Chatty Lass

Yes, that is what I call her, "My Beautiful Friend". Because, she is a real beauty, inside and out.

I was to sign for a package which arrived a day before Christmas, but I was in church since dawn on that day and the post office was closed the next day. I left for HUGE 2011 at Port Dickson and was there for four days. And like it is for all camps, campers usually return with sore throats and a need for sated rest, for the next 24 hours. I wasn't excluded.

That left today. So, went to the post office I did.

And, I came back home with this

He said that it is "more blessed to give than to receive".

I have learned of His faithfulness when I gave Him my best, my very all. When He had asked me to give - in the area of finance and in areas of my life - I have seen with my eyes and forever will remember Him giving back, it was more than I have given or could ever give.

I know the truth of His Word. I know it by heart, I have seen it over and again. Four days ago, I re-learned what I thought I knew.

I signed up for a camp not knowing what to expect. Or, to put it more accurately, I wasn't sure I was expecting for something to happen.

He had to deal with that attitude of mine the minute I stepped onto the campsite.

Of all the things I was offered to do, I was asked to minister to precious young lives.

On the inside, I was throwing a tantrum - I didn't sign up to minister to lives, I wanted to be ministered to. I have given so much of myself in the past two weeks leading up to this camp. I wanted to unwind, relax and re-charge, physically and spiritually.

It was what it was, so I swallowed it in, reluctantly.

Night One and I was floored in His presence. It was amazing. The energy that emanates from 900 campers who were completely abandoned to all else and wanted nothing more than to be lost in loving King Jesus gives me a high that I have missed for the longest time.

Day Two was the beginning to my journey as He (like the song goes...) "took what I have known and break it all apart"; to show me yet again that His greatness knows no bounds and He is always, always at work to bring about something new.

The message was about purity, a life that was sexually and morally pure. That afternoon, I saw His hand at work. I witnessed it, I was a part of it and I am thankful that He extended the invitation for me to be His vessel.

My heart was in pieces when I saw the lives that were taken captive by the lies of the enemy. As I laid my hands on the hearts of youths, I couldn't help but weep as I sensed the brokenness. But, what joy it is to see Him touching hearts and restoring lives, moving in power and authority, gaining ground and taking back what is rightfully His, lives being set free, bondages broken, the claws of sin unhinged and the shroud of shame forever torn... No words would ever be enough to depict what I felt.

And yesterday, Day Four (also known as The Last Day) was one that I would remember for a long long time.

It's an amazing finale to a great year and a fantastic way to begin a new year - with more hope, greater purpose, bigger heart and stretched faith.

I got a little more nostalgic, a wee bit more emotional and a lot more grateful for family and friends this Christmas.

Particularly because if all goes as planned and as I would have it, this might be my last Christmas spent back in Penang.

So, I treasure everything and find them more precious as the days go by.

Anyway, moving on.....

Kelfy and I have been friends since forever.

We grew up in Sunday School and we sat together all the time. We moved on to attend Youth and as time went by, our bond grew stronger. We talked, we wrote and we made cards (for each other), all the time.

I clearly remember this one incident which happened when we were much younger. We were due to attend a girls-only, one-night camp at a hotel and for a reason which I can't recall, the parentals refused to give me the green light to go. I rang her up and told her the news. Next thing I know, she CHOSE to stay home so that I wouldn't feel left out.

She is an amazing person; giving, incredibly caring and very beautiful, inside and out.

I love, love, LOVE, handwritten notes.

When the lights are down, little LED lights shine like fireflies.

Wishing you, dear readers of Chatty Lass a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

May you (always) be thankful for all that this year has brought along your path and be excited for what is to come.

It has been a joy writing and sharing a portion of my life with all of you.


Much love and tight hugs,
Melissa.

I'm thankful for this gift, the gift of friendship; honest-to-God friendships - where you are not afraid to offend and speak your mind, where you love and give more than you expect in return, where you spend hours together doing silly nothings and talking crazy nonsense and laugh for no good reason..... where you get to do life together with another person.

I'm thankful for it. Truly.

A very dear friend wrote {this} post a little while ago. It's a good one, I think I'll keep it here with me.

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Dream Passionately

Love Completely

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#Word. #Noted.

Printed posters and hours of canvassing for ideas later, the event finally came to pass.

It was a success - Our expectations were met, the sense of His joy in the atmosphere was beautiful and my heart is ever grateful for all that He has done, is doing and will be doing.

If I may, a little snapshot of the evening's deco.

I have not stepped into the cinema for ages. Literally. The last movie I recalled watching was Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

With Christmas approaching in less than a week and my gifts list getting longer by the day, I gathered that today was a good day to start shopping and be on a lookout for gifts.

I rounded up the mall in an hour and bought 85% of the gifts. (Fantastic workout session by the way, I felt incredibly energised. The only thing that was hurt in the process was my purse.)

With so much time to spare, on an impulse, I purchased a ticket to watch Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol.

If I was anxious about watching the then yummy Tom Cruise back in 2000 (Mission: Impossible II), this time around, I was more interested in hot stuff, Jeremy Renner. This Daniel Craig look-alike gives me butterflies in my tummy. In a good way. And, those slithering blue-green veins on his hands... What I would give to.... {clears throat} Oh, and his acting is pretty great as well.

I LOVED the fourth installment. It is the best of the MI series.

The plot was suspenseful, the action scenes were stylish and the inclusion of the latest gadgets (iPhone and iPad) in the scenes was a huge plus point. I loved the injection of humour in some of the more intense scenes. It was fresh, gripping and choked with spectacular stunts.

I LOVED that I was kept at the edge of my seat for the most part of the running time.

Director Brad Bird {sniggers} should take on the Bond installment next. With such creativity and daring directing, I believe that he would soon rock and stun Hollywood with some of the best action films ever to be made.

I have been offering my excellent babysitting skills to my dear friend, Mi-Chelle since forever and, I got my wish today. Well, sort of.

I played with Baby Kyra, kept her entertained, fed and patted her to sleep. Standard nanny duty. I just couldn't bring myself to change her. Not just yet.

She's nine months already; thriving, absolutely adorable and so luscious.

Women all over the world would pelt me with saucepans and stone me with their cakes (Hey, I just made up an oxymoron!) for this post, but the time has finally come. The vault of secrecy has to be unlocked, because the truth needs to be told.

Men of the world, guys, doods, boys... All those with XY chromosomes in your DNA - Listen up and listen good.

Learn to memorise these nine words, take them to heart and teach yourself to recognise them. It will save you a whole. lot. of. trouble, believe me.

With no further delay, I unleash to you

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The 9 Most Deadly Words in the English Language Used by Women

I was personally invited for three weddings this year. Here's the kicker: I was asked if I could worship lead, for the same three weddings as well.

I said 'Yes' to all three, because they are dear friends of mine. It was more of an honour and privilege on my part, rather than a task.

Here are some unofficial pictures from last Saturday's wedding.

I've spent more time journaling this time around - recording what I see and feel, writing down my dreams and desires... It's not easy because most of the time, I'd rather just keep 'em all inside or ignore them; in hopes that I will either forget them or they will forget me, whichever comes first.

But, I decided on a different path this time around. I learned that every story is important and every detail matters.

I had a busy but fulfilling weekend (singing for a friend's wedding - more on that soon) and a FULLY packed week awaits me. So, grace, strength and more grace!

I wrote this late last night.

Learned this over and again (75460141 times, give or take) this year and while I may regret the miniscule 10% of wrongs I have made (be it intentionally or unintentionally), the other 90% has been life-altering, in one way or the other.

I do not think that a person should fear making mistakes. Mistakes will never have the upper hand in a person's life unless one allows it to be so. Choosing to not rise above the mistake, now THAT is fear; a crippling one.

Rise above that mistake. Look at it from a different viewpoint (Perspective, perspective, perspective!) - If you've been scrutinizing every detail, it's time to survey that mistake from another vantage point.

Because, we're not meant to live in a creative world with a limited mind and constrained creativity.

I HATE irresponsible people.


Just so you know, the world does not revolve around you.

I'm writing this in my bedroom, laptop propped up on my lap with quilt shielding my feet from the cold air-conditioning.

It's only Day 3 but I have stuffed myself with half the items on my 'What I Have Been Missing Out On and MUST Have When I Am Back in Penang' foodie list and I am still on the roll.

I'm already annoyed with the drivers here since Day 1.

Sideline: Doods and dudettes, please note that the farthest lane on the right is called 'The FAST Lane'. And, it is called that for a reason. So, if you are looking to slow-cruise your way to your destination (read: drive at 60km/h or any figure below that), MOVE. OVER. TO. ANOTHER. LANE.

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Max squirms and runs into hiding when he sees me because he is terrified that I'll smother him with my kisses. He is obviously overreacting. People ALWAYS say that 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. What a little drama queen!

I'm missing my life in KL and feeling a little homesick (read: KL and my rented room in KL) at the moment.

But, catch-ups and nights out with friends, along with snuggling up to my parents in their bed is helping. A whole lot.

Chamomile tea, a red velvet cupcake, feet up and enjoying the evening sun.

#Sweet days!

Fluttered my eyes open and I was greeted with picturesque cumulus, right out my window.

How beautiful is the above quote; not because of eloquence alone, but more so because of the power of its' truth.

I'm reminiscing, reflecting, enjoying the moment, thinking, dreaming... Just lapping up every moment, cherishing every second.

The past nine (and a half) months has been amazing, insane, challenging and rewarding - all of it; the good, the bad and (I daresay) even the ugly.

I have grown, more than I have for some time. I have learned to love more, give more and expect less. I realised that dreams, they are worth pursuing.

Most important, His grace... I sense it, I see it and I feel it. All the time.

Walking in His will, it's the best way to do life.

As I am writing this, I am reminded of Abram (before he was called Abraham); the time where God spoke to him to pack up and leave all that was familiar to him to a land where God will show him. No directions, no name... Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

The only other thing that was told to him after that instruction was this,



Abram's story, it's my life's story. Well, almost.

I wanted the transition to be easy. I wanted to adapt easily and unplug myself from the previous socket to this new one, and just get on with it.

I prayed every night for the coming days to be easier. I pleaded every night to be back to where I was familiar with. I wrestled every night with giving up, packing up and leaving.

It wasn't until four months later that I realised: He never promised easy, but He did promise that He will be here; right here, right now where I was and be with me.

It wasn't the best of promises (at least that was what I thought at the time) but I'll take what I can get.

Now, almost ten months later, I can (without a shadow of doubt) testify and affirm this to you: "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."

I have been converted - From my Chatime only, strictly no milk tea policy to a fan of Gong Cha's Signature Green Tea (which, as you very well can see belongs to the milk tea family).

P/S: Not to worry Chatime, Gong Cha's menu is pretty limited. You'll still have my business should my craving for mango green tea (slight sugar, no ice) with aloe vera arise.



UPDATE at 7.43pm: My drink is half-finished and I am already feeling light-headed and nauseous. My conversion lasted for 15 minutes. I am switching back to NO milk tea, Chatime only STAT!

Related posts:

• Book Review: The Rules of Gentility
  
  
• Becoming Jane
  

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"If you won't do something with the little that you have, why should God reward you with more?"

Pr. Matt Fielder

My life's story, truly. If I may, a few life lessons that I have picked up along the way...

- Start small, GROW bigger.

- Be faithful in the small things, HE will promote you to bigger responsibilities in His time.

- If you can't be faithful with the small things, you will not get to bigger things because God looks for character, not ability.

- Have a big HEART, not a big head.

Related post(s):

• Ruling and Serving
  

They remind you of why you hate exercise with a vengeance.

#Missing my time in school like you wouldn't believe right now.

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Related post(s):

• When High School Mates Congregate on Facebook (Part I)

We decided on Alexis (the one in Bangsar) as our lunch date venue.




First things, first. I loved the food but was incredibly disappointed with the service provided.

Our drinks took ages to arrive, we needed to remind the waiters over and again for refills and even when we asked for the cheque, the processing took f.o.r.e.v.e.r. To add salt to the wound, there wasn't even a full house occupancy; the place was only 65% full.

The only redeeming point for Alexis (the Bangsar joint; don't bother going to the one in The Gardens, it doesn't taste as good) is the food.

Onto the good stuff, our orders.




I nipped and picked out every single shred of the greens but decided to taste a tiny leaf at the very last second before having my slice, only to put it all back because it complemented the taste of the pizza. I loved how the tangy taste of the tomatoes, the juicy sauteed prawns and slightly sweet herb tasted when the pizza was folded (the ONLY right way to have this pizza).





Scrumptious! The pasta was cooked al dente with the right proportion of spices, it was really perfection with every forkful.

We shared our orders and ended the meal on a sweet note.




The best tiramisu cake I have ever had. Truly. And, I have had my fair share of 'em.

It was a dream - The kirsch sponge cake was soaked in cognac but not too much that it is soggy, followed by a layer of cream cheese specked with chocolate shavings and another layer of the sinful alcohol-dipped layer, with a coating of caramelised almonds (my favourite part of the cake and I got you guys a close-up of it).