What you can’t see from these photos

Posted on 7 Aug 2019 by Vanessa Ong

– Hiding under my blanket is a hot water bottle & extra thick socks for my feet.
– Exam time is crunch time – literally! My room floor is hidden under books, exam notes and enough snacks to feed an army.
– Reminders to self of why I am “suffering” here trying to study when all I want to do is sleep, eat or just fly home to warm, humid Malaysia ðŸ˜: ‘I’m here training for full-time word ministry for Jesus and His people’ (repeats to self more often than I dare to admit)

– Just a few minutes before this photo was taken, my classmates and I were busy beating the clock, writing our hands off for our final paper – our Philosophy Exam! Now, happy smiles all around.
– My mind is occupied with only two things: a) my bed (after EVERY SINGLE EXAM…Zzz) b) what to do for a THREE week holiday? *insert over-ambitious list of fun I’ll be too lazy to realize*
– Mitchell (in photo) and I setting a date for a meal in the warmly welcoming home of the Alberts: my classmate Mitchell, his wife Jessie, Boaz and Ezra! We enjoyed our time together.

– The hardworking and generous conference organizers. Thank you Isobel Lin for your generosity so that my friend and I could attend EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019!
– Hearts and minds being challenged at EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019.
– My mind wandering off to my sisters back home in Malaysia and how EQUIP Women’s Conference 2019 could inspire them to minister to one another.

– The amazing pork knuckles Moore College Kitchen served us for dinner that day. It was so big I used up some of the fatty meat to cook this plate of fried rice.
– My freezer stocked with precious treasure: mum’s yummy home-cooked spicy rendang and curry paste. I tried my best not to be selfish. Shared (a bit) of it with the lucky few.
– The fact that I’m honestly a bit sick of my own hit-and-miss cooking and looking forward to going home in December to eat mum’s hit-and-wow cooking! =D

– A few minutes after this photo, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra + soloist played Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. They’ve got a great discount for those under 30! ðŸŽ‰ðŸŽˆ ðŸŽ‰ðŸŽˆ
– The fellowship and fun Valerie (in photo) and I share as we talk about all sorts of things on the bus, train, restaurant, in cafes, at the Opera house etc. Thanks for the company!
– Imagining myself as the first violin of the orchestra, then changing my mind, wanting to be second violin instead (insert many revisions of a favourite daydream: me being a part of an orchestraðŸ˜)

– 30 minutes before a spontaneous trip to this gorgeous lookout point in Cremorne, I witnessed my first wedding in Australia. P.S. Can you spot the huge cruise liner?
– The Freemans continuing my education in all things “straya” and other fun and funny stuff.
– The Jesus-loving loving hearts the guy and girl in the photo have. They’re leading a youth camp called MMM on top of college (for Michael) and hospital work (for Tahlia), do pray for them and the camp!

– Underneath that smile is a great unwillingness to leave my room. My feet are resting on a heater; Just look at the beautiful view I enjoy each morning right outside my window!
– Behind that tree is one of the major reasons I’m here in Sydney: the knowledgeable and dedicated faculty of Moore College. (grading my papers in offices behind that tree)
– The great privilege I have of walking out of my bedroom, down the stairs, across one street (photo), and then walk into Moore College’s great library (also behind the tree).

– The weight I’ve gained from eating all day, every day in winter. I swim like a fat dying walrus.
– Memories of freezing Malaysian rivers @WWSC: Sungai Geruntum ðŸ’“ and Sungai Geruh when I swim in a non-heated pool (in photo) while the temperature outside is approximately 13Â°C.
– The increasing excitement as the months get closer to December. I really can’t wait to be at the best camp in the world, White Water Summer Camp (WWSC) 2019 in Malaysia.