1 week to go

can u believe it? only one week to go before my exams, and then after 1 week, i've finished my first year of uni!!! it all went by so fast... hahaha...
lets see...
met lotsa cool ppl this year... know lotsa new ppl.... been a good year
have discovered how lazy i am in these pre exams weeks :) sigh... but its only first year
just went shopping at Garbos cos theres a sale on now.... dint get anything though i saw a shirt i liked, but $30's too much to pay for a T-shirt i reckoned cos i was in Malaysia 3 months ago .... and stuff's cheap there to say the least
then went to a mates place... had nice long chat just the 3 of us... ahh the pleasures of conversation, saw some N1 documentary (i think that's what u would call it) hahaha laughed alot... did weights (thin old me...:)) but yeahh was a good night except for study purposes, but life is for living :)
so anyways... today was my last day of uni before exams... and swot vac.... sigh... memories ;)
youth service tomorrow, so hafta get guitar to uni on bus... will go earlier to study MA, ahh the joys of Flexible Budget Accounting... then again, mebbe i get some hippy points for bringing a guitar into Reid library... am on my way in that regard :)

the long march

hmmm its been a warm week to say the least
went jogging with Jason yesterday...
cool, after a 2 month break i went for 3.5km in 25mins... slow i know but im working back into shape...
then 500m from my place Jason just starts bolting like the lightning and im like "what the?" just happened that patrick drove past us at the same time...
anyways, today i woke up... went to uni... skipped MA to play ball...
wasnt a good decision as i now owe two drinks to EuHin and someone else... nuts... i regret suggesting shooting for 3 points....
i managed to sink 2 shots out of like 20 hahaha... had 5 airballs... and that was after a disastrous 2 on 2 game...
my defence really sucks ehh... mebbe cos i dont know the rules :)
anyways, after my last class at 11, went to Reid to study with Fahad...
the guy's fasting (Ramadan u see) but he dint complain, and he's a big bloke as well. must be starving.
well anyway
cell this saturday is the final cell....
have to do worship... should be interesting...mebbe i'll muck about abit more...
the irony is that ive been playing so much guitar this few weeks that my studies have suffered, and i barely touched it when i had more free time. but yeah life is fun if taken as a series of impulses...
on a positive note: finished my EBS assignment!!! woohoo!!!
might consider waking up to see the european cup tomorrow morning, maybe...(and i find it so hard to wake up for lectures) oh what the heck sleep is for the week, that was the theme from law camp i think (remember ut vaguely, *no more goon!!!, crazy bus ride, slept 1 hour on floor, sickeningly bad beep test*)
im serious, it was an interesting camp... strongly recommended :)

Saturdays are great!!!

had cell today... was pretty good...
was doin worship today.... hahaha... was like really impromptu. Jason called me at 2:45, and he's like "i'll pick u up at 3:15 nic", and im like ok...
then i realise that i have to do worship... but lucky that some songs stood out for me when i was playing last night (Thanx H/S!!!) anyways i did "There is none like you", "I worship you" and "Magnificent"... first two songs went good... the last song unfortunately, noone knew it, so im like "nuts", but overall i felt happy about today... i worshipped God. then Jason blew us away with some inspired cell material. he played segments from the last Planetshakers conference (i was there btw) and yeah... Ps Reggie Dabbs...HE DA MAN!!! like seriously, he spoke of how much God loves us... can you imagine... he took all the sins of the world, (everything evil you can imagine, and stuff you cant), and he drank THAT cup... all for us....i mean... that is unworldly love... beyond any comprehension... no wonder the Bible says "the steadfast love of the lord never ceases", and "his mercy endures forever" but yeah... it was just a reminder... also, when ST said that sometimes (especially for Christians who have been Christians for a while) we take God's love for granted but yeah... we have to remind ourselves on the enormity of what he has done for us.
the second segment on the DVD was also awesome... God is always waiting for us... even when we screw up... and i screw up heaps as a Christian... he is always waiting for us to dance with him... and he always will be... another perspective i got from this is the POV of the father watching a child go wayward... not being a parent (surprise surprise) it is hard to imagine the pain... but it must be unbearable, yet God goes through all that everytime we sin... and yet he still waits for us...
today's cell was one of the best we had all year... too bad it's one of the last for a while... sigh

then Jason and I went for dinner with my parents and assorted Aunts and Uncles from church
was interesting... hahaha hilarious as me and Jase sat with some High School cell people, delise (did i spell it rite?), and let me say that if one is bored at a dinner, the digital camera is a very useful source of amusement. hahaha... i got some incriminating pics of michelle and dez inhaling an unidentified white substance.... hmmmm.... and i couldnt stop laughing all nite... those are some funny people.... the dinner was good as well btw....anyway i thoroughly enjoyed myself today...
one of the better days from this week,... cept for the fact that i did little study....

youth service

went to ps Matt Garner's Church's youth service last night. was a pretty rockin service. apparently they have about 400 youth!!! yeah it was a good service... interestin thing is that they had lightbulbs hanging down all over the stage, and like, u could walk into them if u werent watching. yeah... the guest speaker was great as well, Andy from NZ... quite a passionate preacher...he spoke about how Christians are not of this world, that we dont have the rights of citizenship of this world.... then he digressed into talking about how the disciples of Jesus each in their own way gave their lives for Jesus... was a really poignant reminder of how much they loved Jesus.... to give their lives for him. then he went into how we should be prepared to die for Christ, talking about his experiences in Vietnam, a country where Christians are persecuted... it was really uplifting, as he spoke of a man imprisoned in a 1m by 1m cage for 6 months who after his release begged to be put back in again as there, all he could do was pray, and be close with God. to me the sermon was a reminder not to be caught up in the world but to remember that we have a calling as Christians to claim this world for christ. yeah it was a really touching service.
on the way back, Andy presented his theory that 40km/h over the speed limit isnt speeding through taking us on a 140km/h drive on some suburban street not dissimilar to South St...
and ended up taking us south instead of to the uni.... was hilarious man...
here are the transcripts:
setting: we have just passed the convention centre on freeway south (andy was supposed to take us back to UWA...
we were talking about NS in Singapore
Andy: the reason i didnt defer NS was because we had to pay a $70k bond....
Nic: Why didnt you go to uni?
Andy: AS I WAS SAYING, the reason was because of this bond u see...
Nic: (getting agitated): No, i mean why arent we going to uni now?
Andy:.... (at this point we are just before Mill Pt Rd)
so we had to turn back...
was absolutely hilarious.
cheers....

Here i am...c'est moi... 

back to uni

just got back from church camp...
hmmm... not the best camp i've been on. the accomodations were great, food was great...
however, had a bout of gastro all weekend ehh... so did many other ppl apparently
the only interesting part was late in the last night or should i say early in the morning (was about 3am) when my parents, liz, gen, tim and i were involved in a really impromptu BGR discussion. (to Jason: you shouldnt have left so early) it was very interesting/disturbing.
anyways... woke up the next morning tired...
went back to uni today, and its like whoa!!! 4 weeks till exams...i'm starting to worry here...
anyways, as i woke up this morning, i was seriously debating whether or not to go to maths ehh... it was 630 man... but i went anywaYS....arent i stoked i went? the reason i was tired was cos i stayed up playing guitar last night .... sighhh.... a friend suggested cutting the strings so i wont get distracted. at $40 a pop, maybe not Richard :)
am considering locking the thing in the shed... but no...
but yeah... there may be worship team practice tomorrow... not sure whether to go or not because welll... i have a lot on my plate at the moment...

can i drive dad?

k... long day yesterday and today
lets start with yesterday.
to the uninitiated.... my tuesdays are a living hell ehh...
i'm at uni from 8 to 6, but its not all bad... i have 3 hours in breaks...
yeahh... basically im mentally drained by the end of tuesday... a nervous wreck...
plus, by the time i got home after taking the bus, it was like 7 and it was dark, cold etc...
so basically, i showered, ate, did more EBS, (i really hate stats)
today...
8am start again...accursed stats
yeah... i finally finished at 11... ate in the ref with some mates...
left at 12 to practice for my lab test tomorrow...
but, i played footy instead with some other mates.... and i owned this guy ehh... was marking the footy all over him :) not bad for a soccer addict...went to do the lab, saw Vinh there... hmmm wonder how he did in his test, it was today
so anyways, i go home and have a driving lesson at 2.
the first few mins are ok, then the guy gets me to a roundabout at a main road and like my nerves just go ehh, i tried to cut off this ute coming from the right, then i brake in the middle of the roundabout (i pressed the wrong pedal!!!) then the guy behind me swore and braked, the instructor shouted at me.... and basically i was a nervous wreck all day
oh yeah... and i had to take some passport pics...
must be a family thing or something, cos me and my dad looked really tanned, and we looked like Chinese immigrants off the same boat from the triads ehh...
but anyways...
yeah... thats it

Verry Cool Song i found, and also Volume 1 of "Mad dashes to uni in fast/slow cars"

hmmm just found a very cool Jars of Clay song (they're one of my fav bands)
here it goes:

If i stand
Verse 1:
There's more that rises in the morning than the sun
More that shines in the night than just the moon
There's more than just this fire here that keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger than this room

There's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
A music higher than the songs that I can singAm
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the giver of all good things

Chorus:
So if I stand let me stand on the promise that you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you
If I sing let me sing for the joy that has born in me these songs
But if I weep let it be as a man who is longing for his home

Verse 2:
There's more that dances on the prairies than the wind
that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer than the love between friends
More gently than a mother's when her baby's at her side

There's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
A music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the giver of all good things

i lurve this song... sounds awesome as well...

on another related note:
credit should go to me mate R who drove me to the uni from Canningvale, stopping to pick up another friend in Rossmoyne... and getting to the uni in about 25 mins... not bad for an old Corolla (was auto as well)...
we even avoided the accursed camera at Mts Bay Rd...
however, nothing compares to P one fine sunday morning, when late to worship practice, we got to UWA from Canningvale in ike 15 mins. why the rush? we were 1/3 of the way there when he remembered he left his drumstix at home...this was at about 7:50... thus we sped back in his Silvia (awesome car)...and still got to church by 8:15 if i remember correctly... then again, i do remember clutching my seatbelt, the handle at the top of the door... as we went down the freeway...
oh, and when we got there, the church van wasnt there yet so we had to wait... was pretty funny though
kudos to P for givin me a ride to Church for the last year when i'm playing guitar in service...
thanx man... the last week of November is our anniversary...;)
as this blog has rambled on and on, i will stop here....

one sleepless night

arghhh... back to uni today and i'm finding out how far i'm behind my work
conservatively, about 8 weeks i reckon... am so gone....
i was sitting in my maths lecture this morning thinking: "i dont have a clue what he's on about, and, im screwed"
ok, mebbe i said it out loud, which wasnt good as i was sitting near the front...
good thing a mate gave me a ride to uni and back today. apparently the bus only comes once an hour outside my place on public holidays... would've been a nasty surprise i guess:
*nic to himself at 7am:"where's the bus"
7:15: anytime now...dum de dum de dum (hums the waiting for the bus song)
7:30:hmmmm where's that #$%%^$ bus? there should have been 3 by now!!!
8am:hmmm... my lecture just started and i'm still here, not good
and so on...*
ok, anyways, that was wierd...

on the past 3 days...
have had a cold for the past 3 days, still have it...
must have gone through a whole box of Kleenex by now...
its so bad... was playing guitar on sunday at church, and i was like blowing my nose constantly during practice ehh... couldnt hear myself that well also... oh well
its been that kind of week (and its only monday!!!)

on adjusting back to uni:
the last few days i've been trying to readjust my body clock from sleeping at 2am-11am in the holidays to last night's
11am-6:20am.... bit hard ehh... thats why im sleepy now...*yawns*
anyways, i tried to go to bed early on Saturday nite, cos i had to get up early on Sunday...(why is practice at 8am???) instead, you know when u get those melodies going in your head (i'm sure we all get tunes in our head... i also hear voices too but thats a different story *grins manically*)? yeah, so anyway i was debating in my mind (Cost-Benefit analysis :)) guitar now vs sleep....
and MiJulie won!!! (personal joke here, u dont have to get it)
so here we have a song, written when i was barely awake...

YOU WERE THERE
i want you now
my heart it longs for you
i need you know
my soul it waits for your everlasting love
i cry for you
i cant deny, this longing deep within
i'm hearin it now
as i lie humbled by your holiness

nothing in this world, could take your place
nothing in this world, could replace your grace
however hard i tried, i could never measure up
until i found you, fillin the emptiness of my heart...
you were there

ok guys... sorry about the sappinesss... i've been really depressed and feelin away from God in the last few days, and the words just came to me....
am definitely gonna rewrite some of the lines, but this is the raw original, and u got it first ;)
btw, was really sleepy the next morning, and stumbled thru sunday
anyways... until the next time,
nic

what a difference 5 days makes

kkk... just got back from Youth Service
hmmm... life is interesting isnt it? one week you're on a high and then the next week...
as i was saying to JL in the car, i just wish exams were the only thing i had to worry about.
i'm still bothered by the conversation i had last night... do i wish i never had it?
No for while ignorance is bliss...the truth sets me free (again i apologise for the cliche :))
but yeah... what is truth? (to quote Pilate) will there be truths that will never be revealed? (answers would be good from anyone reading this)
i wish i wasnt so distracted during the service today ehh... lucky i wasnt playing guitar. would have been disastrous
also, i'm abit sick, and thus, wahhh so tired today man...
it's so hard to just focus on God when physical, mental, and social circumstances preclude this, but that is what true worshipers do...(or so i've been told ;))
on another note... i totally blew my driving lesson today man... was so bad...
sometimes i hate myself cos when i get distracted by problems etc, it affects everything i do seriously...
anyways, the lesson was so stressful ehh... i still cant park that well, or reverse that well either...
on another, more tangential note:
i didnt get much study done today, and as my exams end on the 12th of november, it'll be a long and cold 5 weeks
so depressed now....
sigh...(i'm rambling on and on, am i?) ;)
anyways, back to life