Footprints of the Soul

Beyond The Music & Groove...

2012-01-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

P&W nowadays is often focused on being contemporary and having the right feel and groove.. that we may sometimes forget who is at the crux of it all.. JESUS.. Son of the living God.. Prince of Peace.. Wonderful Counsellor.. Everlasting Father! Let 2012 be the year where we truly worship the Lord with songs that touch the very 'core' of our being.. while continually remembering His grace.. goodness.. faithfulness.. and providence in our lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow.. How great is our God!!!

Final Lessons Learnt For 2011...

2012-01-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

Non compete.. non soliciting.. non disclosure.. such terms were foreign and seemingly non important to me until the end of last year. One of my staff left the company and started her own.. taking with her more than half the clients! It felt like a slap in the face from someone I had trained up from scratch for the past 2.5 years. Maybe it's the altruistic nature of the helping profession that made me forget that for the most of the world out there.. it's often purely business.. just dollars and cents. Needless to say.. my stress level tripled and escalated the neck and muscle aches which were already there!

It was a crash course on the application of Matthew 5: 39-41.. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.. Woah! That was really, really tough! I was instinctively indignant and severely tempted to fight back.. but was thankfully reminded of the story of how Abraham allowed his nephew Lot to choose what he wanted.. and obviously Lot chose the well-watered land. But God blessed Abraham greatly for his obedience (Genesis 13:1-18).

Therefore, it is prudent to bear in mind Proverbs 3:5-6.. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit Him and He will make your paths straight..

Melbourne (Day 9)

2011-12-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

On the last day, we did some last minute packing.. a final trigger point therapy for Alison.. hugs and kisses for everyone especially Caden.. and left the house very late! The drive was smooth until we almost reached the airport cos the departure lane was jammed up with cars.. mini buses and cabs. We checked in about 75 mins before the flight.. and it was the closest we had ever cut (although some of my friends would say that's plenty of time). Jimmy had to pay an extra $30 for returning the rental car with slightly less than full tank petrol.. what a rip off!

Due to air turbulence.. Jared turned pale and threw up 3 times.. twice in the plane itself and once on the jet bridge.. and then had the cheek to ask what was the colour of his puke. But I did manage to squeeze in a couple of movie.. The Green Lantern (comparatively better than the other superhero movies).. Wu Xia (I really enjoyed this Kung Fu flick despite the violence).. and half of Mulan (the Chinese movie). Discovered that Changi Airport no longer offered equal discounts when you buy duty free on arrival in Singapore.. so for our next trip.. we may have to lug the items (for own use) out and bring them back again?

Melbourne (Day 8)

2011-12-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

It was nearly noon when we took Caden out for a walk to Centre Road in his stroller. He protested vehemently when Alison slapped on the sun block lotion 'no.. mom.. eh.. eh.. no.. mom!' and shook his head vigorously from side to side. We dropped into a local bakery along the main road to have lunch.. but the food wasn't great.. and Caden only ate the icing sugar on top of the raisin cinnamon roll. I kept him occupied by playing a game using my finger to run along the carved grooves on the back of the chair.. and he likes being trapped.. 'Caden stuck!' After that, we bought the typical coffee and chocolate Big M.. Minties.. Cherry Ripe.. and Bounty chocolates from Coles supermarket before walking home in the heat. Caden was so tired that he promptly fell asleep lying on top of Justin!

Then Jimmy and I drove to the Docklands to have a look at the lovely apartments overlooking the bay. They cost a fortune.. although not quite as much as similar ones in Singapore.

Later that evening, we went for dinner at Tho Tho Vietnamese Restaurant in Richmond. Times have changes and I can't believe how many cars there were on the roads. We ordered deep fried prawn and pork spring rolls wrapped with lettuce and mint leaves.. broken rice with everything.. honey prawns.. diced beef with garlic.. and sautéed chicken with chilli and lemon grass.. topped it off with dessert.. banana fritters and fried ice cream.. BURP! We slept really late that night.. nearly 2am!

Melbourne (Day 7)

2011-12-07T23:20:00.001-08:00

Mum and Nicole left from the airport early in the morning.. we said our goodbyes at the front porch.. and I spent the first half of the day uploading photos on to Facebook. Then, Jimmy drove Alison's new 7-seater Volvo to Springvale Market.. where we had beef and chicken pho with cut chilli.. taugeh.. and mint leaves.. they even have freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with lemon these days!

After lunch, Alison brought Caden for a hair cut. I ordered strong Vietnamese coffee while waiting for them.. and their version of chendol-bo-bo cha-cha combo with red ruby.. red beans.. yam cubes.. and coconut milk. It was interesting watching them make the Vietnamese 'subway' with ingredients such as roast pork.. shredded carrots.. cucumbers.. cut chilli.. spring onions.. mint.. with a dash of fish sauce! We also bought some Vietnamese spring rolls.. Malaysian kueh-mueh.. and egg tarts to savour at home. Caden turned up later looking like a typical Vietnamese boy.. as though a bowl was placed on his head and the hair was cut around it!

In the evening, Andrew and his family came over for dinner.. and guess what? We had pizza AGAIN! We tried the non-alcoholic beer.. YUCKS.. tasted equally bad as real beer! (Although some may beg to differ). It was a loud and rowdy evening with 7 active kids running and screaming around the house.. with the sound magnified on wooden floor panels!

Sovereign Hill - Ballarat (Day 6)

2011-12-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

It was a warm day.. supposedly 30°C.. but it sure felt hotter than that! We used the GPS for the first time to drive up to Sovereign hill in Ballarat. We didn't always instinctively trust 'the voice' (although I really should in my case) and veered off the recommended route on several occasions.. 'recalculating'.. but we made it to lunch at a local fish and chips shop.

Sovereign Hill is located on the site of one of Ballarat's major gold diggings. The discovery on August 21, 1851 by James Dunlop and James Reagan that sparked the Ballarat Gold Rush was the 'Welcome Nugget' which weighed 69 kg (2,200 ounces) and contained 99% pure gold. It was valued at about 10,500 pounds when found and now worth over US$3 million! The current area depicts buildings.. houses.. tents.. and tools used in the early years of the gold rush. The boys tried their hand at panning for gold at the winding creek.. but unfortunately found absolutely nothing!

There was even a Chinese camp at the settlement.. and yes.. where there's gold.. there's bound to be Chinese people! They obviously brought along their essential 'ka-chang'.. chopsticks.. rice bowls.. abacus.. straw hats and baskets.

Browns Confectionery (a family owned business) had a live demonstration of how hard-boiled candy were made by hand in the 19th century. The recipe.. boil water, sugar, glucose in the cauldron.. pour the liquid on a greased table to cool.. add colouring and citric acid to make it sour.. cut into small pieces.. squeeze them through the selected mould which forms the shape of the candy (they switched to brass moulds when lead was discovered to be poisonous).. break the harden candy into individual pieces.. and put them into a jar. We also witnessed the candle-making process.. the wicks were tied to a frame.. attached to the 'nodding donkey' and dipped between 40-60 times into paraffin (lard was used back then).. the frame was then placed on drying wheel.. the candles were repeatedly dipped until the desired thickness was achieved.. and the finished lard candles had to be hung high up on the ceiling to prevent rats from nibbling them. They even had bowling way back then.. the alley actually had a gutters on either side.. and there was even a system of returning the ball.. but unfortunately the pins gotta be set up by hand.

We also signed up and paid for the Mine Tour.. surprisingly all of us have never been on it before. The guide led us down via the 90-second tram ride in pitch-black darkness (Jared was excited.. 'Woo Hoo! Finally a ride!).. walked through the labyrinth of tunnels.. introduced to the widow maker (men died from silicon dust poisoning).. 'fire in the hole'.. white quartz rock that yielded gold.. the black carbon line that indicated larger quantity of gold.. the talking timbers that warned miners of imminent danger of cave-ins.. and at the end of it all.. we were driven back on a mini train with 'straddle' seats.. ha ha.. another ride for Jared!

After a brief visited to the Gold Museum.. we headed to the nearby Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Lake Wendouree that hosted the rowing and canoeing events for 1956 Olympic Games. The lake was surreal..calm waters disturbed only by the birds.. we saw a black swan with 3 cygnets swimming in tow.. they seemed to have one leg out of the water while paddling with the other.

Dinner was Mac Donald's burgers from the drive-thru.. Jared's obvious choice. The attendant mixed up the orders and we didn't get the meal deals that came with fries and drinks. Apparently, you had to order them separately as 'add-ons'. We played Pictionary in the evening.. Jared and I made a great team.. despite the melting ice cubes that looked like boxes or tables and some difficult words like 'massage' or 'vulture'. I realised I got sunburnt on both shoulders but it wasn't not too painful after applying lots of cream.

Melbourne (Day 5)

2011-12-06T01:16:00.000-08:00

I started the day with stretches and exercises.. yes.. yes.. it's the blue moon.. and maybe that's why David Beckham also happened to be in town for the LA Galaxy vs Melbourne Victory match. We drove to the city and stopped by 'Vic Mart' and pick up some souvenirs.. and finally could get some Vitamin D since it was a sunny day. OW! STATIC!.. I was zapped yet again.. really must remember not to touch the metal part of the car door!

Then we meet up with my BBGS old school mate for lunch.. Seto recommended Cafe Corretto.. apparently the boss of the shop was the president of the Ferrari club here. Made a new friend too.. Sarah.. who just graduated from Medical School.. but she also did an honours thesis on fruit flies prior to that! We had an interesting conversation on making fly food (something that resembled sticky porridge).. scraping lavae with brushes.. and cute fly genome names like 'Chiko'? To think that I actually wanted to study Genetics at one point in time...

Then we toured Melbourne Uni and visited the libraries with the latest computers.. projectors and study rooms (it was very different 20 years ago).. The Old Arts Building.. walked through the arch ways.. on the lawn.. and headed up to Seven Seeds which was located at a converted warehouse.. but it was crowded. So we ended up at the Image Superstore Cafe where they offered studio photography at the same premise! The interior decore was rather unique.. camera lense hanging lights.. thermos.. and miniature camera USB ports. Needless to say we had more coffee.. muffins.. and added some macaroons...

We had take-away Nando's spicy peri-peri chicken for dinner.. followed by our very own karaoke session! Being Asians, I guessed we were initially a little shy and awkward but soon warmed up to the whole idea of having fun as a family. One funny moment was when the title 'Get This Party Started' flashed across the TV screen.. we were like.. 'Nah.. Dunno this song?' However, when the familiar tune started.. we chorused altogether at the top of our voices to the lyrics.. 'I'm coming up..' Apparently, we ALL knew the song.. a classic example of how information can be accessed and retrieved from the long-term memory bank in our brain. We did a spontaneous quintet for 'Lean on me' with attempted harmonisation.. and danced to some of our favourites.. 'Billy Jean'.. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody'.. 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go'.. plus Justin's B-Boy pose on his elbow.. Moonwalk demo.. and Samuel's breakdance.. caterpillar body wave and helicopter leg-sweep (rather like Jackie Chan's Kung Fu stance in Drunken Fist!).. HILLARIOUS!!!

Last but not least.. we celebrated Caden's 3rd birthday that night with ice-cream cake and fan-fare.. the excited little guy could hardly wait to blow out the candles!

Melbourne (Day 4)

2011-12-05T01:54:00.000-08:00

I love lazy mornings! Despite the slow start to the day.. we ended up in Chadstone for lunch and shopping. The menu included.. burger with the lot (beef patty, whole fried egg, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and chips).. sushi rolls.. and nachos with meat sauce and melted cheese! YUMMY! Caden only ate a few sticks of fries which totally reminded me of Justin's horrendous feeding habits as a toddler...

Next, we wandered around Toys R Us and Target and found board shorts for Justin.. 20 pairs of socks for the boys.. and 3 pairs of jeans and a couple of blouses for me. AH.. finally found sizes that fit.. and not to mention cheap too.. only AUD $10 for a pair of jeans! We had tea break at Gloria Jean's Coffees.. YES! MORE FOOD!.. iced butterscotch expresso.. iced blended hot chocolate.. topped off with banana and apple cinnamon muffins. Alison took us to the warehouse chemist to buy cheap vitamins and supplements before heading home...

Caden opened his box of alphabet blocks and started arranging them in sequence.. however.. he placed 'V' after 'L' and refused to change it to 'M'! Then, he turned the 'M' around and insisted it was a 'W' and told Ah Yee to 'Go away!'. The little dude was only convinced after I started singing the ABC song! We had home-made laksa for dinner.. courtery of my brother-in-law and Tean's Gourmet satchet.. just add coconut milk and VOILA!.. and on to more Kinect..

Melbourne (Day 3)

2011-12-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday.. we visited the Ormond Anglican Church and it was an interesting worship service to have Reuben Morgan's 'Faith' and 'Days Of Elijah' played by 5 violins (one of whom was Julianna, my niece), a piano and a guitar.. 'All The Heavens' sounded really beautiful.. and everyone participated in the Calypso Carol by taking up the castanets and maracas. A couple of folks went up spontaneously to testify God's goodness in their lives.. which reminded me of the old 'Hope' days. They also included a children learning segment (read the Bible in a tribal tongue) and Q&A session with the congregation (Pharaoh and King Herod both killed all the male babies and the innocent in order to hold on to their throne).

On the way to Yum Cha with Uncle Peter and Aunty Ivy, we went into the local bookstore to escape from the cold wind.. and I found THE Little Red Book for Jared.. The Official Manchester United Book Of Facts And Figures! He promptly sat down to diligently memorise the pages.. so that became his Christmas present.. oh well.. it's one less present to think of buying. Then, it's back home to a game of football in the backyard.. Halo 3.. and Kinect.. AGAIN!

Later in the evening, we settled down to dinner Uncle Peter's famous home-made noodles.. chilli and fried chicken wings.. the fantastic taste (which is better than KFC in my opinion) was gained with only salt (and a pinch of pepper) marinade and slowly deep fried in a red hot wok.. TWICE!!! BURP!

Melbourne (Day 2)

2011-12-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

My sister, Nicole and I ventured out by train cos we couldn't fit all 7 people into the rental car. We encountered a group of rowdy (and a bit tipsy) teenagers in the carriage we boarded. They were probably on the way to the beach.. judging from the way they were dressed? Well.. 16°C is definitely not my idea of fun in the sun.. and I certainly wouldn't risk freezing my butt off.. no matter how big!

We got off at the Melbourne Central underground train station.. the shops and layout have changed quite a lot.. except for the iconic glass cone and old brick tower right in the middle. We took the tram up Elizabeth St. to the La Porchetta near Queen Victoria Market.. where we met Siew Peng, Darren and their two daughters, Jennifer and Kimberley for lunch.. round one of the usual pizza, pasta and lasagna galore! Then, we adjourned to Brunetti's for their famous coffee and cakes.. and obviously piled on more calories!

Hopefully, we burnt off some by meandering down the city and attempted to photograph a few of Melbourne's landmarks.. Flinders Street Station.. Victorian Arts Centre.. St. Paul's Cathedral.. The Yarra River.. The Australian Centre For The Moving Image..

And also stopped to smell the geraniums at the Ormond Uniting Church garden...

Later that evening, we went out to a nearby Chinese restaurant called Ripples Bentleigh for dinner.. great tasting chicken herbal soup.. sizzling Mongolian beef.. sweet and sour pork, seafood toufu and luscious green dou miao which even the boys ate! Justin had a few sips of red wine and turned the same colour shortly after...

Then it's back home to play games on Kinect and also Whoonu.. a game that tests how well you know another person.. and Siew Peng gave the boys yoyos and 'personalised' Coke bottles.. although I distinctly recalled us laying down the 'No presents' rule the last time we met???

Melbourne Revisited 2011 (Day 1)

2011-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Besides being more than an hour late for take off, it was an overall uneventful flight. Of the 3 movies I watched on the plane.. The Most Violent Sci-Fi-Western Award goes to.. Cowboys & Aliens (probably the only one).. The Best Scene Award goes to.. Captain America (where the still scrawny Steve Rogers jumped on top of the grenade and used his own body to prevent the explosion from hurting his team mates).. and The Smurfiest Award obviously goes to.. The Smurfs!

We arrived just before midnight at my sister's place.. Caden aka 'Ah Toot' was still awake and greeted up happily at the door! I brought a small trunk load of toys for him.. remote control cars.. a BP truck.. small and medium sized Buzz Lightyear.. and Bob The Builder (the same one Alison gave Jared 8 years ago). It was dejavu too.. Caden refused to give me me a kiss until we told him that he wouldn't get the toys otherwise.. just like Jared wouldn't kiss Alison back then!

We turned in around 1:00am.. which was only 10:00pm in Singapore.. really early for me. It was an interesting experience having 3 people sleep on an air mattress.. initially, we arranged ourselves with Justin on the right.. Jared in the middle and me on the left.. close to the edge. Then Justin piped.. 'Eh.. I feel like I'm very high up leh'.. and so we had to reshuffle and I ended in the middle.. which redistributed the air and 'fluffed' up both sides fairly evenly. However, when I woke up in the morning.. Jared was on the floor.. hmmm.. maybe he tossed out by a 'tidal' wave during the night?! Ha ha!

Sarang-Eh No Enough...

2011-09-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

10 years after being indoctrinated into K-dramas.. I'm left wondering why they are so addictive when they depict typical story lines and characters? Maybe it's the post-plastic surgery great look of the actors and actress (although height is ONE factor that can't be so easily changed).. or the delicious food often shown.. like BBQ beef, ramen and of cos kimchi.. or maybe I'm just an Ahjumma who needs an escape from reality every now and then? WOW! What a target audience! Here's a quick run-down for the uninitiated folks:

1. The Love Quadrangle.. Boy A and Boy B fall in love with Girl C.. but Girl D is Boy A's first love.. Girl C loves Boy A but her Abujin (father) doesn't approve of him and wants her to marry Boy B instead

2. The Cinderella Effect.. poor Girl meets snobbish rich Guy who eventually falls for her charms and transforms her from an ugly duckling into a swan.. I must admit this gets me without fail every time.. *SIGH*

3. The Piggy Back.. Girl gets drunk on soju and becomes blur after eating spicy sotong in the middle of the night and calls Oppa (brother or boyfriend) to give her a piggy-back ride home

4. The Thinker.. Guy gets to show off his 6-pack (never ONE) in the shower scene when he has a lot on his mind.. Girl who disguises herself as a guy has to take extra precautions when or where she takes a bath

5. The Sad Endings.. Guy gets brain tumour, becomes blind and then dies.. Girl has leukemia and finds out she is actually the biological sister of the Guy she loves

6. The Mystical.. a recent addition to the fun.. Boy A and Girl B exchange bodies.. Girl C's soul possesses Girl D to bring closure to her life on earth.. the Girl is not human but a gumiho (fox), goblin or one of the Asian X-men

7. The Big Shocker.. this is when the Omuni (mother) clasps the back of her neck, exclaims 'OMO OMO OMO!' and faints after hearing that her Yo-bu (honey) has an illegitimate son contesting for the rights of the company

8. The Stupid Ending.. Guy kills himself by crashing the car so he can donate his organs to his beloved.. The doctor sacrifices himself as the final victim to catch the murderer on video

So.. until the next drama.. ANYUNG!!!

A Series Of Unfortunate Events...

2011-05-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago.. on a fateful Sunday evening.. I watched the water the toilet bowl swirl and rise instead of receding when I flushed it. So, armed with a plunger, a straightened coat hanger wire, a pail and some old rags.. I decided to put on my plumber hat and tackle the problem myself.. after all, I HAVE done that on several occasions.. the memorable ones whilst we were on holiday in Korea AND Italy...

Needless to say, the mission failed miserably and all my efforts were in vain.. unfortunately, it didn't go 'down the drain' when it should have?? After what seemed like forever.. loud gurgling sounds came coming from the drain holes under the sink, in the bathtub and shower cubicle! Then I watched in shock horror when brown murky liquid bubbled up along with bits of suspicious-looking toilet paper pulp?! YIKES! HELP!!! Instead of unclogging the pipes.. I somehow ended up dislodging undesirable debris and flooding the entire bathroom floor in inch-deep sewer water.. OH CRAP!!! Next, I heard a familiar 'drip-drop-drip-drop' from the bedroom.. the air-con had started to leak since it couldn't drain properly. Could anything else go wrong?? *SIGH*

What's the moral of the story? The Parable of the Sower came to my mind.. the part where it said 'the weeds grew and choke the seedlings'. Lesson #1: Remember to get rid of the gunk in the 'pipes' of your life and clean them every so often or the lack of outlet will choke the joy of you later.. and Lesson #2: Save the effort and leave the plumbing to the experts.. just pay $140 for it!

Simple Maths...

2011-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

.. or not.. especially when there's lending and borrowing of money involved? Justin recounted his experience in Primary 2 during dinner last night..

Boy: Hey, you have money? Can lend me?
Juz: I have one dollar
Boy: (Took the dollar and bought a Ribena drink for 60 cents).. Nah! Give you 40 cents!

The next day...

Boy: Here's 20 cents Justin. I pay you back already ah?
Juz: Er.. no, you still owe me 40 cents
Boy: But I gave you back 40 cents yesterday already what?!
Juz: That was the change from the one dollar I lent you
Boy: Yah! So I gave you back mah..
Juz: But that's MY money.. it's not YOUR money!
Boy: Aiya.. dunno lah

Several days later...

Boy: Justin! Ok I give you another 20 cents. I pay you everything already ah?
Juz: Still got another 20 cents lah..
Boy: Where got?!
Juz: Got..
Boy: Don't care lah! I pay you already..

I'm sorry to say that Justin never got his money back to date.. (6 years and counting).. maybe the boy acted 'blur' only.. because he eventually passed PSLE Maths?!! Life lessons learned the hard way...

Through Thick & Thin...

2011-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

.. er.. more 'thick' than 'thin' in the literal sense in our case.. which has given me a better perspective of what 'giving a wide berth' means.. we DO need to give each a much wider 'space' now.. ha ha! 16 years of marriage is a LONG time in today's context of instant gratification.. compromised success.. and mostly selfish ambition? We were reminded of 'The Five Love Languages' at a recent Marriage Enrichment Seminar:

Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch

On hindsight, I will add one more language.. if I may?

Space

..unless this has already categorised under 'Quality Time'.. couples need to give each other some breathing room.. to explore different areas of spiritual gifting and mature in character. But give the flowers first, ya? (It was tulips this year.. purple being my favourite colour!). I hope and pray that we will be resilient and continue to go against the tide of the 'me first' mentality and live out a new trend.. that it's indeed better to GIVE than to receive! By the way.. American Express should have acknowledged Jesus' words in their past advertisement campaign.. instead of attributing it to 'Anonymous'? Here's a toast to a long and happy life together.. YA-UUMMM SS-EEENNGG!!!

CNY 2011 - The Year Of The iPhone

2011-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry Mr. Rabbit.. you've been ousted by the iPhone this year! We had our usual large CNY family gatherings and the main feature was not the food.. but the latest food apps downloaded on the mentioned 'cool' device.. like Fruit Ninja.. Mama Cooking.. Bakery Story.. Restaurant Story.. Tiny Chef.. Sky Burger.. Vegetable Samurai.. Plant Vs Zombie.. etc. Even the tradition of photo-taking was enhanced and made more fun by the special effects afforded by Picture Magic or Photoshop. The kids no longer played with the fire-crackers and sparklers like we used to.. or pretend to do lion dance.. make paper lanterns.. but prefer Wii games like tennis.. boxing.. baseball?! But in terms of social development and family bonding.. I believe the good ole games of play-catch, hide & seek and basketball.. easily trump these high-tech gizmos.. because we have ACTUAL body contact with other people and REAL tactile experiences! The times have really changed indeed.. and creativity has flown out the window...

Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus...

2011-01-23T08:18:00.000-08:00

I'm so blessed to have the support of a wonderful worship team! May we continue to strive for excellence in our ministry and use the many gifts and talents He has given us for His glory. I love how this old hymn is sung in a new style.. and I hope these 2 songs will inspire people to love God more each and every day...

Heart Ponderings...

2011-01-13T09:24:00.001-08:00

After becoming a mother, I often looked at my boys and wonder.. 'Am I a good mother? Have I spent enough time nurturing them? Was I too harsh with discipline? Do I love them selflessly? Are they reaching their potential?'. I bore my children because I had already made the decision to love them.. and this enlightenment gave me better insight into our relationship with God.. our heavenly Father..

God longs for us to come to Him.. but every so often, we exhibit autistic-like behaviour towards Him.. we don't look at Him (no eye-contact).. we ignore His voice and avoid talking to Him (poor communication).. we prefer or even insist on doing our own thing (self-directed).. we complain when He doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him too (temper tantrums).. and run away when He calls us.. May Psalm 42 then be our continual prayer..

As the deer pants for the water
So my soul longs after you
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship you

Reflections & Resolutions.. 2011

2011-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

It dawned on me that I probably attended more funerals than weddings last year.. which ended with two in the final week of December. No wonder they call it midlife crisis! After the age of the 'Hawaii 4.0'.. 4.1 is not necessarily an upgrade and very possible a downgrade instead. We try to avoid the big Cs instead of pursuing them.. namely Cancer.. Coronary blockage.. Cardiac arrest.. Colon disease.. and not forgetting.. Alzheimer's.. Botox.. Diabetes.. The highlight of 2010 was certainly that fateful sms from Alison saying that she has returned to the faith after a 20-year hiatus.. and just recently even rebuked me for being.. er.. 'addicted' to facebook.. ha ha! Talk about role-reversal here!

So maybe I should have another go at resolution-making and hopefully, bear them in mind the the rest of the year:

Exercise regularly.. lose weight.. at least 10kg.. (the same goals from 2007!)
Spend meaningful time with the important people in my life
Meet up with old friends and make new ones
Seize every opportunity that arises
Depend more on God in my field of work.. bring joy and healing through these hands
Learn a language (Chinese or Korean?).. help Justin improve on his English.. and teach the boys basic Bahasa Malaysia (besides bosan.. penat.. and potong kuku)
And of course (borrowing Ms. Congeniality's words).. World Peace!

Italy Day 9: Ciao!

2010-11-29T06:52:00.002-08:00

The La Brasserie de Milan at Marriot Hotel provided American breakfast the next morning.. a good spread of bacon.. sausages.. scrambled eggs.. baked beans.. smoked salmon.. salad with dressing (tomato-capsicum-cucumber-olive).. pancakes and waffles with maple syrup.. different kinds of yoghurt and juices (cranberry-grapefruit-mango-apple-orange).. a variety of cakes.. bread.. cheese.. cereal.. milk.. and endless cups of cappucino.. expresso.. and hot chocolate. We discovered rather late that Jared could actually travel for FREE on the Metro! Oh well..

It was a wonderful day with clear blue skies.. too bad we were leaving already.. *SIGH* We opted to take the Malpensa train to the airport instead of the taxi and paid €38.50 and NOT €90!!! We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare but unfortunately, our flight was delayed by 2 hours because of the air traffic controller strike in Barcelona. So, we checked in our rather heavy bags which were loaded with local pasta (only €0.32 for 500g).. dried figs..cookies.. and chocolates. SQ gave us food vouchers for lunch and we amused ourselves by snapping pictures and taking videos of the grounded aeroplanes against the beautiful backdrop of the snowy Alps.. when in Rome.. do what the Romans do.. (except we were in Milan).. ha ha!

After a sleepless night on the plane.. and movies like Step-Up 3D.. Despicable Me.. Sorcerer's Apprentice.. and Inception (which was really confusing and left more questions than answers i.e. if you 'die' in the 1st dream layer - you wake up.. if you 'die in the 2nd layer - you land up in the eternity of the 3rd layer.. but if you die in the 3rd layer - then WHERE do you land up? Cobb died with Mal and supposedly came back to reality. So what happened to him and Saito at the end?).. we finally landed safely in Singapore.. aahhhh.. HOME SWEET HOME! But were soon engulfed in post travel troubles.. Justin, with a red and swollen left eye.. and me, with a red and swollen left leg.. from the knee.. all the way down to the toes.. which left me wondering if it's DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)??? So, it was 'Hello Mr. Antihistamine' for the next couple of days..

Italy Day 8: Milan-The Last Supper

2010-11-29T06:52:00.001-08:00

As we took to the streets, we noticed there were quite a few guys (mostly Africans?) trying to put 'good-luck' friendship bands (made of coloured threads) on tourists or passersby or corn kernels in your hand to feed the pigeons.. it's not for free though! We had earlier booked a city tour and got on the that bus drove us out from Piazza Cairoli.. past various landmarks.. like the ancient walls from the 12th century (Milan was a fortress).. the Church of St. Lawrence.. and AC Milan's head office.

First stop, Teatro alla Scala (Scala Theatre).. built in the 19th century and staged great maestros.. composers.. musicians.. dancers.. and prima donnas.. like Giuseppe Verdi.. Giacomo Puccini.. Isabella Rossini.. Carvso.. Maria Callas.. Rosina Storchio (who was the first Madame Butterfly).. and Rudolf Nureyev.

Next we dropped by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II that boasts of a 6-star hotel.. complete with your personal driver AND butler.. high-end boutiques.. the famous bull in the central mosaic (you're supposed to step and rub on the 'genitals' which explains the hole in the ground).. and even the McDonald's signage was emblazoned in gold! We emerged into Piazza Duomo (with a statue of the king of Italy stands in the middle) and proceeded to the Duomo Church (nicknamed the 'unfinished' church because the project started in 1386 and last additions were made in the 1950s). So, if you're a procrastinator or have many unfinished business.. the locals will jokingly call you a 'DUOMO'!!!

Then the bus took us to the Castello Sforzesco, one of the most important castle built during the Renaissance period in the 15th century (except for the new fountain at the entrance).. the forbidding walls and towers weren't particularly inviting.. and the stairways were built such that the king could ride his horse to the upper floors!

The tour ended with the viewing of the 'The Last Supper' at the Santa Maria della Grazie Church.. that was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci on the back wall of the dining hall where the monks had their meals. They limit the number of daily visitors and only 25 people were allowed into the hall at a time and stay for 15 mins. We had to go through several doors into different chambers that were specially designed to keep the humidity (which could accelerate deterioration) level under control.. as many of the colours and outlines were already faded and blurred.

The Last Supper focused on the portrayal of the disciples' reaction when Jesus revealed that one of them would betray him. All twelve showed different emotional responses with various degrees of shock and anger. Da Vinci also created 'perspective' when he drew the walls.. windows and ceiling of the room. From left to right:

Bartholomew, James son of Alphaeus and Andrew form a group of three: They are all surprised
Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form the next group of three: Judas is in the shadows and looks rather withdrawn and taken aback. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus or perhaps a reference to his role as treasurer. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table. Peter looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.
Jesus at the centre
Thomas, James the Greater and Philip are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset, James looks stunned with his arms in the air, while Philip appears to be requesting some explanation
Matthew, Jude and Simon the Zealot are in the final group of three: The two of them are turned towards Simon, wondering if he has the answer to their questions

Then we ventured on our own to view Tiziano Vecellio's Donna allo Specchio (Woman To The Mirror) at the Palazzo Marino. I realised that many other great Italian artists like Jacopo Tintoretto.. Giovanni Bellini.. prefered painting buxom and amply endowed women? Were they considered beautiful or maybe they were the one who could AFFORD to pay for them? If only I were born in that era.. *SIGH*.. or maybe I will just put my hopes on Fernando Botero to revive that whole idea? Ha ha!

Jared really wanted a football jersey.. so we succumbed to his request and bought him a black and red Ronaldinho one (nope.. not from the fans merchandise store). On the way back to the hotel, we tried to appreciate the 1 million € 'Needle With Thread' sculpture outside the Cardona train station.. and on the way back to the hotel, we finally sighted a Ferrari (an older model) in Italy! Are we mistaken to think these are more common sight in Singapore??!

Italy Day 7: Milan-The Fashion Hub

2010-11-29T06:51:00.004-08:00

Jimmy lost his wedding band AGAIN.. for the umpteen time and of ALL days too?!! We had to turn the room up-side-down.. looked under the beds and cupboards.. finally, I FOUND it tucked away underneath one of the bags. Thank God!!! This is already our 2nd set.. We decided to walk to the market since the weather was better than yesterday. Some parts of the city were still wet and you can actually buy disposable shoe protectors here.. what an ingenious idea!

We had to lug our bags to the Santa Lucia Station to catch the express train to Milano.. about 20-30 minute walk.. depending on whether you get lost or distracted by the trinkets sold at the stalls. The train journey itself was about 2.5 hours.. pisturesque country side.. farm houses.. typical Italian cottages.. snow on the ground.. white-capped mountain ranges.. all flew past the window.. as we munched on our 'cheapest' lunch to date.. €4 MacDonald burgers.. some biscuits.. and 1 bottle of mineral water.

It was already dusk when we arrived in Milan.. so we just took the train and headed to Marriott Hotel without exploring much of the city. We had a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) dinner from the supermarket.. the usual ham.. cheese.. bread.. with additional roast chicken.. a box of gelato.. dried figs.. chocolate biscuits.. a carton of fruit juice.. chinotto.. and a bottle white wine (€1.50).. all for only €20! Then I fell asleep while the guys watched football.. zzzZZZ..

Italy Day 6: Venice-The Original Water World

2010-11-29T06:51:00.003-08:00

After a 3rd helping of bread.. ham.. salami.. cheese.. eggs.. and unending cups of expresso.. cappucino and hot chocolate.. we headed out to brave weather. It had been raining heavily last night.. and still raining in the morning.. so it was flooded everywhere! We had to walk on planks so that our feet won't get wet.. unless you're wearing wellingtons and able to splash through the water.. even umbrellas weren't much of a defense against the strong wind! It was an amazing feat trying to juggle a camera in one hand.. an umbrella in the other.. while wearing a heavy winter coat and a beret.. plus a knapsack on my shoulder.. ha ha!

We made our way slowly and somewhat precariously to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) where several museums were located.. and started with Palazzo Ducale (The Doges' Palace). The decorations and Renaissance paintings were quite different from those we saw in Rome.. everything seemed to be gilded.. the golden domes.. cornices.. picture frames.. sculptures.. the backgrounds were dark with bright colours to highlight the main characters of the story who were usually at the centre.. and the black and white paintings (at the sides also) also projected a 3-D illusion. We ventured across the Bridge of Sigh to the dungeons (so named because the prisoners would sigh heavily as they crossed the bridge of no return).. those poor souls.. *haiz*

Next, we visited the Museo Correr (Art and History Museum). Jared, with his dry humour, made some witty remarks when he saw that many ancient statues had missing appendages from certain parts of the body.. 'Oh you two are unlucky'.. 'Ladies shouldn't come here.. there are too many naked men around'! Justin amused himself too.. moon-walking on the 600 year old floor and trying to find 'Wally' in the painting with 1000 figures! Thankfully, the security guards didn't arrest him. Ha ha ha! The symbol of St. Mark was a majestic lion, often depicted with halo and wings. What amazed me most was the Venezia a volo d'uccello.. a cartography of Venice in 1500 by Jacopo De' Barbari.. he drew the entire map in reverse (mirror image) on graphite which was then used to make multiple prints!

Upon completing the tour, we were beginning to experience art and culture 'overdose'.. especially of the Madonna and Bambino (Baby Jesus).. and I certainly have never looked 'up' for such an extended period of time before in my life! This could be the cure for stiff neck due to looking 'down' at the computer? Ha ha!

Then one end of the square was San Marco Basilica (St. Mark's Church) and then we took the vaporetta across the canal to the Santa Maria della Salute Church.. walked to the tip of the island.. that ended with a tower.. whose roof stood the statue of Fortune on a golden ball. We decided to grab the MacDonald €1 hamburger deal and added some gamberi (fried prawns) plus a piccoli piaceri (tomato tortellini wrap). Dinner was back at Hotel Malibran's restaurant.. octopus with potato cakes.. spaghetti with clams.. ham and mushroom tortellini.. BURP!!!

Venice is even more beautiful and romantic at night.. although much colder. As we roamed the streets, we saw many shops selling elaborately decorated Venetian masks as souvenirs and also to be worn by patrons and guests of the famous Venice International Film Festival held at Lido di Venetia.. woven laces.. linen.. and fabrics made on Burano Island (which we didn't have time to visit unfortunately).

Italy Day 5: Venice-Gondolas & Murano Glass

2010-11-29T06:51:00.001-08:00

The alarm rang at 4:00am! Now where is that darn camera battery? Where did I put that pouch?? I finally found it still in the charger.. *phew*.. I didn't misplace them after all. Can't blame anyone for being rather less 'organised' than usual at that God-forsaken hour in the morning! After checking out, the hotel called for a cab.. it was more expensive this time.. €50 without seat-belts (including the driver) and travelling at 150km/hour to the airport! MAMA MIA!!!

We flew via EasyJet Airline.. which was the reason we packed everything into only HAND luggage.. 1 piece per person plus a coat OR long umbrella.. but I guess that's quite reasonable for €15? It was drizzling when we made our way up the airplane stairway.. and after about an hour.. Venice!!! The name even had a romantic ring to it! The wind was biting cold as we chugged down the Canal Grande on the vaporetta (ferry).. which works pretty much like our Ezlink.. you have to tap on the reader before boarding. The boys had the opportunity to train their 'sea-legs' while I kept busy snapping pictures of the worn and torn submerged buildings.. and famous Rialto Bridge as it came into sight.. even the Venice hospital is situated by the waters and ambulance is in a form of.. what else?.. a boat of cos! A fast one.. I presume?

Okay, now I have to something to gripe about.. WHY do MEN hate asking for directions? WHAT??? They actually BELIEVE they will eventually find the way and land up in the right place? Or do they KNOW they're lost but are too macho to ask for help? Jimmy's trust in the latest technological gadget (i.e. iPhone).. landed us walking in 'squares'.. trying to navigate through the maze-like alleys (e.g. Diagon Alley in Harry Potter) with our bags and in our sleep-deprived state! So I ASKED the local grocer.. although I didn't understand a word he said.. nonetheless his hand GESTURES spoke volumes! Miraculously, we arrived at the steps of Hotel Malibran (supposedly built in the 17th century).. slightly wet.. but none the worse for wear. This room was even more picturesque.. complete with Marie-Antoinette furnishing.. embroidered upholstery.. chandeliers and all! Lunch was pizza (yet again) and calzone.. Italian term for a gigantic curry puff?

Despite the grey skies, we decided to venture out to Murano Island to visit the Glass Museum and if possible.. see how glass is made from sand. We found a shop named Gino Mazzuccato that offered free demo and it was amazing seeing the man himself turn.. roll.. blow.. spin.. and then VOILA! A tall vase with spiral motif! He even skillfully blew a very thin glass bubble which burst with an unexpected loud 'POP' when it touched the cold stone floor.. just like a balloon! I'm pretty sure we screamed and jumped in synchrony.. ha ha!

But sadly, we were deflated to discover that they over-charged us for the pendants, rings, cuff-links and paper weights later that evening, when we saw cheaper ones in the stalls back at the main island. They seemed to have similar patterns and we couldn't tell the difference anyway. Oh well.. our mood was somewhat elevated by a scrumptious dinner of squid ink pasta.. spaghetti carbonara.. pizza marinara and margherita.. topped off with white wine!

Italy Day 4: St. Peter's Church

2010-11-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

It was a cool morning with blue skies despite the earlier forecast.. great! We rushed to St. Peter's Basilica to avoid the crowd and were rewarded with a short queue. WOW!! How did people in THOSE days make THIS?!! Such a magnificent building seems impossible without the current architecture and technology. We admired the incredibly beautiful paintings.. statues and carvings.. Michelangelo's Pieta (Mary holding the body of Jesus on her lap).. but after visiting the tombs of Popes.. Jared piped; 'Ok, this is freaking me out! Can we go now?

We dropped by the Old Bridge gelato shop (absolutely deee-licious!).. and finally bought myself a new pair of mid-shin brown boots.. YAY!!! Then we revisited Giggi's place for lunch and ordered meat balls with mushroom and peas.. sausage with lentils.. pasta and bean soup (served with bread).. the local dishes tasted okay but I think the lasagna and spaghetti were definitely better. We forgot to specify which type of mineral water we wanted and the waitress poured the 'bubbly' version into our glasses. I must say tho.. carbonated water ain't nice at all...

After a short rest back at the hotel, we made our way to Piazza Navona again for dinner.. it was beautiful in the city at night.. with all the street lamps and buildings lighted up.. waahhh! Jimmy and I had a romantic stroll along the Tiber river bank.. while the boys chattered behind us.. Justin apparently trying to teach Jared algebra! He's thinking of Maths? Why was he being extra diligent NOW.. when he should have been BEFORE the exams???

Italy Day 3: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon & Colosseum

2010-11-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a cold and wet day.. brrrr.. out with the umbrellas! I must say that it wasn't much fun trodding on water puddles and slippery cobblestones. There was a pretty skillful fiddler on the train.. I didn't realise he was a busker until he came around with his hat! We had arranged to meet Chee Keong at the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps).. who graciously acted as our tour guide for most of the day. We climbed up the long flight of steps leading to the Trinità dei Monti and momentarily soaked in the ambience inside the church.. lulled by the melodic sound of the organ and the solemnness.. until Justin quipped 'Not like our church hor? We jump until the floor shake!'

Next, we visited Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) and the boys threw a coin over the left shoulder to ensure a return to Rome. Jared had initially practised throwing under his left armpit back at the hotel and it was hilarious! Apparently, the water in the entire city of Rome is drinkable.. some public taps have an extra hole on top of the pipe.. local folks would stick their finger into the main opening to close it and make the water spurt out of the small hole like a fountain! Then, we were greeted by drifting music of the choir at the Pantheon.. ethereal voices soaring up to open sky in the dome roof.. especially the sopranos.. what culture!!!

Because of the rain, the artists could not display their work either at Piazza Navona and so, we stopped by the 'heavenly' 100-flavours gelato shop (Justin counted 132 altogether.. besides the usual macadamia.. creme.. coffee.. caramel.. hazelnut.. pistachio.. black cherry.. they even had Mars Bar.. Kit Kat and rice crispy!).. and lunched at a 3rd generation family-owned restaurant called 'Lo Zozzone Pizza Bianca Farcita'.. where they served pizza 'sandwiches'.. with smoked ham.. cheese.. dried tomatoes.. turkey.. egg.. and rocket (type of salad green). The boys tried Chinotto (Italian Coke) for the first time and rather liked the taste!

We had to make our way to the Colosseum in the rain and tried to picture the grandeur of the whole structure from the ruins.. it must have been such a gruesome sight to spectate gladiators and lions fighting in the arena.. and by the time we got to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill entrance, it was already closed.. *SIGH*.. what a pity! But my feet were killing me by then.. whatever happened to my faithful Doc Marten of many years? Could my feet have grown in size after the pregnancies? I really.. REALLY.. need to buy new shoes!!!

Italy Day 2: Vatican City

2010-11-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

We had a hearty breakfast of salami, ham, cheese and curly bread (Jared's definition of croissant).. fruit juice, cereal and milk.. topped off with cappucino and peppermint tea in the morning. I discovered another weird but delicious concoction by default (at least in my opinion).. plain yoghurt and Nutella! Then, while walking to the train station, Jared commented 'Boy! The Italians kiss a lot, don't they?'.. he is so observant of such things at times! We took the Metro from Ottaviano to Flaminio station (don't you just love Italian names?) and made our way to Piazza del Popolo.. beheld yet another obelisk and sphinx (which makes one wonder why is a supposedly 'holy city' decorated with so many pagan Egyptian symbols?!).. walked up to the Pincio and briefly wandered around Villa Borghese (Jared wanted to try the 4-wheel quadricycle or rent a Segway for €15.oo per hour).. before heading off to the Vatican City.

The English guided tour began with the Vatican Museum.. next, we proceeded to the vast courtyards.. the Circular Hall with its starry dome roof (Nero's porphyry bathtub).. the Pius-Clementine Museum (statue of 'Laocoon and His Sons').. the grandiose gallery of tapestries (especially the 'Resurrection of Christ' by Raphael using the new art of science.. whereby the eyes of Jesus appear to follow you across the room) and maps.. the Immaculate Conception room.. the awe-inspiring Raphael's room ('School of Athens' painting).. and last but not least.. the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's breathtaking piece of artwork on the ceiling.. from the 'Hand of God' at creation.. to 'The Judgement'.. what great passion and determination he must have summoned on order to spend FOUR years (1508-1512 A.D.) holed up in there! And Justin wondered if these great artists painted with a very.. VERY.. LONG brush???

Unfortunately, St. Peter's Church was closed in preparation for a ceremony to be conducted by the Pope on Sunday.. and so the tour ended with a walk down the famous Spiral Stairway. We also succumbed to the 'touristy' activity of mailing postcards from the smallest country in the world to our families in KL and also one to our home address in Singapore.

Italy Day 1: Rome-The Land Of Pizza! Eat Eat Eat...

2010-11-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

After some 13 hours on the plane, we finally landed at the Leonardo Da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport.. as we descended the flight of stairs to the awaiting shuttle bus, Justin commented 'Wah! This is my first time leh'. Oh.. the privilege of being a Gen Z kid! Then, as the immigration officer was looking through our passports, a lady barged in and said very loudly for the whole arrival hall to hear 'Aunty cannot find chop! Just now you chop my passport but aunty cannot find! Where you chop ah?'. WAH LAO EH!!! Can it get any more Singlish than THAT?!! I guess we were all a bit disorientated and distracted by that incident, cos Jimmy got into the LEFT side of cab and sat in the driver's seat until the cabbie came over. Although we didn't understand what he exclaimed in Italian, we certainly understood his animated hand gestures.. ha ha! He brought us for a bumpy round-about-tour of Rome city.. and we're not quite sure why he turned on the meter since it's supposed to be a flat rate of €40.00 to the city.. regardless of destination or distance. Maybe he was hoping we're ignorant enough for him to pull a fast one on us?

We stayed at reasonably-priced 'quaint' walk-up Hotel Colors which had all the basics despite its size.. hair dryer.. LCD TV (Have you ever watched 'The Simpsons' in Italian? The best thing was football.. of cos!).. safe.. fridge (with 3 bottles complimentary mineral water which costs €2.00 each to buy from the street vendors.. pretty much the same as a glass of red wine).. and inclusive of breakfast and FREE internet (an unexpected bonus)! We had our first meal of pizza.. sold by weight (€1.20 per 100g).. ham and romaine lettuce piadina (wrap).. chicken panini (sandwich or burger).. and topped it off with chocolate.. tiramisu.. coconut.. mango gelato! A yummy feast indeed!

Then we made our way to Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square).. admired the facade of the church and the famous obelisk right in the middle.. purchased the Roma Pass for €25 (inclusive of admission to 2 museums and unlimited rides on public transport.. trains, trams or buses).. before venturing to the Castel Sant' Angelo Museum which housed many paintings of Giuseppe Garibaldi (a famous Italian military and political figure). It reminded me of the Medieval times and the austerity of it all, inspired me to sing 'Gloria in Excelsis Deo' in the hallways.. it was SURREAL!!! Ha ha ha! We had coffee and pastries on the roof top terrace.. what a beautiful view!

Later in the evening, we met up with an Chee Keong, an old friend who is living in Italy and he mentioned the few obvious things which we've also noticed since our arrival:

Italians smoke a lot and almost everywhere
They bring their dogs into the stores.. restaurants.. even train stations and many are dressed for the winter in furry little coats, complete with hats
They drive their small Swatch cars very dangerously.. zipping behind and in front of pedestrians and squeeze into tight spaces
You gotta garner sufficient courage before putting one foot on the zebra crossings
Roasted chestnuts are sold on the streets for €5 per bag

We had a scrumptious dinner at Trattoria Vatican Giggi.. lasagna.. spaghetti carbonara (which is non-creamy) and with grey of Giggi (bacon, olive oil and parmesan cheese).. scaloppine (pan-fried pork slices) served with rucola (a peppery salad green).. omelet zucchine.. and melanzane alla parmigiana (baked egg plant). Upon witnessing Justin finish a plate of lasagna AND spaghetti all by himself.. I couldn't possibly imagine how difficult it was to feed him as a baby? On the way back to the hotel, we had to drop by the pharmacy to buy lip balm and disposable shavers.. 'Si!' It was having someone who spoke the language.. ha ha!

God Knows Your Every Need...

2010-11-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

'YEAH rrright..' I was certainly guilty of such a response to the cliche.. before I came to understand the true 'Father' heart of God. But through the years.. as I mature in my Christian walk.. I've come to realise that HE DOES know my every thought.. every need.. no matter how small or insignificant.. that it's almost scary at times! I've listed the more tangible ones:

Winning prize of AUD$1500 for being the best foreign student in Occupational Therapy that year. Firstly, why did they choose such as obscure course? And secondly, I knew of my classmates who out-performed me during the exams.. so how could I have won? Personally, I think God made the computer go hay-wire and it 'accidentally' spewed out my name.. ha ha! That paid for my plane ticket home.

Receiving two leather cord necklaces as presents.. one with a crystal flower pendant and the other with a pearl shell.. EXACTLY what I wanted!
'Hmmm.. I think I need one of those make-up brushes to apply the loose powder properly?'.. and VOILA! Mabel gave me a whole KIT for Christmas.
'Should I buy Jimmy a new watch?'.. he got one from Wan Leng

A bag organiser from one of my clients
A 3-shade blusher
A coin purse from Jullie
Curling and lengthening mascara from Lay Choo

And many many more to come.. I hope???

Good Is The Enemy Of Great...

2010-11-07T08:25:00.002-08:00

I'm totally inspired by the speakers at The Global Leadership Summit.. who made me reflect on my own life goals and leadership style. The few things I learned in summary:

Cast the vision: What is 'There'? Why can't we stay 'Here'? How do we get from 'Here' to 'There'?
Have fantastic people on our team (the 4 Cs - character, competency, chemistry, culture)
Hear God's whisper (John 10:27 'My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me')
Count your blessings
Preserve the core and stimulate progress
Self-diagnose - are we a team on the way up or down? (http://www.jimcollins.com/)
Leverage on 'TENSION' instead of trying to solve the 'problem' away
Be a mentor leader - coaching and not scolding

**Stubbornness is a virtue IF you are right!**

Bits 'n' Pieces...

2010-11-07T08:25:00.001-08:00

So us ladies (Audrey, Bee Chan, Christine, Ee Meng, Jaclyn, Jana, Lay Choo and Mei Yi) had another one of our annual pow-wow affair and this time it was at Marche's.. which is great for the undecided mind when it comes to the all important question of 'what to eat ah?' The table was soon laden with soup.. bread.. chicken and mushroom wraps.. fried calamari.. and all sorts of decadent desserts.. ala creme crepes with strawberries and bananas (at least we had some fruit and fibre.. ha ha!).. cheese cakes.. and topped off with coffee.. thus satisfying the hedonist in us!

Here are some eventful snippets:

brand new Love Pink & leopard 'preens' handbags vs Audrey's 10 year old Snoopy bag (not to mention the good ole faithful cotton handkerchief inside)
tight-fitting clothes worn by the ladies working at Shenton Way.. how do they even breathe? will the buttons pop?
the guy that thought 2-3 times a day was NORMAL?!!
pills & wills
the pressures faced by kids these days.. gangs at Downtown East
K-drama updates (Sungkyungkwan Scandal is a must watch!)
unfastening a safety-pin near the zip of your jeans is best NOT done in public

When Girls Call You Names...

2010-10-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Jared thought that Chloe doesn't like him because she calls him names.. Jared the Parrot.. Jared the Carrot.. etc. Being a responsible mum, I decided let him in on a little secret lest he becomes scarred for life..

Me: Jared, when a girl calls you names.. that means she likes you
Jared: Er.. I don't think so.. she even got Jann on her side and now BOTH of them call me names!
Me: Trust me.. I know
Jared: Well, I don't like it. There's a girl in my class who likes me for a long time.
Me: She told you that??!
Jared: Yeah..
Me: What did say to her?
Jared: Speechless.. (made zipping motion across his mouth)
Me: So what's her name?
Jared: I'm not saying and you're not gonna get it out from me!

I think we have to watch out for this guy in near future.. he didn't get dubbed as Rain (Bi) look-a-like by his grandma for no reason.. ha ha!

Choose Wisdom...

2010-10-21T09:20:00.001-07:00

After watching a Science documentary last week , Jared asked me if Stephen Hawking is the smartest man on earth. Hmmm.. interesting question..

Me: Yeah.. he's probably ONE of the smartest but I don't think he is very wise
Jared: Huh???
Me: Do you know there's a difference between intelligence and wisdom?
Jared: Er.. not sure..
Me: He is not wise because he doesn't acknowledge God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and God gives wisdom to those to ask.. like King Solomon, who was the wisest man on earth. Do you know what is wisdom?
Jared: What?
Me: Wisdom is knowing the difference between right and wrong.. AND choosing to do what is right.. in the eyes of God.. do you understand?
Jared: I think so.. (thoughtfully)

Very so often parents forget the more important things in life as we get caught up in the rat race.. especially here in the Singapore. We stress on exams.. ship our children to several tuition and enrichment classes.. in pursuit of knowledge and supposedly a brighter future. But at the end of life.. would we be counting our laureates OR pondering over this question instead.. have I lived right? Therefore, wise up and choose wisdom...

Retrolicious.. Johnny Hates Jazz.. Debbie Gibson.. Rick Astley..

2010-10-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

The last secular concert I went to was probably Paula Abdul's in KL.. more than 20 years ago??? Riding on endorphins off-set by the champagne brunch and Formula One 2 weeks ago.. we decided to kick up our heels and boogey to the music of yester-year at the Retrolicious Concert held at Fort Canning Park last Saturday...

After queuing for more than an hour, we finally got through the gates and squeezed ourselves amongst the 6500 people standing on the grass slopes.. to be entertained by the Class 95 DJs.. wishing that we could turn back the clock as we listened to Johnny Hates Jazz's uber-cool-synthesized music.. almost getting lost in Debbie Gibson's eyes (she has great legs at 40.. ha ha!) and never giving up on Rick Astley!!! Although I enjoyed the music, I probably wouldn't qualify myself as a 'fan'.. strictly-speaking.. since I don't really know all the song lyrics by heart? Ah well.. la viva forever.. ABBA's Dancing Queen!!!

Singapore F1 and Diva Experience...

2010-09-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

We 'helped' my dear friend, Joanna celebrate her 40th birthday at Ritz Carlton on Sunday.. free flow champagne mingled with lobster.. crab.. scallop.. sashimi.. and salmon mousse.. topped with exotic-looking desserts delicately served in miniature glasses. She also convinced my boys to dress up for the special occasion and they non-grudgingly obliged for a change.. especially Jared who didn't want to be a walking 'fashion disaster'! However, they had plenty to say about my 'little black dress' (a pretty standard must-have).. since they don't see me wear one that often.. *SIGH* It's times like these when I longed for a daughter...

That same evening Joanna and I headed for the Singapore F1 Night Race for the first time. Nope.. didn't meet any Hamiltons, Alonsos or Webbers.. except on the big screen. The ear-splitting sound during the 61 laps is certainly not recommended for those who wish to have longevity in musical pursuits or the pleasure of hearing their grandchildren gurgle in the future. The highlight for me was Mariah Carey's concert after the race.. this diva can really sing and still able to deliver her famous 5-octave screech almost effortlessly during the rendition of 'Emotion'.. although Singapore's heat and humidity didn't quite agree with her...

So here's to 27 years of friendship and 'size 10 and below'.. which is definitely preferable to 'size 10 and beyond'.. ha ha! May there be many more years to come.. KAN PEI!!!

Mooncakes & Gourmet Chocolate

2010-09-17T10:12:00.001-07:00

What better way to engage students and get them in the mood for the Autumn Festival than DIY mooncakes in Home Econs Class??? Justin came home on Monday with blotchy red dye on his hands that wouldn't wash off and proudly declared he made his first batch of lotus paste mooncakes at school. But when I saw a plate of gooey-looking blobs on the dining table some time later.. my immediate thought was 'Oh, is that the Filipino coconut-desert-thingy?'. After closer scrutiny, they seemed to vaguely resembled 'soon kueh' or 'ang ku kueh'... It really didn't occur to me that THOSE were Justin's masterpieces until I asked!!! Apparently he had heated 6 small mooncakes in the microwave.. of which only 2 pieces were his. But during the minute in there.. 4 pieces slowly melted and sank down into mushy pancakes. NO points for guessing WHY his friends didn't want to bring them home in the first place?!

Then this evening, our Care-Group had a mini welcome party for the Chia family.. who recently relocated back to Singapore after their stint in USA. Besides the mooncakes galore, Alvin also brought a box of expensive gourmet Swiss chocolate.. apparently all the way from Europe. There were 3 tiers.. marzipan top layer.. green jelly in the middle and a biscuit base.. coated in chocolate. But unfortunately, the delicacy fell on 'deaf tongues'.. it smelt like moth balls and tasted like the fruit-flavoured medicine.. maybe we were just too 'cheeeenah' to appreciate it or perhaps it's an acquire taste???

A Wet Sense of Humour?

2010-08-26T01:57:00.001-07:00

Jared and I usually have our little chats during the drive to school in the morning and it was no different today. I reminded him of Chinese tuition at 3pm and he grumbled.. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier? I haven't done Ma Lao Shi's homework..' my maid obviously forgot to pass on the important message. Then we switched topic to his new Geronimo Stilton books...

Jared: Why do you spend so much money and keep buying GS books? I bet you haven't even READ any of them?
Me: I read Karate Mouse

Jared: You did??! Mr. Han (aka GS' Karate instructor) is very funny right? Serious face.. happy face.. angry face.. (identical expression depicted in the drawings)
Me: Yeah.. the writer has a dry sense of humour
Jared: Mummy, do I have high humour?
Me: Huh???
Jared: What's humour?
Me: Something that's funny.. it makes you laugh..
Jared: Do I have wet humour?
Me: (Laughing).. NOOooo, you have DRY humour.. Quick! Get off now or you'll be late for school!

ding..ding..dooOOONGGGG!!!.

2010-08-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

When Justin finally brought home his band uniform.. it looked pretty ugly on its own.. the tie wasn't half bad-looking (mostly black with stripes).. but the blazer was bright TURQUOISE!!! And so, he was all prepared for his first concert performance.. his designated percussion instruments included the chimes.. cow bell.. and the glockenspiel (aka the xylophone-looking thingy). Fortunately, his effervescence godmother, Auntie Jo-Jo didn't bring on a full cheer-leading squad with emblazoned banners and Turquoise pom-poms.. as threatened earlier.

We sat in the front row.. to the left side of the stage where the percussions were.. but ALAS! Justin was mostly blocked by the tall chimes. I guess it was probably a blessing in disguise in the end cos it helped reduce his nerves? When asked why he was so 'stiff' during the performance.. he denied having butterflies or being unduly stressed.. said he had stomach pain and felt like vomiting instead.. and blamed it on something he ate during dinner!!! Ha ha ha... welcome to the Stage-Fright Club son! It sure brought back some fond and not-so-fond memories.. piano exams.. dance recitals.. drama.. choir.. solos...

Eclipse..Lobster and Couple-seat...

2010-07-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to have a 'kaki' to watch 'Eclipse' (part 3 of the Twilight Saga) with me.. Lay Choo was interested but she went with Ee Meng in the afternoon while I was at work. So as it turned out, Frances had 2 free Cathay tickets.. Yay!!! We decided on Teppanyaki for dinner.. the special lobster set which included pan-fried and soup-based lobster in its shell.. and lobster meat sauteed with garlic.. Then we proceed to the cinema and discovered we were the only non-couple to occupy a couple-seat at the back at the theater.. as expected I guess? Then about 5 mins into the movie.. a Caucasian pair plonked themselves on an empty seat down our aisle.. but another couple, who were apparently the rightful occupants of that seat, arrived some 30 mins later.. Talk about disruptive behaviour at the movies!!! Why would anyone presume it was free-sitting when the numbers on the tickets state otherwise? *SIGH*

Family All Together!

2010-07-24T04:30:00.001-07:00

We were back in KL as usual during the June school holidays. But this time, Alison and her family flew in from Melbourne. I can't believe Sam is almost my height at 14 years old.. Julianna is as sweet as ever.. and baby Caden is sooooooooo CUTE!!! I nicknamed him 'Ah Toot' and 'yat lup sik' because he is so small and cuddly.. thankfully our prayers have been answer and the hemangioma behind his right ear has subsided.. Praise the Lord!!!

What else is there to do in KL but eat.. eat.. eat and shop??? All the mouth-watering laksa.. prawn mee.. hokkien mee.. lor mee.. nasi lemak.. rojak.. popiah.. lor bak.. pie ti.. chendol.. ice-kacang.. and we all echoed Caden's sentiments 'Mummm..' The kids tried ice-skating for the first time at the Pyramid and it was really funny watching them slip.. slide and fall.. like clowns at the circus! Ha ha ha.. We also managed to catch a movie 'The A-Team'.. ah.. no matter what the reviews may be.. I enjoyed the incredulous plot.. ridiculous antics.. and Murdoch absolutely cracked me up!!! Sure brought back some very old and fond memories of the TV series.. especially the theme song...

Flash Flood @ Orchard!!!

2010-06-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

The advantage of being on the 10th floor at Forum is that we had a bird's eye view of flooding without getting wet! We saw the rushing water swirling around the 2 stalled buses, a black Mercedes drifting slowly down the road and people stranded with umbrellas along the side walk. We were informed by some clients that the basement shops near Wheel Lock Place were submerged in about 6 feet of water.. decorated with bobbing tables and chairs belonging to Star Bucks and the newly renovated, but not opened Wendy's. Needless to say, there were massive jams in and around the area.. and major clean-ups the next muddy morning..

Oh So Un-Glam!

2010-05-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

If there was ever a Candid-Camera moment.. this was most certainly one of them! So, there I was strolling along Orchard Road.. and as I reached Wheel Lock Place (back entrance), I looked at the Coffee Club sign, thinking.. 'Oh it's not Coffee Bean anymore?'.. THEN, the next thing I know, I was on my hands and knee at the bottom of the stairs.. with the wind knocked out of me!!! And from the corner of my eye.. I vaguely saw those coffee-drinkers sitting and staring.. shoppers pausing to look with hands suspended in mid-reach for that book on the shelf.. and 2 waiters rushing over to offer help.. 'Are you ok? You better sit down on the chair? Can you walk?'..

Grimacing from embarrassment more than pain.. I picked myself up from the floor.. gently rubbed my shins.. smiled ruefully at the uniformed gentlemen.. and gratefully assured them.. 'I'm ok.. I'm ok'. Now, if this were to happen in America, there would probably be a law suit already.. Case No. 101 Member Of Public Vs City Council For The Installation Of Slippery Stairs...

Old School Tales

2010-05-22T12:59:00.002-07:00

I met up with old school friends for dinner today.. some of whom I haven't seen for more than 20 years! We had so much fun and laughter catching up and recounting stories of the good ole days @ BBGS when we were bushy-bright-eye- impressionable teenagers:

Puan N was a fearsome creature (especially when she widened her eyes while glaring at you) and infamous for her impromptu Geography pop-quizzes:

PN: Nenas tanam di tanah apa? (Pineapples are planted on what soil?)
Me: Er.. tanah gambut ('Peat' - a type of well-drained organic soil)
PN: Gambut? (Voice dripping with sarcasm)
Me: Tanah gambir? (Doubting my initial answer)
PN: Gambir???
Me: Errr.. tanah gambut
PN: Aku suruh kamu jawab soalan, bukan main TOTO! (I'm asking you to answer the question, not play TOTO!)
Me: .................
PN: Baik, last chance.. tanah gambut ke, gambir?
Me: Tanah.. gambir.. (Which is actually a type of plant)
(LONG PAUSE)
PN: Baik, tulis 50 kali! (Evil grin- Good! Write 50 lines)

Mrs. Ab, our beloved English teacher who taught us that only a single exclamation mark may be used at the end of a sentence and Orsen Wells' 'Beast of England' poem (from 'Animal Farm') may be sung to the tune of either La Cucaracha or My Darling Clementine:

MA: Alright girls.. I'm going to teach you some Thai.. please read this aloud
Us: Wata goo sa yam
MA: Good.. read it again.. say it faster this time
Us: Wata goo sa yam
MA: Faster..
Us: Wata goo sa yam
MA: Even faster..
Us: (Chanting loudly in unison).. What a goose I am!

Mrs. BW, an excellent Biology teacher who sometimes displays her 'sadistic side' tormenting poor insect-phobic students and Prouse House girls:

The frog we had just dissected suddenly twitched its legs! One of us rushed over to the lab cupboard.. grabbed some cotton wool.. soaked it in Formaldehyde.. and quickly placed it on the frog's mouth and nose..

BW: G-irls! Just what do you think you're doing?
Us: Ah.. the frog's leg moved
BW: So?
Us: So.. we are using more Formaldehyde to knock it out
BW: And where are you putting it?
Us: There, on the nose
BW: And how do frogs breathe? (Giving us the all-knowing 'you-girls-obviously-watched-too-much-TV' smile)
Us: (Sheepishly removing the cotton).. OHHhhh..

Us: Mrs. W, do only female frogs have eggs? (Wait.. that question didn't come out right.. we meant to ask if frogs were hermaphrodite amphibians.. but too late..)
BW: What do you think? (That smile again..)

Mind Your Language

2010-05-22T12:59:00.001-07:00

When it came to learning the English Language, my sons took fairly different routes. Justin had a Chinese-speaking baby sitter for almost 4 years of his life and I recalled his earlier words were 'wo xia lai' (I come down).. he had been climbing on a chair or 'ant ant buck (bite) you'.. which had us worried briefly cos our immediate thoughts were.. 'OMG! Did he just use THE bad word?!'. Subsequently, he took to 'Singlish' like fish to water.. which included all the classic examples of.. 'wah lao eh'.. 'like that also can one meh?'.. 'this is my one'.. 'I do finish already'.. 'I boh lui liow' (I no money already).. much to my chagrin!!!

Jared, on the other hand, grew up with a Filipino helper and learnt the typical accent of.. counting 'one two three pour(4) pive (5)'.. 'pinish' (finish).. this particular word has the potentially go terribly wrong if you missed out the 'h' at the end.. 'Let's go barck' (back).. 'I cannot forget' (I forgot). I also distinctly recall her teaching him parts of the body and the time when I thought she was trying to flaunt my instructions:

FH: Jarrick (she couldn't pronounce his name then).. what's this?
Jared: Eyes
FH: Yes! What's this?
Jared: Nose
FH: Good boy! What's this?
Jared: Nick
FH: Very Good!
Mum & Dad: (Both turned around and yelled simultaneously).. 'IT'S NECK!!!!!'

Me: Please cook dinner tonight
FH: No, I cannot
Me: What do you mean you cannot?
FH: Yah, cannot
Me: I am asking you to cook dinner (almost blowing my top)
FH: I cannot..
Me: (Then it dawned on me.. what she meant to say was.. 'I HAVE NOT')

However, the turning point came when Jared was 4 years old. We had just moved to a new home and one evening, the elevator's emergency bell rang very loudly. We were most impressed with Jared's almost immediate and spontaneous reaction of 'call management.. call management!!!'.. which somewhat eclipsed his otherwise obvious panic-stricken and distressed state.. poor chap!

The conclusion of the matter is.. English can be a confusing language with weird rules. For example: 'Yeah right' can be both positive AND negative, depending on how you say it.. you can wind down the window to feel the wind on your face.. shouldn't get too wound up over the wound on your knee.. and if necessary, stand down from a fight.. So after 9 years, my helper's English has somewhat improved.. or maybe mine has somewhat deteriorated???

Sciatica...ow oW OW!

2010-05-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago.. I had a first-hand experience of sciatica. For the medically 'undoctrinated'.. Wikipedia defines it as: Sciatica (or sciatic neuritis) is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, and/or various parts of the leg and foot. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, pins and needles or tingling and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body.

It was comparatively strenuous day.. having to work with several severely physically-disabled and hyperactive kids. I felt a tugging sensation when I stood up after squatting down to lock the clinic's glass door. As I made my way to the train station.. the dull pain escalated into a throbbing one.. and I had difficulties lifting my right leg. The usual 10 mins walk turned into what felt like an excruciatingly slow marathon.. as I had to literally drag my foot and limp.. since any hip flexion would cause a sharp shooting pain down my right leg!

Jimmy wanted to send me to A&E at the nearest hospital but I really can't imagine having to sit and wait there for a few hours? Thankfully, after taking some pain-killers, anti-inflammatory pills, rest and much prayers (Justin and Jared were rather worried).. I was 'almost' bouncing back to work!

I guess what made the whole thing worse.. were the unsympathetic and impatient stares from some of the commuters (and no one gave up their seat for me). This experience certainly made me emphatised more with those who have to face such challenges in their daily lives.. may they find the inner strength to overcome!

A Fist Fight (of sorts)...

2010-04-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

What an end to the week! While the rest of the world were celebrating and chanting 'Thank God it's Friday!'.. we had to deal with a rebellious teenager who threw punches and kicked at us poor therapists.. all because she wanted to go shopping instead of coming for therapy (hmmm.. guess I don't blame her for choosing that option?!)

After 30 mins of Behaviour Management 101 (which left both therapists winded, breathless and not to mentioned scratched and numbed in both arms).. and a tirade of 'I hate you'.. 'I want my Mummy'.. 'I wanna go home'.. 'Give me back my cars' (confiscated for misbehaviour).. 'Where are my specs?' (removed for safety reasons.. in case they break during the violent struggle).. we finally called a truce.. and sealed with hugs, hand-shakes and lots of tissue!!!

P.S. Maybe I should consider growing my nails? Seriously, they may come quite advantageous in the event of future cat fights.. MEEOWW!

Life Is Short... Live Hard!!!

2010-04-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, our pastor's sister died from lung cancer. She was only 38.. still in her prime and younger than me. That got me thinking about the family and friends I knew who left planet earth a bit too early.. from diseases, car accidents and the ill-fated plane crash. Perhaps it's a wake-up call for me to redeem time and focus on the more important things in life.. the people I should love and show concern for.. the steadfast character I need to develop.. the places I should see.. and the things I need to do...

Therefore, I will endeavour to gladly meet relatives.. catch up with old friends.. train and develop skills in different ministries and help out in whatever ways I can.. like the Hope Kids Live! P&W team (believe me.. it's much more difficult leading a bunch of beady-bright-eyed.. lollipop-sucking kids than the adult congregation). I would dearly love to include this last phrase.. AND EAT ALL THE FOOD I WANT.. but ALAS! If I did that, then what would become of my unfulfilled resolution for the past 3 years???

Already A Quarter Through 2010?

2010-04-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's April already! Where did all the time fly to? I guess in January I was busy with Justin's new Secondary school schedule.. plus all the extra classes and tuition. Then, February was Chinese New Year.. which coincided with our 15th wedding anniversary and we celebrated with 100 relatives or so.. spectating the Chinggay Parade from Singapore Flyer.. breathtaking night view! March disappeared quickly without my realisation.. and April has crept up insidiously..

One of the major changes was Justin joining the church's Youth Group and having a whole new group of friends to 'hang-out' with. Although Jared is still more of a 'home-body', he is beginning to show signs of following his brother's foot-steps. So nowadays, he informs me.. 'Mummy I'm going out to the playground.. bye!'. I vividly remember that not too many moons ago, it used to be the other way around.. 'Mummy's going to work.. bye!'. **Sigh** the initial pangs of 'empty nest syndrome'???

Oh well.. that leaves me to find comfort in Korean dramas, Farmville, Yoville and Restaurant City (I have managed to resist Fishville, Hotel City and Cafe World etc. thus far.. ha ha!).. which reminds me.. did you hear about one about the grandma who left a villa, chicken and dairy farm and fruit plantation to her grandchildren in her will? They were given the password to her facebook account...

Dear Daughter...(Letter 3)

2010-01-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Lu Meng, May 27 1992

Received your May 18 letter two days ago. Glad you passed your clinical at Mt. Royal Hospital. How many more hurdles do you still have? You should be back from your holiday by the time this letter reaches you. How was it? Full of fun as usual? Incidentally are you financially ok? Has that tooth of yours gradually fallen into line with the others? Your wisdom tooth is still bothering you? We are uneasy about it if you are not.

I have got your Subang membership card and golf tag (just in case you want to try this game and get yourself bitten by the golf bug). Grandma had her eye checked, verdict a successful operation. I was informed lately that cataract can be removed by laser (probably painless). Can you find out at your end before my turn to have mine removed...

As regards yourself, I strongly advocate that you practice your profession for, say, 3-4 years so as to be an occupational therapist in every sense. In order to equip yourself paper-wise and open for yourself other fields of opportunity, I reiterate that while working MBA should be pursued thru either part-time or correspondence course, if available. You know that MBA is not that difficult and you can get it if you want. If you want, you can bend your interest towards it, channel your energy to it, and make time for acquiring it.

As regards going into business, I know you are not at all serious about it. Nonetheless for your mental exercise I put these few questions for you to think about:
- What capital is needed?
- What are the risks?
- What is the current volume and future potential? (i.e. matured, saturated market or growth market)
- Competition: How competitive in the market place? What edge you have got over others or what edge others got over you?
- What support do you have? (what credit lines you expect to get)

Before Mum takes over in her 'gossip column' in the ensuing paragraphs, we close with advice:
- Maintain good health, both physical and mental
- Work hard (always)
- Play hard (when in appropriate occasions/circumstances)
- Tolerance: Do exercise tolerance
- Conflict/Differences: Resolve quickly and amicably
- Thinking/Planning: Think ahead/Plan ahead
- Additional item (Food for your thought): Quality of life in Australia vis-a-vis Malaysia's on a dollar-for-dollar earning basis

Well, looks like I have given you enough home news as well as so non-sense. So, bye Dad.

Dear Daughters...(Letter 1 & 2)

2010-01-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

We went back to KL on Boxing Day and I had to clear some of my stuff from the old house.. stacks of letters, cards and photos.. kept from more than 20 years ago! Initially, I thought of just chucking them out without the hassle of glancing through the contents.. but thankfully, I didn't cos I found AUD$500 and S$150 (old currency) inside 2 envelopes! We suspect Mum probably hid the money a long time ago and forgot all about it? Anyway, I also found letters from my dad to my sister and my while we were studying in Melbourne.. brought tears to my eyes as I re-read the handwritten words of wisdom which seemed to speak volumes now as compared to the yester years..

Dear Alison/Jaclyn,

How are both of you? Do write to us about your daily routine, living conditions etc. instead of letting our foggy ideas do the imagination. We are in a position financially to see both of you thru university education. We would like you two to have basic amenity and comfort in your sojourn in Australia. Please have regular nourished meals to maintain your good health. From Alison's earlier letter we presume you two are not at the same campus. Do we presume right?

Probably you two would like to have a TV. If you do, go ahead and buy one. If it is costly, let us know, wait until we send you the money as you two must take care of your living expenses first. We suggest a TV set of 16" or 18" of there about. As regards to the brand, 'Sony' which gives the best colour, is preferred. Next is 'National'. Avoid other brands if possible. When you two have your own TV one thing you two must not do is to become TV bug gluing yourselves to TV and neglecting your books.

Slight diversion but of no less importance is command of English. If one speaks and writes well good and powerful English, one can command admiration and respect. In your working life in later years, such English will be a valuable asset. To improve your English, read magazines, journals, newspapers (of national circulation), books. By such readings, you get facts, ideas, inspirations and what goes on in Australia and around the world. Try to read one newspaper, you will be surprised to find out what you don't know and therefore, how much you can learn...
- Do live together amicably like sisters
- Do tolerate each others' faults and shortcomings
- Don't quarrel
- Don't call each other names
- Work out a list of what you two want us send by post
One can always work hard, study hard and have fun (if one enjoys such) at the appropriate time and occasion. Do try to endeavour to do to that end. Bye.

Caring from Lu Sean, Mum and Dad 27/2/89

P.S. Coming back to English again, by mixing with educated Aussies, you two should improve your spoken English (Good proper English with no rojak).

Kamza Hamida! (Seoul-Day 7 & 8)

2009-12-14T08:11:00.001-08:00

10 December 2009: The hotel was located near Seolleung, the tomb of King Seongjong , King Jeongneung and Queen Jeonghyeon. It was rather strange having to walk past a king's tomb each time we headed for the subway right smack in the middle of busy city?! We spent most of the day walking around Lotte World and shopping for Korean tea and local delicacies. During lunch at a food court, we were amused by the ingenious electronic Q-number device which beeps andvibrates when your order is ready for collection at the counter! Initially, we were 'sua-kus' and had no idea what it was for.. but thankfully, one of the waiters managed to explain to us in comprehensible English.. or we would be waiting a long time and left wondering.. PHEW!!!

Unfortunately, there wasn't much space left in our bags for clothes.. so we had to reluctantly by-passed some pretty good bargains on winter-wear. But we still managed to purchase a down-jacket, fleece sweater and warm tights.. which meant we HAVE to visit cold countries again next year to make the money spent worthwhile! Hmmm... I'm thinking maybe Italy or London or Paris? Switzerland? Beijing or Shanghai?

11 December 2009: We spent out final hours at the Coex Mall in Seoul before catching the bus to the airport. Although we arrived 4 hours before the flight.. we were allocated seats in the last row.. and ALMOST had to leave the Vulcan behind.. which had Justin in tears.. a rather unpleasant ending to an otherwise enjoyable and fun-filled holiday...

IMPORTANT lesson learnt: NEVER try to bring any toys resembling guns, swords or sharp weapons on board a plane! That would save you a whole lot of trouble!

Lotte World (Seoul-Day 6)

2009-12-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

9 December 2009: We wanted to try out the Toboggan or sleigh (as the Koreans call it) but after purchasing the tickets.. we were given huge round tyres instead! Then we hoisted the tubes up this specially ploughed slope via a travel belt.. jumped into the crevice.. held on tight to the reins.. and pushed off... WEEEEeeeee! The boys spent almost 2 hours going down the giant winding slide without tiring! Finally, after wolfing down some cheesy hot dogs, churos (Spanish donut), typical Korean 'fish sticks' and kimchi rice cakes for lunch, we checked out and caught the 1:00pm bus headed for Seoul.

We stayed at Ramada Hotel for the next 2 nights.. a far cry from the earlier spacious service apartment which had 3 bedrooms with separate kitchen and laundry areas. After settling our luggage, we took the train down to Lotte World (the Korean version of Disneyland). A group of Singaporeans (or Malaysians) approached Jimmy and asked him for directions in broken English?!! Maybe he does look Korean? Hmmm.. single eye lid.. broad face.. fair skin..

Justin enjoyed the adventurous water rafting and hot air balloon ride.. Jared went on the flying merry-go-round twice.. we all got on the horse carousel (yup, the same one as depicted in the drama Stairway to Heaven.. see the painting behind me?). But we missed the opening hours of The Folk Museum which was such a shame since we already paid for the entrance fee! Later on, we found ourselves indulging in some local pumpkin sweet, large round rice crackers, Krispe Kreme donuts, Face Shop products (which were apparently cheaper in Korea especially the facial and eye masks) and a HUGE Nerf gun (Vulcan).. which resulted in even BIGGER problems the next day at the airport!!!

Dragon Valley (Yongpyong-Day 5)

2009-12-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

8 December 2009: We woke up rather late despite sleeping on the hard floor. After a healthful breakfast of sausages and eggs fried with water, bread, milk for the boys and for coffee Jimmy and me, we made our way up to Dragon Peak via cable car. The view was picturesque and breathtakingly beautiful.. and now I understand why mountains are usually depicted like this in Chinese paintings.. Although Jared and Justin are not particularly fond of heights...

We had a second attempt at making a snowman but unfortunately, it didn't turn out any taller than the little one we made yesterday. So we had a snow fight instead.. which turned out to be great fun and exercise for the whole family!

After lunching on bulgogi and chicken burgers, cheese sticks, shrimp croquettes and deep fried calamari rings at Lotteria (the Korean equivalent of McDonald's or Burger King).. we decided to have a go at skiing. We took FOREVER to get correct-sized rental boots and skis.. strap them on.. and get on the slopes. If my memory serves me correctly, this was only very slightly better than the last time I skied at Lake Mountain in Australia.. with fewer falls??! Then again, maybe I didn't move all that much either.. ha ha ha! But Justin and Jared did rather well as first-time skiers and certainly had fun! Jared even said he was ready for the 'advance' slope the next time around?!! He is really pushing the limits...

And check out Justin's finally flattened hair! Ha ha.. we call it the 'beanie' look. We took a pleasant stroll around the resort in the evening and took in the surreal sight of snow-covered grass, trees and roof tops, before heading back for dinner and some ZZZzzzz...

Winter Sonata (Yong Pyong-Day 4)

2009-12-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

7 December 2009: Another FRREEEEZZZING morning.. bbrrrrrrr!!! We woke up at 6:00am, checked-out by 7:00am and took a cab to Jamsil Station (just outside Lotte Mart) to catch the 9:00am bus to Yongpyong Ski Resort. We reached BEFORE 8:00am (we had anticipated rush-hour traffic) and had to wait in the cold with all our luggage. Thankfully, we found a few minutes of warm respite with pre-heated instant coffee (not found in Singapore) inside a nearby 7-eleven store.. which seemed like the only one opened that early in the morning?! The bus finally arrived and we were on our way to the Winter Wonderland that was made famous by Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo.

As we journeyed away from the city, the scenery gradually changed.. dreary grey buildings gave way to the evergreen and bare trees that stood prominently against the stark white snow. We checked into the Tower Condo before venturing out with Justin and Jared for their first real snow experience. It was really picturesque and peaceful up in the mountain.. the meandering brooke with snowy stone banks and quaint bridge.. the Tudor roofs.. the slopes dotted with skiiers casting darting shadows on an enormous blank sheet of white...

We found some clean soft snow and tried our hand at building a snowman which wasn't easy. After about 40 mins, we only managed to produce a foot-high cutesy midget snowman.. which we proceeded to adorn with a beanie, red scarf and gloves.. and VOILA!.. presenting 'Mr. Dwarf Frostie'!!!

Then we chanced upon The First Cafe which housed some iconic props from the Winter Sonata drama series.. the piano.. the black and white uniforms.. the dining table.. and the jigsaw puzzle with one missing piece of course! So romantic lor.. true K-drama fans will understand what I'm talking about.. *sigh*

Later that evening, I tried to replicate the recipe of ramen with dumplings, sausages and SPAM.. and served dinner with pre-packed kimchi of course! But unfortunately, I couldn't add in too much spice cos the boys were not accustomed to it. Jimmy and I had our first swig of soju too.. almost pure alcohol.. aarrgghhh!!! The Koreans probably acquired a taste for soju since it kept them warm on the inside during winter.. but how does that account for drinking in summer? Then we made our beds by pulling out the mattresses and laying them on the heated floor. Hmmm.. it was rather uncomfortable I must say.. not quite the image portrayed on TV...

Jimmy had wanted to go night skiing initially but thank God the slopes closed at 10:00pm cos the rest of us didn't feel as brave or enthusiastic under minus 9C weather! So we enjoyed the night scene instead.. the snow machine (I'm not sure if people were allowed go near to cry their hearts out.. as depicted in Winter Sonata?).. the Christmas lights.. and the boys liked watching the rising vapour from their mouths and nostils with each breath.. they call it smoke.. ha ha ha!

Kimchi-Land (Seoul-Day 3)

2009-12-11T20:39:00.001-08:00

6 December 2009: Cultural day! We arrived at Gyeongbokgung just on time to spectate the change of palace guards ceremony at the main gate. The guards were dressed in colourful robes, carried large flags and accompanied by an orchestral fanfare of drums, percussions, trumpets and even conch shells. Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung (also commonly referred to as the 'Northern Palace') served as the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty. Similarly, the premises were destroyed by fire at the time of the Japan's occupation of Korea from 1592~1598. However, all of the palace's 7,700 rooms were later restored under the leadership of Heungseondaewongun in the years of King Gojong (1852~1919). We could only see the symbolic blue tiles of curved roof of The Presidential Blue House (Cheongwadae) from the palace ground.. in beautiful harmony against the back drop of the majestic Mount Bukhansan.

Remarkably, the most representative edifices of the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeonghoe-ru Pavilion and Hyangwonjeong Pond are still relatively intact. Gyeongbokgung remains the most beautiful and grandest of all the five palaces. Justin and Jared had more fun throwing stones and pine cones on to the frozen pond than exploring the palace grounds.. I guess hundreds of years of history have fallen on deaf ears and gone unappreciated???

The National Folk Museum is located east within Hyangwonjeong and displayed the lifestyle of ancient Koreans from the pre-historic times to the Joseon Period (1392~1910).. ranging from the development of pottery, printing, tools for farming, hunting, fishing, clothes and houses. It also featured handicrafts, accessories, dishes, kimchi, jangdokdae and presented the life of an ancient Korean from birth to marriage to death.

The Jejudo Island sculptures such as Dolharubang, windmills, treadmills and sheds were displayed outdoors. The 'hanbok' is an ABSOLUTELY PERFECT duo-design for the more generously proportioned women like me which can also double-up as maternity wear if required! Hey, why spend money unnecessarily? Ha ha ha...

The National Palace Museum of Korea is a national museum of South Korea located in Gyeongbokgung. The museum first began as the 'Korean Imperial Museum', which was established in 1908 and was originally located in Changgyeonggung. It was moved to the Seokjojeon (Stone Hall) of Deoksugung in 1991 and the museum was finally relocated to the current modern building inside Gyeongbokgung in 2005. It houses over 40,000 artifacts from the palaces of the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire. We also sampled some Royal Court cousine at the Museum restaurant which comprised of steamed dumplings and seafood with sweet pumpkin.

We had reached the subway (as the Koreans call it) when Jared quipped that he had a tummy ache.. talk about great timing! So I walked ALL the way back to the Museum toilet with him only to discover later that the subway had toilets too.. DUH! Then we learnt (the hard way) that the Dongdaemun wholesale toy market apparently closed early during winter.. much to Justin and Jared's disappointment...

An Nyung Ha Sei Yo! (Seoul-Day 1 & 2)

2009-12-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

4 December 2009: We were greeted by Korea's bitter winter cold as we stepped through the automated doors of Incheon Airport around 5:00pm. Although family and friends had fore-warned us, it was still quite a rude shock to the system.. plunging from sunny Singapore's 30C to a freezing temperature of 0C! It was already dusk when we finally boarded the bus headed for Seoul. We alighted after journeying about 1.5 hours and dragged our luggage up the road leading to the Vabien Service Apartment (which certainly felt longer than the 10 mins with the chilly wind blowing against our faces). My sentiments??? Bless the soul who invented the coat.. hat.. gloves.. scarf.. boots.. AND thermal underwear!!!

The next most important thing after check-in was FOOD of course! We ended at a nearby restaurant which served the all time favourite Korean dish (which also happened to be my boys' favourite).. pan-fried sausages, SPAM (or luncheon meat) and ramen.. all done on a hot stove right in front of us! We were also introduced to the fascinating array of kimchi.. made with radish.. lotus.. tofu.. taugeh.. green seaweed.. besides the usual cabbage kimchi we were accustomed to. Back at the apartment, we discovered that heated flooring not only kept our feet warm instead of being icy cold.. it was also handy in drying up damp clothes (especially socks).. and not to mention great fun for the boys to strip.. lie down flat on their backs.. and enjoy their 'sauna' experience.. ha ha ha!

5 December 2009: We stopped by a road-side stall to savour the 'famous' fish-shaped red bean pancake before embarking on our first tour at Changdeokgung Palace which was built as a secondary palace in 1405 under King Taejong's reign. It was apparently destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion in 1592 and was only restored in 1610. However, I was distracted by Justin's constant whining and found it rather difficult to marvel at the detailed and delicate 600 year old architecture in the midst of his tirade.. WHY did we come to Korea? It's freezing cold here! I want to go home! I can't breathe properly! My thighs are very itchy.. scratch-scratch-scratch.. which only made the hives worse.. *SIGH*

We made our way to the Dongdaemun market and the boys caught their first glimpse of snow.. but somehow I appeared more excited than them? We wandered around aimlessly in a building which only sold textiles.. before finally ending up at the clothing and accessories stores we were looking for. This is definitely NOT the place for non-gung-ho-hate-to-bargain folks to shop.. you HAVE to literally slash the price by HALF! I think some 'chokios' deserved an Oscar for their performance.. they put on a great show of shaking their head with shock, horror, disappointment.. then artfully showering you and your family (especially the kids) with praises (which I'm sure were rehearsed and perfected by many years of practice).. to soften you up so that you will relent! A pair of fleece boots went from 58000 Won -> 53000W after a so-called discount -> 25000W when we turned to walk away -> 20000W if we bought 2 pairs. Hmmm.. we got a good deal right? WRONG! We discovered the exact boots being sold by the roadside for only 7000W! I think I'll stick to the departmental stores from now on...

We were nearly late for the Nanta Cooking Show.. which included a skillful demonstration of rhythmic vegetable-chopping using sharp knives (onions, cucumbers, carrots and cabbages), juggling and catching flying plates and a hilarious display of martial arts with mops and broomsticks. The head chef had the most comical expression during his side-splitting 'Pan..' routine with audience participation! Later, we had a scrumptious Bulgogi (beef) dinner which everyone enjoyed except for Justin.. so what's new?

This Is it! Michael Jackson's Legacy

2009-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

There were superb singers.. there were excellent dancers.. and then there was Michael Jackson.. the king of pop.. creator of the famous moonwalk.. the one man who embodied the true meaning of artistry as performer. With no apologies for being a perfectionist, MJ had the 'feel' for music and dance and was attentive to even the smallest detail.. each note.. each pause.. that split second made all the difference.. Let it sizzle more, I don't feel it enough (bass guitar).. Let it simmer, Bathe in the moonlight, Don't change so soon (keyboard).. Hit that high note, Hold it (electric guitar).. Watch me, I need to cue that, I will feel it (referring to the Smooth Operator video clip playing behind him!)..

It was nothing but the best for MJ that it almost appeared that cost wasn't a concern.. the new Thriller video was absolutely 'thrilling' with more realistic-looking zombies and ghouls.. we see MJ emerging from a gigantic mechanical spider, being elevated on to a ramp and disappearing into the night.. that running fire as a backdrop.. and not to mention the spectacular view of the bulldozer on stage with its jaws suspended open behind MJ for Earth Song!

A man who was encouraging.. It's all for love, God bless you, It's your time to shine.. A man who was gentle and controlled.. even when he was obviously bothered by the aviom feedback, he didn't blow his top. So, despite his idiosyncrachies, I do admire the man for his passion and love for music and all things beautiful.. As the movie credits rolled, I couldn't help but wonder if we would have had the privilege of catching a glimpse of these behind-the-scene footages if MJ were still alive.. and walked out of the cinema with a tinge a sadness...

A 7-Day General Motors Diet...

2009-11-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Fruits and Water
I decided to embark on this weird diet plan after witnessing the success of others at work. I must admit that today was really quite agonizing cos Singapore is definitely a dieter's WORST NIGHTMARE!!! Scrumptious food at every corner and even if you don't see it, the aroma is tempting enough. I totally agree with Garfield.. diet is indeed a DIE with a T.. certainly a test of will-power or rather.. won't-power and using the mind over matter (in this case.. mind over body)! Imagine having roast beef while munching on watermelon.. maybe that honeydew resembles lemon chicken.. is that guava or tiger prawn??!! But NO tomatoes or bananas on the 1st day.. although they are both fruits.. and don't forget to drink at least 8 glasses of water for these 7 days...

Day 2: 1 Measly Potato, Vegetables and Water
Arrrgghhh!!! Felt a bit sick after a BIG 'breakfast'.. of boiled potato, spinach, lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower. Think my body was protesting vehemently against the sudden onslaught of barely familiar food.. and most certainly NEVER at breakfast??! Plus the fact I was a liittle over enthusiastic in adding salt and pepper.. hoping in vain to spice up the food. I toyed with the idea of chili or crushed peppers (from Pizza Hut) but I reckoned it probably won't sit too well in my already tormented stomach. I definitely preferred yester-month's menu.. bring on the Sausage McMuffin.. nasi lemak.. wan ton mee.. chee cheong fun.. laksa with egg and all.. ha ha ha! No surprises why I won't be watching Gournet Food Channels for the rest of the week...

Day 3: Fruits, Vegetables and Water
More rabbit food (as mum aptly describes it).. but surprisingly it wasn't half as bad today! Perhaps my body is accepting the detox process.. at least I hope so? I had turnip, chai sim, watermelon and honeydew.. quite yummy actually since they are my favourite food. So 3 down and 4 more days to go.. jia you!!!

Day 4: 8 Bananas and 3 Glasses of Milk (and Vegetable Soup)
This is the strangest part of the diet.. I was tempted to make my own banana smoothie but it's too much trouble for just 1 glass? Apparently the desire for sweets and sugar should be somewhat curbed after today. Great to be able to resist those macadamia chocolates.. I suppose?!!

Day 5: Rice and 6 Tomatoes
I decided to stick with the vegetarian version of this diet.. the non-vegetarian includes small portions of lean meat or cottage cheese with the 6 tomatoes. But what is a small portion? I may just end up over-zealously digging into the chicken or beef after 4 days on rodent food! You're advised to drink an extra 4 glasses of water to flush out the accumulated uric acid. Hmmm.. my stomach felt quite empty at night.. but maybe we're meant to sleep early while on this diet??!!

Day 6: Rice and Vegetables
It's back to vegetables again.. however, the non-vegetarian version allows you to eat meat to your heart's content! Maybe I will do that next time (if I EVER get around to it).. then, I can compare and see which plan suits me better.. ha ha ha! But I have to admit I did cheat a little today.. had a tiny morsel of chocolate cream cake (which was absolutely delicious) and 5 small sticks of french fries (almost heavenly)...

Day 7: Rice, Vegetables and Fruit Juice
So I made it! I am so looking forward to going back to the 'normal' diet again tomorrow.. but I will try to stay with the healthful food as much as possible so that all the effort of losing these 4 kgs won't go to waste! Fish soup and Yong Tau Foo.. here I come!!! Ha ha ha...

Nerf Guns And No Roses...

2009-11-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday Justin and Jared had a real blast at a Nerf gun war game which organised by their church friends for a post-exam de-stressing exercise. For the uninitiated, Nerf guns are fanciful-looking dart guns equipped with styrofoam bullets. They come in various designs.. hand-held.. pistol (6 bullets).. cartridge loading.. long-range shooter etc. The boys (obviously the girls were not very interested in such violence?) turned the table over on to their sides and used them as shields since they weren't allowed to dig trenches on the premises. So, if you get 'shot'.. you're supposed to be 'dead' and therefore can't operate a gun anymore. You may only assist your team mates to load bullets. The game ends only when a team gets all the members of the opposite team.. unless of course they decide to commit Kamikaze by running over to the enemy's camp. Jared got hit near his eye and made a smart move by using a pair of swimming goggles for protection.. he looked really cute popping up and down behind the table with these black rings around his eyes (not unlike a goldfish)! Needless to say. this was the precise reason I banned my boys from playing Nerf guns at home.. point proven.. signed.. sealed.. delivered!!!

God's Not Fair...

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

You never see able-bodied basketballers play against those in wheelchairs and in sports like golf, there is something called the 'handicap' in order to level out the playing field. But if you really think about it, is it really 'fair'? I mean who is to judge whether this guy was actually putting in his best effort or not? He could have gotten on the wrong side of the bed or maybe the wind was blowing the opposite direction? Communism tried and failed to bring about equality in society simply because 'a man's heart is deceitful about all things'.. and greed ultimately prevails despite the best humanistic effort to change that!

But God is JUST. So what's the difference between the two? Huge indeed! God holds us accountable for the things we already HAVE and not we DON'T have. If you don't have hands, He doesn't expect you to clap but you can jump for joy.. if you don't have a voice, He doesn't expect you to sing but rather be still and know that He is God.. If you don't have eyes, He still wants you to hear His words and obey them.. Basically God calls us to worship Him with ALL our heart, soul, strength and mind.. the 4 elements we need in order to live and survive.. no matter how much or little of each there may be...

Wealth:
The Bible has many comparisons between the rich and the poor.. Jesus Himself was born into a poor family at the stables.. a carpenter by trade and an itinerant preacher. His initial disciples were mostly poor and uneducated, with the exception of Matthew the tax collector and Paul perhaps? He said, 'The poor you will always have with you' (Matt26:11).. which meant there would always be a discrepancy in the distribution of wealth in the world. Jesus praised the poor widow who gave all she had albeit it was only 2 copper coins (Mrk12:41-44), while the rich folks gave out of their abundance (we're talking about percentages here.. 100% vs 1%?). In the end, the tables were turned in the case of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk16:19-31).. the former suffered briefly on earth but was comforted for eternity in heaven. The rich young ruler couldn't do Jesus asked of him (Lk18:18-30).. therefore, always REMEMBER that 'it's HARD for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven'...

Talents:
Does the Parable of the Talents (Matt25:14-30) mean that those who have more will be blessed with even more? 10 become 20, 5 become 10 but the 1 measly 'talent' becomes zero? If you think about it carefully, the ONE talent had the potential of becoming 2.. 4.. 8.. 16.. 32.. 64.. in due time IF it had been used instead of buried in the first place??? Ultimately, we will have to answer for every ability and every bit of wisdom and time God has given us..

Health:
This is probably the most difficult one cos it hits where it hurts.. literally. I wonder if I could remain strong like Job when his body was ravaged by disease, all his children died and he lost everything he had. Would I have faith like that of blind Bartimaeus (Mrk10:46-52) or the paralysed man's friends (Mrk2:1-12) and expect healing from God? I guess there are some things which will take a life time and beyond to understand? So if we ever were to ask God the question 'Why me?'.. be prepared to stand speechless before the Almighty when He answers us out of the storm.. 'Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations? Who marked off its dimensions? Have you ever given orders to the morning? Have you ever seen the gates of the shadow if death? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?' (Job38-41). I pray my response will be.. 'My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes' (Job42:1-6)...