Wild At Heart

I have moved...

2007-08-20T02:22:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone...
Thank you for reading this Blog. In an effort to make things easier for myself (I was upkeeping 2 separate blogs concurrently), I have decided to merge both Blogs into one. In keeping with the spirit of 3G (we have 3G phones, 3G SAF etc...so why not 3G Blog???), I have found myself a new blogsite that allows me to manage my Blog much better. All my previous posts will still be available in the new site along with a lot more posts from my other blog. So if you would still like to continue reading...look for me at Sunshine After The Rain.

Blessings and I hope to see you there!

Booger Removal For Dummies

2007-08-15T13:33:00.000+08:00

I think I've somewhat mastered the art of baby booger removal. I've been asking around, trying to find out from people who have walked this road before me, how they do it successfully. I've had many suggestions and I tried them all. We even boought the following state of the art innovations to help us achieve our task:

1) I call this the PIGEON Booger Tweezer
It has rounded tips so you don't damage your baby's nose. However, this gadget only works if the booger has hardened and it is not too far in.

2) The NUK Nose cleaner
This fellow does not really work for us cos' the suction hole is too big for our baby's nose.

3) This is the PIGEON Nose cleaner Suction Syringe
This was what we originally wanted to get but could not find. The syringe tip is small enough to be inserted into the baby's nose and it is soft so it does not injure the baby.

All these were well and good, but the best way I've discovered is...this!
The good old cotton bud.

This is how I do it:

Step 1
Pray!

Step 2
Wet the cotton tips.

Step 3
Swaddle your baby so that he/she will be easier to handle.

Step 4
Insert the cotton bud into the nose and gently twirl it before making a slight scooping action against the wall of the nose as you remove the cotton bud.

Either of the following should take place:
1) The booger comes out with the cotton bud like it is supposed to.
or...
2) Your baby will feel irritated by the moist cotton bud and sneeze the booger out.

Sometimes, you may need to use a nose cleaner (the suction kind) to suck out the remaining mucus when it is wet.

Points to note when attempting to remove your baby's booger:
1) Have good lighting. Know where the target is before insertion.
2) Be confident and do it swiftly.
3) Be prepared to use your fingers.

I'm thinking of investing in this. It looks like what they use at the clinic, should be more effective. Till then, I'm doing it the primative method...haha!

Does anybody talk Goo Goo Ga Ga?

2007-08-15T11:44:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I really don't know what Cherise wants. How do you pacify a cranky baby? She's been fed and burped, her diaper's been changed, the surrounding is dark and conducive for sleeping...yet she refuses to sleep and keeps on crying even though she's clearly tired. I wish I could understand what she wanted to tell me. It's interesting how sometimes she just looks at me when I'm carrying her, and she makes some funny noises as if she wanted to tell me something. Usually I'll talk to her and ask her what is it that she wants, and before I know it, she starts crying in frustration. Sigh.... then I'll do everything the books say not to do just to sooth her...I think I'm too soft. But what to do...she's my little princess and I think that's the way it's gonna be for a while. Hunny said something which I tend to agree, when Cherise is cranky, it is a contest of wills - we just have to fight it out with her and see who can last the longest. Like today, I was trying to put her to sleep after she was fed, she kept on struggling with me no matter which position I tried carrying her. In the end I had to force cradle her and let her cry it out until she gave up. I think it kinda worked for a while but she would doze in and out of dreamland so she'll start fussing when she wakes up. Then we'll start all over again.

That is why I'm so proud of Hunny for handling Cherise all by herself when I'm working, especially when I'm on night duty. Being a hands-on dad, I know how difficult it is especially when everything happens at the same time. Take last night for example, Cherise was having a one of those "what-goes-in-will-come-out-BOTH-WAYS" moments. Hunny fed her, burped her and carried her in an upright position for as long as possible. When she put her down, she had a reflux so poor hunny had to clean her up. While doing that, Cherise decided to test mummy's multi-tasking skills by letting it all out from the bottom as well. So Hunny had to leave her on the mattress, go get a pail of warm water to clean Cherise's butt, and when she came back, our darling daughter had regurgitated again. So Hunny had to change her shirt again (the regurgitated milk is all over the mattress and pillow as well.), at the same time change her diapers quickly so that she does not remain lying down. While changing her diapers, Cherise decided that it was a good time to pee....before the diapers went on! Now, tell me how you would feel if you are in Hunny's shoes, taking into consideration that it is 3 am in the morning and you haven't really slept cos' this whole drama happened at the last feed as well. Plus the baby is crying her lungs out cos' NOW she's hungry again...(cos' it's time for her next feed)...if it is not GOD who was keeping her together I don't know who was.

Ok ok, to be fair, Cherise is not really soooo difficult lah. She just has her moments like all babies do. We are quite thankful really, Cherise is actually quite hardy. She does not cry when she regurgitates, she just makes little grunts. She's also pretty easy to carry cos' her neck muscles are quite strong. She's not easily bothered by people talking loudly, she just gets a little over stimulated when people crowd around her. She is quite textbook as some may say, i.e, keep to the schedule and she is quite managable. Most importantly, she loves her bath time!

Anyway, Cherise is officially 1 month old today!!! Yeah!!!! More post about that later...need to get back to daddy day care now!

Shopping Spree...again

2007-08-09T22:18:00.000+08:00

As mentioned in my earlier entry, Hunny and I brought Cherise out for a little shopping spree yesterday after the visit to the doctor. The main aim of the trip was actually to get a proper diaper bag for Cherise (we really cannot stand the bright green one the hospital gave us), and also to pick up some nursing tops for Hunny. There was no better place to shop other than United Square, the mall had everything we were looking for (well...almost), it had facilities for nursing mothers (and they are clean!!), plus it was very near TMC.

Although we initially only wanted to get only a few items, we ended up picking up a few other stuff which we thought were essentials. Mainly, they are:

1) Kiddopotamus Snuzzler
I think I'm a Kiddopotamus convert. Their products look good and feel so comfortable. The Snuzzler goes very well with the CushyStraps we bought a while back. It gives Cherise a more comfortable fit in her stroller, especially the head area.
Close up shot...looks good eh?

It's actually really really very comfie...

2) Skp and Hop Diaper Bag
These series of stroller-friendly Diaper bags are actually made to go with Maclaren Strollers. They come with special clips so that you can attach the bag to the handles of your stroller/pram. See, they even come with matching colours!!!
Same colours as our stroller...chocolate and pink!

It's a nice size too, not too big. But it can store everything that we need to bring out for the baby.

So finally we can say hello to this:
Looks trendy...unlike typical diaper bags...

And goodbye to this!
Enough of free advertisments for TMC!

3) Snuggle Nest by Baby Delight
We never had the intention of having Cherise sleep on the same bed with us. Like most modern parents, we wanted to get our baby accustomed to their own space from the very beginning. But it's really a lot tougher than it sounds. I salute any parent who is able to enforce the "no baby on my bed" rule from the very beginning. We initially left Cherise to sleep in her own cot when we brought her home, however the nights proved very long for us because she had some insecurity issues (very common) and she needed to know someone was there everytime she wakes up. After climbing in and out of bed a zillion times (we have to stand beside her cot to assure her until she falls into deep sleep), we decided to get the co-sleeper by Arms Reach. This was a good buy because baby had her own space yet it was easy for us to monitor her cos' she's just beside us and we can react immediately if she regurgitates (don't want her to choke) or if she really needs our attention. But for the past week, we realised that babies have their moods as well, and there will be times when they need constant soothing. At times like these you can almost forget about puting them down onto their cot cos' they will wake up once they lose human contact and the whole process starts again. This is when the Snuggle Nest comes in handy. We can prevent shifting the baby around too much and thus waking her up by leaving her in this...
The head is slanted at an angle so that the baby does not lie in a flat horizontal position. Prevents them from regurgitating.

It even comes with a night light.

2 out of 3 parents I asked told me that their baby sleeps with them on the bed. I can understand why, it's not just to feel close to the baby, it's also very much about convenience for the parents. But with that comes the danger of parents suffocating their babies by accident. That is why if people wnat to risk having the baby sleeping in their bed, they should invest in something like this.
See...comfortable yet safe for baby.

We also bought a small night light, some baby CDs, oral wipes and other small stuff. I can't wait to bring them out shopping again, God knows what we will buy next!!!

The Fours...

2007-08-09T21:58:00.000+08:00

I have been Tagged again, this time by Noe on the above....

Four Jobs I have had in my life:
1) Waiter
2) Telemarketer
3) Sales Assistant
4) Soldier

Four Places I have lived:
1) Telok Blangah
2) Pulau Tekong
3) SAFTI Military Institute
4) Bukit Panjang

Four Countries I have been on Vacation:
1) Australia (Melbourne/Perth/Darwin)
2) Thailand (Bankok/Phuket)
3) France
4) HongKong

Four of my Favourite food:
1) Beef
2) Lobster
3) Mango
4) Braised Duck

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1) In bed
2) France (vineyard)
3) Mauritius (2nd honeymoon with Hunny...this time with Cherise!)
4) Heaven (Don't have to work anymore!!!)

Four people I'm going to Tag:
1) Modern Na Na (finally you can start a post on your blog)
2) Precious Eve (as above)
3) Princess Jo
4) Hunny

Super Woman

2007-08-09T21:34:00.000+08:00

I was on duty again last night so Hunny had to handle Cherise all by herself. I thought that she will be very tired during the day since my MIL took a "day off" from baby sitting today. But guess what??? Not only was Hunny able to tend to Cherise all by herself (I needed to take a nap when I got home), she also had the energy to scrap! It helps to have the baby in the sarong sling. Cherise feels secure when she's close to mummy and mummy can go about doing what she wants.

Hunny using the sling.

Cherise feeling very comfortable...

Scrapaholic at work...

Back to scrapping after a long break...

I think the both of us are finally getting used to the changes in our lives. Really need to thank God for his strength through out these past weeks. Cherise is getting easier to handle as the days go by, partly because we are reading her cues correctly. Can't wait for the day when she starts playing with us...

That's a big booger!

2007-08-09T13:11:00.000+08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we needed to pay a visit to the PD to get Cherise's nose cleared. It was a quick process, first the doctor taught me how to do it but because the booger was all dried up and stuck too deep into her nose, the nurse had to insert a super thin catheter into her nose to suck the stuff out. The catheter was attached to a machine that does two things, to spray tiny amounts of water into the nose (to wet the booger) and to suck it out. Kinda works like the Osim I-ecology. Anyway, the nurse managed to suck out quite a big chunk of booger...the kind you'll only expect from an adult. How in the world did all that get in there? And that was only yesterday! Today, I managed to dig out another big piece!!! Now I must check everyday...if she does not sneeze them out herself, I'll have to "go in" and get it out before it all dries up and gets stuck again. I really do not wish to pay another $70 to use some special booger remover.

Anyway, as expected, it was quite an ordeal for Cherise. I mean how would YOU feel if somebody stuck something up your nose?!?! So there was a little bit of serious crying but she calmed down pretty quickly after that. It must have been a tramatic experience for her because she was so exhausted from that short crying that she fell asleep very quickly. And she stayed asleep for more than 4 hours. Not a bad thing anyway cos' we managed to squeeze in a short shopping trip before we headed back home. The trip was short but fruitful, I'll post more about the purchases later. As for now, here's a picture a Cherise in her rocking chair, we like to put her in it after she feeds to prevent her from regurgitating (she tends to if she's lyiing down).

More updates in a while!!

Little Whistler

2007-08-07T21:15:00.000+08:00

Hunny was a little concerned about Cherise cos' she's breathing like she's wheezing. It's probably because her nose is blocked by mucus that has hardened. It's quite amusing actually, it's like she's constantly whistling...through her nose haha. Hunny is going for her check up tomorrow, so we'll probably pop by the PD while we're there and get the doctor to teach us how to get the bats out of the cave. If we are lucky, she'll just sneeze them out on her own tonight. We just need her to seriously cry for a while so that that she can generate some fresh mucus to soften the dried ones in her nose...ok, too many detail, sorry heh heh.

Cranky....

2007-08-06T20:12:00.000+08:00

Cherise was a little cranky today. She refuse to nap the entire day, even though she was clearly tired. Hunny and I tried everything, we rocked her, carried her, gave her the pacifier, put her on the rocking chair, left her to cry, changed her diapers...nothing seemed to work. She was wide awake between all her feeds so you can imagine how tired Hunny and I were cos' she needed to be carried all the time. Even her daily "spa" treatment didn't manage to relax her enough to sleep, it kept her from crying though...Cherise loves her bath time. She finally feel asleep when my MIL came over with our dinner...somehow grandma has a soothing effect on her. I just hope that she will be able to sleep till her next feed.

Anyway, Cherise is now 3 weeks and 1 day old! How time flies, seemed just like yesterday that we brought her back from the hospital. Here are some random pictures for those who miss her...!
Cherise looking all freshened up after her bath.

Superbaby!!!

Switch off the lights!!! I wanna sleep!!!

I like falling asleep to the sound of daddy's heartbeat...

Ok...need to bring the princess into the room now...she really needs to sleep...cos' her daddy and mommy wants to!

I Got Peed on!!!

2007-08-01T22:23:00.000+08:00

Yes...you heard it right. Twice to be exact! I couldn't believe that I didn't see them coming. Both times it happened when I was changing her. I really have to be a lot more vigilant in the future...sigh.

It's been more than 2 weeks since we brought Cherise home and I'm falling in love with her over and over again every single day. Last night was really tough for me cos' I had to be on night duty and thus Hunny was left to manage her on her own. Thank God Cherise slept well throughout the night, I think she's begining to feel more and more at ease at home.

I'm not sure if it is the same with all babies...but Cherise does not seem to like it a lot when we kiss her, she tends to squirm.
Could not resist kissing those chubby cheeks.

I've been Tagged!! 8 Random facts about me...

2007-08-01T09:56:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged by Roy and Ade, so I guess it's my turn now...

firstly, the following rules:
- start copying -
* I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
* Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
- end of copying -

Ok, here it goes...

Fact 1 - I hold a black belt in Taekwondo...ok, junior black belt to be exact (the one that is half red and half black) buut I did not convert it into a full black belt cos' my martial arts licence expired and I decided not to continue practicing cos' I was turning a bit violent.

Fact 2 - I don't have much luck with musical instruments...I tried learning the violin, organ and piano but I still cannot play a decent song on them. Even my guitar skills are so-so only.

Fact 3 - I was a heavy smoker for 6 years. Thank God for His strength to quit once and for all.

Fact 4 - I'm a nut for romantic comedies.

Fact 5 - I am a foodie...especially when it comes to fine dining. I have no qualms about splurging a few hundred bucks (per person) on a single meal!

Fact 6 - I have always dreamed of performing in a broadway musical. I don't mind being a prop...haha.

Fact 7 - I dreamt of starting a family since I was 15 years of age. I came up with a long list of "must haves" for my future wife and Hunny met every single criteria...and more!

Fact 8 - I prefer girls to boys!!!! Haha! Lucky for Cherise!

Ok...Princess Jo, you are Tagged!

Mixed feelings...

2007-07-31T11:32:00.000+08:00

I'm going back to work this evening...part of me feels relieved that I can finally get back to work, yet a part of me feels really bad about "abandoning" Hunny to take care of Cherise alone tonight. Will she be able to cope with the feeding, the changing and the pacifying all by herself? What if Cherise refuses to sleep after the night feed? Will Hunny be overworked? Sigh...sometimes I wish I can quit my job and be a stay at home dad. I like being at home with my family. i enjoy the fact that I can watch Cherise sleep. But a man's got to do what a man's got to do. God, please make your angels work overtime today....

The gift of burping...

2007-07-27T14:17:00.001+08:00

I think I have a gift...my success rate of burping Cherise is 80% - 8 out of 10 times it works and my little angel is hiccup free! Her favourite burping position? This....
When you need...a shoulder to burp on...when you need... a..

*BURP* Heh heh...

Cherise has been having a lot of wind in her tummy these few days. Not sure if it is because of the food that mummy ate, yes it does affect the breast milk. We suspect that it could be the cabbage...research has shown that "cabbage flavoured" breast milk do cause some gas build up in breastfed babies. So we are going to lay off the cabbage soup for the time being...see how it goes.

Just came back from the PD, she said that Cherise still has a little bit of jaundice but it is under control so we need not do anymore blood test. Thank God...no more needles for our little darling...at least till Sept when she goes for her jabs. We just need to sun her whenever we can though...God please let there be light! Anyway, really thank God for His healing power, Cherise is looking a lot better now...
She's getting fairer by the day...looking more and more like mummy!

Both mummy and baby are sleeping now...poor Hunny, so exhausted after last night's prolonged feeding. The weather is cool and wet, perfect for an afternoon nap...but no time for me to sleep...need to do some grocery shopping, plus I really need a haircut!

Daddy's little Angel - Part 3

2007-07-24T20:42:00.000+08:00

I thank God that my office have allowed me to take 2 weeks leave to attend to my wife and baby, it really gave me a chance to bond with Cherise and to reconnect with Hunny emotionally and spiritually.
Cherise listening to Daddy's heartbeat...

I've learnt so much about the Father's love from my own experiences with my little girl. How she depends totally on mummy and daddy to meet her every need, is exactly the way God the Father was us to be with Him. When she cries, she knows that someone will come to her rescue. At times, she does not even need to say anything and mummy and daddy will know exactly what she needs and meet that need at the right moment. Isn't it just how it is with God? He's never early and never late...always right on time.

Speaking about being right on time...it is not always easy to capture those "Kodak" moments of Cherise because it always happens so fast. But once you learn always to arm yourself with a camera when "handling" her, you get rewarded with priceless pictures like these...
Can you guess what she's doing?

That unmistakable pout...

It's getting more intensed....

Ahh...free at last....

A contented baby...after her poo session.

Daddy's little Angel - Part 2

2007-07-23T22:26:00.000+08:00

Now and then, I like to lie Cherise on my lap after she feeds and look at the different expressions on her face...I managed to capture them a few days ago...was she dreaming?
1 second she was looking like this...

the next second she looks like this...check out that cheeky grin...

she probably knows that I was laughing at her...

she gives a big smile...

an even bigger smile...

suddenly she feels like crying...

Wait till you see her when she's doing her big business...you'll laugh your head off!

Daddy's little Angel - Part 1

2007-07-23T20:07:00.000+08:00

It's been slightly more than a week since Cherise has invaded our lives in the most beautiful way ever. Our lives pretty much revolve around her now...I don't really feel like doing anything else other than to stay at home and carry her in my arms. She's such a joy to look at, both when she's sleeping and when she's awake. You just can't help but to stop everything you are doing and just watch her in her cot, exploring the strange new world in her own way. Now I truly understand what they mean by love at first sight.

But things were not easy at first during the first 2 days when Cherise and Hunny got home from the hospital. We suspected that she was probably still trying to adjust to her new surrounding, thus she was quite insecure especially at night. We literally could not put her down cos' she needed to be cuddled to sleep. Both hunny and I were ready to be admitted into the zoo as pandas by the end of the second night. Hunny was the milk-cum-cuddle machine, and I was the burping-cum-diaper changing-cum-bathing-cum-cuddle machine. There was just no rest for the both of us cos' the cycle was continuous- feed, poo/pee, cry, feed, poo/pee, cry.....even throughout the night. Oh did I mention that Cherise was a "Barracuda Baby"??? She would literally champ down on mummy's breast and not let go. She had some problems latching on properly initially, so although she was getting plenty of milk, mummy was enduring plenty of pain, to the point that mummy had to express the milk cos' her nipples were too painful.
Also, Like most babies, Cherise was diagnosed with Neonatal Jaundice. Her condition was not too serious, however she still needed to be placed under indirect sunlight in order to break down the bilirubin so that she can pass it out via her stool and urine. But the weather has not been very cooperative this couple of days, thus there was very little or no sunlight for our little girl at all. After the first review by the paediatrician, the doctor said that her jaundice level had gone up. She suggested that we could either ward her so that she can go under the phototherapy bed, or we could rent a phototherapy bed so that she can stay at home with us. We opted for option 2 cos' we really wanted to continue with full breast feeding for Cherise, plus we didn't really like the idea of a hospital stay for her...not at such a young age at least. So we rented a Bilibed for 3 days. This system would have been more effective with the Bilicombi but the company which we rented the device from did not have it. The eyeband that came with it didn't really work as well as it should, thus we had to literally sit there and watch her while she goes on the Bilibed cos' we had to keep the band on her eyes so that they don't accidentally stare directly into the light. Here are some pictures of Cherise on the Bilibed:

Cherise tends to heat up pretty quickly so we cannot leave her on the Bilibed for too long, even though the instruction was to leave her there all the time except when feeding or changing. We had to constantly wipe her down so that she does not perspire too much.

But praise the Lord, after the check up today the doctor said that the jaundice level has gone down so she does not have to use the Bilibed anymore!! We still have to sun her whenever we can though...but at least she's getting better.

Thank You Hunny....

2007-07-22T11:53:00.000+08:00

To everyone out there who thinks that a woman's job is to get pregnant, have lots of children and take care of the house, please think again...It really takes a lot of courage and love (for you!) to sacrifice her career (not all employers want a preggie to work for them), her body (the fear that she'll never get her shape back...plus some things are permanent), and her desires (this cannot eat, that cannot do....the list goes on) to carry that baby for 40 week! And she will probably have to endure bouts of backaches, swollen feet and loads of other physical discomfort even after the delivery. To all mothers out there...I salute you!

So this post is a tribute to my darling Hunny...

Hunny...
I said it before and I'll say it again, thank you so much for enduring the 40 weeks carrying our precious little one and bringing her into this world. I think you are so brave to even attempt going through the whole process without any form of pain relief..at least for the bulk of the time! I know that this experience has deepened my love and respect for you, and I want you to know that you are still THE love of my life and I still find you very sexy hehe...

Here are some photos of the day of the delivery...

This is the device that measures the baby's heart rate and the mother's contractions.

Mummy obviously in pain...she's been feeling like this since Friday night...

Ahh...epidural...a life saver!

Finally...no pain...

EPIDURAL...the husband's best friend!

Mummy's first kiss...a moment I'll never forget.

Mummy all cleaned up and back at the ward.

Mummy and baby reunited!

Ok, that's all for now...more updates later!!!

Our Latest Addition!

2007-07-20T23:48:00.000+08:00

The wait is finally over! After a long 40 weeks in mummy's tummy, baby Cherise has finally decided to come out and meet us all on the 15th of July 2007. She was born at 0902H weighing 3.02kg. I brought my laptop along to the hospital hoping to blog about the birth and upload the photos immediately, but the hospital has no wifi leh... Anyway, as promised to many, here's a quick look at our little bundle of joy!

I'll write another post and put up more pictures later, really need to catch some sleep now cos' Hunny and I haven't really rested properly since the birth. Personally, I've been running around like a zombie for the past few days playing super dad-cum-husband-cum-cook-cum-confinement man for the past 5 days. For more details of the birth, check out her mummy's blog.

Ok lah, here's another pic!

Come Baby Come Baby Baby Come Come...

2007-07-12T00:32:00.000+08:00

My dearest daughter,
Why aren't you coming out yet? Is it because mommy's tummy feels like a 5-star resort? Or is it because you are still enjoying all the tasty donuts that mommy has been feeding you? Maybe you are too shy to come out and greet everyone...or maybe you are afraid that daddy and mommy wouldn't know how to take care of you. Trust me my dearest, both your mommy and I are clueless but I promise you that we will be here to love you as best as we can. We are so excited to meet you, to hold you in our arms and kiss you. Your grandpas and grandmas are also eager to see you, so are your aunts and uncles. So my little angel, please come out soon and be a part of our lives, we can't wait to see you! Plus, I don't think your mommy can take your weight much longer...you are not exactly very light you know....and you have been making mommy visit the toilet every 10 mins...you naughty little girl....

Good Conversations and Bad Conversations....

2007-07-11T16:09:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I find it a lot easier to share the Gospel with a non-believer than to discuss about the bible with believers. Especially when they are older, supposedly better read and self-proclaimed teachers of the word. I really cannot stand it when a person cannot agree to disagree when it comes to teachings in the bible. It is a fact that many teachings in the bible CANNOT be read at face value without understanding the context at which it was written and the historical landscape at that point in time. If we were to take everything literally, then according to the following passages:

1) Luke 14:26
We will have to hate our loved ones in order to be a Christian.

2) 1 Tim 2:8-10
Women cannot wear jewellery, and cannot have any fancy hairstyles.

3) Numbers 31:15-18, Isaiah 13:13-19
It is ok to kill the innocent and commit rape in war.

4) Matt 5:38-42
When someone slaps you on one side of your face, you MUST stand there and let him do it to the other side as well.

5) Matt 19:12
It is ok to self mutilate in order to serve God.

And a whole lot of other "questionable" scripture verses I'm sure we've come across at one point or another. Isn't it scary if we were to follow these words blindly?

I truly believe that when we read the word of God, we cannot simply read it like a story book. Some people say that the bible is shallow enough for a baby to waddle in and deep enough to drown the greatest theologian...I totally agree. There is so much to the bible. We have to consider the nature of the human writer and the target audience etc, so that we can fully appreciate the message that God is trying to tell us. But more importantly, we should always allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His word. Let God reveal the truth of His word to us, that's when it becomes exciting isn't it?

What does one do when the Spirit of God suddenly challenges your fundamental religious beliefs? Dismiss it as heresy from the very pit of hell? Or do we seek God and allow his Spirit to convince us and reveal to us what we may not be able to see with our natural eyes? I would choose the latter because when Jesus came, he stirred up quite a storm and pxxxed off many religious leaders in his time as well.

I have a big problem with pious people, they tend to be quick to judge and they always think they are right...and they often don't acknowledge that they are the ones who have the "holier-than-thou" attitude. Sadly, because they think they are always right, they tend not to listen to your arguments because they are always trying to form a counter argument. And they often say the same things over and over again...and they leave you wondering.."yah, you said that just now, but didn't I already say that...oh right, never mind."

So to every possible traditionalist out there who is reading this, please answer this question:

If God has clearly anointed a WOMAN to teach, preach and pastor a church, who are we to stop it from happening? Feel free to quote bible verses and substantiate your argument.

And for the record, I believe in seeing fruits. You judge if a Church is growing by its numbers, because God draws people to Him and they stay there.

Anticipation...

2007-07-01T00:50:00.000+08:00

My baby will be arriving anytime now! A part of me is so excited about our new addition, yet a part of me is worried about whether or not I'll make a good father. Anyway, I made two more purchases for baby this week...finally found this at Mothercare after a long hunt....

The Baby Jungle Mobile!!! Our baby's first playmates will be Blupo the Blue Hippo, Raf Raf the yellow Giraffe, Mr Trunks the Orange Elephant and Greenie the Green Tortise. Here's a baby's-eye-view of how it will look to our baby....

We will be trying the Baby Whisperer's E.A.S.Y method of baby care...so hopefully, the mobile can aid us in the "A" - Activity portion.

Hunny and I also bought a Bean Sprout Pillow for baby...It's supposed to be quite cooling for baby to sleep on, it can also be placed on the baby's chest to give them a sense of security.

It feels like the Sobakawa pillow that they were advertising on TV Media many years back. Only that the Sobakawa pillow is made with Buckwheat husks. Anyway, the Bean Sprout Pillows can be purchased from Spring Maternity at Plaza Singapura.

Oh...by the way, did I tell you that we bought a mosquito net for the cot? You can't be too careful nowadays. Now, the cot is almost complete...all it needs is the baby!!!
All done up...

I'm really excited about the baby...can't wait to hold her in my arms and sing her to sleep...

Mission Accomplished!

2007-06-30T04:55:00.000+08:00

Hunny tasked me to clear out our storeroom and our cupboards so as to make space for baby stuff so time ago. I just couldn't get down to it cos' it was a lot of work and I really didn't know where to start. But I don't know what came over me today, I went on a discarding frenzy out of nowhere and look at the stuff that I threw out...

I didn't even know that I had that many empty boxes at home. I'm very happy with myself, managed to clear up a lot of cupboard space our cold wear, wedding gown and suits etc.

Another major achievement this evening...I finally completed my very first altered art!

My very own personalised pocket book!

I bought a cheap note book from Daiso, removed the covers and decoupaged them before binding them back.

Not bad for a first try huh?

My next project...clipboard!

Brunch at Cafe Cartel...

2007-06-24T13:57:00.000+08:00

Today was really nice, Hunny and I got to sleep in cos' I didn't have to serve today. I really missed Sundays like this...wake up late, don't have to rush, spend time with Hunny.

We went down to The Cafe Cartel at Bukit Panjang Plaza cos' we wanted to pick up our curtains from the dry-cleaners. It was really a step of faith for me cos' I've had many bad experiences with the food at The Cafe Cartel in the past...mainly the ribs. I cannot count the number of burnt ribs I got from them. Anyway, the food wasn't too bad today... decided to go for something safer...

I had the Sliced Teriyaki Beef...not too bad, could be a little less sweet.

Hunny had the Hawaiian Chicken Leg...

Overall, a good experience cos the service staff were very nice...my only complaint about the place is this....

...dirty chairs....

...very dirty chairs...

...really very dirty chairs...!

An established F&B outlet like this should really pay attention to the cleanliness of the place. God knows what those stains are???

Oh, by the way, Hunny got herself a beautiful Henna on her right hand yesterday at the carnival...according to her, it's a swan...but I told her it looked like a snail ha ha...don't believe me? Take a look and decide...

I still think it's a SNAIL! Hah!

Under One Roof - Part Two

2007-06-17T22:36:00.000+08:00

Yet another good sermon shared over the pulpit today. Pastor Danny shared about Building Great Relationships with scripture references from Ephesians 5:22 to 6:4. I believe most of us are familar with the passage that talks about husbands and wives, parents and children. But knowing it is one thing, practicing it is another. God reminded me today about the relationships I hold dear to me and how to build and sustain them. I will not mention much about wives submiting to their husbands except that I was reminded that He (or she) who the Son sets free is free indeed. As such, I must never treat my spouse as someone who I can lord over. When she sumits to me, she is submitting:
a) as an equal (God created her to compliment me.
b) to my headship (as head of the household cos' I'll ultimately be reponsible for my family before God).
c) with limits (nothing outside the law and the will of God)

Two points in the sermon really spoke to me today because it is something really applicable and real.

1) Love your wives as Christ loves the church - Eph 5:25-33
How do we do that? Pastor Danny suggested 3 ways from the word of God.

a) Be a servant Leader - Hosea 3:1
I should lead by serving her needs. This is something I'm really guilty of. Time and time again I've failed to serve my wife. Time and time again I've failed to meet her needs. One thing in particular...quality time. I have no excuses, sometimes all I wanted was to sitin front of the TV and waste away, while Hunny was somewhere craving for some attention. I have to learn to be a better listener and friend.

b) Be Faithful - Hosea 3:2
I don't sleep around, I don't commit adultery, is that enough? Nope...cos' everytime I picked up a girly magazine, I was already adultery in my heart. Pastor said that a Jealous wife is a gift from God and I agree with him. Cos' my wife's sign of jealousy, is her way of protecting our relationship. I thank God that Hunny is easily threatened when another female enters into her domain. It's her way of guarding our relationship and I'm thankful for that. So I will have less female friends, but so what? I'd choose Hunny anytime.

c) Meet her needs - Hosea 3:3
Kinda related to a) so I will not elaborate further.

The other point that hit me hard was about honoring our parents. It's not enough just to do it on special occasions like Fathers'/Mothers' Day, birthdays etc. It's more than obeying them. Now that I'm older, it's really about being there with them and for them. It's tough when you are married and starting a family on your own, you really want time with your own little family unit to bond and to grow. But I guess we really have to make it a point to spend time with them regularly. Just spending time with my parents today for example, I can tell that they really longed for our company. Not just me but my wife's as well, Ma and Pa really enjoy being around us and talking to us. Well...they will probably not have to miss us for long cos' soon we'll be bugging them to look after our daughter ha ha! But seriously speaking, I do feel bad that I don't visit them enough. I can give a thousand and one reasons for not going over to their home...work, no car, expensive cab fare, need to rest etc. But at the end of the day, I just need to put in a little more effort. And since I'm on this...it's time to visit both my grandmas soon. Oh...and my nanny too.

The final point in today's sermon was about being a good parent - Eph 6:4
I sincerely pray that in time to come, I'll be able to:
a) Govern as a wise King.
b) Guard as a brave Warrior.
c) Guide as a faithful Prophet and Priest.

It's not easy to be a good husband, son and father. But I know that with God's help I can do it...so God...help me...please...;oP

Helpless....

2007-06-15T23:20:00.000+08:00

I feel helpless...
Hunny has been coughing very badly for the past week and because she's so "big" now, it hurts her back when she coughs. It's so bad that she has problems sitting down. I really hate not knowing what to do and not being able to do anything. I cannot massage for her cos' it hurts when I touch her back, I can't exactly carry her around the house either. I feel really useless at this point of time. I hope the panadol works cos' I really don't know what else to do to ease her pain... Friends, we covet your prayers...

Under One Roof - Part One

2007-06-10T15:30:00.000+08:00

Pastor Jeff preached a very real sermon this week on "How to deal with our Anger". Scripture referrence from Eph 4:25-32.
It was a much awaited reminder on how easy it is to get upset with the people we love and in our anger hurt each other. I love Pastor Jeff's preaching not because he is good at using humour to bring across a point, but because he uses very simple and real examples to teach kingdom truths and principles. Allow me to share my thoughts about what has been taught this week.

When things get heated up and you are really really upset, try the 3 T's.
1) Time Out.
2) Talk to yourself.
3) Tell God about it.

1) Time Out
Pastor Jeff encouraged us to call a time out when tempers are high. It is better to walk away from the tense situation and take a breather to clear your head first, instead of trying to explain or apologise cos' the other party may not be in the correct frame of mind to talk. Or worse, your apology may not even be sincere in the first place since we are already so frustrated.
Well...I have major problems with this cos' I don't like walking away from a fight. I've always believed in settling the issue immediately so as to avoid any misunderstanding. And me being a confrontational person does not help either. Those who know me well will remember the seasons in my youth when the relationship between Dad and I was very strained. We argued all the time and I mean ALL the time. Dad was a typical asian father whose way of showing love and concern is to discipline his children. You know the chinese saying - Da Shi Teng, Ma Shi Ai - meaning to hit is to dote, to scold is to love. Going by that understanding, Dad really loved me and doted on me cos' I was hit and scolded everyday...I'm not kidding. Dad was bull headed by nature and me being my father's son was exactly like him. Mum used to comment that it was so ironic that of all the traits I could have inherited from my father, I had to inherit the one I disliked the most...generational "curse" I suppose. Anyway, a typical conversation with dad would go something like that...

Dad: Boy ah! (in a not so friendly manner)
Me: What... (likewise in a loud tone)
Dad: How dare you shout at me? I cannot call you is it? (voice raised)
Me: I didn't shout at you what!?? (voice also raised...exasperated)
Dad: You dare to argue back!!!
By this time, we would have caused the whole neighbourhood to start placing bets on who will win the fight...seriously.

It's times like these that I really appreciate the wisdom of my mum who literally had to drag me into my room (I would still be screaming in the room) and shut me up. If only dad and I had learned the importance of calling for a time out...me teenage days would have been a lot happier for everyone.

I'm still learning this truth in my marriage. Hunny commented that I'm an angry person...and I think she's right. Old habits die hard and I still find myself being very confrontational and charged up when I'm upset...at least with my wife. The good thing is that Hunny is usually the one who calls for the time out. The only problem is that I sometimes refuse to take it and insisted on having the last say. I thank God that she's willing to put up with all these. I guess I never really understood the importance of a time out. Paster Jeff made it very clear today, when calling for a time out:
a) No apology is needed.
b) Don't feel offended about walking away.
c) It is not meant to punish, reject or hurt.
I hated it when Hunny walks away in the midst of an argument (cos' I felt disrespected...but I think it's just an ego thing), but now I think my wife is a very wise woman.

2) Talk to yourself
Erm... I really don't know how to do that...feels funny...
But thanks to technology, I can do something similar....BLOG about it! It really helps cos' you tend to reflect and find out the root cause of the issue. But it's not going to work if we are in constant denial ha ha...

3) Tell God about it
This is the very thing I always end up not doing. Maybe it's because I'm ashamed of getting angry and doing soemthing stupid in my anger, so I dare not talk to God aboout it. But like Pastor Jeff said, it is even more important now that we articulate our true feelings and the condition of our hearts to God. He knows it already...He just wants us to acknowledge them.

So how do we Communicate in our anger?

1) Learn to speak Truthfully. (Eph 4:25)
It's more inportant to speak the truth in love instead of being fearful of conflict. Pastor suggested that we can try exercising the following 4 points:
a) State Observations
b) Express your feelings
c) Make known your need
d) Put forth your request

Pastor gave a very humourous illustration on using the above methods...imagine an argument between a husband and wife...

Husband: You are such a stupid woman!
Wife: If you are so smart, why did you marry me???
I don't I need to elaborate how this will turn out right?

What if the wife replied using the 4 steps?
Husband: You are such a stupid woman!
Wife: When you called me a stupid woman...(State observations)
...I was upset and hurt...(Express your feelings)
...it was a very disrespectful statement...(Make known your request)
...would you consider not doing that again? (Put forth your request)

Sounds too good to be true right? Maybe...but to reach this level we will probably have gone through the 3 T's so this might not be impossible afterall....

2) Learn to speak Graciously (Eph 4:29)
To do so is to say all things in the name of Jesus. Is is possible to curse or speak ill of another in the name of God??? I don't even want to try. Some scriptures to digest - Col 4:6, Col 3:16-17.

I thank God for his message today. I'm looking forward for more in the coming weeks. For more information about our family series this month, check out here.

Ok lah...I know this post quite serious...so here's a little Pastor Jeff humour to end it off....

A Loving Wife's Prayer
Dear Lord, give me the patience so that I may love my husband and understanding so that I may meet his needs. For if I ask for strength...I might just beat him to death!

Hunny...you don't pray that do you?

Do your part for charity!!!

2007-06-09T02:17:00.000+08:00

Hunny participated in a charity crop conducted by MWL last week and her master pieces are up for bids!!! Check out her one of a kind handmade clipboards here. Start bidding and do your part for charity now!!! All proceeds goes to CARE Singapore.

If you are wondering which one she made....
Clipboards
1) Indian Summer
2) Wafuu - bidding has started for this one!!!
3) sk8r - my favourite!!!
4) Retrospin - very pink!!!

Cards
Not up yet...but look out for them.

They have other nice stuff which others made too. Some very pretty jewellery boxes and photo frames.

Go get them now!

Shopping Spree...

2007-06-06T00:56:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Hunny and I went to Bukit Panjang Plaza for the dinner cos' I needed to make a trip down to Popular bookshop to get this...
I needed a simple file to hold some documents when I go for meetings.
By the time we got home, we were loaded with these...

Ok...before anyone lectures for spending so much let me clarify that we only paid for the camera and the Canon photo printer. The rest of the goodies were free... plus Harvey Norman was having some pretty good deals... so might as well.

We needed a new camera...or rather a good camera so that we can take good pictures for our scrapping. We also realised that it will be cheaper in the long run to use a dedicated photo printer (each print will cost only 30 cents), so we decided to take advantage of the Great Singapore Sale and make the big purchases.
I know Hunny is having a lot of fun with this:
The Canon Selphy

..and this!
The Canon IXUS 850

The freebies were pretty cool too. The printer came along with 3 sets of photo paper and cartridges..

And Canon must be feeling very generous, just check out the stuff that came with the camera...
2 x 2GB memory cards...

A multi-card reader...
And a camera kit that includes a camera bag, table tripod and cleaning kit. Plus we also got a free screen protector and strap to hang the camera around our necks...not a bad deal I must say...

There goes my July bonus...

Achey Day

2007-06-01T13:21:00.000+08:00

I'm on MC today cos' I'm having diarrhoea...I actually have a lot of work to at the office but I just can't get out of the house this morning...needed to poo after every 3 steps. Aurrgh!!! Plus my left arm aches cos' I took a flu jab on Wed. I feel horrible.

Anyway, maybe I'll spend some time scrapping with Hunny today. I feel the mood for it. Buut the best thing about being on sick leave is this...I get to spend time snuggling up with Hunny! Here's a random picture of what we do when we are out together...

You'll be amazed with us, we can fall asleep anywhere ha ha!

Dear Hunny...

2007-05-17T23:33:00.000+08:00

You are...
1) More beautiful than Monica Bellucci
2) More charming than all the girls in my office
3) The smartest woman I know though you can be really silly at times
4) Looking sexier each day with our baby growing within you
5) Everything I ever wanted and more
6) Everything I need
7) The one who keeps me grounded
8) My cuttlefishie-fishie-fishie
9) The Love of my Life
10) My best friend.....

And before the day ends my dearest... Happy Birthday! I Love You!

Your Tele-Tubby Hunny.

Blessed Birthday Mum!

2007-04-22T16:05:00.000+08:00

A Special Prayer on this special day...

Dear Lord,
I thank You for a mother who has shown me what a parent should be. I thank You for blessing her with Your grace so that she may bring up a child like me. I thank You for filling her heart with love so that she will always be able to love us when we are most unlovable. I pray today that You will open up the flood gates of heaven and pour unto your daughter the blessings that you have stored for her. Let her storehouse overflow with your goodness, let her heart overflow with your love and let her life be filled with favour upon favour. Lord I ask that You grant her good health that she may enjoy running after her grandchildren. I ask that there will never be a day where she will find herself lonely or alone because You will always be there for her and you will send the right people to her at the right time to support her and to walk with her. Lord I pray that my mother will always look and feel as young as she is now and let it be a testimony that those who abide in You will also be filled with life and excitement. I pray that You will always delight in her as she finds pleasure in serving You.

In your most precious name I pray, Amen.

Mum, I bless you today with this prayer as a son who has never in any felt unloved and unworthy of Love because you have never failed to show me that I'm lovable despite all my shortcomings. You are our anchor when life gets tough your children feel safe in your arms everytime you embrace us. I want to let you know that I appreciate you for everything that you have done for us and I pray that my wife and I will be able to model you when we have children of our own. I love you!

Your Only Begotten Son.

Focus

2007-04-21T00:40:00.000+08:00

Thank God for carecells. They keep you grounded and they help you tune in to God...

I love my cell and I missed them terribly. I miss the fellowship. I miss teasing the ladies and watching them go speechless. I miss seeing how everyone suddenly turns quiet when Ah Lai asks questions. But most of all I miss hearing them share about what God is doing in their lives at the present moment. It reminds me that God is very real and He is just a prayer away.

Today's cell outing was simple yet refreshing. It was dinner at IKEA followed by desserts at Anchorpoint and I had a great time catching up with some of them. It was extra special today cos' I was able to bring Hunny along with me. We got permission for us to attend cell outings together for this period cos' she needed someone to help her around...baby's getting too big!

A big "Thank You" to Ah Lai for helping us remember last week's sermon. He asked us to recall what God was saying to us during the service as we were listening to the sermon. It's interesting how the topic on our calling as a Disciple spoke so clearly to most of us. More importantly, them message seemed to remind most of us one similar thing...which is to keep our focus on God. A very good reminder to me especially after what happened this week. I was so caught up at being angry with the "friend" who embezzled our money that I didn't allow God deal with my heart. I was quick to curse and even quicker to condemn. It didn't help when I found out that the police didn't take our case seriously enough to act on it. I was so busy seeking justice that I didn't even have the time to seek God.

It's time to tune my frequency to the right channel. The word of the week is Focus....

Justice Vs Mercy

2007-04-18T22:59:00.000+08:00

A very long time ago one of our church members met with a fatal car accident. Another car had sped out from a side road and crashed into his car. The church member left behind his widow and daughter. In court, the reckless driver was filled with remorse and he apologised again and again to the family of the deceased. Someone in the family of the deceased said he pitied the driver who recieved quite a harsh sentence - jail term. He felt bad for his family because he was the sole breadwinner and his children were still very young. But someone else pointed out something very true... who then was going to show pity to the widow and young daughter? If you were the widow, would you have asked for a lighter sentence for the man who killed your husband? Tough question isn't it?

I found myself in a similar situation for the whole of last year. Ok, maybe not as serious but the principle is the same. To cut a long story short, a "friend" embezzled our money which was meant for the renovation works for our new flat last year. All evidence led to this fact, he already had the intention to cheat us from the very beginning when he issued us the quotation and subsequently the fraudulent receipts. After he was found out, he could not provide us with concrete commitment to pay back the sum owed, neither was he able to give us concrete evidence to prove his story of how he lost the money. Under such circumstances, we had no choice but to assume that he had misappropriated our funds and had no intention of paying. With no out-of-court resolution possible, we decided to report the matter to the police and press for criminal charges, with the understanding that we would not be able to get any money back.

I asked myself if I was too harsh because if he were to go to jail, his 2 young children would be left with no father in their formative years. Since he was already an undischarged bankrupt, he will probably stay as one for the long time. But then again...who and how is anyone able to make up to us for all the emotional, financial and relational strains that we had to go through for the past year? Was he even repentent? The answer is no. He even tried to cook up some story implying that I was actually the one who in his own words, "pestered" him to renovate my flat because I wanted to save money in order to pay off my credit card bills. Even though I already knew that he was an undischarged bankrupt. Wow...it's not enough to cheat me of my money, now he has to insult my intelligence as well.

The police report was first made in March 2006 and we have not pursued the matter hoping that the law would vindicate us. And in all fairness, he had an entire year to make things right. He could have apologized and return the embezzled funds, he could have apologized and work out with us how he may slowly return the embezzled funds, but more importantly, he could have simply apologized for what he had done. We would have been merciful. But nope...he has shown no remorse and absolutely no repentence. Thus I'm inclined to believe that we've made the right choice in pursuing the matter. He should have thought about his kids before he came up with that elaborate plan to cheat us of our money. When I spoke to the police today, I did not even feel the slightest bit uneasy about it. Maybe it is time to seek justice since mercy does not work anymore...

Timeless

2007-04-08T23:45:00.000+08:00

It's finally over....all the hard work and practices over 2 months for 2 days of presentation which ended yesterday.
Thank God for the 100 plus people who responded to Him. Praise be to God also for the seeds that were sown to those who came but were not ready to take that step of Faith yet. I pray that the reality of His timeless love will continue to capture your hearts as you recall the things that were being shared in the musical.

We finally had the luxury of heading home to rest after service today. No more rushing from PL to AR for rehearsals. But it somehow felt a little funny cos' I kinda got into the routine of things during the work up towards the presentation of Timeless. There's a sudden sense of loss cos' a part of me actually do enjoy the practice sessions with all the folks in church. I'm really proud to be a part of this team. Not because we were good cos' we were no where near the standard of the pros, but the willingness to learn and serve alongside each other with no expectation for personnal gain really encouraged me. We had no professionals amongst us, only simple folks who made themselves available and allowed God to mutiply their five loaves and two fishes.

To my fellow "choir" members, I'm proud to serve along with you. Thanks for keeping in tune 95% of the time (ha ha), thanks for grooving in beat 98% of the time, but most of all, thanks for giving your best to the Lord 100% of the time! The 140 over souls that gave their lives to Jesus are our inheritance. I hope to serve with you guys again soon!

To my lovely wife...Hunny, nothing beats serving God together with you. I thank God for sustaining you thoughout this period and I salute you for roughing in out for Him despite your condition. You have taught me a great lesson in "trust and obey".

Lord,
Thank You for letting me ba a part of this. Most of all, thank You for Your Timeless truth - that You loved us so much that while we were and still are undeserving of Your love, You came and died for us.

Choupinette

2007-04-03T03:10:00.000+08:00

It means Sweetie Pie in French. Hunny and I love this place cos' it brings back so many memories. We used to visit this cosy little French bakery before the Easter rehearsals 4 years ago. I remember buying their hot crossed buns for the cast members. Some may say that it's not as good as Provence.in Holland Village, but Choupinette is so much more than just another bakery. Besides the tempting selection of freshly baked breads, cakes and desserts, they also offer a very decent dining menu.

Check out the bread in the baskets behind...they're almost sold out and it was only 130pm.

Hunny loved the bread...

So did I...and I really needed my coffee...

I was commenting to Hunny that it felt as though we were at some coner cafe somewhere in Europe. The only thing that was missing was a river beside us with a gondola...then we saw this...

No river but close! Haha... a sampan in a LongKang would do fine too!

It took a long time for us to order our lunch cos everything in the menu looked too good to miss, but we eventually narrowed our choices to these...

Hunny had her Chef Salad...

...A very big bowl of Chef Salad.

I went for the Steak Sandwich cos' they were out of the beef stew with mashed potatoes.

I could not finish the whole sandwich cos' my tummy was filled with the bread I ate earlier. Hunny on the other hand, finished everything...baby must have been hungry. Just look at the look of satisfaction on her face....

We even bought back 2 loves of bread...which we finished both this morning during breakfast!

We need you...

2007-03-26T21:37:00.000+08:00

This is a scary season... We're experiencing things that we never imagined could happen. I feel the enemy's hand striking hard against the people we know. A father of 2 young children suddenly finds out that he has cancer, a mother of a little girl finds herself in hospital for a virus that hit her out of nowhere, a husband has a BIG fight with his wife in the morning that he was supposed to serve in Church, a daughter gets tormented emotionally again and again by the father she tries to loves...

No, this is not the prelude to a musical or easter presentation. This IS the reality that is facing the people of God in the church now. At this present moment, the enemy is trying very hard to break us so that we cannot function in this season. It is scary indeed...but we are not afraid. We live in the shadow of the Almighty who will NOT let us go. The enemy needs to know that when he strikes one of us, he strikes all of us. We will stand strong with and for each other.

Join with us in praying for God's servants and their families. Pray for God's protection will always be upon us and His strength will carry us in this season. The Harvest is plentiful and his workers are ready...but we need you, our family to stand with us and pray. We need you...

Scrapperholism

2007-03-15T02:33:00.000+08:00

This post was supposed to be published like 3 days ago... but was unable to upload the pictures due to some problems with Blogger... anyway, here it is...

It's official...I'm now a scrapper. Thanks to Hunny for insisting that I join her in her new found hobby. It's quite fun actually...once you start doing it, you just can't stop until you run out of materials ha ha! Oh, by the way, for the uninitiated...scrapping is short for Scrapbooking, it's such a serious craft that there is even a shop dedicated to it! You can find out more about it here.

Anyway, here's my very first scrap!

Hunny did a similar one for me... and we intend to display them side by side once we can find the frames for them.
I started on another one already, just need to add a little more decorations to it before I consider it complete. Hunny is also doing a similar one.

============================================================================

We visited the gynae again today. Was hoping to get another scan of the baby so that I can post it up but the doctor didn't do any scan today... just listened to the heartbeat. It was amazing, we waited 2 hours just to see the doctor for 2 mins and I didn't even get to see my baby ;o( But it was really nice to hear the beating of her heart...very strong beats. Hopefully next visit we'll get another scan of our baby...can't wait to see how much she's grown!

Let's be real...

2007-02-26T22:59:00.000+08:00

I overheard this conversation recently...

(Background: Girl A was trying to tell Girl B that she will not be able to make it for choir practice at by 630pm during the weekdays.)

Girl A: Hey I have a problem here, I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here.

Girl B: Just try to come on time lah, we have a lot to cover.

Girl A: Yah, but I just want you to know that it is impossible for me to make it on time cos' I can only leave work at 6 the earliest. And I'm not going to make it here by 630.

Girl B: Ok... just try...

Girl A: Sigh... ok. Anyway, I'm just letting you know in advance.

Me: ?????

Which part of "I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here." did Girl B not understand??? Ok...I'm sure she didn't mean to ignore Girl A's plight but one could not help but wonder if Girl B was simply being too task oriented. In this scenario, Girl A was simply being courteous by informing the person in charge that we was going to be late. Key word - INFORM. She was not asking for permission to be late. Thus, the conversation should have gone like this:

Girl A: Hey I have a problem here, I won't not be able to make it on time for the weekday practices because I knock off at 6 and it takes me at least an hour to get here.

Girl B: Oh, is there anyway for you to knock off earlier?

Girl A: I'm really sorry but I cannot leave before 6.

Girl B: Ok then, I'll take note of it.

Bonus statements which could be made by Girl B:
1) Thanks for being available.
2) Please make sure you grab something to eat on the way here yah...

Personally, I would have prefered this set of dialogue but I guess we often find ourselves becoming like Girl B, too task oriented and thus missing the obvious need - showing that we understand and that we empathise with the situation.

Not too long ago, I too was at the receiving end of such insensitvity. I was having a very bad flu on the day of choir practice so I had to see a doctor before that. A fellow choir mate was sweet enough to drive me to the clinic so that I didn't have to rush. But there were a lot of people at the clinic so I made a courtesy call to the person in charge to INFORM her that I was still at the clinic and that my friend will send me down after that. And what did the person in charge say to me? "Oh...then what is the earliest time you can be here?" Duh??? I'm in the clinic cos' I was sick and all you are concern about is what time I can get there??? Can somebody show me some love?

I realised that both the above incidents happend around the same time.... during Easter/Missions/Cell Conference period. This is the period where Church is at its busiest and everyone is very busy...maybe a little too busy "serving" God and getting people "saved" and we forget to let God's touch our neighbour by simply loving the people serving with us. I pray that this year will be different for us. Let us appreciate our co-labourers in Christ and not take them for granted. Let us not just reserve God's love for the people who don't know God. And because we cannot give what we don't have, let us make sure that we are all first filled with God's love...via each other. Let us be real.

God Provides

2007-02-25T22:10:00.000+08:00

It's really amazing how God shows you that He was not joking when He said that He is our provider. It is so easy to miss it sometimes especially when we take things for granted. I was very hesitant to give a special offering to God today cos' i knew that financially we were very tight and I needed all the cash I am holding on now. But God challenged me to tithe my Ang Pow 'earnings" and so I did the sensible thing by giving 10% back to God. I was pretty worried about my cashflow after that cos' I know that I may not have enough to last me till my next payday. Please do not get me wrong, it's not that I don't manage my finances well, it's just that there are so many unexpected expences and the fact that this is the Chinese New Year season did not make it any easier.

But God showed his faithfulness in a very tangible way today. Usually Hunny and I spend a lot on transportation cos' it is really inconvenient for her to take public transport. It is proven that 9 out of 10 Singaporeans are either blind or illiterate or just too tired to give up their seat to a pregnant lady. Thus we end up taking taxis most of the time...ok ok, I'm signing up for my driving lessons ok? Now back to today...after giving the special offering, we were left with only enough cash for 1 taxi trip. We had a problem... hunny needed to go back home to change first before heading down to church again for class... while I needed to rush back to church at Adam road by 130 pm after service at Paya Lebar ends at 1 pm. So we decided that Hunny will take take the cab back home, change, pick up more cash and then head down to church after that. As for me, I'll just pray that someboday will be kind enough to give me a ride back to Adam road.

But God's plan was much better than that cos' we could not get a single taxi to stop and if any did stop, they were only willing to drive around that area. And by divine appointment, a colleague of mine came back to drop his wife off after church (our church is just beside his condo) and he was heading off to our area after that, so he offered to send Hunny home! Wow! That cannot be a coincidence! And just as Hunny was about to call a cab from home to get to Adam for class, another friend who was staying nearby called and offered to send her to church! If God did not instigate this, I don't know who did. As for me, God graciously made room in my friend's vehicle for me so that i can get to Adam in time for practice. As a result, we did not spend a single cent on transportation today after church. And God went beyond our expectation as usual cos' my ex cell leaders who was staying at the next block was at the same practice so we ended up getting a ride back home after having dinner with them. Cool right? And things just got better cos' I'll be on course the whole of next week and my colleague has graciously offered to pick me up on the way so that means that I'll be saving a week's worth of taxi fare. Total savings on cab fare including that of today's is close to $150...that is many times more than what I gave to God today.

The bible says in Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Indeed my cup runs over and I know that it will never be empty because my God shall supply all my needs. I share this today as a testimony of God's faithfulness and I pray that you'll be encouraged and know that my God is one who's dependable and He takes pleasure in blessing His children.

============================================================================

On a separate note, something else beautiful today...
I attempted to listen to my baby's movement in her mummy's tummy today so I placed my face against Hunny's tummy and tried to figure out the sounds I was hearing. And without warning my playful little darling gave me a huge kick in my face! Sigh.... what am I going to do with her? Not even born yet and she's trying to show me who's boss... ha ha. I can't wait to hold her in my arms...

I'm gonna have a daughter!!!

2007-02-15T02:38:00.000+08:00

God gave us a beautiful Valentine's day gift today. He allowed us to see for the first time the face of our yet to be born daughter...

She looked so cute doing her little para para dance in her mummy's tummy. The doctor had a hard time trying to do the detailed scans cos' she was just so active! Oh no... does that mean she's gonna be hyperactive like me? Ha ha...
Anyway, the doc took quite a number of shots... most of which I didn't know what he was talking about cos' I was so eager to find out the gender of my baby ha ha. So to everyone who has been praying for us, thank you very much and please allow us to share our joy with you!

Here's the picture of the nasal bone and some other stuff...

...the brain...I think...

...and the heart...

...ok, now a 2-D scan of the face...you are supposed to see her lips in the picture on the right, but I can't seem to see it...

Ok, the picture I wanted to show next was actually the most exciting one cos' it finally reveals the gender of the baby, but hunny says too RA so cannot show haha...anyway, here's a shot of the kidneys...

... the tiny feet...

...and finally the cute little hands...

Ok, that's all for now...until the next "photo shoot"...tata!

IPPT Training

2007-02-14T03:07:00.000+08:00

I.P.P.T...put these 4 letters together in that order and it will send shivers down the spine of most NSmen. The single most distressing event for me every year is the annual IPPT or Individual Physical Proficiency Test. I can never pass on the first attempt, and ever since my OCS days, I've never been able to attain a silver standard. The reason is very simple...my body was never conditioned for it. Well, that's all gonna change this year!

I just started my exercise regime 2 days ago and although I'm "suffering the effects" now, I actually feel better, more alert and I sleep better! But it didn't come easy...every bone in my body screams for me to take a break and relax after work, but I knew that I had to start training for the IPPT in March. I'm concentrating more on the running portion because that has always been my weakest link.

It's interesting how when I was doing my quiet time just now, the Lord reminded me just how similar things are with my spiritual life. Here's how:

1) Regular training keeps me in tip top condition. Likewise, feeding myself regularly with His word allows me to apply it when the going gets tough.

2) It's painful but it will bear results eventually if done right. Likewise, the correct understanding of the word gives me the tools to handle tough situations.

3) I used to be able to do 15 chin-ups at one go, but now I can only manage 6 due to the lack of training. Likewise, I used to write 3 songs a month, but ever since I stopped attempting to write, I have no more inspiration.

4) There are no short cuts to keeping fit, no pain, no gain. Likewise, there is no replacement for the word of God. I can't forever do quiet time by reading only interesting Christian literature or simply listening to Christian music - I won't grow.

I've come to realise that I take my spiritual IPPT every week in the form of Worship leading. It is impossible to be an effective worship leader if I'm only gonna seek HIM and ask for songs once a week a night before I serve. I lead better when I've sought Him the whole week and heard from Him. Every time I don't "exercise", I perform badly for the "IPPT". Training takes commitment and so does learning His word.

True, it's never easy to work out when my schedule is so tight, plus I tend to give up when my legs are tired. But thank God for a personal trainer...hunny. She encourages me, pushes me and sometimes forces me to perform certain exercises to build the different muscle groups. It is the same with my walk with God, he sends me a helper...the Holy Spirit.

I'm aiming to do well for my annual IPPT this year, I hope I do well for the weekly one as well.

1 Year Already!!!

2007-02-05T23:23:00.000+08:00

Yippie!! I'm officially married for a year and 1 day now. My initial plan was to book a hotel room (preferably in Sentosa) so that we can re-live our dating days by spending the day at the beach but I was faced with 2 obstacles:

1) Could not get more than 1/2 day leave.
2) It's 5 days to pay day, so I'm pretty broke.

Thank goodness hunny was very understanding and she decided that we should just spend our money on what we enjoy most... EAT! Since it's our special day, we decided to pamper ourselves a little by finally visiting the critically acclaimed Les Amis Au Jardin at the Singapore Botanic Garden. You can find out more about the place here. We were there a little early, so we had the opportunity to take a nice stroll in the park. Incidently, this was the same place that hunny first fed me ice-cream ha ha...

For those who don't know, I used to work at Au Jardin, so this was quite a home-coming for me. Nothing much has changed, except maybe most of the staff, but the service and atmosphere is still the same- old school fine dining in the midst of nature (with air-conditioning of course). What added to the experience was the personalised service from my old friends and the thought of finally getting served by the people you used to work under ha ha...!

We were very hungry by the time we got to the restaurant, thus we opted for the Degustation Menu, which is an 8-course tasting menu. Typical french cuisine - BIG PLATES, small portions. But surprisingly, we were pretty full by the end of the dinner. Must be the bread, ha ha.

Traditionally, before the start of the dinner proper, they will serve a pre-appetizer appetizer. This dish usually changes everyday so it is really up to the chef to decide what he wants to tease your palate with. For tonight, we were greeted with an crabmeat concasse served IN a half boiled egg. It is kind of like an half boiled egg with crabmeat at the bottom and foamed egg and cream on the top...all in the shell.

We planned to take pictures of every course but the food looked so good when it came out we just started eating. We only realised that we forgot to take a picture first after we gobbled up the food... Anyway, the first course was really nice, it was marinated langoustine with caviar and baby mache. Because the langoustine was prepared raw, the chef was kind enough to prepare a special portion of scallops for hunny instead since she is expecting and not supposed to take raw stuff.

The second course was the famous pan fried foie gras, this time served with confit chicken wing and pickled raisin puree. I still stand by my opinion that the Les Amis group still serves the best foie gras ever - crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside... yummy... This was hunny's favourite dish, she almost wanted to order another portion of this after the main course.

The Pan Fried John Dory with black olive couscous was next (it's a fish for those who don't know... I used to think it was a name of some guy). We didn't get any pictures of this although we should have. The presentation was beautiful and the taste was even better. The mouth-watering foie gras made us so hungry that we totally forgot about the camera when the fish came.

Luckily, we managed to get a shot of the Maine Lobster with vine tomato fondue. This dish was just heavenly, probably my favourite dish of the night. The lobster was not too cooked thus the flesh still tasted sweet and crunchy.

The next dish was absolutely sinful... confit grilled Bigorre Pork Belly with braised lettuce. It was all fat and no meat. Every bite made me feel more and more guilty and conscious about my protruding tummy. Hunny has an excuse for hers, I don't. I think after this dish I looked more pregnant than her.

Finally the main course came... the pan roasted Venison tenderloin with chestnuts. Very nicely done without the typical over powering taste of the venison. My only complaint is that the portion was too small.

By this time, we were feeling quite satisfied with our meal. The Jackfruit sorbet which came next was a refreshing complement to the heavy meat courses we had before.

We ended the dinner with caramelized Figs on puff pastry, a simple dessert that was not too sweet. We forgot to take a shot of this one which was quite a shame cos' the presentation was really nice too. The restaurant gave us a nice surprise since it was our anniversary - a nice little chocolate layered cake. Not too sweet and the portion was just enough to fill our tummies to the brim.

You can tell from the look of our faces that we were very satisfied with our dinner.

Mmmmm.... cannot wait to do this again. Gonna start saving up for next year ha ha!

Spiritual Giant Vs Spiritual Ants

2007-01-30T02:23:00.000+08:00

Once in a while I find myself comparing myself with others in the areas of ministry and work. The problem is that it is not a "so-that-I-can-improve-myself" kind of comparison, it's the "I-would-have-done-a-better-job" and the "I-used-to-do-a-better-job" kind of thought and it is disturbing. Where is the humility? Yes, this happens even in church, especially when I see someone else doing something which I'm good at (or used to be good at). Maybe it's in my nature to feel like that since I have a super big ego, but then again, that shouldn't be an excuse for being such a smuck.

And as usual, God has something to say about that. Just as I was doing my TAWG, I came across this passage:

2 Corinthians 10:12-18 (New International Version)

12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. 14We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. 15Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others.[a] Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, 16so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man's territory. 17But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[b] 18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Dennis Fisher further elaborates this verse in Our Daily Bread:

Some people in the church mistakenly think of themselves as spiritual giants. These “big fish in a small pond” may feel they are superior because of their position. Of this misguided self-promotion, Paul wrote, “Comparing themselves among themselves, [they] are not wise” (2 Cor. 10:12).

Others may feel their spiritual growth is stunted because they don’t play a visible role. This is also wrong. Sometimes those who are growing the most may feel inferior to those who maintain a hypocritical façade of legalistic perfection. Spiritual comparisons are always unwise. Only the Lord is the true judge of spiritual growth.

Well said Mr Fisher. In my own way, I've used to think that I was a Spiritual Giant cos' I used to be a pioneering cell leader/worship leader/spiritual parent etc. Plus I've been in this church for 15 years, that should count for something right? Ha ha, wrong as usual. I'm just so glad that God has saved some face for me by not shaming me publicly every time I get big headed.

What I want to be is a Spiritual GiAnt - hardworking, believes in team work and labour not for oneself but for the colony. Lord please make me like an spiritual Atom Ant, or better yet, make me like You.

2 Flaws Down

2007-01-29T11:37:00.000+08:00

I realised some things about myself that I'm very concerned about, personally I think they are my biggest flaws.

1) Impatience

I think I have a very low tolerance in this area. Maybe that is why I'm not a good coach or teacher. This is especially evident during band practices cos' I cannot stand it when musicians cannot get the song right or when singers cannot get the tune right! I may cut a little more slack for the musicians but I get very upset with the singers cos' it shows that they are not listening at all! I always have the urge during practice to turn around that shout out, "Oi, can you guys stop singing along with the CD and listen carefully to what they are singing first???" It's amazing how we end up changing the tune of the song every time we sing it. I'm not a great singer, but come on people, at least try and sing in tune right??? Ok ok... must love people...

2) The-Need-To-Blame-Somebody mentality

This one's scary. To me in every situation, there is a cause and effect. This means that things don't just happen, someone let it or made it happen. For example, I'm lying on the couch watching TV and suddenly my hunny calls for help in the bedroom. I get up from the couch and accidentally kick my leg against the coffee table. This is what goes on in my mind: "OUCH! Why in the world did I hit myself? I walk through this place all the time and this does not happen so why did it happen this time? Oh... it's because hunny called for me and it startled me so in the rush I hurt myself. So who's fault that I'm in pain? HUNNY..." Sounds irrational? I think so too but that is exactly what goes through my mind when something happens!

I am so weird...

Forgiveness

2007-01-24T19:07:00.000+08:00

How many times must a person apologise to me before I forgive him? I guess it depends if he was really repentant. But what does the bible say about this?

Matthew 18:21 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Ok, seven.... so I haven't used up my quota yet...

When ever I think about forgiveness, I think about the guy who cheated us of more than 20K of our hard earned money when he ran away with our payment for the renovation of our flat. He was a friend, and that was probably why it was tougher to forgive him cos' I trusted him like a brother. And till this day, he still refuse to admit to his mistake even though all the evidence were against him. He claimed that the money given to him were deposited into his friend's bank account cos' he was going through a divorce at that time and thus if he deposited the money into his own bank account, his wife will be entitled to a portion of it. And then the money conveniently disappears and he says that his friend has withdrawn it without his knowledge. He was unable to recover the money because his "friend" has gambled it away. We then found out that he was already an undischarged bankrupt when he tricked us into using his company fo the renovation project. The reciepts that were issued to us were fraudulent because his company had closed down a year ago. Tell me again that this is not cheating??
I might have chosen to forgive him and work out a way for him to pay me back slowly if he had simply admitted to his folly and asked for forgiveness. Too bad for him but this is now a police case and I have no intention of simply letting it go.

To the people I have sinned against, I'm truly sorry if I've caused you any hurt. Especially those close to me. certainly i did not wake up one day and decided to plot against you so that I may see you suffer. I can understand if you may be more wary of me if I ask you to trust me again. It's simple, once bitten twice shy, twice bitten never try. However, do give me the opportunity of being innocent until proven guilty. It's the same with the guy who cheated me. I cannot do anything until the court proves him guilty.

This is my simple request.

That time of the day...

2007-01-23T00:22:00.000+08:00

Ever had one of those days when nothing actually went wrong but you just feel like cxxp? Today was one of those days for me.

Started as I was on the way to work... usually I'll chat with the cab driver but today I just didn't feel like it. I must have been frowning all the way to work cos' I ended up with a terrible headache at the office. I thought maybe things would get better after I take my breakfast (men just cannot stay hungry!), but when I was looking for my makan buddies, they were no where to be found. It was only later that I found out that they went for breakfast without me!!! Ok, not their fault cos' they went around asking if anybody wanted anything but I was a little late so they missed me. Then I thought maybe I should just find a corner and take a short nap cos' I could not really keep my eyes open. Before I could even rest for 10 mins, I was told that they needed me to attend to something urgently. So that was how the morning went- tired, hungry and...ok, mainly hungry.

And as if things cannot get any worse, I had to work through lunch! Those who know me know that my pet peeve is having to go hungry...just ask my wife, I'm totally unapproachable and you can almost see the horns on my head. Thank goodness my colleague offerred to buy something back for me. So I ordered a cheesy steak sandwich from SUBWAY but guess what, I had no time to eat!!! Erm... the sandwich is still in my bag as I'm typing this. And to add fuel to the fire, they told me that I cannot clear my off-in-lieu (OIL) tomorrow cos' they are under staffed...but the funny thing is that they could afford to let someone else clear his off cos' he will be going for an overseas assignment in a couple of days thus would not have the chance to clear them. Duh!!! Who has more OILs? He has less than 10 and I have over 20!!! Shouldn't the priority be given to me??? By the time I left the office, I was ready to scream...

Thinking back, I should have just taken a time out and shut in with God and pray. It is so human to try and do everything possible to make a bad situation better only to find that things just get worse. Why is it that we tend to shut off from Him when He is calling out to us? If only I had dug my ears I would have heard what He was trying to tell me through my hunger - "Son...just like you cannot function on an empty stomach, your spirit man cannot function without my daily bread." Simple fact which we all forget. God, forgive me for always spending time with You only at the end of the day. No wonder I'm exhausted. I'm not missing breakfast from now on.

Anyway, God has a way of perking me up... He brings me this...

That's the time of the day I look forward to. That's God's gift to me. Someone who'll love me even when I'm hungry. ;o)

Lord, thank You for being so real today.

First Posting

2007-01-21T00:22:00.000+08:00

First of all, a very big Thank You to the sisters of Kel_Cell who by the guiding hand of God, bought me a book by John Eldredge titled "Wild At Heart". The phrase "it's about time" is most apt in this case cos' I know that God has been trying to give me a wake up call concerning my life but I guess I just wasn't listening. I can only say that God never gives up on us...never ever.

This book is exactly what I need for this season, and since the day I started reading it, I haven't been able to put it down. It's not just how the author engages you with his stories, it's the very essence of this book- Discovering the secret of a Man's soul. For too long I've tried to distance myself from countless men's seminars conducted in different churches. Reason is that they all fail to challenge me in terms of what being a man is really all about. It's usually about what a good Christian man ought to be or do. They talk about qualities we should strive to possess and how to be a better Christian but what they don't do is to talk about what a man is really all about- that God has created us with a constant need for adventures, battles to fight and a beauty to save. It's a life of freedom, passion and adventure and this is exactly what I need. After reading this book for the first time, God has challenged me to do two things- To fight and to pursue.

To Fight for:
1) The right to be the man whom God as intended for me to be.
2) What God has placed in my custodianship- my family, finances and giftings etc.
3) For the opportunities to serve Him.

To Pursue:
1) Him.
2) My wife.
3) My passions.

Looks like this year is going to be a year of adventure for me. And I'll be sharing them regularly on this blog in hope that it may encourage all of us who read it. Just before I go, allow me to share with you the lyrics to the song of my day...

When the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm,
Father You are King over the flood,
I will be still and know You are God.

(Thank you hunny for playing the song)