is that we don’t have milk and cookies delivered to us at 3am in the morning…
But other than that… QUT’s got the rest covered.
Just finished my first week of uni having just begun Law and continuing my 2nd year of Business. Here’s my brief reflection of week one:
My first tute on Monday was for law. The tutor was an older man with this permanent frown that just makes you want to sing, “Sun’s gonna come out TOO-MORROW, bet-cha bottom dollar that to-MORROWW“- I mean even when he attempts to smile it still looks like he’s down in the dumps. Anyway he seemed like a nice enough guy. But after 2 hours of monotonous ramblings about general admin and law history, my enthusiasm for starting the law degree began to wither. Similar to that of a juicy grape becoming a shriveled sultana. However I continued on with the hope inside me that the sun would, in fact, come out tomorrow.
My second tute was for another law subject. I sat in the tute and analysed my surroundings. Based on material appearance alone, my tutor seemed to look like he knew his stuff. I think it’d be a safe guesstimation to say he’d be pretty high up the corporate/law-porate ladder. He started talking and I was relieved to hear his non-monotonous voice. Then he got up to write his contact details on the board. His email went something along the lines of, “steamtrain62@hotmail.com” – all credibility was lost from then on. Nah, he’s cool, he just REALLY needs a new email address.
The last thing I’ll mention about my week is my AYB220 Company Accounting lecturer. I shall crown him my favourite lecturer. I sat in the lecture laughing on multiple occasions for periods longer than socially accepted. I mean I was still cracking up 5 minutes after everyone else had stopped. The lecturer had photos of places around the world pasted onto random slides throughout the lecture. He told us that for “no extra charge” he was taking us for an “around-the-world tour” and that we should bring our “passports to the next lecture”. He showed us a picture of a River and said, “What’s this a picture of”? We all responded with the Brisbane River. “You’re all correct… Ok, so I’ve given you a sample question and I’ve given you the answer, so I can safely say that that will not be on the mid-semester exam”. He was a cracker. He’s also my tutor next week so I am happy.
Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Diana Ross! No, it’s Tina Turner!
…Oh… false alarm guys, it’s just Li.
FINALLY finished a song I’ve been working on for about 2 months now. Yes, some closure 
Thank you Holy Spirit for helping me write this song. All praise and glory be unto You.
Well here it is! Hope you can some how strum along…
Verse 1:
Am C
I see my reflection,
G D
But I don’t want to see what the world sees of me
Am C G
Trapped in mediocrity
D Am C
Consumed by the identity this world demands of me
G D Am
Against my divine plan in its entirety
Pre-Chorus:
Em C G D
I can see, but I’m not taking
Em C G D
I am moved, but never shaken
Chorus:
Am C G
I desire to be a reflection
D
A mirror conception (OR The mirror perfection) of You
Am C
Everything in my heart, Let it be close to You
G D
Part of You
Am
Let Your plans guide my heart
C
Let Your will guide my path
G D
Let everything I do
Am C
Mirror You
G
Mirror You
Verse 2:
Am C
I lift up my eyes to see
G D
All that You have for me
Am C
Restored, renewed
G D Am
By the love I’ve found in You
C G
Are the key to life lived purposefully
D Am
For eternity
[Repeat Pre-Chorus + Chorus]
Bridge:
D Em C G
I am in, but never of this world
D Em C D
What I see will never define me
[pick/pluck this bit] Am C G D
He set me free
Am C G D
He set me free
[Repeat Chorus]
Made this Spanish Hot Chocolate this morning. I got the recipe off one of Mum’s Mediterranean cook books.
It’s pretty darn easy and it tastes nice and smooth, but what makes it Spanish? I do no know. I think it might be the type of chocolate they use? But since that special type of chocolate isn’t readily available, as the cook book describes, they suggest using cornflower- which I used.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chocolate a la taza OR
- 200g chopped good-quality dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp. Cornflower
- Milk
- Sugar
Here’s how to make the magic happen:
1. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp. cornflower with 2 tbsp. milk to a smooth paste
2. Place 1 L milk and 200g chopped dark chocolate in a saucepan and whisk constantly over low heat until just warm
3. Add 2 tbsp. of the milk to the cornflour paste, then return all the paste to the milk
4. Whisking constantly, cook the mixture until it just begins to boil
5. Remove from the heat, add sugar, to taste, and whisk for another minute. Serves 4-6
For some reason I’ve been in a innovative cooking mood for the past few weeks. I think part of the reason for this unusual mood was because I was on the Atkin’s a couple weeks ago – that diet really makes you appreciate good food. I found when I was on that diet that I didn’t miss lollies, chips and all the bad stuff, but rather I missed being able to have meat and rice, meat and noodles, meat and bread, rather than just meat, meat and meat.
Now I’m not the world’s best cook for sure (I’m pretty sure I’ll never be), but I can at least try!
I got the biggest complement last week from my ultimate food critic, jamie-oliver-wannabe sister, Mae, when I made an improv salad complete with: spinach, feta, pumpkin cubes, Mongolian lamb, sour cream, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes and beetroot. She said it looked like something Jamie Oliver would make, quote unquote. That was one of the nicest ever things she’s said to me, I shall treasure it.
The above are photos I took of my steak burger I made for Friday’s dinner before church – how pro does it look!
It’s unmis-steak-ably the best steak burger I’ve ever made (probably because I’ve never actually made a steak burger on my own before…)
Here’s what you need:
One of my new years resolutions is to not buy food so much at uni. Hopefully I can make things like this for lunch instead.
…that’s what I called her anyway.
My dearest Oma passed away on Friday at 8:45pm. I just wanted to write this post to reflect on her beautiful life. I certainly call myself blessed to have been able to personally know and love my grandma for 19 years. I really praise God for my oma. I’m so very thankful for her life being apart of mine.
The type of grandma I had was one that would always make sure my stomach was full. She’d also make sure I’d have food for later as well so that I wouldn’t get hungry later in the day. Whenever I came over her place it was her ritual to welcome me, then open the all the cabinets, cupboards, fridges and freezers and clean out her food holders and ask me, “do you have this”, “do you have that”, “do you want this”, “here, take that”, “why don’t you want this?”, “why don’t you like that? It’s nice! …Loh”. She’s the type of grandma who’s generosity never seemed to end.
When things were rough at home, oma was always there to hug, to wipe away the hair covering my forehead and say everything will be alright. She always seemed to care too much, sometimes to the point where it got annoying- calling the house for no apparent reason. At the time I found it annoying, but this morning Mae and I were looking at our house phone and we just laughed to ourselves remembering the fact that the majority of messages we got on the home phone were from Oma saying in her indonesian accent, “Ehh [pause] Jien-Li [pause] it’s Oma [pause] I want to talk to your daddy [really really long pause]….[hang up]“.
She was my biggest encouragement over the last few weeks on the atkins diet. Every morning when I’d visit her she’d look at me and feel my hips and say, “How much have you lost?…2.5 kg, I can see already! Yes! Already SO skinny”. She was exactly right to my amazement- 2.5kg exactly!
I’ll miss all the times she scratched my back and massaged me while she sang, “Ni-na boh boh” til I fell asleep. I don’t even know what that song means, except that “boh boh” means “sleep”. It’s such a soothing song. I’m going to sing it to my kids when I’m older and they’ll ask what it means and I’ll say, “I don’t know, JUST GO TO SLEEP gosh darn it!”
I’ll remember all the laughable times where I faked being sick (in primary school ok!) and oma would look after me. I’ll remember all the episodes of The Bold and The Beautiful, Passions, Oprah and Neighbours my grandparents and Mae and I habitually watched together (also in primary school…)
I’ll always remember being hand-fed by her even to the end of primary school. She’d use her hand, cupped like a spoon and her thumb would help slide the food off her hand into my mouth (try to visualise).
Speaking of food – I swear, the food in heaven is probably going to be cooked by my Oma. I will definitely miss her cooking – Ayam goreng, Bak Pau, Satay, Kue, Pandang Cake, her apple cake, cream puffs, kue lapis, gado gado, juruk – you name it… then name it again in Indonesian- she make it! She make it goooood.
Since about mid-December 2007 I had this random idea that came out of nowhere- to run to Oma’s house in the morning, eat breakfast there with her, and walk back. I did that everyday for about 2 months. Wow, I just look back at that now and I really praise God that I was able to spend more time with Oma before it was too late. Not that anything drastic happened with my relationship with Oma in that time but it was just spending time with her, even just watching TV and helping her cook. I am so thankful that I got that time before she passed away.
I’ll surely miss my Oma. But I am so SO thankful for the years I’ve had with her. I count it a pure blessing to call that fine woman, my grandma.
Oma, I’ll miss you so much. I’ll miss being able to call you and talk to you whenever I want. I’ll miss you when I walk to your house and you’re not there anymore. I’ll miss you annoyingly calling my house everyday just to see how we’re going. I’ll miss your hug. I’ll miss just driving to your house just to pick up food that we don’t even need. I’ll miss your voice. Oma thank you for everything you’ve taught me. Thank you for the many things you’ve wanted to teach me but I’ve always been too lazy to learn (i.e. cooking). Thank you for showing me how to serve, how to be hospitable, through the way that you lived your life everyday – selflessly. I’ll forever remember this about you – your generosity, your kindness, your wisdom, your unbelievable strength, both physically and mentally. Oma thank you for your never-failing love and support that you’ve always given me. You’ve always made me feel like a princess. You’ve always made me feel loved, accepted and special. I hope to live my life the way that you did. I love you. I’ll see ya in heaven.
How hilarious. The “world’s bearded elite” annually congregate to celebrate facial hair. Check out: World Beard and Moustache Championships
Here are some of my personal favourites:
Candidate #1: I’ll call him Papa Smurf. I wouldn’t be surprised if his hat was made out of facial hair too.
Man, you have to check out some of the bio information. It’s hilarious how they introduce each of the candidates, for example:
“Gunnar (pictured) burst onto the international beard scene at the 2006 European Championships in Amberg, Germany, where he took third in the full beard natural category, traditionally the most competitive… Gunnar is a peacelover and also a Master of Science in Computer Engineering. He lives in the woods near Gothenburg with his woman and his daughter”.
Yes, Gunnar lives in the woods… with his woman.
Candidate #2: “The Hair Pretzel”
Candidate #3: I don’t even have a name for this one it is so hilariously ridiculous.
Notice that he also has a toy sheep peek-a-booing out of his waist coat pocket. What a tasteful touch.
If I had a really long beard I’d side-part it and plaster it with gel on both sides of my face so it’d be a comb over for my chin. A chin over. Come and get me boys.
However if I never grow a beard, this would be good enough for me:
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