LG Retreat 25-26 July

As per title, this post is about LG Retreat that is happening last week!

Wah this month I really on the ball ya, keep on updating my blog :-)

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First time in the committee team ler. So nervous!  

I've indeed learn a lot in organizing such a event (behind the stage, preparation, logistics, etc). 

Thanks for the mentorship. 

We started from 2pm in the Saturday and up all night until 3am '-_-" 

haihh, feel young again but after retreat I crashed until took half day leave. LOL.

Thanks for the core team, who organise and make things happened. Thanks for the leader, sacrificing your time to teach us and lead us, despite taking care of 2 children. Thanks for the participants, our LG's spirit of competitive makes the game double fun! Thanks, everyone! 

LaserQuest Red team

LaserQuest Blue team

And of course, my fave! Instax photo! :-)

-Deb-

Hope Conference 2015

Hi guys!

It’s been my 4^th year attending Conference. And this year, I’m serving, too! 

I don't want to brag or something but the whole experience really humbled me as I’m serving the Lord God, He refreshes me from inside out. And there’s some testimonies coming up so stay tune!

Epilogue

This time round is different, I was on duty for Session 4 and 5 which mean, Sunday morning and afternoon. 

Why didn’t I serve for the whole day because: 

1. I’m not sure if my body can take it from serving for the whole day, well... Kudos to those can serve full day, really salute to you guys! 

2. I want to experience my own serenity during Kairos night. hehe. 

So day 1, as usual meet at the entrance of stadium and go in together.  3 years ago, I always sit at the north near premiere seats together with Indo group. Since I joined adult LG (coz simply I’m adult now, hee…) so now, we always sit on the west area, near parent’s lounge. Ahh time flies very fast!

Thanks, Ate Jackie for helping me take and wash my Volunteer T-shirt. It’s like she knows that I’m being anal about wearing new unwashed T-shirt.

Day 2, we have to report as early as 7am to have briefing cum breakfast. And then the sub-leader briefs us separately and we went to standby in our post. Well guess where my post was?

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In the Premiere Seats.

Hehehe

I’m serving together with the Youth group.

Suddenly I felt so young again. 

So this is my 5 mins of joy about:

“Hi, are you from Uni service?”

(So happy! Someone’s mistaken my age for my age!)

But the joy was short-lived, I replied, “No, I’m from adult service.”

“Oh, you look so young, I thought you just graduated from uni” 

(happy again!) 

I replied, “thanks, I got that a lot. Hehehe”

Awkward moment *cricket sounds*

They don’t know I even have a daughter. LOL. But I never told them la later they thought I’m sombong or what.

So that’s my 5 mins of joy. Thanks for reading.  End of story.

Ok back to the topic!

After that during session 5, I was so tired and needs coffee booster to keep myself awake but none of the vending machine has coffee arrghh! Can I feedback to the management? When I don’t have my coffee I will tend to have stiff neck and leads to headache #whataweirddisease #truestory.

I think if you cut me bleed , I’ll bleed black blood (not Bad Blood by Taylor Swift) LOL. 

So I quickly texted Yanting to tabao me coffee and sneakily go to their seats and have a sip or two. Thanks, dear your coffee cured my headache. Next time I don’t need Panadol, I just need anointed coffee J Ok, that’s one of the testimony...

Actually, last Conference I have burden for mission trip but I keep on postponing due to busy schedule. It's like every time I saw mission trip calling, my heart stirred. This year Conference the God’s voice really loud and clear I can’t runaway anymore. No procrastination, Deb.  I’ve got to do it either this year or next year! Ok I’m not trying to bargain with you, God, but please open up the way.

Let’s the picture rolling!

(some collage photos courtesy from Shereen)

 

Thanks for reading! 

-Deb-

My braces off!

Ohai! How’ve you been?

This post is about my braces! but before that....

Yippie, as I'm typing this I'm listening to the Apple Music. Free 3 months trial and after that top up $10 monthly subscription to unlimited access to Apple library and download as much as music that I want! Thanks Apple, for awesomesauceness features and crazily affordable music! 

Ok, another random topics, about Giselle! 

There’s one time I brought her to NLB and leave her at kid’s section, then I went to study (don’t worry, just a few steps away) in study section. Then a few minutes later she came to me sobbing and told me, “I tripped off of the chair and it’s so hurt so much.” With the tears come out, “but I don’t dare to cry so loud coz it’s in library.” I was like, wah so considerate ah this girl, want to cry also must control coz it’s in the library”. So after round of cuddling and bribing her with ice cream she seems ok already. LOL.

Sorry for being so random! But I hardly got spare time to sit down and blog so this is the only time. 

Now move to the main topic.

It's been a month since I removed my braces. :-)

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The last appointment, which was just last month, the dentist asked me whether want to remove now or fix another appointment again, I just replied, can remove now? coz the next week I got Church Conference and I'll be serving so need to remove like immediately LOL so bossy! 

So there you go, sitting on the clinic's bench, open my mouth until sore jaw and I ain't complaining yo coz the dentist remove my braces, all of it. The wire, the bracket, the debris, one by one! 

At first he said, don't be alarmed of the removal of brackets as it will be much pressure on the teeth, so yeah, I was telling to myself I can survive bonded these brackets onto my teeth 3 years ago, and suck up all the nonsense due to braces, this means nothing! Bring it on pressure! Which 10 mins later I regretted coz the pressure is really pretty intense :-( 

So after that the dentist scrap the debris and polish my teeth one by one, well, I'm not too sure what he did as I just open my mouth and as long as I can remember the saliva and liquids constantly gushing out all over my mouth and I told myself I just need to open my mouth and let the dentist do the job. It took almost 45 mins to ensure that all been taken out and no more debris, before I can gargle and see my new set of teeth :-) 

Then the dentist took an impression of my new set of teeth, I can go home afterwards. When first time seeing my teeth without braces, I felt so...weird...it's like wow... actually I do have long and big teeth after all. When I run through all of my teeth using my tongue,  I was like, wow so slippery and weird feeling. Not sure how to express those feeling into words but I feel so contented and crazily happy, keep on checking out the mirror! Achievement unlocked!

This is the first photo of me graduated from braces!

Photo taken just right after dentist appointment!

So after that 3 days later I need to come back to take my retainers and well, do some tooth reshaping on the bottom part of the teeth plus scaling and polishing for finale :-)

The dentist said must put on retainers 24/7 for the next 6 months coz the risk of relapse is quite high and I don't want to waste another time and money to do another round of braces again pls. So I found it's not that difficult la just a change of habit but my biggest worry is, if the retainers gone, the cost of new replacement set is $300 :-( and you know what, first week after that, I lost my retainer's case (luckily it's only case) so please bobblehead, don't forget your retainers yo (talking to myself LOL) 

The most common mistake is, during meal, people often take out the retainers and put it into napkins or tissue, then accidentally thrown away together. So it is compulsory to bring the case 24/7 wherever I go and put the retainers inside its case during meal time. 

2 set of retainers: day and night

So here's the transformation!

Before braces.
OMG I'm so chubby!
and my two rabbit from teeth is big and protruding! 

Another one, big rabbit teeth! 

Two big and protruding front teeth
Haih ,I missed Giselle she's still cute on those days! 

After that I went for multiple tooth extractions to create the gap for braces.

Well, the extractions itself made my face shape "shrink" even just a little bit.  More V-face shape and define features now.  Even my nose bridge now is a little bit higher. 

Not to mention lose weight due to braces, so no more chubby cheek :-) 

Me HALF smile with Simpliclear braces

OK, here's me with BIG smile of Simpliclear braces,
can't really tell right!? 

OK last pictures, me after 3 years of Simpliclear braces.

Finally the journey is over and welcome to my new set of teeth! 

I feel like more beautiful 1000X LOL 

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During Hope Conference.
Serving for the very first time :-) 

Me and my baby attending musical performance

So good job dentist!

I think I'm pretty satisfy with the ortho's job. 

Thanks for giving me a new set of nice and perfect teeth= younger looking! 

Actually it's not only a set of new teeth but also new face shape, too

 Many people mistaken me for my age. LOL. they thought I'm from Uni service :-)

Ok, thanks for reading, going to sleep now. Ciao! 

-Deb-

Women in Proverbs

Ok, I’ve been thinking about writing something serious about life but am not sure where to start.

Let’s start this topic, shall we?

Women in Proverbs.

I think the best thing about being a woman, aside from shopping and having more than 100 pairs of shoes for different occasion, is to embrace our femininity. God created woman to be strong in spirit and gentle in action, to have desire chase after His heart. We, as Christian woman, should know our own worth. Not absorbed into the world’s standard and all the glams that world has to offer.

But how, God? How to be a woman chase after your heart? What’s the guideline? 

Let’s move to the verse, shall we?

The Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31:10-31 New International Version (NIV)

1. Godly woman is worthy and valuable. She’s not interested in chasing what the world has to offer: money, possession, wealth. She knows that all of these are temporary. So what's the point of pursuing these? Instead, she’s more interested in chasing God’s heart , her creator. How to be beautiful inside out. 

^10 [a]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.

2. Godly woman is hard working!

¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.

3. Godly woman is willingly sacrificed for other people. Not self-centred but to put others first before her. 

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

4. Godly woman is STRONG. Ok not strong muscle that kind. Maybe strong determination…? 

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

5. Not only Godly woman is STRONG. She also GENTLE and COMPASSIONATE.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.

6. Godly woman speaks carefully. She watches and guards her heart so that every word that she spoke, it will be from her gentle heart and not to spark an argument.   

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

7. Godly woman nurtures her children with love.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

8. Godly woman knows that outer appearance is only temporary and it will be withered someday. But inner beauty will bloom forever.

³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Ok, knowing these doesn’t mean that I’m godly woman or more holy than you.

In fact, I’m still mere woman with many flaws and imperfections though. How many times I skip my daily devotion coz I need more time to sleep in the morning or too tired in the night? How many times I saw people with jealousy. How many times I lose my cool when Giselle throw tantrums? See I’m still mere human…. But I believe nothing’s impossible with God’s grace, right. 

God, guard my soul with your holy spirit, humble my heart with your grace, help me to remember your kindness, your gentleness, your grace, that I am here today not because of my own strength, but it is because your power, that resides within me. 

Amen

Thanks for reading! J