I am not alone (edited)

This is... so not an emo post. Alrighty? :)

-

You know what? As I was packing (started) packing all my stuffs to move out (omgosh moving in Boston is such such such a hassle and it is my first experience ! The Boston Dump will happen soon on the 31 Aug. I can't imagine what the city will look like. Embrrrraaacccceeee myself! ) Yeah, so as I was packing, I realized that I am actually doing things on my own without mom dad, Derrick (oh man, he does eberything I ask him to help me, without complaining, for that I appreciate his patience on me, he is the BEST!) and Esther to help me around. This feels like... Smells like... I'm being independent !!

Everything here is a first time for me.

The streets are flooded with walking students and parents today. The Fall semester is starting soon. Orientation week is next week ! Also, not to forget, U Haul trucks and vans and biggerrrr trucks are almost on every corner of the road. Parking permit is needed to park the trucks.

So, I am doing things without my family. Finally. This is college. This is studying abroad.
And like I wrote, I am not alone. It is the friends that I prayed so hard earlier on, that I would meet, and have a good time with them, whether in school, or the hang outs, to move stuffs and everything else during my college years. More good and genuine friends will come I hope. They are rare, but they are out there. These guys have been a great blessing, like seriouslyy. I want to be a blessing to more people too, because I have been... blessed la ! In so many ways. From furniture buying, to good grades, to having settle down in church, to have awesome friends around (looking forward for the Fall to meet new people !) and discovereing new good food !

Today's weather is colddd brrr ! Sweaters up! :)

***

Besides the physical part- moving and packing and studying, I am also learning how make some decisions.

Thank You ! Really.

I'm moving !
...Together with the rest of few hundreds or thousands of people in Boston !

It's craa-aaaaaaazyy ! Seeing people carrying furniture here and there, crossing the streets making that cars don't hit them flat like a pancake. They even have portable storage by the streets for you to store stuffs how crazy ?!!

I really can't believe that I am moving, for real ! But I have these wonderful, thoughtful, caring and kind friends to help me move my things just a call away. I can't say how much I really am grateful and thankful to them. They know who they are. Without them, I can never have my table, bed, keyboard etc.

God placed them in my life.

Words can never say enough how much I deeply appreciate these guys.
Amazing friends.

:')

I just got my $10 Belgium waffle maker. So gonna make awesome waffles for my super awesome friends!

With lots of strawberries, berries, cream, chocolate syrup, maple syrup and whatever not !

Just like today's ODB http://odb.org/2013/08/29/overwhelming-concern/
I am overwhelmed with my these friends who show me their kindness, concern and love in Christ. 

Hati-hati

Kadang kala orang kristian lebih bisa daripada orang biasa. mereke tahu cakap apa yang patut cakap, semua perkataan guna memang sangat ikut dalam kitab. tetapi kehidupan dan perbuatan mereka tidak reflect sepatutnya apa yang dikatakan dalam kitab. sangat sangat kecewa.

pokoknya, bukan semua orang kristian kristian. tau?

Drama

I can laugh and cry in 3 seconds seeing a photo. This is... pretty bad D:

Missing His Church. So much.

Are you also in this process?

College years are the moulding time into becoming an adult, also a working one. It is almost the entering of the longest period of life's time line. Adulthood has the longest time frame right? So what we study in college, it is (most probably) what we (decided) will be working as.

And all graduates wanna be successful. I believe we all can. Only when we plan well, dream big, walk with God depending on Him, work hardd and reachhh for the skyyyai. Kidding, that line... is so cliche.

:D

Coming back to work hard, in the midst of working hard, we must learn to enjoy our work too. And love people. I once heard from a friend, that the job that we do, is just a tool. That tool is to help put us in that specific area, after we have settled in our hearts knowing our interest and whatnot, and God to confirm (God won't force us to study something we don't want. Find that interest, give it a thought, put it in prayers and ask God to guide whether is it something we should pursue or not. Afterall, He holds our future, He knows whether is it good for us or not. We can be short sighted, God sees the bigger picture). So,

job = tool

Geddit?

job=tool

So what's our calling?
All the same.

Our calling is the great commission laaa!

Sharing our life's testimony to people in school in work in coffee shop in the supermarket, making sure our lifestyles, actions, words used, attitude all reflect Christ-like ones.

Whether a pilot, an accountant, a clerk, a rock guitarist, a dentist, a teacher, a writer, we bring light. We bring Christ-like love, like really really true genuine love. Show concern and respect. Just, do not be a dumb dumb goodie goodie christian letting others ride on our goodness. That's not being wise.

How? Study the Word. So many inspiration and insights. Pray even more. Include God in everything we do, feel, think and say. Practice our discernment. Don't have? Ask. God can show us things, intentions of people, cautions to be aware of and whatever not- when we earnestly seek Him.

I'm on my way to becoming a successful musician. I'm in the process, in the making of becoming one. What I do is that I keep a picture in the back of my head of my job, I know what I'm doing, what my interests are I found them, pretty good at doing it and I love doing it. And seeing myself as next time, people I wanna make an impact, dreams and vision, and remind myself of who God is, God can do anything (nothing is impossible) is the picture I keep. Reserve ourselves for God in obedience and trust, learn how to TOTALLY rely on Him because we are not smarter than God. We cannot and we never will. Listen to God, and act with God.

How cool is that? We have God, (erm, did you hear me, a GOD, good and loving one, and real) to help us and figure things out with us?? Whaaattt werttt ?? Yah! Everyone can be successful. When we do, we are there to be an influence. There are different levels in life. When we are in college level, we do what we can, we find out why what are we here for and do the impact. As we grow up, next level in the working world. The higher level we go, the greater the responsibility, the greater influence we must make.

So be ready.

At every stages we are in, whatever levels we are at, we do our best. We change the world. We impact society and nations! Christians are not meant to live in a rut.

Go with God's anointing and favor. If not, it's all in vain. Again, listen to God, and act with God. Are you also believing that you are on your way, on this journey in the process of becoming successful so that people can see the special thing in your life that draws them, and that is God? It is a process. Even if we are not yet successful, we are to continue walking with God and make sure our lives are rightly aligned with Him so that people around us can know that it is God in and with us that makes a difference.

The Pina Toprak Skype session

Okay. As promised. Here is a short review of my point of view (;P) of Pina Toprak's Skype interview ahaha!

It was hosted by the WFI in Berklee. So, what she threw in her thoughts in that session, don't live on other people's expectations. Have yours and do what you like to do, better if we love it.
If we want something, work hard for it. Don't have plan B(s). Cuz if we do, we would not finish plan A.

Being a woman in the film's industry is tough job. So we havtha rise to the occasion. She is a mother and a composer. :OO
We must learn how to juggle personal life and work (actually it applies to everyone :P Nyeheh.) We do film music work because we love it. We do what we can, and we do the best job. Film scoring is also our baby, besides our real baby/child. So, know how to care of both.

Well, she did talk about her routines, a little of video game scoring, of how she got involved with it.

I relate well with her mistakes, that she wasn't speaking enough for herself. People patronize her. She was afraid of speaking, she was a kitten. Many took advantaged of her.
And since FS is more for the introverts, because this job can be soemtimes (actually, pretty much all the time) lonely, where composers are locked in their room for, depending of the project time frame, 6 weeks perhaps, writing music non-stop before reaching the deadline, which is hmm, THE DAY THE MOVIE COMES OUT IN CINEMAS ??!! So yeah, the deadline is pretty important.

:D

I never thought that I have the guts to raise my hand and ask her a question in that session.

So yeah, she has worked for Hans Zimmer before and it was awesome having a Skype session with her. It's Berklee, anything music-related can happen.

Ending my Summer with... (a few events)

Lauren's bridal showerr ! Also my first bridal shower in America.

Coolies!

As cool as a coolatta :PP

I travelled with these girlies here, whom are my college friends and church friends.

We took the T.

Christine, Callie and Michel'le. Awesomee girls!

Ahh goshh shoo pwetty !

The lovely ladies. Only ladies. It's the ladies' day!

The bride showered with gifts!

Sweet treats!

When God places friends in life... :)

She's unwrapping my gift ! :O :)

This is Lauren. The bride. And she is very sweet.

Cup cakes galore !!

The Quackenbush sisters. Both of them reminds me of Esther and I.

So later that week, I also met with new friends from different church I visited. These girls came from Berklee, MIT, BU and some working. So glad to meet them. :)

Also, Anchor Church the one that I'm attending, had picnic and water baptism by the Castle Island beach in South of Boston. Great weather (It rained! So so chilly), great food, great people to hang with and what a great fun day.

Friends that went together. We were on the bus.

When it got coldd, we had blankie to warm us up ! Whee! Teehee! :D

Worship by the beach, on the rocks.

Our worship leader. Waves were rolling in when it started.

This boy just caught my attention I just had to snap a photo of him :PP

Yes, they were dunked, erm, they went down immersed into the sea :)

The two lovely ladies and wonderful friends I had in the Summer. Gretel and Aubrey.

So during that time, I also had a chance to visit the MFA- Museum of Fine Arts. It was hugeee! This is part of my liberal art class field trip. Lalala. The best part was, I got to see a performer playing the harpsichord, LIVE, in front of my bare eyes. Aweeeesome.

Before that, my class also visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, where the famous Boston art theft happened, until now the art masterpieces haven't been recovered.

So we had to write about it, and a book review. Fun class!

This is the main entrance for the MFA. It was 10am.

Ooh, my friend Kelton performed in this huge musical that laster for about 2 weeks. Les Mis at Reagles Music theatre somewhere in Boston. I have nuuu idea where it is :P It was lovely. I love the props. I'm so proud of my friend :)

Look at the crowd !

After the musical, our tummies were roaring ! We were like hungry packs of wolves :PP I mean, we were hungry :) We dropped off at Faneuil Hall for Tex Mex. Steak in the middle of the night.

How not to gemok ? 

Unpacking a little of my thoughts

There is a reason for me to take piano lessons when I was a kid.
There is a reason to like and choose books over dolls when I was a child.
There is a reason to, constantly, being brought up in way, face with difficult people for don't-know-what-why but now I know why, it is because to train me up when I work in the real world, the entertaining industry.
There is also a reason for me to become a second child.
There is (always) a reason why I wasn't in a relationship with that boy.
There is a reason for me to be mom and dad's daughter, my brother's sister and my sister's sister.
And now that I am here in this faraway beautiful city from home, I understand the reason for me to be here too.

Thinking back, those are for good, for the sake of my future, which is now, the time that I am living in. They were the reasons I never knew at that time, but now I know. And feeling tremendously thankful.
:)

Unpacking some of my thoughts. Hmm. Must be the Haagen Dazs I had awhile ago :PP :D

Happy Hour

For the past few days (2 weeks) I have been surviving on this for breakfast!

And granola fruit with milk sometimes.

Or grab food from WholeFoods' breakfast bar.

So good.

Final week, 16 full credits, project deadlines, test days, study-in-the-library days, photocopying days, seeing lecturers for assignments days are now overr!

I really had a great time in the midst of stress!

I love what I was studying and memorizing!

Really.

Oats, almonds, raising. And yogurt.

Yum.

I cooked my oats on the stove.

It's not instant :D

Finally, something not instant hehe.

And I will pamper myself with Butter Pecan (CVS lady told me I made the right very good choice on Butter Pecan hehe!) and Princess Diaries.

(Watched it a gazillion times because it's good?)

Mom told me to reward myself with ice cream on Skype jusnw.

So here I am.

I did what she told me.

A quick shower, put on my shorts and tee, and I smell so good and fresh! Now I watch movie(s)!

Happy hour :D

Creamy potato salad and classic deli pasta salad for lunch.

I doooo miss nasi lemak btw. And all the chinese food at home.

Yes yes, I will upload the bridal shower and water baptism by the beach photo soon. I also went to the Barking Crab near waterfront yesterday !! So pretty! Such a beautiful city in Boston!! I fell in love yesterday :D

Enjoying every single bit of my days here! That includes college work.

Okay laterr!

Coming up next

Pinar Toprak Skype Interview blog post is coming up soon too! :D Later!

Taiyaiyaiyaiyaiyai

Patience. I have some new photos coming up soon :)

Last week has started the assignment craze among Berklee students. It's no joke to actually take all 16 FULL credits for the summer, a short semester for full time full credits. That's the bomb man!

Everywhere I go, to the library, I hear students telling each other : Oh, it's been hectic. So SO much work to do. And some digging deep into their Mac along the sideways, typing so hard on the keys. Some burying their heads behind the computers in the labs on their keyboards, and ear phones rubbing in between their ears. Some like me, 'chup' spots in the library and spread files, music sheet papers, laptops and pencil case on the table like nobody's business. But have to take into consideration too that some students need space too hahah!

On Sunday 1245pm, I thought I was the only one waiting for the library to open at 1pm. When I got there at 1.03pm, there were already students filling up spaces in the media lab, library and lounges. Whaattt? Okay, I'm not the only crazy fella - Studying on a Sunday. Fuish! Teehee.

God be my strength. My barin hsa raech is't maxsinum lvele.
Colbie Caillat is on my playlist now.

*Spongebob's crazyy laughter.
Taiyaiyaiyaiyaiayaiayayaiyaiayiayiayaiyai

:3

Snippets of thoughts

Just a quick one!

Yesterday, when I was taking the T, I looked around just to observe and it dawn on me that I'm really, really living in the USA. And I just want to remind myself, to make the best use of time here. I don't want any regrets of like "Aiyah, I should have done this done that, why was I so shy at that moment and did not take the chance or risk to do something that might make a history or memories" all these when I'm back in Malaysia for good, when my college years are yesteryears.

Wherever we are, make the best out of the whole situation.

Here right, cannot afford to be lazy even just a day! It's so not the worth :D

Actually, the best is don't have the habit of being lazy.

Mega Alarm Clock and some other random stuffs

To wake up early here is kinda difficult for me. And I don't know why! At home, it's pretty easy. The alarm rings, and then whoosh!- I'm out of my bed. Maybe, it's the early morning air in Boston, wonderful 'texture' for sleepers to continue snuggling in bed, warming inside the blanket.

So, instead of depending on the annoying alarm from my very backdated at&t phone (which I love using it, it's so simple!), I have a super mega annoying 'alarm' coming out from the construction site, righttt in front of my apartment, evvvvveryday at 7.50am ! Yesss, it never fails from 7.45am-ish onwards.

Thaaaaanks! Very annoying but very helpful hahaha! :)

But the thing is, it can't be snoozed or stopped and it goes on and on and on the whole morning. Super irritating. 

***

I bought this sesame pao from a chinese supermarket, gosh the sesame paste literally burst and melt once you give it a bite! Awesomeeee. 

***

Mom said I'm a bit round. @.@ Gosh the horror of listening to that statement. What am I gonna do about it? Am I gonna run along the Charles river? Am I gonna eat lesser? Am I gonna eat more fruits and veges (I did lah!) ? It's just the food content and portion here that my body is going through right now. Yikes, the pressure! Okayy, so, eat smaller portion then.

It's a weekenddddd! Go out and enjoy the sun and breeze! Go play frisbee or something! Or stay at home and watch a movie from any DVDs hahhaha :D and sip Milo. I wonder if a kid's name is Milo. So kewl. "Milo, come here ! Milo, don't eat that" Lolol :P Milo don't eat whattt? But you're a food too!

Great stuffs about Introverts! I totally agree with it.

Read This : It speaks so much for Introverts. :D

Introversion is not the same as being shy or being a social outcast. Introverts prefer solitary activities over social ones, whereas shy people (who may be extraverts at heart) avoid social encounters out of fear, and the social outcast has little choice in the matter of his or her solitude.

Great list of myths about introverts via Carl King Creative:

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.