A Date with My First Love.

I got up early in the morning today and rubbed the sleep out of my system. i had no time to waste, in my heart i had a mission. I freshened up, made my way to the kitchen for a bite. wait, change of plans, i'll have my bite outside. i had to rush for a very important appointment, a date to be specific. In fear of being late, i grabbed my dating material, stuffed my peanut butter bread into my mouth and broke into a sprint. i had no time to waste. after fumbling with the keys i finally reached the garden where i was supposed to spend time with Him. knowing that the date was going to begin at any given moment, i took a deep breath to steady myself. i scowled at the fact that i was nervous. i had no reason to be nervous at all! i've encountered Him numerous times already! we practically grew up together! He always has been there for me, every single stage of my life. i started to get all worked up and so i said a prayer to calm my foolish heart.

And then i sensed His presence. but instead of feeling shocked by His sudden presence, i felt warmth and peace. i always felt that way around Him. He was special to me that way. i lifted my eyes to His face and smiled. suddenly, raw instincts took over and i opened my mouth and oceans of words poured out. spluttering incomplete sentences and stuttering at syllables, i wanted to tell Him everything, i HAD to tell Him everything. Very calmly, He raised a finger to His lips, hushing me. then, with the same finger, He pointed towards the garden. still red with embarrassment by my moment, i dutifully obeyed His gesture and looked out into the garden.

what i saw stole my breath away. i noticed the sneaky arrival of dawn. the morning mist that enveloped me earlier today has left as swiftly as it came. everything was so real, so clear. 'crystal clear' was an understatement. it was as though i was seeing the world through different eyes. was it the timing? maybe its because i'm not used to getting up early on non school days. everything seemed so alive, so luscious, so beautiful. rays of sunshine were filtered by the leaves on the trees. birds of all shapes and sizes were chatting with great enthusiasm amongst themselves, hopping from one tree to another. squirrels chased each other around in pairs. flowers of all colours and forms peeped up shyly from behind the leaves.. it was a dream, a vivid dream. all this while, He made no sound, not a peep, not a single mutter. a small smile played on His face as He watched my pupils relax, taking in every drop of the beauty that surrounded us.

An overwhelming sense of emotion flooded my system. i was tearing. i looked at Him, and found myself dumbstruck. this isn't how its supposed to be, i came here for us to talk. i was looking forward to this date. but then i realised, theres a reason behind this. He always has a reason for everything. this date isn't happening as according to my expectations because it is beyond my expectations. He has something better installed for me. and then, as if He read my mind, i felt a stronger, richer emotion pulsing through my veins, into my system. i was overwhelmed by gratefulness, sheer grace and also by a deep sense of understanding. today i turn 16, and because of that, it is a benchmark for my 16 years of existence. i was born into the arms of very loving parents, who loved me soo much they gave me 3 siblings. i was born a healthy child. God blessed me with 5 senses and the ability to walk. i had a roof on top of my head. to shield me from the scorching heat, to shelter me from the pouring rain. i had food on the table, and a loving mother to make sure that i am well nourished. i have clothes to wear, and a dad who loves shopping with me. i was blessed with an opportunity of education. i had a voice in my family, my opinions were valued. i've been bestowed upon the responsibility of leading my siblings, guiding them and being there for them every step of the way. God brought friends into my life, which made it a whole lot more colourful. i am certain that i will share an eternity with my creator when my time on earth is over because of what He did. i am so blessed. i have everything i need, everything that i could ever ask for. what should i be then, if not eternally grateful?

i am not worthy. i have done nothing to deserve such blessings, yet i am blessed. how can one repay such grace? what payment is expected of me? nothing. It was love that brought Him down from heaven to be born amongst sinners. it was love that kept Him on the cross until it was finished. this love still dwells among us. it is because of grace that we breathe, grace that we sing, grace that we may have eternal life. grace, that i am alive at 16 while many barely survive over 5.

i want to make a stand. as i grow older i need to make sure that some part of me never changes. and i want that part of me to be my love for God. i need to make God the reason for my living on earth. I need God in my breathing, my living; my sleeping, my waking. I need Him when i rest, while i work; in my thoughts and speech. I absolutely need Him in approving of my hopes and dreams; in guiding me at times when what i really should do is just to watch, and times when i am to wait. God in my laughing and weeping; my hurting and my healing. Everything. i need God in everything.

i finally found my tongue. and as i turn to face Him once more, i told Jesus that He will always be my first love.

Thank you, for everything, Lord Jesus.

It Is Done.

Sat for the long dreaded Grade 8 piano exam today!
Its not that i don't like piano, in fact, i really enjoy music. its just the repetitive playing that bugs me. anyway, this is what my australian examiner said after my evaluation that really made my day.

Examiner : "Ahh.. you're tall and slim, you'll definitely have lots of boyfriends. Oooh yes, and you can play the piano very well too! you have very agile fingers. Boys will like you for that."

Me : "Hehe, you're looking very fine yourself too. thank you. but if a guy is going to marry me for my piano fingers, i'll be a lonely old hag by the time i have osteoporosis."

Examiner : "Ohoho! you're a funny girl too! well, choose the right guy alright?"

Me : "Yes, i believe my father will see to that fact. with a shotgun by his side of course."

Examiner : "Hahahaha! you take care, young Elena, you take care!"



now, there are 3 possibilities to this situation.
1) i did really really badly in my exams and he's trying to ease the blow of an 'F'.
2) He really meant what he said and i should just be happy that he said that.
3) He urgently needs new spectacles.


hmm.. i'll take number 3. thank you.

I Left My Heart in China.

I have found a piece of heaven on earth - the middle kingdom.

i had an absolutely great time there! the FOOD, the FUN, and most importantly the FELLOWSHIP. it was an extremely blissful trip. one which made me dread the day that i had to board the plane back to Malaysia.

perhaps one of the reasons why i enjoyed the trip so much was because i could communicate with the people there with the very rusty Mandarin i speak. i even had the opportunity to haggle with the locals there. we left every souvenir shop with the shopkeeper almost reduced to tears from not being able to con these malaysians into buying their overpriced products. :)

and thats how your 'made in China' souvenirs came to be, my dear friends.

here are the few facts i've observed and picked up throughout my trip to shanghai,

-the weather was a steady 24 degrees celsius and even colder in during the nights.

UV rays are pretty strong during the day although the day may seem breezy and you do not feel the scorching heat.

-the means of transportation there was a mixture of motors and bicycles. lots of big cars, for the rich and bicycles with 'motors' for the middle classes. the taxis there were all volkswagens and yellow in colour. their roads system is the opposite of our system and vehicles there drive on the right side of the road. all steering wheels are on the left too.

-the population of shanghai is 19 million citizens.

-almost every where you turn your head in china, has historical value.

-rm1=1.9renminbi

-there are very few stray dogs on chinese streets. (you do the math)

-chinese people are pretty daring when it comes to stylish dressing. knee length boots and stockings dominated the pavement.

-there is no access to facebook in china because of tight censorship. :(

-chinese signboards are very amusing.

-chinese food gets even better in china. malaysia has 3 largest ethnic groups but china recognises 56 other nationalities, hence, an array of different culture and cuisine.

-chinese people can eat almost anything and everything. perhaps thats the reason why we couldn't find dragons dominating the sky, nor lochness monsters in the lakes. they all became exotic chinese dishes. :)

-out off all the chinese people we've came across in china, only 5 were overweight.

-basketball and not girls is the fantasy of young chinese boys with yao ming is their ultimate idol.

-most chinese people don't understand a single hoot of english nor are they impressed by anyone who speaks the language. if you speak english in china, especially infront of a salesman, thats it. the price shoots up and stays there.

-the bund is the most romantic place you can bring your chinese girl friend for a midnight stroll.

-they sell McPork at McD outlets there.

-Shang Hai nightlife is full of zest with plenty of nightclubs for your pick, beautifully decorated streets and sky scrapers.

-it is not chinese culture to throw their toilet paper into the bowl after use (something which is like second nature to us Malaysians) because their 'indah water' system isn't build to support such rubbish. instead, they throw it in the bin next to the bowl.

-because of heavy competition, companies fight to outdo each other by constantly improving their products through means of packaging, presenting, advertising and so on so forth. hence, for chinese shoppers, they can get the best of a product, provided they have the money to pay for it.

-the chinese adore zhang ziyi. nothing new there.

anyway, i was just browsing through the pictures we took throughout the trip and the more i looked, the richer the memories that flood my mind. i hear the water lapping sound of the indoor swimming pool at fuchun resort calling out to me, the way Uncle Chia cracks the funniest jokes at the weirdest of moments, the way Aunty Siew Yen laughs, the way Aunty Wendy hints for Daniel to eat more pancakes.. memories of everybody eating together, laughing together, and just plain being with one another and enjoying each other's company.
memories like these would not fade with time.

i believe that they are carved too deeply in my heart to fade with passing time.

i really admire the fact that the friendship between my dad and his gang of childhood friends are still going strong after all these years. its really becomes what we young people would exclaim as 'COOL'. Everyone knows that in this modern day and time, true friends are so hard to come by. True, unselfish and genuine friendship is are like the rarest of gems; so precious and so hard to find. now, those days, group names were the 'in' thing so the 7 of them went by the group name - the Mights. (i think its much better than calling themselves 'the gay lads' WHICH WAS A GROUP NAME THAT WAS QUITE POPULAR THOSE DAYS) And to think that the Mights are still so close knitted even through the harsh winds of time, i take my hat off to God for preserving their friendship. As my Aunty Margaret had put it in words very nicely, even the wives of the Mights have found good friends in each other. With the same logic, if the children of the 'Mights' had more time to spend with each other, i believe that strong friendships are bound to form, which is something that i'm counting on very much, you know what i mean, girls ;) ehhehehee.

Ultimately, the way i see it, every Might is a blessing to one another. Also, i believe thatevery Might is a blood brother that God forgot to give each Might, so He let them become best friends instead. Hence, i am proud, to have so many loving and caring uncles and aunties.

so for those who were so nice to ask me how was my trip to Shang Hai and witness me switch to dream mode, you know what i mean. it wasn't the food, lodging, sight seeing that made this trip special to me; though they did play their respective roles in making this trip so enjoyable.

but in my opinion, what made this trip unlike any other was the fact that i spent this trip with the people whom my dad had grew up with. it was special company and indescribable fellowship that made this trip a holiday to remember, for me.

Datuk Air-Con Man.

this morning, a guy came to service my brother's room's air conditioner. i must admit he isn't the most attractive thing on planet earth. but he kinda has one of those faces that only a mother can love.

Air-Con Man.

yes. air-con man was so funny at our house today he should be awarded datukship.

it all started when he kept bending down to reach for stuff. and its not like my siblings and i like to check out people's buttocks but he was an EXCEPTION! and woohoo. air-con man has buttcwacks deeper than the klang valley.

i was fortunate enough to not bear witness of the 'klang valley'. but the survivors barely made it out alive. daniel and joshua fled their room like lightning to LOL in the garden. and they couldn't stand being in the same room as him ever since.

unfortunately, one cannot have it all as air-con man doesn't have very good stamina. he was panting and moaning while trying to pull himself onto joshua's study desk and was grunting very loudly in dire attempts to yank the air-con off the wall.

air-con man, thanks for making our day.

you are forever welcomed in our house. just remember to wear underwear next time. :)

Michie Mouse.

MICHELLE CHOONG TURNS 16 today!

also, today, a bunch of us friends suffered a near death experience by attempting to finish the signature volcanic pancake dish from Paddington's House of Pancakes. i think we all left the place with a new found phobia. moral of the story? never eat dessert for lunch. main course is main course.

Back to Michelle.

i've known michelle for about 10 months now. well, i mean known KNOWN. we've grew closer ever since we became classmates. :)
of course i knew who she was before, i mean who wouldn't notice this rosy faced girl with that trademark wide smile that never goes away? am i right or am i right?

Michelle is absolutely made up of sugar. she's extremely sweet. so sweet that willy wonka should name a candy after her, preferably something extremely corny like Michie Mouse Delight.

Yes. she is THAT sweet that she's forced to have a man in her life to ward off the ants.
ahem ahem.

here are a couple of facts about our SWEETIE MICHIE.

she's the kind of friend who would tolerate your lameness, no matter how much you over-do it. eg, "hey mich, whats the biggest city in our country?" "heheh, i dunnoe, kl?" "nooo, city nurhaliza." "HAHAHA! GOOD ONE ELENA!" *on a personal note, that was a very funny lame joke.

she'll set aside her homework (almost gladly actually) to listen about her friend's day.

she's the kind of person who would agree to go to toilet with you although she's been to the toilet alone 5 times today.

she never gets offended. no matter how harsh and brutal wai kee's apek slang may be. eg, "eh stupid girl, pass me my book can onnot?"

she's able to manage a sincere smile when teacher calls her up to recite physics formulas. formulas of which, she knows nuts about!

she's cool enough to give a name to a baby plant in school. what was it again? OH YEAH! EVERGREEN! :)

but evergreen die because of a guy's acidic pee. :(

michelle is one of those girls who is beautiful without even lifting a finger.
she's never a vain pot.

MATTER OF FACT : i really REALLY appreciate her as a friend. kind and gentle as she is, i have one last praise for her.

we all know how girls often have a certain body part they're absolutely proud of?
the typical answers would be hips, lips, nose, boobs, tongue, ankle etc.

but in my opinion, michelle's most attractive body part is her ear.

why? because she's a very good listener. and sometimes, what we really need is a person who's willing to hear you out.

so thanks michelle, for being such a blessing to us. know it or not, you've made a difference in many people's lives.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Father Lord in Heaven, for 16 years You've watched over Your little gem, michelle. 16 years and counting, never once have You left her side, in fact, You have always been there for her every step of the way. So Lord, i pray as we celebrate her birthday that we would come to understand that we are celebrating a miracle of Yours. and Lord, i pray as she continues to blossom into the wonderful woman of God she's destined to be, that You'll keep her safe and sound. Give her Your wisdom so that others wouldn't take advantage of her sincerity. Surround her with Your love, that she would never feel lonely, even on the darkest of days. May you be the source of her inspiration, the source of her strength, her determination.

May she be a living testimony proclaiming the goodness of the living God.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blessed Sweet Sixteen, Michelle!

Have a great one. :) and seriously, LAY OFF THE PANCAKES.

michelle: " i feel so loved!"

elena: " you'd better. we spent rm73 on that cake."

:)

Prefects Hi-Tea 2009

there's this bunch of salmon pink roses that i happily took home from Royale Bintang last saturday. my mum had them all propped up in a clear vase by my bed.
So every morning i would wake up to smell each and every of the pretty things. but what stands out the most to me is not that sweet fragrance, but how they seem to wither more and more with each passing day.
i guess that's a symbolic reminder to me that hi-tea is over, and all that's left of it is sweet memories and, of course facebook pictures.

playtimes' over.

let's get down to business.

Pmr starts this week. to be honest, i feel the heat even more than my brother. i know he'll do his best. and his best is enough for me, no matter the outcome. same to all those pmr takers this year. if you've put in your share of hard work, it will pay off.

Our lessons comes from the journey, not the destination.

so i pray that as my dear brother (and his peers of course) lays his head to rest tonight, and the butterflies start to flutter in his belly, i pray, not for them to vanish completely, but for them to be bearable enough for him to have a good night's rest.

all of us at home have faith in you, daniel!
so have faith in yourself.
but most importantly, have faith in Jesus.

Elena Ong Cho Chang.

i see you recoiling from the computer.
i don't blame you, i almost choked on my red bean potong stick when i saw that.

so if that really is my uncle, and the rumours are true.. could it be..
I'm the rightful cho chang?


YESH! :D
wooyeahdoobiedooyeah!


ps, don't "-.-" me i'm entitled to dream okay.