A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still gently allows you to grow - William Shakespeare

I'm not old, but I can say that I've lived long enough to make some observations on the phenomenon of friendship. There are three kinds of friendships: 

a) Friends you make from places you have to be: 
These include friends from school, uni or work. You are friends because you have classes together or because you have no-one else to hang out with. I'm not trying to undermine these friendships, because they can turn out to be the best ones, but in my experience, I've generally not been able to take these friendships to a deeper level. Of course I've had exceptions, but usually when you graduate or move to a different job, these friendships quickly drift apart. Sure you try to catch up once or twice, but you can't deny the fact that it's the circumstance that held your friendships together. When you get busier, either one of you doesn't put in the effort, and what you had in common is no longer there. 

b) Friends you make from childhood: 
These include friends from preschool (back when it still existed)/childcare/primary school friends, church friends (I grew up going to church). These friendships bring back the most memories. Back then, it was so simple and everything was so fun. We did life together and grew up together. We went to watch movies, do craft, have sleepovers together and a whole bunch of other things. As you grow up, take different paths, go through different life phases/stages, develop your personality and identity, you realise it's harder to get along with these friends like you used to just because of differentiation. This is completely natural, and it will happen. You start to rethink the friendship you had in the past and sometimes wish it was the way it was back in the day. 

c) Friends that stick: 
These friends come from the locations listed in categories a and b. I only have a few of these friends, but they are the ones who not only 'click' with me, but are supportive, open and honest, can connect on a deeper level, willing to share and show your vulnerabilities/struggles and put in the effort to keep the relationship going. Even when life tries to drive us apart through busy schedules, distance, emotional troubles, competition, ups and downs, we stick together. Because that's what a strong friendship is. It does not waver in times of distress, or falter from competing attention of significant others. It loves, shares, comforts, encourages, invests and enjoys each other's company. It is accepting, no matter what stage of life you are in, or how much you have changed over the years. 

Wikipedia strikes again: 
It defines the love between friends as 'Philia'. (Greek: φιλία). Friendship is the strong bond existing between people who share common interest or activity. C.S. Lewis wrote a book called The Four Loves, which explores the nature of love from a Christian and philosophical perspective. In it, he describes it as, "the least biological, organic, instinctive, gregarious and necessary.. the least natural of loves". He claims this is because our species does not need friendship in order to reproduce, but to the classical and medieval worlds the more profound precisely because it is freely chosen. Apparently true friendships, like the friendship between David and Jonathan in the Bible, are almost a lost art. The modern society ignores friendship - to the Ancients, friendship seemed to be the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue. Friendship grows out of companionship and appreciation, but due to our lack of experience in this, we cannot value its worth in its fullness. 

I must admit, for the past few years, I did not see the importance in investing in friendships. I thought to myself, "If they don't put in the effort, why should I?" I detached myself from people because I was sick of dealing with problems, and putting up with conversations that seemed to waste my time. Thankfully, God opened my eyes to my own selfishness as I realised that I had actually stopped caring about my friends. As a result, I've had to deal with and put in two or three times the effort to mend the repercussions of my foolish decisions. God loves us all unconditionally (Agape love, the strongest of all the loves), and as His child, I have been called to share His unconditional love to not only my friends, but my enemies. This is no easy task, in fact it's impossible for humanity. It goes against logical or individualistic thoughts. Why would I disadvantage myself and put myself in a worse position, when the other ungrateful person doesn't reciprocate? But that's exactly what God did for us. He gave us everything, the world, and yet we broke our relationship with Him by sinning and wanting to do things our own way, when clearly His way is perfect and the best for us. Yet when we were caught up in our sin and didn't want anything to do with Him, He loved us, that He took the initiative to mend our broken relationship. He sent His Son to die to bear the punishment for our sin and make us right with Him. THIS is love. God's love compels me to love others like He loved me. It is only by the Holy Spirt that he enables me to do this. It is not natural for humans to love those who do not love us in return. It's God. God IS love. His very nature encompasses love. He shows us what love is, and teaches us how to love through his actions and words. 

I encourage you to reflect on your own friendships. What kind of friend are you? Do you share on a deeper level with your friends? Do you support them through life, or even ask them how they're going? I'm by no means the friendship guru this post makes me out to be, I'm still trying to figure this out. Just wanted to share my thoughts and help myself gather my own. :) To my friends out there, whatever friend you are to me, you're precious. I'm thankful for all the moments we've spent time together, all the times you've put up with my unenthusiasm/craziness/uncaring attitude. Some last words of advice, friendship matters. I realised that friendship is an extra bit of warmth in your heart. It's a hug or a shoulder to cry on when you encounter a setback. It's a huge grin when you see that other person, or a laugh so hard you can't even breathe. Take time out and do simple things together. You'll learn to appreciate the true value of it.

Cloudy day for study

It's a Saturday, the first day of exam block for 2014. It's fairly cloudy and windy outside, which makes me want to snuggle up in bed and play pokémon. Alas, music study awaits. I'm trying hard to focus and minimise distractions by studying on the carpet and having my computer and music switched off - not enough to get me away from my phone though. Updating my Google Keep notes and downloading the Blogger app seems way more fun than reading and memorising.

I'd better get on with it though. I've got to keep with my study schedule which I've been following strictly so far. If I stay with it ill be on top of my study and exam block will be a much more pleasant experience. I feel like I'm on working holidays, at home,  but studying. It's good in a way - can't wait to go on holidays and travel! I'll be on an adrenaline rush the whole time because I'm not going to be gone for long. There's the light at the end of the tunnel. Just have to keep on swimming :)

It's been a while

Indeed it has. Simply because I have not gathered enough motivation to do so. Just got stuff to do at the end of the day and I get tired pretty easily so no energy. These days I don't even know what to blog about. We're up to week 12 now so it's not long until the crazy exam period. I have to say though, this semester has been the easiest I've ever had. So chill - probably because there's more practical stuff to get us ready for placement next sem. I'm excited to see where God takes me, and I know it'll be a fantastic experience. But then again, there goes my already tiny income. God has blessed me with a good family and boyfriend who are willing to support me for that time, but I'm happy to chip into the money I've saved over the last 2 years. It'll definitely be enough, I just have to keep telling myself I'll earn the money I spend in the 12 months in much less than a month if I can find a job.

Yesterday, mum and I went to the city to get stuff done and stopped at temt to have a look. I've been in desperate need of jeans for a long long time now - my old pair I got in 2008. They were skinny jeans but I've worn them so much they are stretched out and look like straight jeans, and the bum and knee area are so white. Yes, I have looked for jeans but I've never managed to find a pair that will actually fit me. Either the legs are too tight and the waist is too big, or the other way round. Always no good. I must have been going through an awkward body shape phase, or maybe I'm just asian and short. Nevertheless, I finally find a pair that was stretchyish and fit well. Saw some jeans at temt, so I thought why not.. it's probably not going to fit but I have nothing else to do while my mum looks at clothes. It fit like a glove :') So I had to get it. I took interest in the collared shirt because I've been wearing tights for the past year or so and I don't have longer tops which cover my bum. I cannot remember the last time I wore a collared shirt (maybe in high school haha), so this is an item of clothing I am unfamiliar with, but I thought I would give it a try. If I like it, I might invest in more, but one is enough for me now. The bow was on sale, and just to spice up my boring black forest of hair. By the way, don't get me wrong - I'm not one of those people who post up all the clothes they buy, but this was kind of a momentous occasion just because I can't remember the last time I bought clothes. Okay now that I think of it, it was probably at the start of this year when I went to Melbourne... but that was nearly half a year ago. Just happy I guess :)

Oh and another thing, I'm starting to really enjoy going to BSF. It's such a drag for me still, being so time consuming and all, but I've really gotten a lot out of it. God is using the book of Matthew to teach me so much about Jesus, encourage me, and prompt me to examine myself. I'm even starting to enjoy the hymns! We sing out of a hymn book and all the songs are pretty old fashioned. I'm realising though that there's something unique about hymns, and singing with a whole bunch of ladies makes me happy and appreciative, especially when one of the girls in my group sings some really tricky harmony so damn well! Even the drive to and from the church is enjoyable because I can have a chat with my friend in the car. I hope God keeps me in Brisbane so I can continue to attend, and keep getting so much of this rich spiritual food.

Wow such a long post this ended up to be. Anyways, with that being said, I should do some BSF homework

How to save a life

Today, I attended a CPR + first aid course in the city. I knew it was going to be a tiring day (9-3:30), but I learnt a lot and got to do things I've never done before! The instructor had a knack for making us all laugh, but as the day wore on, I got over his jokes. Our class had many Singaporeans (that was the majority - there were even two indians who were Singaporean), one Korean, one Vietnamese, one HK (me!) and 3-4 white people. Physio and OT dominated (I think it's because the SHRS sent out health requirement emails to everybody so we all went to get our first aid done haha). Singaporeans are taking over allied health and indians are taking over med. True story.

CPR went by with a breeze, we did babies and adults and got a free face mask! First aid was interesting and pretty practical. Here are some things I learnt/got to do:

• How taking simple steps increases a person's survival rates e.g. using a spacer with a puffer
• If unsure, call the ambo!
• Poison line 131126 for qualified assistance - toxicologists, medical students, pharmacists
• Better to help than to do nothing 
• How important is a first aid kit! Bandages, puffers, face masks, spacers, gloves, epipens can make the world of difference!
• If someone's having an asthma attack and they don't have a puffer, ask the crowd if anybody has one or go to the local chemist and get one there + bring the pharmacist with you
• You can have an epilepsy without any movement - the person just pauses 
• Do not move a person with a fracture/dislocation/protruding object - splint and bandage them 
• A.M.P.L.E - questions to ask someone who is in need of first aid (Any allergies? Medications that they take for their condition? Past history? Last meal? Event history?) These questions can tell you a lot/can affect your decision making!
• Know where you are! As in the exact street address, because ambos find you if you don't!
• Stay calm and look like you know what you're doing so the casualty doesn't freak out even more and exacerbate their condition.

I'm sure I learnt more, but here are just some. I hope I never have to perform first aid/CPR on a person, but if I do, I pray that I can do a good job at it. At the end of the day, I rewarded myself with a necklace from colette. All jewellery was 50% off, so it was only $5! Jeffy picked me up and I had a really nice meal with him and his parents :) 

Week One

Diaries, free vouchers and quirky sticker tabs from Bonnie who recently came back from Taiwan

/\/\4 /\/34T $3tuP. Thanks for the screen Hannah!

Awesome foursome's first day of 3rd year. One day we will look at this and thank me for capturing
these memories. 

 

Pandan toast... so delicious.. I can foresee that this will be my study/exam prep fuel 

Ah the joys of waiting for the bus and getting off $3 poorer.. I do not miss those days. 

After a good few months, all has gone back to normal i.e. I've returned to uni! Like always, I have mixed feelings about this. I'm going to miss all those days where I've not had to worry about occupying my time with study and just doing nothing without having a guilty feeling haunting me.. but on the other hand, I'm excited to go back, learn more and be able to take pretty notes and get into the swing of things. I'm also feeling a bit sentimental, I will only have one more year left of full time study, and I know that's something I will definitely miss.

One might ask, "why are you eating so much food?" Well, this time of the semester, I'm pretty free. My placement starts later on and my elective doesn't require me to go to weekly pracs (YAY). Actually I've been pretty on the ball with study this week, which is good. This semester, we are mainly applying the knowledge we have learnt in the past two years and figuring out what to do within a clinical situation. Pretty cool! I've been going through old notes and ordered a few textbooks the other day so I have a richer source of info. I'm surprised I got this far without owning textbooks *you should be impressed*, but I've realised that having some sort of professional library is important, even if it's as little as 2 books. I've compiled a list of textbooks I want to purchase, and it's pretty extensive. But I reckon it could really be useful.. I mean in a couple of years later when I'm in the big bad world I'll have no access to UQ resources i.e. books, free download of articles from prestigious journals, that kinda stuff! I'm just trying to prep myself I guess. And while I'm at it, I'll take this time to talk about some other random things that's been on my mind this week. 

On the days where I don't have to wash my hair, I use a shower cap to keep my hair dry. That requires me to put my hair up. I usually take this opportunity to experiment with hairstyles (when I'm not in a major rush/too tired). This is usually the time when I suddenly become a master stylist and create something aesthetically pleasing with my hair. Yesterday this happened.. I was so proud of myself and even thinking "yeah I can wear this one of these days" - ah that was wishful thinking. I attempted it this morning and it just failed. I don't know why this happened, but I think I've finally figured out that this is due to my hair being more flexible and easy to play around after a day of wearing it in a ponytail. When I do my hair in the morning, it just doesn't want to cooperate. I'm sure all the girls out there can relate. 

This sem, we've been given the opportunity to study an elective. The three are a) ergonomics, b) technology in health, and c) music and health. When I saw the last one, my face lit up and I was auto keen for this one. Music had always been my favourite subject in high school and I really do miss all those lessons, assignments, practice seshs, composing, analysis, aural skill tests, music history lessons and randomly watching musicals in class. I was definitely choosing this one. Besides, I had a glimpse at the ECP of the other electives and the ergonomics one required you to go to heaps of pracs, tutes AND lectures, whereas the technology in health one required class/discussion/participation to get marks (lame).. music on the other hand - two hour lecture each week, no tute, no group assignment, just a written exam and a literature review! Plus it actually interests me.. when I was deciding what to study in uni (back in the day), my recorder teacher recommended me to study music therapy because of my interest in music and health. Anyways, I was pretty excited to see what this course was about, so I rocked up to my 5-7 feeling keen. It did not disappoint! The lecturer is a really cool and funny lady - one of the few lecturers that make me laugh during lectures (that's a rare one!). We went through the history of music and it's association with health/healing over the different epochs (eras) - i.e. ancient, medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century, 21st century (sorry if this isn't in the right order, it's been a while). Lots of it was revision from music in high school combined with a bit of AMEB theory. We listened to Chopin, Bach, Pink Floyd, Ladyhawke and sang the tritone. We actually sung :') one half of the room sung F# and the other side sang C to create the tritone. Then the F# side resolved it and went to G. It was amazing - I felt like I was in music again! Never would I have considered the thought of being able to sing in a lecture! So good. There were lots of people studying this course, from different courses. There were OT, physio, speech, med, psyc, journalism, music students (from the people that called out). Although it was late, I didn't feel tired, and came out really enjoying the two hours of music :)

I was reading Luke the other day when I was doing my bsf homework. Luke 2:48 stood out to me. It says, "When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."This is when the Jesus (in his younger days) stays in Jerusalem to listen to the teachers listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone there was amazed at his understanding and his answers. I use a NIV application bible and occasionally read the commentary when I don't understand a particular verse/just for my own interest. The commentary here was particularly interesting. 

Mary had to let go of her child and let him become a man, God's Son, the Messiah. Fearful that she hadn't been careful enough with this God-given child, she searched frantically for him. But she was looking for a boy, not the young man who was in the temple astounding the religious leaders with his questions. Letting go of people or projects we have nurtured can be very difficult. It is both sweet and painful to see our children as adults, our students as teachers, our subordinates as managers, our inspirations as institutions. But when the time comes to step back and let go, we must do so in spite of the hurt. Then our protégés can exercise their wings, take flight, and soar to the heights God intended for them. 

Strong. I often think my parents are being too sheltering, protective and clinging too tight to my brother and I. It's hard on us and quite frankly it restricts us from maturing, experiencing life and learning to take care of ourselves. It is hard to deal with, not only for me, but for Jeff as well. I've talked to my mum about this issue in the past, and I know her and my dad are putting in effort to improve. I just thought this application articulated my thoughts so well. It's so important to give someone space to grow and learn, no matter how much you love them. Just thoughts. 

Maturity, not maternity!

Not this time, google. A while ago, I was thinking about maturity. What makes a person mature? Is it the way their body has developed (as defined by google), their depth and breadth of thought, their intelligence? On one of our road trips, I asked J if he considered me mature for my age (in a general sense). To my disappointment, he said no. I proceeded to question his evaluation. What was the basis of his judgement? He said it was because I am sheltered by my parents, which influences how I act and view the world. It means that I don't have to feel the pressure of needing to earn enough money to survive, buy a car, or pay HECS. I still work, but I've never felt like I needed to work a lot to keep myself going. It's true. It's true, the earlier you are exposed to lyf3, the earlier you start to mature. Also, because of my quiet personality, I'm not as inclined as others are to meeting new people and socialising. Being able to get along with others and immersing oneself into social situations exposes a person to circumstances which allow them to practice social skills such as reading emotions, social queues, greetings, knowing what to say at the right times, knowing when to stay silent, learning how to pair gestures with speech, being able to talk to different people of different ages etc.etc. Social skills can take you pretty far.

I asked my deep friend chibi about what he thinks. He came up with a pretty fine list of what he thinks makes a person mature.

1. Control over their own emotions 
2. Consideration for others - placing others' interests above your own and not being afraid of being disadvantaged for the sake of helping others 
3. Able to give attention/time to people outside their significant other (related to point 2)
4. Financially responsible, understands that money comes from hard work and doesn't go about wasting it
5. Can acknowledge their weaknesses and displays intention/discipline to remedy/improve themselves

Pretty good, pretty good. J added that being able to care for yourself (chores, getting groceries.. or as OTs would call it, instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), cooking nutritious meals, looking after your body) is also a big one. He also said to be entrusted the care/safety of others is probably even more important. Another thing - being trustworthy and genuine is also a good one. I think doing things in moderation is also important - not underdoing or overdoing things and knowing when it's time to stop. There's probably more, but I'm eating dinner and I cbb writing more because there's nothing significant I want to say. 

M-dragon outzzz

What's different in 2014?

Reflecting (OTs are very good at this) back on last year, I would say that I've done things, learnt things, and experienced things I haven't before. I'm not the same person I was two years ago (dw I'm the same person, I just know how to deal with things better than before... and I still like chocolate). 2013 was a good year, but to step it up a notch, I've been contemplating what I will change this year.

1. Note-taking at uni. Since I started, I've been constantly changing the way I do this. From writing on plain paper in teeny tiny writing, to writing in A5 notepads, A4 notepads, taking notes on the lecture slides, taking notes by hand on lined paper during the lecture, typing during the lecture, summarising my notes in word documents, printing out lecture notes and writing on it during lectures, the list is endless! I've been thinking about in some detail (an understatement) and the decision for this year is to print out lecture notes, take notes on that during the lecture and summarising everything on a word document. I will then store it all in a big binder folder. In the past, I've always used display folders which has proven to be inconvenient. The reason why I want to use a binder folder is so that you can slot in loose worksheets/booklets and not have to remove everything and shift it to fit something in. Everything will be in one place = stress free. I don't know why I didn't come up with this earlier. In my defence, I needed to try everything out before I could formulate the perfect way to do things. It only took me two years! 

2. Commitments. I've thought about this long and hard, and I've reached a consensus. This year, I will be committing myself to FX (meetings once a month | one year duration), small group (every week | forever), IT/powerpoint (once a month | at least this year --> until I decide to stop), music team (once a fortnight | at least this year --> until I decide to stop), Bible Study Fellowship (once a week | 7 years), Sunday School (once a week | at least this year --> until I decide to stop). There will be a lot on my plate, with uni/placement/work/relationships on top of that, but to be honest, this is the year to go hard. I've heard from various sources that third year of OT is most relaxed you're going to get. It's now or never. I need to stop being a chicken and step up and face it like a man! I need to trust God with all my heart, for He is my strength. 

3. Work. Due to my uni timetable, I'm not able to free up one day to work at Mackenzie anymore. No more $28/hr :( Oh well. In first semester I will continue to work at the hospital, but when I move to second semester, the job will be handed over to YY (who is currently in need of a job) because I'll be on full time placement. This will continue until mid 2015 when I will be able to take up that job again (end of placement). In the mean time, I'll start searching for some sort of carer job for me to work on Saturdays once a week. I'll be poor, but that's life. 

4. Dating. Jeffy will be starting a full time job in March. This means that he will only be free on Sundays and nights. We'll be out a couple nights a week due to our commitments, so we will see each other much less frequently. Upon reflection, I realised how blessed we already are. God gave us last year + these 2 months of summer holidays to see each other a lot. We had a pretty good chance to get to know each other from back to front and to develop our relationship. Now that we are more stable, we are more prepared to spend less time with each other and treasure the moments we have together. It'll be a big adjustment - currently we see each other every day. We'll take it as it goes though! 

5. Relationships. Investing more quality time into friendships and family. Being around more and caring more. Dating took a lot of time and energy from me last year, so I hope that I can be a better friend, daughter and sister this year. 

6. Pursuing Interests. These holidays I've come to realise that I've ditched/sidelined my hobbies! Reading, drawing and music have been things I've grown up with man! I haven't had any photoshop-like software since high school because I've been too frugal to spend ~$200 on CS6. But I think now's the time to go for it. I've been holding out for too long. I need to reignite my artistic side again!

7. Getting Organised. My aim is to keep my workspace and room tidy. I won't be a really bad hoarder and keep every parking ticket and tags from the clothes I buy. I'll keep my clothes IN my wardrobe and wash the bathroom every week. I'll also keep myself updated with study. 

The fragility of life

A lot of the time, we get distracted by the small things in life - what we will have for lunch, dreading going to work or worrying about what other people think about us. Sometimes, it takes a near-death- experience to put things into perspective. Today when Jeffy was driving to plaza he had one of these at an intersection.

The light turned green // Jeffy started to drive forward // A car ran a red light and drove at 80km/hr straight towards his body on his left // Jeffy braked hard // The other car swerved and missed hitting J's car by a small distance

This got us thinking how blessed J is to survive that: 

1. Jeffy only just changed his break pads last week - if he hadn't, he wouldn't have stopped in time to avoid a crash/fatal accident. 
2. The car behind him stopped in time to not hit him from behind. 
3. Jeffy didn't move forward straight away after the light turned green and avoided the crash.

God's timing:

1. Jeffy losing his close shifts (main source of income) - We think it's God forcing him to find a full time job and to learn to rely on Him to provide. 

It's pretty amazing. In the wise words of Wells Fargo: "God still has a mission for you" We aren't in control, no matter how much we think we are. Our lives can be taken away in just a few seconds. I implore you to think about why you are living. To earn money so you can live a comfortable life? To have fun and live life to the fullest? Whatever it is, is this worth living for? Will it last or is it fleeting? 

Unique God

In this world, there are many different religions whose members claim to worship the one true god.  As a Christian, I believe that the true God, the One I worship has three major characteristics. Let me expand on this. God is all-loving, which means that he will have our best interests in mind and will do what is beneficial to us. As an all-powerful God, He is capable of making anything happen when he wills it. He is also all-knowing, so He is not only smarter and wiser than anyone who ever existed, but He is aware of every thought, action and status of everything of this universe - past, present and future. 

Here is a hypothetical situation: A child is about to be hit by a car and God is present in this situation.
I hope this makes sense.. here goes!
1. God is all-loving, but is not all-powerful and all-knowing.
This basically makes God ... well not a God. Humans are capable of loving. We love our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, yet we are not gods. If God is not all-powerful and not all-knowing, then what makes Him any different from us? It certainly makes Him a petty God. He will try to stop the child from being hit by the car (because letting the child die is not in the child's best interests), but He won't be able to stop the event from happening. Therefore, the outcome for the child is death.

2. God is all-powerful and all-knowing but not all-loving.
This makes God a dictator - with us as His minions. We worship Him out of fear. If something goes wrong, it's because we displeased Him or made Him angry *shudders at the thought*. This is not a God who I would willingly worship. I would feel obliged to worship Him so that He can bless me or keep bad things from happening, and not because He is a good God. In the hypothetical situation, God has the power to stop the child's death, knows the child is going to die, but doesn't care for the child and just lets him die.

3. God is all-loving, all-powerful but not all-knowing.
Yes, He will do what is in our best interests, and yes He can make things happen, but if God is like this, He will operate under our ethical code. If present in the situation, us humans will do what is possible to save the child from the car. Why? Because we don't know the future. What if the child is Adolf Hitler? Saving one life will result in the death of many, many more people. But a God who is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful will do what is for the greater good and probably let the child die, even if He has the power to stop the child's death.

In conclusion, the combination of being all-loving, all-powerful and all-knowing results in a God who has got our backs and will do the best for us because He knows what's up basically. We can firmly put our trust in Him because as limited beings, we don't know what's going to happen, we don't have the power to change outcomes, and we don't know what's best for ourselves (despite thinking we do most of the time). With this in mind, I WANT to worship God, and I want to place my life in His hands.This is what makes Him unique.

Introducing Myself

This is part where everyone says, "I'm just an average girl.." etc. (which I am), but to be a bit more specific, here are some things about me :)

1. I think the most obvious thing people notice when they first meet me is that I am a quiet person - I don't really know how to make small chat or interact in a way that makes people feel comfortable. So I guess I'm awkward in that way. But to my friends, I'm a chill person who walks and speaks like a guy. 
2. I'm not afraid to point out something that I dislike or something I find to be wrong, and I like developing my own opinions on issues and stuffs like dat yo. 
3. Talking on a superficial level doesn't really interest me - I crave deeper conversations and getting to know what's really going on in someone's life and stuffs they are facing. I admit that I don't do this often though, because a) I am busy, b) my close friend (borthi) doesn't live in Brisbane anymore (sad), c) my church friends are busy ARGHHH!! But that's no excuse :( I hope to be able to catch up lots of people on the holidays. 
4. I am a child of God. He's my Saviour, Lord and friend. Even though people fail me, He will never fail me. I can rely on Him for guidance, support, encouragement, wisdom, comfort - He's got my back 24/7 and He knows what I'm going through. I want those around me to know Him, and I challenge those who don't to actually find out what this is, read the bible and investigate for yourself what Christianity is. After all, you can't make a judgement on something you don't know. Have a chat to me if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy. I might do another post on this in the future, but for now, I want to leave you with some food for thought: Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship. 
5. I'm a sentimental person. I like to hoard useless things, take pictures of everything and keep numerous journals and diaries that I can't even keep up with myself. I just feel like one day I'm going to look back and not even be able to remember myself or the things that went on back in the day! So I gotta record it all down yo :) 
6. I like food. Especially yummy food. The only barrier to me being obese is $$. Which leads me to my next point...
7. I would call myself a saver or frugal, whatever you want to call it. I don't have a very big income, so I try to do my best to restrain myself from purchasing expensive clothes, or the nikon J3 or even ordering drinks when I go out. I usually just bring a water bottle to restaurants, or tell myself to just walk away from stuffs I really likey. But one thing, I'm a sucker for cheap things.. no jk I can't resist!!!! It's my weakness no doubt. When I see a piece of cheap clothing at cotton on or something I'm like "I HAVE TO BUY IT CAUSE IT'S SO CHEAP!!!" and that's how I justify it. I end up buying so many cheap, crappy clothes that don't even fit me properly that I end up not wearing them because they're so bad and probably don't go with any of the clothes I already own. Also, the price of all my crappy clothes that I don't even wear, adds up to me buying a more expensive piece that I'd probably wear so many more times. Dat logic. I know. So I'm trying my best to invest (haha rhyme) in something that I like and will wear. 
8. I study occupational therapy (OT) - personally, I think it's the best :D I could probably do a separate post on why it is, but for now, I would sum it up like this: holistic, practical, client-centered, and meaningful. I'm only in my second year (which I have nearly finished!!) so I'm not sure of what area I want to go in. All I've done is ruled out work rehab because that sounds boring as hell. 
9. I don't require fancy activities to entertain me.. doing stuff at home, watching a movie at home, having a chat, cooking, lying down and staring at the ceiling, having a walk, going for a swim, going to chill asian restaurants that don't require me to dress up, playing a board game with friends, reading.. I guess it's good cause that means I'm fairly low maintenance as a person.. just happy to hang out with ppl and by myself. 
10. I have a boyfriend and his name is Jeffrey, but I call him Jeffy. He's a funny, friendly and cool guy to everybody, but to me he's sweet and lots of the time is like a little boy ^_^ He's not romantic at all and doesn't buy me many gifts or shower me with flattery... or else he'd feel fake, but he demonstrates his care for me through his actions. I could probs do a separate post for this too actually haha I'm getting so many post ideas. 

I'll add to this list when I think of it.. I'm sure there's much more about me, but I should end this procrastination from study and get back to taking notes on my lecture about promoting neurological recovery -________- bai for naow :)