Food!

A day of whole lot of food :) Blessed I am!

Bro prepared yummy breakfast for us! :) And we had them while watching the royal wedding. Kate's so beautiful!!

Portobello on toast, I LOVE IT!

We made Lok Mai Gai :) Glutinous rice with chicken & mushroom

 Got this recipe from here! But, we didnt have the lap cheong. so yea, chicken and mushrooms :) Think it was a success just that the rice isn't sticky enough. Should get better quality ones in future.

KFC here is just nothing compared to those back home. :(

I was in bed for 2 hours and I could not sleep! And so, I am here at such hour..!!!! Ah, sleepless night! No fun! I counted sheep, talked to shepherd, what else? :/

Bro cooks!

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs! YUMMY! :) 

Recipe taken from here.

It turned out not as dark as expected though, but it's yuuuummmmmy! 

Home!

I am blessed because I have a place called HOME in the UK!

Took a train down to darlington, where my brother and Swee Yen are.

Family is where the heart is!

It was golden silent moment with just myself, songs and the Lord on the train. 

The sceneries kept changing as the train travelled from Sunderland to Darlington.

And they are gorgeous! especially with the evening sun.

For the first time, I did not sleep the whole journey.

I spent time, appreciating His wonderful creations.

Easter Sunday!

It's Easter Sunday and it's also my first time helping out with the beacons! Meaning, the kids sunday school, of kids ranging from the age of 2-7/8 i think. It's beeen a while since I last worked with the kids!! I was quite excited with the new experience! 

I really love kids!!! Their innocence can never fail to make me smile! and, they are just way tooooo cute! I was bringing them down to the toilet and helping them to wash their hands and dry them.. It reminds me of the good old Girls' Brigade days  when we used to help out with the cadets'. Aww..the adorable ones.

They reminded me of JOY. They are all so energetic and joyful that Christ is risen! When they were told to draw what makes them sad, I was expecting them to draw things like "when someone snatches my  barbie doll" but I was surprised to see a lot of them drawing the death of Christ in their own very ways! We sang and danced (yes, danced! haha) and played games! I won myself an easter egg! :) hahaha. It was just.. awesome to be able to be one of them again! (to be young! XD) 

Their theme song! and we sang it with actions! =) It's indeed a fun sunday morning!

Good Friday

It's good Friday today! To be honest, my heart was heavy because of some unsorted feelings and issues. I came to His presence, feeling so weak and out of focus. I couldn't think, meditate nor pray. Am I defeated in some ways by the emotional weakness? This is a battle to win. 

The new perspective of pain

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

 ¹ Truly God is good to Israel,
      to those whose hearts are pure.
 ² But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
      My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
 ³ For I envied the proud
      when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
 ⁴ They seem to live such painless lives;
      their bodies are so healthy and strong.
 ⁵ They don’t have troubles like other people;
      they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
 ⁶ They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
      and clothe themselves with cruelty.
 ⁷ These fat cats have everything
      their hearts could ever wish for!
 ⁸ They scoff and speak only evil;
      in their pride they seek to crush others.
 ⁹ They boast against the very heavens,
      and their words strut throughout the earth.
 ¹⁰ And so the people are dismayed and confused,
      drinking in all their words.
 ¹¹ “What does God know?” they ask.
      “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
 ¹² Look at these wicked people—
      enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

 ¹³ Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
      Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
 ¹⁴ I get nothing but trouble all day long;
      every morning brings me pain.

 ¹⁵ If I had really spoken this way to others,
      I would have been a traitor to your people.
 ¹⁶ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
      But what a difficult task it is!
 ¹⁷ Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
      and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
 ¹⁸ Truly, you put them on a slippery path
      and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
 ¹⁹ In an instant they are destroyed,
      completely swept away by terrors.
 ²⁰ When you arise, O Lord,
      you will laugh at their silly ideas
      as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

 ²¹ Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
      and I was all torn up inside.
 ²² I was so foolish and ignorant—
      I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
 ²³ Yet I still belong to you;
      you hold my right hand.
 ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
      leading me to a glorious destiny.
 ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
      I desire you more than anything on earth.
 ²⁶ My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
      but God remains the strength of my heart;
      he is mine forever.

 ²⁷ Those who desert him will perish,
      for you destroy those who abandon you.
 ²⁸ But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
      I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
      and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

[The ultimate good in life is not prosperity, nor the absence of pain, but the nearness of God.]


Read this, it is so true that we grow nearer to Him when we are weak and in troubles, not only us christians. Even non-christians, do you not see people kneel and pray when they are in the verge of breaking down when someone is dying when someone nearly fall down from a cliff. (random examples XD.haha) If we could one day see pain in another perspective-to bring us near to God, we could claim that pain is a blessing. :) 

Holiday so far

It had been pretty eventful since holiday started a week or so ago! Shall blog about it! (soon I promise) It was Winson's birthday plus sunrise followed by my surprise birthday bbq.. and Chieng Loo's surprise visit, birthday celebration and then Dublin! Feeling super blessed!

It's all goood! But, time to study and yea, I haven't really got the time to blog but been studying today whole day and I was only back here yesterday! Ah, I am missing the good times already!

CL made them and brought them all the way from Dublin! Super touched!

From home! :)

Received my 21st birthday card from daddy and mommy dearest today!  awwww... SO SWEEET!
Thanks for everything!!!!! 

Holiday Plans :)

I was planning for my friend's birthday and realised there are so many places to visit here at the north east!!


Check it out here!

Yikes

Exam is tomorrow but no, I don't feel like working on it. YIKES! 

*SLAP SLAP SLAP* 

Vulnerable

Suddenly, I realized I am really vulnerable at the moment! :( I am so confused!

Missing Home

I just rang home and talked to dad. I think I miss home that much I really need to be home soon. It's been 1.5 years since I left home. It's too long and I am sure it is unhealthy! :( 

2 Peter 1

Read this passage again after reading Phe's blog! It is a reminder I need so much now, to grow in faith and to focus on the truth.

Had a date with Jesus at this other bank of the river. (never walked this side) To find rest, be quiet and be still in His presence. 

Psalm 22:9-11

⁹Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts.¹⁰I was cast upon You from my very birth; from my mother's womb You have been my God ¹¹Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help.

Devotion today reminds me that there are times that only God can help and I need to go to Him alone and win this battle. It actually says if people can help us out, we don't actually have a problem. 

Happy Mothers' Day!

It's so funny how I got my first mothers' day present from my beloved "son". Haha. I called him ah giang and he called me ah ma! umm.. I dont remember how did this start. But I guess I look old enough to become mom or even grandma to a few friends? Haha. and even nanny? Yikes. Anyway, it's mothers' day for the british today! :) And I got this cute prezzie!

He can really draw, right??!!! And it's so nice of him to draw such a cute me! XD hahas. How i wish it's true!haha. I was overjoyed and honoured to receive this in church this morning while the other moms are getting sweet prezzies from their kids. :D It really made me smile! thanks so much for making my day! :) 

Mom, you were in my thought today! :) Happy Mothers' Day I want to tell you! MISS U LOTS!

And then, we had a "Sunday Night Live" at Starbucks. And I took a few pics with my phone. Basically, we were there to make Starbucks happy (buying coffee XD)! haha, nah.. we were well fed with wonderful music and lovely testimonials :D and of course, fellowship!

Something really funny. There were two guys standing on the door and he was saying, "Oh come on, come and join us." They just smiled, stood there and listened to the first song. And then when he said "Ok, this next song is a song I wrote, talking about how God has always been there." (if i don't forget wrongly) They left straight away! We all laughed, but.. ah, sad  :(! how people reject to hear about Him..

Sharing session with Dave, our pastor.

He is really good! :)

McD and a Friday night

I simply like the new modern design of McDonald's!

We had a wonderful stroll to the beach, met the juniors there. Had a good laugh and crazy screams! haha. Good times. It's so beautiful when the sand just flew past in rhythm as the crazy wind blew.

How much longer shall I wait, O Lord?