Summer Recess is Over - Part 2

Ok...ok, I am really neglecting my blog. Sorry about that folks. So, to quickly summarise the summer (haha!)and a bit of autumn, the following are what we have been up to in brief:

May
Two of my aunties (one from Vancouver and the other from Malaysia) were visiting with me. They were touring on their own for most of the time. However, they also managed to stay a few days with us between their mini trips during the months. We managed to bring them for a flying visit to the Lake District for a very short visit. Also managed to visit Lancaster and caught with some very good friends of mine, Jayne and Andy and their beautiful daughter Josephine. We also made a nostalgic visit to our former house. Kept making wrong turns as I had forgotten my way - duh! Hey! It has been 6 years since we left OK?

June
Went for conferences in Cambridge and Monk Fryston, Yorkshire.

Went down to the Canadian Embassy in London to get my visitor's visa. A pain in the neck...but what to do? I am still loyally hanging on to my Malaysia passsport. So, every now and then have to jump thru' some hoops. But what the heck...I don't understand why Malaysians also have to apply for visa to go to Canada. Aren't we suppose to be members of the Commonwealth? Mahathir Mohammed was right on the spot when he said that the "Commonwealth is where the wealth is not common".

July

My wife and daughter went to visit my aunt in Vancouver. I joined them in the third week. Had a great time. Managed to go up to Whistler Mountain. Absolutely amazing views. Will definitely have to go back there for the skiing in the future. Canada is such a huge country. I think that to really visit the country properly, one would have to get a mobile home and tour it for a couple of months at least. Another highlight was getting to meet so many of my relatives there. I can't believe that I had not met the majority of them before in my life!

August

Elected Vice Chairman of my department. Err! Guess, I'd better start behaving myself.

September

Went back to Lancaster for the christening of my goddaughter, Josephine. Thanks for asking me to be her godfather Jayne and Andy. It's such an honour!

Went for conferences in Blackpool and Manchester.

Oh yes! How can I forget! My little girl starts school this month. She looks all grown up in her uniform.

October
Going for an international conference in the place that is famous for the song ...."I left my heart in ___________ (fill in the blanks)" Yesssssssssssssss!!

Summer Recess is Over - Part 1

Hi folks! I'm back. I hope all of you had a great summer. It has been a very busy summer for me, and hence, my prolonged absence from my own blog. The first autumn leaves in my garden are starting to turn golden brown and also gently falling to the ground. So, as we are preparing to start off another new season, I thought perhaps I should bring you all up to date what we have been through in the summer. However, before that, I would like to reflect on the song that we sang in church yesterday:

"Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know that I am God."

For those of you who are Christians, you would know where I am coming from. In all the hustle and bustle of our lives, it is important sometimes to stay still and meditate on God and His Greatness.

Well, the highlight of my summer is to see how my little girl has grown. In the last couple of months, she has grown incredibly close to me. From the moment she opens her eyes in the morning, till the time she sleeps at night, she would want to spend her every awake moments with me; that is if I am at home and not working. She would only allow me to wash and dress her, make her milk for her and feed her etc..etc.. As many nights of the week as possible, I would try to get home early so that I can put her to bed and also read to her. Currently, we are going through the The Complete Winnie the Pooh series together. She took me by surprise yesterday. At the end of our reading, she put her hands together and spontaneous said a prayer out loud by herself. It went something like this:

"Dear God,
Thank you for today. Please don't let papa and I have bad dreams tonight....(She
paused and turned to me and asked," Are you working tomorrow? To which, I answered, "Yes". She then continued...)Please bring papa home early tomorrow, because I want to hug and kiss him".

It turned out that she had been taught how to pray at Sunday School that morning. It warms my heart that not only is she growing physically; she is also maturing mentally. Just to illustrate, the following conversation took place just a couple of weeks ago:

She was trying to find some of her favourite clothes to wear, but could fine none as they were all being washed.

Me: "Why don't you ask mummy to buy some more clothes for you the next time you go out shopping with her?"

Elly: "But, what if we spend all your money?"

Me: "Don't you worry Elly, papa will just go out to work and earn more"

Elly: "But I don't want you to go out to work. I want you to stay at home with me everyday. It's OK papa, I won't spend your money."

Me : ....speechless...

Elly: "Make sure you don't give mummy too much money to spend."

Me: Hahaha!


Well,these moments with my child mean the world to me. I will cherish them for years to come. It has indeed been a memorable summer. Will write more about it later.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So, my wife and daughter had rejected my offer of a couple of weeks caravan holiday in the UK. Can't blame them as there is a flood warning again this weekend. Indeed, some areas in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire are already flooded.

So, they finally flew off to Vancouver earlier today. Latest report from my aunt (hello...Tua Kor!) from Vancouver is that the weather there is absolutely fab....about 39 degrees Celcius! Wow! That is hot. So, I told my little girl,"you'd better not bring the British floods there". So, how come I haven't gone with them, you might ask. Well, I can't afford to take 3 weeks off work. Also, this was initially part of a secret plan for me to indulge in my underwater passion for a week in the Red Sea, while they are away. Anyhow, guilt got the greater of me and I will be flying out to join them for the last week there. Sigh! Life is so much easier without conscience.

So, I asked my little girl if she would miss her papa, as she would not be seeing him for TWO WHOLE WEEK. She said, "No" ( and I was like...huh?),.........."because you are in my heart" ( everyone say aaaaaahh!). With answers like these from a four year old, how can I ever say no to any of her future requests? Hmmmmm! My wallet is hurting already........

Blog Rating

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

OK....it's official! This blog is clean! No filth, obscenities, nudity (sorry gals, I'm keeping my kit on..), gambling, human trafficking, wife-beating, free cannabis...etc..etc...

But, if you want to go on reading this blog..........please get your mummies and daddies to sit beside you, .....it's PARENTAL GUIDANCE only, ok?

Foundation of My Hope

Another song that I came across recently that describes so aptly the foundation of my faith:

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When tears are stilled, when strivings ceased
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.


In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fulness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.


There in the ground his body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave he rose again,
And as he stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am his and he is mine-
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.


No guilt in life, no fear in death,
There is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand.
Till he returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

(Keith Getty & Stuart Townend; 2001 Thankyou Music)

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In today's modern age of technology and information, the gospel truth may seemed old fashioned or out of time. We are proud in our own ability and almost everything is at our finger tips, or rather at the mouse's click. If you need a holiday, a flight, a hotel or even food shopping,....just google it. If you need to know about any piece of trivia info, just look up wikipedia. Google Earth has even allowed us to zoom in to an area of interest. Nothing is impossible. Interestingly, I found out today that the meaning of the name of Lucifer means "I will". The fall of Lucifer, God's most beautiful angel was his pride. He thought he could be like God. Has our pride in our own "intelligence" caused us to reject the Deity of Christ? We may not think that we are God, but is it now fashionable to say that Christ was just a man? Are we not as guilty as Lucifer?

And yet, we have never needed Christ more. We are wealthier ( and not necessarily healthier), and better off in virtually every area of our life; and yet society is further than ever from God. As for me, the words of another song sums it up, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand".

Trickiest Task

Once a week, it is my turn to get my daughter ready in the morning and send her to the nursery school. I usually get her up at 7am, and give myself an hour to do everything before we head out the door. After I get her to the school, I would then have to head off to work. As any parent (usually mum) can testify, this is probably the most hectic time of the day. Add to that, the pressure of getting to work on time; this can turn the hour into an absolutely manic time.

So, how do I do it? First of all, I would get her up and plump her straight in front of the TV. Bad habit I know, but this is my way of expediting things. Then I would proceed to make her the milk (she takes a special milk formulation), and also give her a bowl of rice krispies. While she is having her breakfast, I would dash upstairs to wash myself and get ready. After that, I would proceed to give her a body wipe and change her. Yep..right in front of the telly. Then, I would get her to brush her teeth in the downstairs toilet. After that, I would try my best to tie her hair. I find that this is the trickiest part of the morning. It would take me multiple attempts before I get it right. First of all, I would have to comb her hair. Then I have to divide her hair in the center on the back, as I want to tie it into 2 equal pony tails. So, symmetry is very important. I would then proceed to tie one pony tail at a time. This is made all the more harder every time she moves her head. She just can't stop wriggling about. So, with one eye on the clock,this can sometimes be a frustrating task. However, perseverance usually trimphs and wah lah...the result as you can see on the photo above. Not bad, huh?

MeMe

Oh...oh...PreciousPearl from the Kingdom of Goats tagged me for this meme! Sorry it took so long to comply, but here goes:


FANTASTIC FOUR

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Helped my mum in direct selling..vitamins, Amway, light bulbs etc..err, I was the driver
2. Kitchen help in Chinese takeaway in Ireland...learnt how to peel prawn with 2 stroke / peel technique
3. Gassing people ( for free)
4. Gassing people (for money...hehe)

Four places I have lived:
1. Sitiawan, Perak, Malaysia
2. Big Mountain Leg (you can translate it to either Mandarin or Hokkien), Malaysia..haha, anyone know this place, please write it in the comment box.
3. Haverfordwest, Wales.
4. The Red Rose County (where is it?), UK

Four Places I have been on vacation:
1. I have swam (three times) where Moses walked.
2. Vienna
3. Prague
4. City where Sears Tower is located.

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Char Koay Teow
2. Curry Noodles
3. Nasi Lemak
4. Rice...yes, even if its just with soya sauce!

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. 50 metre u/w with The Rondo Wreck, off Oban, Scotland
2. 30 metre u/w with my "cousins" in Layang-layang, Malaysia
3. Drifting u/w in Nusa Penida, Bali
4. Peering thru' St. Pauls Cave in Ras Mohammed, Egypt.

Other species to tag:
1. Fiery Dragon
2. Talented MusicMan