Over half an hour ago, there was a great commotion in my house. My dad was yelling and my sisters were talking excitedly.
I was lying in bed during yet another electricity blackout in the last 15minutes, trying to go back to sleep amidst the loud storm outside. The rain was hitting hard against the roof and windows. The thunder and lightning were ferocious. And I was just thinking to myself, my this is the worst storm I've 'heard' in a long time... Did a flock of bird fly straight into the window?? Hmm... The screaming brought me to my feet and towards the voices. Just as I reached the door, I heard my sister yell "ICE" and my dad banged on my door. We gathered at my sheltered balcony and watched the rain.Ice stones were falling and bouncing of the roof tops.*gasp* It's a hail storm! Ice is falling from the sky!!
We couldn't believe our fortune of catching one in our lifetime. If you can see the video carefully, you can catch the ice stones bouncing off the roof. The video quality is not THAT good but you could see it.
My mom, who had just returned home, shouted from downstairs to see the porch. We raced downstairs (not literally), and saw our porch covered with ice stones. My mom who had just experienced driving in a hailstorm told us how scary it was - fearing that the stones would break the car windows.
Cool eh?? Here's a piece of ice I picked from the floor. The ice were melting fast on the ground. Can you imagine if this piece of ice were to hit you on the head? I mean it fell from so high up. The velocity of these ice stones could put you in the hospital.
I think my sister, Winne, took a picture of a much bigger stone. Lynne might put something up too, but when I posted this she hasn't.
Boss asked me to help find an old song to make an illustration. I've long forgotten how to download so I sought help from an old friend. I've never heard of the group The Stylistics before. They sound like a group from the hippies days, singing with high pitched voice like the Bee gees. Sounds so 'my parents era'.
But still, there's something bout those old songs. Cheesy to the core, shallow in nature, but gives you that goosebumps. Like this song - "I'm stone in love with you"
Honestly I don't even get the song. But when it goes "cause I'm stone in love with you...", you feel like you could just sing along and feel what the writer felt. Haha. I don't know if I make sense.
My first day back on the job after a long sick leave.
And I was greeted by a most beautiful sight. The floor was covered with fallen pink flowers. Ahhh... Is this how autumn look like? It is really sobeautiful. And this was right here in Agape. I stopped short to stare at the sight.
This picture was taken only after work, where half of the flowers had already been cleared up to make way on the road.
Reminds me of some sappy romantic story scene. (except for the banner at this point)
One night I was rushed to the hospital. I was shivering from fever, dehydrated from all the vomiting, and all the symptoms of a viral infection. But it was bad. I felt my body rebel from the bumps and sharp turns my dad was making. Trying not to throw up, I clenched my fists.
I had been unwell all day and figured that as usual, it'll probably go away with some much needed sleep. I even left choir early to sleep all afternoon. I was wrong. My fever escalated. Any food or drink I took only came right back out. It only got worst - I don't remember feeling so wrong. So there I was being diagnosed. The half hour I was there, my fever jumped higher and BP dropped and all that. The doc was ready admit me to put me on drip. I was too sick to have an opinion. My dad decline the offer and asked for an injection instead to stop the vomit.
Nurse: "Please pull down your pants" Me : What? Jabbing my butt? NO WAY!" But of course I was in no position to argue. *ouch*
Not long after that and after more consultation with my dad, I was again told to pull down my pants. She was going to stuff something up my ass to bring down the fever. WHAT!! Is there no other way? I'm not about to have anything forced into my... ouch!
After over an hour at the outpatient ward, I was sent home with specific instructions and a pack of medicine. But the jab worked. I was feeling well enough to eat and sleep properly. And here I am sitting here, short of the 24hours watch I was suppose to be on, feeling much better. Let's hope it stays that way. I don't wanna have a tube pushed into my veins for whatever reasons. Right now I can barely breathe from the extra amount of mucus I'm producing. This is a bad week to be sick, with my boss in operation. ____________________________________
After a quick bath, my fever escalated once again. And the night was hard battling the fever that peaked at 39Celsius. But it finally broke as at 4+am as the dawn was ushered in.
A visit to the family doctor revealed that it was simply a case of bad cold. (bad being an understatement) A blood test also revealed no signs of dengue. Thank God.
Yes, there is a difference between cold and flu. Flu has no cough and sore throat symptoms.
So here I'm sitting once again, hoping it'll all go away so that I can get back to my life.
The recent election is all anyone is talking about. The media is swarmed by the recent unexpected events in Malaysia. The world called it a Tsunami election when the nation chose a new government. The startling results of the election (where I voted in for the very first time) shocked the government and the voters alike. Suddenly noone knows how to react. Noone.
As the nation follows the new developments closely, you can too on MalaysiaKini
And I guess I don't need to add more about it. Every other blogger in the country has already talked about it. It's all anyone's talking about - young to old. Now we see some hints of a real democracy in the country (for the first time). Who knows what will befall us? The world is watching and excited to know... what now?
"We're not really born to be happy, we're really built to survive." Christopher Hsee, University of Chicago, American Psychology Association Newsletter.
The article started by asking 'why don't we know what makes us happy'. Yea, why don't we? Why is it we have to sit and actually wonder what fills our cup? Shouldn't we know? Perhaps many of us are soaked in a culture of work that has us forgetting ourselves. Some people want too much, some people give too much. Where is the balance?
I cannot buy into the statement that we are only built to survive. Life cannot be just about surviving. Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody wants a life that has a meaning beyond survival. It's not just about having a smile on our faces or having a life without any problem or difficulties. That's just being naive. Life has got to be for more!
It's as if saying that God never meant for us to be happy. It's as if saying that God is an evil being that laughs at the very thought of us little human in our miserable life. And we know that's not true. We know God loves us more than anything else He has created and wants the best for us. Maybe being happy is not the ultimatum or the end result. As I said, life's gotta be about more than that. But why is it so hard to believe that we can be happy? That it is allowed?
This is a story of something awesome that happened in my lil' ol' cell: RKYC! You guys rock!
It was free cell and we taught it'll be the perfect time to talk about the heart of worship. I was beginning to feel that we were forgetting what it meant to really worship - the freedom to worship, the attitude we should bring when we worship, the sacrifices and praise that we should bring - I was afraid the youth didn't know that it was not just emotions.
So after all the games and fun, Aaron shared about getting desperate before the Lord. And I encouraged participation, desperation, and hearts to be opened. (can't remember what i said though) But what took place was unexpected. As we worshipped with hearts open and longing for His presence, God's Spirit fell in the room. They got lost in worship, tears streaming down their faces, whispering prayers on their knees. When His people are desperate for Him, His spirit draws near. It was most precious.
When was the last time you tried verbalizing what you really felt to God - all the gratitude, all the hurts, the deepest emotions towards God... out loud. Your walls will fall, your hearts will be too full to describe. When we talk about the attitude of worship, we're talking about the very essence of what it is made of - our hearts responding to all that God is.
We got them to pray for each other - a most intimate and personal prayer. We got them to talk about what they felt when they worshiped or when God was moving. And the experience was just astounding.
Tell me, don't you feel like you miss those moments you spent in the sweet presence of God when nothing else mattered, when your soul was lifted and you felt the joy and freedom none else can give. Just sweet fellowship with God. Well it's not impossible. It can take place anywhere. Cos it's about YOUR attitude when you worship. YOUR response, desperation, attitude. Seek Him and you WILL find. Don't stop knocking that door. Get desperate. He's waiting.
For the past two weeks, EstherTC and I attended aBasic Counseling Skills Course at BCM in hopes to polish our counseling skills so that we might help those we so-call "counsel". None that I know of is official. I was pretty on fire for it until about the 3rd class. I began to have second and third thoughts. I wasn't sure if this is for me. Wasn't sure if I cared enough for people. It sounded too hard.
But nevertheless, we slogged through the ungodly hours, coffees, classes and assignments. I figured I might as well finish what I started. After which I will slowly consider if I'd want to take the entire diploma, which logically sounds about right. But an entire diploma sounds..... too tough right about now.
My faithful nescafe ice latte - without which I would not be awake those early mornings. The days in BCM did bring forth a sense of enlightenment, as I observed the life and people there - and noted that it is not as scary as I thought it would be. People are still people wherever you find them. I don't know where the fear came from. Perhaps it was a preconceive notion planted from somewhere. However, I will not attempt to speak falsely on God's anointed ones. I sorta enjoy myself but I will never dare go at it alone.
David's bday Ok. David decided to cook for us to celebrate his birthday (on Esther's birthday) which we looked forward to. It has been 3 yrs since we had a taste of his food. Did I mention he's a good chef? But it was a cozy little dinner with a few people - upon David's invite - where we ate till our stomach was going to explode.
Here's david still cooking, trying to turn on the oven, and finally got mommy's help:
Madam Kwan with Esther After class one day, EstherTC and I decided to head to megamall to find me a pair of silver earrings to test out a theory she had about my ears. Figured its worth checking out. We had lunch at the much-talked-about Madam Kwan's. Woh, a plate of nasi lemak was so expensive. But at least now I can say "been there, done that!"
Juliana's farewell Juliana - our Missionettes sponsor of young was about to marry and migrate. Or rather migrate and marry. The other girls of my bath could not make it to the farewell so I dutifully went. Of course I would go! It was far too long since we had a chat. And that nite we caught up on so many years. Some of the kids (her current Missionette's sutdents) were there as well. I could see in her eyes the emotions of having seen me grow up as I now see some of the kids grow up. Simply heart warming.
Life is all about the people in it, ain't it? What other reason can there be? Whether it be rekindling past ones, retaining present ones, building new bonds. People are what make life worth living. I know the classic answer should be "God". But even Jesus lived and died for people. And as we live this life, we live with that example - that what mattered to Him most, was people.
As I was preparing the sermon slides for pastor (as I'm accustomed to do), I came across something interesting. I'm not an avid fan of astronomy but I still find it fascinating enough. Enough to wonder at God's marvelous creation - the sun, and the stars that fills the universe.Google 'eye of God' and you will find the below image:
Eye of God - NGC 7293, the Helix Nebula
A website describes it this way: It's the closest planetary nebula to earth, "only" 650 light-years away, out toward the constellation Aquarius. Its "pupil" and corona are formed by fluorescing gases expelled from its imploding central star, which will finallly explode and die as a white dwarf. It was first caught by the Hubble Orbiting Space Telescope in 2003 and was originally discovered by Karl Ludwig Harding. Check it out on Wikipedia and be blown away. The "Eye of God" is also commonly known as the "Eye of Sauron" by some because it reminds some of Sauron's evil eye in the "Lord of the Rings" films.
It's CNY again and I will resist the temptation to go through the whole culture thing or the countdown. But every CNY is different from the last. And yes, we all do love Chinese New Years - for the family and friends, for the food, for the new dresses and deco, for the money.
I would write all about the 15days of new year. But that will take far too long and i'm far too lazy. It was fun hanging out with family whom we meet only like once a year, friends that get together to share some laughter and get fat. This year we opened our home to feed family and friends with our traditional "soh mee". There I was helping to cook and serve like a proper hostess. Now this is the awesome "soh mee".
Couple days later it was opened to the youth as we've started to do. Some days were boring, some days I don't even have time to sit. But that's CNY. =)
There's so many nice picswe took this year that captured the spirit of the week. But I can't put them all here. So below's the link:
Did you see Google this Valentine's? (their time, of course, not Malaysian time).
It is so heart warming. I like this idea of Valentines, where an old couple is seen still very much in love (as they once did when they first started). To imagine that love could last so long and still be so beautiful. Isn't that what we all really want? Not all the romance of today, but the warm love that has battered all kinds of storm?
I just realised I was tagged by Yew Fong at this post.
1. Each blogger must post these rules. 2.Each Blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. 4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged and read your blog. 8 random facts about me: (random means the first thing that comes to mind right?)
I generally don't like crowds. Lately I've been saying that a lot. Large large crowds tend to freak me.
I love to travel to visit places and still would like to have the opportunity to do so.
I've been telling myself I need to organize all 3 hard disk space of mine and do some "cleaning" in my computers but have yet to find the time. It's going to take MAJOR time.
I need to start being more discipline. I've been telling myself that since forever. But my life's getting ahead of me and i REALLY need to get to it.
There are two thing that are constantly and forever at the top of my head. One of which is Aspirers/youth.
I have sensitive skin. Don't have allergies but in it's own ways still sensitive.
I need 8 hours of sleep to be fully functional. Any less can be catastrophic in due time.
By now, I have already lost my attention span to think of another random fact.
Jason Gan was telling us about his band's dramatic experience recently while Nic Chin encouraged us to hear. It was one of those cop robber high speed car chase kinda thing that you see on TV. But this is real life. Read the full story here. Seriously read it. Joel Vijay narrated the written version just as animatedly.
The entire table was so captivated by his animated story telling skills. Not sure if we were stunned or amazed.
Speaking of which, the band spoken about is the fourletterstory in which 3 of its members are my ex-CF members. Proud to know a band? wohoo! They do gigs and recordings. Sounds like life in the limelight alright. Sample music on the blog itself. Feel free to browse.
Wahseh I'm promoting for you guys, you should give some fee wei.
It's been so very long since we met up with everyone. Part of me wonder if it'll be the same or will everyone just be obliging and polite. I was right in both aspects.
I think they tried to call everyone but finally with about 14 of us squeezing on 1 table, we had our chinese new year dinner in honour of Delia, whom had jus returned from the Land Down Under for a visit. Don't ask me how we did it. It was crowded but cozy. So here we are...
Joining us, was the brand new couple, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Loo.
It was like a superstar moment as everyone lingered outside the restaurant and taking pictures, not wanting to leave. Perhaps we were thinking the same thing: who knows when the next time will be?
Wohh this title sounds like I wanna talk bout sex! Yea that's the word that gets attention, right?
We had a workshop for the youth to talk all about sex. In the world that we live in, we cant escape or shelf that word any longer. Even more as Christians, subjects about it should not be treated with contempt. After all, they're getting a whole lot of it outside. And that is only skewing our minds with the wrong ideas, images, beliefs, and values about what God made beautiful in the very first place. There are so many rising issues these days, in a world where noone knows what is right and wrong anymore. In a world where children are not excluded from the terrors and evils of men. In respond to that, Aspirers decided to do something. We got amateurs to read up and talk to the youth. They were broken up in groups according to gender and age. We covered topics from biology parts to consequences of sex; contentedness to variations of sexual acts; masturbation to homosexuality; undergarments to testosterone; and so much more. And even after that we felt that there were so much more we could cover. Maybe next time we could call in professionals.
But I guess at the end of the day, it is our prayer that they'd learn something and hold it close to them. At the end of the day, they'd keep themselves pure and holy for the Lord their God. We may not know much but we're ready to learn up to be able to guide, admit we don't know and walk on this journey together with them. Life is a journey. And at least they know this is not something we keep under wraps and wont want to talk about. Cos like everything else, it's just another topic - a very real one.
It sounds more like KFC is getting desperate and running out of ideas. What has curry puff gotta do with chicken? To bank in on local delicacies like that. The nerve! Has anyone ever tried it though?
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On other news: Talk show house and stand up comedian Ellen Degeneres has been said to dethrone Oprah Winfrey as the most watched talk show in America.
I have great respect for Oprah and for she has done for her society. She uses her popularity and wealth to influence her society and make a difference. I don't know much of what Ellen has done to deserve to be the next big thing (youth probably) but she's got a lot to catch up with. Oprah, you still the best!
Was up in KL with Derrick and David to basically (finally) get the present I promised David last year. At the shop (name escapes me) while the guys were immerse in all the instruments and gears, I did the same. What else was there to do?
I came across this Hello Kitty guitar. How strange! I wonder who will buy it. A female rocker?
Met up with Selwyn later. I finally stepped foot into Pavilion for the first time. And the sight was an attention-stealer. The foyer had steps leading down into the center court. The decorations were all in place for chinese new year. Although the setting reminds me of the Gardens. Places for the upper class, you know? Not somewhere I can afford.
We visited Jessica at UH only the other day to see how she was doing. She had an operation on her knee area to remove her growth as well as fix her broken knee. I forgot exactly what the medical procedure was.
Her stitches were 7 or was it 9 inches long. Covered with staples and protected with a sheet of.. plastic?
Prayer request: Pray for speedy recovery. Doc says it'll take 3 months and painful physiotherapy of so till she is off her crutches.
Cool eh??
