Before 2017 comes

It's the last day of 2016 and what better time than now to follow the crowd and do some introspection? But like how I buy new clothes or eat tang yuan (and I think in the future, how I visit graves) I do my introspection throughout the year, whenever I want to, and perhaps way too often for my own good. If you have too much time and too little entertainment, lend your ear and let me share some good things that happened this year and what I hope for next year. Teeheee...

God was and is kind to me. He has shown me much grace in 2016. Friendship is something I treasure and besides the old (ancient and priceless!) friendships I've got, God also gave me friendships in people like Melissa from college. It is so rare, and therefore such a delight, to find people who genuinely enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs and who can just talk and talk comfortably about anything and everything. And then there are the new acquaintances made and heartwarming conversations had with Aunty Wei Meng and Chinnoi (my brother's fiancee) which made the latter part of my year warm and fuzzy.

My family reunion took place without any World War III and that was great! Maymay thank you for your counsel and listening ear, and your kindness towards people is an example to me. I think you are too nice sometimes, but then again, it is because you really are nice and this reminds me to be a kinder person as well even if the world is harsh and cold. You are the best sister in the whole world... even though your messages are sometimes very gross, what did I do to be born after you I do not know. But I am glad :)

And finally, I've to make mention of the one and only guy who has a special place in my heart (can you smell the oozing honey) and who has added so much value to my life. Despite the stupid fights we have, I love you. I'm happy that we resolve things rather quickly, apologize easily, and make up adequately (I hope this continues!), I love that you are direct and honest and that you make effort to know me. Keep it up, it's worth it ;) Thank you for loving me.

What are my hopes for 2017?
First, of course, the superficial stuff relating to my education - I want to pass my exams and get an internship. Grant me the strength and diligence and determination to study well, Lord Jesus. Even if I don't feel like it most days. Thank you for the results You've given me in the past and help me not to forget Your goodness to me.

Next, I want to be real. I want to relate to people properly and speak words which give grace, which do not tear down but build up. I want to take opportunities presented to me to share life and the good news with people instead of shying away and succumbing to the countless excuses I give myself.

More than anything else, I want to know God (I say this year after year) and not just go through the motions.

God has given you all you need for life and godliness, he has given you every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, he has given you everything you need to be content, all that you need you already have. So do not be anxious - seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

Attachment (3)

As each new term approaches, this song comes to mind and I sing it.

Another year is dawning
Dear Father let it be
In working or in waiting
Another year with Thee

It's my new year theme song every year.

So, how has my attachment been going? I'm glad you asked because that's exactly what I'm gonna tell you about! :D

I'm getting increasingly familiar with the litigation process, and in particular, the administrative support behind each piece of paper filed. Sometimes I still daydream about being a therapist (or someone who has the capacity to make others feel great) or a teacher impacting little children. Anyway, in the office, there are holes to punch, things to type, judgments to read, and lessons to learn. And I sure have a lot to learn with regard to relationships at work. The pleasant and unpleasant experiences have been, cumulatively speaking, good for my growth.

Today was exceptional. I was sent to pass something to a partner and ended up having a chat about dogs and relationships at work. She managed to make sense of my string of words and spoke from her experience with such wisdom. This is one lady who has managed to balance her family and work life, while being such a nice people-person to just about everyone from the senior partners to the cleaner lady, confident yet not proud, easy to talk to and non-condescending, which I appreciated very much, considering the fact that I (a very sensitive person) was attempting to bare my soul in seeking counsel. Her faith, she said, plays a big role in the way she treats others (and so should it for me...)

The gist of what she said included:
To always speak what is true.
To be genuine.
To see a person as a person regardless of rank.
To never be mean to others.
To keep away from extremes, neither hiding away completely nor being open about everything personal.
You cannot control what people say about you, but you can control how you react.

Strange how simple thoughts as these would be so meaningful after experiencing conflict with colleagues. And how comforting to have these words spoken in a gentle way to me. This makes me want to be like her in the future.

Dear Lord, let me be someone who glorifies you. Make me more like Christ.

I'll be hitting the sky again in 12 days. Third year begins not long after. Did I mention, 2nd year results were like ais kacang, A B B C! I know it was way better than it would have been without God. May I never think that I could achieve it on my own. The Lord is good and kind to the evil and ungrateful, like me. :)

Attachment (2)

DAY 2-3

Day 2 was exciting! Perhaps the busiest day in my entire short attachment life. I felt much stress but at the end of the day having the stress felt good and I was happy about that. Probably have to get to exercising to decrease heart attack risks.

Accomplishments:
Learnt basic procedures and also how to scan and do binding! :D

I like the people and environment here. Fickle little me who feels like quitting some nights also feels like she wishes to stay forever here. I don't know why I feel like quitting, it's just a feeling of running away. Perhaps I have yet to come to terms that real life work is 9-5.

Day 3 was less exciting but that was good because I lacked a full 8 hours of sleep and so did not have the drive to maintain the same momentum as yesterday. Myself and others were treated for lunches on these two days, so nice right?! Witty and wise conversations over lunch and generous tutoring at random times. Must pass on these blessings in the future.

Accomplishments:
Typed 3 official letters!

Summary of schedule for attachment
Work 1 day, rest 2 days
Work 2 days, rest 2 days
Work 4 days, tripping for 14 days
Work August

I really like how the days are spaced out with breaks in between, not to mention weekend breaks. This initiation into the working world is gradual and for that I am thankful. :)

Attachment

Everyone needs to rave about their first day of internship, or at least, I do!

But first, a little background! Sometime during the holiday post-May2016-exam, I thought of sprucing up my resume. I now know in hindsight, it was n00bly written. Angeline gave me some samples (so indebted to you!) and I am enlightened. On the same night, 18 June (Sat), I mailed in my resume to a firm. Received a reply on Monday, scheduled an interview for Tuesday 10:30am, went to the interview in my mom's clothes and the lady was very chill~ it was nice! I must say I was a bit stressed because I didn't want to make a bad impression (who does, right?) but the light mood helped ease things a lot.

DAY 1

Fast-forward to 1 July, my first day at the firm. Prepare yourselves for my summary!!

I arrived at 9am and was introduced to almost everybody in the firm, friendly staff there, and everyone pronounces my French name quite well. One lady was really helpful in guiding me, going out of her way to point me in the right direction.

For the rest of the morning until 12:30pm, I read two files, and had a mini cockroach scare when one crawled out! I tried to kill it with tissue paper but my efforts were in vain. I injured it though.

12:30-1:30pm had lunch with the chambering student and another lawyer. The student gave me a treat which was nice of her. Spent the rest of the afternoon until 5pm in the student's office, read another two cases, and followed her around like a puppy. Hehe!

5:30-7:45pm Attended a social dinner where a judge gave a speech on their Expectations, learnt a few tips, made acquaintances and traded funny stories. I liked the orange juice and it was fun getting to know people after I've had my orange juice (think I needed the sugar after a long first day haha).

Arrived home a little past 8pm and had small group and supper. I finally laid in bed at 11pm and had a chat with the boyfriend over the phone (yay for free Whatsapp calls!) and then got up to line up the laundry around 12:30am.

Overall, first day went very well. God has blessed me, God is good to me more than I deserve (and I don't deserve anything) so I cannot (and ought not) complain.

Before breakfast, I read Matthew 6 and a bit of Romans. The simple English in the NLT Bible helped me understand how we are made right with God.

Romans 3:20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
Romans 3:22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Romans 3:26... God declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Yes, the duckweedy post has been dead for approximately two years, you can almost smell the rot. A certain May keeps her blog updates coming like her pineapple jam tarts freshly baked from the oven while a certain Angeline keeps hers occasionally fresh with scenic photographs. I should be like them.

I have photographs too. Let me tell you the story of my exams. It'll be interesting!

Going Home

As can be clearly seen, these are my dark coloured lugggage bags, laptop bag, handbag and umbrella. They look kinda cool waiting for the KLIA Express to take em away to the airport. They were very heavily filled with books so I was really relieved and thankful for the kindly porter who helped me out.

My Study Floor

I like my study area a lot, it gives me the flexibility and breathing space I need.

My Study Bedroom Floor

This was my last subject, also my favourite subject, and possibly the subject with the most papers to recycle. But I haven't recycled them yet, just in case... you know.

At this point, you must be wondering what I wore for exams.

Nice and warm

I wore the same outfit for every paper. The key is to keep warm so that your hands won't shiver more than necessary because you need to write four essays in 3 hours. So wear as many layers as you need to be comfortable and then don't bother changing things up because that causes unnecessary stress and no one really needs that.

I napped. A lot. Didn't take pictures...

Anyway, post-exam period was a lovely time of I-don't-know-what-to-do-but-I-am-at-peace-with-the-world-so-let-me-be. The plan is to read as much as I can to gain knowledge before results are out (Aug 10!) and college resumes.

My love came to visit! This is his gift to me which mom has also been stealing.

Reservoir Park

Our favourite place to sit and chat and be in love.

Attempted Cabonara

First try, edible, could and should be better with a few more tries. I hope to master cabonara someday. I wonder if I'll ever get around to it because quality ingredients are expensive and mistakes can be tough to swallow (literally).

Books

The novel was an exciting read and I could hardly put it down. It has been a long time since I've read a novel. Despite it being fiction, it is still extremely interesting to see how lawyers do their thing because novels are, to an extent, based on real life happenings. Haven't started on the history book.

This holiday, I am reading
- The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller

- Unlocking the Bible by David Pawson

- The Bible

And I am cleaning the fences too. They're dirty with algae. ;)

I wrote this on 29th July 2015 and never published it... until today (16 June 2016)! Haha, enjoy.

21st Birthday, dinners, mentally partying
And there was the brother's homecoming
Still, Malaysian politics is way more happening
Now, to sum it all in a manner entertaining
Delve deep into this soul
Uncover stories still untold
Previously present, and for a long time, hidden
I blow dust off my blog, I have returned

It has been quite a break
Considering all the ups and downs
Not too bad, pretty great
Memories vague
They're starting to fade

Best part of holiday is having the time
To look inside and attempt a rhyme
To see what needs fixing, not pretend all is fine
For over each inch of life, Christ says "Mine!"

Maybe I've suppressed a part of myself
When I started living for the praise of others
And real life will begin when I understand
That only one Audience truly matters

Well, do tell, how has your journey been?
Wretched, hard, guilt-ridden, confusing
Grace, I tried to earn; Love I still try to win
Standing between us is always me, myself and sin

But that's just part of the journey
It doesn't exactly tell the whole story
I sometimes hate this dichotomy
Dear Lord, please help me

Psalm 59:16

But I will sing of your strength

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love

in the morning

For you have been to me

a fortress and a refuge

in the day of my distress

Enemies rise up against me and all the problems and stuff happens.
BUT! I will do what? What am I gonna do? I will *sing* aloud and sing about YOUR -strength-.
God's strength, God's might, God's power! He is very strong! And because he is so strong, he is absolutely capable and sufficient, he can gao tim things. He is strong!

I will also sing aloud about God's -steadfast love-.
Steadfast. God's love is never-changing, endures for forever, really solid and firm, means it's not gonna end and it's not gonna stop and it's not gonna change.
Love. What kind of love is this? Affection, care, concern, patience, kindness, not self-centered (refer to 1 Cor 13). This is the kind of love God has. And it is STEADFAST.

Why do we sing of His strength and steadfast love?
Because! Here's the reason! >>> You HAVE BEEN to me a Fortress and a Refuge in the day of my distress.
"Have been" means he has already been, he has proven to be, and you have seen it to be true before.

A Fortress. Stronghold, a secure defence, that protects you.
A Refuge. Hiding place, where you find safety, peace and rest, for refugees, that you hide in.
This is why we sing of His strength and steadfast love, because he has been our Fortress and Refuge.

You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.
In the day of my anxiety, pain, sorrow, heartbreak, hurt, uncertainty, in the day when there is fear and when everything is crumbling and being destroyed around me.

In /that/ day, You, God, have been my fortress and my refuge.
And so I will start my day, remembering this and singing of your strength (You are super strong and capable), and your steadfast love (that is absolutely sure). Thank You God for your Word.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases...

I suppose now is as good a time as any other to update on my post-gap year, pre-law school month-long holiday.

This break, I have been given ample time to do anything at all. It started off with shopping for a few new additions for my wardrobe. In an unforeseen turn of events, I happened to chance upon John Piper's When I Don't Desire God conference sermons (go listen to them on YouTube!) which have, to put it succinctly, changed my life. To follow up, I am reading What Jesus Demands from the World and digesting it slowly. I've also read (and therefore highly recommend) The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller on Kindle. This little book has shifted my perspective on life in a significant way. Despite the struggles of my human heart, God is still sovereign and there is yet hope.

School starts soon, so now I'm almost rushing to finish another book and sort of starting on a small book by R. C. Sproul. Books and sermons have opened my eyes and mind, convicted me on how I have been living wrongly, leading me towards what is right, and they have given me merciful spiritual slaps (thanks to Angeline for coining this term). Merciful, because God does not have to reveal anything to me but he does and still loves this sinner.

For this reason, my advice to you would be to cultivate the love of reading, yes, read good books! Feed on the Word and also on the books penned by those whom God has gifted experience and insight.

The following is an excerpt from The Prodigal God, and a reminder to myself. A fundamental insight of Martin Luther's was that “religion” is the default mode of the human heart. Religion operates on the principle of "I obey - therefore I am accepted by God." The basic operating principle of the gospel is "I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ - therefore I obey." 
Even after you are converted by the gospel, your heart will go back to operating on other principles unless you deliberately, repeatedly set it to gospel-mode. We can only change permanently as we take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts.

Let us take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts - by reading, memorizing and meditating on the Word.

This last month has seen
Yours truly oscillating
Between mixed emotions
To her joy and chagrin

Decisions and mistakes
Sickness and starry eyes
Burdens and blessings
Good food and goodbyes

There's much I've come to love
And a good lot that I learnt
Now greater my appreciation
Of people and a Person

Great is God's faithfulness
May I never forget
This well-spent year
Is a proof of that

So, BCM (yup!)
BCM is the place to be
Forever in my <3
Signed with love, Rene.

Farewell for now, my lovely people in BCM. I love you all.

Sunday 29 June, I began feeling feverish in Genting and all the way to BCM. Then the fever came and the thought did occur to me that hey, my forehead is actually pretty hot, I wonder if my head would burn up.

About two days later, the fever left and all seemed to be fine. But I was not as sharp, my mind and movements seemed to be quite slow. Then, I started to feel tired no matter how much I'd sleep. And very thirsty too, but no amount of water would stop my dry lips from cracking at the edges.

Thursday 3 July, I went to view a room and ended up renting it yay! That's one thing down, and I'm glad.

Saturday 5 July, little red bumps started appearing under my skin, rashes! I had no fever at that time so I didn't think it would be da da da dengue! Sunday came and went and the rashes got more obvious. Oh and I had a great time teaching the ladies and hopefully they learnt something as well. About three of them said that the lesson was good and that they could understand it ;)

Monday 7 July, I was brought to the clinic. Did a blood test and guess what, I did have dengue. Platelet count was at 109. No wonder I was so absolutely tired the last few days. Then I thought, what if I die today? What if my platelet count drops to a dangerous level and I am unable to get to the hospital in time? I was afraid to fall asleep. Then I reasoned with myself, why do you fear? God holds your life in his hands. Do you believe that? Do you really believe?? O God help my unbelief!

Tuesday 8 July, I was brought to the clinic for a second blood test. Platelet count increased to 130+ so this means that my body was able to overcome the virus and was on the road to recovery.

I really, really want to thank God for preserving my life. I had dengue for a week and did so many things without knowing my life was at risk the whole time - I have been spared! It's crazy! I still have life on earth and it must not be squandered! There are no words but thank You.

The other day we watched a short clip of Christians being executed for their faith. And then, I was confronted with an issue regarding certain groups of people who are controversial.

I have been living in a bubble.

Well, I can't say that's a new realisation, I have known that for some time. But only now have I popped it (the bubble) just a little, and I am waiting for it to pop even more. I have a feeling that each time it pops a little, there will be a struggle in me. It will hurt, and I will grow.

The sooner I internalize the fact that we are not living in a happy world, the better. The earlier I understand that life will not treat me nicely, the better. The faster I lose this attitude of entitlement to all things good and perfect, the better.

Why?

Because that is the way the world is - it's broken! And Jesus never taught us to live a safe, comfortable, happy life, but he does tell us that there will be richly provided for us an entrance into the eternal kingdom if we walk with him. I have not been placed on this earth to make me happy, hiding myself from the "bad" things happening do not make them go away. Nope, I have been placed here to do something to help. The blessings that have already been received and the blessings that will be received far outweigh all the sorrows that we will experience on this earth.

So anyway, the other day I was confronted with a fear of mine. I realised that I can be afraid of people and what they would do to me, people on the streets who may be homeless, drug addicts - people of different backgrounds, beliefs and baggage. Here, I would like to remind myself that I am as broken as the next guy/gal. Whatever preconceived ideas, stereotypes and irrational fears I've had about people must be overcome. I need to learn to see them with the eyes of compassion and love.

A passage comes to mind.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)

God has done so much for me, I seriously have got to live right by him, I have got to learn to love my neighbours.

Just kinda have to write this down quickly before I forget!!

Found a room with a balcony, a cupboard full of shelves, one desk, shared bathroom and lady housemates.

One thing down, the rest of life to go with God.

THANK YOU God for your blessings!!!!! May I trust you more!

Matthew 6:33

I don't know where to begin...

But I suppose that's because the story of the beginning of my next three years of education is not yet complete although it seems to be taking shape and this brings a smile to my face. I am experiencing placing my trust in God, and there is no one better to trust in.

More than anything, I want to know You more, to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness.
This particular verse was the bedtime prayer my father uttered unto God and over us many times when we were children. It has become my prayer as well these last couple of days.

Oh remember, Rene, remember God's goodness to you.

Fingers with shiny light peach glittery nails. My one and only sister is now the wife of a good man. We love him cos he's great! :)

Things I learnt over the course of the last few days:

-Weddings can either strengthen or break up a family (or families-in-law). Do whatever you can to make it strengthen the family, even if it means raw, honest conversations and taking time off... Also, telling God honestly how you feel helps, a lot (it's not like one can hide anything anyway haha). He reminds me that I too have made mistakes, that he has shown me forgiveness and still loves me. He takes away anger that, on our own, we would not be able to overcome.

-Anything that can go wrong is likely to go wrong no matter how much you plan and preempt. Accept this fact and we'll laugh about it five years down the road. Oh, and I think from this experience, I can say that it's extremely important to have a sewing kit. Very important.

-When you marry someone, you marry into their family. So there will be a lot of compromising, prepare yourself... although I don't know if any preparation will ever really be sufficient.

-Having awesome people around makes things pretty awesome. When the lunch meal takes an hour to come and everyone is grimy (no aircon!), it's good (and witty) friends and lovely conversation that will help you make it through without noticing the time.

-Makeup needs to be removed by makeup remover. I am so thankful for Amy and her knowledge about makeup!

Extra stuff: Azlan from BLOGDILOZ was the wedding photographer. The photos have not arrived yet but the professionalism displayed on that day was absolutely impressive. Go check them out!

You know, May was an absolutely beautiful bride, both inside and outside. :)

Fingers with metallic ocean green nails. I'm still getting used to it, but like they say, the more you see it the more you'll like it.

As a result of the presence of a nail art stall in my college on the day of our Food and Funfair, coupled with my adventurous spirit towards non-moral issues such as the painting of one's nails, I had mine done for 10 coupons.

Then I thought to myself that having nail polish on your nails is like wearing clothes, it expresses a part of who you are. And the idea of having a variety of colours for different occasions to express parts of myself appeals to my fun side.

But I also think to myself that I have very little patience to learn and practice the fine art of putting on the polish properly. That amount of patience (or lack thereof), combined with a slightly more than necessary amount of obsessive observations (eg. the polish has chipped!) leads me to the temporary conclusion that I will leave nail painting to the pros.

I said "temporary", because my mind may be said to have changed if tomorrow I happen to obtain a bottle of nail polish. And a bottle of the first layer base thing that you put before you coat your nails with colour. And a bottle of the last layer that you put so that the polish lasts. And a bottle of nail polish remover, of course.

Um... haha, we'll see. :)

I am not ready to sleep yet. But as I begin to write, my eyelids begin to droop with each blink and each blink is like the tapping of my fingers on the iPad.

Tonight is a good night to reflect on the past term. Trying to be completely honest on a public page is not particularly easy. That said, I'll do me best.

How in the world am I supposed to summarize my experiences from January to April???

This term has seen me joining a unique cell group, improving my conversational skills, enjoying instant noodles while watching episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, declining drastically in my frequency of Zumba-ing, teaching English to foreign helpers, going up a mountain in a very traumatic way, eating super delicious babi hutan with my hands for the first time, getting hugged by little children, experiencing a very horrific amount of distress and stress, receiving a wedding card invitation to a wedding for the first time ever, lou sang-ing for the first (and second) time ever, meeting homeless people, meeting many other people, feeding pigeons in front of a mamak, making mistakes, realising there is room for making mistakes (for both myself and others), learning to rejoice in suffering, drinking quite a bit of white coffee, getting used to instant oats for breakfast, going to three churches on one Sunday, memorizing passages, sitting in 7/11, spending time in the ironing room, thinking and thinking about things, praying earnestly to God and then experiencing him in answered prayers, understanding myself better as an INFP and SC, wondering what the next step will be... *takes a deep breath*

*lets out a deep breath*

*taps Publish*

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God
The skies proclaim the work of his hands
Day after day they pour forth speech
Night after night they display knowledge
There is no speech or language
Where their voice is not heard
Their voice goes into all the earth
Their words to the ends of the world

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun
Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion
Like a champion rejoicing to run his course
It rises at one end of the heavens
And makes its circuit to the other
Nothing is hidden from its heat

The law of the LORD is perfect
Reviving the soul
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy
Making wise the simple
The precepts of the LORD are right
Giving joy to the heart
The commands of the LORD are radiant
Giving light to the eyes
The fear of the LORD is pure
Enduring forever
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
And altogether righteous
They are more precious than gold
Than much pure gold
They are sweeter than honey
Than honey from the comb
By them is your servant warned
In keeping them there is great reward

Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults
Keep your servant also from willful sins
May they not rule over me
Then will I be blameless
Innocent of great transgression

May the words of my mouth
And the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing in your sight
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer

It was in my first term in Bible College of Malaysia that I read Knowing God by J. I. Packer. I guess I did not expect to be astounded by this little classic, but it sure did open my eyes to what God is like. I grew in a deeper understanding of his character and could better grasp the severity of sin and why Jesus had to die for me.

Fast forward to my second term here in BCM and an acquaintance from church sent me a PDF of the book The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. I have not even finished it (this is not a book to be rushed through) and already I have been given the privilege to know God little by little. I have come to know that he is actually a real Person. These revelations are mind-blowing, to say the least.

Knowing about God (mere intellectual assent) is very different from knowing him. No one can know God unless God first draws him. Knowing him is knowing for sure that he has got my back, that he is a real person who is there to talk to me and hear me talk. I discovered that hearing his voice means reading his Word. Knowing him is having a reverent awe toward him and respecting him instead of singing a song with lyrics I don’t mean and praying prayers that aren’t like a real conversation. Knowing him is obeying what he has commanded, though circumstances really suck at times.

I hope to know him more and more and to be a better friend. I hope you will come to know him too.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

Thus begins the final week of my month-long retreat in the hometown - until January, because CNY is just around the corner hehe.

Turn away now if you are not interested in weddings... ok... It's too late now, brace yourself for a post on bridesmaids and all things nice and whimsical.

The past three days have been the most fruitful with regard to getting bridesmaid stuff done. May May is getting married in 5 months waaaaah! She has two bridesmaids and this may be the optimum number of bridesmaids to have. I, and a dear friend of my soon-to-be-wedded sister, have a very limited amount of time together to do important stuff (like dress hunting) so we got major things done early... (like, 5 months early, but it's always better earlier than never) which makes it funny, crazy and awesome at the same time.

Bits and pieces from Bridesmaid Adventures:

1. My sister's other bridesmaid and her sister are family friends so things worked out very well! There may be difference in opinions but no spiteful squabbles as can be seen on the Say Yes To The Dress series. It's really cool that we want the best for May May and I am super thankful for good time we had doing stuff. We printed two different designs on the wedding cards (50 of each) because we couldn't figure out which one we liked better and they're both beautiful. Then, we got to the printing shop 15 minutes before it closed. This little rushing saved us about 72 hours... for reasons that are too long to be explained here.

2. To make a nice fold in a wedding card, use the blunt side of a butter knife to draw a line (guided by a straight ruler). Then fold the card in the direction it is supposed to be folded and use the ruler to press it down. There you have it! A professional looking fold without creases that damage the card. Credit goes to my Pa for figuring it out like a genius (with the help of Google).

3. Technographic has (compared to other companies) cheap printing services for your card (or whatever it is that you want to print). It's super easy to find once you know the directions.

4. Dress hunting is an extremely pleasant experience with the right people - it was also an extremely short experience because we found THE dress very quickly. We found the dress (thanks to Amy) in the third shop we entered (thanks to Angeline) in CityONE (thanks to Dad, our Chauffeur) and were able to order another one which will be arriving next month (thanks to God and the Rock Shop and their suppliers). Oh, and our dresses have pockets... Pockets!!!! *ahhhh...* Pockets are just so practical. :P

5. Don't do intense work when you're tired. One's brain can't quite function when overloaded and one may get really impatient with one's Pa. The one thing I dislike more than unnecessary conflict is not resolving the conflict in 5 minutes. So I apologized for snapping... Pa is always ready to forgive. But I think he wasn't offended in the first place so he didn't really know what I was apologizing about. Anyway, yeah, don't overwork yourself.

6. The prospect of surprising and bringing joy to people (in this context, it would be my sister) propels me to finish a project (in this context, cutting wedding cards) ASAP. So, a tip for card-cutter-holics would be to put handiplasts where your fingers are being rubbed raw... then you can continue cutting. But of course, remember to pause for your meals and perhaps a nap (or forget the nap as there's no way you can get a few winks because your mind will be thinking about cutting cards).

Last but not least, don't fold the cards until the date draws near... lest the cockroaches lay their stinky eggs in em.

Dear self,

You are learning to accept. To accept that there will be days you look your best, and there will be days that you look worse than you feel (because you feel comfy in your torn clothes but you may not want to leave the house looking like that).

Stop feeling fake when you're looking your very best (even though you don't carry that image 95% of the time) because it's called "being dressed for the occasion". The you that you are in a chic black dress is the same you in your faded black tee and Cheetah pants.

You are still you - the valuable person that I love. The valuable person that He loves.

Now that you know this, you might want to finish up on your last assignment for the semester.