A Dream Come True (and how a football match taught me the true Malaysian spirit!)

Last night was the JDT-Terengganu Malaysia Super League 2016 football match here in Terengganu, and I realised one of my dreams when I could go and watch it!

Although the whole night was just an amazing experience, a literal dream come true, my favourite moment of the night had to be when we had won, and all the Johor supporters were on their feet, and everyone just started singing the Johor State Anthem. There was no accompanying music, nobody telling us we had to sing the state song. We were just so proud of the win, so proud of our team, and so proud of our state, that we all just stood there, raising our voices, belting out the Johor State Anthem with pride. I stood there, among fellow Johorians, singing the state anthem as loudly as I could, projecting my pride into every word that came out of my mouth. As the voices singing the state anthem rose up from the fellow Johorians all around me, these individual voices came together perfectly, making beautiful music that seemed to fall perfectly like a warm embrace all around.

As I told a friend of mine, if I could have bottled up the atmosphere at that moment in time, I would've done it. That, to me, is what an ideal state should look like - its people proudly standing together, nobody looking at what colour your skin is, nobody caring what you're wearing or doing, what social status or social background you're from, but everybody just joined together as one, proudly standing up and daring to raise their voices for something they believe in, something they love and together want to improve to make it the best that it can be. This, to me, is the true spirit of Johor, the true Malaysian spirit. I am so proud to be a Johorean, and so grateful be able to call Johor my home. If only I could have bottled up that atmosphere, create more of it and carry them around, spreading that unity and love all over Malaysia!

Real Johoreans mixed with "honourary Johoreans", friends who supported JDT with us for the night!

Proud Johor girls!

The team, after the win, coming over to acknowledge the supporters (and to cover the coach with flour on his birthday) XD

Yes, I'm from Johor. Yes, I'm proud of it. Yes, I love my state. Yes, I keep up with what goes on with my state's football club. Yes, I can get really annoying sometimes because I tend to shove how awesome my state is in others' faces. Yes, I love my country. Yes, Malaysia will always be my favourite country in the world. Yes, I am one of those patriotic ones. A proud one.

Also, GOOOOOOO JDT! LUASKAN KUASAMUUUUU!

Football Match. Much Excites!

You have no idea how excited I am to be going to watch the football match between JDT and the Terengganu team this Saturday! I have been dreaming of watching a JDT match here in KT since I got here, and although the upcoming match won't be in the stadium I wanted it to be in, the one I always pass by (and think to myself "one day I'll watch JDT play a match here"), but still, I'm so excitedddddd!

A friend helped me buy tickets, and a few other friends are going to be there to watch the game as well! I'll have my fellow-Johorians-studying-in-Terengganu friends by my side and it is going to be awesomeeeee I AM SO EXCITED AHHHHHHHHH!

#LuaskanKuasamu

CNY 2016!

Myself with some of my favourite people in the world! :D

This Chinese New Year break was a really busy holiday, but I finally got to meet up with Shin Lei, after such a long time! It was so nice to see her again and to finally get the chance to catch up face-to-face!

As usual, the Chong Clan CNY celebration was in BP, so it was fun having the whole clan (minus the 3 J's, all of whom couldn't make it back this year) around! It was the usual business for us Chongs, eating meal after meal after meal after meal after meal... you get the point. The three J cousins were sorely missed, I can't remember the last time we had the whole clan together for our reunion dinner!

We remembered to take family photos this year the night of our reunion dinner, when we were all dressed up (so that it'll be easier for us to check what we wore this year when we're choosing clothes to wear to the reunion dinner next year)! My favourite photo of the night was the one taken of everyone monkeying around, embracing this year of the monkey!

"It's a Chong thing!" - we are seriously thinking of making a clan t-shirt that says just that!

After the celebration in BP with daddy's side of the family, we headed to JB to celebrate CNY with mummy's side of the family! The drive down to JB was especially interesting because the car boot was already full just with all our bags and other stuff (we had bags packed for the rest of our holidays, as well as bags to go back to Singapore, KB and KT for koko, niko and myself respectively), so we had to put bags and bags of new year goodies and other food and other stuff that mummy packed for the relatives and friends in the car on the floor and on our laps!

You can't really tell how squished we were, but let me just say that you can't see my arms/hands in this photo because my arms were buried under the bags such that only my fingers were sticking out somewhere, so much so that koko started pressing on the tips of my fingers every few minutes or so to check that I still had blood going to them XD AND MY LEGS! My legs were extended straight and resting on the centre console between daddy and mummy who were sitting in front! This might sound comfortable, but trust me, after a while, it really really isn't.

That didn't stop us from stopping at Ayer Hitam to get putu bambu though heyyyy! ;DDD

When we reached my uncle's place in JB, we had to wait for the everyone to come and help get the things off us because there was no way we could move until or unless at least some things were taken off our laps XD After that, the three of us just came tumbling out of the car and I don't know about my brothers, but my hands and legs were soft. I must have looked drunk then, I couldn't even walk straight! That was a fun experience hahaha!

We didn't take a proper family family photo with mummy's side of the family, I only realised after my CNY break :( Anyways, it was fun to be around the extended family again! We then spent a few days in Singapore because mummy's ex-church friends from Muar organised a reunion there!

My one-week break went by much too quickly for my liking, but I'm really thankful because I'm blessed with so many amazing people in my life that make me feel like I always want to spend more time with them! :D

Matching Baju Day!

Reddish mini kotak, red small kotak, big red kotak, red (mixed with white) medium kotak!

It's almost CNY, which means...... I'M GOING HOME SOON! (And also that it's time for jom-let's-all-wear-red-shirts days!) Icantwaiticantwaiticantwaittogohomeeeeeeeee! :D

The Power of the Tongue

Words kill, words give life;

they're either poison or fruit - you choose.

Proverbs 18:21 The Message (MSG)

The tongue has the power to cause death. That same tongue also has the power to give life. Sometimes, like when we're angry, we choose words that we know would hurt the other person. We consciously and purposely use our tongue, our words, as a weapon to strike a person where he or she is most vulnerable. Even though we don't physically injure the other person, we have the power to cause a lot of hurt and pain. We can make the other person feel small, worthless, useless, with just a few words from our mouths.

On the other hand, we can choose to use our words to encourage, to support, to show love. When we choose to say things that are good, we give life. Life to positivity, to contentment, to happiness. The fruits that will then be evident include love, joy, peace, kindness and goodness among other sweet-smelling, sweet-tasting fruits.

Speaking of fruits, somebody actually gave me a fruit today! Hahahaha it was just this one biji, and it probably isn't fully ripe yet, but it made me happy at a time when I was feeling "poisoned" by some things somebody said to me! This fruit and the words of friends showed me just how powerful our words and our actions really can be! It also served as a reminder that love always wins, it is what will remain long after everything else fades away. My "verse for 2016" comes to mind - do everything in love. I'm not really good at it, but I'm learning every day from He who is the very definition of Love :)

It's a fruit! :D :D :D

Student Syndrome

I was chatting with some friends when "medical students' syndrome" came up. On top of its wiki page, though, said "For academic procrastination, see Student syndrome."

So, of course, like any self-respecting student would, I clicked on the link, and it brought me to something too good not to share, so here goes!

Student syndrome refers to planned procrastination, when, for example, a student will only start to apply themselves to an assignment at the last possible moment before its deadline. This eliminates any potential safety margins and puts the person under stress and pressure. It is done in order to induce a level of urgency high enough to ensure the proper amount of effort is put into the task.

HAHAHAHA they have a name for this! I don't know why this amuses me so much but it does. Ohhh the things people come up with. Amazing! The world is a strange and wonderful place X'D

Happy New Year!

Heyyyy! It's a new year! 2015 was a quick year, wasn't it?

2016. What do I expect from you?

Well, I expect 2016 to bring about many ups and downs, many new things, many new experiences. I trust that God, who has always been faithful, will continue to be faithful and no matter what happens in this new year, I trust that it will all be for good, with God being with me every step of the way. I know that all in all, it will be a good year, because, well, I'm God's favourite daughter ;P

I have never been one for new year resolutions, and I'm not about to start now. I did, however, come across a verse (or more accurately, two verses) which I'm glad I started the new year with, and I guess these verses will be what I want to live out or what I want to hold onto in 2016.

The verse is from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, and it says (from The Message and New International versions):

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions,

give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (MSG)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;

be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NIV)