ignite 'n inspire

          After the death of a distant friend, I come to realize how fast God can take your life away from you. It has been many weeks since and I still haven't found any sort of closure. It's been busy with drama, homework, and such...but it wasn't until a television series episode that played on Friday where I learn that life is precious.           My sister showed me a song by a country band named the Band Perry, they had a song named ' If I Die Young .' It is a beautiful ballad that speaks the words of the people that have died way too young... If I die young,             bury me in satin,                       Lay me down in a bed of roses,                                                      Take me to the river at Dawn,                                        Send me away with the words of a love song...          As the character in the drama was counting down her days on earth because of her serious illness, no one could control the fact that she was

        After a brief chapter about evolution in biology, my dad questioned me about how love can evolve from nothing or some chemical reaction. What is the formula? Does this all happen by chance? I believe that love is a miraculous energy that God created that can be expressed through millions of different ways. Through family, friendship and most importantly relationship , we can experience a type of warmth. It is true, down-to-earth and simple.         It’s been four days into Christmas break. Christmas is a time where I remember Jesus coming down to earth. But other than celebrating a birth, it is a great reminder of God’s love. He has granted me with food, clothing, shelter and friends. If it weren’t for a Christmas sharing on Friday by a great friend, I wouldn’t have remembered about being thankful for my family. I have a family that cares, love and showered me with things that I need but also things that I want. This perfect environment is the reason why I am always smiling

~ In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.  Proverbs 16:9 ~          And this was the bible verse that my drama production was about. I spend months and months rehearsing, perfecting my lines and understanding my character. This weekend, it wrapped up with two whopping and crazy performances. The cast relied on improvisation and God's power to produce a two-night back-to-back show.           The story about a man named Mr. Goh whose wants to fixed his troubled past so that he can establish good friendships, relationships and status in society. As he uses a myrecovery CD to go back in time, he finds out that everything isn't in his control. No matter how much he wants to change the past, there will always be something wrong. After three attempts, he becomes a fame-less reporter. With a broken friendship, and a bad job, he must understand that God is the controller of our lives.           Since September, I have always been practicing o

     Yesterday, I came home...and I was 'mentally' drained... In my head, Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up was playing in my head...                     The lyrics goes like  -Well, I won't give up on us,          even if the skies get rough,                      I'm giving you all my love,                                     I'm still looking up- Giving up is a really simple thing to do. As long as you leave everything behind and you can pursue something new. Letting go is easy, but to continue fighting is hard.  Sometimes, I feel like my thoughts are transcending through these people. And everyone understands me. But other times, I feel like I am trapped in glass walls and no one can hear me when I speak... What does it take for people to understand this message? something  dramatic or something tragic?  Commitment, and Accountability...it's just like a basketball game, with a certain number of players on the team. All the team mates believe t

     Last weekend, I've learnt to thank God even for the good times because you never know when it's going to turn bad. It can be over the course of one day or even a moment.      Being a Christian doesn't mean that everything is easy. Jesus promised suffering. I've finally gotten to experience it. I'm hopeless and frustrated, and I feel the same now. I feel like I am in an elevator and waiting for the door to open. I ask God why but I know I shouldn't be...      Depending on God is tough and it's difficult but I know if I can continue to be HIS good and faithful servant, He will grant me peace.  ~ch I will listen to what God the Lord will say; He promises peace to his people, his saints. Psalm 85:8

I have always been trying to describe how much my friends at church really impact my life. During a leadership retreat at @bluemountain, I've finally figured it out. The word is foundation . My church friends are my foundation, my second family, I will never question their friendship. I know that during my times of trouble, they are the ones I can talk to.      With other friendships, I've watched the high&lows but I know that no matter what happens, my sisters-in-Christ will always support me.     I guess one of the fears I personally have when I started to think about my future was the fact that in 2 years, we are all going to spread into many different places to pursue our post-sec. education. It isn't going to be like 'half of our grade @church is going to the same school.' With all of that, I am trying to live in the present and make most of the 'grade days' and 'moments' before it's all gone.    Thanks J.L, S.H., O.C., H.C., R.T., M.

     My all-time favourite part in a wedding is listening and seeing love stories unfold because it gives me some sort of happiness and reassurance that there is still love in this world.        There is a beautiful story that I just feel like sharing. There was a couple who lived on the top of this mountain to isolate themselves from the city. Because his wife works in the village, the husband spent years and years making a staircase so that his wife could go to work everyday safely. As they grew old, the staircase did too, he would spend everyday repairing so that his love one won't get herself hurt. They lived there until he passed away. This historical site and love story has transformed into a testament of what it means to live 'til death do us part.'       Wedding vows are words but to put them into actions is difficult. One day after lunch, I was waiting to cross the traffic light when I saw an old couple walking on the other side of the street. The man was frail a

       It's been the first several weeks of school but summer camp memories still floating in my head. A story of this one friend popped into my head and I though it was good opportunity to write about this very special friend. I hope you can see the message that you see from this girl is as reason why I continue to serve God's little children.        I remember one day at home, a Thursday, I was prepping for a short devotion (a small bible study) about God and his great love through Jesus. It was a set of bible verses that touched my heart. I decided a bunch of sticky notes and headed to church for another long day working with a group of Grade 3&4s.         During the devotion, I was divided with two girls and a very rowdy boy. In the middle of the hallway, I gave each of them a stickie and told them to write down several people whom they have trouble loving. Then I explained to them the importance of loving because God loves us so much despite the greatest mistakes we

The Beautiful Atlantic Ocean zillions of mosquitoes bites 15 tourist attractions 10 people 9 days 8 nights 5 provinces 4 hotels 3 states  2 drivers  1 car and that was my summer trip with my family...          This trip meant sitting on a big passenger van for hours but I had a marvelous time with my family and challenging myself. I got to experience and see God's creation while touring around parks and beaches. A lot of the time, I am too busy taking pictures and figuring out what's next in the schedule  I challenged myself for this trip to treasure the moments I spend with my family. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to getaway with those around them. I also told myself to relax and experience nature, without the wifi or a computer. I got to breathe fresh air from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.           The main goals while having a vacation in the 'The Maritime Provinces' are to eat seafood and chill by the wate

    While leading summer camp last week at camp, my campers and I played 'Just Dance 3' on the Wii. It was amazing to dance and sing along to some popular tunes. I was singin' 'Price Tag' by Jessie J. and the lyrics seem to stick to me that entire day...it was the first line of the song, for those who don't remember. Seems like everybody's got a price. And that is exactly how I feel all the time when I hang around people that make brand name seem like EVERYTHING!      Shopping with them is super uncomfortable sometimes because I feel like their priorities are really, really, really materialistic! Here are MY thoughts: We are created unique and aren't judged by the clothes we choose to wear. The price that is on your clothing will be lost one day when God takes you back to heaven. Then, everything from Prada to Coach to Burberry will be G-O-N-E.       So many people believe that we can spend money on upgrading ourselves through our clothes and accessor

      Throughout this week, I have been really reflecting about my school year and to be truthful, I've definitely learnt a lot about myself. I learned that I am not 'that' smart. After trying multiple times to make cookies myself, I have always screwed up. After my fifth time, I called it quits because I am starting to think that God doesn't like it when I  bake.        On the other hand, my cooking has been improving, I've learnt so many dishes and soups...        After some reflection, I've realized that sometimes I can't be good at everything. If I can't bake, I should try to cook and specialize my strengths. Why do I have to force myself to continue making cookies, desserts and brownies...        I challenge those who read my blog to find your strengths and weaknesses. You can't be good at everything but take your strengths and use that to make an important impact on Planet Earth. You are put in your place for reason. Find It. Perfect It. U

charismatic-  /ˌkarizˈmatik/  having an extraodinairy power and appeal of personality if you have this tiny dose of vanilla extract in you, remember to thank God for it! ~ch

Time is an important factor to a lot of people's lives. People are on schedules everyday whether they are working as doctors or lawyers, teachers or factory workers. For young adults, they go to classes with timetables. Many people in this world are always asking why God simply created 24 hours, a bunch of time zones and 365 days in a year. During a chat on Friday with a group of friends, they reminded me that there is a time for every little thing [up and downs], but ultimately, we are in charge of how we spend it.  If you've read my last post, 'shocked,  sad,  tragic', I quoted that 'Life is precious...' , so I question everyone who reads my blog, are we making the most out of every single second, minute, hour?  Recently, Cory Monteith and Talia Joy, two great celebrities that I love passed away. I thought to myself what my legacy would be if God brought me back to heaven tomorrow.  So, on a final note, I just wanted to share a passage of Scripture fro

#glee#prayforlea#shocked#tragic#sad    My favourite Glee star Cory just passed away......all over Youtube are comments that are so meaningful, one that struck me read...         Glee lost an idol         A lover lost her heart         Music lost a voice         Heaven welcomed an angel i just hope that everyone out there can be reminded that life is precious...and we must remember to thank the Lord each day for those around you... The last song that Rachel Berry sang on Glee was a Celine Dion song called To Love You More . This song means a little more to everyone today because a wonderful actor left for heaven yesterday. i just want to share some of the [amazing] lyrics to you "I'll be waiting for you  Here inside my heart  I'm the one who wants to love you more  You will see I can give you  Everything you need  Let me be the one to love you more"  God Bless, ch

Echo...a sound that is repeated or reverberated after the original sound has stopped... Earlier, I had a blog that is dedicated to my chinese school girls that is called 'friendship that lasts 4ever." For my true childhood friends, out friendship would be labelled as friendship that echoes because no matter what happens, and how far we are, we still can stand as [ironically] close friends.While hanging out with my friend today, I realized that we've grown up but we've never grown OUT of our friendship. No matter what happens, we can still find stuff to talk about...problems we have in common...and memories from the past.... That defines true friendship...it's kinda like an echo, which never come to an end...even though we met years ago, we are still so close!!  <3 to S.R. and C.C. ~ch  p.s., to my sis-in-Christ, don't feel left out, i'm thinking about a blog post dedicated to u!!!!! :p

Your destiny is a mystery No matter how much you plan Or how long it spans Life is not perfect  Even if it's scientific There are always going to be troubles Some tosses and tumbles Anything can happen And you can't stop it with actions Your future is like a roller coaster A roller coaster with highs and lows Fast and slows We shall not be afraid  To walk through each day -stephanie, cynthia ho

@joint mission conference #worship#hillsong#brockuniversity "And I'll stand with arms high and hearts abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all..."                                                                                                        [The Stand, Hillsong]            Every time I worship God, I don't always feel his presence but the worship tonight, I was sure that I felt God here at  Brock University 's Joint Mission Conference. As I was singing with the rest of the English Congregation this song 'above', people in front and behind me raised their hands showing that they are submitting to God. I couldn't help but join them in worship the Lord Almighty. At that moment, I was sure that God was present, it was beautiful. The drums weren't the best, the singing wasn't the best, but the presence of God was truly, truly beautiful.              As a person that is always scared about how I look in front of others. I sa

     I've played the game 'two truths&one lie" many times before so...for those who read my blog, here are 3 facts about me, which one is the lie? I am insecure about the way I look I sometimes feel that I am alone because I don't have a so-called "boyfriend" I try different way to make myself feel more likeable. Well, the truth is, these are all true. I DO feel insecure about the way I look sometimes. I feel imperfect as a look at fashion magazines because my thighs are too big, I don't have abs....I feel that I am an imperfect girl, but the truth is, we are all imperfect. My sister always asks me the question, "Are you jealous?" The truth is, I AM jealous, she has a bunch of guy friends and I don't. I feel that I will be forever alone. I won't ever be able to find a guy that really cares about me [forever.] My sister is popular and I know that she is well-liked because she is athletic and knows how-to-talk. All these th

       June-15 was the grad day for Chinese school. The class was filled with laughter, jokes but also blood, sweat and tears. For the past 10 years, I've learnt so much about being myself on stage, being confident [not over-confident] and setting goals. It's been 10 years from learning new Chinese vocabulary to mastering penmanship. But the unique part about this journey is that I was never alone, I had friends who encouraged me to never give up. Even thought it was hard to get up every morning, I can never imagine my life without it.         The number of people that I want to thank are countless, but in my blog, I want acknowledge a few. Ms. Shin, the women behind-the-scenes who never gave up on me.My mom, for your bolt of energy that you bring to give me motivation. Nathania C., for being a friend and motivating me to continue competing. And lastly, Ms. Yuen, that seamlessly taught me how to be competitive [there IS a right and wrong way]        Acumen Language School w

Since it is Father’s Day, I decided to write a blog about something that both my dad and I share. We both love to express our thoughts through our words. When I was in Grade7, I wrote my first official essay and it was on an turning point in my life. I worked my butt of that essay because it was about something that my dad taught me that changed my perspective of life. It was called ‘Behind the Sunset,’ a lesson that made sure I appreciated the many blessing that God has given to me each and every day.  My dad once told me to try my best capture my reflections and thoughts on a book. And that is exactly what I do. For anyone I comes by my blog, I encourage you to do the same... On the other hand, my dad recently wrote a thoughtful paragraph about my grandpa’s death, although it was in another language, it was heart-felt and full-of-love... Writing is something that my dad and I share in common, even though we are not really good at it, it is a utensil that can capture feel

it's been also 365 days ago that changed my mentality about something I thought that I would never experience. At least...not yet.Almost one year ago, three family members passed away. I remember one day telling my close cousin that I have never "experienced a death in my family before" and she told me about her tragic experience. That talk was memorable because I never NEVER would imagine that I would be in the same situation. That month happened too quickly for me to accept and understand. My grandaunt, granduncle and grandpa...it was like God has a big test for me, expect, I didn't know it was coming... All three of these individuals cared for my brother, sister and I. They spend a lot of time helping to build a better place for my parents to grow up in. If it were not for them, my parents wouldn't be standing here today, living in a society of freedom and justice. My parents are healthy, strong and educated because of these three unique individuals. I pay co

there is always going to be another mountain, I’m always gunna want to make it move, always going to be an uphill battle, sometimes, i’m gunna have to lose, it ain’t about how fast I get there, Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side... encouragement to those who are still climbing the mountain of life, just remember that God is on the other side...waiting for you, keeping your head held high...it’s the c-l-i-m-b. ~ch Taken from The Climb sung by: Miley Cyrus

       I remembered the first performance I had in Grade 8 for my elementary school band, I was so nervous and my hand was sweating like a dog on a summer day. I wasn't sure if I was playing the notes correctly! That performance went well...following that, I did auditions, and participated in many different bands, it was amazing to see the improvement I had on my instrument!        Over time, I no longer got sweaty hands and "stage fright" symptoms, but yesterday, in my last Markham Theater performance, I felt that same feeling again. Yesterday was the last time I performed for my school, it was amazing to think, several years ago, I was a girl that was attempting to blow a note out of that black/white instrument. It was a pretty crazy performance, beautiful t rumpet solo, in-tune notes, "special musical moments." I couldn't have asked for more...       By blowing through the clarinet, I have learnt that:  I must have confidence in myself Always Try

Several days ago, in photography class, I asked a guy to help me hold the reflector in order to capture a photo for my portrait assignment. He looked at me like I was joking and said, “F^@k you!” I was surprised because nobody has ever said that to me before...but I was also angry that he was so disrespectful. Flashbacks came back to me from Winter Camp when I was in Grade 8. That day, we gathered in the living room for a session. If anyone looked around, you would see all the girls on the floor and all the guys on the couch. My counselor instructed to all the guys that this world works with the “Ladies first system.” Quickly, all the boys sat on floor... This society has been revolving around the “Ladies first” mentality but I think it should still exist today. Little things like holding the door, or helping ‘set up’ are things that guys SHOULD help out with. This ONE camp was a drastic change for the 8 guys that attended. After that, they were a lot more respectful toward gi