Happy 26th Birthday to Alex!

Today is my youngest brother, Alex’s 26th Birthday. We had a family dinner at The Ship, Damansara Utama – Seng Chor, Jordan and I, sister Eva and her boyfriend, and of course Alex.

The menu:
- Crab meat and sweet corn soup
- Sirloin Steak (Mine)
- Rib Eye Steak (Alex)
- Carpetbag Steak (Lu Kenn)
- 2 F1 Dinner set (soup, main course & ice cream cake) (Seng Chor & Eva)
- 2 Mango Juice
- Carrot Juice
- Filter water

I enjoyed the dinner. Good service, good food, good atmosphere – we were entertained with live music. Actually, I ate only a small piece of my steak. I gave the rest to Alex because I found it raw. I should have ordered well done instead of medium raw. We even asked them to re-cook but still too raw for me. Anyway, I had the salad, brocolli, 2 corn cob and 2 baked potatoes. They added more side dishes to my plate after the re-cooking. Hee! Hee!

I think Jordan enjoyed the most. He ate the porridge I cooked for him. He also had some bread, baked potato and a sip of mango juice. He enjoyed the music too – clapping his hands as he listened. He even made friendly contact with a boy sitting behind him. The boy was much older than Jordan. Jordan turned to him, and held out his hand. Then, the boy reached out to Jordan and shook Jordan’s hands. Jordan acknowledged the gesture by clapping his hands. Jordan repeated the gestures a few times. The boy was kind to entertain him. We find it amusing. Jordan was really friendly. He even asked the Restaurant Manager to carry him. Hee! Hee! He was really happy throughout the dinner.

After dinner, we went home to cut the cake. We didn’t give Jordan any cake. He already had too much food. He finished his 6 oz milk, and slept after 11 pm.

The Three Movements of Life

Recently, I stumbled upon this little leaflet about ‘The Three Movements of Life’ by Dr Tan Soo Inn. It’s very meaningful, and a refreshing reminder. So, I decided to share it on my blog.

1) SOLITUDE

True life is impossible without times of solitude. These are not just times to be alone but times to be alone with God. He is our Creator and Sustainer and we cannot live apart from Him.

This is perhaps the most difficult movement in today’s rushed and noisy world. But we need to worship, confess, intercede and supplicate. We need to receive fresh empowering and direction. We need to hear afresh that we are God’s beloved.

Mark 1:35
“In the morning, while it is still dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.


2) SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP

True life is also impossible without community. We all need to be in ongoing relationships with significant others. We are all need spiritual friends as we journey on in our lives.

In a world where many relationships are merely functional, we need to make space in our lives for those few who accept us for what we are and who nudge us to be more of what we can be – and to whom we offer the same.

Hebrews 10:24, 25
“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”


3) SERVICE

True life is also life that is lived for others. The natural outflow of a life nurtured by God and by spiritual friends is a commitment to bless others. Indeed our highest calling is to be a servant, sacrificially working for the welfare of others.

The secret of life is that we find it by giving it away. In big ways and small, in public but often in private, we share what we first received – the love of God and the God of love.

Galatians 6:9, 10
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially those of the family of faith.”


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

These then are the three movements of our life in Christ –
SOLITUDE, FRIENDSHIP & SERVICE.

********************************

Dr Tan Soo Inn
Grace@Work
“Providing Understanding For Life”
inquiry@graceatwork.org
www.graceatwork.org

Make God Smile Today

What makes God smile?

• God smiles when we love Him supremely.


• God smiles when we trust Him completely.


• God smiles when we obey Him wholeheartedly.


• God smiles when we praise and thank Him wholeheartedly and continually.


• God smiles when we use our abilities.
  

(Extracted from Purpose Driven Life)

Jordan has more blog entries

Why does Jordan has more blog entries these days? Hmm…

• Jordan’s life is simple – easier to blog


• He has more photos to share


• His Mummy is very busy at work


• His Mummy is also busy updating his blog. Ha! Ha! Ha!

What has his Mummy been doing?

• Preparing documents for new Diploma programmes


• Preparing lectures, especially for the module Soft Computing


• “Entertaining” students’ complaints/grievances


• Attending meetings

Two more months, and most of my lectures will come to an end. The students will be sitting for their exams in May/June. Life will be less hectic. Then, I will be able to write some journals on my research work.

Nowadays, I leave office at 5:30 pm. More work waiting for me at home – washing the dishes/bottles, do the laundry, entertaining Jordan, etc. I’m not complaining. I like to make sure that all his clothes are placed neatly. I enjoy tidying up the mess that Jordan creates every night with his toys. His toys will always be in the right place when he comes back. His pillow and blanket will be laid out nicely for his bedtime. I love doing things for him – that includes preparing meals for him.

As for Seng Chor, I try to iron his clothes every night (:p) and do the usual laundry. Hmm…I serve him dinner every night. Depending on my mood, I will make Ribena for him. I haven’t cooked for him for a long time. I used to cook dinner during the early days of our marriage. Things get busier. We got lazier – no marketing, no cooking. Then, we started catering for few years. We stopped the catering service in October 2005 – when my mum was here before the birth of Jordan. Since March last year (after my mum went back to KK), we have been having take-away every night. We eat-out on weekends – usually with friends.

When Jordan gets older, I’ll probably start cooking again. How old? Maybe when he’s 4 years old. We’ll see…

Babies are Born with Hearts of Gold

Babies come to earth filled with gifts uniquely their own.
These cherished pieces of heaven are the purest form of love that is known.
With tiny little hands they touch our hearts forever…
Their cheerful little smiles are sweet and their laughter delights with pleasure.
Each little miracle with an angel’s face…
Gives us renewed belief in the potential and grace of the human race.
Shower them with hugs and kisses and listen to them well…
You will be astonished by the stories they will tell.
Tell them they are special, perfect in wonderful ways.
Laugh and play in the sun’s bright rays…
Watch as they explore and discover their individual ways.
Sing the songs of childhood – “Ring Around the Rosie” and sleepy lullabies…
Rock them in your arms as they drift into their dreams and close their little eyes.
Be honoured you’re a parent chosen to guide this soul along the way.
Above all tell them that you love them each and every day.

(Verse by Sandra Magsamer)

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

The verses above were taken from a book given to me by my secret “Guardian Angel” in my Growth Group. It is an extremely beautiful gift. The words that touch me most were written by my “Guardian Angel” herself…


To: Christine,

A mother
with a heart
of
gold.


I will cherish this precious gift forever, and strive to be a mother with a heart of gold.

Movie night = No-Jordan Night

Last Wednesday, 21 March 2007, Seng Chor and 10 others watched the movie “300” at Cathay Cineleisure, The Curve. Jordan spent the night with the babysitter. This is the second time we left him at the babysitter to watch movie. Hee! Hee! So far, no sign of him misses us at night. He slept well – from 10 pm until almost 11 am the next day!

Seng Chor and I had dinner at a Kopitiam in Cineleisure. Both of us had Assam Laksa. Spicy but tasty. After dinner, we just walked around in The Curve.

9:30 pm – Movie time.
It was a bloody movie. I have not seen so much blood in a movie before. At the end of the movie, we realized that the cinema has red carpet and seats in red as well. It looked as if the blood from the movie has splashed the whole cinema! The movie has an interesting plot but just too much bloodshed. The Spartans’ army formation was cool - one protects, and the other attacks and kills.

"Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite."

You can read about the entire movie’s plot here. . Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details included.


Poster for the motion picture 300
[Taken from wikipedia]



King Leonidas fighting Persian soldiers.
[Taken from wikipedia]

King Leonidas and Xerxes

Losing Weight

“Christine, you have lost weight!”
This is what I have been hearing these days, and I love it.
Hee! Hee!

Why have I lost weight?

No. 3 Reason – I am eating less rice – less carbohydrate.
No. 2 Reason – Lack of sleep. Why? Blogging and uploading photos.
No. 1 Reason – Babysitting Jordan – carrying him and walking with him.

I’m so happy that I’m able to wear most of my ‘older’ clothes.
It feels really good. When I look good, I feel good. :)

Jordan’s Weekend Meal

Last Saturday (10 March 2007) and Sunday (11 March 2007), I cooked Spiral Pasta with carrot for Jordan’s lunch and dinner. Thankfully, he ate most of it.

The recipe:
1) Cut the carrot into cubes.
2) Boil the carrot for about half an hour.
3) Mix the pasta into the carrot.
4) Add a bit of salt.
5) Boil the mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes.
6) Finally, cut the pasta and mash the carrot.

This morning, before 8 am, Seng Chor went to market to buy carrot, potato and tomato for Jordan’s meal. I boiled them first for about half an hour, and then mixed the spiral pasta to cook. No salt added. It tasted yummy. This time, I blended the mixture before serving it to Jordan. During lunch, he ate about 1 and a half bowl. He also had half a banana. However, he had brown rice cereal for dinner as we were out in 1-Utama.

It feels good to cook for Jordan, and it is even more wonderful to see him eating the food. I hope to be creative and try out different recipes.

The pot of carrot, potato, tomato and pasta.

The blended mixture.

This is the second bowl - almost finished.
He ate half a banana.

The Meaning of My Parents' Names

PETER - My Papa	-
Language/Cultural Origin:	Greek
Inherent Meaning:	Rock
Spiritual Connotation:	Powerful Faith
Scripture:	Matthew 16:18 RSV And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail againnst it.

AGNES - My Mama	-
Language/Cultural Origin:	Greek
Inherent Meaning:	Pure
Spiritual Connotation:	Innocent
Scripture:	Matthew 5:8 KJV Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

10 Funny actions by Jordan at 14 months

Somersaults on the bed.

Walking in circles.

Walking backwards on the bed.

Pointing everywhere and says, “There”.

On seeing different types of flooring (such as, change of tiles), he would use his feet to ‘test’ the floor first, and then continue to walk.

When there is a small step in his path, he would go down and try to climb down that little step as if he is climbing down from the sofa/bed.

‘Talking’ to waiters.

Wiping the floor with a cloth. He did this twice last night – upstairs and downstairs. He took his wash cloth from me to wipe the floor. (He was copying what Seng Chor does almost every night – wiping the floor).

Pointing the remote control at the television and pressing the buttons.

‘Talking’ on the phone and walking around at the same time.

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

Generally, he imitates our actions. Jordan is a copycat.

First Porridge

I cooked porridge for Jordan for the first time on Saturday, 24 February 2007. Seng Chor got up early that day to go to the Section 17 market. He bought 5 carrots, 3 big potatoes and 3 slices of fish. He baby sat Jordan while I prepared the porridge.

He asked me to prepare it for our lunch as well. I was not sure of the amount to put in. My mum’s recipe is meant only for Jordan and it doesn’t mention how the fish should be prepared. I called her to check but I didn’t manage to get the full instructions. So, I consulted Seng Chor. He suggested putting 2 of each since I am cooking for all – 2 carrots, 2 potatoes and 2 slices of fish. Firstly, I soaked the brown rice as instructed by my mum’s recipe. Then, I started to cut the carrots and potatoes into cubes. The amount was really a lot. I realized my mistake. I boiled the brown rice first for about half an hour. Later, I realized that I should boil the carrots and potatoes together with the rice, so that, the carrots and potatoes will be softer faster.

As the porridge was boiling, I started to prepare the fish. Seng Chor said I need to debone the fish. It was not clear whether I should cook the fish first or debone first. His instruction sounds like debone first. So, that’s what I did – I deboned the fish before cooking it. Second major mistake. Deboning fish before cooking is tough. I gave up half way and cooked the fish instead. It was so much easier to debone after cooking it. As I debone, I mixed the fish together with the rice, carrot and potatoes.

I ended up with a pot full of porridge for at least 5 or 6 people to eat! It was more like potato porridge. Hardly see any rice. It tastes good. Thankfully, Jordan ate but not much.

Lessons learned

• No need to put so many carrot/potato/fish


• Add more rice


• Cook carrot and potato together with rice


• Cook fish first before deboning


• Add less water

My second porridge for Jordan was better. It was on Wednesday, 7 March 2007. The only thing to improve is the level of water. Need to reduce some more. More rice can be added as well.

Well…Seng Chor has reminded me that practice makes perfect. :p




The big pot of porridge.


First bowl for Jordan.

Happy, Happy

I am happy because ...

• my ex-students said that I have lost weight.
• my ex-students said that Jordan looks like me.
• I have definitely lost weight.
• Jordan looks like me, especially when he smiles.
• Jordan gave me a flying kiss this morning - first kiss from him.
• Jordan is happy.

Babysitting in Action

Where have I been? No where else but home. Jordan’s babysitter took a break and went to Hong Kong with her family for 5 days. They left last Saturday, and returned today. So, I had to take 3 days of leave to baby sit Jordan.

First day – Disaster
He woke up between 9 to 9:30 am. He was not really in a good mood, and pretty restless the whole morning. To soothe him, I decided to give him a bath – one of his favourite moments. So, I prepared the water in the bath tub for him. He happily splashed the water for a few minutes. As I took him out of the water, he started to cry badly. I shouted at him few times, and spanked him on the butt once or twice. It took me quite a while to put on his clothes. It was about 11 am. He wouldn’t stop crying. I just left him lying on the bed. He was uncontrollable. I called Seng Chor. He came back and soothed him for awhile. At about 11:45 am, Luki dropped his lunch – pasta cooked with tuna. He ate only about half of it.

The second bout of crying happened as I wanted to change him after he passed motion. He struggled to free his legs from my hands. Again, I shouted at him and spanked him twice. He cried for a few minutes. Later, at about 2 pm, I fed him milk and he slept until 4 pm.

He was still not in a good mood. So, I decided to take him to the playground. It was about 5 pm. I carried him out. I locked the wooden door. Then I locked the grill. He tried to snatch the key from me, but I wouldn’t let him. He whined. When I was about the lock the padlock on the gate, he snatched the padlock from me and wouldn’t pass it back to me. When I took it from him, he cried badly again. This was the third bout of crying. I carried him back to the house and scolded him again. No spanking this time. He just stood in the living room and cried for a few minutes. During this time, Aunty Sue called to find out how I was doing with Jordan. I cried as I shared with her what happened. She reminded me that Jordan is a blessing from God, and encouraged me to hang on. I felt better.

After about half an hour, both of us have calmed down, I decided to take him to the playground. So, I carried him and walked to the playground. He played the swing, see-saw and slide. He didn’t really enjoy the swing for long. See-saw was quite fun to him. He enjoyed the slide the most. He nearly cried aloud when I tried to stop him from crawling at the top of the slide. I was afraid that he might fall. He likes to climb up the slide and tries to slide down using his tummy. We spent about 20 minutes in the playground. I carried him home. Thankfully, he didn’t cry when I took him away from the slide. I showered him. He cried again for no apparent reason. Seng Chor arrived home. It was about 6:30 pm. Then, he fed him with pasta – again ate about half only.

Before 8 pm, Roy came to pick us up to go to Uncle Lim’s Memorial service. He was still quite restless. I had to carry him most of the time. Aunty Sue advised me not to shout at him but try to talk to him calmly. So, at the memorial service, I told Jordan that I will not shout at him again. I actually apologized to him.

End of shouting day.


Second Day – No shower
His first and only bout of crying for the day started early in the morning after his milk. He passed motion twice. As usual, he doesn’t like to be changed and cried a bit. I was really patient with him this time and talked nicely to him.

During lunch, we joined Uncle Lim’s family at Pantai Seafood Restaurant. Jordan had rice and taufu. He was in a happy mood. He waved and smiled at the ladies, and was really friendly with one of the waiters. Before we left, he reached out to the waiter and got the waiter to carry him for awhile! He nearly didn’t want to follow us home.

He had a good nap in the afternoon. I made him the Nestle fish porridge for dinner. I gave him some minced apple from the jar. He liked it. He spent most of the day walking around the house and playing with his toys. He was really happy when I found 2 unused remote controls for him to play.

It was a happier day for both of us.


Third Day – Sleeping Day
He woke up around 6:10 am for milk. He wanted me to carry him for awhile before he went to sleep again after 7 am. He slept until 11 am plus! First time he slept so long. When I went to check him, he was sitting on the bed. Surprisingly, he didn’t cry. He normally cries when he wakes up. Then, I showered him.

I cooked porridge for him. This is the second time I cooked for him. The first time was on Saturday, 24 February 2007. I put carrot, potato and fish into the brown rice and boiled. He didn’t eat much. I gave him some minced apple from the jar. He ate. Most of the time, he wanted me to be with him playing on the floor. Just before Yoke Kheng came, he cut his lips while playing with one of the container covers. Poor baby! I was washing some dishes during that time.

Yoke Kheng arrived with the CF students – Chloe, Venetia and Angela just before 2 pm. I fed Jordan milk. He joined us for lunch as well, and I fed him with fish ball. He was in a happy mood – smiling to the girls. After lunch, he was restless again. He was tired. Before 3:30 pm, he slept. He slept until 6 pm plus. Quite a long nap indeed. Seng Chor was home already. I gave him some bread – his favorite, before feeding him porridge again. He also had cereal at about 8:30 pm.

His appetite has improved much. He finishes his milk each time. Tonight, he even cried for more milk. Every night, Seng Chor would feed him and sleep with him first. He has been sleeping with us since Chinese New Year. He sleeps on our bed every afternoon as well. Seng Chor needs to train him again to sleep in his cot.

Things were better when I decided not to shout at him anymore. I failed terribly on the first day, but I thank God that because of His grace and my church members' care, advice, support and concern, I have triumphed!

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:13

Happy

I am happy because ...

• Jordan calls me Mama
• Jordan can walk steadily
• Jordan eats the porridge cooked by me
• Penang relatives say that Jordan looks more like me now
• Jordan is happy

Yes, I am Jordan's biggest fan!

It's a Happy Day!

IT’S A HAPPY DAY
And I praise God for the weather
It’s a happy day
Living it for my Lord
It’s a happy day
Things are gonna get better
Living each day
By the promises in God’s word