Good food. Good time.

My family are lovers of good food and good travel (and I add on good arts and music for myself).

Ever since I became wisdom-less (?!), oops i mean wisdom-teeth-less, i have been dining good stuff. Well, enjoying a good meal with my loved ones and friends is definitely my definition of a good time spent.

(Okay, i had used 6 'good's in the mere three lines above. Ha)

In the month of June...

***

My dear spiritual son Cerwin called me up to celebrate, i thought my belated birthday. To my most amazed delight, he said, 'Nope, remember I said I would give you a good treat when you recover from your wisdom tooth surgery?'. Aww....

And before i got over the surprise, he shoved a wrapped present and a card into my hands, saying 'And these, are your belated birthday presents!'.

This is the second gift from him which is personalised with the words 'Mum Mirabel'.

I can never thank God enough for this son for 3+ years. Son, in this race, there are times when any of us can stumble. But the fact that you never gave up despite this, even if you had thought of giving up, is really wonderful. I am proud of you. =)

***

Birthday Treat for Simin's 16th birthday!

When i first met Simin 3 years ago, she was a scrawny blur-looking kid. Ha. Look how pretty you have grown, Simin! =)

***

Popcorn feast with Sheryl and Ben (new friend!) etc. at the movies!

Sheryl is one the bravest young girls i have ever known. She is one with a certain drive that i did not see in me at age 14.

Sheryl, God the Dream Giver will propel you towards your dreams! Keep shining for Him; you are a star*! =)

***

Lobster Spread at Jack's Place with Mummy!

Imagine two big red lobsies spread over your table!

Not forgetting our lobster biques and stuffed lobster-and-crab mushrooms! haha.

***

Dinner with Lilian, Jing and Stella at Sun with Moon Japanese Restaurant!

Pretty food, pretty company, pretty talk. =)

I have been sensing the word HOPE for Lilian and Jing a lot recently. May you receive it dears. =)

***

What a retro setting. Thus i sepia-ed the photo. Ha.

Oven-baked pasta and mudpie at where else but N.Y.D.C!

I caught up with Yvon 2 months ago before she embarked on her poly studies, and this time after.

Dear Yvon, know it's not been an easy beginning in poly for you. May you always remember the Father's delight upon you. That's truly enough. =)

***

Now now, i didn't say i was going to write a food critic right? So, sorry not many photos of food. Ha.

Love is spelt as t-i-m-e. =)

Catching planes fly

i think not many of you know this, but i love spending time alone. i can walk and walk on, with no agenda or preplanned route, simply enjoying myself... and God. =)

After some hours at BroadcastAsia and CommunicAsia last Wednesday, having some time before heading to precious Jing's to visit her mum, i headed for my JC-times favourite haunt... the Singapore Changi Airport!

With my two breads in hand, i sat at the viewing gallery and did what people at an airport's viewing gallery will do - catch sight of the landing and taking-off planes. Ha. What else were you thinking?

Each time i sought hard to look out for the planes, i saw nothing, turned to nimble my bread and continued reading John Eldredge's Waking the Dead.

Each time i happened to look up, twitching my head to rest my eyes from the reading, i saw, at the corner of my eye, a plane take off or land.

And this cycle of 'hide-and-seek' occurred at least three times during my time there.

i realised God was telling me something:

Why try so hard to find something yourself? Ask (Me) and you shall receive; seek and you will find (Matthew 7:8). I GIVE it to you, usually when or where you don't expect it.

With a lighter heart, i left the gallery and hopped unto the city bus, feeling like a backpacker freshly touched down. Well i packed my feelings. =)

"God, please take away my pain.."

How many of you recall yourself saying that before?

How many of us are sooooo afraid of pain?


I suspect the answer is... all of us.



Well let me tell you about this one-in-a-billion boy who feels no pain. Yes, no pain at all.
These are some excerpts from an article about him:

"...he pulled out one of his teeth without even blinking."

"If he falls or bangs his head he never makes a peep. Nothing seems to hurt him. Ben's so immune that he bit right through his tongue and didn't feel a thing."

"It might sound appealing having no sense of pain, but the condition means we have to be on our guard every minute of every day. I'm always terrified he's going to put his hand in the fire or burn himself on a radiator." (Ben's mother expressing her deep concern for his condition)


There is another girl in the world, Kayla Woodhouse, who ALWAYS has to be in air-conditioned places. Sounds luxurious? But hear this, if the room temperature goes higher than 17 degrees Celsius, she DIES, without her feeling the temperature rise.

Kayla, when still a toddler, chewed on and swallowed a light bulb.

She accidentally cut the skin on her stomach with a pair of scissors, and did not feel a thing.

(You can read more details of her life here.)





I am going to say the painful thing - yes, pain is a G I F T.


Would you take a moment now, to ponder upon how the painful moments in your life, had made you grow and learn?

Do you know that we can continue strumming the guitar forever and wear our fingers out, down to the bone, if we do not feel pain on our fingers?

Without pain in our lives, our circumstances could have been worse. Sometimes pain is really meant to warn us from danger zones, to protect us.



Would you give thanks for this gift today?

A good and purrrfect gift

I teared each time i heard 6-yr old Connie below.

Little Connie shook the world with her 1-min audition at the contest 'Britain's got talent'. Her voice was angelic. 'Pitch Puurrrfect' was what Simon Cowell described her.

Today I happened to hear more on Connie on the morning radio in the car. The deejay told us,

"Connie used to sing for her maternal grandmother when she was seriously ill two years back. And as she sang, the beauty of her voice and the love that shone thru it brought tremendous encouragement to her grandma..." (paraphrased)

Such a simple act of love.

I could imagine Connie's voice bringing tears to even God and angels. You know why? When we use our God-given gifts to serve and encourage others, not only do we administer God's grace to them (1 Peter 4:10b), we touch the heart of God back and bring His heart to the people.

I know Connie is going to grow up singing to many many, ministering and encouraging to even more with her gift.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.." (James 1:17a)

Yes, Connie's voice is a gift from God... but i think Connie herself is the greater gift. =)

How are you using your God-given gift today?

Share with you my God-given gifts in a while. =)

What Flavor Pocky am i?

Alrightos, i seldom play these quizzes. Really.

But i was getting bored with my Autocad work. And also cos' i looooovveee POCKY, and it turned out that the quiz described me as my favourite Pocky flavour! CHOKK-KER-LATTT or STT-TRRRAAAWWWW-BEAR-RRIIEEEEEEE???

You Are Strawberry Pocky

Your attitude: fresh and sweet Comforting, yet quirky ... quietly hyper You always see both sides to everything

What Flavor Pocky Are You?

Surprisingly it is rather true!

I feel like her now

(Source: 2001 OBSERVER-DISPATCH)

Old Shapshots

Looking at these shots tickles the wanderlust in me.


(Photos taken using my Canon Powershot A710IS in Japan, October 2006)


I cannot wait to bring my Shutterbaby to Israel at the end of this year.


By the way i just discovered a gem! My 15-year old cousin WeiShuen creates beautiful images. Check out his gallery. There is just so much potential in him.



The potential in an unpolished diamond is that, with time and persevering efforts, it shines like the stars in the sky.

Wei Shuen, i believe in you! =)

Congrats Jia Huey & Alex!

Jia Huey and Alex are finally married!

Soooooooo happy for them.

Jia Huey has been a splendid sister to me, always ready with a kind word or encouragement, always believing in me.

I couldn't be there at their wedding, so i kope-d this photo from Matthew's blog. heehee.

Appreciating men - for their chivalry

Alrights, i am not starting a Men Appreciation Class here.

A recent statement from a treasured man in my life sparked this reflection on how i have appreciated the maleness of men.

i thank God that i have been blessed with a couple of good fatherly and brotherly figures through my life. They allow me to have a better, wider and deeper than usual understanding of the males, though i would not say i comprehend them fully well unless i am a male myself (Oh well Mars and Venus will always be different. Ha).

My uncle aka boss told me this last week, 'If i am selfish i really want you to work here forever, so that i can protect you'.

(My response was huh. I was touched, but... no, i needed to soar, elsewhere.)

On Monday night my dad who has been working overseas for the past 13 years, expressed that his heart to support the family is truly the force behind his hard diligence.

It reminded me of what Ps Jeffrey said at our 'Managing Finances' session, that he wants to make sure that when he leaves earth, his wife and future kids have enough for themselves.

Do you see a certain nature in the men?

Yes God made men to be chivalrous - to want to protect the weaker (?). (Come on ladies, let's admit it, there are many things we cannot do as well as guys, and... vice versa)

On my first date with my first boyfriend, he said this, "Hey when we walk on the bridge, i will stand on the side nearer to the traffic because i want to protect you". (i remembered this cos' it sounded so cute, ha)

A chuckle stirred within me. But i was well pleased. Ha.

How should we modern ladies respond when the men showcase their sincere chivalry?

1. Do not laugh out loud (especially if you do not think you need protection).

2. Show appreciation (even if you really do not need the protection).

3. Smile and, if with fathers, close uncles or boyfriends, even 'deh', in 'pretense' that you really need that protection. That will boost their maleness more and make them feel appreciated.

4. Know that you as a lady deserves such treatment! =)

Why is male chivalry not appreciated sometimes?

- In God's sense, this valiant nature incorporates respect. When the ladies do not feel respected, they see it more like ego than chivalry.

- So yes, my second point is, chivalry vs ego. Ultimately both are about having a sense of one's own dignity. But chivalry is outward-looking; it seeks the good of the other, while ego feeds inwardly to boost self-importance. So did you open the door for the lady because of her or to show everyone how gentlemanly you are?

- Ironically as the world fights harder for equal rights between the genders, it makes the stark disrespect and dehumanisation of women in the world, especially in the third world countries, stand out more. I was chilled and heartbroken to read about the gang-rape horror account by these women in Darfur, Sudan. Male chivalry is distorted when men focus on seeing themselves as the stronger counterparts.

Conclusion:

Men, rise up to your true calling to be the valiant knights

...in the fidelity, piety, and service to God, obeying God's call to 'do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves' (Philippians 2:3), and in graciousness to and respect for all women. (Adapted from the medieval definitions of chivalry. Source)

Women, recognise and appreciate the God-given maleness of men and their need to be chivalrous (egoistic, then ignore).

By doing this, we help them become true gentlemen. =)

After saying this, i would like to apologise to any of you guys out there if i had put you down or disregarded your maleness in any little way that shortchanged your full potential. i had been brought up in the past 13 years seeing my mum taking on certain tasks of the man, in the frequent absence of my dad at home. That is why i have the tendency to appear stronger than i actually am.

I have a learning interest now to celebrate the maleness in men and the femaleness in us women. =)

Taupok-ed at EJ288 Re-Encounter

For two out of the three nights we spent in Desaru, i had this expression...

Why?

Well it happened whenever my dear sister Aunna FOOOOOON (i ate up the 'g') pounced on me on the bed and laid me flat down!

But oh well i still love her very much. Ha.

She has been a true encourager to me, someone who has been running alongside me in the race of life for the past 3 years.

We can laugh at each other, jerk each other's head and fool around, with nobody else understanding what we are doing.

Aunna Fooooooon is my dear crazy sister and playmate... as well as a beautiful woman of God and strength, with growing radiance. =)

On the last day in Desaru, I realised she likes to pounce on me even on the sofa.