CNY Lunch...

Today we had CNY lunch at YiHong's place, which is a shophouse. Her parents owned a medical hall within this shophouse. We had a delicious chinese lunch prepared by our main chef, Edmond Pak. We, the helpers helped to chop meat, to cut and peel the vegetables and fruits and to assist our chef to prepare braised chicken, Fu Rong egg, Bak kuh teh, Ma Po Toufu, stir-fried broccoli and carrots, and a non-chinese fruit salad. My favourite is the Ma Po Toufu!! Edmond, thanks for the great food. We are indeed blessed!

Yi Hong brought us around her house too. It was the first time I saw how life is like living in a shophouse. Not a typical home that most of us Singaporeans have.

Preparation of the food

Edmond can cook, so can you!!

Braised chicken...yummy!!

Food!!

Audrey

DJ, Mihai, Sidney's friend

Group photo..

Paul and Edmond

Samuel, Paul's son, the little star among us ;-)

We have a new guy at this medical hall...haha!!

We had a sumptous lunch together. After the lunch, some of us went to Orchard Cineleisure to watch Memoir of the Geisha. It's a so-so movie. The ending of the movie is quite abrupt. Several questions I had in my mind is whether the life of a geisha depicted in this story is real because this book is not written by a Japanese or even Asian. Neverthless, I think in different societies there are always some dark secrets behind the glorious fronts.

Another post on the CNY lunch by Anne.

Chinese New Year in Rome

CK shared how he celebrated CNY with Angelina and their friends in Rome.

Check the photos here.

28 Jan 06 - Labrador Park - Beach flea

I went to Labrador Park for a beach flea trip. I had vague idea of what this trip is all about as I never went on such trip before but I expected to see interesting marine life and hopefully some corals.

Initally when I reached the beach, I only saw seaweeds and more seaweeds. Was that all? Everything seemed still and not much life except the seaweeds. I thought to myself, "Alas! I think I could better spend my time somewhere else."

I continued walking along the rocky beach. Stopped and watched several times. Guess what I saw? When I remained still to observe things around, I really saw many lives!! hee..hee..I started to enjoy being still to observe.



Check out this video that I took. I was intrigued when I saw a leaf moving in the water when nothing else moved and there was no water current. I picked up the leaf and guess what I saw underneath it? Check it out yourself ;-)

More photos here.

Thank God I had a free ride home from Wai who stayed near my place and I reached home early for my family reunion dinner.

To all who celebrate Chinese New Year, I wish you and your family a blessed time together!!

Spent my day watching DVDs...

My friend kindly borrowed 3 DVDs from the library for me to watch. Of these 3 DVDs, I like the biography of the Pope the most, though it is a third person's account. The show was quite long and a bit boring but I still wanted to finish it. It is interesting to understand different world-views. Personally I think it helps me to be more open to things and people around me who have different values and practices from diverse culture and background, though I may not be agreeable to certain values and practices.

I remembered last year when I was in Rome, Pope John Paul II just passed away. I heard stories of people (Catholic or non-Catholic) queuing for long hours to view his body at the Vatican. His body was later buried at Vatican. A week later, I remembered seeing a lot of people visiting his tomb and some were crying and praying for him.

Some facts and opinions that I gleaned from the 3 hours of screening:
- Pope John Paul II was from Poland where conservative catholic practices are practised.
- Poland was under Nazi Occupation which was later overthrown and controlled by the USSR.
- Pope John Paul II was a key catalyst for the fall of communism in Poland and the Easten European countries which eventually led to the fall of USSR. The iron wall was broken down.
- He is a global spiritual leader and none has travelled so extensively like him. He has caused spiritual awakening.
- His leadership in the Catholic world was not that successful. Many Catholics all over the world are not agreeable to several policies that were rolled out by the Catholic church. For example, contraceptive or unnatural birth controls are not allowed even in areas where Aids are rampant, women are not allowed to be ordained as priests..etc.
- Some people are interviewed and commented that the Catholic church is authoritarian and that John Paul II opposed the authoritarian communist government in Poland but embraced it in the Catholic church.

No man is infallable and perfect.

After I finished watching this DVD, I was so tired...;p

A child is born..

Tze Yee and Irving just had their first child, Ashley on 23 Jan 06. PTL!!

I am always with you till the end of the age...

Something caught my eyes yesterday when I was reading my bible from Genesis 39:2, 21, 23. "The Lord was with Joseph..., the Lord was with him.., the Lord is with Joseph." I felt a sudden urge to pray to ask God to be with me as He did for Joseph and also for God to bless everything that I put my hands to do like what He did for Joseph.

Early next morning, I received an email from a sister from my CG. An extract from her email. I was very encouraged!! God's assurance to me that He is always to me ;-)

...I know we are all facing certain uncertainties.... I just want to share with you something very reassuring. It is very good for anyone who is venturing out into new arena, who is doing something new....

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

If we acknowledge Him, He will be with us. This message is repeated again and again these few days as I read the end of the book of Deuteronomy and the beginning of Joshua.

Before Moses' death, he assured Israel and Joshua about God's leading.

To Israel, Moses said, " Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

To Joshua, he said, "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deut 31:8

Joshua Chapter 1 : After Moses' death, Joshua was given this new task of leading Israel across Jordan. Tough. God had to assure Joshua three times, twice with "be strong and courageous" and once with "be strong and very courageous". God promised Joshua that as long as he kept the laws and decrees as instructed, he would be successful and prosperous.

I know that as long as in all my ways I acknowledge Him, He will make my paths straight.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

....Take care. The Lord is with you.

Loneliness is being unware of the ONE who is with us everywhere.

20 Jan 06 - Midco's birthday dinner..CG

This week has been a busy week for me. I was out almost every day meeting and catching up with friends.

I was invited to Midco's birthday dinner by her CG. It was really nice of them to do that. I was one of their surprise guests for Midco. She did not know that I will be there. We had Korean BBQ buffet. Not much of variety but I like their meat and vegetables. I cannot eat much as I get full easily. Neverthless it is good to get to know Midco's CG members more.

More photos here.

I left for my own CG after I had my fill of the food ;-) I had a good time with my CG and Irving's CG.

Dio e' sempre buono!!

19 Jan 06 - BHI..Met Joy..and the rest

It was really busy day for me. I left home in the late morning to meet PC's mother to collect something for her so that I can pass her stuff to Joy, an Italian, whom I will be meeting in the afternoon. After that I need to rush to Bugis to meet Lisa to pass her stuff back to her.

Something strange happened here at Bugis MRT. A girl approached me and told me that she was from BHI and told me that she is looking for new faces for advertisement placement. She asked for my contact number. I gave her. I called my brother and told him about this and asked him to find out what BHI is really about. He called back later and told me that it is a scam. This company is not really looking for new faces but out to cheat. Read this to find out more. Girls, please be careful when people approach you. There are quite a few of such bogus companies around, let's be discerning and careful.

Our national icon, the Merlion

Joy in front of the Esplanade, the 'durian'

I met Joy and brought her around at CityHall and then met Jay, Hwee Yee and Mihai in the evening at Chinatown. After our dinner, we walked around but it started to rain ;-( Thank God it was a brief shower.

At Chinatown

Fullerton Hotel

Mihai, Joy and I went to Clarke Quay for a drink by the Singapore River. It was a good time together. We practised speaking Italian together too..;-)

Jackie Pullinger ...Chasing the dragon

I happened to read about a testimony of an old man who used to be an ex-jailbird, a gangster and drug addict from The Sunday Times, 15 Jan 06 about how his life is cleaned up when he decided to go to Christian drug rehabilitation centre that Jackie Pullinger worked for and he thereafter decided to give his life to Jesus Christ.

Jackie Pullinger, an English missionary who went to Hong Kong to reach out to the prostitutes, drug addicts, gang and triads, and the poor at the Walled City, a lawless place infested with prostitutes and hardened criminals.

It's amazing how God's love touches one person who in turn touches many ;-)

Your Best Friend

Dogs apparently need no help lifting the spirits of lonely people.

A St Louis study has found that nursing home residents felt much less lonely after spending time alone with a dog than when other people joined in the visit.

"They were happier with the one-on-one...bonding with the animal. It suggests human interaction is not value-added and might be slightly detrimental."

..Sparky, a mixed breed dog..sits next to nursing home residents on their bed, listens to their stories and lets them groom it.

"He sits there very non-judgmental", she said.

"When they go to a nursing home, they lose all their possessions. They need to belong, love and be accepted. The dog gives unconditional love. They say the most incredible things in the presence of a dog."

- Extract from The Straits Times, Mind Your Body, 18 Jan 06.

Non-judgmental. How many times have we judge others on what they say and do before we really know the person and real issues? I have to confess that I judge others sometimes and I am learning not to be judgmental. Such preconcieved ideas we form before we really understand the issues will hinder open and deep communication. We may have good intention to help but what we do may cause others to withdraw instead.

Why would a person choose to talk to a dog instead of another person? Think about it.

We are social beings and we need to relate with people.

I like to talk to someone who will accept and love me for who I am. No pretension. I do not want you to help me problem solved everytime I tell you my problems. I just want to have a listening ear to hear my heart cry. Is that too hard to ask of you?

Let's learn to be a better friend to others. To seek to understand first before we speak anything.

Fame is surreal...

I quoted what Sharon Au said to Life! correspondent about her life as a MediaCorp artiste.

"The past 10 years as an artiste was fun, exciting, but surreal. Even when I won an award, it felt surreal. Fame is surreal," she muses.

"What else is there?" she askes. Then pauses, and adds with a smile:"There's nothing, really. Nothing that I held in the past 10 years was real, except money."

This is from the mouth of Sharon who is now studying in Japan under MediaCorp scholarship.

Everything is meaningless....What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?...there is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. - Ecclesisates 1.

If everything is meaningless, what's the point of doing what I am doing? Isn't it just like a dog chasing its own tail. A big question that I am asking is what is life really all about? We go through life like many. Work, eat, sleep, play...or maybe do some charity work.

"What is the purpose of life? What is my dream?" I ask myself several times. If we can make clear this big question in our personal life, we may find our destiny that we are longing for.

King Solomon had everything that most people want in his life : wealth, fame, women, power..etc, yet he still wrote in the book, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14,

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
God will bring every deed into judgement,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Ps PN shared this story about this fisherman and businessman. Read here.

To me, whether you are a fisherman or businessman if that's what you are called to do, just live your destiny!

Maksim..

A friend gave me CDs of Maksim. I like the classical music that he plays ;-)

He said,"I just want to reach as many people of all ages with classical music. That’s my dream."

Haha...I am inspired to be a pianist ;p

When I was young, I had a neighbour who owned a piano. I liked to go to her house to hear the classical pieces that she played. She taught me a little and I tried to play like her. My parents bought me a mini piano for children to play but it was non compared to the real one. I remembered when I was in New Zealand more than 7 years ago, a little girl whom I knew at farm stay taught me how to play a children song :-)

Yesterday during lunch, Timothy mentioned about the childhood of Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous pianist and composer. He had a violent father who forced him to play music. Well, sometimes when you are forced to do something, the outcome may turn out well ;p

Tag: Maksim, Pianist, Beethoven, Music

Are you a leader or manager?

I saw this article on The Straits Times on 11 Jan 06. It's a good read. Enjoy!

[Click on the image to read]

Tiramisu

I did Tiramisu again yesterday ;-) This time I think it tastes better. Not so sweet. More espresso and rum. Yummy!! It takes less than one hour to finish making it.

You can try it yourself. Check out the receipe below:

• 1 packagesof Lady finger cookies (Available at Cold Storage)
• 1 1/4 cup of espresso
• 1/4 cup of rum
• 5 eggs with egg yolks and egg white separated
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 /4 tsp. of Vanilla
• 250g of Mascarpone cheese (Available at Cold Storage)
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup of sweet cocoa powder
  
  Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 of the sugar until the mixture is thick enough to form a long ribbon when you lift the beaters. Add the Mascarpone and beat for 2 - 3 more minutes. Set aside.
  
  Beat the egg whites, adding the remaining sugar a bit at a time, until they form stiff peaks and have a glossy sheen, about four minutes. Gently fold the egg whites in the Mascarpone mixture, until the mixture is all the same colour.
  
  Add the chopped semisweet chocolate and gently fold it into the mixture.
  
  Mix the cold coffee and the liquer in a large bowl.
  
  In batches, dip the cookies in the coffee mixture. You want them to be moist on the outside but still crunchy inside.
  
  Layer the bottom of the pan with the soaked cookies. Top with a layer of the chocolate-Mascarpone mixture. Repeat the procedure to make one more layer.
  
  Using a flour sifter cover the top of the Tiramisu, sprinkle a thin layer of sweet cocoa powder.
  
  Place the Tiramisu in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 5 hours, better if overnight.

Climb Adventure

Hey if you are interested to learn rock climbing, you can check out Climb Adventure.

7 Jan 06 - Pulau Ubin, the granite island

When I woke up this morning, the sky was grey and cloudy.

"Would it rain again?", I thought to myself.

The weather in Singapore is wet these 2 weeks. It's not just a momentarily downpour but it rains throughout the days with occasional stops. It was the same today too.

ShuFen, Jacqueline and I decided to go ahead with our plan to Pulau Ubin despite the unpredicable weather.

Taken near the jetty. I think it's SIA plane ;-)

I was very surprised that it was ShuFen's maiden trip to Pulau Ubin!! Jacqueline had not been there for about 10 years. We went there together during our poly days with our poly mates.

It was drizzling when we reached Pulau Ubin. We went to the sensory trail and I shared with them as much as I remembered when I went for the public walk last year. After the walk there, the sky cleared and we were ready to cycle!!

We cycled to a Noordin beach and stopped to rest. We asked a guy to help us to take a photo of us together. Then later, the guy asked us whether his friends could borrow our bicycles to go to the shops at the jetty to buy some coffee as it is quite a long distance away. We agreed. They came back with a can of Pokka green tea for each one of us ;-)

We continued our ride and stopped at a hut when it started to pour again. Though the weather was wet, we enjoyed the time together talking about anything under the sun. We took pictures of each one's eyes too ;p Guess whose eye is who's?

We returned our bicycles and went to one of the stalls near the jetty for Thai coconuts. My favourite drink when I am at Pulau Ubin! We talked the lady boss there and we realized that the guys that bought us green tea bought his drinks there ;p

We will come again! I will definitely be back again! ;p

We went to Changi beach after that. It's just beside the Changi Village Jetty. I have been to Pulau Ubin several times but I have never been to Changi beach ;p It never cross my mind that I can visit this place..haha. Sometimes I am just like that ;p It was funny to see three ladies (I prefer to use ladies than women ;p) strolling in the rain with three umbrellas.

After a long day of 'hardwork", we were all tired and hungry. We went to the hawker centre nearby for dinner. All of us had malay food: Mee Soto, Nasi Lemak, Satay and Cockles.

More photos here.

Where it all began....

This is baby Dee when she is less than 1 year old. Isn't she adorable?? Taken in the 70s and it is a coloured photo ;-)

Recently, I learnt more about the history of Singapore and I am thankful for what the leaders during those days had done to make what Singapore is today. I don't know how Singapore would be like if there was no LKY and many others who had and have made an impact in the making of our nation.

A nation rises and falls on leadership. Let's continue to pray that the leadership in our nation will continue to be clean and strong, similarly in all level of leadership in the corporate,non-corporate organizations and our family.

We can look ahead when we know where we have come from.

May this 2006 be a great year for all. Happy New Year!!

Overview of World Religions

Albert shared with us this website on the Overview of World Religions.

For each religion, there is a flowchart to indicate the progress and formation of different religious groups within the branches of its religion. You can do comparative religious study if you want ;-)

I listen to Ravi Zacharias' Let my people think broadcast. I like his teachings as there is breath and depth in his teachings which open my eyes to see and understand many things. You can check it out yourself too!!

These 2 topics are good.

• Uniquenes s of Christ in world religions (1) (2)
• Uniqueness of Christ in history (1) (2)

Teh Tarik is bad for health

Dear Teh Tarik lovers, please refrain from drinking too much of this drink that has very high sugar content that comes from condensed milk.

I used to drink Teh Tarik quite often but now thank God I don't really drink anymore ;-) Plain water or "sky juice" is my favourite drink now.

"The number of stroke prone Malaysians is growing and their ages are getting younger, all because of their love for teh tarik and meat, warned a doctor." - The Straits Times, 4 Jan 2006.

Safe in a Crazy World

KK introduced Corrine May's website and songs to me.

Listen to her songs here. Good music.

War of the Roses

"War of the Roses"? What's that? Well, it's a German magazine whose target audience is the divorced. Never heard that such catergory of magazines exists until I read The Strait Times and Los Angeles Times.

In Europe and US, the divorce rate is about 50%. Wow! Quite a significant percent. No wonder most of the people in Europe do not believe in marriage anymore. Similarly in Singapore, divorce rate is climbing. People just move on the new relationships after the feelings for their partners wane and they need fresh excitement. Is love just a feeling without commitment?

I think we live in a mess-up world. People do things as they see fit. The society tells us a lot of the deep seated social problems that cannot be solved by economic progress. A modern society that has well-developed infrastructure, technology, and educational system does not stop all the divorce rate from going down. What's the real problem? Are we the problem?

This year, a few of my friends are getting married ;-) Before that, they went through marriage counselling course to discover more about themselves and their partners. It's always a joy to see couples coming together. The bride walking down the aisle to her groom. It's so 'magical' ;-p Can life be happily ever after? Wedding is a day affair but marriage is the beginning of the couple's lives together. It can be filled with love, joy, pain and angst. If both parties are determined to make this marriage works and to grow together as a couple, divorce will not an issue as it is never in their 'dictionary'. Commitment is hard and heart-work.

'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." - Matthew 19:5-6

Hee..hee...from the point of view of a single ;p

I happened to find this post about marriage, $, standard of living.

Food and more food....

Yi Hong cooked for the caregroup (CG) on 30 Dec 05 at her place. Our last meal together in 2005 ;-) Good food. I like the chicken wings the best. Yummy!!

La Mian at Imperial Chinese Restaurant

Dee, Jac, ShuFen

Yesterday, I had chinese food at Marina Square together with Jacqueline, who just came back from US, and ShuFen, both my ex-poly classmates. It was a good time catching up with one another. I have not been to Marina Square for a long time and it has really changed a lot. The range of stuff that can be found there are much more interesting now!