To the lovely lady and gentleman who have helped me so much last night, thank you. I wouldn’t have known what to do or where to go had it not been for the two of you.
Thanks for caring and sacrificing your time to be present with me in my time of need. And for being God’s hands to me, making things lighter and bearable.
Thanks for everything.
:)
My mom got all excited when she saw this dish of a cat in the papers over the weekend.
Bless her heart, she thinks she has found the antidote to chase my occasional doldrums away.
"I’ve got a cat pic to show you. I think you’ll love it!" she said and flashed the page at me.
Now, I’ve seen my share of the cutest cats in town. So I wasn’t expecting much from the papers. But nothing prepared me for Ziggy who has the widest whitest face and odd coloured eyes. Coupled with that dour look on his face, he’s a darn irresistible cat! I melted. I think I must have looked positively sappy.
My mom was delighted at the immediate transformation. "Here, let me cut it out for you so that you can keep it."
My sis had other plans, "No, mom. You cut it out and keep it so that you can flash this pic to her whenever you want her to do something for you or agree with you on anything!"
All this time, I had no idea my sister was that cunning. Still, there’s really something special about that Ziggy.
The Faces of Malaysia… Hee!
“It must be difficult, to pray for the well-being of our country and at the back of our minds planning to migrate to another land,” said pastor HS during the prayer meeting yesterday.
I couldn’t agree more.
Not that I was not tempted with the thought of migrating to Australia some years back. I liked the country and there was a whole new chapter of life waiting for me there. But upon further consideration, I felt it wasn’t the time to do so and stayed on. I believe that I was born and bred here for a purpose and unless there’s a really compelling reason for God to transplant me elsewhere, this is where I’ll be for a long, long time to come.
Twinnie did a great post on her Malaysia. It’s truly written in the spirit of Muhibbah (unity). Reading it touches a chord in my heart. We get along so well even though we are from different backgrounds, color and creed. So much so that we think that everyone feels the same as we do. The recent scary speeches made in the UMNO general assembly was a sober reminder that there are still those who do not share our sentiments. It is heartening to note that action will be taken against those who aim to sow seeds of discord in our nation.
Now I can’t imagine living permanently anywhere else. For this is my Malaysia. This is the place that I call home.
Lazy, I’m so lazy
I don’t want to
Get out of bed… Meeeooooooow!
* sung to the tune of Mr. Lonely by Akon & The Blackeyed Peas
It was a wonderful weekend of just resting, reading, learning up on some software and generally, just bumming around. So, when the time came for me to go for the NECF Prayer Commission Thanksgiving Tea, I was so relunctant to crawl out of my cosy house.
But I gave my word that I’d be there and so, I said to God, “Ok, I’m going. I’m going. I know that something good is going to come out of this, either immediately or much later.”
And sure enough, I was so glad I went.
Firstly, the message that was given by Pastor HS hit me right in between the eyes. He was talking about Hannah’s prayer – how she used the pain in her life to be a passionate intercessor to turn around a seemingly impossible situation. Wow. It was something I really needed to hear because I had been looking at certain directions in life with a sense of despair and defeat.
Also, I bumped into some very dear and old friends whom I’ve not seen in years because we are in different churches. One of them was my spiritual mentor who held my hands and guided me in one of the most defining moments in my life.
Another person I met was someone I had come alongside with to help her in her journey and it’s just so amazing to see how joyful she is today.
And the third person I talked to was a lovely lady I met during the Father’s Love conference. Today, we had the opportunity to get to know each other better and it was such a joy to be able to connect with someone who has the same wavelength and like-mindedness. She was exactly the encourager I needed to rekindle the hope of not giving up and just settling for a mediocre life.
After she prayed for me, something prompted me to pray for her.
“Are there any concerns in your heart that I can pray for?” I asked.
She blinked in surprise. “Why, normally people don’t ask that from me nor have the time to draw out things from me. I’m so glad you asked!” We were amazed that God used us to meet each other’s need.
And what transpired after our meeting with each other was a deeper friendship. It was not a chance meeting, but rather a divine appointment.
I’m so so glad I dragged my lazy behind to this prayer hi-tea. I’m truly humbled and blessed by it all.
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Ever since I read the Narnian Chronicles, I’ve always wondered what honest-to-goodness Turkish Delight actually tastes like. I mean, they had to be rather fantastic and out-of-this-world to get naughty Edmund Pevensie to betray his siblings and friends the way that he did.
My longtime childhood question was answered not too long ago, when Ben brought a box of Turkish Delight to the office. A friend of his who actually went to Turkey got it for him. I had the honour of posing with the box before unwrapping it and sinking my teeth into the hopefully delicious contents.
This is me officially endorsing the food as being safe to eat. :
This is me looking ripped off because the content of the box did NOT match it’s cover image:
And to my utter disappointment, the Turkish Delight tasted sickeningly sweet – so sweet that it caused my molars to ache. It was also sticky and not at all appetising. Bleh. How Edmund Pevensie sold his soul for these I shall never know.
I am not alone.
After a not-so-hearty lunch, Sharon and I had some time to kill before our next appointment.
“That shop looks interesting. So many coffee machines and gizmos to check out,” said Sharon.
She need not say more. Our coffee loving selves naturally gravitated towards Etc, the shop for coffee fans at The Curve.
It was a truly delightful shop. Indeed there were many coffee makers on display – including gold plated and handcrafted Elektras that looked like exquisite works of art. A vivacious lady soon approached us. Maggie’s her name and coffee’s her game. She’s positively a fountain of knowledge when it comes to this oh-so-heavenly brew.
“Let me introduce you to one of the best coffee makers in town – Classic Gaggia. I think you’ll love what it can do for you. Here, let me make some coffee for the two of you.” Then she proceeded to fill the Gaggia’s water tank, firmly press the coffee powder into the filter head, placed two paper cups below the spouts, froth the milk, poured it into the coffee and served it to us – all in a matter of moments.
Sharon gulped hers down and was immediately floating in expresso heaven. I was more hesitant. “Errrr, do you have sugar?”
Maggie acted as if she never heard of that word before. “Sugar? Why do you need sugar?”
“Yeah, why do you need sugar for?” Sharon looked at me as if I had suddenly sprouted horns.
I stated the obvious, “To mix with my coffee.”
“No, you don’t need sugar,” Maggie said confidently. “It’ll taste great.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Well, ok. Here goes nothing,” I figured, it was a small cup – two gulps worth at most. It won’t kill me to finish that sans sugar. And I took the plunge.
“So, how does it taste like?” Maggie asked.
“It’s goooood! So so goood!” was all I could manage. The scintillating and rich taste of Coffex Coffee was swirling in my mouth. I couldn’t believe it. I actually enjoyed every single gulp! Never had coffee tasted so good!
“I have this theory that sugar actually detracts from truly enjoying the coffee experience,” Sharon said sagely.
If I wasn’t so satisfied with the sugarless Coffex experience, I would have gamefully swatted her arm or something. Suddenly I felt like a padawan in the presence of two Coffee Yodas. The thought was rather unsettling. But the knowledge that we gained through conversing with Maggie soon brushed away that niggling thought. Padawan or no, I was all too ready to be trained in the newly discovered joys of the true taste of coffee and the gleamingly efficient Gaggia coffee makers.
From Maggie, we learned that the best coffee beans and the best coffee maker work hand in hand to produce the best coffee. Taking only 20 seconds, the Gaggia produces the best taste at the quickest time, with the minimal amount of caffeine. If the coffee beans are left to brew for longer periods of time, the caffeine content is higher and it also becomes more acidic.
And espresso is best served and consumed immediately.
Before we knew it, two hours had flown by. We thanked Maggie who succeeded in making me dream of having my third baby – Baby Gaggia. Unfortunately, with two babies on my hands already, I have no room for more as yet. But I can always dream :)
I couldn’t figure out why but I’ve been battling with the hiccups ever since I caught that dratted cough bug. All that gas must have snucked in while I was coughing wildly away. And now, they are looking for a way to escape. As you all know, I cannot burp. And the trapped gas is too high up there to go out the other errr… end.
What’s a girl who hates hiccupping to do? Well, she basically tried all the following remedies:
Nothing worked. Only one thing remained to be done.
I got horizontal. As in laying on my comfy bed. And whooosh. The horrid, pain-racking hiccups were gone with the wind.
Now if only my office had a day bed. I’d be one happy camper.
I always thought the song ‘Never On A Sunday’ to be really weird. I mean, any day is a good day for kissing, so why not on a Sunday, hey? Had no idea that kissing is considered to be errr… work!
In my case, the song will probably be more like this. My friends have resigned to the fact that they can’t get me out on a Friday night:
Never On A Friday
Oh, you can see me on a Monday, a Monday,
A Monday is very very good
Or you can see me on a Tuesday, a Tuesday,
A Tuesday, in fact I wish you would
Or you can see me on a Wednesday, a Thursday,
A Saturday and Sunday is okay
But never ever on a Friday, a Friday,
A Friday, cause that’s my cell group day
Most anyday you can be my guest
Any day you say but my day of cell
Just name the day that you like the best
Only stay away on my day of cell
Oh, you can see me on a cool day, a hot day,
A wet day, which ever one you choose
Or try to see me on a grey day, a May day,
A pay day, and see if I refuse
And if you make it on a bleak day, a freak day,
Or a week day, well you can be my guest
But never ever on a Friday, a Friday,
The one day, I need to meet my cell
Just when I thought I was getting better from that horrid bout of cough, I was hit by a second wave of fever and chills yesterday. Came to work to settle a few things and then went straight back home. Slept the whole afternoon to this morning. When I woke up, the chills were gone but my head felt heavy and my mouth felt like it had cotton stuffed in it. And now I feel like throwing up. Bleh.
I sure hope there won’t be a 3rd wave.
The hint of the blue blue sky above was like glimpsing a piece of heaven
Was commissioned to snap some photos of a friend’s bed and breakfast – Blessings HomeStay. The peace and tranquility of the place greeted us as we stepped into the house for the first time.
Sounds of water gently circulating in the koi pond added to the ambiance
The house has a unique sense of antiquity and richness in heritage, and yet, the rooms are utterly cosy. I had fun snapping at some of the many knick-knacks contained therein.
And of course, since YM, my friend who owns the place is a whiz in cooking, the breakfast here is simply to die for. After the shoot ended, the foodies also ended where they belong – right in our tummy tum tums. Aaaaah, one of the reasons why I love photography :P
The heavenly pineapple crumble
For more information about board and lodging, head over to their website.