To Sam,

Happy 16th Birthday!!

I wish I was there...


to eat your cake :)

Easter Sunday

Easter is really big here. This week, all the supermarket catalogues are filled with chocolates-chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, chocolate sticks, chocolate biscuit, chocolate cookies, chocolate cakes, chocolate brownies, chocolate flavoured cereal... Well, you get the idea.

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Have you ever wondered how eggs, bunnies and chocolates came into the picture? I don't recall the Bible telling us about Jesus eating chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs..

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Just before the weekend, one of my lecturers talked about Easter. He said that a long time ago, people had started to forget about Easter and it had started to lose its 'flavour'. So some people (forgot who) decided to have Easter Sunday on the same day Europeans have their end of Winter celebration.(True/false, I dunno)

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"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptised into his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,

just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death,

we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

For we know that our old self was cucified with him

so that the body of sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves to sin-

because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

Romans 6:3-6 (NIV)

Let us learn to live a life that potrays that new life that we have gained through Jesus' resurrection.

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To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen

Before I moved

These are some of the pics that I took during my stay, before I moved into my homestay place.

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Aunty Siew Kah's hse, where we stayed before I moved to homestay place on Saturday. Its actually pretty big compared to the other houses here. Most houses here are single storey houses, but those in her 'taman' are not.

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The park right in front of the house. Beautiful park (on a slope) with a shed in the middle. There was a couple who lived in the same 'taman' who got married there. Cool..

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Here, you have to clean up after your dog. So you will see ppl carrying plastic bags or newspaper while walking their dogs.
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This is CORICA, the shop where you can get the world famous

APPLE STRUDLE.

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1957!! I just realised sama bday dengan Tanah Melayu (not Malaysia) Malaysia is 1963, NOT 1957, though not exactly approved by government ( i think)

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We bought 2 boxes back. They sell by boxes, not slices. That show how much ppl want to buy them. Which means they're really good.
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3 layers of pastry (not the ordinary one, its actually very light and crisp) and 2 layers of light cream (not the kind that makes you wana barf when you eat too much), mustard and apples. *mouth is watering already*
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Its length is from the tip of my fingers to my elbow, very generous portion.
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ITS SOO GOOD!!!

Take Off & Landing

Okay, while packing all my stuff, I realised that I find it hard to live light, as in have less things to bring with me. But come on la, Australia oh.. If not, then use up even more money to buy here cause its way more expensive.

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Okay, so I admit that even though I was travelling with my mom and aunt and luggage limit was 70 kg(20kg per pax + 10kg additional), we, or more specifically, I still went overboard. Altogether it was 89.2 kg (check-in luggage only)..I was a bit shocked la but hehe, God did a miracle.

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As you all know, if overweight, need to pay quite a bit of money. So we were 19.2 kilos overweight. Assuming if there was a rm100 charge to every kilo that was overweight, that would be the amount that we would have to pay. Yep, you do the math, that's A LOT of money. But God was with us and we did NOT have to pay a single cent. YAY!

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Also, my mom was persuading the guy at the counter to put more of our luggages as check-in luggage so that we won't have to hand carry so much.

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---Mom: One more la..Printer only..Very light..2 or 3 kg only..Can la..I put ah..

---Guy: Hah..Erm..*puts the printer together with the other luggages* 3 kg oh.. Ok la..*scratches head*

---Mom: Erm..One more can kah?Radio only..Very light..2 or 3 kg only..Boleh la..Please la..

---Guy: I try first.*weighs it* Its 4kg.

---Mom: About 3kg la..Please la..Very light..

---Guy: Hah..Like dat ah?Erm..*still hesitating*

---Mom: After no radio, my daughter cannot sleep..You sing for her can ah?

---Guy: Hah!I cannot sing oh..Ok la..

---Me: YAY!(in my head)

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Haha.. Mom.. =)

(not that I can't sleep without the radio)

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Then after we took the ticket and stuff, the guy said: Did you know that your flight is delayed for 3 hours? At first, we were like:What?! But then we realised that it was actually a good thing.. Because initially we had to transit in Brunei for 3 hours. So now no need to sit there and waste 3 hours. So, I would also count that as a blessing.

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So my mom and I went to the office to get some work done. Then we went to lintas for 'pan man' (not meant to be read in English, or else it sounds like a man who is selling pots and pans). When we had arrived, mom asked me,

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---Mom: Do you have Malaysian money?

---Me: Aiya,no oh..I left it at home.

---Mom: *smiles*I also forgot to bring,I only have Sing dollars and Aussie dollars.

---Mom *turns to company driver*: Er,(name),saya lupa bawa duit Malaysia oh.Boleh pinjam - - - - - - - - -rm20? Mahu makan dulu bah..

---Driver: *laughs* rm20? Boleh..*hands the money to mom*

---Mom: Ok Ok.Thank you ah..Nanti kau minta dari reception,saya kasih tahu mereka nanti.

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(was gonna use 'diamu' for 'mereka' but i tried checking the dictionary, not a word, not even indonesian. You guys ever use this word kah? Sam, we got use with kakak before bah kan? Read it out, you might remember)

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The airport. Its dark because it was evening already. And no, do not be deceived by the tower at the back, its not a short KL tower..

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Yes, I know.. Alot.. That's Uncle Kevin's car, its all filled up.
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Perth is pretty much a dessert, sand and cloudless skies, which causes the big difference in temperatures during the day and night. About 10 degrees(C) I would think. Temperature difference inside and outside the house is also about 10 degrees(when its hot).

First week

Tuesday: 37

Wednesday: 38

Thursday: 41

Friday: 39

Its just starting to get cooler now (beginning of Fall/ Autumn), with a bit of rain here and there. Weather report says 26 degrees today.

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The view while driving form airport to the house (on the freeway, something like highway, without traffic lights). Nice hor.. I like it.. Its like that for a whole stretch, like 10 mins (I think).

Bye Krystal

My Kay-Ma wanted to treat us all for breakfast as a farewell for me and my cousin, who is the same age as me. We went to WK Restaurant yesterday and had some Dim Sum.

.My uncles and my cousin. Don't ask me where I'm looking.

A group photo of almost all my uncles, aunties, cousins from my mom's side who were there (+ my mom and sis of course)
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Final words:
Bye Krystal.

See u next CNY :)

Be-earlied 18th Birthday

Mom planned out a surprise birthday party for me, cos she didn't want me to spend my 18th birthday alone in Perth. But I really wasn't thinking about my birthday at all, I was more concerned about Christmas.. So she tricked me la, saying that it was a farewell for me and my cousin, who is gong to KL a week before I leave for Perth.

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Here are some of the pics we took on that night:

.Guess where we were :)

My dinner, all-in-one lamb (medium raw to very well done). The chef say they did it "purposely" so that the fat gets burnt off so I eat "low fat" lamb. He could've just cut the fat off..Just that it won't have so much flavour in it.

My beautiful cake.
When the cake was still in the box, I was telling my mom i hoped it the cake had strawberries or chocolate. And I got BOTH! Well, it was actually a cheese cake. When they brought the cake out, they started singing the birthday song, even the Italian chef. He even did like a weird cheer after the song, a bit like the football cheer..

The slice of cake they gave me (I got the first slice)

The slice of cake they gave the others (see the difference? hehe..)

All those who were there to celebrate my be-earlied 18th birthday,

at GRAZIE :)

I can drive, legally..

Yay!! I finally passed my driving test, after going through it for the 3rd time. i'm so thankful, cos it was act my last chance to pass before i leave. Thank God!
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The officer said that i should have failed (I know..) But I see him mark the paper LULUS. That was all that mattered. I was so happy and relieved that I didn't manage to see what marks I got. But it doesn't matter, cos I PASSED!!

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Things that happened THE DAY BEFORE driving test:

1. Had driving lesson with instructor
2. Janice gave me some tips "Step on the oil!"
3. Mom prayed with me
4. Prayed
5. Prayed more

Things that happened BEFORE driving test:

1. Prayed
2. Waited for my turn
3. Prayed
4. Was shocked to see how BIG one officer was, compared to the others
5. Sang the "Prayer of Jabez" song
6. Found out that the BIG officer is my invigilator
7. Thankful for no.6 cos he looked like a nice guy

Things that happened DURING driving test:

1. Forgot to use signal lights
2. Went pass the small hill at the junction without "mati enjin"
3. Avoided a brown dog
4. Almost missed a turning at Jalan Peter Monjuntin (spelling correct?)
5. Almost got crushed by a lorry while switching lanes (the officer ask me to switch then I stress ba.. Luckily he brake fast fast) (Mom prayed for protection last night so I'm alright :p )
6. Kept saying sorry

Thing that happened AFTER driving test:

1. Was happy, relieved and thankful
2. Called mom immediately
3. SMS-ed
4. Call from Janice
5. Sms from Calvin "...now you can go and study with peace of mind."
6. Played Solitaire
7. Remembered to say my thanks to God =)

MOST IMPORTANTLY

What I learnt:

1. Trust in God, He knows what He is doing (even though it has been 3 times)
2. God does things in His own way and in His own time.

Isaiah 55:9 (NIV):

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV):

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.."

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Extra lesson:

Think twice before letting me drive, even though I CAN drive, legally..

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-A quote from mom: "You still cannot drive even though you passed"

(I shouldn't have told her about the lorry)

Valentine's Day

(I get hyped up everytime I hear/sing this song =p )

John 3:16 -

......For God so loVed the world,........

..........That He gAve...................

.............His onLy....................

.............BegottEn....................

.................SoN.....................

...................That whoever..........

..........Believes In Him................

............Should Not Perish............

..........But have Everlasting life......

*Extracted from Our Daily Bread