to.
Now, just for a bit of an update, here's "news":1. I recently enrolled in a 6mth tafe course in Medical Admin (and yes it goes without saying that tafe goes way beyond my expectations)
2. My world is expanding every single day by the people i'm blessed to be working or studying with. It's amazing what may be unearthed by simply chatting to someone and breaking the ice.
3. I'm close to completing my distance learning course in Physical Therapy Aide
4. Have applied for nursing thru UAC last Thursday. Now all i need to do is write a personal statement *shudders*. Where on earth do i begin?!
5. We've acquired a gorgeous new addition to the family - Toby the Turtle!!! Should i be worried that Crookshanks seems a bit too interested in him?.. hmm
6. Everyone loves Crookshanks. Who knew a fluffy, miaowing furball could be so winsome?
7. Got a second job at a nursing home. Love it. There's no other expression for it. It was truly God given, along with my tafe enrolment. The residents are great, with such interesting backgrounds (one was a tech/mech engineer, another was a footy player) and the staff are so culturally/age diverse!
8. Caught up with some old friends recently and had some lovely, spontaneous sessions with them. Ooh I love my friends:)
9. It's been one positive experience after another - everyday I am occupied, everyday I can find things to thank God for. Even if i had a very quiet day with no fireworks, the peace is a wonderful gift from God - it is in fact, one of his best gifts.
10. Am loving reading biographies. Recently finished "Run, Baby, Run" by Nicky Cruz. It's about this ex-NY gang leader who's life was completely changed by the Lord Jesus Christ. A fascinating delve into a world I am unlikely to encounter much - but who knows where the Lord might lead me?
Don't get me wrong. I have had my blue days. But nothing too small or too big that i couldn't take to the Lord in prayer. One thing that's been working beautifully for me besides reading the wonderful book of Proverbs, is simply getting to know someone, talking to them and inviting them over. Some truly amazing stories have been exchanged - oh and don't underestimate the power of breakfast. I have never known such a powerful ice-breaker (aside from my cat and possibly a hot lunch where you can just stroll over things).
I am learning a lot. And happy. Earlier this year, i said to whoever cared that i felt 2007 was going to be a very significant year. A 'turning point' year somehow and the more i look back, the more i feel this to be the case. If i didn't defer, i might've remained a shell of a student, wrapped up in assignment after assignment and totally losing the thread of spontaneity that makes life so meaningful and diverse. But thanks to the Lord who laid that burden in my heart to defer, my whole world has expanded -through my jobs, through tafe, through the people i've met, through reading my bible more (most important) and all that flows from these events. Through all of these events I have had the opportunity of becoming closer to the Lord. And nothing's more important to me than knowing that I don't walk alone, work alone nor win alone. He is always there, my song.. my light.. my life.
My Lord, where do I begin to thank You?
Fruity weather
This chill is dehibernating all my winter impulses.. like layering. On everything. Not just clothes, but doonas, toast (or food in general), decorations, colouring in, everything! And colour. Lots and lots of warm, bright colours. Porridge. Waking up late. Curling up. Good music. And ..even thoughts of a heaven-sent partner to cuddle up with.
It doesn't help of course, that I'm so bad at signalling how i really feel. Nor helpful that, I don't actually know how i feel and whether my feelings have any element of romance in them. Boy, this reminds me of high school emo entries againT.T What i do know is that, I really hate uncertainty. I hate the thought that one guy can like you, but you know you can't return his feelings. And my pet peeve is huge age gaps. Probably more people than ever are tolerant of being able to marry someone 8+ years older/younger than them now and I'm perfectly happy if this was the case with my friends, but i personally cannot consider anyone over 8 years older. I really perceive them as either 1) an uncle 2) if not, a dad. 3) unmentionable as a contestant in the romance stakes
On a brighter note, our recent church conference was very encouraging. My faith's strengthened; and last night, while listening to a taping of a church conference in Malaysia my friend went to, saw how tender and wonderful Jesus was in how He dealt with others. Here was the creator weeping and communing with His created - I'm thinking of the story of Lazarus & his sisters Martha and Mary in particular. Truly, more wonderful than knowing that i am saved, is the knowledge that I've been saved by such a saviour!
Mother's Day
Well it's all too joyful to be contained! Today was certainly a day of many firsts:
The first time I shouted my mum (& sibs) to a meal; the first time i did it for Mother's Day; the first time I penned her a card for it with a couple of my favourite verses from the Bible hand-written in English
and Chinese; and the first time I've been able to give her a pat on the back for no reason other than to show her my support.
I love God so much!! Thank you!!
As an aside, it's also the first time I've hemmed up 10 nappies for CMIAid (yesterday) and many more to come with the help of lovely Barbara who provided the flannelette for it. I can't wait to make the bags and bunny rugs for them too. See, we're going to send it all off as a "package" and i can definitely see future work in this (in terms of hobbies). Something sad did happen today though- my knitting needle broke near the middle of my third project! *Sigh* I feel slightly aggrieved. But the joy i feel in being able to spend quality time with my mum & sibs makes it pale into a quirky little trifle. The Lord also gave me opportunity to tell her more about Him and let me know what i need to pray for; I was able to share the simple but powerful fact that every ancient prophecy concerning the promised saviour was fulfilled in Jesus and as a result, we can trust what He says in his Word. It was marvellous being able to just sit down and have a chat with her about it; never expected it to happen so soon.
I certainly wouldn't have been able to unless we had lunch first, paving the way for the relaxed session afterward. And the idea for lunch popped into my head only just earlier today! Even my cat helped in his own way, by charming and distracting the kids while mum and I had the important 'chat' - if this could lead to her been saved, every little bit leading up to that moment is significant. God knows how often i pray for her. Oh how mysteriously and wondrously the Lord works in all things, bringing things together and tying up each loose end one by one! :D
