Can you believe it?? gas is $5.87/gallon in georgia, so DON'T complain even though it is $3.00 in california

my cousin

my new born cousin!! isn't she cute?

*sign* it's kind of sad that i can't be there when she was born. i am close to all my cousins and am very involved in their growing up phase. all my 3 cousins from my mum's side, i was playing with them since the 1st day they popped out from their mum's womb and this is the only one whom i have not been able to do this with.

my day

there is nothing really much to blog about these days. my life has been in a routine mode (wake up in the morning, have my quiet time, check out any job openings, plan the US trip for my family and then off to school for an hour and then come home to take a nap)

yes!!! my dad, mum, brother and auntie will be coming for my graduation. i am soo sooo looking forward to it. it is also much cheaper for me to plan their trip instead of paying the travel agent to do it. furthermore, it allows flexibility and i intend to bring them to some places that typically travel package doesn't include. i am so into this whole planning that i can not eat and just spend my time doing it. haa... how i wish i am that committed when it comes to studying. i have just one class a day (mon-thurs) and it is at 2 in the afternoon. the moment i step into the classroom, my internal sleeping clock will start to sound. i am just like a goldfish, the eyes look super big but the brain is actually sleeping.

*by the way, i have also started my exercising routine.. damn proud of myself..*

what's wrong with the University of Arizona??

i am very annoyed with my school system. sometime in the united states, people are not flexible at all!

i was charged the late fee for not paying my school fees in time. bloody donkey, that was not intentional at all. what happened was that during the 1st week of school, i was liasing with my academic advisor as to why we, international students have to pay $600 USD to take a 1 credit internship class (which i have already taken twice already) everytime we do an internship. this class is a complete waste of time, it just requires you to write 3 reports on the culture of the company, the vision etc etc. ever since, i started doing my internship, i have always been with the same company and like what i mentioned before, i have written the same things twice already.

haiya so anyhow, i got no choice but to take it and my advisor finally registered me for that class last thurday and apparently, tuesday (23th September) was the final day to pay the school fees so..... when she registered me on thursday (25th September), i was considered 2 days late.. this is a complete nonsense...because the last day to add a class on the academic calendar is on the 29 September so if anyone decides to add a class then will all be charged the late fee because after last tuesday, it will be considered late.. this is so dumb ass..

now i have to write an appeal letter to the bursar office. argh!

school has officially started!!

how do you know that school has OFFICIALLY started?

answer: when you see police cars everywhere. i went up to phoenix yesterday and as we exit the freeway when coming back, i saw 4 police cars at different junctions in less than 3 minutes. what the crap!! the polices here are really big on DUI (underage + drunk driving) so after laying low for so many months in the summer, it is time for them to 'officially' start working too.

phoenix was hot till i can be fried just standing under the sun for a few minutes. six of us went up to eat dim sum, shop around and after that, continue eating. it was fun! and guess what, my friends bought 2 frickin BIG DURIANS from there.

STOP YOUR NONSENSE

bloody idiot sucker!!! stop leaving your advertistments on my comment. stop piggybacking on others, have your own back bone.

HOPELESS!

mark and wai leng.. the kang kong is super SHIOK!!

garden of Sattui Winery. highly recommended!!

our favourite winery.. it is so good. we bought 2 bottles of wine from there.

this is the garden of the vineyard, very pretty and cozy..

the place is gorgeous and the weather is fantastic!

mark trying the grapes.. actually they taste pretty good

i love this picture!! me at the vineyard

the weather at monterey is damn gloomy

monterey bay kayak. i didn't get to do it coz mark was sick

these are kettles that they used to brew the beer.. huge piece of thing man!!

hoops!! this is to put in the beer to give it the flavor

bottling process

this is a very funny one.. i was rushing mark to leave the brewery coz we still need to go to other places and we were running out of time

i love this picture..pose machiam like model

my grades

before you continue reading this post, i just want to say that i'm not trying to BRAG, this is just a thought which i now feel like blogging about.

this morning, i was generating my academic report to make sure that i had got all the classes taken care of and that i can graduate in dec. oh whoo.. i didn't know both my majors' GPA are 4.0 till now. being a little bo chap and lazy to generate the report, all along i thought my GPA hovers around 3.8 and 3.9 because in my first semester of my professional admission, i wasn't focusing and i got a couple of Bs but apparently that 2 classes are considered to be my major classes (they call them some upper division thingy). anyway that two are just some bo liao classes (marketing and communication classes) that i have to take to get my degree..

but seriously, it is not that hard to pump up your GPA if you know a trick or two

1) know people!!! i always talk to people about classes that they have taken before. i will then get their notes and (the past exam questions and stuff)

2) when i know that a particular class is hard, i will kay siao go and look for the professor during his office hour (very frequently), haha to give him the impression that i'm studying real hard. at least, if i need a 0.5 or 1 mark to push my grade to an A, it is easier for him to do so course he knows me.

3) sometime i don't take classes from the university. it is alright to take it from a community college. it is much cheaper and you only need a C and above to transfer the class over to the university. also, whatever your grade is from the community college, it doesn't affect your GPA.
however, you can't do it too frequently lah, if not your employer will ask if you are studying in the community college or the university.

4) this has got no relation to GPA but it is a very good recommendation for new students. DON'T BUY YOUR TEXTBOOK FROM SCHOOL unless you want to be slaughter like pig. there are very good deals from half.com or campusi.com.

p/s: hopefully, my three classes this semester won't kill me.

anthony boudain

i didn't even know that malaysia has something called the Bull Penis till i watched anthony bourdain on the discovery channel. It is a dish where you can find from the roadside stall in KL. it is downright disgusting and frikin long. it is pretty simliar to mutton soup in singapore.

by the way, anthony boudain is this famous chef who has got his own restaurants in New York City. on discovery channel, he travels around the world to eat "stuff" and he did did an episode on singapore as well. if i remembered correctly, he went to this seafood kopitam place along race course road to have crab mee hoon and also little india to eat things like rendang, briyani etc.. he is a very cool guy, super tall and skinny with tatooSSS; very garang and game for many things..

this is his website: http://www.anthonybourdain.com/copy.asp?g=3&id=2

it costs a bomb to fly back home!

oh my.. do you know how much is it to fly back to Singapore now!! a whopping $1300 USD (approx $2200 Sin dollars). louanne is planning to go back this dec and this is how much it costs. we normally pay abt $800 USD (by singapore airline) and now it is like a bloody $500 more.

i would think gas prices is the main cause for that and + all the holiday surcharge, taxes, and anything that the airline or tour agency can think of to hike up the price.

very organic

my class today is pretty relax. it was only 15 mins. after going through the syllabus, my TA told us to leave.

argh! i miss california weather, so cool and sunny. i'm still in the adjustment mode since coming back to tucson. i eat and sleep too well over there and during this trip, i realised that my aunt is super big on organic stuff. check this out!


organic maple syrup


organic butter


organic sugar


organic milk

school is starting!!!

school is starting TODAY.yeppie. i LOVE school!!

school has always been fun for me. seriously, compare to working, studying is really nothing. if the lecture is boring, i can just switch off. after school i can go home and do whatever i want. come to think about, in my 3.5 years here, my average sleeping time is about 10 hours. damn shiok! hai.. compare to my peers in NUS, i am so much luckier. oh well, but in term of knowledge, i'm sure that they learn so much more than i do

this semester is quite a relax one for me. i only have 3 classes to take and then i'm officially done. i want to make this semester an extremely meaningful one. i'm going to have a blast with my school friends, go take up some classes (maybe pilates) from the recreation center and network around. yahooo!!

pictures!!

here are some pictures from my digital cam. the prettier ones are in mark's cam. i love my trip!!

the different kinds of beer.

chendol!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anchor brewery

amtrak.. the super delayed train at last

my aunt's GPS system but it is pretty dumb. it is not flexible at all.

quicksilver bus! never see before leh!

a bunch of singaporeans and malaysians having BBQ!

us at oracle. damn peaceful!

me at stanford university

bubba gump!

mark and simpson at monterey bay!

wine tasting

yummy!! tahu goreng, beef redang and mee goreng

SINGAPORE AIRLINE.. i'm feeling homesick

hiaya.. mr mark looking at chinese red wine. can you believe it??

my aunt's place. i love it, so lovely and bright

my cousin and mark. he super duper cute!!

my 1st time on united airline. pretty damn cool cause of their drop down TV. Southwest doesn't have that

our shopping trip

i spent a bomb on clothes yesterday whereas mark spent a bomb at the supermarket.

items i bought

1) a t-shirt from armani exchange
2) 1 pair of jeans from gap
3) a black top from gap
4) a white top from gap
5) an "Endless Summer" t-shirt

items he bought/nearly bought

1) 1 bottle of sake
2) 2 boxes of mooncake
3) he nearly bought a bottle of chinese red wine but couldn't find the one he wants
4) 2 free posters from Anchor brewery my aunt says that i should treasure this cause

nowadays, you can hardly find a man who is willing to shop and cook well.

my san francisco trip

i learned one new thing about mark on this trip. i'm not sure if it comes with age

when on holiday, people would normally want to shop for souvenirs or clothes but mark is most happy when he is at the supermarket (Ranch 99). he would be looking at red wine vinegar, briyani paste and stuff. what the heck!!

okay anyhow, back to my regular blogging. yesterday we went to anchor brewery. friking damn cool. we were taught the beer-making process, from brewing all the way to bottling. after the tour, we got to try 6 different kinds of beer. very shiok but because we didn't eat anything before that, we were feeling kind of funky after we got out of the place. anyhow, after that we headed down to Ghirardelli Square for ice-cream, but because mark was hungry and didn't want to eat that without having a full meal first, we had to walk over to little italy for our lunch/dinner.

one thing quite disappointing was that i DIDN'T see/buy any clothes for my graduation. damn. oh well, maybe i have to get them in phoenix.

random thoughts

anyway if you guys are observant enough, i've changed my font size. this is so much easier to read.

i like big stuff. the bigger the better esp CARS.. my favourite is SUV. however, mark is VERY VERY VERY against me driving that cause he says it is not economical at all and plus why the hell do we need such a big car on regular roads.. it is not like we will be driving through rough terrains everyday. oh well, i just love SUVs cause i'm petite and driving SUV makes me feel BIG.

mark is sick!!

i didn't get to kayak today cause mark got sick.

i guess is due to the sudden weather change because in san jose, it is cool and sunny but by the time we reached Monterey, it is foggy and cold. hai... typical california coast weather, super duper unpredictable.

however, when we went to Napa yesterday. the weather was GORGEOUS!! I LOVE IT! very mediterranean kind -- warm and brezzy. we went around for some wine tastings, had lunch at one of the wineries and bought two bottles of wine. the only sucky thing that happened was that i was forced to read maps. i HATE reading maps and i'm seriously dumb at doing that, thus my brain nearly split open when i had to do it. it is even worse than studying. i can feel a gazillion of my brain cells died during the map-reading process and mark was not really helpful and patient initially and i got all stressed out. however, things got better as we progressed. my brain started working and mark became more patient and wa la.... the result --- today's drive to Monterey was really smooth. anyway mark was sick so i drove back home instead and he read the map.

Stanford Univeristy and Oracle

i am going to napa valley today!!

yesterday we went to oracle.. YES!! is that giant database company, which i one day hope to work for. the company compound is damn big and looks very peaceful with man-made lake and stuff. hah, but i'm pretty sure that inside the company, people are killing each other.

after that we went over to stanford university. AT LAST i have made it there. i have been "there" (around the vincinity) for like 3 times but i never make it to the school. instead i will end up at the stanford mall nearby. my aunt always dropped me at the mall and by the time, i'm finished with that, haha it will be time for her to pick me up already so i have never been to the school till yesterday.

i'm alive!!!

wooo hoooooooooo... i finally reached san jose. at you know what time!!! 2pm yesterday! i was delayed for 17 hours. ganna sai... this is crazy!!!

anyhow amtrak itself (the train) is not too bad. the seats are really spacious, machiam 1st class seating on singapore airline (minus the time delay). i will post pictures of it when i get home.

my whole intinery (which we was supposed to take the train to LA and then transfer to another train to santa barbara follow by a bus ride to san jose) didn't work out. cause by the time we reached LA, we had missed all the connections but luckily, i have checked all the possible routes to san jose. thus, we managed to take a bus from LA to Bakersfield, follow by a train to stockton and then a bus to san jose.

my aunt then came to pick us up at the station.. wooo she got a new car --- Honda Pilot, pretty damn cool! so anyway we went back home, took a much needed rest and then went over to another singaporean place for some bbq cook-out session. see, everywhere is about food, as long as you got singaporeans around, there is bound to be food!!!! (wau.. anyway the family that we went over to. the guy is working in apple.. actually most of them are working there and oh my... you can see all the Merce SLK, Nissan z..., all around the place)

okay got to go wash up. we are meeting a friend soon..

amtrak is driving me nuts

wan ba tan.... i'm not leaving till 12+ in the afternoon today.

if by late afternoon, i'm still here, my blog will become a dictionary of curse words already.

amtrak

i'm leaving!! i'm leaving!!! (but the time not comfirm yet!)

you know why??? cause i'm taking amtrak.. that's why!

i just learned a new term ------------ 100% late

amtrak, is this all-american train that travels around the country. the reason why we are taking it is because mark wants to experience the ultimate american train ride. it takes about 18 hours from here to san jose VS 3 hours by plane. hai... i'm a damn freaking good girlfriend man!!! to me, time is precious and is money!!! but since he wants to take it, then i will accompany him. anyway try once better than never try before.

okay anyway... i have been analyzing the arrival pattern of the train for a while and seriously, it is ALWAYS late. on average, it will be about 3 hours late BUT bloodly hell, yesterday amtrak called and told us that our train will be 9 hours late. i am supposed to leave at 11:59pm today and now its estimated arrival time is 9:30am the next day. because i hate delay and i'm a person that needs to have alot of backup plans (my the other motto in life is to always leave yourself yi tiao ho lo)

haha so i have checked ALL amtrak train and bus rides from los angeles to san jose and also from santa barbara to san jose (just in case i need to switch my itinery around). also, how much is the car rental from los angeles to san jose and also greyhound buses.

moral of the story: if you have a friend who is most of the time late, DON'T COMPLAIN.. it is better that 100% late.

anyhow, i'm really excited.. come to think about it.. leaving at 9:30am is better than leaving at 3+ in the morning. i can sleep till shiok shiok at home first than enjoy the scenary when i take the train in the morning.

CALIFORNIA, here i come AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gifts from two japanese international students

mark went to pick up some international students today and both of them each gave him a gift -- a damn powerful gift. check this out man.


t-shirt with dragon


this is the back. wau.. don't play play sia. whoever wears this can "cut through the wind"


from TOKYO!! NOT china (the material is seriously not those cheapo kind).


this is lucky more power.. it says "Be independent and Respect Yourself"


the packaging also damn nice


wau.. heng ah this one is pretty (the other gift)

anyhow, really want to say THANK YOU to both of them cause one of our friends has been picking up people for a few yrs already and he didn't receive anything at all. this is mark's first time and he got 2 gifts

CRAYFISH for dinner - eat till you ganna hepatitis!! (hope not)

i'm going to have crayfish for dinner tonight. last sunday, we caught like about 40+ of these creatures but after throwing back those small little ones we are now left with about 39 of them. wau kao... can eat till you ganna hepatitis. err... maybe not 39 to be exact cause this morning trina (we put the crayfish at her place) said that some of the crayfish started cannibalizing each other so we might only end up having about 30 i guess.

anyway it is damn easy to catch these small little things and it does not really require patience at all. all you need is some string, rock for the weight and bacon. throw (err no... is put down gently) in to the water and within minutes, you will be able to see one (or sometime 2 or 3) greedy crayfish with its claw clinging onto the bacon.

the trip up mount lemmon was pretty darn fun and 'exciting'. on the way up, the weather didn't look too good and as we were about to reach the fishing spot, it started to rain. in the end, we had our picnic under a sheltered hut, accompanied by some really LOUD thunder and lightning. i don't necessary think of that as a bad idea at all, something different from the norm. in life, you need to have variety.

my home, my country

national day is coming up. it is on the 9th of august.

minutes ago, i was reading an article on TODAYonline. they were asking singaporeans to give a rating of the country. the result ---- an average of 7.14 out of 10. pretty not bad!!

for me personally, i would give a rating of 8. as a whole, this country has done a pretty good job. there are certain areas that i think singapore can still improve on (such as working culture and kiasuism). being in the united states has helped me to appreciate my country even more. i used to be ANTI-SINGAPORE. i hate everything about it ---the weather, the kiasu people, the loud aunties, the kan-chong lifestyle and the "everything about money" government. at that time, i'm only a singaporean by name only. i do not know how to sing the national athemm, do not know the national pledge and best of all, i will cry when i hear the national athem of america but not the one from my own country.

NOW, i do miss all the above (minus the government thingy and weather). singapore is special. my family is there, my friends are there. without my family and friends, i am nothing. i miss being part of their life, hanging out at coffee joints, eating at market full of ah-sohs, going to kopi-tiam with all the uncles shaking their legs and drinking tiger beer. all these small little things just make singapore unique. AND NOW i cry when i hear the athem of Singapore and i'm freaking proud to be a SINGAPOREAN LOH!!!

i know some of the stuff that i have mentioned in this blog might hurt people. i can always choose to delete it after my frustrations or anger have subsided BUT i choose not to. this is who i am, i don't regret things that i have said or done. life is too short to have any regrets. if i screw things up along the way, i will learn from there and not make the same mistake again but i WON'T regret things that i have said or done, neither will i take them off the blog.

what you see is what you get.

BY THE WAY. i don't really like to blast people off my blog. but if i really have to, i HAVE TO!! i appreciate comments but don't leave shitty pictures (that represent you). i once got a person who left some comments with a dick representing him. i got pissed off when i saw that but then come to think about it, it makes a whole lots of sense now.. why? because

1) Very TRUE, you are indeed a dickhead!!

2) i guess you really look like one.

3) your brain is long and narrow. that's why you can't think properly!!! and the only things that can be contained inside are all dirty and childish.

update of myself

a friend of mine mentioned that i have been blogging alot about food and he was worried about my waist line. hai.. for those of you who have not seen me for a while, i guess i better post some pictures of mine to update you guys on my "body condition".



a model of me. fit and tone right!!

so now, i have updated you on how i currently look like. so rest assured my friend, i'm still in tip-top condition.

it is not that i want to keep on blogging about food. tucson sometimes has limited activities for me to do cause after all, i'm not in LA or New York. also, shopping kind of sucks here. +++ singaporeans mah, so most of our lives will revolve around food!!!


the real me!!!

i'm sick and tired of some things in life already.

i seem to be losing myself particularly in this relationship. even when it comes to eating, i am subjected to criticisms. there are always comments on why should i not buy all groceries from one place and have to run all over town to get stuff. my explaination is very simple. i want to get the best food from the best place for whoever that are eating my food. to me this world is NOT all ABOUT money (i don't like to live my life around gas prices). i want people to feel happy after the meal. i don't give a damn shit about having to travel around.

i'm sick of answering a million questions, i'm sick of having to work my life around people, i'm sick of clearing the house, i'm sick of people who have no initiatives, i'm sick of being asked to do stuff when i know i won't be happy about.

AND YES.. this world is ALSO NOT about CAREER and STUDIES as well. so what if you have done well in both areas but you SUCK at having a life. don't regret when you reach 50.

i need to be alone and have my OWN life, and not have to worry about whatever actions that i'm doing will lead me to more naggings.

it was a great day!!!!

i met zhenlin for lunch today at Joel's Bistro. oh my god...........the sandwich is so............good. i'm not a sandwich person but this is really freaking good. we shared a pork loin sandwich with caramalized onion in it. holly crap, that is really fantastic. we also had a soup (clam chowder). after that we each ordered a cake (blackforest and some horseshoe eclair with fruits in it) --- AMAZING.. oh my god, im so damn excited even after 4 hours. yah u know why.. cause in tucson, it is pretty hard to find good sandwich and good pastry both at the same place.

after that, i went over to trader joe to get some food for a house warming party tomorrow and also a pinic on sunday. i'm gonna make meatball sub and zhenlin is going to come up with some cheese thingy.. (cheese that you eat with apple and grape)

respect my mounth

1) when i eat porridge, i like to throw all the stuff in and then eat it.

2) when i eat hor fun and yee-mee, i like to throw lots of green chilli in and then eat it.

3) i like to drink soup.

4) i like to eat fruits AFTER dinner

EVERYONE'S TASTE BUDS ARE DIFFERENT


argh!!!


argh argh!!!!!!!!!

my itinery again

i was so bored at work so i spent the last 3 hours planning my itinery.
Okay here's the rough itinery:

MONDAY:

1) Leave at 7:30am (pick up the car) and vhoom whoom to NAPA VALLEY. Walk around till lunch time, have wine tasting there.

2) Go to Yank Sing for dim sum, then head down to Golden Gate Bridge and (garden) of Palace of Fine Arts. Hang around there and then vhoom whoom back HOME.
http://www.yanksing.com/about-reviews.htm

TUESDAY:

1) Monterey Bay.Mark is planning the itinery.
We can go kaying, ride bike, go for scenic drive or whale watch

WEDNESDAY:

1) Leave at 9am and vhoom vhoom to Gilroy factory outlet http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=23

2) Leave about 1pm and drive up to Santa Cruz (drive is about 50 minutes)

3) At Santa Cruz, we can first go to the mystery spot. http://www.mysteryspot.com/

4) After that, head down to the boardwalk and CHILL OUT.

THURSDAY:

1) Take the Bart up to San Francisco. Head down to Fisherman Wharf first and then to Ghirardeli Square.

2) Go Little Italy for lunch.

3) Walk around Chinatown (for a little little while) and Union Square(shopping!!)

4) Go to Magnolia Pub and Brewery to CHILL OUT
http://www.magnoliapub.com/

FRIDAY

1) Hang around in San Jose

SATURDAY

1) Hang around in San Jose

Itinery cool right!!!!

Copyright@caarol.pte.ltd

i'm tired

i am TIRED.

till date, i have written approximately 30 pages of stuff. both for my mis and the gen-ed classes. i'm really tired with school and the uncertainties ahead. i need to take a break and not have to think about all these things.

anyhow, yesterday, i FINALLY got to talk with the Director of my intern company. he sounded like a pretty neat guy. we chatted and he was asking about my career path blah blah blah..one amazing thing that he did was to actually go to the company's website and look through every position to see if it suits me. he did mention things about me working full-time for the company when i graduate and alot of stuff. but oh well, nothing is really officially said said so i don't want to put too high hope in it. we shall see.

small little things

i am thankful for small little things in life.

this morning, mark gave me a "i love you" balloon for our 1yr 3 months together. not an easy 1 year but we learned from our mistakes and strive to be a better boyfriend/girlfriend for each other.

some other small little things:

1) my mum will fed-ex me stuff whenever i need anything (food, clothes etc).

2) one of my uncle's wife, Ignatia, always remembers my birthday and will try to send stuff over. also whenever she sees anything that she thinks i will like, she will get it for me.

3) i don't have to worry about food cause my dad makes sure that my brother and i have enough to eat at home. breakfast is always there and he remembers what each of us likes. sometime on a sat night before i go to bed, i will be thinking of eating roti prata tomorrow and when i wake up, i really end up with having that for breakfast.

4) my grandma will boil birdnest or those herbal thingy for the family on a really regular basis (so that i will be strong enough to punch anyone who bullies my family and friends).

5) now that mark and i are sharing a car, louanne will pick me up from work when his and my work schedule clash.

6) when i need help for my school work, my friends (such as zhenlin or mark) will do their best to help me.

7) my auntie has done alot of things for me. for instance when i left home 4 years ago and was staying with her, she will buy dinner for me and talk to me whenever i'm sad

8) my whole family makes an effort to sign my birthday card and have it sent to the united states

thoughts

early this summer, i had complained alot about being bored here in tucson, worried about getting a job and found life very meaningless and uninteresting --- a far cry from what i'm used to if i'm in singapore at this time.

it has been nearly 2 months since then and now my weekends are always filled with activities (like the chicken rice cook-out seesion, dinner with zhenlin and yanny on sat at some mexican restaurant and pimm's party last weekend) -- every weekend i have something to do. you know what's the funny thing ---- the busier i get with stuff, the more i find myself distancing from God. sometime when i drink or have too much fun, i will be so tired and forget to pray and spend time with him. i don't find my life to be rich at all.

a few years ago, drinking and having fun is part of my life but now i like to slow down and yes, to have some fun occasionally but the most important thing of all, i want to be close to God as he is the only person who can make my life richer.

also, i could have been very worried with the job search, project work and stuff but i believe that God is trying to build me up with all these experiences in life. now, i learn to worry LESS and have faith in him.

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. . . . No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:7,11).