I'm in a season of just wanting to cling on to Jesus and never let go. I'm really so thankful for everything God has done for me❤ I've sinned, and I went through painful times - but God always finds me and leads me back to Him. I was reading my Bible one chill night and I was really moved by Leviticus 26:14-46.
I'm so pumped for this blog post and I pray that it will help you in your walk with God☺

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1e/d8/be/1ed8becdf0bcbad78a1e19ec1ce47e1c.jpg

After the Exodus where Moses brought God's people out of slavery in Egypt, God exacted the Ten Commandments and many laws and decrees. He then mentioned the reward for obedience and the punishment for disobedience.

Of course, my reaction when I was reading through the list of punishments and trials which God would put a person through if he/she disobeys was:

Source: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/JollyNaughtyCottonmouth-small.gif

But there's actually so much more to it when I really began reading each line and underlining the parts which stood out to me! It's truly beautiful and I'm going to explain how I think God's punishment for disobedience is actually Him showing His love and mercy.

I'll colour code the verses in this way:

• God's power
• Love, mercy, compassion
• Repentance
• Sin

Punishment for Disobedience 

14 “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. 

I highlighted if as love/mercy because it shows that God is saying that there's a possibility of you disobeying Him, or NOT disobeying Him - this means that we have free will to choose if we want to repent or rebel.

18 “‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit. 

21 “‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted. 

The 'if's are an invitation from God to change and go back to Him. In the following verses, God is still relentlessly chasing after You into the wilderness in hopes that You will come back to Him. His punishments, though painful, are actually a way for Him to guide you to His heart.

23 “‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, 24 I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. 25 And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. 26 When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

God brings us to troubled waters to cleanse us. As mentioned in Leviticus 26:23, He wants to correct us!

Also, just a little side note: Although this blog post is about God's love and mercy through His punishments, I think it is still important to view His punishments seriously and to fear The Lord. As Moses said to the people after leaving Egypt, “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.” (from Exodus 20:20)

27 “‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, 28 then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. 31 I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. 32 I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

Notice the number of times He says "if", notice how many chances He gives us and how much attention He gives us when we are not walking on the narrow path to life. He is truly like a loving parent - I remember when I was little and my mom used to scold me and say, "If I didn't care about you, I would keep letting you make mistakes. It's so easy to not worry about you and just let you do whatever you want, you know? But I care about you, that's why I scold you - so that you will be better. You think I want to be angry meh? I punish you because I love you."

That memory of my mom really resurfaced when I read this Bible passage.
Punishment for disobedience from God is mercy and love because He's giving us several chances to change, grow, repent and run back to Him - it's a sign that He has not forsaken you even though you've disobeyed or continue to disobey Him!

Also, notice how each punishment becomes more and more severe? Just like how God's plagues became more and more mighty as He was trying to get His people out of Egypt. I think it was just a pretty cool observation - it shows that He is not slowly giving up on you - He is being even more relentless in his pursuit for you! How amazing is our God❤

36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. 37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors’ sins they will waste away.

"As for those of you who are left" - so where have the others gone? I'd like to think that God was successful in getting some, hopefully most, to turn back to Him :)

But for the rest of the paragraph, it's pretty scary. It's describing those who truly do not change after God's many attempts to bring you back to Him through his severe punishments. But do not fret, because, in the next passage, God shares how He will forgive and not reject those who do confess their sins and repent:

40 “‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”
46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.

In conclusion, I think the biggest challenge for us humans is learning to change our attitude towards trials from God. God can use evil for good, just like how He let Joseph be sold by his brothers and be thrown into jail - so that Joseph could save many lives (mentioned in Genesis 45:5).
After we've discerned that the punishment is from God, we need to learn to confess, repent and turn back to Him. It's truly so easy to be bitter at punishment - but I hope Leviticus 26:14-46 will remind you that it is God's mercy and Him inviting you to come back into His loving embrace.

Let me end off with this Bible verse:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- 1 John 1:9

I know that I came across this passage at a very appropriate time and I truly feel that this message was spirit-lead :)  All glory to God!
That's all for this post, God Bless❤❤

When I write reports, I feel like I'm carrying out surgery. Maybe it's because I'm being meticulous, or maybe it's just because I'm weird. Probably the latter.

Anyway, what a way to start this blog post - absolutely morbidly - just like how the second half of this semester was for me.

I'm being dramatic, it probably wasn't so bad. But it was definitely challenging.

On the first day of this semester, I was greeted with a slap on my face. My teacher told me that I was not meeting expectations and I have not done very well during the first half. I cried (what's new) but quickly took action to improve.
That same day, 25th June 2018, I deleted several apps from my phone including Instagram, PUBG, Twitter, YouTube and more. I eliminated them because they were a source of distraction for me - and I didn't want that. I couldn't afford to have that.

Following the deletion of the apps, I worked hard and stayed as focus as I could.

Fast forward more than a month, I survived without Instagram for approximately 43 days! I'm actually quite impressed and proud of myself because Instagram and I used to be inseparable. But

Source: https://media1.tenor.com/images/c6e249926e0174b8aaf3175649e92338/tenor.gif?itemid=4969734

My my, so much has happened in 6+ weeks.
First off, I kind of rekindled my faith. It's shaky, but it's there. I feel like I've been so doubtful, fearful, and shameful the previous few months - but meeting up with my precious friend Melissa and great church leader Kenji has helped me realise how cool, loving and forgiving God is.

Also, in my post about the previous term, I mentioned that I needed to make a website and be in an MOE video for web design and development. I think I can talk a little more about it now since the video is out on MOE's Instagram, YouTube channel and it's even being featured on an Instagram advert. High-key embarrassed because I don't look very glamorous. Nonetheless, it's pretty cool.

The link to the Instagram post is here.
The link to the full video on YouTube is here.

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/3a/16/753a167f10ad52f6d714dc5a34acb8fe.jpg

God has seriously renewed my heart and my joy and love for God has been overflowing!😁

But things aren't always completely smooth sailing - I felt jealousy creeping into my heart again recently which spurred me to find out what I could do about it. I struggled with it on my own in the past, but I have God now which I think makes all the difference.
I prayed, and He has answered - this is what He has replied me with and all glory to God! I do hope it helps you in some way :)

I made a video on my YouTube channel last night and uploaded it earlier today:


As I mentioned above, jealousy has been plaguing me again recently and I just wanted to know what I could do to be cured of it. I was on a bus ride home yesterday night and I decided to re-read the Parable of the Prodigal son, or Lost son. It’s a well-known parable and for good reason - there’s so much to interpret from it!

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

- Luke 15: 11-13

There was a man, who I interpret to be God - and He had 2 sons. The younger one asked for a share of the estate but traveled to a distant country and squandered his wealth in wild living. Realise that he didn’t go wild nearby - he had to be and wanted to be far from His Father when he was doing unlawful things - so he traveled to a distant country.

I think at some point in our life, we were the prodigal son. We may not have squandered money till the extent of the lost son but we are all sinners - we know this. But we have been saved by a loving Father who gave us His son Jesus Christ to take our place to make us righteous❤

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in the country - and this resulted in the lost son having to feed pigs as a living. During this time, absolute rock bottom, he came to his senses.

He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate

- Luke 15:16-23

God’s Kingdom is a Kingdom of plenty, for plenty! And so, the lost son returns to his father - and his father, seeing his lost son from a distance, ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. The son apologises and the father tells his servants to basically celebrate, elaborately, the return of his lost son.

God is so good, loving, merciful and all these amazing things. A lot of us know that - it’s been preached a lot on and we can definitely infer God’s grace, love, and mercy through this parable.
But I think there’s so much more in this passage and God revealed that to me tonight.
Even though this parable could have ended here with a grand celebration of the return of a lost child of God, all wonderful and dandy, Jesus is such a great storyteller.

The parable continues with the older brother coming home and hearing music and dancing from inside the house. He then receives news that his younger brother has returned and they have killed the fattened calf to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

- Luke 15:25-27

And the Bible says this is how the older son reacted to the news of his younger brother's return:

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

- Luke 15:28-30

At this point, I had mixed emotions. I totally identified with the older son and his frustration. I wasn’t satisfied with just “being happy for the lost son who has been found”.
But it turns out, I had to empathise with the younger son’s pain of being lost.

Are you with me, am I making sense? I was focusing on the
joy of the son being FOUND. 
But I’m getting the message to be
empathic about the pain of being LOST.

Because the parable continues:

“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

- Luke 15:31-32

While I was praying and reflecting on the word, this sentence came to me:
The cure to jealousy is empathy.

I needed a message confirmation so I re-read the parable and it didn’t explicitly say that the older brother knew what his younger brother went through - in his eyes, it seems like he ran away with his father's money and came back in a pitiful state but got warmly welcomed back. The older brother was only focusing on his younger brothers bad deeds.

I think this older brother wanted vengeance, he wanted to see his brother get punished and scolded - but that is not what our loving, forgiving and amazing God does. He is all these things and more and He’s is calling us to be merciful, like Him.

I was wondering and kind of speaking to God: If it’s not really in the Parable, can I really assume that empathy is the cure to jealousy?

I then felt Him reply me with an analogy in the form of a story.
He illustrated a scenario. I have a younger sister, making this parable and analogy/vision very applicable. So the vision/story goes like this:
My sister has just taken some food I’ve prepared for school - this left me angry and frustrated. She has her share, why take mine?
But then there was a plot twist - my sister took my food because hers was taken away from her by bullies in school. She was going hungry for days.
When this turn of events was revealed to me, my heart changed pretty much instantly. Poor sister! I became more than willing to share or even give her what I had. This change in heart was birthed from love, and mainly empathy.

God was confirming my message within a message.

There was a period in my life when jealousy was overwhelming me and pretty much engulfed my existence - I Googled things like ‘How to not be jealous’. They gave tips like ‘figure out the underlying cause’, ‘separate past from present’, ‘encourage good use of imagination’ etc.
Personally, these tips didn't do much for me because the 'remedy' was temporary and it didn't change my heart.

It turns out the true cure was in the Bible all along, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

From this whole Bible reflection, I've really learned so much :')  It's not enough to just read and reflect - I need to apply it to my life too. So the next time I feel jealous of someone, I'm going to put myself in his/her shoes and empathise with his/her circumstances. Once I am able to be empathic about his/her struggles and pain, I'm pretty sure the jealousy will dissipate :)

It's important and graceful to be happy for someone else's joy of being found, but should jealousy come knocking on the door - you have empathy to back you up :)

Plus,

That's all for this blog post, God bless☺

Can I just thank God for how He always works things out in His perfect time and perfect way🙏🏼


Source: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1d/2f/2b/1d2f2b8f42dacc5dc3d487ce81f83aa9--bible-verses-inspirational-beautiful-inspiring-quotes-god.jpg

I was honestly having second thoughts on doing Information Technology. It's not that I don't enjoy it, but perhaps I'm getting restless and want to try something new. But more than that, I believe it's because I want to have a fulfilling career - something that allows me to help people and have a lot of face-to-face interactions. Sure, I may be doing alright in IT but I was worried about how I’ll be able to honour God in my work.

I started comparing it to the work of a social worker, counselor, nurse and even doctor - I WAS THINKING ABOUT GOING TO MED SCHOOL, how crazy and absurd! Although it sounds amazing - helping people, getting to form so many connections and save lives - it's a jarring difference from IT and it's going to be close to impossible to make a change to med school at this point. The only way med school can be an option for me is if I start from zero, again.

But God delivers and after a recent project discussion, I realised that God uses the people around you to make you realise things. Mr. Tan (my coding teacher) mentioned how we all have our talents and should focus on our individual gifts to move forward.

After some reflection, I think it applies to my predicament now. There are amazing people who will be social workers, counselors, nurses, and doctors - they’re going to be really good at it too. But I can be something different - I can be in the IT industry, making use of my God-given talents - that can be how I honour God. If God wanted a world of doctors, who would do other things?

I'm not saying that I will definitely be continuing on to do Computer Science in university, I'm not saying I won't be doing it either. I think I'm just going to do my best in what I'm studying now (Information Technology in Temasek Polytechnic) to have options in the future when I need to discern my university course and career path. It's exciting to think about the next chapter in life - it used to scare me but it doesn't so much anymore because I know God goes before me AND stands behind me. How great is our God❤

I don't know what the future holds, but I'm going to trust that God has a plan for me. Whatever I end up doing, I'm going to praise God for our differences and honour Him with my God-given talents❤

In conclusion,

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
‭‭- Romans‬ ‭12:4-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I am Christian - for a very long time, I didn't know what that meant exactly. I didn't know the beauty and honour of being a Christian.


Source: https://78.media.tumblr.com/69d9513ef8d0757048ffcf96edbd797d/tumblr_o4ub1aQStt1sj7j0lo1_500.jpg 

Before I proceed, I want to say that I'm writing this post with good intentions and I really want to share my faith and what I've found recently. God gave all of us free will so who am I to shove my will onto you, dear reader. I am simply sharing and I do pray that it impacts you in a positive way :)

I think I only recently rediscovered my faith and I'm so blessed and thankful. My religion means love - it means I am deeply loved and protected by my Father in heaven. It means I love Him and I should live my life in a way that pleases Him. It means that I am saved because Jesus paid the price for my sins and He opened the door to eternal life. It means so much to me and I'm so so thankful that I am born in a family which is Catholic.

With that being said, a deep sorrow has hit me recently. The Bible says:

"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 

- Acts 2:17 (NIV)

It's a very heavy and daunting thought - but it has been a big factor that spurred me to renewing my faith.
And I've been watching a lot of videos about people getting visions - very strong, powerful, God-sent visions. This began when I chanced upon a video one morning but I believe that it was all God's plan. These vision testimonies did scare me at first but it has quickly turned into gratitude and sadness that not everyone will be going to heaven. It's God's wish for everyone to enter His Kingdom but our choices made now in our lives determine the afterlife.
I'm really rambling in the post, but I just want to voice out and share some of the videos I've watched recently.

This is the first video I watched, regarding this topic:


Another amazing testimony I found was this one, and I have a lot of respect for him (John Ramirez):
John Ramirez has some pretty interesting books which I'm hoping to get my hands on.

Honestly, while writing this, I just had a revelation. I think I've let go and let God quite a bit these past few days. I was just thinking about how we truly are in the 'end days' but I am not afraid anymore like how I would be as a child. I am also unafraid about not fulfilling my future dreams (e.g. getting into a good university, getting married, starting a beautiful family etc.). I think it's a sign that I've put God's way and will above mine and that's a great thing :)

I'm blessed and so thankful for where I'm at in my faith. I mustn't be selfish and just revel in my own salvation though, I want to spread God's word and love - to bring as many people to God as I can. It's sad that some people never get to know Jesus Christ, and I'm hoping that I can help at least one person before I die.

I just need to be more courageous and I definitely need to know more about scriptures and God's word. I'm excited for what lies ahead :)

I really do hope you watch the videos, especially the second one! It's pretty awesome how loving and forgiving God is. He can use any broken vessel for His great goodness.

I'll be posting an update of the end of my semester (Year 2.1) around the end of September, after my results come out (pretty nervous but it's out of my control now - surrendered it to God).
Until then, have an amazing life, God Bless!

Well, I guess this is a followup from my previous Done with Year 1 post. I did better than I expected in my previous semester and, once again, I'm so thankful.

Source: https://tenor.com/view/thank-you-jesus-jesus-jesus-did-that-real-housewives-of-orange-county-rhooc-gif-6077126 

For the previous year, I used to post after every semester but I felt like changing things this year. I'm planning on posting after each term. Also, the post that will come after the semester (or second term) will actually include me having the knowledge of my results, unlike in the past where I would hope for a good GPA and only update in the next post (which would be way later).

Without further ado, here's how this first term in year 2 went.

You know the drill,
These were the modules I took for this semester:

• Communication in the Workplace (CMSK)
• Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD)
• Secure Coding Practices (SCDP)
• Mobile App Development (MBAP) 
• Software Quality Assurance (SWQA)
• Transnational Studies (TNS)
• Cross-Cultural Communication (CCC)

There were fewer modules this semester and considerably less coding (because I think the next semester will be a killer when it comes to programming). This semester involves a lot of reports, I feel. A good thing about this semester is the timetable - it's so much more relaxed! Some days we only have one 2-hour lesson.

CMSK:
Nothing much to say about this module. It's compulsory for IT students to do this from the start of year 1 till the end of year 2 and I'm not really mad about that. This semester focuses on communication in the workplace so we have projects like a written report, meeting roleplay and making meeting minutes.


OOAD:
I think this is the most challenging module among the modules I'm taking this semester. It's just very technical and abstract. I'll probably have to really spend more time to understand this subject. Besides the content, the teacher has been great! He reminds me of a grandfather or something; very gentle and patient :)  The project which I have submitted before the term break started was a report and a video. Again, it's another embarrassing video but I think I got the job done. Just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best for this module.


SCDP:
When it comes to reports and documents that need to be submitted, it's so lengthy! I don't know why but this semester, there are no word or page limits for most of the work which needs to be handed up so and pretty much all students are exploiting that fact. My reports/proposals/documents etc. have been so long but I think I've done what I could to filter out unnecessary information. I think I just need to remind myself that it's quality over quantity.

Anyway, SCDP has been alright. I think my class is pretty confused about the structure of the subject but it's a manageable module so all's good.


MBAP:
I have to say hello again to the program that first taught me "Hello World"; Android Studio. It's also the software that gave me panic attacks and nightmares in my very first semester at Poly.

The projects for this module are to create a proposal for a mobile application and to actually code the Android application. It's very open-ended so there were no limitations to the type of app you want to make - the only limitation is time because it's due in Week 13. The subsequent project is to code an app that can run on any operating system (OS).

Now, the interesting this is - I'm exempted from the first Android project. This is because I'm participating in an Artificial Intelligence competition which involves the use of Android Studio, DialogFlow, and Firebase. My team members, 2 good classmates and friends of mine, are exempted too. We've been making pretty good progress this past week. It's term break but we've been going to school from 10am to 6pm every weekday to get our solution done. It's been really great though😊
Here's a video of what my day has been looking like this past week.


I have 2 CDS' this semester and that is proving to be a very difficult task. The only silver lining to this cloud is that the CDS' are pretty similar. Other than that, it's been quite torturous. The two subjects take up my Friday, making it the longest day of my week - which is pretty unfortunate.


SWQA:
Nothing much to say about this module. It just consists of a lot of reading and studying I guess. The projects include software testing and a test.


TNS: I mentioned CDS is my  Done with Year 1 post but I'll do a quick recap - cross-disciplinary subject (CDS) is a compulsory module that a student has to take which is unrelated to their core course of study. For example, if I'm an IT student, my CDS cannot be related to IT.

TNS is a really popular CDS and the main appeal is the compulsory dorm stay for 2 weeks (you get to go back home on the weekend). I haven't gone for my stay yet but I'm so excited! My stay is going to commence a week after I go back to school after this term break.

The projects for this module are quite extensive - there's reflection journal entries, presentations and more. I guess the only thing that upset me a little before is the fact that I've been doing most, if not all, of the group project work. But my group members have apologised, and I really appreciate that - when people acknowledge the work that I do. So I'm letting it go and I'm honestly not that upset about it anymore.
Just hope things go well from here :)  I'll be staying in the dorm with my group and I don't know what to expect, but I'll be filming a little each day to make a video diary of my stay. Should be fun😋


CCC:
This has been a pretty painful CDS. The online lectures have a lot of content crammed within 6-ish weeks and the course structure in itself is pretty confusing.

It's also pretty similar to TNS so I get a little confused between the two sometimes. On the bright side, I'm happy that my group members have been good and we did pretty well in the presentation assignment. I think my test went alright too so I'm not too upset about CCC. It's just that 2 CDS' in one semester is pretty challenging. I only have 1 more CDS to clear after this sem and I'm done with it. I'm doing my last CDS during the semester vacation - I'm just not really sure whether I'm going to Cebu or Japan. We'll see :)


This term has been overwhelming. I'm participating in 2 competitions - one is the AI competition I mentioned under MBAP, another is also an AI-related competition. On top of that, I got news that I got an award.
I've also been selected to be a part of an MOE video which is related to WorldSkills. I need to create a simple website and I'll have to be filmed developing the website and explaining the flow etc. It's quite scary but I'll just focus on the development for now - I'll just follow instructions on the day of filming.

Other than that, I'd say this semester has been pretty smooth and consistent. I've been focused and I've been pretty good at juggling my commitments. I just have this problem where I get sucked up in all my work and I feel compelled to not stop until I'm done. It's a severe illness called workingitis and I'm afraid there's no cure, only temporary remedies like my lovely boyfriend.

Source: https://tenor.com/search/love-gifs 

I still get too caught up in my studies sometimes but it's because I know working hard now means an easier life later - and I want a comfortable life for me and my loved ones. I also want to work hard for me, ya know? To reach my fullest potential and to achieve my goals.
But yeah, I just need to split my time better. My boyfriend has also been supportive and understanding when I have a lot of work to do. I'm just really thankful :)

I also told myself after the previous semester that I'm not going to let any opportunities that come my way go to waste - which is probably why everything has been so overwhelming. One opportunity which I grabbed the past term was the one-day Batam trip for students from the school of IIT. I got to go with quite a few classmates of mine and it was so fun :) Really love my class!


Another thing I'm thankful for is that I feel like my typing speed has increased at each milestone, hahaha. My typing now is pretty fast and furious and at times, I don't even need to look at the keypad when I type. It's pretty exhilarating. Am I weird that these things excite me?

Source: http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1245071-jugheads-im-weird-speech 

I'm exhausted but I actually really love the feeling, is that weird? I think school officially broke me. My system is whack and my brain is fried, haha. But in all honesty, I just really love studying and doing work - it's my coping mechanism and my escape from worldly problems. I hope this love for learning and education will never end😍 I also owe all my successes to God. If not for Him, I would not be where I am today.
That's all for this post, bye for now :)

My my, how time flies.

The applications in the picture above were the torture devices for this semester.

Year 1 was such a roller coaster ride and let me just continue from where I left off in my First Semester in IT post. At the time, I hadn't gotten back my results for the first semester yet but all I can say is - I did better than what I expected and I'm very, very thankful that my hard work paid off.


For this second semester, which completes my first year in polytechnic, I personally feel like it was more manageable. Perhaps it's because I've already adjusted to the system and I know how to manage my time better. Another factor could've also been the fact that web development is more manageable compared to mobile application development.

This post will be me rambling and giving a summary of the semester 1.2 and my first year in TP IT.

These were the modules I took for this semester:

• IT Security Essentials (ITSE)
• The Essentials of Persuasive Presentations (CMSK)
• Digital Devices and Systems (DDSY)
• Data Structures and Algorithms (DSAG)
• Coding and Testing (CODT) + Database Application Development (DBAV) + Application Development Project (ADEV)
• Sports & Wellness
• Introduction to Language & Culture (French)

ITSE was fun during the first half of the semester. There was a project where we had to talk about cyber security and such - I made a video on Ransomware Growth which captured some attention from the teachers, I think HAHA. But one of my philosophies when it comes to school work is to make yourself feel like:

In a good way of course, haha. I think you'll get what I mean after you watch my video for one of my ITSE projects. Here's the link to the embarrassing video.
It was good because teachers knew me but bad because it put me under a lot of pressure due to the expectations which the teachers had for me. I'm honestly not sure what grade I'll get for this module but I'm hoping that I won't be too disappointed.

CMSK is a compulsory module which I'll have to endure till year 2 ends. It's not too bad but it's still a cause of stress - especially when a presentation comes around. Speaking of presentations, I feel like my presenting skills have improved by leaps and bounds. I no longer feel as nervous and I feel like I'm able to memorise my script much better. I'm also a little more comfortable with improvising on the spot. It feels good :)

DDSY, from what I heard, was a pain for a lot of people. I'm no exception. Nothing much to say but this module was stressful. I'm just hoping for the best.

CODT, DBAV and ADEV made up one cluster of subjects and the final project for those three modules was a website. The previous semesters major project was a mobile application - this semester was focused on web design and development. The theme for the website was food and beverage so, being a vegan foodie in the past, I decided to make a website selling vegan food and I made use of my past food pictures.

Sports & Wellness was implemented the year I entered poly. I thought it would be a chore but it was actually really fun. There were many laughs - like the one time we played netball and I got body slammed by a classmate and fell HAHA, and doing pilates with the girls - I really enjoyed S&W.

French was my cross-disciplinary subject (CDS). I won't go into the details but CDS is essentially a compulsory module that a student has to take which is unrelated to their core course of study. For example, if I'm an IT student, my CDS cannot be related to IT.
French was so fun and I really loved learning the language and the culture. I did rather well in the tests and role play presentation so it's reassuring to know that my CDS wasn't going to affect my GPA negatively. One of our assignment is to attend some French event outside school so I went to watch a French movie called Alone (Seuls) at Shaw Theatres during the French Film Festival.
Throwback to dusty blonde hair.

When I thought my French journey in school has concluded, I received news from the head-of-department of French that I got nominated for a French Alumni Award :')  One student from every institution receives the award and it is really such a honour to receive it. It's always so motivating when hard work pays off.
I think I'm going to continue learning French - it's truly such a beautiful language.
Woohoo :)

The first half of semester 1.2 was good, I was told by my care group teacher (form teacher) that I was doing very, very well. But I guess I got distracted during the second half of the semester. Things got difficult and then it got dull. I was more unstable and the assignments and tests in the second half were more taxing. Nonetheless, I did my best and I just kept going. And voila, I made it to the end of the year. and I'm praying that when the results come out in April, I won't be too disappointed. If I do badly, I believe that it'll be much-needed wake-up call.

I learnt a lot this semester, not just academically. I've made and strengthened a lot of friendships, especially within my class and I've learnt a lot about myself too. I won't go into too much detail but I think overall, this semester was a roller coaster ride. I met a lot of new people and encountered a lot of not-so-nice individuals that got me like:


But I've met some gems too and I think all the hurt I went through was worth it in the end :)

I actually filmed my reaction when I opened my results for the first semester, I'm planning on filming my reaction for this semester and the following semesters as well. Then I'm going to compile the clips into one video do a final reflection on my time in TP! I think it'll be fun to look back on :)

All in all, I really enjoyed my first year in poly and I'm proud of myself for persevering. I think it's so important to celebrate the small victories too! I'm also so grateful for the teachers and friends who've made this past year so much more enjoyable and amazing♥ Also really thankful for the unwavering support from my family♥♥♥

I'm enjoying my holiday so far. I recently performed with my secondary school string ensemble in Victoria Concert Hall. I have a vlog of the nonsense that went on behind the scenes leading up to the concert on the day itself on my YouTube channel. The link is here :)

I can't wait to keep doing enriching activities for myself and relax after a grueling first year, haha. Going to recharge for year 2, I definitely need all the rest and chill vibes I can get. In the meantime, I'll be eating, sleeping, going to the gym (been getting back my fitness) and spending time with loved ones♥
Last but certainly not the least, I'll be praying that my semester 1.2 results will be favourable, and if not then I'll also be praying that I won't be too disappointed.


That's all for this post, bye for now :)

[Source for all the gifs are Google]

Two words: retail therapy.



School has been ripping me apart. In the span of 3 days, I've pulled 2 all-nighters but I'm surprisingly still going strong. I have nobody to thank but God for keeping me resilient and healthy this stressful period. One thing that hasn't been on my side is my skin. I have this huge pimple right in the center of my face, on my nose, and I don't know how to feel about it haha.

I'm not one to care about pimples - they come and they go - but this one has been very persistent and it's pretty noticeable.



Why am I rambling about my pimple on a ColourPop Haul blog post. (Pull yourself together, Nic.)

I've been eyeballing ColourPop for quite some time and somewhere near the end of 2017, I decided to go in for the kill. My wallet was the victim.



Besides taxing school work and my pimple, I've been thinking a lot about beauty and makeup as well. Not the products but the idea of dolling up and looking good with the aid of beauty products.

I won't be rambling so much about how girls do makeup to impress guys - because I think it's been established and reiterated several times already that (most) girls put on makeup for themselves - because it's fun or because it makes us feel good.

YES, PLEASE!

Pressed Powder Shadow Palette

Seeing that this palette made it to the Nylon Beauty Hit List 2017, I felt that if I were to get any palette from ColourPop - this should be it. I love the warm colours so much and it has a good number of matte shades and shimmer shades. They're super smooth and blend really easily.

COOKIE

Lippie Stix

I've been on the hunt for a good nude lipstick for a long time and I'm glad to say that the search is over. We did it, fam. I found my match. We're in a serious relationship now.

UP AND AWAY

Lip Bundle

The main lip product I wanted to get was Love Bug because I tried it once when a really great friend of mine let me. And I was shook. I rarely wear red lips because I feel like I can't seem to find the right shade of red for me but Love Bug was right up my alley. I'm prepared to wear more bold lip looks this year, woohoo!

GNOMIE

Loose Highlighter

I'm not very sure how to use a loose highlighter but I'm really excited to try this out! It's super glittery and shimmery so if you about that glow-to-the-gods kind of life, you should give this a shot.

RUNNING IN ORBITS

Supernova Shadow

I got this in hopes to get a glossy lids kind of look and although it's not going to give me the look I was trying to achieve, I ain't complainin'. This has a iridescent metallic sheen which looks gorgeous when light hits it. Can't wait to experiment different looks with this product.

Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/59/bc/0a/59bc0afe5d192f87d105fed27f02d793.jpg

I think the new year is the perfect time to review the past and look forward into the future. Not to say that it's bad to do that throughout the year - just saying that the perfect time, in my opinion, would be at the end of the year/start of the year.

Source: https://media.giphy.com/media/l0MYCKMCJFO8xfJUA/source.gif 

2017 was a year full of changes and new experiences. In retrospect, I'd say it was a pretty decent year. I was hurled out of my comfort zone (which was terrible) but without that, I wouldn't have grown.

I haven't blogged in a while too so I think I should round up the year in a nutshell to put us all on the same page.

2017 highlights:

• Turned legal!
• Joined polytechnic
• Made a lot of friends!
• Better than expected GPA
• Started eating eggs, dairy and fish again (no other meat) 
• Experienced a breakup 

and more...

I did manage to hit some of my goals I set for myself last year. If you look back at my Bye 2016, Hello 2017 post, these are the things I'll want to continue for this year:

• Don't push emotions to the side; accept them, deal with them and then let them go (I'll definitely have to write an extended post on this topic)
• Smooth skin, nice hair, take care of personal hygiene
• Wear nice lingerie, it's empowering!!!!!
• Say 'No' when I mean to (I'd say I'm doing well in this aspect so far in 2018)

2018 goals:

• Have only 1 non-vegan meal a day; the rest of the day I will be vegan!!! (I'm honestly really digging the vegan vibes and miss feeling more at peace, if that makes sense)
• Wake up at 7am or earlier every day 
• Be independent, self-sufficient and self-motivated!!
• Know my worth and believe that:

• Know that being admired for being good-looking is like congratulating a person for their face. Remember that being appreciated for my personality/character is so much more meaningful. This applies when I'm complimenting others as well. Dr Yang says it best:

• Drink more water, use water bottle (tried to do this in 2017, didn't really work out)
• Get fit and reach a certain weight by my birthday
• Focus on studies and get a good GPA
• Being more self-aware - pen down my thoughts
• Start writing more poetry again (I have a highlight story of my poetry on my Instagram)
• Be minimalistic (tried this in 2017, didn't succeed so I'm persisting and giving it another shot this year)
• Save money!!!
• Trust God more and let Him be in control
• Be more confident with myself and my looks/body
• Was thinking about doing YouTube again but I really don't think I have the luxury of time - will see how it goes :)
• Bake more vegan goodies
• Cook and prepare my own meals more
• Blog more (about veganism, vegan food, reflections, studies etc.)