Welcome to the Jungle?

That's my cousin Janelle. Isn't she cute?

Some pictures of our tennis game. (last week?) lol! I'm forgetful! x.x"

Yep, that's my parking right there! PERFECT! haha!

I remember the day that i arrived in Australia. That long ride along the Hume highway from the airport to the city. Boy, it was a long time ago, but that memory remains vivid in the back of my mind; one of the vital bricks that makes me who i am.

It was first time driving at 100km/h on the highway early yesterday morning! haha! Anxiety combined with a precautious attitude masked all the excitement on my face, but i was thrilled to the bone. Honestly, i find driving amusing and surprisingly relaxing. haha! Oh yea, the purpose of my drive was to pick up Aunty Pauline, Sian and Becky from the airport! They've finally flown over (for good perhaps?) after all these years of planning. BTW, i made the trip to the airport in 50minutes! =))

We went for breakfast at a terrible restaurant known to many by it's "golden arches". I refuse to mention it's hidious name because of my hatred towards it's business ethics and operations. I only went there yesterday because it was "the only place open for breakfast this early in the morning" according to my mum.

Then we went down to Bob Stewart's to get Becky's Mac Rob school uniform, bought some groceries from Safeway and then headed home. I was so exhausted by all the driving that day that i knocked out for 3 hours the moment i got home! haha! Oh, Jerusha cooked her much-anticipated Shepherd's pie yesterday! It turned out scrumptuously delicious! She'll probably spend an entire post bragging about all the effort she put into it on her blog.. and i presume she'll have some pictures of her handiwork there too! So go check it out! www.j3ru5h4.blogspot.com

I've been spending the last few days at home trying to catch up on my already unsurmountable amount of homework. I was reading "Hard Times' by Charles Dickens, and i was astounded to find that i appreciate the English that he uses; and that i enjoy reading! lol! I know... to many of you, this will only serve as a confirmation that i'm a nerd! haha! But i'm not hiding it! I LOVE reading! =)) Oh, don't buy me books for presents though! I'm not half that nerdy. THANKS! lol!

Who am i?

I wanna thank those wonderful people who encouraged me and helped to lift my spirits when i was down. It's friends like these that i really thank God for; they truely care about me.

I was moved (almost to tears) when i first heard this song. Each and every single word is extraordinarily meaningful yet simple, giving the song a really humble tone. It clearly expresses what i've always wanted to express through the many songs that i've written. We're like a vapour in the wind, just a passing shadow.. and yet God loves us not because of who we are, but because he made us.. and we are unique in his sight. He loves us unconditionally!

How great is your love, O God, that you pardon all our sins no matter how many times we stumble and cast you aside? How great is your love, O Lord, that you hear my cries and comfort me? If i should be tossed like a wave in the ocean, i'd be satisfied to be loved for even just an moment by my Father in heaven.

Casting Crowns - Who Am I Lyrics

-

Verse 1:

Who am I?

That the Lord of all the earth,

Would care to know my name,

Would care to feel my hurt.

Who am I?

That the bright and morning star,

Would choose to light the way,

For my ever wondering heart.

-

Prechorus:

Not because of who I am.

But because of what you've done.

Not because of what I've done.

But because of who you are.

-

Chorus:

I am a flower quickly fading,

Here today and gone tomorrow.

A wave tossed in the ocean,

A vapor in the wind.

Still you hear me when I'm calling,

Lord you catch me when I'm falling,

And you told me who I am.

I am yours.

I am yours.

-

Verse 2:

Who am I?

That the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love

And watch me rise again

Who am I?

That the voice that calm the sea,

Would call out through the rain,

And calm the storm in me.

-

Ending Chorus:

I am a flower quickly fading,

Here today and gone tomorrow.

A wave tossed in the ocean,

A vapor in the wind.

Still you hear me when I'm calling,

Lord you catch me when I'm falling,

You told me who I am.

I am yours.

I am yours.

Whom shall I fear?

Whom shall I fear? '

Cuz I am yours.

I am yours.

Look in the Mirror..

I've been so confined with strict rules and commitments; standard sets of behaviour that have to be conformed to, any deviation from the standard would be deemed as improper and would be deservedly condemned. That's a very bad side of me, which i'm foolishly proud off.. ironically. What's wrong with me, i know what i SHOULD be doing, but another part of me says that it WOULD'NT be "isaac" if i behaved any other way. That's stupid! Maybe i'm going insane, doing something that i know is bad, but being proud of it..

Well, LOOK in the mirror, you dumbarse! I'm like an idiotic hunter chasing others off for killing animals. Sigh.. i'm so foolish.. violating my own principles and not even realising it! Boy, my stomache churns with rancid bullshit.. i feel like such a hypocrite.. if only someone could give me a punch to my guts hard enough to get all the bullshit outta me. Then maybe i could get back to being a real man. But right now, i'm disgraced at myself.. you foolish dumbarse.

btw, this new template was made by my dear friend James Banh. He's been such a good and faithful friend to me, and although we don't get along too well at times.. i thank God for you because i know you're a friend that's not easily lost. Cheers mate! =)

A lil too much..

My prediction was ACCURATE! haha! Liverpool DEMOLISHED Chelsea 2-0.. every minute of that match was pleasure to my eyes; totally worth staying up for! =) I woke up at 4.30am today to watch the last 20minutes of the Arsenal - Man Utd match, and i will NEVER regret doingt that. Man Utd were pretty much dominate for the first 70 minutes, but they seemed to be possessed the moment i turned my TV on... Van Persie scored this awesome goal from an acute angle, and Theirry Henry finished it off with a superb header from a pin-point cross from Eboue! 3rd beats 1st, and 4th beats 2nd.. that's the joy of supporting the underdogs! Well done lads! =) There are 14 matches more to go, and i'll be praying for Liverpool to snatch the title from Man Utd. haha!

Oh yea, thanks for reminding me Sarah. Another factor that made that outing in the city last friday "the most hectic" was the neoprints (dream photos) that we took -.-"" I didn't want to, but Sha and Sarah insisted. We were all ready for the first shot (the 3 second countdown by the machine was more like 15 secs), anyway, Sha saw a button which read "Wind", and she couldn't resist the URGE to push it -.-""" An EXTREMELY strong wind blew at us, pushing our hair back such that we looked bald. Yea.. the first shot was horrible, no one was looking at the camera. And the subsequent shots were worse -.-"" The quality of the prints were pathetic too, i'm never going back there again.

Uncle Ban introduced a song to the congregation during the church camp in Singapore, and the lyrics really touched me. The first verse read:

"I feel quite sure that if i did my best,

I could maybe impress you.

With tender words and a harmony,
A clever rhyme or two.

But if all I've ever done in the time we shared,
Is to turn your eyes on me,
Then i failed in what I've been called to do."

That really hit me hard on the head. I've been composing poems and songs, making rhymes and hormonies. But it serves as a warning that it should be for the intention of getting God's attention. The purpose should be to praise him, and to let others know how great God really is..

Think about it..

Liverpool - Chelsea

That's a picture of Charmaine's hair curling around the mp3 wire. haha!

That's a spider that i smacked soooo hard that 3 of it's legs fell apart. =) And that's my favourite street in the city!

Yep.. Liverpool vs Chelsea. I'm staying up for that match tonight. The clash of the titan and the ex-titan. I had a good chat with Tim along the 2-hour drive up to Sorrento today. We were talking about Tennis and barracking for sporting players. Well, we agreed that we all liked Federer mainly because he's humble and he KICKS ARSE! But i said that i'd still go for Roddick simply because he's the underdog, and there's always this potential surge of thrill waiting to shoot through my veins as i watch in hope. It wouldn't be fun to support someone who demolishes his opponents like a hammer to an ant.

The rain wrecked the trip to the beach for us. 5 families came along - Uncle.. Tony's, Joseph, Francis, James, Jerome and mine =) Yea.. i got to know Tim a lot more, but the girls were EXTREMELY anti-social -.-" We shopped for a bit while waiting for the rain to die down, then we went swimming - Tim, Andrew, Jeremy, Charmaine, Daniel, Valerie, Venetia, Jerusha, Wesley, Nick, Chris and i. Wow! There were 12 of us actually. haha!

There wasn't anything that interesting except that the water was VERY shallow even though Tim and i swam about 150 metres from shore. And the jellyfish that got washed up on the shore. We tried to pick them up, but our fingers would only sink into the flesh -.-""" Utterly disgusting. We headed back after that..

Oh yea, i drove back from Springvale market today! Boo yah! It's my first time driving with real traffic.. i was quite pressured by all the cars around me, but i reckon i did fine =) I just heard that Charmaine caught a cold. Well, sleep early.. and get well soon! =)

Yesterday was really exciting, worth blogging about. Tommy organised a Futsal session yesterday.. Jin, Phan, Jonno, Jimmy, Luke, Matt, Tommy, myself, Nick, Shaun, Gabriel, Daniel and Tom came along. We played 3 teams of 4, and it wasn't surprising that Fungus OWNED with a score of 12 wins and 5 losses =D I ran too much that day though, and i'm suffering from bruises and muscle aches now.. sigh.. i've got another soccer match tmr =..(

The futsal match finished at 4pm. Daz, Sarah, Sha and i headed to the city. Daz spent TWO WHOLE HOURS to find a shoe that he liked -.-""" He couldn't make up his mind!!! lol! He got the dude to get him more than 5 pairs of shoes with various sizes -.-""" After we got his shoe, we decided to have dinner. Before i go on, i must say that this trip is the most HECTIC trip i've EVER made to the city. Well, Jerusha and Sarah were craving the curry chicken on rice at Kum Den. So we walked into the restaurant, sat down, drank some tea and eat some crackers before we realised that they were serving the dinner course (which was EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE) and that the curry chicken was on the special lunch menu! But we couldn't leave because we had already drank some of their tea! haha! So we ordered a tiny plate of noodles that cost us $12.50!!! And we decided to bail after that for some other restaurant. Yea, we eventually left that place.. $12.50 for the TINY plate of noodles and BLOODY $6 FOR TEA!!!! LOL!

Then headed down to Addidas and to some other surf shops.. spent another 50mins or so shopping. Then we decided to get a guitar stand from Allens.. and we got on a FULLY-PACKED tram... missed our stop... walked 8 minutes only to find that Allens was already closed -.-"""" It was 8.10pm by then, and we were feeling hungry again.. so we went to A1 for Egg Chiffon on rice before heading home =) Oh, i drove home from Glennie train station that night =D Driving in the dark! Thrilling...

BTW, Liverpool WILL win tonight! =) I predict a 2-0 scoreline.

Just a swim..

I've been TRYING hard to get down to work, but i get distracted really easily whenever i sit down to do some Chemistry problems.. I've been sleeping after 2am and waking up at 11am, adding to my great fatigue. That's probably why i can't study. I'm sooo tired now, i'm determined to sleep before 10pm tonight =)

Let's see what i've missed.. I played soccer with the Fungus pple on Sunday. It was BOILING hot, but we had a great match which ended 2-1. Shaun grabbed both bites of the cake. Sonja looked really different, her eyes looked brighter, glistening in the sunlight, and she was much happier than before. Qynn showed much more energy in his play too! He passed so well, and was able to hold of other players (something that he hadn't been able to do very well). haha! That's the magic of an engagement... which will soon turn into a marriage!

Oh, Adrienne hopped into the car while i was practising how to park. Yea, it didn't turn out well. The car was jerky, and i got all the angles wrong! haha! I've been driving for about 20minutes every evening when mum comes home, and i must say that i've gained a whole lot more confidence since last Sunday. I'm able to drive down to Joyce's house, along Highbury road and back to my house. Hopefully i'll do better in my next parking session =)

Oh, Jerusha and i went down to Valentia's house today to watch some HORROR movies! haha! Head count: Tim, Andrew, Jeremy, Charmaine, Daniel, Valerie, Venetia, Wesley, Jerusha and i. Whoa! 10 of us! I didn't realise there were so many of us. Yea, we watched Scary Movie 4, which was more ridiculous and humourous than frightening, had lunch, went for a dip in the pool, watched the first part of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and then switched to "She's the Man" (against my wishes). haha! It was a REALLY fun day! Especially the swimming. Tim and i tried breathing under some rocks, in a really confined space to deal with claustrophobia. Then we tried pushing each other into the pool, playing with the little pool-cleaning machine at the bottom of the pool..erm... did sommersaults in the water with Valerie... played Marco Polo.. and i TRIED to give Val and Char a piggyback ride. haha!

It was a pity Sha and Venetia couldn't join us because they were "sick"! =P I really enjoyed myself.. thanks people! =) Hmm.. Joyce came back from Japan last Thursday, so Jerusha and i decided to pay her a short visit. We walked over to her house for a rather long chat.. to catch up for lost time over the year. I actually miss her quite a bit.. she's a person that wouldn't mind listening to you ramble on.. and she's rather considerate. Well, i thank God for her. And thanks for the Japanese coaster/jig-saw puzzle! =)

The Secret Place

I just wanna do quick personal post before i head off for soccer. God really spoke to me today, in a really significant way which relates to a vital part of my life. Dave Lawton gave a sermon on 1 Sam 16 where God told Samuel to annoint David as king. Well.. put it this way..

When you meet someone, you'd have a first impression of them based on how they look. Are they pretty? handsome? short? tall? blonde or brunette? And this would affect the way you would talk to them; whether you talk to them respectfully, timdly, confidently, politely... whatever. When you go to a party, you'd look out for the most attractive pple to befriend, totally ignoring, or just simply acknowledging, the ones that don't catch your eye.

This is widely ignored by society. EVERYONE knows about it, and they know that there's something WRONG about it, but NO ONE ever mentions it. Well, i'm just gonna pluck up a lil courage to share my view, you don't have to agree with me.. but i'd find much solace if you did.

I've always been the shortest in the class since my first year of school, and i didn't really care in the past because everyone was so innocent, and height didn't really matter. But i as i grew older, everyone placed more importance on whether one was attractive or not.. girls liked tall and handsome young lads, that's what made "looking-good" important to guys. Well, i know i'm short.. but i find it increasingly often that pple bag me about my height, discriminate against me in one way or another, or simply have conversations about height. I woul feel extremely uncomfortable whenever pple mentioned height in a conversation. But i feel different about it now...

Dave shared that David was the youngest amongst all his brothers, and all his other brothers, especially the oldest one, were taller (and probably more handsome) than he was. I was shocked when he quoted:

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." - 1 Sam 16:7

God chose David, a man after His own heart.

I went home and continued my daily reading on Psalms. I read Psalms 136-139 and a few versus really caught me. David wrote:

" For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because i am FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made; your works are wonderful, i know that full well." - Psalm 139:13-14

It hit me hard on the head that God looks ONLY at the heart! He doesn't care if i was tall or handsome, or even if i was short and ugly! It wouldn't have MATTERED a SINGLE BIT because i was FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made by Him! I myself am guilty of doing what i described above.. i treat pretty girls different from the way i treat other girls.. and that's just disgusting. What' matters is what a person's "inmost being" is like. That's what God is interested in! Humility, self-control, LOVE, altruistic kindness, and the Fear of the Lord. These are the qualities are what God looks at! Society should perceive humans this way too. I want to have a heart after God's own heart.. i want to look at others the way God looks at them.. at their inmost being and not at their outward appearance.. i desire the things that God desires.. humility, love, faithfulness..

I've prayed to God at times, "God, if it's according to your will, please make me taller for i am despised." but i'll NEVER pray for that again.. instead, i'd love to pray just as David did...

" Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24

Basketball?

I spent 4 hours or so doing up my room yesterday. I dug out all the junk that have been accumulating silently in my drawers yesterday. There were all sorts of stuff: pencils, magnets, pencil cases, LOTS of letters, books, etc. Yea, i read through most of the letters and filtered out the pretty ones. They brought back a whole lot of memories.

It's rather strange, but i seem to be able to get a better understanding of the situation than when i was reading the letters at that time. Hmm.. i found out that i was actually neglecting a few people unintentionally in my younger days. haha! Anyway..

Qynn, Nick, Gab, Sha and i went for the Melbourne Victory - Queensland Roar soccer match last night with corporate seats!! Booyah! The match started at 8pm. The seats were FANTASTIC (i say this EVERYTIME i get those corporate seatings) but the game was mediocre... a little below mediocre actually. No, i mean... the players were HOPELESS! The created so many chances in front of goal, but the finishing touch was no where to be found!!! Ahh!!! iT was so frustrating, esp. when Melbourne lost the match 2-1 due to a last minute goal against the run of play -.-""' Oh, but i must give credit to Archie, who scored a spectacular goal and mesmerised the crowd with his lightning-quick stepovers and fanciful lookaway shimmeys. Yeah..

The trip home was draining. Not only was the train FULLY-PACKED, it took an hour to arrive!! I don't even wanna talk about it.. We got home at 12.30am, i played Dota till 2.30am and i chatted with Joce till 3.30am. haha!

Jerusha, Isaac (YIP!), Charmaine, Daniel and i played basketball at some local school today. I wasn't too keen on going, and i thought it was rather random how Charmaine and Isaac wanted to play Basketball on a Saturday afternoon. I dunno why i went, but i was too tired to play much. Isaac's a REALLY good basketballer.. whoa! he's got really quick hands and a pin-point shot! Reminds me of the way i play Soccer... LOL! jkjkjking!

Yea, my dad just left for Singapore today. He'll be flying to Germany for two weeks on a business trip. Well, he left me with a task: to pick all the plums from the tree in our garden. Yea, i spent about an hour picking the plums =) It was very tiring, and PAINFUL too! I had to climb up on a ladder to reach the ones right on top of the tree, and the sharp branches would leave long scratches on my arms whenever i tucked at the plums -.-"" Anyway, i collected 3 baskets full!! Booyah! I don't really like them, but my dad's in love with them. Oh, i saw my neighbour over the fence while i was on the ladder and i had a short chat with him.. Brian.. everyone's got that name!

My mum's gonna take me for my FIRST driving lesson after i finish this post.. so i better end here... i've neglected the pple on msn for long enough x.x"

Cheers!

A Good Trip Back...

I just got back from Singapore today.. the past three and a half weeks spent in my homeland has just been fantastic! I enjoyed EVERY single day i was there.. thanks to the people who sacrificed their precious time just to hang around a boring person such as i.. I'm wondering how i should go about describing my thrilling experiences in Singapore.. numerous flashbacks are constantly pouring through my mind, but i'm afraid that i would miss out a few people if i made an attempt to give an accurate account of my entire trip. So i'll just type what comes to mind! =)

Well, the highlight of my trip wouldn't be an event, but a person.. that's my best friend Jocelyn of course! I just got back a few hours ago, but i miss her dearly all ready. I don't think i spent a day in Singapore without seeing her once. haha! Come to think about it.. Yea, our friendship grew by HEAPS and BOUNDS. We chatted into the wee hours of the night, just about anything.. sometimes we would just be all quiet, but it WOULDN'T matter because... i dunno.. let's just say silence is never awkward when we're together. And i feel comfortable talking to her about anything in the world! Oh, i miss the nights when we'd talk in her room till 1am at night... when i played the guitar for her - songs like Confidence & When you say nothing at all. I challenged her to master the song "When you say nothing at all" on the guitar before i left for Australia. She practiced everyday, and she played it for me at 3 am last night just before i left.. it wasn't perfect..but it sounded just right to me, Joce. =)

It was rather ironic because she got angry at me a whole lot through this trip.. but true and solid friendships are shaped by conflict and resolution. =) I will always remember the times when we went to Ikea and Queensway, and we avoided the heavy rain by taking cover from the massive trees, when we spent 3 hours having dinner at the coffee shop and then Mosburger, when we sat along the breakwater at Paris Ris beach, when we chatted for ages just in front of the fountain. Thanks for lending me an ear, for being there for me when i needed it most. Remember to Hope! You know, when i was reading your letter, God impressed upon me that our friendship will stand until He decides for it to be over. Thanks for all the effort you put into our frienship.. i'll remember it for life!

I got to know my cousin Tab a whole lot more too! I got to see the loving, caring side of her that willing lends a listening ear to me whenever i needed it. We talked about everything from jobs, girls, guys, food, clothes, granddads and even lizards. haha! We stayed awake on Christmas eve from 11pm to 5am just to prepare Joce's and Lyd's presents. We chatted about a whole lot that night and we even attempted to burn a lizard alive! haha! Thanks for organising that trip to the beach for Sha and i! I really REALLY appreciate it! Oh, Tab made me go into all sorts of places to inquire of job vacancies.. from a mega fitness centre (where i was rejected, and made to look like a underaged fool), 77th Street at PS and the TCC near Selegie. Thanks for hearing my problems when i needed you most and for listening to me talk although i'm an extremely boring person =D

I guess i should mention Lydia now =P Nah, i would've mentioned you anyway.. i got to know her a lot more this trip. There used to be this sense of awkwardness whenever we spoke to each other because of certain events in the past, but we've tried to put it all behind us and try to get to know each other more. She's a completely different person from the girl i knew 5 years back.. she's SOO much more mature now. She's more sensible, she LOVES and FEARS God so much more now, and she genuinely loves her friends (esp. Tab and Sha). haha! Oh, there ARE times when she goes into lapses of immaturity *coughs* black shadow!!! haha! Keep it up, Lyd!

I miss the Saltshaker dudes too: Howard (the funniest dude on the planet who tries to be funny and fails, but succeeds because he's naturally funny), Gavin (My fellow die-hard Liverpool fan) and Ian (The lovebird who has taken his first fall in learning how to fly). i really miss all you guys.. i got to know each of you soo much more.. Gav and i got to talk about some serious stuff when we stayed up late several times either at a local coffee shop or at Joce's house to catch the late-night Liverpool matches. haha! Thanks for putting so much effort into our friendship mate! For organising those lanning sessions! haha! Your Warlock OWNS! =P Oh, i'll never forget Ian's 8-hour love affair with Rachel and Howard's hilarious baptism when he refused to be submerged in the water for a while. haha! Howard, there's not need to try sooo hard to conjure up a joke, you're naturally funny mate! =) Cheers guys!

There is a uncanny and irritating tedency for it to rain incessantly on the most inconvenient of days! I got to meet up with the old Maris Stella dudes and my childhood buddies: Justin, Daryl, Troy, Hao Bin, John, Twib, Kevin and several others. We played a few good soccer matches, but most of them were interrupted due to rain. Sigh... i got to organise a street soccer tournament, which turned out to be a flop because there were a lot of outsiders that wanted to play too.. but i just wanna thank all my friends for the concessions they made for my sake. Oh, Jia Xuan and Jeremy Goh came for the comp too. It was a pity i didn't get to meet up with Jeremy Lim, Samuel and Shawn. Sigh.. Sorry and thanks guys! =)

Bryan, thanks for being such a great friend to me.. for showing me the true meaning of being humble and down-to-earth.. for inspiring me with your awesome guitar-playing skills! Roy, for showing me what true slackiness is and warning me not to become anything like you =P! Auggie, for giving me an introduction on Army life and for your tremendous humour! You make my entire body shake in laughter with your lame, but incredibly funny jokes! =)

I remember the nights when Joce, Lyd, Tab, Sha and i would go lanning. We woul play Command & Conquer and DOTA just for fun. I would feel rather awkward OWNING the girls, but the conversations after the lanning sessions would be HILARIOUS. haha! Particle cannons and all =P

Oh, i'll never forget the time when i led the Saltshakers in a session on Worship. I led worship too, with Tab playing on the guitar. I cried so much in that worship session... Jerusha and Joce gave some good feedback, but i dunno what the rest thought. i mean, as a worship leader, i shouldn't be crying my guts out on stage.. but i will always remember crying to the tunes of "Blessed be the Name of the Lord", "From the inside out" and "Jesus, Lover of my soul".

I felt really nostalgic as i got home today. I'm in the middle of two worlds now. Sigh... i don't wanna think about it too much, but one thing is for certain... God has put me here in Australia for a reason, and i'm gonna honour that. I've decided to pack my room up and make it look more homely. I dug out all my old letters and some new cards and all, and i'm gonna stick a whole lot of them on my walls just to remind me of all the wonderful friends that God has given me, and for all the lovely memories that i'm so previlledged to have =)

Joce, Lyd, Tab. The three of you have made this trip worthwhile for me. Thank you.

Thank you God for these treasures that you've given me.. my heart warms up and melts whenever i look at a sentimental picture with heart-breaking music in the background. My heart longs to be where i feel most at home, but God.. may you be my strength and my portion forever.. preserve my friends and those dear to me, and be faithful to them just as you have been to me. Thank you for giving me... a good trip back =)