The Prodigal Son

"There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

¹³"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.
      "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

²⁵"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

²⁸"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

³¹" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

fighter.

Dear God, please give me strength to diligently complete this huge pile of work that is staring into my face. There are so many things racing through my mind now I am really very very confused, nervous, frustrated, tired, and I really want to give up. I pray that everyone else who’s struggling right now will also find strength in You, to press on and stay focused. “With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm.”

Amen.

On a sidenote, two people’s special day tomorrow! Hehehehehe <3
Another sidenote, get well soon, rah rah :D

Xiaoen really wants to…

… get an A1 for Math. ):

Why you so like that? No not you, you. Not you lah, it’s you.

Oh moose.

Am feeling perplexed. Big dreams…

Paso Doble

Hello, beautiful world (:

Anyways just want to drop a word of thanks to yall who come to sunbeamm (and tag) (: (Okay lah, to those who don’t tag also.) Visiting sunbeamm brings me joy everyday cos it feels very warm and fuzzy to know that there are nice happy people out there who bother (; Every time I’m tempted to move away, stash my blog away from the rest of the world, I think of yall so don’t worry sunbeamm will be here for a long while to come. (: Unless another emo bout hits me and I run off to a temporal escape again, haha! No lah, emo for what. Okay I will emo if Stephanie Soo Denim Jeans carries on neglecting her own health )’:

Nothing much to post about aiyo this post is so boring boing boing.

Revelation. CA1 marks will be going around tomorrow, will I be upset? Perhaps, but probably not. I’ve never been too concerned about grades or academic-related matters, weird coming from a teacher’s kid. But hmm honestly, conscience-speaking, this nonchalant attitude has been getting a tad too much of me this year. Mm need to find self-motivation to push myself harder, cos at the rate I’m going now, Hwach might be out of grasp. (Back-up plan: Quit school and go sell Char Kueh Teow.) June holidays… am praying real hard. Mishy-mashy!

On a sidenote, am really really seriously looking for serious study kakis to study with in the June hols. Would be good if you’re proficient in Math, and have a heap of patience to coach a brain of a slightly lower processing rate (: Study kakis means we can go out and play after we finish studying too (:

Revelation. PGA interview results tomorrow. Will I be upset if I don’t get in? Perhaps, but not for long. Interview went fine on Saturday, it’s a 50-50. Need to go brush up on general knowledge (: One and only chance to talk to the Chief Commissioner and enter the Chief Comm room, thankful for the treasured opportunity. Chinwen, although you were real hesitant about this whole thing, and you almost made me cry from frustration/sadness, I’m real proud of you for going bravely and just trying your best. So is GOBO10! A huge part of my Sec 4 life’s memories will be of GOBO10. (: To my juniors reading this, go for PGA when it’s time. You might be hesitant, unsure, you might be worried, scared, unprepared. But really, one word: try. Just give in whatever you have to offer, you will learn so much along the way, in terms of skills, knowledge and people. Yourself, your batchmates, seniors, Guiders etc.

Am suddenly quite overwhelmed with emotions but I shall stop here for now.

Let me do some quick advertisement (:

1. Brand new Hongzi- M size
(It’s in 100% tippity top condition! ;D Bought an extra piece!)
Ten dollars! :D

2. BIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
(Woah this one ah, have been wanting to advertise this for a super long time man!! It is a super thick, super cool Bio Encyclopedia that I bought 2 years ago for some random lame Bio SIA. In the end, dropped Bio in Sec 3. Win.)
Price-wise, I got it for $79.90 2 years ago. So anything lah, can sell to you around fifty-five dollars? :D Negotiable. (:

See I copy and paste the info for you! So powerful man the book. It comes with a funny CD that’s yet to be opened. :D

The #1 choice for over 4 million biology students, this special AP* Edition includes AP* Curriculum Correlation, AP* Biology Thematic Study Grid and "How to Be Successful in Your AP* Bio Course" essay by Barbara Beitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know yah. (: On a sidenote, if the book can’t be sold out, I’ll just keep it with me, but let me know if you need it for any project work or SIAs, it is an amaaaazing reference lah! I had to resort to buying it cos I couldn’t find the info I needed from the internet - -” JC/Uni people, this book will be relevant to you also man. It’s really good, my word’s on it.

On a super random note, if you happen to need any 8days for research (?!) hahah let me know, I am building up my 8days collection man! :D mannnnnn i love reading 8days :D

 

Some other random jingadingalings:

Xiaoen is looking for someone/people to go with her to…

1. “The Answer is… Stephanie Sun World Tour 2009”

Let me do some publicising here-
Hongkong’s renowned stage art director, William Chang, is the image consultant, and Wing Shya, the photographer and concert visual designer. Also features an exclusive multi-faceted stage design, with extensive use of holograms instead of the usual two-dimensional projections.

Hah! How cool is that! :D Best part it’s Stefanie Sun man! :D At least you can be sure she won’t lip-synch eh. (I hope :D)

July 11, 8pm, Singapore Indoor Stadium (:

2. Anna Karenina

May 29-30, 8pm, Esplanade Theatre (:

The Finnish National Ballet brings to life the tragic story of Anna Karenina, a married aristocrat who commits adultery to pursue her true love. The dance company won the prestigious Benois De La Danse Award for Choreography in 2005.

Whoo! Yeahhhhhhhhh? :D

3. Dance Subaru

Am too lazy to type out the description! Anyways it’s an upcoming movie, Japanese, dance/ballet-ish. Catch the trailers! Looks good! Anyone? :D

4. SINGAPORE FOOD FAIR 2009

Someplace (Suntec Convention?), I-know-it’s-happening-now-until-which-date-i-dont-know

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TITLE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. HEHE ANYBODY KEEN TO GO OUT AND PIG PIG PIG WITH ME :D you’ll be shocked by how much I can eat, hah!

 

Okay the end already. Hahahahah aiyoeh this post is so commercial. People wouldn’t even care right - -” At least I tried :D

Oh yah, Open House on last Saturday! Haha my dad’s been chitter-chattering non-stop everyday about the display and all that. He was quite impressed eh. Batchies were quite amused by him I think, haha! My genetic pool source. On another note, that was probably the last school tour I’ll ever lead in Nanyang, wasn’t the best, but mm I think the parents liked my style hahahahah! (: Next year, no more PSL, no more leading Sec 1s around and playing with them during Orientation already. Anyways all my Sec 1 babies have grown up already (: 106’07, 111’08, 113’09. Here’s a shout-out to you if you’re reading this (; Your beautiful, kind-hearted, enthusiastic, lovely, wonderful, (old) PSL here hasn’t forgotten yall, so eh, hopefully you haven’t also eh! (;

Whoo okay the end. I stink. Am off to bathe!

 

PS, if you’re wondering about the title. Paso Doble is a genre of ballroom dance, am inspired by Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballard’s win in Dancing With the Stars (: Paso Doble (pronounced: doh-bleh) sounds cool eh! As cool as my new, yet-to-be-officially-revealed email address. :D (Haha the response I’ve been getting from people about the new email add hasn’t been too encouraging - -” Cherynn, I checked! It’s not a bad word! :D Anyhow it’s better than dogdog man.) Paso Doble, so cool. Am real tempted to take up dance again. Hmmm…

 

Xiaoen mentions Yanquan here. Hello, Yanquan :D

Xiaoen is…

Exhausted.

And it doesn’t seem like rest is available any time soon.

I am so so so tired, I don’t want to walk anymore already lah. Can I just kaplonk give up and die O: Tired as in literally physically burnt out O: I need sleep…

I wanted to post about today, but am too tired to! O: In a nutshell today was a really happy day, God is amazing. Twas ultimate coolios talking to Cherynn, she’s hilarious at story-telling! Super exciting man, I tell you. (I’m still waiting for your revelation…) It's quite funny how my four years in NY strangely seems to be intertwined with netballers. Another point, didn’t do as badly for CA1 as I thought I did. Math needs major improvement, will not make it to Hwach if not. Am looking for people to do Math with me in the holidays! And hopefully help me catch up! Tabitha’s place is a good option. Someone? Anyone? Some councillor just sms-ed me, well done Xiaoen you’re going on stage tmrw you’re so brilliant. Hahahah whoo!  PGA interview PGA interview PGA interview. I suddenly want it a lot, you know! I want to die already taboleh tahan goodbye am back to chem SIA. cant be bothered to paragraph the above chunk pardon me i think i am starting to talk like this because of Huili she always ramble on in her smses like this on and on and on and on. goodbye im off. Lord, I’m so tired I really need strength right now! Pull through, Xiaoen. Pull through. You too, reading this, Jiayou (:

On technology

1. A lot of people have been kena-ed by some MSN virus! Aiyo, it’s quite annoying, but be careful, people! When someone (usually one of the contacts you’ve never talked to/seldom talk to) suddenly pops a convo window with you, and the first sentence has a website link, DON’T CLICK ON IT. Trust me!

2. I created a new email address… But am not ready to make The Big Move yet. And no, it is not cat_cat93@hotmail.com…

3. Ziai you’re in my Favourites contact list! Gosh you really don’t know how much I enjoy convos with you man!! Thank God for such an amazing friend like you! Suddenly had a thought that you know, you’ll most probably be one of those friends whom I’ll keep in contact for a long, long time, even after we graduate and part ways. (:

4. Will be getting a new phone soon! I think! I hope!

5. SMS language speaks a great deal about someone’s personality.

A photo to cheer myself up. I don’t like doing homework ): Bleargh.

 
Chinwen, Lingxin, Xiaoen, Sarah (:

You guys really mean a great deal to me!

 

On a sidenote, some people are really really -fit in suitable adjective-. I’m still quite mad, you know! Maybe I need to do a bit of reflective thinking, to relook at myself. Perhaps it’s cos of me. If so, I will change. I thought, perhaps, we could try something different, stepping up. Perhaps, we could be different. But maybe I’m wrong. If the situation worsens, we will do something about it. We have to, man.

Okay back to work. Wo bu yao ): Steph is still up too.

 

Message prodded deep into me today. And that, too. Ouch.

C.h.a.n.g.e!

Blesséd.

Almost died yesterday O: Woah it was the first time in my life being thaaaaaaat nervous! I think I kinda screwed up, but considering I only heard the song for the first time one day before the performance, and practised for less than a day, it wasn’t too bad lah. Er, tried my best haha! Was shaking like jelly up there omg. I promise myself, I will never do such a thing again man.

Anyways! Huuuuuuuge thank you-s to a lot of people! Yenmy, for giving me such a nice country song to sing! :D And Qingying too, for listening to all the funny songs together at lunch. My wonderful backup dancers, for being such wonderful backup dancers HAHAH! :D Yall are crazy. ZIAI, for spending your recess trying to find the stoopid minus one track! And for being such a pro at IT lah! Am dedicating a post to you one day. You’re an awesome friend :D All the ten-ers, for being so supportive and enthu all the way man. Am proud to be a tenner! Batchies, for being so encouraging and funny people (: We’ve our Talentime item to blow people away man. All the people who sms-ed/tagged/conveyed your jiayous! Thank you from the bottom of my little heart (: And to all the other people who were there screaming your lungs out before/after/during the perf, even though it was kinda screwed, but your enthusiasm was madness man! Thanks ah! :D And thank God for all these wonderful people and for keeping me alive. :D

Moving on to other stuff… I think people get slightly annoyed when sms-ing me, cos I always reply uber late (like, a week later) or forget to reply totally. You see, the problem is I’m always either sleeping or busy with something. And I do not reply people when I’m (i) having my meals (ii) watching tv/playing/using the comp. SMSes regarding important work stuff I’ll surely reply though. But for the random chats, sometimes I’ll just waddle off cos I really haven’t got many interesting things to reply. So apologies if you’ve been hurt/emotionally traumatised/been having sleepless nights over my non-replies! It is just Xiaoen being lazy…

Bleargh blogging bug flea fly flew away! Anyways for all you fellow beings out there feeling :/-ish, here’s something which inspired me a great deal. (: Even if you’re not feeling :/-ish, you should watch it too (: This video is worth 3 minutes of your time, I promise.

 

On a note to end this post, “Hello Cherynn I’m still waiting for you-hoooo~!” Come on come on my neat obsessed friend IM WAITIN’ FOR YOUUUUUUU~ :D Haha this is like Ellen DeGeneres and her George Clooney thing. Am going to end off every post like this until the day you reveal yourself.

Oh yes did I mention Lingxin cut my hair yesterday? Stayed back with Roos (honestly im still not for the name - -“) yesterday, we had some silly fun. Photos will be up soon! Whooper trooper, I er, haven’t posted Beijing photos - -“ Soon, eh?

PGA interview next Saturday! Gotta catch up on homework first. Grrrrrrrrrrrkabishaboom! Go, Xiaoen :D And all you out there! We are richer than 75% of the world’s population… (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you haven’t watched the video.)

broader perspectives.

Am back. *World rejoices*

Anyways reason for hiatus was cos I was really feeling too awful/upset to blog, and it was really bad cos I didn't know how long I was going to stay depressed. Was telling Gladys about how I really wanted to blog to vent everything out, but how I prefer to keep things to myself, and end up having to smile like everything's alright.

But am okay already. Almost. Kinda. Talking to people helps. Sorry Mei, I think you weren't feeling very up when I was ranting to you just now. And you didn't know what to say. (Not like me right, always got a lot of things to say to you when you're down.) But the silence was what I needed. Thanks for being an outlet! You're a nice person to rant to. (: 

Cried torrents just now. 

"Mummy, are you in a good mood now?"

"Why?"

"Are you in a good mood now?"

"Just tell me lah."

"I haven't told you the full force of the devastation. I'll tell you now. You're in a good mood ah..."

"Your block tests ah?"

"I failed Math." *shows Math paper*

"Oh, I expected it."

*.___________.*

*looks at marks* "Aiyo but it's quite bad!"

Went on to tell Mom the rest of my results, and then I started depression-ing and mumbled a lot of rubbish. Really taboleh tahan, cry and cry and cry. First time in my life. My mom happily laughed and went, "You want to know how I did in my studies last time?" I didn't want to know actually, but she happily went over to get her file-full of old documents and flipped to her JC results slips, pointed at all the 'F's and 'O's and went, "SEEEEEEE I FAILED THIS! AND THIS! AIYO THIS ONE ALSO FAILED!" I ended up tearing and sniffing and smiling and laughing and snorting and crying.

She went on to tell me how studies are actually not everything, (but they are still important lah) and that we can actually move on in life even if we don't do well in our studies. I told her "I'm so stupid. ):" and then she happily chirped back, "You didn't study for some subjects, crash studied your Maths, and you passed most of your subjects, almost passed your Maths. You're a genius!" This is when the 成语 “哭笑不得” comes into place. 

And anyways the most important thing she said was that we study so that we can become useful people and glorify God. and I think that made a lot of sense. I really need to work hard. Really. Am considering being a missionary in the future, honestly. 

Aiyoh anyways this story sounds a bit boring, but I am so thankful for my mom. Sigh, she really is my mom afterall. It's so wonderful how I can talk to her about things, hug her when I'm sad, cry when I'm down. She knows me inside-out, outside-in, and she always knows the right things to say, the right things to do. Like give me tissue, leave me alone, cook maggi mee, make iced milo... Sigh, mummy (: She's the kind of mom I think I'll talk to when I have boyfriend problems next time. On a more reflective note, I need to stop taking her for granted, really.

Ay, this post is quite boring. Am a lot better now (: Still need to look for clear-cut direction, work out a plan and make it happen. Am aiming to realise some dreams/envisions/grandplans by the end of the year too. And I need better sleep. It is driving me insane.

I think Mr Khoo doesn't like me. Sigh, I really want to do well in Math, but I really just can't do anything about it. Practise? Easier said than done! I've been handing in homework late all the time, failing quiz after quiz, and now, the block test. I hate disappointing people! ): Urgh. But howwwwwwwwwwww? 

Am bored. Am off to finish up LA presentation. Looking forward to CSM next week, will be meeting people! On a sidenote, PGA interview next week. I'm really praying that we'll all get through. A part of me feels like I'll get slashed out though. GOBO10 must slog it out this coming week to prepare together man. Thank God for friends like batchmates who keep me alive and kickin'! 

So long (:

ps, yes Steph, same blogskin as yours! couldn't find anything else suitable-r!

No… I am not into cars…

Was finding car photos for Math written assignment, came across these along the way.
Thought I’d share! :D

Click on the photo album to see the full collection.
Putting all the photos together diminish the value of each photo; they look better solo.

Below are a few of ‘em!

  

 

View Full Album

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to take photos like that too (:

You HAVE TO see this. I’m serious. This is insane!!!

To set a Culture.

was hopping around (boing, boing!) reading some stuff. some really make me wonder if there is any sense of awareness at all. others put a smile on my face (: perhaps times have changed. still, my heart is slightly warm and fuzzy-ish now! :D tomorrow will be a better day (:

Xiaoen is too darn lazy to post!

The title speaks for itself. Apologies for neglecting sunbeamm. Probably won’t be posting soon too! Lost interest, perhaps. Anyways Labour Day weekend wasn’t as productive as I hoped, but did get some stuff done lah.

Last week was a pretty bad week for me, so thank God for the weekend which I managed to get my head around to sort out some stuff. Am pretty recharged with new directions too, hopefully it doesn’t die out too soon. I was really upset with getting upset with people/people getting upset with me. Shucks lah, hopefully things will be better. I think we all need to try to see each others’ point a bit more. And maybe I should just shut up/step backwards a bit more now and then.

Anyhow. 2009 has been alright so far. It’s been quite a draining journey so far. I started off brimming with grand plans for many things. But at this rate, I doubt they’ll be fully realised. Hopefully I’ll be able to take some time off during/after the June hols to sort out stuff and realise all my envisions man! Grand plan for things, in terms of the Company, PSL, friendships, family & God. Prayerfully, one step at a time.

Oh forgot to mention. Am a shade darker/slightly sunburnt. Had a whale of a good time playing ultimate frisbee last friday! Have to admit that I was slightly skeptical about the whole thing at the start, one can never be too trusting when miss ariel guo drags you into things. Worries proved to be unfounded later on, met great company, made new friends. It’s wonderful to have fellowship with fellow friends in Christ. Am tempted to join Ultimate in JC!

Okay am off already. Coming week feels menacing. Must continue to pia man!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH.

Here’s to mark the start of the “Revelation of Evelyn & Cherynn Campaign”! I know yall are reading sunbeamm man. Come on reveal yourselves. And a truckload of other people who read but never leave any tags )’:

This blog is so colourless man. Here’re a few photos to add on to the frisbee-ish mood I’m currently in. (; Credits to deviantart! (Awesome site!)

  

Okay just a few more points before I’m really off! *Don’t read the following chunk if you haven’t been following ANTM Cycle 12* Fo is out of ANTM. I’m kinda sad leh, I like her a lot! But okay lah, it’s good in a way also (: All the best to her future career, hopefully someone signs her up! Allison’s really stepping up her game man, but I think she’ll be ousted soon when a runway show comes along! I like her! I hope Celia stays though. Mixed feelings towards Teyona(sp?)! She’s good, but somehow I do not wish she’ll win. Can’t wait for the next ep! And a fashion show! On a sidenote, Project Runway’s coming out soooooooooooon. (Shucks but Heidi is pregnant O: ) Whoo anyways.

NYSuperstar perf on Thurs! I think I’ll just go on stage, smile, bow and run away! Die I need to choose a song! Steph! Activate the fanclub! HAHHAHAH. Hopefully Xiaoen won’t embarrass herself too much!

Okay am off. For real. See you, sunbeamm & friends! I don’t know when I’ll be back, but will probably update again when I get sick of seeing the same post all the time! :D An extra sidenote, I need a new blogskin! (Which has a white background!) :D

Adios amigos. Peace. Away with the swine flu.

Wash your hands regularly, people! :D