Do you want to buy anot? Waste my time.

What did you think i was selling?

(taken with Canon Powershot A710IS. 23 feb 2007. Shenzhen, China)

Look what dear Tessa's got me

Such a pretty orange butterfly.. as sweet as dear Tessa herself. *grins*

You are right dear. It's such a beautiful bond God has forged between us through the many years it's unknowingly passed. Thank you for opening your heart up to me tonight. More dates to come! Hee. *hugs*

If i have not love

These verses have been in my mind for the past week. Need to spend some time reflecting upon them.

Love

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Yiling

This is one of my young cousins, one of the most talented i would even say in my family.

Yiling, at age 10, has performed her dance, piano and acting numerous times and recently in a play that wow-ed me with her explicit facial expressions and graceful moves. She acted as the little pretty fairy. =)

She reminds me a lot of myself when i was younger; i too learnt dance, piano and art concurrently then. But i never had the boldness and confidence she exudes now on stage. =)

I want to bless her to grow up truly confident from deep within, bearing hope and dignity in her God-given identity. I say this because even from the sparse time i spent with her, i had read low self-esteem from her face and heart. And it was most explicit when i heard her own father 'joke' this while we were all watching her performance video -

"Oh yes you look like an (ugly) monster. That is why the boy (the male lead) ran away from you".

There was a certain look of helplessness on Yiling's face. Though my heart was deeply saddened at that moment, i soon rose in my heart to be strong and bear hope in the Lord that He will change this situation to His glory. My entire family will be saved.

I then hugged Yiling by my side and said "You did really well in the play. And you looked really pretty", to which she gave me a little grin at the corner of her mouth. =)

A trip round my childhood's neighbourhood

I saw the stage in my church kindergarten
where i danced
with two buns on my head

I saw the now abandoned swimming pool
where i clung so tight
to the instructor
and would not let go

I saw my primary school's assembly hall
and wondered
how all our butts could have fitted in then

I saw the monkey bar beside its pond
from where i fell
and grazed my knee
- my first 'big' injury that scared me

I saw the path my grandma and mum
always took me
to the nearby shopping centre
- it felt like they were taking me around the world

I saw the window of my old bedroom
from where i peeped
at the familiar faces and
imagined stories of their lives

I saw my grandmother's face
reaching her home
the playpen of my childhood
and we both smiled today

My v-day date

A number of you asked me about my V-day date.


To this, i scratched my head.


* * *


Ha, well i did date someone. Check out the lovely moment...

and my self-made present (look left).


Sidenote: It's been so long since i laid my fingers on handmaking gifts. The moments of burying my head into making something and having to be so meticulous are precious.

Jia you Os Graduates!

Life Coachees & friends at Take the City Walk - Conquerors of O'level!

Someone commented that i sounded exactly like a 16-yr old girl anticipating eagerly her O'level results last Friday.

O well, i was REALLY excited for my gals who were getting theirs! This includes dear Lizann, Cherrie, my bunch of Life Coachees, and some of you dear ones over the place. Ha.

I am proud of each and every one of you for making it through the Os, no matter what L1R4/5 you have gotten.

Had the opportunity to guide some of you in your course-deciding process after that. I really understood your fears and doubts. But dears, i bless all of you to continue walking ahead in courage and confidence. Keep your heads up. The potential in an unpolished diamond is that, with time and persevering efforts, it reveals and sparkles like the stars in the sky. =)

All you want in a Lover

I have the Greatest Lover with me!

Don't be jealous. =p

* * *

The Greatest Lover
takes great delight in me;
He rejoices over me with singing. (a)

The Greatest Lover
leads me beside quiet streams,
and makes me lie down on green pastures. (b)

The Greatest Lover
loves me with an everlasting love;
He has drawn me with loving-kindness. (c)

The Greatest Lover
calls me His beloved
and laid down His life for me. (d)

* * *

May you have a beautiful v day with the Greatest Lover, Jesus. =)


(references: (a) Zephaniah 3:17, (b) Psalm 23:2, (c) Jeremiah 31:3, (d) John 15:13)

Beautiful family moments from last night

It was steamy and warm, both in the steamboat restaurant and in our hearts! =) Thanks dear sis Stella and bro Anthony's cell for gracing the occasion, especially to celebrate Meiqi's birthday.

Poor Dina could not be seen fully..

so we took another shot =)

Astro birthday gift for Meiqi - her fav!

One greatest realisation for tonight was that i am definitely not the only one who can be keee-siaoz! Ha. It does flow. Ha ha.

Nope i didn't step on Dina's foot. She posed this herself. Ha.

I love all of these beautiful people in my life. Thank You Lord for placing them on my path. =)

Those of you who could not make it for this dinner, you have been missed. =)

Click here for more photos and my thanksgiving.

Found the Sleeping Beauty. again

Once again, our dear Anna slept thru' almost the whole of dinner, this time in another absolutely adorable posture. Ha.

Was a good family time for YCYPAO cluster's pastors and 36 with Ps William and Ps Debra's 12s tonight. Thank God for BIG family - united in one heart, under one God! =)

My Ahpa, Ahmi & YY24 family

(click to zoom in)

Click here for more pictures.

Look Far

Look beyond the 'window' and window

I was attracted to this picture the moment i saw it. It wasn't exactly a 'Wow, very nice" response. But something twinkled in my heart, and tugged at my heartstrings - the landscape far beyond the photograph.

I have been in a rather poetic mood recently too. ha. I think i have been soaking in the love of God too much! Ha but its good. *swims swims flips flops in His bath of love*

Back to the picture. My eyes were instantly drawn and frozen to the fluffs that shroud the suburban landscape with a glow. The London eye (the Millennium (ferris) Wheel) uniquely added an element of joyful play to the scene. I feel like i wanna dance, looking at this picture.

Picture beyond picture
Take some time daily to lift your eyes up and look beyond. Many times the captivating macro colours right before your eyes do not beat the beauty of what lies ahead. When you look out of the window, you may find yourself breathing more freely... liberated.

i will not fear (part 2)

This morning as i read Psalm 27, i was reminded of the scene of the mother and son which i saw a few weeks ago and posted under 'I will not fear'. Especially verse 1:

The LORD is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

My ahmi Ps Yp also shared this related reflection on Sunday:

"You know, the small kids (referring to her two young daughters Elsie and Anna) really trust their parents. They have no money with them at all. They simply entrust themselves into their parents' hands, following them wherever they go.

It makes me think: Am i like that? Am i entrusting myself to the Lord like that?"

My prayer: O Lord, One thing I ask of You, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in Your house all the days of my life, to gaze upon Your beauty and to seek You in Your temple. (Psalm 27:4)

One night before i sleep...

I have not had a good look at my bedroom for a loooooong time.

I think i am not spending enough time with it. *yeeaaarns for bed now*

As i flipped on my bed last night with my face downwards, my eyes suddenly roved to the corner of my bed that the squeezy marshmallow-soft softtoys given to me have retreated to, and then the black-and-white portrait that my art teacher chose to take of specially me when i was 6 (?). Tonight i declared this the cosiest and most heartwarming corner of my room.

I hope my daughter Amanda does not ask me why the doggie she gave me has its butt outwards, and its head stuck in the pile. Haha.

I have yet to get an answer from the two good brothers-in-Christ who co-bought me that dolphin with black lips (see above), why it has black lips.

But oh well, i shall not risk hearing any nonsensical answer from them who can be really nonsensically crazy. So i am going to sleep.

=)

Oh, by the way, did i tell you i love my Shutterbaby? Canon Powershot A710IS is fun!

Sleeping Beauty at a restaurant

Rushing down to the Changi Airport to meet my spiritual parents for dinner tonight, i was greeted by a really adorable sight.

Anna: "Mirabel took soooo long to come, that i fell asleep......"

Our dear Anna sleeps everywhere, and always so adorably! I couldnt resist taking a shot, and this stirred a chuckle from my Ahpa Ps YC. =)

Had a really good and pretty long talk with my Ahmi Ps YP tonight. Always a blessing to have her spend time together. I can never thank God enough for her in my life! =)

Who is it that Overcomes the World?

Travis, my good bro who is a Japanese working in the States now, sent me this photo last night. He took it when he was hiking in Arizona. What adventures he is immersing himself in! I am... envious. Haha.

Because i used to do art painting, i could almost imagine God's hands gently sweeping across the heavens to form the swivelled flow of white smudges and wisps against the blue canvas.

I was reminded of my meditation on Psalms 19:1-6 three nights ago as i pondered upon the beauty of heaven's skies...

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes its circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

Today i was rather intrigued by verse 5 which describes the sun as 'a champion rejoicing to run his course'. Doesn't the sun go the same way everyday? But yet here it reveals that the sun always repeats its continual cycles with fervor and passion. Oh, imagine if one day Mr Sun says 'i feel lethargic today. I am going to go slow, or probably take a rest at that tree for half a day..'. Wow i cannot imagine how the world will turn upside down!

Are you losing steam in the routines of your life? Have you found yourself more often becoming Mr Hare who slept under the tree in the race, instead of Mr Tortoise who persevered or even struggled through each step?

If the sun is a living thing, i think it understood very much its identity and purpose in God who created it. I would even say it lives for God. That is why it knows, it is a champion.

...Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)