Life, Travel, GRACE

What started nicely should ended nicely. With three prayer wishes set this year, only two achieved. Husband had a career changed and blessed marriage. However, researching for further study was not accomplished. Another year to ponder maybe. Happy new year!

This should be the best quote / tagline of the movie. So against all odd, Mrs Boss took the challenge to deliver 1,500 heads of cattle to Darwin, just to win the contract with the military. As you know, no success is without obstacle / challenge. Apart from being inspirational, it tells us on the necessity of preserving own native culture. So Chinese should be proud of being Chinese. Stop being obssessed with Western culture. But as globalization is happening, assimilation is inevitable. Locally, certain people try to introduce some of their cultures or practices into our society. It's like forcing you to drink juice when all you need is just a plain water. You got the point?

Version 1 Chinese: Is this your first child? It's a boy? Congratulations! That's good. Version 2 Chinese: Is this your first child? It's a girl? Oh, never mind. Girl also ok wat. Next one can have a boy. By the way, congratulations. Version 1 it is.

How should we define morality when human beings are sinful? What draw the lines between morality, belief and religion? The case of belief starts from conscious that something big and powerful is in the midst of our life. Due to cultural differences since early ages, human developed religions rooted from their belief. The need of religion could be self manifestation of worship that something powerful is beyond human control. Others developed some kind of religions to control human behaviour. Thus there came morality concept. In this century, human no longer merges morality and religion. There seems to be a vague boundary between these two, let alone with belief. They (or rather we) choose to decide against the odd when the past generations treat the same decision or act as immoral or sinful. Take for example sexual relationship. People around us who are not married (in God’s eyes) have openly practised intimate relationship which they feel fine about it. This was not the case during our

They didn't attend Christmas service. Instead, they went for lunch with a friend. Then followed by deep discussion of life, religion, house, movie, sex (oppss?) etc. Felt like dozing away at the end of the day.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim 2:2) That's why there's a need to develop other.... Today’s best young employees, the ones on whom future success will depend, are demanding that employers help make them better performers. It seems that young people understood the new nature of today’s economy before a lot of CEOs did, and they insist on employers who will keep developing them. Quoted from insidework - weekly quote+verse

Do you come here to destroy us? Earth is at its brink of destruction. Only then human will realize and make the change. This is our time to experience the change. Do not take it away from us.

This time he tried the novel audio book. Theoretically, he should have finished faster compared to reading. Well, he took 3 months to finish it, even though he has started a year ago. So the easiest method to listen to a storytelling is avoid during night time (you may doze off). Take it while you're on the run (jogging, walking, commuting). The novel is quite interesting, with background setting in Italy. So there are lots of Italian words in the conversation (still not enough to master the language though). It is about a lawyer / broker who was pardoned from jail sentence. Here's the mystery: he didn't know who arranged the pardon. Then he was relocated to Italy by the people behind the work. Words spread and other people came to get him (or kill him). Simply because he kept a powerful software of reconnaissance satellite. No doubt many nations wanted him. At the end......all he ever needed was a peaceful life.

Did you know? In the next 8 seconds . . . 34 babies will be born. What will the world be like . . . . . . for them? Name this country . . . Richest in the world, largest military, center of world business and finance, strongest education system, currency the world standard of value, highest standard of living. Great Britain. In 1900. 2006 college graduates How many 2006 college graduates in India speak English? In 10 years it is predicted that the number on English speaking country in the world will be . . .China. Who would have predicted this 60 years ago? Did you know? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 1 in 4 workers has been with their current employer less than one year. 1 in 2 workers has been with their current employer less than five years. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s learners will have . . . 10 to 14 jobs . . . by their 38th birthday Many of today’s college majors didn’t exist 10 years ago: New media, Organic agriculture, e-business, Nanotechnol

Came to factory and saw lots of people standing outside the compound. Why? Because there was a blackout. Whose fault? TNB? The switch gear company? The fuse company? Or the mouse? So went into the factory and it was pitch black. You know, because factory architeture doesn't fancy windows. The best part: TNB guy said no spare part available. So they have to look elsewhere. And it may take another day to fix it. Management decision: Go back home. An unproductive day because of someone/something's fault.

If you are holding some shares or stocks, you should aware on the current economy crisis. Some says we are in recession. Is it real? All are affected. His company is not exempted from this economy crisis punishment. There will be closure for weeks. Rumor has it that next year gonna be worse. Company may opts for 3 or 4 days work. It is very uncertain life indeed. But Jesus say this: Do not worry about your life.....life is more than these..... So believe that God cares us. Of course there maybe some hard times but that's where we learn and grow. How about investing in spiritual economy ?

This wedding has some similarity with ours but, by comparison in every detail, each is still distinctly unique.

Though Christmas is just around the corner, there are some shops start playing CNY songs! Nevertheless, Christmas trees still aplenty in shopping malls. Our humble tree...

No, we have not read this book. But he just found out an old email regarding an interview with the author of the book titled "A purpose driven life". (He has not read that email for 2 years!) Read the interview here. What is the lesson of life? Or the purpose? Life is a series of problem. God is interested in our character. He wants to make us holier (rather than happier). Our choice: focus on purpose or the problem. If you focus on God, things will work differently. After all, God doesn't want us to be here just to complete a task list. He's interested in us, our character, not what we do.

This would be the only book he's able to complete reading it within a month (as of now). Simply because it's so fun to read. In short, Branson summarized his life philosophy as: Just do it Think yes, not no Challenge yourself Have goals Have fun Make a difference Stand on your own feet Be loyal Live life to the full Nothing ventured, nothing gained He even met Al Gore. And got influenced to follow the global warming campaign. Anybody out there in Malaysia share the same inspiration? We need a responsive corporate who is committed in promoting renewable and sustainable energy. I guess we are too busy making money and fighting each other in the parliament. No time for mother nature. Another book to give away....any taker?

Whose responsibility is it to develop a close knit community within the workplace ? Employers? Employees? We see many employers try to foster good relation among the employees by organizing family day, annual dinner and brain washing training. Does it work? Often time we get a niche group within the employees. It could be a lunch partner, a gossip mate or car-pooler. Well, after all, no man is an island. Wouldn't it be good if all employers can offer freebies at  workplace like what Google does?

Probably the best tourist attraction in Bangkok. It is about 2 hours drive from Bangkok. Each morning traders flock to this village selling their stuff on boat. Really a wet market.

David asked God not to remember his past sins. But he also asked God to remember him (Psalm 25:7). It's beyond our comprehension how God can do that. Loving God who remembers us but not our sins, because He is merciful and forgiving. Hmm.....if God does not know our sins, how can He remove sin as far as the east from the west? Read more .

Well, since the ticket is sold out, just went to the road show for sneak peak of the performance. Guess what, lots of aunties and uncles waiting earnestly. Luckily there was a group of kiddos camped right in front of the stage. Young generation fans? 5 pairs of tickets were given away, only if you and your companion dance on stage. We were not the one. People screaming to get selected. Such a fanatic.... Well, maybe we will get to see the performance when we are older and are in London. Opps....the video recording was technically error.

Our faces made it to the billboard and poster. Check it out. [Photos from Thailand trip, 2008 March]

Have fun, work hard and money will come. Don't waste time - grab your chance. Have a positive outlook on life. When it's not fun, move on. It was fun reading Branson's auto biography chapter 2. Signed up some artist and waited the profit to pour in. While holidaying, the flight he booked was canceled. Then the idea came: chartered a plane and sold the seats to the stranded passengers. And he got profit out of it with 2 free seats. The rest was history - Virgin Airlines.

Our prayer to new born Kara that she will have a comfort live full of love ahead. May she be a blessing for the family. Pray for strength, hope and faith for the parents. http://amilewithus.wordpress.com/ Note: Kara's parents came to MU ministry for a short exposure trip in previous year. They are now with US Nav.

Planned to buy Mamma Mia! musical theater ticket. Early of the week searched online, no cheap fare (i.e. tier 3 seats). Was hoping to get tier 2 ticket. Went to Istana Budaya to try some luck. Guess what.....98% sold out. Only left 1 or 2 seats in premium and tier 1 seats. So we saved back the money. Was wondering, people here are really loaded. Can afford to buy ticket priced more than rm200. Here goes the tune: " Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man's world ."

The first chapter of Richard Branson's compact life and business lessons tells the story of just having the things done with these motto: Believe it can be done. Have goals. Live life to the full. Never give up. Prepare well. Have faith in yourself. Try and try again. Help each other. He talked about his involvement in his early business venture i.e. magazine publication. Then tales on inter-Atlantic power boat race and hot air balloon. Such an inspiration.

Then the girls came. After the dinner, it was ladies' talk.

Went to watch Mamma Mia! What a wholesome fun movie. Y ou get lots of Abba's songs. No, all of them in fact. Previous musical opera which made it to the movie theater like Phantom of the Opera and Chicago (he has not watched it yet) received commendable critics. But this one is great. You feel good after watching it. Can't wait for the stage performance coming this December in Istana Budaya. Ticket price a bit high. Here goes the saving money. Probably need to sing " money, money, money, it's a rich man's world ". Still remembering The Cats performance few years ago.....

What will you expect from live band with acoustic music? Expect some worse and better performance. Local performers who have spent some time in oversea for sure can deliver some standard performance. Local boy will need to learn more then. Performance in No Black Tie .

Been working late for the past two months due to some quality issue in the factory. Who to blame? Probably him for not doing the good job. Probably the "new product development" team for launching a substandard product. Whoever it is, now it's the break time to recharge back energy before the fight continue. Initially planned for oversea trip. Who knows she got good news. Everything puts on hold until .... emm ..... don't know when. Well, save up the cash for the next new toy. Meanwhile, did home improvement for the study / resource room. Progress still slow.

Age: 3 months + (probably 14th week).

If you are in Chiang Mai, pay a visit to Karen long-neck tribe's village. Said to be refugee from Myanmar, this tribe embraces brass coil on woman's neck. The purpose - protection from tiger? Or a resemblance to a dragon? Girl will start wearing the ring as early as 5 years old. This is really unusual and interesting, at least an eye-opener for the diversity of the people and tribes. Often the minority tribe is exploited for tourism purpose. Not sure how much they will get for each visitor per day.

A guy from China shared this: Everyone knows China has one child per family policy. If the only child in a family get married and has a child, imagine what will it be when he/she is at 40s. The couple will have a child AND two parents to support. So you have 4-2-1 policy. The "2" will support the "4" and "1" (assuming the "4" is not working). Financial burden will they have? You bet it. The couple will need to work hard to feed 7 members in a family.

BBQ in 61....

We went back home to Sabah last weekend. Just for some relaxation but ended up babysat her since she's not feeling well throughout the weekend. What's new in Sandakan? A new road connecting the airport to the town. They called it Northern Ring Road. The truth is, it's not ready yet. Missing street lamps and some sign boards. They said that project is overdue. Suppose to be completed last year (I'm not sure how true it is). Mix feeling: happy because there's new development; sad because it's still another long delayed project.

Read this message on the warning of adultery . Notable statement to think about: The pace of work today means we often find ourselves tired or bored or both. We are ripe for the temptation of the potential high that comes from a sexual adventure. We begin to fantasise. And fantasy gives birth to desire. Desire gives birth to obsession. Obsession gives birth to planning. Planning gives birth to execution --- and sin. And sin destroys. How on earth people can get caught into the act? You tell me - sinful nature. Or no obedience to Christ?

Personally, he doesn't think the country deserves the latest UNESCO heritage listing. Not because of the land, area or the building structure, but the mentality of the people. As reported in the news , after few months having listed, some have been torn down. If this little thing they can't even guard, what about this ? Even bigger event which he thinks will end in disaster.

If you go to shopping mall during National Day, this is what you will see. A big lantern. Too bad our National Day is not on people's priority list.

I think everyone heard the infamous Golden Triangle in Thailand before. It is an area referring to the intersection of the border of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. So you will have two rivers meet at the intersection of the three countries. There's nothing special there other than a casino in nearby Myanmar land, a Thai temple and a Laotian souvenir village. You can actually stamp your passport at the Laotian village. It's not the official passport stamp though. Never mind about the lousy itinerary in Golden Triangle, we had a great lunch then. The Golden Triangle "arc" Thai Temple Myanmar's casino Laotian village

He used to like a song titled "Sunscreen" or commonly referred to as "The Sunscreen Song" . Well, it's not exactly a song. It's a bit of rapping minus the tune and melody. It's a mere talk with background music. Some worthwhile sentences from the lyric for reflection: Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum ...sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Quite like biblical advice.

After all the hard work laboured, it's time to have a little celebration. Had Japanese buffet lunch then. Was pampered with wide variety of food selection - from sushi to kebab, you name it. I think I only managed to sampled 40% of them. I liked the colorful sushi they had. Oh yes, it was to celebrate her graduation.

Get a tour package and jump into different places featuring various homemade industries around Chiang Mai vicinity. If you don't want to join the tour group, hire a driver and ask the driver to bring you around these places. The local knows where it is. Noteworthy to visit is the paper umbrella making. Forget about the gem stone and carpet.

Finally, she made it!

One is a total evil. One is an indecisive good guy. He tried to pass on his job to a hopeful guy. But The Joker corrupted the hopeful guy. At the end, what matter is the spiritual battle. It’s a good movie though. Good acting by The Joker. The Dark Knight.....

The in-laws were here recently. So they brought them to The Eye before it is being relocated to Melaka by end of the year. Quite spectacular. Compared the picture quality captured with his old faithful camera and the toy. Looks like the old faithful camera is not able to give good picture quality in low light condition. Plus without image stabilizer. Shaking. Hinting to upgrade....... Captured with the old faithful: Captured with the toy: