Relationship

Coupled.
Does that mean they're all loved?
Genuinely, loved?

Single.
Does that mean they're all unloved?
Really unloved?

Then why chase the world,
When what we need is authentic love?
Why keep seeking for it,
When it is already given freely to us?

This is the time,
This is the season.
Christmas,
Is it really about Santa Clause and getting gifts?
Have the world forgotten the human birth of an uncreated God,
The One who existed before the creation of time, space, and us?

Jesus Christ.
Why did He come?
Why die on the cross and lose His life for the sin of ours?
Why, why such sacrificial hassle?
Mock, laugh, betray Him.
Still, He chose to lay His life to save us from our deepest sins.
For what?
For eternal life, what we were created for.
To free us from the eternal sting of death that devil attracts.
To live in heaven with God, with perfect bodies and a new earth.
It is not a dreamy spiritual world on the clouds with harps and flying angels;
It is physical, it is real.
That, is home. Our real home.
That is why He had to die, so that we don't have to.
And that, is the greatest love.

But that, is not the end.
He rose again, He conquered death.
He is now alive.
Repent, believe, receive;
That, is the first of the abc's.
He longs for a relationship with us, you and me.
Best of all, He's everywhere.
All it takes, is a gentle whisper.

Christmas.
It really isn't Christmas, if it doesn't happen in our hearts.
It all begins, with a true intimacy of love;
Relationship.

Embrace

Awestruck, captivated, moved.

From 2 years ago, to 2 days ago;

I've watched how you grow,

And how time have brought you here.

Maybe it wasn't all as easy as others see,

But definitely God has pulled you through it all.

From the falls, the fails, the pains, the hurts;

Look into the sky within,

And stand back up again - anew.

Maybe the storms were mountain high,

But the blessings were always higher.

I am, very very happy for you.

You've definitely taught me something new.

God Bless you.

'Annoyed'

You know how annoying it gets when people constantly disturb us, play little tricks on us, take our belongings, and what more, break our things.
I can imagine most eldest siblings get that almost all their life - I don't know, I'm the youngest one and I'd be so dead if I do that to my sisters. Haha. But I do 'disturb' my eldest sister sometimes like doing all sorts of funny things just to make her smile. Oh, joy.
Well guess what, I tend to see things differently. When I get annoyed, I smile; because it means that our existence makes a difference to others. Whether we realize it or not, we matter.
Though we don't feel it all the time, I'm grateful that things happen sometimes to make us realize we're not transparent, and that we're here for a reason.
It's the joy of being annoyed. :)

The Actual Life

Life is on-the-spot.

There is no rewind or repeat; every moment is once in a lifetime.

It's like a flash of lightning; it's either we see it or it's gone.

Be quick and don't dream, time is ticking.

Decide fast, there is no 'back-ups';

 Life is going on.

Lesson learnt.

Thank You

Oh hello! I'm officially 18 and this post is dedicated to my friends and family for being here in this life of mine.

To Marissa, Hann, Ben Gan, Chris, Kadri, Shum, Tim, Ben Ee, Kimberly, Karthi, Jun Xian, Nicola, Syann, Kim Too, Ming Yue, Yee Mun, Kenneth, Maria, Wei Han, Alden, Zhu En, Wai Khian, Dan Watson, Jeannette, and my family for the personal wishes! Your messages really made my heart smile, a big one. :)

Thanks for the very sudden surprise birthday cake and song surprise by Jann & Benson, it sure was a funny one!

Despite a tough day I had today, I'm so grateful for all the love.

Thanks all of you again, I really appreciate it!

God Bless!

♥

May Day

Had lunch out with family today all the way at Teluk Gong.

Got 2 cuts on my 2 index fingers but it's okay. :P

Bought new wallet and belts; small towns have unbeatable prices ever. So happy!

Finally got the wallet I had been eyeing for a year. Oh, the reward of patience. :)

Dinner was out as well, with my gang. Marissa, Christian, Kadri, Shum and me. Later, Hann joined when Chris left.

I wasn't expecting Chris to come because he's working and all of a sudden I saw him on my left. It was creepy a bit because of the stare! But it was a surprise. Haha.

I really don't like when it comes to making decision for place to eat. We take longer time deciding than actually eating. Ended up eating at Fish & Co. First time eating their fish and chips. Thanks for the early birthday dinner treat and for the time of fellowship. :)

And thanks Yi Shien for entertaining me for half hour on the phone. You sure did me a favor. Haha.

Oh and bye Shum, who is leaving for national service in two days. You'll have fun. :) Take care.

A day to remember.

ANC 17th Anniversary

What an epic photograph! Photo credits to Hui En! :D

Every time I look closely at this photograph and look through each of our expression, it can never fail to make me smile. It makes me feel so joyful and blessed to have this bigger family that God gave us - the body of Christ! Couldn't get every single one of us though, but I think it'll be almost forever impossible - because our family just keeps expanding! Ahh. :)
Let's take a closer look.
Ming Li is half planking, Hui En is all the way at the back with the epic face, Charmaine loving her brother Sebastian so much, Hamed and Albert trying to get their face in the picture, Tracy, Iskender and Sahaya stoning, Pastor Yoke Kheng pointing the camera, aunty right in the middle posing very elegantly, Uncle Hok Seng & Aaron doing some 3 finger bunny ears to me and Marcus, Aunty Dolly and Jia Ling smiling for Colgate advertisement, Ming Han looking disgusted, Alvin giving a crazy face,  Pastor Chris blessing people,  Ryan and Emily going 'RAWH', Aunty Selvi going 'AHH', and Benson is like 'SURPRISE'!
Still a lot to be captioned.
Wonderful family, no? :P

25th March 2012 was the celebration of Antioch Network Community's 17th anniversary!

It is my first year being in this family, and it has been a year since I got baptized!

What an amazing journey, seriously. :)

Did some sharing and sign language performance - I sure was shivering during my little sharing speech! But it surely is a joy to look back at my own journey with Him as I shared with everyone.

And this year, we are inspired to go. To go out there and not stay in our safe zone.

Listening to Li Chang's testimony, just by Billie having a simple thought of sharing the gospel, Li Chang's life was changed forever, for eternity!

And all the healing miracles that Chris Yow performs, it is heaven on earth. 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'

And the most interesting part was, we all heard our very own brother, Sebastian's healing testimony. He got his misplaced jaw due to a little accident to pop back into place when Chris prayed for him, like literally a loud 'pop'. And that evening, they both were there trying to explain what happened. It was totally supernatural, completely by God's power. Like, wow.

And there were so much more. Incredible. :)

We thank our friend, Jesus Christ for saving us. If not because of His great love, we wouldn't be able to live today. Because He died for our sins, we can now be saved from hell's fire. I can never imagine the pain He had to go through during the crucifixion on the cross, neither can I ever repay what He has done for me. But that's the beauty of God, He is so graceful. He only asks us to believe, and we will be saved! No more burnt offerings, no more sacrifices - Jesus is the sacrifice; He already sacrificed for us when He died and rose again. Yes, he rose again. Because He is life, the conquerer of death. We no longer are afraid of dying on earth, because this life we're living is only the preparation for the next, what we were created for - eternity!

God is so awesome, His love never ends. The best part is, He seeks a personal relationship with each and everyone of us. We just need to open the door of our heart, because He is knocking the door. He doesn't force us to open, but wants us to open our hearts willingly to Him. God looks at our hearts, not by looks or wealth. In fact He uses the most ordinary people to perform miracles. Amazing, isn't He. :')

Thank you so much for reading, and thank Him so much for my life, family and friends. Every breath is a second chance.

Be confirmed, our hope is real and solid to rely on. Never give up faith. ;)

Amen!

So, so thankful! ♥

Heart Pendant

"And I'll make you a heart pendant, with a pebble held in my hand.And I'll carve it like a necklace, so the heart falls where your chest is,And now a piece of me, is a piece of the beach, and it falls just where it needs to be, and rests peacefully.You just need to breathe, to feel my heart against yours now, against yours now."Lyrics snippet from Ed Sheeran - Wake Me Up.

:)

Ed Sheeran - The A Team (Cover By Jesslyn)

I uploaded my cover on Youtube as well, do check it out!

There are on-screen lyrics too. :)

It's a very simple cover I did with my ukulele.

It was actually quite last minute, because no one was at home that morning; so I thought I should use that big opportunity! And there goes my cover of Ed Sheeran's The A Team.

Remember the post I wrote about how amazing he is? This is one of his great song.

You can check out my previous post here!

Enjoy!

Star Subscriber

So, Chris-P People was on the Star subscriber thing! :)

I don't have the hard copy though, but a church member told me he has it and may pass it over to me. Then I'll add into my little file of appearing on the media in the most random circumstances. No really, like trying out skating at the park, 8TV interview, the funniest one was being on this Chinese magazine called E-Pop in the year 2007 and I didn't know the existence of that magazine until my friend told me, 'JESS, you're on E-Pop!'

Haha.

Maybe one day I should make soft copies of those random appearances on the media, though some is impossible like the TV appearances. Just for fun, I'd probably laugh when I look back at it. :P

"I wouldn't trade it for anything; my souvenirs."

Ed Sheeran Cover

Hi people! Just felt like doing a lil' cover of The A Team by Ed Sheeran with my ukulele.

Decided to upload it on Soundcloud, as well as some older recordings done previously.

Enjoy! :D

God Bless!

Ed Sheeran

This is Edward Christopher Sheeran, he's a really amazing singer, and he's just 3 years older than me.

Just by his lyrics alone, it totally amazed me. Plus his quality music and how everything fits in, I really really respect him. That's why I'd like to share this post with you guys. :)

Seriously, if you'd listen or just read his lyrics, you'll be amazed.

How many out of the top 100 listed in the billboards actually produces true quality music? It's so hard to find a really good singer with really good and meaningful lyrics, plus well composed melody. Respect!

I can't even find his album in my local stores - they're all sold out.

Yes, check him out. ;)

God Bless him so much.

Close Ones

Oh how it always seem to be the closest ones in our lives that take us for granted most of the time. Time passes, explanations become few, and taking chances grow. Oh when will we ever learn.

No Escape

I felt so down from everything, being numb don't last long. Even the computer wouldn't get my mind off things. So I picked up my ukulele, and lay down on my bed to play while stoning. And when I closed my eyes for a moment, 2 hours flew by. I woke up realizing I had been cuddling my ukulele asleep. It sure wasn't as soft as Mr.Teddy, but it still was something I could cling on to.
The world is a cold place, a place I'll never understand. I feel out of this world, no one seems to be able to see what I see. Out of force and overflowed suffering, I tried to make myself numb to pain, ignoring it just like how I see the world does it. I knew it won't last for long, but I was left with no choice. And so the day that all the ice I've froze around my heart got broken down, sooner than I thought it would happen.

There's no more escape, reality is here. I need something, that I can cling on to. Like how I hug my baby pillow to sleep every night, that touch of assurance. I know I have it, but I yearn more than just words. I believe that actions speak louder than words, I know things can be better. That's my wish.

But yet again if whatever situation I am put through would be glorifying to you, it is my will too.

Two In The Morning

Yup, it's 2am.

I was supposed to sleep 2 hours ago.

But I went to 2 things, that unglued my heart into 2.

Yes, unglued, not break; because it was already broken, frozen water held it together.

From the start long ago I knew something.

Something that was never shown, but yet I saw it; and yet not by sight.

Because it was never revealed, I tried telling myself it's just me.

But finally once again realize and got reminded that no, it's not me, it's reality.

I'd hope and pray for honesty, true and pure and nothing left.

Just one day would be enough.

Because the only way that's left to fix a shattered jar heart, is not to use any glue; no matter what kind of special super glue.

Because we all know glue is temporary, it's a cover up.

No craftsman glues his broken glass and sell it.

To fix a broken glass, first ask, how was glass made.

That's how to get it back to one piece again; without lines nor scars of the past.

But in the end, God holds everything.

If the path was chosen to be led wrong; if our last hope is in eternity, I hope we'd greet with genuine smiles and a perfect heart made mend by Christ.

Breakdown.

Disappointment

Dear Sansa, I am sorry. :(

I don't think I'm able to get you to me. Or at least, for quite some time.

Be it weeks, months, years...

I don't want to be counting.

Being excited all over you and spending my heart and effort blogging about you, I've come today to report my gentle disappointment.

No don't ask, I don't want to mention it.

Yes, Sansa. I may sound crazy.

But I love music.

...

WHO WHAT is Sansa?!

Read here: http://jesslynlcl.blogspot.com/2012/03/ipod-classic-to-sansa-clip-zip.html

Everything happens for a reason.

Goodbye, iPod Classic

Here is my last goodbye.

iPod Classic To A Sansa Clip Zip

Dear computer screen, little puppies, and you.

I decided to let go my white iPod classic 5th gen for a white Sansa Clip Zip instead.

WHY?!

Alright, firstly. Ever since my exam ended and high school was over, I didn't find myself using the iPod as much. I started to get bored of it because of its sound. It was q big disappointment when I first got my iPod but found out I couldn't find a good equalizer preset, and there was no custom equalizer unlike the old Creative Muvo. But I bared with it, and it was totally not a problem when I got my dream high quality earphones by Koss for my birthday. Until one day, one side of it doesn't seem to work. So I sent it for warranty, but till today it haven't came back. It's been more than half a year, and I really miss it. Since it was away, my iPod doesn't seem to appeal to me even when I feel like listening to some good music. Sometimes, I update my songs only once in a while because transferring may sometimes be a hassle, having to use softwares. And one thing about it is that even when I connect the iPod to my dad's hi-fi player, all the songs are mixed up with no title - or more like weird titles such as 'AZTK'. So I'll be clicking the next button more than I listen to any song. But I guess that's the way Mac does things. I highly respect Apple products, and I'd dare give my opinion that Apple has the best apps. Yup, I still enjoy using my iTouch, just a little complain on the little storage I have. :P

As for music, I'd say I would want to have a good sound or equalizer that enhances and brings out the music to life without having to blast at all. And for that case, I searched Google on the top 10 MP3 players. Guess what? I found the Sansa range. What is Sansa? It's actually from SanDisk. One of the best memory card producers in the world. I never thought they'd actually have MP3 players! But it's also because in our country we savvy Apple products, I heard that Sansa wasn't brought in to Malaysia because of that. Hmp! :(

But now that I found it... Here's my say.

It's half the size of the iPod classic. Maybe smaller.

It has a clip! (Would've considered iPod nano 6th gen for this feature)

Custom sound equalizer!

Deleting songs directly from the device. (Just like the Creative Muvo!)

Battery life up to 15 hours?

And... Expandable memory?! Wow.

There are so much more actually, but those were the highlights for me. There's even a built-in mic for recording, a color screen that can display the album art, on-the-go playlists, oh and you can install Rockbox. I'm new to Rockbox, but it's an open source, and it's like... Rockbox (Android, Mac, etc.) Yup! Apparently I can change my theme and stuffs like that as long as I have Rockbox installed! Some even tested that with Rockbox player, battery life can actually last up to 16 over hours!

You can even play games on it, download all you want. Audio books, timer, etc. They're just too many to list for this simple lil' gadget.

But my point is just purely for listening to good music, because I know that I will get bored of the features over time. :P But that was good enough!

I wanted to consider getting the Sansa Fuze, but it didn't have the clip. It's almost like the iPod classic. But oh well. :) And before even considering the Sansa Clip Zip, I was contemplating between the Clip and Clip+. The Clip looked better but it has no expandable memory, whereas the Clip+ had a two-toned screen, yellow and blue. The yellow is the biggest turn-off. And so I looked at the Clip Zip, which has a color screen and updated features. Though I could get a Fuze with almost the same price, I thought I'd fit my needs first. And I'm cool with this! Oh and not to mention, Sansa is way affordable! No wonder it's in the top 10 MP3 players list. ;) Now I'll be waiting excitingly for my white Sansa Clip Zip to arrive to my doorstep. :B It shall be my new baby, and this one is a definite no excuse to not bring it anywhere I go! :)

Pink Striped Nails

Hey guys! This is totally random stuff here.

I really had no idea what to paint on my nails, then the idea of stripes came in.

Actually, I started off painting black on white, horizontally. Either it doesn't suit me, or I just think it didn't look so good. So I tried pink, sideways.

And here's what I got!

Quite happy with the results! :)

Now I know what to paint on my nails this Christmas. Red stripes on white, like a candy cane! :D

To-Do List

Here are my list of things to be done! I really felt like doodling. It feels so long since I last draw. But well, yea... That's a lot of things to explain if I were to list them down in words. So there you go, if you could actually guess what each doodle means. :) I'm being a little random today, just felt like blogging! Oh right, it's been years and I think I should give my blog a little makeover. Don't you think?

{+:Project LOVE}

This is a little something we did on Valentine's Day this 2012. It was totally a last minute inspiration, and we started the 'project' just the night before. We brainstormed and searched for some meaningful quotes to give to the public, then printed and cut each of the quote into name card sized, on the next day (Valentine's Day) itself. We also got ourselves helium heart balloons and wrote 'Free Hugs' so we could carry the message wherever we go.
As we give these out, we got a lil discouraged especially when we get rejected by people thinking we are some promoters or charity etc. and when we got stopped by a mall's management team for the reason of disturbing their customers. But that was our challenge, to be able to move on even though people try to push us down. And there are no reason for us to stop, but get back up again! :)
At some points, people ask us where are we from and why are we doing these. We tell them with a big smile, we're not from anywhere or representing anything, we're doing all these for one purpose, and that purpose is love! :) I remember just before we went back, Marissa gave one of her last quotes to this lady who was sitting by the roadside. We were about to go ahead but I had the urge to give her my helium balloon and hug, and to my surprise she was so happy and told me how stressed she was earlier! I'm sure she went home with a happy heart. :) Also, this man had a long talk with us, as we try to explain what the quote means, in a different dialect. He definitely paused to smile, after his long day of work. He told us, we were very special and he has never seen such thing before. And that definitely made us smile too! :)
At the end of the day, we managed to give out all 212 quotes. Although it is not a big amount, I bet we made a difference to that 212! :)

*Update: I woke up to know that I had 212 views already! I wonder what's with the number 212, but I know it's the year 2012! Well that's a lot of love to me, thank you so much for watching! Hope this made your day! :D

Why keep love when we can give? :)
Hope that this video made YOUR day too! *HUGS* ♥

To Marissa, Christian, Shum and Kadri, thank you for everything! Love you guys :)

- Jesslyn L


Ps. Sorry for the really poor quality pictures, we didn't have any photographer to help us, so we just used iPod camera instead! :)
That was 6 over hours of video editing for a 3 minute video, but it sure is worth it if this could share the love around!
Again, THANKS FOR WATCHING, GOD BLESS YOU! ♥