Our Latest Addition!

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...

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....

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...

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!

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...

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

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