I'm humbled .... and excited too.

Things are happening.... God is moving... and just by reflecting on what has happened in the past few days, I'm humbled by Him. Thank you Lord, and keep me abiding in you.

Let your blessings continue to flood through.

I got tagged.....

someone tagged me so here goes. But the disclaimer first. *All answers given are purely for the tag purposes and in no way represent the true nature of the answeror and should not be used against him/her for whatever purpose you might think of.*

1. Are your parents married or divorced? married.
2. Are you a vegetarian? Nope
3. Do you believe in Heaven? Definitely Yes
4. Have you ever come close to dying? Met with accident a few times but my time is not up yet.
5. What jewellery do you wear 24/7? None
6. Favourite time of day? lunch time and dinner time.
7. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Yes
8. Do you wear makeup? Why should I... handsome already like Osama bin Laden
9. Ever have plastic surgery? No but I once got my finger burnt with melting plastic.
11. What do you wear to bed? blankets and pillows.
12. Have you ever done anything illegal? I think so but fortunately didn't get caught.
13. Can you roll your tongue? Yes.
14. Do you tweeze your eyebrows? huh???
15. What kind of sneakers? Wear none,
16.Do you believe in Abortions? No.
17. What is your Hair color? black and a few strands of white
18. Future child’s name? Ask me in 2 years time.
19. Do you snore? I don't think so but my wife might differ.
20. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? My own world.
21. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No.
22. If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Check whether the money is in the bank or not.
23. Gold or silver? Neither but the power of Christ, says Peter.
24. Hamburger or hot dog? Both also can
25. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Rice with sambal
26. City, beach or country? Country.
27. What was the last thing you touched? Keyboard
28. Where did you eat last? Chocolate wafer at the shop.
29. When’s the last time you cried? Can't remember. Maybe when I watched sad movies.
30. Do you read blogs? Yes.
31. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? Nope, no, no, no.
32. Ever been involved with the police? Yes, when they summon me.
33. What’s your favourite shampoo conditioner and soap? Maybe Kao Merit
34. Do you talk in your sleep? Don't know... I was sleeping.
35. Ocean or pool? To do what....fishing -ocean, peeing-pool.
36. So, who has the original missing questions? Where is question No.10?
37. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend? My wife... don't want to commit adultery lah.
38. Window seat or aisle? Window.
39. Ever met anyone famous? Yes, the King of Kings
40. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life? Success in who's eyes...
41. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl.
42. Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? Neither.
43. Basketball or Football? Football/soccer.
44. How long do your showers last? 10mins.
45. Automatic or do you drive a stick? Manual.
46. Cake or ice cream? Ice cream.
47. Are you self-conscious? Yes and sometimes who cares.
48. Have you ever drank so much you threw up? Nope.
49. Have you ever given money to a beggar? Yes.
50. Have you been in love? Of course and am still growing in love.
51. Where do you wish you were? No wish.
52. Are you wearing socks? No.
53. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No
54. Can you tango? No.
55. Last gift you received? Dried flowers from my two girls.
56. Last sport you played? Tchoukball.
57. Things you spend a lot of money on? No money to spend.
58. Where do you live? Malacca
59. Where were you born? Malacca
60. Last wedding attended? Sept 17, 2006
61. Spit or swallow? Not applicable last. I wish she would swallow... hehehe.
62. Favorite position? Email me and I'll tell.
63. Most hated food(s)? None
64. What’s your least fav.? Don't know
65. Can you sing? Can... but whether nice to hear or not, I don't know.
66. Last person you instant messaged? Can't remember.
67. Last place you went on holiday? PD.
68. Favourite regular drink? Plain water.
69. Current Song? Amazing Grace
70. Tag 3 friends: sorry, don't like tagging.

Love is in the air....

Everytime people talked about love and flowers, I was reminded of my wife and her language of love. On our wedding registration day, I bought a bouquet of red roses and gave it to her. She refused to accept it, saying that it is a waste of money. Imagine that.... a girl... on her wedding registration day... dressed beautifully... about to officially legally be married... refused to accept a nice beautiful bouquet of red roses. That's something that I definitely won't forget. And she's now my wife and she still don't really like flowers.

I guess not many girls are like my wife in this matter. Most girls will be ooing when receiving a bouquet from their loved ones. Well guys, if ever you want to send flowers to your sweetheart, please make sure what type of flowers, the color etc that she likes. Red roses will be the safest choice if you want to show your love.

And if you're far from your loved ones, do consider Dot Flowers. Browse through the selections that they can offer. They offer fabulous flower gift ideas that will be sent on the same day. If you want the flowers to be directly from the grower's farms check out the Field Fresh offer. And if you are looking for gift baskets online, Dot Flowers have wide selection of gourmet treats that will please your eyes.

You can even order cookies and snacks to go together with the flowers. February is coming and Valentine Day is a good time to send valentines day gifts. May the gifts that you send represents you both personally and professionally, being able to portray a wonderful true impression of who you really are.

If you don't know who to sent to, do send it to me.... only if I live in the United States.

Thank God for that...

hehehe... now its 12.49am and I'm not sleepy yet. Thank God for that.

Had enough nap time in the afternoon. Slept when the children are sleeping. Barnabas slept for half an hour and then woke up. Patted him on the back and he slept again for another half an hour. So all together I had about 1 hour of nap time. That's enough to catch up on my sleep. Which is good for me coz I'll not be grumpy at work.

Then in the evening, Bro Andrew and family came after attended a wedding lunch. That's good for Annabelle and Clarissa as they enjoyed having their cousins coming over and play with them. Bro Daniel also came and had a time of chit-chat. Bro Cheng also dropped by for a while.

Took dinner before going to work. M cook sambal prawns and vegetables. It was delicious though some of the prawns are not so fresh. Thank God for that.

Body still aching....

my arms are aching.... since Wednesday Tchoukball training. During the training, we had a "challenge" to all the players. If the striker manage to get a point, the defense team will do the push-up. If they failed, they will instead do the push-up. It was fun training that way. Makes the player concentrates more and try to do their best. They even get the chance to decide how many push-up to "bet".

So in the end everybody had to do push-ups. I think I had to do for a total of more than 100 push-ups. That's why my old body is still aching until now. It's fun and enjoyable to train that way.

Gain higher profit

Whenever I ask my wife when she arrived home from office about her work, she always say that there is nothing much to do in the office coz business is slow. Due to that company is not making much profit and she worries that she won't get any bonus this year.

I think her company need to consider IT value management. Where it can help improve profitability, supply chain efficiencies, cost allocation and cost reduction. Acorn System provides this service.

From what I read, Acorn Systems enables companies to achieve their performance management objectives, by providing the foundation for sound decision making. They can give accurate, dynamic cost/profit analytics and metrics that are easy to maintain and highly scalable to support the largest enterprises. Their solutions enable companies to confidently measure, optimize and predict costs, net operating profits, EVA, capacity and resources at any level of granularity such as by customer, supplier, product, facility, transaction and more.

I'm sleepy

the night came and pass by. Now its morning, 1.53am. And I'm sleepy. Not enough sleep yesterday.

The possible tenant didn't turn up. Don't know why. And I'm not bothered even. I guess I'm getting used to the idea that most people don't keep their promises. If I want to be angry, maybe I should say the sentence my customer always say, "What the heck...".

My eyes are heavy right now. I'm sleepy. Just wish that the 2 remaining customers would just stop and go back. Then I can go to sleep. I'm sleepy.

God's blessing...tenants.

Richard call at 2pm while I wanted to take a nap. He's already at Melaka Sentral. Earlier he told me that he'll be arriving at around 4pm only and that he'll call before leaving KL. Quickly eat my lunch and then drove to Melaka Sentral.

Found him, carrying his baggage. Brought him to the shop to photostat his passport and student card for the tenancy agreement. Then brought him to M's apartment. After discussing with Wathusa about the items they need and what we can offer based on the rental price, finally they agreed to rent the apartment. They can only pay part of the deposit as the money they expected from the Botswana government has yet to arrive. Richard has attended Grace Assembly, pastored by Rev. Henry Ramaya.

Thank God for taking care of M's apartment.

Tonight, there is another possible tenant, a tenant for my shop. May my God opens wide the door of blessings. Let Your blessings flood through O Lord.

Going vacations...

Now almost any information can be found in the net. And what better ways to find out about the place you want to go than the net. However, some vacation websites are poorly designed that it is more of a chore to find information from them. One exception is Vacations.net. Browsing through Vacations.net is easy and hassle-free. Just type in the place that you want to go and the website will bring to you all the resorts available in that place. And the pictures shown can really entice you to immediately decide to go vacationing. Further information about the country, people, cultures, history and activities give a better perspective of what to expect.

Once you have decided to go you can book a resort online. Find out more about the offers and promotions that they give. Why spend more when you can get discount. Check out their value added packages on Dominican Republic vacation. If it is meant for me to go, one day I’ll go.

Another window opening.... again.

the teaching course opportunity that seems closed is beginning to open again. Somebody is interested to come out the capital to pay for the cost to organize it. I'm sure he is more of wanting to help out besides getting better returns for his money. Told him about the period of payment by the government which will take at least 3 months ... or could be longer. I think he knows more about dealings with government than me. I was kinda worried whether the government will pay or not. Even now I still haven't received the payment for my teaching stint at the National Service Camp last year. If simple payment also very difficult to get, what more bigger project like this.

To cut the story short, I asked him to pray about it and if he really is interested in me applying for the tender, then he'll let me know. It ends in a positive mood.

What the heck...

sometimes life is full of problems.... not that we want it to happen or appear. But some problems we can avoid it from happening. Or instead of avoiding it, we can face it and come out strong or defeated. The choice is ours to take.

What the heck... why am I writing this. Oh ya... a customer of mine said the above.
His friend is talking on the phone with a girl, who is a girlfriend of another friend of theirs. What the heck.... BGR problems... lazy lah to think about this. Gone past that era already.

by the way... "What the heck" is the sentence this customer of mine likes to say.

Buying a Condo

After I graduated from varsity and got a job in the legal firm, I planned to get myself a house. And one of the choice available is to buy a condominium. Basically when you stay in a condominium, you have many facilities that you can use within the condo area. One way to find out about a certain condo is to go to the actual building and find out the contacts of the developer or the sales agent.

Now there is this online service made available by CondoCompany.com called CondoList. If you want to search about various condominiums in your area, this is the site to look for. No matter what your needs are, whether you want to buy or rent or even sell a condominium, the site program can help you do it. This site offers their services not just to the buyers but also to Realtors, Owners, and Developers. However, the only limitation is that the service specialize on condominiums located in Boston only. So, if you are in Boston and thinking about buying or selling a condominium, this site is the site for you.

One interesting program worth mentioning is the "Building Specialists". A building specialist is a real estate agent who specializes in a particular condo building, generally luxury high rise condos. If you are really rich and wants a Boston Condos, check out the website.

Window of blessings

Indeed God has opened another window of blessings. Last nite, one of my regular customer Aliee approached me and asked me whether I still interested to rent out the front portion of the shop. I told him, yes. I asked who want to rent it and was told that his "boss" wants to sell handphone items and is looking for a place. Told him the rental price that I wanted. He said he will inform the boss. Tomorrow the boss will come and discuss.

Personally, I kinda hesitant to rent out the place coz I'm so used of having the space in the front portion of the shop. It's a matter of having a space or getting paid for the space. Will see what happens tomoro lah.

Crying out... LOUD

been reading for the past few days about the kings of Judah and kings of Israel. How different these two kingdoms in following God. Many times it was stated that when the king cried out to God in their times of needs, God brings deliverance against their enemies.

And that's what I did today. I'm in a situation that does not enable me to be a blessing financially to others. Business is still slow with daily income not as I hope it would be. Not enough to pay back the capital, what more my own expected salary. But praise God that it is still sufficient to pay the necessary expenses. Furthermore, one of the apartment has been without tenants for a month. MIL and children's expenses added up to the tight financial situation. Cried out to God while carrying Barnabas at the swing. The two girls are sleeping at that time. Prayed the Jabez prayer.

Then amazingly, after I sent the children to MIL and on the way back, I received a call from one Richard asking about the M's apartment. He wants to see the apartment and asked me to go there asap because he has to go to KL one and half hour later. So, quickly changed, went to M's factory to get the apartment keys and ride as fast possible to BBeruang. Amazingly also all the traffic lights are green except one (waited for about 10 seconds only). God is indeed good. Went there and as I reached the apartment Richard phoned me again. Showed him the aparment. He's from Botswana. And God is good. He sent a group of Middle East students who are also looking for apartment for rent. They came to the apartment and asked whether the apartment is for rent. This further cause Richard to "confirm" renting the apartment. Praise God for that.
Hopefully the transaction will be completed this Friday.

God hears us when we cried out to Him. Sometimes when my children cry softly, I don't bother about them. But when they really cried out LOUD, I will rush to see what happened and attend to them. I believes that there is a booklet called The Power of Crying Out.
LORD, ENLARGE MY TERRITORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better Be Safe Than Sorry

My wife always complains that I drive recklessly. I don't agree with her, I only drive daringly. hahahaha. But now, with a family to take care that includes my 3 beautiful children, I think of safety first when driving. Do not want them to be without a father. And as a father, from young I will tell my children about road safety. Never too early to learn.

GEICO with the American Moving and Storage Association has added "Teens and Trucks" to its online library of safe driving materials for teen drivers which includes valuable information for teens on how to safely share the highway with large trucks. Parents and teens are invited to visit their website at http://www.geico.com/auto/safety. GEICO provides the materials at no cost to families, driving classes, law enforcement officials and state agencies. This information is brought to you by CarInsurance.com.

CarInsurance.com's is one of the many car insurance companies online. They offer the ability to shop for car insurance online. As a Businessman I like to request for many quotations for comparison before deciding to make a purchase. As Consumers, we too need to get as many quotes as possible since they are so many insurance companies around. With CarInsurance.com you can do that and in some states you are able to purchase your insurance instantly, online.

Bathroom of my likings.

Many people dream of having a house built according to their own ideas and designs. For many it will only be a dream. I too have my own preferences of how my home should be like. Besides the bedroom, one other important place in the house that should be according to my preferences is the bathroom. The design should be such that it is not just to shower or a place to clean yourself but as a place where one can relax and rest after a tiring day at work.

Browse through the net and came acros a few online shops that sells taps, showers, bath tubs, shower enclosures, shower valve, bathroom furniture etc. One of the online shops that I came accross is Taps4Less.com and browsing through the website gives me more ideas of how my bathrooms should look like. No, not that I'm going to buy it straight away but there's no harm going through what they can offer. Who knows, I'll be able to purchase it next month, if God bless my business 10 fold.

In search of vanity...

don't know why the title comes to my mind. Actually I don't know what to blog but since I'm free and not many customers now (the clock onthe computer is showing 11.27pm) I think I'll just sit in front of this computer and let my fingers pressed whatever they want to press... yeah, of course its the mind that directs them.

Oh, okay... my mind is thinking about "promises". Its about saying that you'll come to do something but in the end you didn't come. I really don't like (equivalent to "hate") people who make promises and yet didn't fulfill it. Why am I saying this?... oh ya... its about one guy who promised that he'll come to collect all the cardboxes that are at the back of my shop. He told me he'll come at 5pm today but he didn't show up. Waited for him but nothing. Because of his promise to come today, I didn't go back home and my wife had to look after the 3 children all by herself. I felt stupid waiting for him... doing nothing if you know what I mean (of course got do something lah... like looking after the shop with my staff).

So, in the end, instead of just carting all the boxes to sell, I ended up arranging the boxes, unfolding and packing the small boxes nicely fitted into one big box. Now the place looks clean and tidy and there's so much space that I think I don't want to sell the packed boxes. Can just put all of them in one corner... need only a small space for that.

Also, I'm reminded of one Sales & Marketing officer from one of the hotels that I called earlier for quotation. She promised to hand deliver the quotation to me.... like a week ago.... and until now still no quotation given. Not even a call to me... hmmm maybe she is on holiday again for the second time within two weeks.

And the worst offenders of all ... *drums roll* is the computer shop owner who's sweet mouth everything, making promises to do this and that but most of the time, nothing done. Irritating, irritating, irritating. If cannot, say cannot lah. Don't sweet talk and make stupid promises, wasting other people's time and upsetting people's plan.

OK... so why's the title! Maybe I'm being reminded that most of the things that we do are vanity. It is not important at all. Well... that would be in the next or whenever post lah.

now... I need to click on the *PUBLISH* button.

In Style

When it comes to style, take a look at the celebrities. They definitely have the means to live in style and luxury. Not many are blessed with beauty and talent to be one of them and to earn like them. But everyone is given a chance to succeed in life and live in luxury, if you want to.

Take a look at Peter Belisi. I admire him. He was a bartender but now he is a bigshot in the fashion world. I was a bartender too, and later became a lawyer, then to full time ministry and now a businessman. So, I know all the hours and minutes and sweats that he shed in order to achieve what he has now.

Emulating his high-end clientele, Belisi invested any extra money that he earns in a tie collection. Before long, co-workers and clients looked to him for inspiration. He wears fine ties of course. Belisi took pride in never wearing the same tie twice, and through his appreciation of fine ties, an idea took shape. Now he has a collection of scarves and handbags too.

Hmmm... dating online.

Read a post about Valentine and how one can find someone to be a friend for this Valentine day. Nowadays, I always hear people make friends through the net. There are many online services that catered just for this. Some services requires you to pay a certain amount before you can get started. Not many offer their services free of charge. One of these services that offered it free is http://www.justsayhi.com/.

Even as I watched my customers surfing the net in my cybercafe shop, I noticed the young ones are always looking for friends, going through chats or blogs to get to know more people. Some even came to know each other through online games. Online dating is now a common phenomena because many people hardly have time besides being in the office. And most people are also shy to meet in person, so the best way is to "date online". So for those who are single and very busy at work.... the net could be the best way to make friends and who knows maybe your future spouse. My best friend met his wife online and now they are married.

No... no... no... I don't meet my spouse online coz at that time computers are a rarity. Now.... I "date" with my wife online, she at her office while I at my shop.

Too costly

Did mentioned earlier about an opportunity to teach school teachers. Now, after getting all the quotations and after calculating the costs, I might not pursue it. Reason being lack of finance. To hold a course would requires at least 8 to 10 thousand ringgit. These includes renting of computers and LCD, teacher's salary, and cost to prepare notes for 25 participants. Furthermore, it will take at least 3 months before the Govt pays the organizer. Lot's of uncertainties. The pay is quite attractive, just that I don't have the money to take up the offer.

Well, maybe next time when the business expands and I have 25 computers in my shop I'll apply for the tender. Then I'll rent all my computers and hold the course. Then there'll be less actual costs to come up with.

Abortion..... Never

Found this beautiful video about abortion. Listen to the song and you'll be touched.
In America there's two divided groups about abortion. Pro-life and Pro-choice. When I was in varsity, I remember doing a short study on this (in a conference). One argument that was put forward is that abortion is okay before there's blood in the embrio. The reason given was that since life is in the blood, therefore if there hasn't any blood formed in the embrio, there's no life and it is okay to "abort".

Now thinking back, that argument has not taken into view all the other Scriptures on the subject.

Now,I'm more prone to the belief that only God should decide when a life is to be taken away.


ABORTION, NEVER - video powered by Metacafe

But... it is not my fault.

One of Christ's command that opposes our natural inclinations and is often difficult to obey is asking forgiveness for a small offense from those who have hurt us in much greater ways.

A son who was deeply hurt by his father obeyed this command and asked his father to forgive him for not having a loving attitude toward him. To his surprise his father began to weep and asked his son to forgive him for all the ways he had offended him over the years. Not long after, the father became a Christian.

The son later understood the principle that reconciliation begins with the one who is more spiritual. That is the example that Christ gave to us when He took the initiative to reconcile us to the Father when we were without desire or ability to do so.

God will reward us when He sees in us pure hearts that seek to fully obey Him.

Gold Talk

Talking about gold, I remember the year 1999. A lot of people are afraid of what might happen when year 2000 arrives. The Y2K bug is the buzzword. And with the fear that comes with it, many people tried to find ways to save their money for the future. Many no doubts withdraw cash from the bank and keep it in their house or convert it into other valuable form. One of the ways that many people also do is to convert their cash money to precious metal, gold in particular. I too had the same inclination and I told my wife that maybe I’ll buy RM50 worth of gold every month. But until now, I never managed to do it.

Now, for those of you who want to buy gold, you can either buy gold jewelleries from the gold shop or (let me introduce to you) through Monex Deposit Company (MDC). When you buy gold bars or other precious metals from Monex, they will send it directly to you. Or better still, you instruct them to store for you at an independent bank or depository. Now that is what I called convenient service.

For those of us who are sceptical about Monex, their performance record can clear away our fears. Basically, they are here for more than 30 years and are the gold and precious metals investment leader in America. You can buy gold in the form of coins or ingot form. Now, what is ingot you may ask? Well, ingots are generally gold ingots of pure bullion cast in a convenient size and shape. Coins are actually defined as ingots and do have a currency value. Buying gold coins or other precious metals have been since time past recognized as one of the best way to preserve one’s wealth and purchasing power. If you know your history or do read the Old Testament, you will know that gold in whatever forms has fascinated man with its beauty and value. It had and will continue to change men’s lives. Wonder whether it has changed yours.

Buying gold bullion can be seen as one good form of investment. Money inflation can strip your assets value to nothing. Protect your assets by investing in gold. One more thing, Monex is home to a large and dedicated staff of hard assets professionals. They are committed to serve your needs if you are interested in buying precious metals.
So go on… buy the gold bars and… if you’re generous enough… send it to me…hehehehe.

Maid not coming back

Just received an email from Bro Andrew that the maid Yulin will not be coming back. No reason given by her. I think she's not ready to work away from her home yet. Hai ya.... looks like I've to get used to taking care of the children all by myself in the evening. Not that I don't like taking care of them, but that will limit me from doing other stuffs that needs to be done.

Just hoping and praying that MIL is willing to look after the children for the whole day again.

blog links

I was informed that a few bloggers have linked me in their blog. I would like to return the favor.

So... if any of you have linked me in your blog, let me know your blog address so that I can put a link to your blog. Don't be shy.

Why should you let me linked you? So that your blog would have better rating. And this is especially important if you want to subscribe to websites that pays you for your posting.
Another benefit is that it is much easier for me to go to your blog... this will help your rating too.

So add my blog link in your blog, inform me and I'll definitely add a link to yours.

Not Wanted

Slept at the shop last night..... because not allowed to go home by my beloved wife. No, no.. no... we didn't quarrel or fight or any of that stuff. Just that most of the time I close shop it is already late in the morning (or night, whichever sounds good), normally 2 or 3 in the morning. And normally the children will wake up at 8am, and they will make noise (ie crying, shouting) or Clarissa will call me. That will disturb my sleep. Also, another reason is that my beloved wife don't want me to disturb her when I come back from the shop. Yalaaa.... when I come back home, I'm still fresh.... so the best thing to do is "disturb" my wife lah... ehehehehehe.

However, didn't manage to sleep well in the shop. Woke up at 8.30am because the place is too bright. So only got 5 hours of sleep... not enough.

newey, received a call from my daughters asking me to come home. So I'm wanted after all. hehehehehe.

Tchoukball in Malaysia

Went for tchoukball training yesterday morning. Wah.... nice exercise for me. Now my legs are still aching. Today there'll be another training.

What is tchoukball game? Never heard of it before? Well, most probably you won't hear it in Malaysia becoz it is just recently introduced... say about 4 months ago..in September 2006.

And in February 2-4, 2007 there will be a Tchoukball Tournament in Singapore. Will be going there with a team from Melaka. We will be the Malaysian Tchoukball team... representing the country. Man.... this will be written in Malaysian Tchoukball history. And I'm one of the team player.... hmmm... the oldest in the team. The rest are like 15-22 years old and me... 34 years old.... playing with them. Wah... suddenly I feel so young.

Truthfully I don't expect the Malaysian team to win lah... but then who knows. *ringing in my mind the song..."We are the champion.."*

Recollection of 2007

wow.... it's been 11 days since the New Year. so fast.... no longer New Year.

time to recollect what happened in the past 11 days.

1. lazy to blog..... no wonder no many personal post in the past 11 days. Got many things that happened but just don't feel like posting.

2. OK lah... here's a list of what happened.
- got a permanent staff for my shop (yes... I did mentioned that I might not hire one, but I need more time with my family so have to sacrifice my income). A Sabahan Visayan girl named Bibi Al Wanie, "originated" from Sabah.
- started taking care of my two daughters and son in the evening. The experiences itself can fit a few pages, but in summary it is a new, challenging, tiring but exciting experience. Praise God for that.
- business still slow, some more with more rainy days in the past and ahead, I wouldn't see much different in income. Still praying for better days ahead. (Its raining outside now).
- received an opportunity to conduct courses teaching IT subjects to Teknik & Vocational teachers. Have yet to apply to the Govt for this. Need to iron out certain matters first. Currently looking for people who can teach for 4 days.
- my daughter Annabelle is now attending kindy class. Check out here
- now I'm attending Sunday Service at GBM
- still haven't started exercising
- still haven't bought a bicycle to cycle to work (exercising purpose). Hehehe... don't know whether can or not... its 10km from my house to the shop.
- donated blood yesterday at GH.
- been eating lots of bananas in the past few days.

OK... lah... for now.

"Moments"

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

- Unknown

DARE ME & YOU WILL LOSE ONE US DOLLAR!

Received an email from MMUCF President asking me to write something about the mission trips. That reminded me of my trip to Cambodia and how I earn 1 US dollar.

Sim: Pastor, you eat lah one of those fish. (Pointing to tiny fishes caught by the lady at the river)
Me: What do I get in return?
Sim: I give you RM1.
Me: RM1 only kah. Don’t want lah.
Sim: Pastor, I dare you. I give you RM2.
Me: Don’t want lah.
Sim: Aiya… pastor don’t dare lah.
Me: If you give me one US dollar, I’ll eat it.
Sim: Sure hah… really hah… OK… One US Dollar… eat the fish alive.
Me: OK, show me the money!
(hehehe... if I can eat a stone in Sarawak for nothing, what is there in eating a fish for 1US dollar.)
Sim took out one US dollar.
After taking one of the tiny fishes (yes, with the permission of the lady), rub off the scales and then slowly put it in my mouth. Then chew… something like sushi lah… just that it is alive.
Eewww … eeww… the girls all eewwed.

Hehehe… for one US dollar I ate that tiny fish. Kesian betul. But that tiny fish is worth RM3.60 … wow.. so expensive. Hmmm… should have asked for 2 US dollar in the first place. Thanks Sim for your generosity.

Christmas photo

Christmas photos of all the children that attended Christmas 2006 celebration.

Top left to right: clarissa, yu chen, annabelle, samantha, florence, phoebe.

Middle: yohannes, jian yi

Bottom left to right: shawn, jeremy, jen shen, nathaniel, benjamin

when I received this photo from luke, I didn't recognise my clarissa, keep on wondering who the girl is.. hehehehehehe... apalah... own daughter also tak kenal.

Giant boost or giant killer

Giant Hypermarket which is directly in front of the shop made it grand opening on 1st January 2007. The whole place was packed and the roads"jam-packed" from morning till night.

People told me before that whenGiant opens, there'll be good business for my shop. I doubt it lah.The first two days, my regular customers didn't turn up because of thejam. My business sales were minimal.Yes, there are a few new customers that came from Giant but it is minimal.

Hai yo... I think it is more of a giant killer than a boost.

Begone2006welcome2007

Bye bye 2006. You are an eventful year for me. Resigned from the church, a son was born, start my own business are some of the major events in 2006. Looking back at you, I see that God has indeed been faithful to the end. In spite of all that I faced, He has shown Himself to be who He said in the Word. You have not been an easy year but through it all, I come out undefeated, knowing still that in Christ I can stand firm.

Hello 2007. May you too be a challenging year for me. May you be a blessing and indeed a year of expansion in all areas of my life. May you bring me higher in my walk with God. May you set me to the expansion of my business. May you allow me to give financially more than all the past giving combined. May you see me being the humble and available instrument of God, wherever He wants me to serve. May you also see me being a blessing to my family. May you see me bring numerous souls into the Kingdom of God. May you o 2007 a year God has set apart for me in all areas of my life. I welcome you 2007 and expect great things from you.

they talked

M called MIL last nite, just to inform MIL that she is sending the children in the morning. **sigh of relief** Though still with wounded heart, she called. Thank God.

This morning she sent the children to MIL and during lunch she went to MIL house. Things will be back to normal slightly.

Mom is back, with the maid. Things will be different slightly.

Coca Cola and Mentos.

Received an email about Coca Cola and Mentos.

Not yet tested it myself. Will try it out later.

Healthy relationship

Came across this post at http://tensignsofhealthyrelationship.blogspot.com/. Thought I better post it in my blog so that I can easily find it when I need it.

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My parents had a very good relationship,” I often hear my clients say.

“What do you mean by good?” I ask.“They didn’t fight. They spent a lot of time with each other.” That may have been the definition of a good relationship years ago, but now most people want more.

Following are ten signs of a healthy relationship.

KINDNESS
Is kindness more important to each of you than having your way, being in control, or being right? Do you each receive joy out of being kind to each other? Being kind rather than controlling with each other is essential for a healthy relationship.

SPONTANEOUS WARMTH AND AFFECTION
Do you and your partner well up with warmth and fullness of heart for each other and express it with affection? Are you each able to see the beautiful essence within each other, rather than just the faults? Are you able to get beyond the outer to the unique inner Self of each other? Do you enjoy sharing affection? Warmth and affection are vital for a healthy relationship.

LAUGHTER AND FUN
Can the two of you laugh and play together? Do you appreciate and enjoy each other’s sense of humor? In the midst of difficulties, can you help each other to lighten up with humor? Can you let down and be playful with each other, letting yourselves be like kids together? Laughter and fun play a huge role in a healthy relationship.

ENJOYING TIME TOGETHER AND TIME APART
Are you both each other’s favorite person to spend time with? Are you motivated to set aside time just to be together?Do both of you have friends and interests that you enjoy doing? Are both of you fine when you are not together?Some couples spend a lot of time together because they really enjoy it, while others spend a lot of time together out of fear of being alone. It is important for a healthy relationship for each person to have friends and interests, so that they are not dependent on each other. Dependency is not healthy in a relationship, particularly emotional dependency.

A METHOD FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
All relationships have some conflict. It is not the conflict that is the issue, but how you deal with it. Do you have a method for resolving conflict, or do the issues just keep getting swept aside? If fighting is part of how you deal with conflict, do you fight fair, or are you hurtful when you fight?

LETTING GO OF ANGER
If one or both of you get angry, do you hang on to it, punishing your partner with it, or can you easily let it go? In healthy relationships, both partners are able to quickly move on, back into kindness and affection.

TRUST IN YOUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER
Do you each trust that the love is solid, even in very difficult times between you? Do you each know that you can mess up, fail, disappoint the other, emotionally hurt the other – and the love will still be there? Do you each know that the love is about who you are, not what you do? This level of trust is essential for a healthy relationship.

LISTENING, UNDERSTANDING, ACCEPTING AND LEARNING
Do you each feel heard, understood and accepted? Can you share your secrets with your partner without fearing being judged? Are you each more interested in learning about yourselves and each other than you are in controlling each other? Is listening to each other with an open heart and a desire to understand more important than judging each other or defending yourselves?

SEXUALITY
Is your sexual relationship warm and caring? Can you be sexually spontaneous? Can you talk with each other about what brings pleasure to each of you?

FREEDOM TO BE YOURSELF
Do you each feel free to be all that you are? Do you each feel supported in pursuing what brings you joy? Does your partner feel joy for your joy?While some people may naturally be open, kind, affectionate, accepting, and emotionally responsible for themselves, most people need to heal the fears and false beliefs they learned in their families. Healthy relationships evolve as each person evolves in his or her ability to be loving to themselves and each other.

Time does heal?

FIL came by this morning. Brought 2 pack of titbits for the 2 girls. I was carrying Barnabas, greeted him. He went to the front where the girls are. M was at the back preparing lunch. After playing a while with the 2 girls, FIL went to the back, to talk to M. As usual, there's reasons given on behalf of MIL for having uttered those hurtful words the other day. Heard M crying while saying, "... gua pun ada perasaan(I also have feelings).." They continued "talking" for a few more minutes before FIL left. *sigh*

It seems that they didn't get it in the right perspective. Why send FIL to pujuk M when MIL is the one who uttered the words. MIL must/should be the one who come and apologize/merujuk back to M. Don't send SIL or FIL because that's not the proper way. Wonder when they'll get it, wonder whether MIL will come to M to apologize. Now don't get the impression that MIL is a bad woman. No... she's one of the nicest woman that I've met and I'm glad that she is my MIL. But people do make mistakes and this is one of her mistakes.

As for me..... I'm just leaving it to M and her family to settle this matter. If things does not get better, then only will I come in. Just hope that they'll be able to settle it among themselves soon.

Can money do wonders?

*sigh...*

SIL came this morning to talk to M. She had this "good" idea of helping M solve the problem that we faced. She already asked her boss (she's working in a kindergarten) about enrolling the two girls with a discounted fee. Besides that there are other things that she talked about.

After listening to M, I guess the main issue involved is the hurtful words said by MIL. And instead of focusing on that, they are focusing or trying to settle other things. Putting the bandage on healthy skin instead of on the wound. Furthermore, because MIL said that in front of M's cousin, who in turn told her mom, who in turn told her sister, who in turn called my SIL and scolded SIL for not taking good care of MIL, things get worse. Cousin's auntie also compare her children with MIL's children, saying that they didn't give any burden to their mother. Words.. words... words.... the tongue can give life and brings death. Words uttered in anger, in impatience, without careful thoughts brings chaos and hurts.

Maybe MIL, FIL, SILs think that M and I are rich and can afford to employ maid to look after MIL. Come on lah... business has been slow the past 2 weeks, plans have changed, and we are still moneyless as before. M's apartment has yet to be rented out (thanks to the tenant who moved out before the expiration of the tenancy) and she has to pay the monthly installment.

While crying and sadness in heart, M told me, "You know, sometimes Money can do wonders". Didn't say anything back to her. Totally agree with her.
What can I say.... yes dear, sometimes Money can do wonders. Everybody hope to have enough or more money. There's nothing wrong to have lots of money. The restriction given in the Bible is whether we live to serve Money or God.

Lord, sometimes we do hope that You'll bless us with more money so that others won't look down on us. But Lord, in any situation our hope and trust is still with You. Our hearts' desire is to serve You, O Lord.

M is now with the children. Holy Spirit, please comfort her and grant her God's perspective. May she draw strength from you O Lord.

MIL is tired

Received an sms from M asking me to call her. Call her and she is crying on the phone. In her sobbing she told me that her mom, MIL does not want to take care of the children anymore. MIL asked M to look for other baby-sitter to take care of Barnabas. It seems that Barnabas cried throughout the day wanting to be carried. And that cause MIL to be tired, tired physically carrying him, tired mentally & emotionally looking after the children. And MIL has been mentioning this a few times already. M asked me to look for a someone who can babysit the children. Wah... another "challenge" to face.

The first thing that came to my mind is that probably M's sister has been "hasuting" my MIL. Many times in the past, events occured when M's sister is around the house. Right now I am empty of patience with them. Really don't want to be involved in any matter (if possible) with them. Tried my best not to be there at MIL's house... be it for lunch or any matter. Sometimes... after many times you hear "negative" remarks made about you/family... you just got fed up... just don't want to be around these people. Well... hopefully that in this instance M's sister is not the cause.

M and the children came to the shop after that. She has not bathed, the children have not bathed either. And they have not eaten dinner too. Seems that she just took the children and went back without the usual having dinner at MIL's place. She reached the shop still crying. Annabelle noticed it and told me when she pushed the door. M is very soft-hearted. Many times she cried in the past because of hurtful words. Those from her sisters especially. I think that's why I don't really like to be involved with her family. I give up trying to defend them and rationalise their actions. It grieved me to see M getting hurt unnecessarily. Never pulak I heard about M's sisters got hurt by M's actions or words.

After a while, M calmed down, bathed the two girls and she herself took her bath at the shop's toilet. We talked and it seems that the best options is to look after the children ourself until the maid arrived. Will need to get permission from the other brothers and sisters to allow the maid to look after the children. Maybe we'll take care a portion of the maid's monthly salary. Hopefully they will agree to it. So for the time being, I'll look after the children in the morning and M will take half day in the afternoon for the rest of this week.

M had to go to Tesco to buy the food stuff for the children. Fed Barnabas milk and water. While sucking the water bottle he just fall asleep in my arms. So nice to see him falling asleep. He must be very tired. M didn't managed to buy the ingredients that she wanted because out of stock. Had to make do with other ingredients.

After M and the children went back, I received an sms from M's sister saying, "Nya is so sad now! keep on crying! she's so tired take care the three! if no them, she'll borring! i think u can take 1 mad to help her! then u can bring ur mad to clean ur house too! things can be settle! she's old! let her rest more!". Feels bad and sad for MIL but things will surely not be the same. If only MIL would talk nicely to M about the situation instead of letting out her frustration loudly... but things said can never be erased... it is said and people got hurt.

Lord... grant M and I the wisdom in this matter. May this matter brings the best attitude and character in M and I, that will glorify your name.

Mom picture

Mom looking much healthier. They cut her hair very short. Easy to keep .

Maid is coming

The maid that the family decided to employ is here... in Shah Alam with Mom. A Christian lady from Manado, first time working as a maid. So far from Bro Chuan's comments, she is okay. She is now in Malaysia under tourist visa. Bro Andrew will make the necessary arrangement to employ her as his maid but will be stationed with Mom at Bukit Rambai. That means Michelle and I will have the responsibility to supervise her also. Her name - Yulen. Most probably Mom and the maid will come back this Saturday, this year.

Christmas celebration

this year Christmas takes a new meaning. Not to be celebrated in church with Christians but with family members especially being with Mom. Went up to Shah Alam to Bro Chuan's place. The others brothers will also meet there. Reached there at 12.15noon, just about time for lunch - steamboat. Bro Chai arrived earlier. Bro Ann came at about 2pm while Bro Andrew came at 6.30pm. Nice to see Mom there. She seems and looks better, healthier than the last time I saw her in Selayang Hospital. Though she didn't walk much throughout the day, she talked and seems happy to see most of her children and grandchildren there.

Glad I made the decision to close the shop and travelled up to meet her. Evening time, the children had their gift-exchange and after dinner (which is also steamboat, plus spaghetti). The children enjoyed it very much. The parents too. Good to catch up with one another. Bro Ann, Chai, Luke showing off their cameras, while Bro Andrew with his videocam. By 9pm, we took family photos and thereafter travelled back home. Reached home at 11.05pm.

Next family gathering will most probably be during CNY.

change of plans.

with the low income for the past 2 weeks, I have to change my plans to hire a worker. Can't afford to spend extra money. Looks like I'll be managing the shop all by myself for another month (at least). Praying that the coming month income will be more than sufficient so that there will be funds to employ one worker.

As for now.... let it be. Will see what happens when Giant opens. Already got 2 Malay guys asking about the vacancy but.... not sure whether they are able to do basic pc troubleshooting.
Newey.... will have to do things on my own for now.

born in me

"If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost."- Corrie ten Boom

how true, how true.

Loyalty

Read the book of Ruth today. Wonderful story about loyalty and how God took care of people in need. Also its a story about commitment and compassion of one girl towards her mother-in-law. A girl willing to forgo possible good future with her own people to be with her mother-in-law who has nothing left but trials, sufferings and uncertainties.

This is also a good example of good relationship of mother and daughter-in-law. Nowadays we always hear about the conflicts between a girl and her MIL. Ruth and Naomi might have formed a deep and close relationship while Ruth is with her husband.

The story of Ruth is indeed a good story to be made into a film. Many good characters that can be portrayed through this story.

At the end of the story... it was acknowledge that Ruth was a woman of noble character and through her many great man came into history.

Oh ya... this is not just a story but real event that happened long time ago in Israel.

Streamyx service - lousy

I'm really frustrated with streamyx and their service. Applied another streamyx line about 2 weeks ago for my apartment. Until now.... after many calls, still no service. What the heck is happening over there I also don't know. My tenants are pressing me for it and everytime they call, I have to check again with streamyx. And you knowlah.... that the toll free number (I think its toll free) is like for you to listen to their excuses. The first thing you'll hear when you call streamyx 1300 88 9515 is the recorded message saying that there are problems with their service and they are trying to settle it. Come on .... don't tell me that the problems are there forever, and I'll be hearing the lame excuses everytime I call streamyx. Doesn't look good on TMNet. Then after the excuse, I'll have to wait for an average of 2 minutes (if I'm blessed) before my call was answered. Last week, the staff said that my streamyx line is activated and should be working. Today, the staff said that my streamyx line is still not activated and they are not sure whether my old streamyx line is still working? Cekik darah betul.

Oh ya... this morning I received a call from streamyx asking me to answer their survey. Only a few questions about their service and my suggestions on what/where/how to improve their service. Told them to fasten the processing of new applications and a few other things.

Wonder whether they will act upon the answers/suggestions given.
If only there are other cheaper broadband available in this place, I will surely definitely absolutely subscribe to it.

GIANT is opening

One staff from Giant Hypermarket came to use the internet. Asked him when Giant will start operation. He said 31st of December 2006 - "soft opening". And 1st January 2007 will be the "grand opening". Well, hope everything will be true.

Wonder whether there'll be more customers for me too. God willing.

God can use you lah....

In the midst of reading the book of Judges... It's amazing to see who God uses to deliver Israel when they were oppressed by the nations surrounding them.

One of them is Jepthath... born of a slave girl. In today's world, this man would not be accepted as a leader because of his low caste/status/background. But God still used him.

What is my status or background? Definitely nothing much... but I know God can and want to use me.... if only I'm willing to be available and obey him.

Right now, I'm in a bus travelling through life until the time when God will drop me off somewhere... to continue my walk with Him.

Nice Bihun Goreng

Woke up this morning and instead of fried rice, M cooked for me fried beehun. Nice and tasty. Too bad it is still early 10am so I only ate a bit. Wanted to "tapau" to the shop for lunch but decided not to becoz I thought I'll be coming back when Allan come for his work shift. But he called and told me that he is not coming to work.... so I'm stuck here at the shop... thinking about the fried beehun.

Thank you dear for the beehun.

No more worker.

Allan called just now saying that the road to the shop are flooded and he can't get through. So he'll not come to work today... supposedly his last working day. So I'm here managing the shop alone... no worker. But good also lah coz the number of customers are much much less in the past one week (rain and flood). At least can cut cost.

If this situation persists, then I don't have the means/income to employ any worker. Means that I'll be back to my earlier status quo, managing the shop on my own... means that not much time at home with family... means that M will have to continue to take care of the children all by herself. God... grant us strength and good health. And may Your face shine upon us.