Saturday, December 30, 2006

the last day of 2006

2006. ahh.. 3 words to sum it all, WHAT A YEAR! (actually i have 4 weeks of CNS notes waiting for me to conquer, by today! but i can't help but blog).

first of all, for so many things to happen on the last week of the year, it's scary! the rain, the floods, the earthquake, saddam's execution (i know, huh?!!), wars and rumours of war. what's more scary is, (i speak for myself too) some people actually said that i can say what i want, when i want, it's my mouth, why do u care? all that most of us are worried about is: will i pass my exams? why isn't the internet working? and not care about the situation that surrounds us. like a slap on my face, at that.. to "preach" that we have to CARE, God has called us into missions, it's not about us! And all I care about is the internal carotids & vertebral arteries.

God speaks. through the bible.. i didn't heed.. finally picked up Jesus MD and wham! God speaks much too clearly. a good physician SCRUBS himself clean. and God i'm scrubing myself now. the dirt must've been sooooo thick that i was numb to the things around me and can only feel myself. and SCRUB! to say sorry for stuffs that i've kept deep deep within me. and SCRUB! for the envy.. SCRUB! for being so selfish.. SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB! for the times i think that i'm not loved! speaking of which, i must share this. u know, how it is when u're in a big church, not everyone knows everyone, u might even walk into the hall not knowing anyone, with no one to sit with, and u feel like, hmm, do i belong here? n u just push it away, c'mon stop being such a wimp! sit down.. but haha, EACH TIME i have these thoughts.. God seems to know how to remind me i'm not alone, i'm not forgotten. today was one of those days..

31/12/2006
9.56am
I walk into the ballroom. greeted by warm ushers.. aunty kah wai still remembers my name! *touched* wishes of happy new year fills the air. walk down the aisle. hmm, any familiar faces? no? ok just sit where i used to. my friend shld be coming soon.

9.58am
no sign of her. nvm.. suddenly someone comes up to me, hey don't sit alone la.. (was quite embarassed at that) then only to find out that. haha, he's sitting alone too. *touched* so oh well.. i guess i'm not THAT pathetic.

9.59am
aunty linda comes.. CHRISTINE! how are you...... when are u gonna start dancing again? miss u in the team. *touched* i don't think i'll be able to cos i'll be leaving for adelaide in 2 weeks time! small talk small talk..

10.01am (svc hasn't started! i did not disrupt the svc..)
turns behind.. HI!!! and there was this lady whose daughter i "saved". haha.. now THAT is another incident.. one day, some mths ago. i felt the same kind of loneliness and God used another method to remind me i was not by getting me involved. a girl fainted and erm, well, being a medical student i was called (although i know nuts!) to cut the long story short, she recovered and so i saw her & her mom today. so aunty was like. HEY! u're the one who helped my daughter. *touched*

11.10am (during svc ps asked us to go arnd and greet and hug each other)
so i shook hands with this uncle, erm, which i don't really know. but he said: hey, haven't seen u dancing for quite some time.. *mouth wide opened* (u noticed?!) hee. yeah, cos my final semester has been quite busy.. small talk small talk.. *touched*

12.10am (prayer of blessings)
ps talks of how the year has been, how it started, and how as it comes to a close, at the threshold of the new year, how God has a great beginning for us. 2 things really strucked me:

1) Let us arise and build. (that's my church's theme)
it has been a year of building, of really digging out the gravels, of flattening the land, of piling, and making a strong foundation. argh, it hurts. it does! what ps says it's right. God is building. and i was surprised (pleasantly?) that i wasn't alone, it was indeed a phase that God is putting Metro through. *touched* i AM a part of this body. some time ago, someone said something about serving in CF & in church, how u shld be attached to the local church, where your spiritual family is. it got me thinking a bit. about not serving and yet can i run in the same vision as the church? it was hard no doubt. explains all that "lonely" feelings. but yeah, God has answered my question after all this while. as long as i've been faithfully attached, i AM a part of it. it's not about the activities i have, or the people that i mix with.. my commitment is to God. and all my brothers and sisters are my spiritual family.

2) God is a God of closure. hmm?
don't look bck, and revel in your past accomplishments, or mourn about how things have gone wrong. Isaiah 43:18-19, 25

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old, Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall sprout; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

I am He who blots out your sins for My own sake, and will remember them no more.

wow. powerful, not that God is forgetful but He chooses to remember it no more. so don't u think we too should start learning how to forgive and let go? yep, that's what i'm gonna do, no more being a coward Christine Chow. AND don't limit God based on what He has done before. God is creative eh? He has His own style, NEW ones!

2006 has moulded me. 2007 is gonna be a great year!

how has your year been? share it.. ;)

before i end, i'd like to say a prayer for everyone:
Dear Jesus, I thank you for your grace! we're totally not deserving of it. but yet, u still draw near. u still love us. I just want to commit every single person who reads this, my loved ones, family and friends, that even as they bring their chapter of 2006 to a close they will look back, only to thank You for all that You've done. and look forward to the greater things you have in store for them. I commit them into Your loving hands, u protect, u bless, u favour their every step, In Your name i Pray, AMEN!

BLESSED 2007!!!!

Friday, December 29, 2006

i am a coward

can't even utter a 5 letter word. S-O-R-R-Y.. argh..
i could speak since i was what? 9 mths old?? a more
complicated word at that, F-L-O-W-E-R. and a simple
sorry can't be mouthed. i'm such a BIG COWARD!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

it's a new day!

why? cos my "Operasi Membasmi Sleeping Sickness Dalam Christine" telah berjaya! err, i mean succeeded! woo hooooo.. well guess what? i woke up at 7 today!!! (6.58 to be more exact) but then, hehe, just to make myself feel better, i closed my eyes and wait for my alarm to sound, ha! *triumphant*

i can only expect 2 response out of this:

1) wahhhh, christine actually woke up before me!!! (oh and did i tell u i'm already at the library.. and it's 815 right now)

2) cheh, 7 am only what, i wake up at that time everyday laaa...

ok in order to clear the air.

1) i am NOT gloating. but i'm really happy, & relieved! let me tell u why.. since yesterday, i suspected i have sleeping sickness (non-easily arousable type) because!!! for the past 5 times i went to sleep (naps included), i haven't been able to wake up at the stipulated time, not because i'm very tired, cos i'm obviously not. of course there's the factor of me loving sleep to consider. but the worse part is!!! 5/5 times i can't hear my alarm clock (or should i say clockS).

2) it's a big achievement for me because. ahem, well, i've always been known to be ON TIME (ok laa... slightly late!) at most occasions.

hoho.. so here's what i did to make sure i woke up today. i set my usual 2 "not-so-reliable" alarm clocks (which surprisingly works! wow!!), i had my roommate on standby.. she said she would wake up by 730. reika, my other hsemate, 2nd in line.. 830. and if all else fails, emma would buzz me right after she wakes up. thks emma, only u understood the severity of the situation.. (u see yesterday i came to uni utterly flustered.. and restless knowing that there were "tsetse flies" in my hse, and I was the ONLY ONE with the infection!!) and last BUT definitely not the least, i prayed: God.. i really want to wake up early tomorrow to study. i have less than 3 weeks to finish endo, repro, renal, cns, cvs, respi, hemato & foundation 2. i need to STOP being such a BUM! Thank you... Amen.

and i believed with all my heart that my preparations didn't matter at all, cos i know, God woke me up at 6.58 am today! thank you Lord!!

ok i shall now go and study! happy studying to all sem1s, sem3s and sem5s!!

Saturday, December 09, 2006

issues of the health

title inspired by our last official system in imu bj. *sigh* wave of nostalgia (as i write this, there's a HOUSEFLY buzzing around in my room! -_-" thks for accompanying me)

i can't believe my 2.5 yrs here in bukit jalil is gonna end! but i must say, it has been the BEST time of my life.

it's here that i learn, how amazing GOD is, of His grace that has always been more than enough for me. and I just can't stop thanking Him for that. For also showing me the importance of prayer. I'll truly miss prayer meetings, especially those where we gather outside the exam hall 15 minutes before it starts;

how i've matured and become braver through the seasons, more outspoken (& louder - ouch) than i used to be;

it is here that i learn how to be independent, and solve problems that i used to always push away, to learn how to share instead of bottling up everything;

where i learn how to serve, and lead in the way that He wants me to; God has really moulded me through the church, life group and CF. I never imagined I would be the person I am today if not for His grace. I'm not perfect, but I know He's brought me a long way. To my 'mentors' Ps Ong, Ps Chee Keng, Joanna, Eu Pui, Sarah Ong, Jill, Eric, Grace.. maybe not all have directly discipled me, but i'm inspired by what you've done and what you're doing!

where i meet true friends, supportive friends and prayer partners that encouraged me to go on this journey;

-Li Yeen, thanks for always being the hee-hee-haa-haa friend, one that i can complain and share with, talking abt almost everything under the sun, shopping!! n of course our same allegiance to MNG and ZARA. i honour you.. although u always poke me in the cheek, i forgive u :P haha..

-to the INs, Lay In - Go Go Girl! Se Yin - Our No. 1 MNG informer, Evelyn - the sophisticated, thank you for making my life in IMU a memorable journey. i'll never forget the times we've spent, whether in uni or otherwise (and the ss picture taking sessions)

-housemates!! i love you B-02-4.. and whatever memories we have of cooking together).

-To Wen Hao, for being a good friend to Chris and myself.. ur faith has always been an encouragement to me. sitting with you for lectures in sem5 has been great!

-To Jay my lame kaki. continue your lame-ness in Belfast as I attempt to continue mine in Adelaide. But on a more serious note, thks for being the friend you are, i enjoy all the dancing times! dance for His glory!

-sze liang, YOU the man. Sorry i'm always a parasite to you, eating from ur egg tarts, to tong yun.. and the list goes on. You're a blessing dude! Continue to be one in Otago. (remember pot luck means u have to bring FOOD yeah!! hehe)

-Joanne! Desmond! Minoo! Wilfred! The prayer pillars. thank u for always reminding me of the power of prayer. Lives are changed because of your prayers!

-Lim Eu (Step-hen), Ding, for ur non-stop teasing, but really fun to have you guys around!! i'll remember KKB!!!!

-Sem 3s esp Ivy - Doraemon & Daughter, Gary - Tweety & Son, Ee Leen - Yoda & remind each other not to think too much partner, Sarah Ng - scandalous sarah 2 & Timothy - haha.. peak of the normal distribution curve..

-Sem 2s Jeremy, Lieo Jin & Noris, all HIGH Is (Influential), use it for His glory yeah? ;) there's never a dull moment with you guys arnd.

-Sem 1s - too many to name! You guys have never failed to impress me with your dedication, commitment and enthusiasm.. Jimmy, Evelyn, Natalie, Jon, Soo Han, Yinn Cher, Wei Lin, Celeste, Lynn, Edwina, Shao Wen and the list goes on and on and on!!

-and not forgetting, kind seniors Jack & James who have been such great friends!! :D

where i meet my baby darling Chris, my companion and confidante; I LOVE YOU!! thank you for listening, for bearing with me, for sharing life with me. Sorry for making you worry all the time! Hehe.. But I appreciate that, because I know you care! I alaways thought it's amazing how God put 2 people who never considered the medical profession, to end up in the same place, AND loving it. It's also amazing how God has brought us together and guide our paths.. I pray for a deeper relationship with God and with you as we embark on our new journey to Adelaide.

Emma my other darling, i'll miss ur knee-knocking whenever i'm in line in the cafeteria. I'm glad we got closer.. :) Remember Romans 8:28 yeah. Turn Newcastle upside down (or downside up) for Jesus :D

where i learn how to play darts and made good buddies through this sport. Deva, you rock!! thks for being such a great friend, CSU partner, darts partner and occasional CS partner.. and of course, ah Glen, Chuen, Suet May, Steph, Chun Peng, Wen Hao, Hau Chun, Hendrick, Debbie.. the good ol' days!! I'm thinking of getting a dart board in adelaide already! hehe..

where we formed the makan club, although i think it needs some kind of resuscitation now, but our makan trips are THE BEST!!!! I will miss it soooooo much!!!! Chuen are we still going international? cos we have 4 of us in adelaide already :P

to those going to adelaide, i look forward to building meaningful and strong friendships with you :)

lastly, for teaching me the value and importance of a family, i'm still learning.. there's a lot to! but I know you'll help me :) I LOVE YOU PAPA, MUMMY, CHRISTOPHER,
NEUMAN, AH MA, POR POR, and my uncles & aunties, cousins, niece & nephew
.

M2/04 the best batch ever.. history makers!!! muakZz love u all..
too many to acknowledge, but I just want you all to know that, you've impacted my life in many many ways.. and I thank you for that! if i didn't mention your name it doesn't mean that u're not important k..

this being my last week of classes, it ended VERY well. God definitely saw to every detail and made sure everything ran smoothly. O me of little faith, but guess what? God is faithful even when we're faithless. Christmas Week, Friday Night. For those who were involved, you'd understand what i'm talking about.

-IMU Christmas Celebration went so so well, the audi was filled, the play went so so so smoothly, compared to the day before! (Jeremy and gang.. well done! you have put in late nights to make it a success, God honours it),

-and the Christmas fun fair to raise funds for St Jerome's Kids. we made > RM 6000!!!! PRAISE THE LORD.. Just our chicken pie stall alone, made 900+ (which actually doesn't really tally with our expected profit, so God it HAS got to be YOU!!) I guess me, ivy & sarah's chicken-pie-song-to-th-jingle-bell-tune works too :P and the kids enjoyed themselves soo much, everyone enjoyed themselves! IMU has a different Christmas this time around. We actually were very bold this time, putting up the story of Christmas, putting up facts about Jesus.. and transforming the whole uni with Christmas decor. God's favour was so evident!!

-and lastly, the sem1s performance on friday night which was FANTABULOUS!! kudos Sem 1s.. the efforts put in has definitely paid off.. talented!! God truly answers prayers!! :)

and of course, issues of the health (health issues), haha.. i'll just say, it was an OK paper. but u know what? it doesn't really matter.. cos I have God with me. Emmanuel! :D

*and the fly is still buzzing arnd*

OHHH YEAAAHHH!!! METRO TAB's CHRISTMAS MUSICAL IS BACK!!!!

Presenting... WORD on the STREET!

Date : 15, 16, 17 DECEMBER 2006
Time : 8.00 p.m.
Venue: Grand Ballroom, Hotel Flamingo

visit http://christmas.metrotab.org/ for more details..

for transport.. ask ME! :)

Saturday, December 02, 2006

ho ho ho..

so many things to update! hehe..

1. matching
i got addelaide! my first choice! woohoo.. what makes it even more amazing..
chris got adelaide too! yippee.. it can only be God! as for me, i fasted
and prayed and hoped so very hard for this. the waiting period left me very
very worried, to the point of distraction so much so i wasn;t able to study.
agonizing.. although i knew God was in control.

but like in my previous post, no matter where we end up, all thing works
out for the good for those who love Him!

n guess what? chuen (the funny blogger), steph (hot chick), shiau cern (primary school classmate) & rahul (the footballer) are all heading to adelaide too! yay!
look out!! we're gonna rock that place. hehe.. only thing, i'm kinda sad we're
leaving so early (15 jan) *sob sob* i'm so gonna miss everything here.

2. christmas celebration in imu
i somehow got myself involved.. not that i'm complaining.. haha.. i found it
harder to keep out of it than to be a part of it.

3. pc fair
agh, i went there for 3 hrs n didn't buy anything! because i was too cautious.
shld've just gotten the edd & sony mp3. haha.. but well, i suppose that makes me
a careful buyer. which is not a bad thing eh?

4. wedding blues
nope.. i'm not getting pre wedding depression. it's just that alicia's wedding's
arnd the corner and we're suppose to wear something blue. BBUT! i haven't got
any.. how!!!!!

5. chris' birthday surprise
well, due to my lousy acting skills (if i ever had any), the surprise wasn't
very surprising after all.. haha.. along the way to mc d's, there were "leakages"
if know what i mean. haha.. not to mention, the stuffs that i did didn't turn
out the way it shld for eg.

the puzzle - wayyyy to big for the individual boxes. my measurements suck

the cake, too flat (erm.. cos i used superfine flour instead of self raising.
a bit dumb right. good thing i noticed it at the last minute just before i
stuffed the cake into the oven, i managed to add some baking powder) but yeah,
it tasted ok i guess???? LET ME EMPHASIZE, this experiment DOES NOT reflect my
baking skills okay..

lastly, the pop-up card. which.. is the failure of all failures, so much so i
didn't give it to him. haha.. but yeah, i'm glad u enjoyed urself dear!! hehe..
despite all my shortcomings. n thank u to all who turned up and made the surprise
a surprise! hehehe..

6. STUDY STUDY STUDY!
what else is new for a medical student eh? but sadly, i'm not ur usual medical
student material. when other ppl have finish revising 4-5 systems. yours truly
only managed 1.25 systems (MSK + now starting GI) somebody slap me!! EOS5 is in
4 weeks for goodness sake!

tmr church's @ 8am. n i'm here blogging @ 1.41 am. christine christine.. (oh man
i'm beginning to sound like jer)

Saturday, November 04, 2006

An Abundant Life

God has come to give us life. No no no! not just life, but life abundantly! I checked the Oxford for the meaning of the word abundance and it goes something like this: very great quantity, more than enough, overflow, excess. Notice that it doesn’t say life is going to be easy, smooth sailing or without hitches. Anyway, if our lives were to be a bed of roses, I suppose we wouldn’t really appreciate the roses – its scent, beauty (I hope it’s not too profound). It just says that it is more than enough. To me it means living a life that counts for something (to me, it’s Jesus), then, you have really LIVED.

My emotions have been very jumbled up recently, with confusion, doubts, nostalgia, fear, happy, thankful but at the same time depressed, tired and lonely. It’s quite hard to explain really. It’s even harder to express.

Being a Christian does not mean I’m exempted from the “woes” of the world. I face exactly what everyone face. The only difference is that, no matter what my moods are, I know that my God is right there, holding my hands, and giving me that extra grace to see me through. I am not perfect, that’s why I need God to help me live that abundant life.
Psalm 51:17 A broken spirit and a contrite heart, You will not despise. Thank you Jesus for taking me as I am.

This week, with all the emotional highs and lows, the verse that I felt God strongly speaking to me is Romans 8:28 – All things work together for good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. All things – good things, bad things. Only GOD can work these things for our good. I found that really amazing. Y’know, it’s not hard for the world to make good things better, but only God can make even bad things good, just because He loves us. Period. Everyone desires to be loved. And I’m so glad He loves me so much, to be interested in my life.

Having experienced all these for myself, I found it very disturbing, and heartaching when I think of those who are undergoing depression. It often goes unnoticed, or shoved under the carpet. It remains a social stigma. What’s worse is, you don’t know what to do. Or people just bear with it, treat the symptoms but that isn’t really solving the problem is it? I know the answer to the problem – God. But they don’t see it? Or do they but refuse to accept? To dwell in self-pity is the saddest thing that one can ever experience. With all this confusion in my mind, I asked a lot of whys!!!! God why this, why that? Why make people suffer like this? God, You promised abundant life!!!!

And God said: Love them.
Me: But… It’s so hard God. They don’t even want to help/love themselves. They just allow themselves to dwell in negativity.
God: I know, that’s why you should love them. You’ve experienced it yourself. It’s so much easier to love the love-ables. Anyone can do that. But it takes a heart of compassion to love the “unlove-ables”.
Me: Sigh… But I myself get depressed when I try to.
God: I came to seek and save the lost. Do as unto me, and not to men.
Me: I can’t do this on my own.
God: That’s why I am here, to give you the strength.
Me: *mutters* it's not gonna be easyyyyyy
God: That's why you're in medicine! :P

Hmm, maybe some of you think it’s scary to actually have “conversations” with God. In times like this, when you’re real to God, He becomes so very real to you. It is because of my personal encounter with Him that started my relationship with my best friend. If I hadn’t known Him, my path would’ve taken another turn. Talk to Him, wherever you are, and when that “still small voice” responds, you just know it.

I end my post with Psalm 89:1
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

I’m still working on the 2nd part of the verse :D God give me the grace...

Thursday, October 26, 2006

celebrating hui huei's birthday with jap buffet :)


girls :) Posted by Picasa


+ 1 guy Posted by Picasa


and a lot of JAPANESE FOOD (jer only joined us later..) Posted by Picasa

wen hao's birthday @ yuen's


our dreams & ambitions & thoughts of people arnd us.. to be opened 10 yrs later.. Posted by Picasa


all at wenhao's 21st :D Posted by Picasa

lay in's birthday @ dome


happy birthday lay in! (i'm her no.9 guest, count our fingers :-P) Posted by Picasa


jay very hung fuk oh.. Posted by Picasa

Clinical Skills Unit


CSU practice session Posted by Picasa


now putting what we learn into practice.. haha Posted by Picasa


in seremban GH Posted by Picasa

baby daren can clap his hands now!! :) Posted by Picasa

oh and did i tell u i have a very cute nephew? hehe Posted by Picasa

or at night holding our msk notes! Posted by Picasa

even under the sun! Posted by Picasa

ardent basketball supporters!! Posted by Picasa

linked arms! (no we didn't all plan to wear WHITE) Posted by Picasa

my other cheeky brother :) Posted by Picasa

my 3 year apart twin brother.. don't we look so alike??!! Posted by Picasa

darts gold medallist.. woo hoo! Posted by Picasa

and we are the overall champions! :) Posted by Picasa

it was worth it! this is post-performance :D Posted by Picasa

this was 2 days before cheerleading? we had to practice in the car park -_-" Posted by Picasa

imu cup scoreboard.. sweat, tears, blood.. literally.. but i'm happy it's completed :D Posted by Picasa

Saturday, September 30, 2006

post-everything

i can finally say phew* and join in the blogging frenzy after imucup! haha..
in case u didn't know, we won!! (no hint of superiority there) just blessed to
be a part of such a great batch.. and the fact that God has been amazingly
gracious to M2/04! :D and being a part of the committee.. i must say,
Gordon has been a good president! and chun peng vice president!! they make
a great team, and i can say it's one of the best imucup ever, given the fact that
we had so little time to squeeze everything in.. to the rest of the committee,
deb, deva, nikki, nana, stephen, kee huat, wen xern.. u guys are the best!
esp take my hat off to kee huat and his marketing team.. and stephen for
a very very well planned finale! :D

i guess the one event that really worries us was cheerleading..
although for me, i wasn't exactly worried, too busy? or just knowing
that we'll pull through in the end? hmm, i suppose being a last minute
person, it's nothing new.. having said that, it is still that ONE "sport"
that took up a lot of time.. but it was all worth it.
and u shld've seen us 2 days before the competition, if it's not by
God's grace, it would not have been possible.. SILVER man......
kudos to JAY, LAY IN, SUET MAY, SABENA, EVELYN and all the
cheerleaders alike..

kudos to steph and myself (ok here, got a bit perasan one) cos we got GOLD
for darts.. and our team (women's doubles) did not lose a single game.. and
again, i'd like to give all glory to God, cos i really prayed hard. hmm, it's my
erm.. first "sports" medal.. or should i say, "sport" that i'm worthy of
representing. loads of fun (and STRESS!! omg.. palpitations during semis &
finals)

and the biggest of all KUDOSes goes to my almighty God once again!!
why?? for pulling me through MSK!! the paper was good :D considering i
only completed my first round of revision 6 hours before the exams! i may
not get an A, i may not pass but i'm happy to know that He was with me
throughout the entire paper and gave me UNEXPLAINABLE JOY &
PEACE (nope.. no marriage talks associated joy, carrot :P).. not to mention
i didn't really sleep the night before, and yet i felt fresh (which is very rare
for CHRISTINE species)

p/s: u notice when i'm bck home i post pictures, and when i'm in kl i write?
haha.. because i was too lazy to install picasa into my laptop -_-"

Saturday, August 19, 2006


cf committee and our "contract" to unity! yay! Posted by Picasa

mr cool balloon.. Posted by Picasa