MICE IN THE HOUSE!!

Update: William came over and deduced that the mouse lived under the oven. So we opened the bottom part and voila! A chicken bone (not from us, cos we don't eat chicken with bones), a tissue, and many droppings. Mickey was exposed!! Lois and Amanda proceeded to feed it a few grains of rice everyday to prevent it from coming out. It has not been seen or heard since.

MICKEY OR MINNIE IS LOOSE HERE!!

It all began with my hearing a "THWACK" sound on the kitchen floor. I turned my head to look and caught a glimpse of A TAIL attached to a BODY!!

After alerting my housemates to our situation in a rather out-of-character manner (they have never seen me scream before) we proceeded to investigate and to commence OPERATION CHASE THE RAT OUT - because Amanda "doesn't like to kill stuff." Lois corroborated my story with evidence of DROPPINGS in our room. Armed with chairs to stand on, our broom and vaccuum cleaner, we started opening all the kitchen cupboards to determine the location of the rodent.

Unfortunately, we failed. To accomplish anything except have weird conversations (we have video evidence of this). So I decided to take a shower. and then.

I FOUND DROPPINGS IN MY CLEAN CLOTHES!!!!

if they were in the dirty laundry pile, ok la can understand.

BUT THE CLOTHES WERE CLEAN. Now I have to do launder all my clothes. annoyed!!

We also found shit in the walk-in closet. Collected all shit samples to show our management office. There was enough to fill a small medicine bottle.

so grossed out right now. Supposed to blog about snowboarding and all my aches but I'm writing about mice instead. ARGH. We only left for a day!! And this happens!! Pretty sure the mice weren't around before cos we had to pack for our trip and there was no sign of the creatures.

Lois made an observation. First we were visited by Deborah, then Daphne, and now the mice. hahahaha!

We smell a rat here.

...my lights cover dropped, and my car got towed.

I am supremely annoyed now.

Last night was a totally rocking Chris Tomlin concert, of which I will talk about in a later post.
One of the other exchange students agreed to come to church with us this morning.
Another one could make it only for small group, so both of them are coming to discover their Purpose Driven Life.
I am leading the discussion tonight.

And that is why the devil is trying to obstruct God's will.

Last night after I got back at 2am, there was no place to park cos someone else parked in my lot. There was NO other lot available on the curbside. Not even at the leasing office.
So I parked at the Permit Parking lots, assuming I had the right to park in my own apartment vicinity and not have to cross hell and high water just to get my car a resting place. Besides, it's not safe to walk around alone at 2am.

Guess what. THEY TOWED IT AWAY. In the mere SIX HOURS I left it there.
Thing is, if I parked in another resident's lot, I still might have gotten towed.
Result: Missing Church at the main campus. Missing another day at Universal Studios.

Another thing happened. The cover for the lights in my kitchen fell out.
It's not like the plastic covers of the same kind in hall.
This one's plastic but attached using Plywood and Steel bars.
I was standing in that kitchen just a min or two before the thing tumbled down in this massive ripping-cracking noise.
I would have had serious head injuries.

The thing that dropped.
Moved it so people could walk in there.

But I don't. I'm still alive. And I can have church right here in my own home. While I'm waiting for the apartment manager to get to work at 12pm. There's another church service at 4.30pm. We're still going for small group.

I CHOOSE TO PRAISE GOD IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE.
I don't care what the world throws at me now. It's gonna be alright.
Cos I know my God saved the day and I know His word never fails.
And I know my God made a way for me. It's gonna be alright!

The enemy's been defeated, death couldn't hold You down.
Gonna lift our voice in victory. Gonna make our praises LOUD.

We will sing sing sing and make music with the heavens.
We will sing sing sing grateful that you hear us when we shout your praise.
Lift high the name of Jesus!

PDL Day 25:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28

Update:
Luan came to drive Ka Ho and I to the impound and we got the car back for $180 instead of $270. How many people get driven by a royal? And the charges were reduced.
We managed to catch the 4.30pm service after lunch at Luan's fave Viet restaurant. Nailed all my unforgiveness to the cross. felt good.
Small group discussion was GREAT. Leo and Ka Ho were blessed I think. The others were challenged by questions such as "why does Christianity deem other religions false" and "what are the conditions for heaven?"
Awesome stuff. 14 ppl came for cell in total.
still need more prayer!!

...so Deborah had to be my GPS

...and melted my cup!!!

why do i do such silly things with such a terrible deadline looming before me? i feel so sorry for my housemates who have to endure that sickening pungent burnt plastic smell. i've used my cup to microwave drinks before, just forgot to make it lower-powered. great. no cup now. didn't manage to take a photo of it. have to open all windows and doors, turn on all fans and heaters, and thus have to put on a multitude of layers just to be able to type this thing out.

This was seriously not for fun, but for survival! In my own apartment, no less!

(we had pho for dinner btw. at the 50% off place. I LOVE PHO!!)

...while doing Laundry!

I thought I could FINALLY sleep in today and not have to rush to complete my readings before class (can't believe I've been spending like at least 5 hrs a day reading for the past 3 days. and I thought I knew the meaning of "teacher's pet" before, but now I Really Do!! SO ANNOYING. but that's for another time. ) but noooo... the're construction going on and I awoke to the sound of Spanish radio.

Nevertheless, I was all excited for laundry day!! Yes, it's the first time doing laundry since I arrived. No, I don't wear the same clothes everyday. Yes, I brough enough to last 4 weeks. No, they weren't stinky.

Treasure the free washing machines in hall man! It costs $1.25 per wash here. I didn't know what I was doing, it being the first day and all, so I had to trudge (because I was carrying all the laundry) from apartment to laundry room to house to leasing center to laundry room to house, to buy the card, fill the machines, try starting them, realise there was no value in the card, top it up, and finally get the machines to work.

15 more mins of the wash then the drying can begin!

update:

I totally forgot to take my woollen sweater out before dumping the loads of laundry in the dryer!! bahhhhh. Have to wear the shrunken thingamajig to sleep cos it's too cold not to sleep without it. Grumble.



View from the outside



The laundry room!



The machine I used



Came down too early, spent the 6 minutes taking photos.

...and burnt the pot.

View of the neighbour's house from the balcony.

Failed attempt to make steamed egg. Added too much water. Maybe the pot wasn't suitable. But the bottom is totally burnt and not shiny anymore. Sobs. I still ate the unburnt part though. Not bad, nicer if it wasn't contaminated by the burnt taste. Attempt to fry egg ended in disaster when the oil burst into flame. I don't know how to use this stove! The heat comes from a coil that's heated, so it's a bit like hot plate. Don't like.

My rice is niceeeee though!

The things people do when they don't have school. Have a Christian Students meeting and my father's coming later!

...and ended up in Saddleback, Irvine! and my apartment.

This morning we went to church at Saddleback, Irvine. It was at an elementary school cos it just branched out from the main church 6 months ago I think. There were very few people, but then we were at the 9am service, and there are later ones. It lasted only 1.5 hrs, super short. But I really enjoyed the overview of the book of Esther and how God teaches us to Hold On When It Gets Tough. The sermon was a video recording of the main church service though, which was a bit weird. However when you think of church and how we also watch the preacher on a screen cos we can't see the stage, it's not that bad.

Then we went back to visit my Grandma's 2nd cousins and their daughter's house cos they wanted to cook for us. Filipino food!!! And there's Angel, my 4th cousin, who's only 8 but is like a walking encyclopaedia. waited for the adults to catch up on everything until 6pm when my father sent me to the apartment and they went to catch their flight to Toronto. Walk in closet. My stuff's in the normal closet with the shiny mirror thing at the right.

Here's the kitchen and the bedroom. My bed's the one in the middle. Air bed plus sleeping bag with a fleece blanket inside then a comforter on top. But that's not enough! Have to wear a a jacket and sweater as well as long johns to be finally warm the whole night.

Dining table and chairs, where I set up my desk and personal area.

Lois watching movie in the corner where the heater is.

...and ended up in Irvine.

Irvine
Location: Orange County, California, USA. Just a bit southeast of LA.
Population: <250,000
Crime Rate: Very Low
Average Income per Household: Quite High
Average Level of Education: Also Quite High
Frequency of Public Buses: Once an hour or so. Everyone has a car. Only poor students and people who can't drive take the bus.

In short, this is quite a rich area (but then this is the OC right, and Beverly Hills isn't that far away).

The entire place is owned by the Irvine Company. Therefore housing prices are very high.

University of California, Irvine facts:
Asian Americans constitute 52% of the undergrad population. Can you imagine? It's like being at NUS. Except when I go to class then it's mostly white.

The Mascot is the Anteater which goes "ZOT!"

The land for the school was bought for $1 from the Irvine Company. It's alot of land.

So when we touched down we immediately went to the hotel and slept til 10pm. Just kept sleeping at weird timings. So much so that we missed the New Year which we were supposed to spend at my apartment with the others. Woke up at about 3am instead. Then we went to IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for breakfast and then to the beach.

The beach. With fog. Contrast with later pictures.

My Spinach Omelette. The pancakes comes with it.

My brother's combo meal.

My father bought a table and 4 steel chairs for us cos there's none in the apartment. Wish I could bring them back to singapore and put it in hall or my room! The wireless router that we brought from home couldn't work so have to get one from the service provider.

The layout of the malls here is very different from at home. For one thing, everything's one-storey. And very far apart. Have to walk great distances just in one shop alone.

The 'spicy' food here's not spicy though. Even the curries we had at the Indian buffet. Which is perfect for someone who loves the spiciness but can't take the heat.

Indian food buffet at Swaad. $8.95 only!