Arrival and Departure..

Don't think anyone would really want to read a whole post about my computer story in Perth... So basically to cut the long story short, praise the Lord - i have word processing abilities at home!!! =) Met Liz and Grace Ang yesterday for a lovely dinner to catch up and meet their god-sister and her family, and yes, they were kind enough to bring my old laptop (from Sheffield days) over from home. Never been so happy to be able to access Microsoft Word before, and even better - got my old Winamp files as well as the ability to play cds! heh sure makes me appreciate what i've got more! So now just have to figure out how to connect to the internet at home ('cos after about 6 happy days of having msn at my fingertips, Karen's friend has taken the computer away to repair) And i can proudly annouce that i'll be starting on my assignments quite soon ;)

Yup and Karen left for Singapore and Malaysia early this morning for her 3-week holiday back home so i have the house to myself for this period of time. It's funny how i was considering staying on my own initially, when of course, i do enjoy company.. No man (or person) is an island right.. But thank God, i am making more friends and i'm sure the time will pass quickly, especially since we're coming right into the middle of term now :)

Once Again

Jesus Christ, i think upon Your sacrifice -
You became nothing, poured out to death.
Many times i wonder at Your gift of life
And i'm in that place once again.
Once again, i look upon the cross where You died.
I'm humbled by Your mercy and i'm broken inside.
Once again, i thank You.
Once again, i pour out my life.

-Matt Redman

So i've just finished my last class and group meeting before our 1-week mid-term break and i guess that's a good feeling.. But at the same time feel slightly sombre because of tomorrow. Good Friday. What an amazing event in history to remember and be thankful for. Of course it's true that we don't only reflect on this event once a year, or even just once a week during Holy Communion, but in fact, every moment of our lives should really be a response to that amazing, immense love expressed in that one act on the cross, which God planned right from the very start. How to live my life worthy of this calling? Only with the help of the Holy Spirit. Don't exactly have anyone to invite to any church meetings this year, but continue to pray earnestly for all my friends who have yet to understand the true meaning of Easter. When someone loves you; when you've got the best news in the world.. you've just got to share it with others, especially those who are dear to you.

40 deg Celsius in Perth

Yup, it really could reach a high of 40 today.. The sun actually bites! Don't know if i should be happy that it hasn't turned cold even though it's supposed to be Autumn already.. (Probably i'm commenting on the weather due to having lived in the UK for 3 years ;)

Anyway, was thinking of that 'out of my comfort zone' feeling and attribute it somewhat to my attachment to home and knowing that i'll be returning there soon so not fully committing to life here to a certain extent. In some ways i think it's like the Bible says we're supposed to live - as strangers in a land, only passing visitors on earth who shouldn't get too comfortable with life here because we're going home one day soon. Not sure if it's an appropriate analogy :P But ya, in the end guess it really comes down to living each day well, yet with the view that there's more to it than just living for the moment, and all the time with the question "What am i here for?" at the back of our minds.

On another note, YAY! We just got internet at home! So hopefully i'll be able to go on msn soon!! =)

First day of the rest of my life

Well the fact that i'm able to start a blog is definitely testimony to the fact that it's easy to do so, even for a technologically-challenged person like me :P Guess the reason for starting one is so as to avoid sending out those mass email updates and just let people get updated if they want to! Only sorry i begin this process in the middle of term at UWA, but then that sort of reflects how last-minute and late the whole journey to Perth has been ;P

Should just start by summarising about my arrival to Perth.. Arriving at 11pm the night before the pre-departure briefing and having to run around to enrol and get stuff settled wasn't fun; even less pleasant was the experience of having my mum's handbag and my laptop stolen after 5 days in Perth when poor Ian and Carol's house was broken into because we left the window open! Lesson learnt: don't tempt people with open windows and exposed belongings, even when in the house! Thank God her passport, I/C and other cards were returned, which would just have been a hassle to replace, so Mum was able to return home as planned last week.

Besides those initial days and having to change keys and get police reports etc, really thankful for finding a room to rent with Karen, who's really great! The house is cosy and homely too, which helps :) Getting settled into a new church and making new friends is not something i'm not used to.. but i seriously think i'm getting more introverted as i grow older :P So far this transition more than the others has been really getting me out of my comfort zone and led me to depend more on God than anyone else, which i suppose is good, and has probably let me identify better with those who are away from home..

School-wise, things have started rolling and i really should get down to finding some material for an essay while i'm not totally swamped with work yet. The course is really interesting, and definitely what i want to do, with lots of emphasis on the practical aspects of being a psychologist working with children.

Hope i haven't sounded like i'm complaining too much in this my first entry.. Overall, am definitely thankful to God for bringing me to Perth and for sustaining me thus far. Also for all my friends who've sent encouraging emails and are praying for me. As He has for the past years of my life thus far, even providing me with wonderful friends in different countries, trust that He will see me through this course, and pray that He will use me in whatever way He sees fit, since He has put me here for such a time as this.