Bamboo Plant Snitched!

The Bamboo plant is my second favorite plant after the water lilies.

I was just staring at it today and saw it 'thinned-out'. Quite unusual. It used to be bushy-er.

This is how it looked now


This is how it looked previously

Guess the shock on my face when I saw 4 small little bamboo plants, across the fence.

Plant 1

Plant 2

Plant 3 and 4

Its common sense, even ethical, that when you take something, you gotta ask first. Its polite. Especially if you know it belongs to someone. Even if its borrowing. What more 'taking' without permission. I feel so violated!


Is this even allowed?


Is there nothing sacred?


Hmmmm.... Now, what would they think if I were to 'take' their bunch of bananas that is drooping over to this side of my fence?


Then again, its going to dirty my face if I stoop that low, to their level.

New Year Resolutions

After all the celebrations of Christmas and the new year, things are quiet.


Holidays are over.


Children back to school.


And the routines of life sets in.


"What's your new year resolutions?" An almost predictable question resounded everywhere. From TV, radio, newspaper, friends and even churches.


I used to do it. Write a list. I don't anymore.


Everyday is an opportunity to be resolute to change, live and fulfill that dream.


The big question is...


Which day in 2011 will be The Day?

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Till We Meet Again

I just heard the news that the friend whom I visited on Sunday had passed away.


Pastor Mark is home.


He is at a better place as of 9.30pm tonight. Left this journey on earth to start a new chapter in eternity with his Maker.


They say that place is a magnificent place. The "in" place to go after our expiration date on earth.

Rose (wife) & Pastor Mark

I am trying to imagine Pastor Mark having the time of his "new" life without the confine of a sick, aching and aging body. I am happy. But I am sad.


Such contradicting emotions.

Pastor Mark (in the middle) and all of us

When we were in the hospital on Sunday, Ethaniel said a beautiful prayer for Pastor Mark. He laid his small little hand on his frail hand. It was all about asking God to make him stronger, able to leave the hospital, feeling better and never sick again...


Was this an answer to his prayer?


By the way, Pastor Mark, I never really had a chance to Thank You for being a patient, kind and loving Shepherd. You alternated your role as a Pastor, counsellor, Shepherd and Boss. Your care and concern towards my family and I, has made an impact and helped in ways I am not able to articulate. Indeed, you have been a blessing.


P.S. Since you will not be able to visit me in my new house, I will visit you instead... In due time.... Till we meet again...

Please... Let it be

I was at the hospital today afternoon visiting someone. He is in a critical condition due to the late stages of cancer of the intestines.


I was quite overwhelmed with emotions.


The last time I saw him, a few months ago, he looked well and chirpy. But today. He was weak and unable to speak clearly.


I was overcome with sadness. Split between the feeling of wanting to cry and being brave. For his sake and the others around me.


When we arrived, there was already a crowd. Eventhough he was not very aware of his surroundings, I greeted him and he nodded. He knows me. I was happy, eventhough it was an awkward moment with more than 10 other people standing quietly and solemnly inside the hospital room and beside his bed.


The last time we spoke, he asked about my house and me. So, I really wanted to continue that conversation. I wanted to let him know that I have already received my house keys, I am a proud owner of the house, he and and his wife went over to pray for... I have also started renovation of the place and I wanted to show him the pictures of the progress.... I also wanted to invite him over to the house after we moved in....


And I did.


I told him about the house, how Joel & Ethaniel are doing in school and that I wanted him to visit us when he gets better.


"If God is willing", he said softly.


So, God... Are you?


Please... Let it be.

Changes

Today marks my last working day at my part-time job.


A sense of relieve.


But the next few months is going to see me busy buzzing around due to my house renovation, packing, moving and unpacking.


Such a hassle, honestly.


But I am so happy to be leaving this rented property to my own humble home. A small little house, I am looking forward to call home. Infact, everyone at home is looking forward to it. It was especially compounded when I caught another rat which sized like a little cat.


The next few months is going to see me through numerous changes.


Career change.


Face-lift for new house.


Moving house.


Enjoying a new house.


Maybe new job.


I should stop making too many changes within such a short period of time. Why should I get all the excitement, right?

Lagging Behind in Blogging

A type of poisonous jelly fish. It puffs up like a balloon. Found it on the beach along Batesman Bay, South Coast NSW, Australia (not related to this post :-)

I feel guilty.


And...


I feel bad.


Well, its regards to this blog. Unfortunately I have been neglecting it.


Joel, my Older Son, commented that I used to update my blog almost everyday... but now... far and wide the gap of the regularity of my blog posts. As a result, this-ardent-fan-of-my-blog a.k.a Joel, my Older Son, seldom visit.


Sigh.


I should try to write more. After all, both of them are off to school and I should have some time to myself... In theory that sounds nice, unfortunately, I have not had opportunities for a 2 hours massage, spa or facial. Hmm... could it be the huge hole their schooling are burning into my wallet hole. Could be. High possibility. Or is it that I just need some scapegoat for my lack of desire to pamper myself. Hmmm... I am thinking. No resolution.


I have sooooo many blog posts outstanding. My Australia trip. 19 days, only 1 post. So disappointing. Thailand trip. 11 days. Nobody knows. Haha. Have not even drafted 1 post! I am obviously lagging behind in the blogging world.


I will get down to all those post, I think. I just need to finish up some work piling up at my part time job. You know, the one I blogged about in April 09, you can read it here.


One thing is for sure... I am enjoying the pace of my life. It used to be hurried, haphazard, rushy, stressful, time management, time management and some more time management (which I was lousy at)... How does someone manage cleaning, housekeeping, cooking, marketing, running errands, laundry, going for bible studies, raising 2 active boys, homeschooling and working part time, all at the same time? *wipe sweat from forehead*


The answer is somewhere hidden with God.

You can help to ease their pain

On August 1, Gorja Pakistan Muslims burned down homes of 50 of Christians families. One family of 7 burned alive.

What happened in Gorja, Pakistan is a horrible tragedy. Seven lives were ended early when Muslim demonstrators lit forty Christian homes on fire. International Christian Concern wants to aide these victims by helping people like you send them letters of encouragement. Christians are poor and chastised in Muslim societies like the ones in Pakistan.

A fellow Christian can help lift the spirit of downtrodden brother or sister in Pakistin. Fill out the form below to send the families of Gorja some encouragement in this difficult time. Let them know they're not alone in their struggle to live as Christ wants us all to. A simple word of encouragement from.

Go to here to send a few words of encouragement.

These is run by International Christian Concern.

Thai Fair

Leaving Thailand after being there for the last 3 years has not been easy. We didn't anticipate it to be smooth sailing, anyway. Hoping it to be easy-peasy is definitely unrealistic.


One of the things which Joel misses, is the food. You know, my Son... The one whose heart can be touched via the stomach. It was by accident when I bumped into a Thai Fair at Kelana Jaya Giant Mall. They had Papaya Salad (Som Tum), Noodles (Tom Yum Gung),Thai Noodles (Khanom Chin) and sticky rice with mango.


Both Joel and Ethaniel had two bowls each!!! It was 3.30pm, they had lunch at 1.00pm. Don't ask me how they managed to down those noodles. But it was great to see the satisfied look on both of their faces!


Well, no matter what our heart's desires are, God never sees it as insignificant. He must have seen those cravings in my Son's stomach and provided for him... Just like how He provided manna for the children of Israel in the dessert.

A very familiar looking statute

It was great being able to order using my limited Thai language

Do you see joy or what?

Phew! The satisfied cravings will keep him happy for at least 3 months....

Guess Who Visited?

The trap was laid out at the back since 2 days ago. All I needed was some bread. I was wondering if it will work...


How I initially discovered the unwelcomed guest was.... It made a rude intrusion into the kitchen and made an even more abrupt get-away when I went downstairs to get some water. Oh no, another one. Eeewww... I hate pest!

Ethaniel and Joel proudly showing off "the hunted one"

I don't like pest but I have no fear of it or any qualms if I need to squash a huge cockroach, trap a rodent... incidentally, I have killed a rat with my bare hands. It was quite a traumatic experience. I had just wanted to stop it from going out through the hole but instead I suffocated the fella. My story, "The exciting life of a teenage girl".

BBQ rodent, anyone?

I honestly don't know who/what else will be making a visit soon. What is this? Why are there so many pest in this concrete jungle I stay in?


This Mummy job thingy is getting tougher by the minute.... Now, Pest Controller. Sigh.


BTW, we drowned the fella. No funeral. Good riddance.

What Will You Take?

"What will you take if our house is on fire?", asked Ethaniel.

"I don't know", says Me, obviously having a hard time deciding.

Ethaniel says, " I will take....

....my piggy bank

... my bolster


.... my pillow


.... my blanket

.... the laptop

.... the TV

.... the legos


..... my Hotwheel cars


..... my toys


.... Daddy's laptop


.... food


yada yada yada


yada yada yada


My, isn't that a whole lot of things to take in a fire?


*sigh*

Thank You, God

I would like to Thank God for the following....

1. I have internet!!!!
2. I am not missing Thai food, badly.
   
3. The children managed to trap a huge rodent which was eating my bananas, Maggi Mee, rice, etc. Drowned the fella too...
4. The new car arrived 2 days ago!
5. Before the new car arrived, Angeline, a friend so generously lent us her car.
6. The boxes are 80% unpacked.
7. The children are enjoying church.
8. The new neighbor moved in today. At least the children can now practice talking Bahasa Malaysia with them or the neighbors get to practice their English with us... Hmm...
9. Hubby enjoying his work.
10. Managed to catch up with our ex-cell group members.
11. It takes 10 mins to get to church. Yippee!
12. No Bangkok traffic jam!
13. I will be getting part-time jobs!
14. Managed to get domestic help once-a-week.
15. The Syabas (Water Works) contractor was so prompt in repairing the water pipes. I called in the evening and they were here early morning the next day. That's a miracle!
    
16. Enjoyed a family get-together on Saturday.
17. I can understand everybody around me and does not have to struggle to comprehend Thai.
18. There are many more homeschoolers in Malaysia.
19. My nephew, Timmy & niece, Stef came over for sleepover. Had heaps of fun with the boys.
    
20. I can eat Malaysian food everyday!!!

So, Thank You, God for a good start and looking forward to more things to be thankful for.

My Boring Daily Stuffs

Photo taken at Koh Tao Island in Thailand

I am not sure what happened to me but I had sore throat and my body ached for the last few days.


I was really tired... but still I had to fetch hubby to work every morning at 7.30am *wiping sweat off forehead* and will usually reach home by 9.30am. Then to pick him up at about 4.45pm to be able to get there on time and trying to beat the traffic.


Sometimes the traffic is amazingly clear and other days it's really congested!


I need to stay healthy, have got heaps of things to do before our goods arrive from Bangkok this coming weekend. Yippee! Can't wait to settle into our own home, again.


Hey, you Bangkokian friends who is reading this blog.... I miss you....

At Work, Again!

After being retrenched for a total of 4 months, hubby started work today. That is a whole quarter of a year!


We are currently without transport, so, my Mum has been kind enough to offer her car. So, I sent Hubby to work at around 7.30am. The traffic is bad! It took us 45 mins to reach the office and since we had 30 mins to spare, we had breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Roti canai and teh tarik. A common breakfast for Malaysians.


Hubby is excited to be working again. I am sure. Its strange to be on vacation for such a long period of time. Too much of something is never a good thing.


I cannot imagine what its like to be retired. Who came up with such a lousy idea? Have you ever thought about it?


My personal opinion is, we should have a job and enjoying life all at the same time. Yes, we work and then we also should have time off to enjoy life with the people we love. Rather than having such an unbalanced life of too much work or too much free time. And then do this for the rest of our lives.


I cannot imagine myself being "retired" and not having anything meaningful to do. It's too scary a thought.


Does the bible talk about being retired and not doing anything? Hmm.... not that I know. So, if its not biblical, who came up with the idea?


Anyone knows?


As far as I know, an idle mind is a devil's workshop.

We Arrived in Malaysia

We arrived in Malaysia at about 12am on Thursday and reached home almost 2am. That's what happens when you try to get a promotional rate via Airasia for THB299. Haha. For a family of four, it did not cost more than THB5,000 / RM500 for a one way trip to Kuala Lumpur. For the last 3 years, we have been on Thai Airways that Ethaniel (7+ years old) was so used to it. So, this little boy was expecting free drinks and food. Unlimited coca-cola, sprite and Pepsi. I told him that Airasia charge for their food. He frowned a little and said, "The other airplane gives free food." That happened when the Company paid.


With a wide smile on my face, I tried to explain to him that the cost of food has been incorporated into the flight ticket at Thai Airways. He seemed to understand but still not very pleased. Come on, you should be happy we don't have to take a 48 hours train / bus ride back to Malaysia.


We bought a bottle of mineral water for THB60/RM6 and since the Nasi Lemak was finished, the boys ordered a bowl of Maggi Noodles. Honestly, we had a full meal before boarding at the Foodcourt in the Suvarnabhumi Airport. Joel had 2 bowls of noodle, Ethaniel had 2 bowls of noodle plus some of my Deep Fried Som Tam. Where does all those food go? Or... Is plane food that yummy to children?


Our first day in Malaysia, we feasted on Nasi Lemak, Mee Goreng, Rojak, ice lemon tea (mamak style), teh tarik (tea), Milo ice (mamak style) and Maggi Mee Goreng. That was just brunch. Dinner we had black noodles, fried rice and hor fun.


It has been a feasting 2 weeks. Non-stop eating at farewells in Bangkok and then back to Malaysia, feasting again on Malaysian food. This time the craving for Malaysian food was not strong because its no rush. I am back to stay. I can take my time to eat all those food.


We visited our newly rented home. Its an old house which needed some touch-up. They were doing painting and polishing of the parquet flooring. After seeing it, Joel said, "It sure needs a good clean up!" It was dusty everywhere, the garden unkept and the back area had rusty fencing. But I am sure with some help from us, as a team, it will be as homely as can be. I like the location mostly. Its a 5-10 mins walk to a foodcourt, clinic, pharmacy, grocery shop, photocopy shop, photoshop, petrol station, hair cut and about 15 mins walk to a major shopping mall. This will be great as we are still looking for a car to purchase. The convenience will be a great help.


The children seems to be doing OK.


I am OK too. I have had 4 months to prepare to return to Malaysia, anyway.


But.


I had a very teary departure at the farewell given by Mary and then again when we left her home to head towards the Airport. It was very sad to leave such a good friend and all the good friends I had in Thailand.


I shall be back.

Tomorrow is the Day

My family and I are leaving Bangkok tomorrow.


It feels weird having a countdown... 2 more days... 1 more day... to leave.


Rather than thinking about all the things I will miss, I want to Thank God for all the things and people I have enjoyed throughout my stay in Thailand.


God has blessed me with so many good friends here.... and you are one of them.


One more day and I am leaving.....

It's a Miracle!!

Its a miracle!


Hubby just received his Offer Letter!!!! He has a job!!!


Yahoo!

Woo hoo!

Moo hoo!


So, looks like I can stop eating porridge with salted eggs everyday!


Eventhough the job that we initially had wanted were based in Bangkok but we believe that God has a plan for us to return to Malaysia. So, we are very glad to be going home to a job whilst I hear bad news everyday of Companies closing down.


I would like to Thank You to all of my families, friends, fellow bloggers and all of you out there who have been praying for us.


Thank you for all your kind wishes, caring notes and comments.


Things has been tough but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and its not a train.

Moving Back to Malaysia

We have decided to move back to Malaysia. It's a difficult decision but most practical and realistic.


That might probably be the next few weeks. So, I will not be able to update my blog as often as I would like. I have many things to do... sorting, packing, farewells, etc.


I will try to blog short post just to update you on my move and other stuffs.


The exact date to return to Malaysia is not confirmed because there are some things to sort out first and not exactly in a hurry, anyway.


To know the reason why we are returning to Malaysia click here and here.

Playing UNO

Note that everyone is in sweaters and jackets except Ethaniel who is just wearing a t-shirt and short. My goodness! He is generating heat all by himself! *shivering*


After an evening meeting the girls from the tribal village of Lahu came over to our small little house where we were to sleep for the night.


Ethaniel wanted to play UNO and I thought that it would be nice to include the girls. So, I taught them the game with my limited Thai language. They are fast learners!!


They picked up the game almost immediately. Everyone joined in the game, including Joel. Who won the game....

I was just thinking to myself... What do you know, introducing UNO game to a bunch of tribal girls in the middle of nowhere.... Really cool, eh? It is so cool that its freezing in this village...

Christmas Around the World

Ethaniel looking so cute in his Chinese costumes. He said that he looked u.g.l.y.
And all of us disagreed! Everybody thought that he looked so cute.

I am so proud of both of my children for participating in The Christmas Around the World play yesterday at church.


Actually, Ethaniel has been soooooooo shy about joining. Of course I was in shock and disbelief. He is usually the life-of-a-party boy. Often entertaining us. Surely this is a side of him I have not seen.


How does he become The Entertainer now and then The Shy Boy the next.


Of course, like any smart Mummy who-knows-her-son-best, I whipped out my tactic to get him to cooperate... a lot of threats (which did not work) and then ... one gum ball, one lollipop and a cup of Slurpee.


That did the job!


Since they did not attend most of the practices, they had minor roles but they still had a blast and it was a great experience.


(will post some more pictures later)

Condolence

I would like to send my deepest condolences to my Brother-in-Law for the passing on of his father *sigh*.


I have known Uncle Khoi since the day my Sister dated her boyfriend, now husband. That would have easily been 20+ years ago. I have seen him as a quiet, man-of-few-words, good provider, soft spoken and temper-less person.


He has been such a great Father and Husband. Its amazing to see how his family stands by his side throughout his long ordeal of sickness.


I guess, what you sow, you shall reap.


He was converted a few years ago to Christianity and I strongly believe that I shall meet him one day in Heaven.


May God bless you and your family at this very difficult time, Garrison.