singapore - l.a. - las vegas - fresno - san francisco - singapore . 17-26 june 2005 .

my heart fell for san francisco. its skies were full of clouds, though its breezes chilled my heart and made it shiver. Yet...this cool-ness seemed to freeze the colors of the place into portraits and portraits of beautiful san francisco, making them so bright and still in my sight, and magically coupling them with the alternating blue puffy and then wispy skies.

anybody wants a piece of these portraits?


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i termed montery bay my favourite little secret corner of the world ten years ago when i was beside its royal blue waters of the pacific ocean.

no longer so. commercialismn had taken its toll on montery. no more ignorant sea lions sunbathing on the shores. even the seagulls stayed a distance. more rich residents by the beachline with cosy small yet really costly houses with unproportionally big windows.

i wish i could catch a glimpse of montery when john steinbeck wrote his novel on it back then.


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l.a. - still as dry, sunny, noisy, congested. the colors of universal studio, disneyland and the rest of the lands did no justice to the blandness of the place i held in my eyes. main highlight here: studio tram ride in universal studios; you would either scare or laugh to bits.

las vegas - they call it sin city. period.

twinkle twinkle little star, how i wonder where you are... (moonlit san francisco)

my dear granny and i against las vegas

skies and bridges go pretty well.

peering javier

skies and seas are a lethal combination in sweeping me away...

may!!!

ehh.. run dog.

ONE WAY...JESUS!

skies make my heart flutter

me and my cute javier against grand canyon of hazy grandeur.

my friends - lifesize

i'm just being me; being fascinated by the crystalline structures that formed on my airplane window.

jet-lagged.

fluffiness inspired me today.

~ Scene of sunset from my pane.

Gentle orange though it's faint,
sieves thru' the cotton plain -
fluffy white balls that hold no rain.

Such is a sunset that keeps you sane! ~


fluffy was my soul today. fluffy-ly zonked.

music playing: praise songs instrumental (courtesy of bro qtian. thanks for your belated bd gift! :> the pieces are beautiful.)

an interview.

today my dear ah-c who was writing the article about the Parents Appreciation Dinner for Ps Yc, interviewed me.

ah-c: ooh i need to interview leh hee hee. so how do u feel abt the parents' dinner? and how did your mum/uncle feel....etc etc
ah-c: any thots?
ah-c: i will put ur name ok
myself: okay

and here i went...

hmm well i knew my mum and uncle being introverted expressionists were secretly touched to tears deep down in their souls. I saw that from the occasional affectionate gazes and grins they had towards me, especially when i was appreciating them on stage. i caught my mum chuckle subtlely many times during Ps Chan's formidable jokes!

i thank God so much that they were willing and able to come this time, and He even answered many questions on their minds Himself. I remembered my uncle asking me this 'why will people only get healed when they join a church?' in accumulated disdain at this wrong assumption he had gotten from the bad testimonies he had seen. My explanation to him then could never beat the powerful testimony given by a 50-plus yr old uncle who was completely healed from cancer 24 years ago even before he really knew the Lord. Praise God!

i was simply awed by the Love and Presence of God in the place, especially at the end, when my spiritual daddy Ps Yeang Cherng and my beloved uncle said this to each other "Thank you for taking care of Mirabel". My uncle even entrusted me to Ps Yeang Cherng's care! Gosh what a blessed woman i am, to have these honourable fatherly figures in my life, other than God and my natural dad! :>

suffering from soul-lish diabetes :>

my yesterday at church shrouded me with an exhilarating sense of love, leaving me speechless towards the end of the service. thanksgiving was overflowing to my heart's brim, and i was shedding little tears of gratitude, just for His eyes to see. how could i ever thank You enough my awesome Lord?

i couldnt make myself smile an inch last early morning; i was simply zonked, in physical lethargy. what do You want me to speak to amanda's mum about, my Father? was the repetitive question in my mind. to be honest, i was a little fearful (thanks to mr sa.tan); i dreaded the awful idea of her mum questioning me about amanda's results, and blaming it on church. but my Beloved always understands my heart and its every concern so well. and only when i reached their house did i realise God's hand was already upon this beautiful family.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8)

the two hours with her mum left such a sweetness in my soul, definitely not just because of the icecream she offered me heh. she wanted to know more about the Lord, my Lord. she was seeking, thirsting. Amazing grace. this became more and more obvious as i began quoting bible verses to teach her about asking God for the strength and wisdom she needed in her life, in handling her family and work. it must have been quite a comical sight to see me pause and do mental translation to my best ability, the familiar english verses into mandarin. my eyes would tilt up towards the sky, subconsciously appealing to my Lord for help! Well He is our ever present help in times of need (Psalm 46:1b), and He really spoke through me. i was a mere vessel, He did the work. i laid my hand on amanda's mum and even prayed for her in total mandarin. *grin*

next stop, my grandma's house. she was laboriously making rice dumplings when i arrived. gosh i always admired her for her meticulous hands. a spirit of serving and giving - that is what i have been learning from her. she's a cute granny too; she was jokingly ordering me to take good care of her when we are in the States in two weeks' time, and i just laughed and said 'of course!'. time spent with my granny is always easy, full of chuckles. i love you granny! *hug*

the two hours of playing host at the Parents Appreciation Tea for the youth at Magicbox, left a darker tint of rosey warmth in my soul. i am always glad to be able to serve my spiritual parents, Ps Yeang Cherng and Ps Yueh Ping in little ways. as i listened to the youth giving little pieces of appreciation to their parents, secret tears welled up in my soul, and a small capacity of them to the corner of my eyes. i was simply touched, by the Love of God in the place. it was the exact feeling i had during my own Parents Appreciation Dinner just three days ago; tears of love just kept flowing uncontrollably as though the gratitude every child had towards his or her parents was collectively flowing in the place. how proud i was of cerwin, my dear little bro, as i witnessed him saying words of thanks and love for his mum, as he darted his eyes away every split second, not daring to look straight into his mum's eyes. this boy has grown up. praise God. *smile*

edwin's mum was her usual self, cute and blur. ended up taking care of these boys' mums; hey where are my brothers who were supposed to do the job for their own spiritual sons?? haa kidding. oops.

i could have fainted from soul-lish diabetes with such a high level of sweetness for the day. and as though these werent enough, i received from bro ant a belated birthday present, an unidentifiable hippotamus or rhinoceros or giant rat that speaks with his own voice haa..., and also an adorable cuddy from sis sally who simply wanted to give it to me to remind me 'God loves me'. awwwwww......................... *faints* God bless you sally, as you enjoy yourself in taiwan!

i'm going to the States in two weeks' time! O my Lord did You actually prepare me for this surprise? when i spoke with my friend about missing those acres of vast lands, and million millimetres of fresh air, when i reminiscenced about the majestic sight of the Grand Canyon before my eyes, as Ps Eugene spoke about it, i didnt plan to go so soon. California here i come!

it is going to be a beautiful time over there with the Lord, away from the clutterness of life here. Definitely going to leave me more time and space too to ponder over the question God has been nudging me in my heart; He's been asking me to make a choice..................... :>

at the parents appreciation dinner 01jun05

thanks for coming, my mummy n uncle! :>

mummy snow white (hee..) and me!