Friday

Friday -
Run, lunch, shop, slushie, beach, fun waves, beach, mist
 
and then -
lasagna, walk,mist mist mist, low thick mist, trip, fall, mist mist mist
bike ride, uni drive, waratah, mayfield, stag.
 
set off-
ride ride ride and rideeeeeeeee
newcastle, night, mist mist mist
coal, industrial, fear, don't want hospital
 
drinks!-
ride ride ride and rideeeeeeeee
islington river, foreshore, fisherman boats, foreshore
lights, ships, mist
 
faster!-
restaurants, drunks, honk!
nobbys wall, very scared, waves, sea water
 
hunter street!-
ride ride ride and rideeeeeeeee
traffic lights, cars, slowpoke
 
mystery location!-
no id, cranky, sore
cranky, pie, cold.
 
MYSTERY BIKE RIDE - FANFLIPPINTASTIC FRIDAY!
 

T.I.I

To whom it may concern,

The c button on this key board doesn't really work. My fingers also don't really work. In fact there are many parts of me that don't really work now. Welcome to India (one week later).

Yesterday, we were 3 on a scooter. One with her butt hanging off the seat. Bumps and 3 people on bike don't go well.

In Kolkata, it was fairly rat free for the entire stay. Until the LAST night. I came this close to jumping sreaming and everything that equals I'M-GOING-TO-DIE.

We have a secret language between us. It involves 5 fingers opening and closing like a bird beak. Meaning - HAGGLE. Especially with taxi men who want to charge you 10 rupees more than the agreed price.

If you want to feel safe in India, or at least Chennai, go to the cinema. In the cinema, you remove the battery from your camera, your water bottle label gets snipped off and they actually go through the contents of your bag rather than take a quick look. Forget about airport-is-safe. In the ladies line at security, you go to a secured booth to get searched, your boarding pass gets a stamp, you need stamped tags on your bags but... when at the gate, if your tag has the wrong date and the male security guard stops you, all you say is "We were at the LADIES LINE" and all is forgiven. So, cinema trumps airport.

If you want to volunteer at the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, be sure to have changed diapers at least once in your life before. It comes in handy when you are asked to change many diapers one after another. You also will not apologise to the poor baby who would have to endure your poor skills.

If you ever do decide India is a place to visit, be sure to bring along a million copies of your passport. This is what they require at internet places, phone places and maybe even toilets? Maybe.

If you get a toilet roll that is a tenth of your normal sized one. DO NOT FRET! The person who handed it to you did not take it out of his/her own toilet.

And when all else fails, just remember and keep repeating to yourself. T.I.I

THIS IS INDIA!!!

The Week

No, I am don't have an assignment due. And I'm not procrastinating. Not with blogging anyway. I have internet in the house now! It's been 3 weeks? Anyway, I handed in my last assignment yesterday at 3pm and it felt good. Now I have a 500 word History "test" sitting next to me.

Yesterday was Feast of Stories. Twas a good night =) Lana and Huey Mian, my two Malaysian friends were there as well.

Lana: You don't know that word?! And you call yourself Malaysian!

Me: Eh, I eat all the time. I AM Malaysian! 

On Thursday, I went to Town Hall with a couple of Friends to see the Heavenly Man - Brother Yun. Read the book if you haven't! After running about looking for seats and getting lost in the process. We settled on the floor and had worship, some other singing, and some stories about the ministry in North Korea. Brother Yun comes on stage and shares in Chinese! So good to realize I can still understand most of it =) Yes, a good night... that ended on the couch in Canara Place.

It's a friends 18th birthday tonight, Coffee and chocolate festival tomorrow (Newcastle is pretty damn awesome!) and a good bye party on Monday. Next week will be study study study. Exams are in 2 weeks. I have 3 papers and then it's the HOLIDAYS! Hello Sydney! Hello Brisbane! Hello free-time-I-don't-have-to-feel-guilty-about!

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Procrastination

Hellooo world, seems like every time I write I have an assignment due soon? PROCRASTINATION IS THE DEVIL. I can't get any information into my head and the readings look like a blur to me. My friend says "Take a break!" So I shall take a break from procrastinating. Yeap. 

I'm tempted to continue with the Rose I opened last night for the fabulous Garage Gallery opening (which I had made my hair up for btw ;D ) but it's 2.30pm... hmmmm, I do have a rule that says "It's never too early." 

I have another thing to add to my list today. It involves the words "toast" and "other people". You fill in the blanks. Tis the life!

I think I will go back to studying. I wish I could tell you a story and make this post worth your 5 minutes but... I know you want me to pass my course. Right?

I have no idea if the photo will work and where it will appear... anyway, meet Anneliese=) there you go Maybelle, a photo! 

Write

So I write again. This feels right. I sit in Canara Place after awaking from a nap on the couch. Tis the same couch I slept on last night too if I may add. I have a health assignment due in 8 hours and I'm halfway through. I thought if I blogged, it will wake my brain up and words will start forming sentences again. I think it's working. It better be!

I can only think of stories from last week to tell you so here I go. It was Easter break last week. I had an assignment due the week before but got an extension till the Tuesday of the holiday. That meant... working while I was home alone (housemates were all away) on Easter. Ya right, more like write 5 sentences. But I got it handed in even though I spent the days going to the beach, going to the drive-ins (like an outdoor cinema and you watch the movie from the car), and having a lot of social fun with awesome people. Did I mention alot of coffee and chocolates were involved? And wine too, just... not alot. Wednesday evening, I headed down to Sydney by train, stayed at a backpackers, and wondered the city. Oh how I love Sydney! Thursday morning was my scheduled departure to Adelaide but Tiger Airlines being Tiger Airlines, I missed my flight and got another one in the evening. Fine by me, I get Sydney in the day. So I walk and walk and walk. Have I said I love Sydney? I immediately got BURGER FUEL after craving it for 2 years and Max Brenner too. Pretty good outcome for missing my flight I think. I ended my day in Sydney at Circular Quay and departed to Adelaide.

Now, I could go on and tell you about Adelaide, but that would mean not doing my assignment. And we don't want that do we? Next time=)

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two years later

Jasmine is away from home again, hence the reliving of this blog. I'll still keep the Doulos picture below as it symbolises the beginning. Also because I have no idea how to change it and Huey Sing isn't here with me now is she?

Currently, I sit on a bench in the Auchmuty courtyard in uni on a Saturday afternoon wearing no shoes and licking whats left off the wrapper of my 80 cent chocolate. I've been at uni for... 4 hours now wasting my life/weekend away on an assignment and it looks like I'll remain here for another 2 hours... at least. It's a sunny day as I sit in the shade, the other half of my table is burning up but I'm thankful for that because I think... I think, it keeps the mutated monster mozzies away. Btw, the mozzies here are like jocks - big, vicious but stupid. You can kill them with one hand, shock horror!(it's an aussie term, I think I'm using it right)

Other than jock insects, chocolate and wasting of ones life, I've done at least one thing a week that I will never do at home or at least never thought I'd do in my life. The list so far (as I can remember) -

Jump of a balcony... into a pool
ride a trolley
crawl a drain
go swimming at the beach at night (SO FREAKING AWESOME)... fully clothed, I might add
twirl a stick of fire
play volleyball at the beach and actually served the volleyball the right way (after screwing up ten
million times)
COOK!

Life is good. I like classes and lectures, don't like the work though. I have PE classes where I actually do PE stuff. Man, I've done more PE in the last 2 classes than I ever did in my schooling life! I also have a science subject with a lecturer who has cool stuff from NASA. I held the moon in my hands once.

My house is awesome. How can it not be? I have a pool. though, I must confess(please do not scream) I've only been in it once. Besides the pool of course are the people I live with. Natalie, Bella and Belinda are a bunch of loud crazy people. We went out for dinner on St. Patricks day all dressed in green carrying a green accessory from our kitchen. We sat at the restaurant all made up with a green chopping board, green bottle, green mittens, and a green orange(yes, I too was shock. I thought it was a lime and got laughed at).

I could go on and tell you more stories but I won't. Because it's 3pm-the end of my break. The wasting of ones life shall continue.

ps: number of mozzies killed while writing this post - 3. number of bites - at least 5. We'll see how itchy I get later on.

I love 2008

I do realize I should update this blog since it's the new year and all that. Plus, I do have so much to say about 2008. Even though Jasmine is not away from home for now

What a year!! This time last year, I was so excited for what was installed for me not knowing how great is was going to be. What a contrast from this year to last. Right now, I'm just waiting on God and everything else doing what has to be done and crossing my fingers at the same time. 

I feel like last year was my year. 2008, the year my life begun. 

First I studied like mad for the SAT, then I prepared like mad to leave. At the same time, there was a load of madness weighing down on me that just lifted off the moment I left. 

Then I said my good byes

And I left the country for the first time on a plane on my own. 

Traveled many hours and finally arrived at the ship in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. 

I sailed with the ship to Santo, Vanuatu

Lautoka, Fiji

Suva, Fiji

and finally Auckland, New Zealand

met amazing people

and did amazing ministry 

and was used as a vessel for the almighty God.

Then I went to Australia and lived in Adelaide

then because of Him, learned about Cornerstone and lived in Canowindra for 5 weeks

met and lived with amazing people

was challenged, both inside and out

saw snow, skied

traveled to a few places

Coonabarabran

Canberra

Sydney

Melbourne

Dubbo

Silverton, Broken Hill

Victor Harbour

Castlemaine, VIC

and other places....

God gave me an amazing friend

and we had wonderful times together

I've done, seen and experienced so many things I never thought I'd be able to, not at this stage of my life at least. I was on my own without my parents by my side, and oh how I relied on Him. He was there right by me, holding my hand, leading me, all the time.

All to the glory of God for that. Thank you Lord for the wonderful year you've given me, thank you for keeping your promise that you'll never leave me, thank  you for your provision, thank you for all the blessings you've showered upon me, thank you for the lessons I've learned, thank you for answering my prayers, thank you for the person I've come to be at this point, and most of all thank you for loving me.  Without you Lord, there is nothing, I am nothing. 

I surrender 2009 to you, Lord of my life.