August has been an insane month what with JZ’s 18th birthday, SG50 (the country we live in, Singapore, just turned 50 years old, for those who are wondering), finishing up our third semester in polytechnic and barely getting any reading – or blogging – done. Thankfully, the holidays have finally started, meaning I can laze around and do nothing for the next 1.5 months. Just kidding! It’s time to catch up on my horrendous review backlog (which I’m actually excited for since I’ve read so many good books) and… well, I’ll leave the rest of my holiday schedule to the Daddy up there.
We’re Halfway done with Poly! Wait… What?!
Adelena: I swear it still felt like yesterday when I first walked into Ngee Ann Polytechnic as an impressionable, hopeful, and thrilled freshman. I was so excited for the future and everything in store! Now? I’m still looking forward and impatient for everything to come but my definition of “future” isn’t the rest of my days spent in poly anymore, instead it’s everything coming after graduation. Which is still 1.5 years away, mind you.
Cliché as it may be, I’ve definitely learned a lot in the past three semesters and met numerous new people. However, it all felt like a stepping stone since I do have my entire life ahead. Here’s to the second half of my adventures in poly and one step closer to university/the mission field/God’s awesome plan for my life!
JZ: It’s insane how half my poly life is gone. Everything’s happening all to quickly and I feel like I’m not old enough to be a Year 2 student. The future can be scary but I’m growing more daring and confident to inch out of my comfort zone and try new things (be it wearing my hair differently or starting on a new story idea). Maybe one day I’ll be able to dive headfirst into crazy adventures!
Wildest Dreams
A: Yes, we just had to put aside a whole segment of this post for the incredible MV. BECAUSE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR IT SINCE I FIRST HEARD THE SONG ALMOST A YEAR AGO. It’s everything I’d hoped for and more! My only complaint? I WISH IT LASTED LONGER BECAUSE I MUST FEAST MY EYES ON SCOTT EASTWOOD.
J: Omg you guys we woke up at like 7am to catch the live broadcast and mind you it’s the holidays where bed time is at least 2am and we only wake up when the sun’s high in the sky. But anyway, we waited two hours and when it FINALLY premiered we just died. RIP US.
A: The entire video got me like.
A: Because everything was on point. The editing, the gorgeous shots, Taylor, SCOTT EASTWOOD, the song… JUST EVERYTHING AND MY FANGIRL HEART CAN’T TAKE THIS MUCH AWESOMENESS.
J: So people are asking which part of the MV is their fav and obviously everyone would say 0:00 – 3:55 (i.e. the entire thing) but that’s just a cheat answer. Y’ALL HAVE TO PICK ONE PART. And mine’s the part with the stars!!! (I couldn’t find a gif so enjoy this picture of trippy stars)
J: All the parallels between this MV and her old songs/MVs are making me very feelsy (White Horse, Blank Space, Teardrops On My Guitar, The Lucky One – see if you can spot them)! I can’t stop watching it – I’m picking out all the little details and THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS SO GOOD HALP.
A: Please excuse me while I go and hunt down some semblance of composure. And in the mean time you should go watch the video because you totally love Taylor as much as we do. *enthusiastic nodding*
Miracles & Testimonies
A: Where do I even begin? I guess the start is as good a place as any. At the start of this month, I had a major on-air radio assignment where I’m supposed to host a live radio interview. While I do love to talk, simultaneously making conversation, keeping time, and fiddling with a button-riddled console is not my idea of fun. However, I was blessed with the perfect interviewee for my chosen topic and despite having a pretty intense slip-up, I still managed to score an A! Alright, to be fair, I was totally panicking until the Holy Spirit told me to get ahold of myself and guided me through everything to amend the technical error I had made. So glad I’ve got the Holy Spirit to get me through sticky situations.
As for miracle numeros dos, I’ll let my Instagram post from two weeks ago do the talking. ;)
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Lastly, during an amazing service last Friday, the amazing Dad up there revealed to me where I would be heading to first as a missionary (probably because I did ask Him for some confirmation of something else He had told me a few months back, I JUST DIDN’T EXPECT THAT MUCH INFO, HAHA).
For those of you who are unaware, my dream job is to be a missionary and an author. Anyway, I might still sort of be in shock – thankfully got over the denial within two hours – so more on that next time… or not until I’m heading to that particular city. I’M SORRY I’M STILL PROCESSING THE INFORMATION. Cause I’ve never had God tell me something as directly as He did this. I guess my internal computing system needs time to fully wrap my mind around the news.
J: It was a hellish month and everything honestly looked like doom and gloom with deadlines. Especially when you submit work late – you just feel like complete and utter crap. But I’m so blessed that I still managed to get decent grades/surprisingly positive feedback for my assignments! And as for exams, they turned out pretty well (which I did not expect since papers normally leave me feeling quite rubbish afterwards).
Also, I did something rather insane while studying for my exams (hint: it has something to do with writing) and it was a success! You can read about it here.
Church has been really enjoyable, and I’m so happy that I’m getting more in touch with God. I crave personal encounters with Him, and this is something I’m greedy about cause I just can’t get enough of it. Heh. But when you hear that voice, you just know that it’s Him and it’s so surreal and comforting that He’s actually talking to you. I get pretty emotional about it, but then again, who cares?
Just a couple of days ago I had a series of weird dreams which left me really unsettled. Even when it was well into the day, I was quite affected by them cause my mind would wander back to my dream. It felt so real. It scared me. I was frustrated that a dream had that much power over me. But then I decided I had enough, so I reached out to Him (while desperately crying out for help in my head) and He responded pretty fast! Like I just WhatsApp-ed Him and He immediately came online to reply, haha. Anyway, I’m feeling so much better now. I’m thankful for the big ‘ol man.
Music
You take our failure / You take our weakness / You set Your Treasure / In jars of clay / So take this heart, Lord / I’ll be Your vessel / The world to see / Your love in me
A: I’ve been listening to more and more songs by Hillsong recently (yay Apple Music) but this one I first heard at church and it utterly blew me away. I love the lyrics because it really shows how God loves us despite our imperfections (whereas I still admittedly throw shade at others, boo me). Plus it perfectly describes how spectacular life becomes with Jesus by your side, IT LITERALLY LIGHTS UP LIKE NEW YORK CITY.
J: I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE, ADEL.
A: ;)
Full of honey / Just to make him sweet / Crystal balling / Just to help him see / What he’s been missing / So come and get it / While you’ve still got time
A: I’ve been following Little Mix for a while now and while the lyrics for this single is pretty meh, it’s quite inexplicably catchy. Plus you can’t deny the vocals are pretty darn easy on the ears! I’m really looking forward to their upcoming album (despite the loooong wait until November) and hope the rest of the songs are just as good, albeit with less repetitive lyrics maybe.
J: I think Little Mix looks really good now and I don’t know if it’s just me but their vocals are so, so good I can listen to them unplugged and be blown away by their voices. Even when they went to perform this song on the 1989 World Tour as a surprise guest they were ON POINT. Also Jade is very cute and Perrie is gorgeous. (A: Trudat.)
Death, where is your sting / Your power is as dead as my sin / The cross has taught me to live / and mercy my heart now to sing
A: Remember how I featured Fight Song by Rachel Platten in last month’s wrap-up? Well, this is one of my personal fight songs (though Whom Shall I Fear by Chris Tomlin takes the number one spot). It also has a great overall sound and the singer’s voice is as smooth as a baby’s butt (I’m writing this after watching half the VMAs so forgive me if my descriptions are trippy – I blame MTV’s psychedelic ads).
A Sky Full Of Stars | Cause in a sky / In a sky full of stars / I think I saw you
Ink | All that I know / Is that I love you so / So much that it hurts
Magic | And if you were to ask me / After all that we’ve been through / Still believe in magic / Oh yes I do / Of course I do
J: Yes, three songs! It all started with A Sky Full Of Stars and now I’m so in love with the entire album (though some songs can get a little weird for me). It’s the embodiment of all things whimsical and I’ve been listening to it late at night cause it gives off calm, happy and cute vibes. Hehe.
A: I tried getting into this album but I just ended up feeling disoriented. To each their own!
You’re my favourite song / My sing-along / You shine bright like lighters in the dark and / You’re my clarity / The best part of me / You still make my crazy little heart go boom
J: It’s been quite a long time since Simple Plan released new music so I was really excited when they did! I’ll admit that when they released Saturday as a single I was a little eh about where they were heading with their music because kids chanting in a song isn’t the most appealing sound. But then they dropped this a few days ago and everything went BOOM (I’m so punny, I know) and I’m like YASSSS.
Books
A: I warned you that I’d barely got any reading done this month. However, I did re-read City of Bones and plan to finish the entire series this time (I stopped at City of Glass previously) before the Shadowhunters TV series airs next year! The Wrath and the Dawn was also mind-blowing! Reviews to come… after I catch up with the 6/7 other books waiting to be reviewed. *awkward laughter*
J: I’m currently reading The Wrath & The Dawn and I’m loving it so far. The characters are so unique and actually make me laugh out loud (at inappropriate places, too)! (A: HAS KHALID STOLE YOUR HEART YET? It doesn’t matter if he did. BECAUSE HE’S MINE. HAH.)
Posts Recap
4/8 – Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
23/8 – Just a Tiny Update
Last Words
A: As you can tell, this has been a month of doing everything (school, life, blah) and nothing (reading, blogging). I’ll be missing JZ as she flies off on nice little adventures building roads and planting plants but hey, that means more time for books, blogging, bookstagramming, and doing whatever God wants me to (I think I’m asking for another revelation even though the last one Tasered my brain). Here’s to a great September!
J: Sending good vibes to y’all. September’s gonna be an exciting month cause I’ll be heading to Cambodia for a two-week service learning trip to help the kids there! I’m hoping to be able to speed read more, and we’ll see how it goes. Until next time!
A Page of Heaven 
It’s so lovely to find other bloggers that are faith orientated! I’m a Christian and I love it when I come across a book blog that also speaks about their love for God. I agree, Broken Vessels is such an amazing song! The first time I heard it was I was like *_____*.
I’m not a fan of Little Mix but I LOVE their new single – IT’S SO CATCHY.
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Glad to find another fan of Jesus! It’s hard not to share all the amazing miracles He brings about in my life because they’re so cool and are such a big part of my life too. I’ve only just started blogging about them though, as an effort to make the blog a little more personal and not just another book blog with reviews and nothing else, haha!
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