Travelling... Again

In 4 days, Tim and I will be flying back to Malaysia by ourselves. This is the first time we fly by ourselves. We are flying out of Solo and landing in KL LCCT. Hanging around KL for a day or two before we drive back to Penang to have our family's Chinese New Year reunion dinner. I've missed the last four CNY celebrations... and now I get to make up for it! Yay for red packets and guessing how much money is inside. =D

This trip, we're going to be meeting a lot of people, probably eating a lot of food, and most definitely trying to rush homework (unfortunately). On top of that, we have to pack some kitchenwater and others to bring back to Indonesia. Packing is no fun, but I'll survive through it.

Total length of this trip is 12 days.

Raindrop by Cam (feat. Kadence)

Here is a song that I want to share because I think the lyrics are great... go listen to it on YouTube or something.

It's kind of a long song, but it talks about how "Christians" don't go to church and there should be no excuses for that. In the song, there's also an exchange that I frequently here - about the Bible. I've highlighted that conversation.

Raindrop by Cam (ft. Kadence)

One raindrop will stop 15 members from coming to church

One degree under 33 will freeze 32 members from coming to church (that's cold)

As much as He's done for us

Is it so hard for us to wake up for church

Don't forsake the gathering

We can learn together we can pray together

One sitcom will stop us from 25 minutes of reading His Word

What is the excuse we need to start studying to show ourselves some proof

Rightly dividing the Word of Truth (the Word of Truth)

The only way we can grow is by studying His Word (His Word is true)

Jesus took 3 nails for me (where's my, where's my, where's my gratitude)

Don't forsake the gathering (But when I come, I come with an attitude)

How can you love someone you've never seen (If you can't love someone in from you)

Are you a saint

Are you a ain't

Some of ya'll got me so confused

I heard somebody say (just cuz I don't go to church that don't mean I ain't saved)

So you don't wanna join the family and learn the Word so you can know how to behave (I don't believe in that word it was written by a man and things have been changed)

Have you ever compared the originals to the same scriptures that we read today

He said (No) I don't think it's fair for you to have that position without the facts

He said (don't push your religion on me)

I said don't push your relidion on me right back

(Well I don't trust in no Bible but I know that Jesus died for me)

Well my Jesus told me to tell you to turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16

So you say you're a Christian (I know I'm a Christian but we don't have the same beliefs)

I believe it's the people like you that mess it up for believers like me

He got emotional and said (man, don't judge I was saved at a church in '93)

Well did the preacher preach outta the same word that you don't believe

Was it the same word that set you free (whoa!)

One raindrop will stop 15 members from coming to church

One degree under 33 will freeze 32 members from coming to church (that's cold)

As much as He's done for us

Is it so hard for us to wake up for church

Don't forsake the gathering

We can learn together we can pray together

Jesus took 3 nails for me (where's my, where's my, where's my gratitude)

Don't forsake the gathering (but when I come, I come with an attitude)

How can you love someone you've never seen (If you can't love someone right in front of you)

Are you a saint (saint)

Are you a aint (ain't)

Some of ya'll got me so confused

People put God in the back like a car seat

Show up at every party and church on time hardly

I'm trying to tell you that Christ is where my heart be

I'm with God for the long haul like an RV

I ain't conceited but I boast in God

Christians be up and down like a rollercoaster ride

Do everything based off emotions right

Ya'll funny, all jokes aside (man)

And everybody act like they rather live in sin

But He died for us so we can live in Him

Real saints in the church have become a minority

So what we need to do is make Christ a priority

You a saint or ain't, a leader or a sidekick

Jesus is the pilot and we should be in the cockpit

Riding shotgun with God's son

If we drive, we gon' wreck, I'm talking 'bout eternal death

Jesus took 3 nails for me (where's my, where's my, where's my gratitude)

Don't forsake the gathering (But when I come, I come with an attitude)

How can you love someone you've never seen (If you can't love someone right in front of you)

Are you a saint (saint)

Are you a ain't (ain't)

Some of ya'll got me so confused

One raindrop

One degree under 33

Accept Who You Are

5 Reasons why I would NEVER go on a weight loss diet.

1. I'm already too thin. Seriously. Even if I'm 50 and have had a few kids, I still won't go on a diet... because I'm lucky and got good genes. My mother has had 3 kids, is 5' 1/2", weighs no more than 125 lbs, and people think she's the older sister of her daughters. =D

2. I'm healthy. I don't have to watch what I eat because of any health problems. Considering the amount of unhealthy (fatty/greasy) foods I eat, this will catch up with me in a few decades. Plus, we have a family history of heart and kidney problems. But in that case, it still wouldn't be a "weight loss" diet, it'd be a diet for health reasons. :P

3. I'm in love with food. I get hungry every about every 4 hours... literally. And with my family's frequent travelling comes lots of food. Every city, region, country has their own delicacies. Friends that we haven't seen in a while always treat us out to meals... I can't afford to be counting calories if I want to enjoy food and take advantage of my high metabolism.

4. I have confidence. I accept the way I look, I feel good, I have good friends, a family, and I'm happy. What more do I need? My quality of life doesn't depend on how I look.

5. Life is just that great. God made you and I look this way because we're special, unique individuals. Doesn't matter whether you're fat, thin, short, or tall, you'll still get to enjoy life! Have some confidence, YOU (yes, you) are special!

Now, I am aware that not everyone has a high metabolism or can eat anything they want because of health problems and such... but I'm sure every person can still enjoy life to the fullest and love themselves for who they are. If someone judges you and "loves" you based only on your appearance, then that person isn't worth you time.

KEEP SMILING!

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Failure = Death

A while ago, I found an article that quite accurately describes the challenges that many Asians face. Note that the article was written in response to the South Korean president's suicide. This is just a part of it. Jaeson Ma, the author, wrote to express his thoughts on rising suicide rates among celebrities and teens in Asia. Here is a part of it:

1. Performance ~ in Asian culture there is a high premium put on our performance. If we do not perform well, we will be judged and rejected. This is true for celebrities especially who are always being seen in the limelight. A celebrity's every action and move is being watched and if they fail, they are judged harshly. This is also true for young people who feel they have to perform well for their parents in school, or for others in society to accept them. The underlying issue - people are not loved outside of their performance and their identity is equated to how well they can perform in life. Outside of their performance they are worth nothing.
2. Pressure ~ in Asian culture there is also a great pressure to meet the expectations of others. People constantly give us pressure to do more, to be a certain way or be something we are not. We are given pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way, we are compared to others and when we don't measure up to the pressure, we break down into bouts of discouragement, depression, feelings of shame and even suicide. Celebrities and youth deal with societal pressure and peer pressure all the time.
3. Pain ~ in Asian culture it is not okay to tell people how you really feel at times. We hide our feelings, instead of expressing them to others to find comfort and solace. When we don't feel understood, listened to or cared for, pain begins to be felt in our hearts and slowly destroys us on the inside. We begin to feel that people only love us for our performance, for what we can produce, for what we can do but not for who we are. (This is especially true for celebrities who are so loved and celebrated on the stage, but may feel so lonely and misunderstood in real life.) We become afraid of what other people think, because we don't want to show weakness, so we hide our pain, keep it to ourselves until one day we cannot bear the pain anymore... suicide then becomes an option.

I think this applies not only to celebrities, but also normal teenagers and young adults...

I can say that I have experienced the points listed, but thankfully, I will never consider suicide. Don't worry guys. =)

I'm White?!

Sorry, no pictures, I was new, and it was awkward, and I was feeling too 不好意思 or pai se (roughly translating to shy) to take pictures.

Yesterday was the first time I had any kind of real socializations with people around my age since I've been in Indonesia. The pastor's wife had invited me to join the youth, I guess they had some birthday celebration for the month of January and Bible Study. I'm thankful for that opportunity and I hope this is my first step to having a life in Indonesia. We talked about Noah and reflected upon that Sunday morning's message. On top of that, I had been reading about Noah on my own the night before. Lots of Noah to think about. At a time where the world was wicked, Noah was the only one who found favor in God's eyes. In terms of wickedness, don't you think that now, present day, is just as bad, if not worse, than in Noah's time?

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Question to ponder: In this era, will the way I lead my life be pleasing to God? Will I, like Noah, find favor in God's eyes?

This week's time was different from usual, but that's OK. A few minutes before 6 pm, a guy that we've met before came over and we walked to the house where the Bible study was going to be. We got there, and then it became awkward. I think my level of Indonesian is about their level of English - for the most part, we understand, but have trouble speaking. Everyone was laughing at something said, and even though they said it in Indonesian, they were speaking too fast and there was too many people speaking, so I didn't catch it. Awkward... everyone was laughing except me. So after a girl explained, more slowly in Indonesian, I got what was so funny, so I laughed. But then, it was even more awkwardness... because I started laughing when everyone was already done laughing. :) It reminded me a little of the MTC youth group, but this was all in Indonesian and they speak Javanese among each other. We start off singing, go into some prayer requests and praying, then start the Bible study. Lastly, what is a youth gathering without some food? Indonesians love food. Instead of just some desserts and snacks like in MTC, we had starters (snacks), then a full meal of rice, soup, fried chicken, and some spicy thing, and then we had some cake and agar-agar.

Not long after, I heard them saying something like "hitam, hitam, hitam... putih." That means "black, black, black... white." The same girl explained to me that everyone here is dark skinned, except me because I have white skin. At this point I didn't know whether to laugh or be confused. I realized that from now on, I will forever be the orang asing, or foreigner, wherever I go.

You see, in America, I was Asian, yellow-skinned, and no matter how much I act like a typical American, I'll always be seen as another non-white. In Malaysia, I look the same, I can even speak the same languages, but now I've acquired an "American accent" and to some degree, I act too American for some people, I will never be seen as just a Malaysian - I am a Malaysian that has been overseas. In Indonesia, I'm white-skinned (instead of yellow), they think we're rich and some of them think that I'm American, but most know that I'm from Malaysia. I guess, this is the life of an MK, forever a foreigner.

Amazing!

Found the coolest thing... must see!!



QuestCrew: www.questcrew.com

Recap and First Impression

It's 2010! An whole lot happened in 2009, a little overwhelming, I'd say. Anyway, here's a recap of 2009 and a long post ahead (with pictures!).

January - Let's see... I visited the St. Louis Science Center, got to eat lamb in Wash U, and got three snow days in a row! Despite it being the middle of winter, It got warm enough to go to Ha Ha Tonka for a walk with friends!

Sunset at Ha Ha Tonka State Park

February - Hung out at McCurdy's for Superbowl. I admit, I don't really understand American Football, but who really goes to a Superbowl Party to watch football? :) Towards the end of February, it got really warm - warm enough to wear shorts and play volleyball barefoot! But, the next day, we got a lot of snow!

Superbowl

Warm day in February is a good day for volleyball. The next day, we woke up to see a layer of snow on the ground.

March - Got a haircut, celebrated my 15th birthday, and went to Dare2Share. This would be my last birthday in the States... since then, everyday was a constant reminder that my time in Missouri and the United States is coming to an end.

Last birthday in US

Dare2Share 2009

April - Road trip to New York City to get our passports. I end up not getting my passport but enjoyed the road trip anyway. On the way, we visited the NTM Mobilization Center in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania and Ee Ping cheh2 in Bethlehem and got to watch Monsters Vs. Aliens in 3D. On the way back, we visited Jamestown, Virginia - where the pilgrims landed in America. Of course, we also celebrated Timothy's birthday.

The United Nations building in NYC

May - I got the chance to go to Chicago with the CHS choir. It was a lot of fun, and definitely good memories to bring back with me. As the school year ends, my time in the US ends too... Goodbyes are very hard, and unfortunately, no matter how many times I do it, each goodbye

never gets easier. We headed up to Michigan, flew to Europe and was on our way back to Malaysia.

Six Flags, Chicago

Joice, Morgan, Jen and I in Chicago

Leaving Michigan... Goodbye US

Liege, Belgium

June - Time in Europe was a lot of fun, and we got to meet a lot of people. June 11th we landed in KL, and 5 days later was on our way back to Penang. After 4 years, we were finally back home. But at this time, I was wondering what home is, and why I didn't feel like I fit in. This marked the beginning of a lot of stress for me.

Cologne, Germany

Oh, hi Malaysia... Long time no see!

Attending a wedding in Penang

July to November - This whole time was basically a lot of travelling, going to new churches, trying to cope with online schooling, late nights of homework, and really missing friends and sister in the US. I did enjoy my time with family and eating a lot of good (but extremely unhealthy) food. We got our visas on November 23rd, and left Penang Island once again on November 27th. This time, to Central Java, Indonesia.

Fun with friends... hehe :D

Now, doesn't that look good?

Trip to Cameron Highlands with Khoo family - a museum

December - Oh, the late nights for homework haven't stopped. In fact, it's even more stress from the move and the end of the semester. So far, though, I have liked the environment here, and I can't complain. However, time just flew by, and soon it was the end of December. This year for Christmas, we pretty much hung out at home, and visited another family for a little while. We also got carolers to come to our house!

Around our neighborhood

Our new house

Other than the motorcycle, we can take this vehicle as our transportation - the angkot

Happy New Year -

December 31 - I was not out watching fireworks. I was not counting down to 2010, but sadly, I was sitting on my bed doing homework - how pathetic. Anyway, on New Year's Day, the family and some other missionaries went out into town to get some drinks and chat at an ice store - "Es Kesambi." That's about how I spent my New Year. Boring huh.

To be honest, my first impression of 2010 is not a good one. I ended 2009 and started 2010 by doing homework. This is my first year with grades bad enough that I stress about it. This is the first year that I start off the New Year with no friends to say "Happy New Year" to - they're all far far away.

This year, however, the change of environments, and loneliness, has definitely made me realize how much I need God. Even in the loneliest, saddest hours, I know that He is here for me. Definitely been a hard year, but totally worth it. I'll work hard to make 2010 an even better year, and I'm sure God will drop a surprise or two for us.