The Shaggy Dog Likes to Scooter Round Town

The Shaggy Dog Likes to Scooter Round TownAs shaggy dog stories go, the one about Norman the very bright Briard who is a wizz riding his scooter ranks high on the list.The clever canine, who lives with the Cobb family in Canton, Georgia, competes in many obedience competitions and received his Companion Dog Title at just 15 months of age after four first place finishes.But it's his razor scooter

A Near Death Experience

Had one of the scariest dreams in my life two nights back. It was not the typical ghost-in-your-face type of scary nightmare, nor was it a car accident or gunshot death nightmare. it was a very slow paced, warning dream; somewhat like an admonition.

I don't remember the exact, complete dream, but the bits and pieces are enough to make sense by itself.

It started with beautiful, still, blue waters covering a part of the earth, a flood that has covered even some of the tallest infrastructures. there was a huge boat, somewhat like an ark on the water, with many people in it...too many, in fact.

The rain just wouldn't stop, it drizzled slowly..no thunderstorms, no lightning. it was a peaceful drizzle that most of us would love. But in this case, the rain wasn't a good thing. As the gentle drizzle continued, the boat very slowly began to sink. It was like the picture of the sinking of Titanic, with people in fear. But catch this: no one was panicking. Everyone expected to die, slowly. They were prepared, and waiting to go.

I was at another part of the earth, catching up with the latest news on what's happening at the other side of the earth. Everyone at my side of the earth spent their days monitoring the TV news and newspapers. Whenever we receive news on the latest catastrophe, people would utter a calm "Oh no....". Nothing has happened here yet, but everyone knew in their hearts that it could happen any time unexpectedly.

As I get updates on the news, my heart felt heavier by the day. Not because I was afraid of dying, but because I wasn't sure if I would really go to Heaven. I reflected back on my time on earth, and all I could remember deeply was the regret that I haven't gotten to know my God well enough. I don't know what He wants, what He thinks, what hurts Him, His heartbeat. Sure, now that I knew I could go any time, I could have caught up with my Bible reading, or simply utter a prayer of repentance, asking God to forgive all of my sins and promise that I'll change.

But in my heart I knew that by doing so, it was only cheap grace, a "cheating" way to get into Heaven. I pictured myself standing in front of Heaven's door, lining up to get in with some of the more devoted and obedient believers around me. They were happy and excited to meet God, the One they've been loving, serving and depending on all the days of their lives, and now they finally get to see Him and be with Him forever.

As for myself, I didn't feel the same way. All I felt was, "Okay, I have died and now I have arrived in Heaven. Phew...". I was only concerned that where I was going to after I die wasn't hell, and Heaven seems to be a nicer place to be in than hell.

So what after I arrived in Heaven? What would I say to God when I meet Him? Would I be able to recognize that it's Him, since I don't know Him well enough? I would probably just wave and say, "Oh, hi, God." compared to others who would throw their arms around Him and cry in happy tears, all the time spent on earth serving and loving Him, all the sacrifices and persecutions was worth. I would probably just roam around alone in this unfamiliar place called Heaven, compared to other excited children of God who would run around asking God to bring them around for a visit, sitting at Jesus' feet, just being with Him.

And so I figured that no, by saying my repentance prayer when I'm about to die was really a cheap way of getting to Heaven. I would rather go to Heaven knowing that I've done my part to deserve it. Being a person who would rather not lie to myself, I chose not to do it. Instead, in my heart, I said, "God, you know how I've spent my time on earth. Never really taken efforts to pray, read your Word and get to know you. You know my sins, and ultimately you're the one judging where I should go after I die. God, I want to be fair, and I want you to be fair, I'm ready for anything, Lord. I'm sorry. You can do whatever it is you wish."

As I reflected on my days on earth, what came to my mind wasn't all my achievements, my good grades, the money I earned, not even all the serving in church and cell group. All I could feel was the regret that I hadn't spent more time with God, not during church or cell group time, but personally in my private time with God in getting to know Him better, my walk with Him.

What comes after that was the regret that I'd been too busy and superficial with it comes to spending time with the people I love. My family, my bf, my dear friends and loved ones around me. I felt that my time had been wasted on unimportant things. Not that being busy serving in church and cell group is wasting time, but really, it is the relationship you build in the process of serving God, with God and with the people you serve with. When you're near death, nothing else comes to mind and is more important than your relationship with God and your loved ones.

Knowing that these days would probably be my last days living as a human being, I went back to my grandma's place in Malacca the first thing. All these while when I spend time with her, it had been superficial. Yes I'd chat with her every now and then, eat together, watch TV together. But do I really KNOW her? Know her inside out, her wishes, her pain, her sickness, her worries, her thoughts? This time when I went back to see her, it was different. I was practically sticking by her ALL the time. When she's busy managing her altar stuff, when she's walking n and out of the house, when she's doing kitchen work, I was always beside her, trying to make her happy, chat with her, get her attention. Something that an obedient grandchild would do. I really hugged her tight, made sure I told her I love her, and I could feel and see the difference, she became a happier grandmother.

The next place I went to was my own house. I went into my parent's bedroom. My dad was preparing to sleep, as well as Charity, snuggling herself in her blanket, and Evangeline who was as always, hyper and happily jumping about near bedtime. I don't know why I didn't see the rest of my family members, but nevermind. I felt such pain in my heart knowing that I might not ever see them again, knowing that these innocent, pure babies will die soon, whether in a flood or in any other ways. I quickly hugged them tight, real tight while feeling a sense of sharp pain and loss. Imagining my sisters struggling in a flood was awful.

I then left, and spent time with my friends. I don't remember who exactly, but we were a bunch of sampat kids, hanging out in a mall. There wasn't a single care in the world. We strolled around, laughing like hyena, do funny things, and I even bought myself a Honeydew Bubble Tea, thanked God that he created BBT, and I was privileged to have one before I die.

Then, I saw my darling, and we spent time together. Normally, we would just walk around the mall care-freely, hold or don't hold hands also can, just very relaxing. But this time, it was different. When we saw each other, we really held each other close. All the holding hands, hugs and kisses were so passionate. We didn't bother about what others would think. When we looked at each other, we really looked deep into each other's eyes. Everything was so real. There was so much love. And I wondered to myself, why had we not looked at each other like that when we were still able to? Why had we not held each other tight whenever we could? Why had we been so casual, so superficial, so conveniently be with each other?

After that, I didn't see any of them anymore. I entered into another place, I could feel that the end is getting nearer. I was in a dark, big house with some of my church members, POS members. Sarah Ho (hahah random..) handed out 70's & 80's DVDs to each group that she had divided us into, and asked us to go to our respective corners to watch them. It was to keep us occupied, so that we wouldn't be 'waiting' to die in fear, but just be calm, and let things take its place.

There were some more here and there, but this is all I can remember. I woke up in the middle of the night in fear. Spent a few mins wondering if it was all just a dream. When I finally convinced myself that it was, instead of feeling relieved as usual, I felt even worse. Why would God give me a dream like this? It was so so so real and tangible. I guessed it was a timely dream.

I've dreamed about the weirdest nightmares (clowns and parrots), scariest catastrophe such as earthquakes and seeing ppl die in my face, but this is the longest and most realistic nightmare I've ever had. I could even reason why God in my dream: "God, I thought that there would be a rapture before the end of the earth? God, I thought you said in your Word that you wouldn't destroy the earth with a flood anymore?" It was this real; I could still think this much.

I stayed in bed wide awake for almost an hour. Refused to move an inch due to the fear in me, and recalled parts of my dream. I prayed for the peace of God to come upon me, and it did make me feel a bit better.

Before I forced myself back to sleep, I thanked God in my heart that He allowed me to go through it in a dream, instead of real life. It was as if God was giving me a chance to live again, a chance to do it right this time, before it is too late.

It served as a warning for me. We haven't lived if we haven't loved. You're still alive, so, do it right!

love, careen.

The Wedding Guide

my mirror is so vintage. time to clean all the dust away!

SPJ...love her eyes :)

The Wedding Guide

not by me, of course.

check this out!
http://theweddingguide.com.my/

it's a site set up by our local super gorgeous model Stephanie Chai.
and i think it's pretty interesting :)

there's this section entitled 'How to choose your bridal gown' based on 4 different body shapes.

and i still cant figure out which category i belong to.

i'm definitely not the Apple nor the Pear.
and i'm not straight enough to be a Banana,
neither am i curvy enough to be the Hourglass =.="

and the wedding gown examples on the site are not really gowns that i would choose for my wedding day. there has always been this hype about Vera Wang gowns, and i found that they don't really suit my taste too..most of them are towards the contemptorary style, and i don't really fancy contemporary.

actually i realised that i am very very picky in my dressing.
and even more so with wedding gowns. i mean, hello? wedding gowns are once in a lifetime. nobody would wanna look back at their wedding photos and cry at how hideous and unsuitable their gowns were right?

this is definitely too fairy tale to be true. it's so classic and beautiful...but not something i'd choose. or something i can. so out of this world!

i remember that day when i was sitting at a bookstore with cheryl looking thru Female Brides magazine (though she claimed that i was the only one actually browsing thru. haha).

i found it hard to come across any that i liked. as for cheryl it was very simple, she wanted the Enchanted style..the puffy cinderella ballroom style. for me, there are just so many no-nos.

not too contemporary.

not too many layers.
it's actually nice..the top part, but the bottom just looks like it might go out of trend soon.

this is nice too. the color is.
but don't like the bottom side crumple/gather.

this is too Taylor Swift-ty. so not me.
and it's too white-washed white. i want milky white.

no no no mermaid style.

no mermaid + cake (the bottom) style.

no thick straps. looks too bulky at the top.
will look empty if not enough boobs to fill in.

this is a vera wang. not bad.
but too simple, some more got pockets. and looks pregnant-ish.

no no act cute mermaid + cake style.

no halter. want a tube dress.

no pamela wedding gown style.

this is vera wang too.
don't like black details on wedding gown. the dress looks flat (maybe bcos model is), and don't like the bottom front rose. looks difficult to walk in.

the color is nice. gown looks comfy.
but no mermaid style!

this is way too simple.
a little diamond or lace detailing would be nice.

this is to hide baby bumps with the big bow.
too straight cut..doesn't bring out the body shape at all.

the top is beautiful.
but the bottom like cake. no!

these are the few styles that i like.

love that it's simple. not too much details.
though it's a little mermaid-ish.

this is awesomely elegant.
though the whole gown spells expensive.

this is nice. simple and clean :)
the model is young and pretty.

i don't mind having a lacey gown too.
but this is too white for my liking. a little more milky would be nice :)this, is nice. super nice :)
though model looks sleepy.

this is nice too.
fairy tale dress..a little too white though.

okay, guess i roughly know what i want.

a simple milky white tube dress that fits just nice on the top and flows down nicely :)

okay, looking at wedding dresses may be a little random for now, but girls just like to look at wedding gowns just like how they like to look at clothes, shoes and bags. so no biggie!

disclaimer: this is not a post to hint on any marriage issue.

warning: do not start persecuting boon. haha!

love, careen.

Sam & Eunice's wedding

Sam & Eunice's love story is really one in a million.

How often do you come across two people
who've known each other for a whole 21 years,
been in the same class since kindergarten,
primary & secondary, and have been liking each other since...?

they went their seperate ways for coll & uni (which is when Boon got to know Sam as they were in the same uni), came back together, and their love still as strong as ever?

sounds like a perfect love story, ain't it?
well, maybe such sweet fairy tales DO exist :)

pre-wedding camho pics!

♥♥♥ lacey stuff!

sunlight is a girl's best friend for camho-ing ;)

at church with loveen.
waiting for the bride, and the...groom? hahah :P

the kids! :)
Eunice is the HOD of Children's church. hence, the number of kids. oh, spot Melody my sis! :)

Eunice & her dad walking down the aisle.
this scene never fails to move me.

a very special ring :)

beautiful :)
especially ♥ her classic looking hairdo.

look at the gown! and the petals :)

:)

emos :P

wedding bells!

some of the children's church teachers :)

am still wondering how brides i've seen so far havent cried like how i imagine i'd on my future wedding day. being in a wedding already makes me wanna cry.

especially when i see the anticipation of the groom waiting at the end of the aisle (yes, 27 dresses!), the tears of the newlyweds' parents, the ham-fok look of the bride, the adoring eyes of the groom...

okay i know i'm a hopeless romantic and drama queen. don't burst my bubble and just let me be... :P

i still have the classical, old-fashioned thinking that weddings are the start of a new chapter and should be anticipated and celebrated with loved ones, and that the wedding day should be made as beautiful and memorable as possible. we only wanna get married once, right? well, i do :)

okay enough on weddings.
post-wedding camho pics! ;)

♥♥♥ picture perfect pictures :)

:)

my baby ♥ this one :)

on a totally seperate non-related note,
watched Gamer today, and those blur super fast actions and super zoomed-in scenes aside, MAN, the whole movie was full of boobies and butt cheeks everywhere! and i mean real exposed boobies! t'was really a feast for the eyes for the guys man.

and yes i watched it in our very own TGV cinema. maybe Baldwin was right about the censorship people all balik kampung for Raya edi...mo-ngan-tai at all the movies. and man, all the words like F*CK was loud and clear throughout the movie too!

hmmmm maybe Msia is getting more and more open after 52 years. hahahaha :P

urgh assginments......................

*group hug* :D

love, careen.

of weird dreams and girly excitement

just last month, i dreamed that i was at some random place where everybody eats their own body parts with lots of joy and satisfaction, including my own mum who encouraged me to eat up my own tongue o.O

somewhat like a cannibal fest, in a modern setting.

just yesterday, i dreamed that i was at some circus-like stage where there were performances. those performers seemed like baddies, and when the crowd conspired to set up a scheme to bomb the stage, i calmly and quietly agreed, and just went along with it.

it was a shopping mall setting, with a colorful, circus-like stage and setting at the ground floor, facing a big, main entrance. they pulled in a huge plane, and i watched the huge, white plane crash into the bottom of the stage.

the performers looked a lil shaken but unharmed, just that the bottom of the stage was a lil dented. in my mind, i was wondering and questioning how come it hasn't sent a bomb like they planned, while the rest looked on steadily as if waiting for something to happen. i too, watched and waited like the rest did.

shortly after, the stage begun to fire up from beneath. but strangely, the stage was not destroyed by the fire, only the people started to feel the fire beneath their feet and started to burn.

just as soon as the performers started to feel the fire and slowly burn from their feet upwards, the crowd slowly, one by one, left the mall through the main entrance. me not knowing what was happening, just naturally followed the crowd out of the place. just as i was on the way out, i looked back, and i saw the way they were being burned to death.

i stopped right at the entrance, and just stood and watch. i was the only one left in the mall. i watched every single one of them burn, yet i wasn't moved by sympathy nor fear. i watched their pain and agony, heard their screams for help and rescue, but they did not bother me. i was more interested in watching the way people burn to death. the fire did not quench, it just kept burning on selected spots were the performers had all along been standing. they did not leave where they stood at all. i watched till all of them turned into ashes, and i walked away with empty thoughts and feelings.

*sigh* it's no wonder i slept till 12.30pm today and woke up with a headache :/

♥♥♥

but what cheered me up a lot is that i have time to spend today, to just slowly shower, go online, eat (very imporatant to eat slowly for me) and walk around. haha no wonder i'm getting fat!

and it's also because i'll be seeing baby tonight to rehearse
hosting for church's Campus Outreach Big Day :)

another reason why i actually slept til the afternoon is because me and the sisters stayed up late last night to experiment with our new flat iron. haha! curling hair with a flat iron is easy-peasy! and i feel stupid for trying countless times and failing countless times! hahaha ♥ youtube :)

THIS is where you can learn how to curl your hair using a flat iron, close-up :)

besides that, we actually searched out all our old fashion and hair magazines and started to choose which hairdo we wanna achieve for church's 8th Anniversary Gala Dinner this coming sunday! :D we cut out so many different looks from the magazines which caused a mess on my bed. and until our sleepiness overwhelmed our excitement, we finally allowed ourselves some snooze.

it's moments like tese that we'll look back and laugh at ourselves.
*sigh* girly moments :)

p/s: why do i dream dreams like that? has it somethin to do with me? cannibalistic? :/

love, careen.