conversations with kids are so fun... and enlightening...
background: since moving here to washington, chiyang (husband) has been wanting to get into the local hobbies... so he's gotten licenses for clam digging, crabbing, freshwater fishing and salt water fishing. and along with the licenses, we've also acquired a crab cages, fishing poles, tackle box, a long clamming shovel, etc... you get the picture... we got the works! and with all that gear, we've actually managed to have lots of fun family time over the weekends (especially for chiyang and cody).
however, there has been one thing we've not managed to do... we've not managed to catch any fish! i often say chiyang and cody go "bait flinging"...
so, every three days or so for the past year, cody and i would have this conversation:
cody: mama... jean: yes? cody: i want to go fishing with daddy... jean: you should ask him... i'm sure he would like to go with you... cody: i want to catch a fish... jean: i'll cook it if you catch it... cody: it will be sooooo yummy! jean: let's remember to ask daddy to go fishing...
then recently, it's been more like this:
cody: mama... jean: yes cody... cody: i want to catch a fish... jean: i know... cody: i've never caught a fish before... jean: i know you want to catch a fish... cody: but i can't catch one... jean: maybe you should talk to God about it...
then last wed:
cody: mama jean: yes cody... cody: i want to catch a fish... jean: i know... didn't you talk to God about it? cody: i did! jean: you should ask daddy to take you fishing again... cody(sadly): we've caught crabbies, starfish, jellyfish, and lots of seaweed, but i don't know why God does not want me to catch a fish... jean: i'm sure he does... you should talk to God again... cody: alright...
then on sunday, we got an impromptu invitation to hang out with some friends (kouyong & akiko). after lunch, kouyong suggested the boys go fishing... he said he had just learned from a ukranian dude at the lake how to catch perch and he just got fishing poles for his boys. since we are always ready for fishing chiyang and cody eagerly said yes. i quietly said a prayer for cody (and i'm sure chiyang did too)...
as it turned out, it was the best fishing day ever! each kid got at least one fish. and in fact, cody was the last to catch a fish. chiyang told me he almost didn't catch one, and chiyang was beginning to feel a little sad for him. but on the last round, cody's line snagged a fish, the largest one (a foot long)! he had to get help reeling it in.
the boys all came home rejoicing! we cooked up the fish chinese style - steamed with ginger and green onions...
then, on the ride home...
cody: mama, this is such a fun day! jean: did you thank God for your fish? cody: yes i did! jean: seeeee, God did want you to catch a fish... <silence for a good 5 mins...> cody: mama! i know why God didn't want me to catch a fish before!!! jean: why? cody: when i was 4 years old, i was not strong enough, i didn't have enough muscles... but now i'm 5 years old and i have more muscles... i need muscles to pull the fish in... it's not easy... but i did it. God knew i needed more muscles!
that sunday morning we had just heard a message on king david and how he waited from the time he was anointed king to the time God allowed him to claim the throne... we are to have a patient heart, not passive, not agressive, but we need to learn to possess a patient heart... actively waiting on HIM...
What an awesome trip! This trip has so many of the first times that we did together. So here’s the list:-
- It is our first Hillsongs conference together. - It is our first time hearing Janzteen, Joel and Craig together. - Chris tomlin did a wonderful live version of amazing grace! I felt I was in a concert! - It was the first time we jump out of a plane – skydiving rocks! I so want to do it again! The Adrenaline rush is jus sooooo exhilarating ! - It was the first time we travelled together as a group – what a group of amazing close friends and fellowship. - It was a first time to visit a precious brother far away. Thank you Shawn! - It was my first winter with her. - It was the first time in Sydney together going to
- bondi beach area ( spicy tom yum soup in winter is ……. Slurps! ) - oxford street was jus so beautiful – very surreal. - pancakes on the rocks. http://www.pancakesontherocks.com.au/home ( we were fined AUD84.00 for not extending our parking ticket! – I think Singapore is not a “fine’ city/ Sydney should be the one, their fines and parking rates are so expensive! 1hr - AUD23.00 in the city - worst than suntec city whole day) - bondi beach. The weather was so bright and sunny even though it was winter! Thank you Daddy Father. - The fresh oysters at the fish market are life changing! http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/ The man serves the oysters out FRESH after being fished out of the seas! The sashimi too!
- It was a first time to hear this amazing Christian vocalist named kari jobe :- the lights and stage scene at the conference burns deep in my memory. It was acoustic version. The song she sang was You are for me. http://www.karijobe.com/ ( her voice plus the lyrics literally made me tear )
- It was the first time we took an Airbus A380 back to singapore. What a comfortable airplane. - diverted away from Singapore because of thunderstorm in Singapore! What are the chances! (pilot says it is very rare in Singapore) - Flew to KL airport. ( pilot mentioned that it was a first for an airbus A380 to land in KL. Ground crew were taking pictures of the airplane ) - We got stuck in KL for a very long time! 3 to 4 hrs in the plane! - You get to see the airplane take off and land from the tail of the plane.
We went KTV in Australia! I still don’t believe it but it is very cheap abt AUD12.00 per person for 3 hrs.
So bottomline for hillsongs conference attendees:- 1) if you have to drive which is very convenient, try to avoid the city area. Parking is too expensive unless you have a group to share the costs. 2) Try to get a group booking of 20 and above. It will help in the allocation of seating in Acer Arena.
Lastly, I cannot wait for the photos to be up. It is so funny to have a Digi camera but you do not have the memory card because all of us surrendered ours to alice to compile in a DVD.
A good friend share with me once long ago that she and her husband practices date nights in their relationship because they know how precious these moments are to them ( coz he is a doctor and can be on 24hrs standby )
These date nights would give them a break from their children/ work / family and jus have each other for anything as long as it is jus the 2 of them. ( the frequency of the date nights are dependant of their schedule )
And on top of what their rules are, i have added my own.
1) coordinate their schedule ( busy work/ministry/family ) etc 2) no phone calls except emergency ( from their kids ) 3) focus is only on the other party 4) share their journey with God 5) sharing of their dreams 6) Physical touch ( for married couples )
activities to do:- ranges from a nice dinner, walks, exercise, coffee etc.
Lastly, I feel that when we are out on a date, it means to make the effort to know the other person better and the only way to do is to communicate. and to communicate is to listen. That is when a couple can discover their ever growing needs and love for each other.
I love it when you do not talk back at me and .......................
I'm brought into a fantasy world you create.
I'm moved to tears when you share a heart felt message.
I'm get inspired by acts of bravery and galantry.
I jus zone/space out with you at the end of a LONG day.
you show/teach me how beautiful the world can be.
you show/teach me what a person can do when he or she is at his/her best.
I hate you because ......
you take an obsence amount of time away from when I know I have better things to do.
i feel guilty for spending time with you when i should be spending time with more important people.
you give me false hopes / inspirations / unreal / un God-like moments to live.
you made me fantasize about an unreal world / visions that are untrue.
you show/teach me an ugly world we live in.
you show/teach me what a person can do when he or she is at his/her worst.
What can i say, I love the sci fi movies & love stories / acts of compassion/ bravery on TV yet by watching these programs, i unduly cause myself to lack the essential time needed to be with God/family/work at times.
Such is my relationship with the TV in my living room. a love hate one.
It has come to my knowledge that a certain brudder have been taking latin dances. Very cool.( He wants it hush hush coz he is afraid that the other brothers would laugh at him for do so ) I say Keep it up Bro! Jus do it!
He kinda sparked my passion for dancing again. I should try a different style since i already know salsa & bachata. hmmmm .... latin ballroom, argentine tango or hip hop. been meaning to try these out. any recommendations, anyone?
After all, a prince or a knight in training is not fully one of royalty until he learns how to dance. I think Guys should learn how to dance, don't you?
Well it so happen i stumbled upon the new knight rider TV show or movie ( i dont know ) and found this whole other 80s TV shows. so i decided to blog about it.
I grew up watching these shows with those old TV sets when i was staying in a 3room flat at Blk 21, Dover Crescent #07-21. Rushing home from school to watch these shows then.
These were the TV shows:- ( the theme music for them sure brought back childhood memories )
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze.
'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.
She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'
'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm ge tting one!' she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whi skey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even20know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.'
She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate. Henry David Thoreau
Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not.--Vaclav Havel
This reminds me of the leaders in YSWA camp doing the china kungfu dance. The last part when Deacon Jeffrey had his simple action was Hilarious!
I have not gone back to newton CG for quite awhile, so i seized the opportunity to come when cheryl's friend asked if she could come to one. We had 2 new couples coming for the 1st time too.
All the new comers are very new to church too. Had an awesome time and ended off with a prayer request session. We started off praying in tongues. And as usual i have a habit of looking around to see if the new believers had recieve the gift of tongues. ( thanks to Jeann who taught me back then as in ambs ) and lo and behold they all did not speak while the regulars continued in speaking.
So when we ended, i raised this up and warren by leader prayer over 2 of them and they recieved it. while praying for steph ( cheryl's friend ) i feel myself trembling in fear. and that was when i recognised that good feeling of knowing that the holy spirit is at work.
I am truly humbled by Daddy's presence at that moment. It was a very strong anointing that jus flowed in the house.
Thank you Daddy for using me an empty vessel to facilitate the gift of speaking in tongues to these newcomers. May your abundant peace and blessings shower upon them daily like rivers of flowing waters.
well i started working at 7am on yesterday (sat) and i had a full day with my boss coming back and all the stuff he wanted to do etc. went to a site meeting and then to friend's place for a while and went home to change into something more comfortable for the night. thought i could catch a short nap but ended up KO-ed till today morning. Served in the morning at JK, had coffee with Jon and then 4th service.
Ended up missing a precious friend's gathering and disappointing a good friend's expectation of me.
The thing is i was in a semi consicious state all the way and it was not as if a knocked out totally. I even called anella to ask her if she called me and all these was done in auto pilot semi conscious state without me knowingly if i did called her and next morning. That whole experience is scary and i now know that i have been redeemed and will not suffer from it anymore.
Then it dawn onto me that my body was screaming for REST. I really did not think i pushed myself too hard. But the one thing that i knew i was lacking was time with Daddy God. sometimes, you get blind sided with the activities and errands that you are focusing on that you neglect the one thing needful - to communicate with Daddy. that is something that requires constant attention to balance and prioritise the daily life of a believer.
Today's message was a good one and a timely one for me and though i was not in the bestest condition to recieve, i know i did somehow. Thank God i'll be getting the CD the next time round.
Jesus, You are my Saviour and You have redeemed me from all of these stoopid conditions that i maybe suffering from.
And so it began that I had to meet my collegue to pick up my company's overseas partners in sentosa. So i had to be at Harbourfront again!
(at the back of my mind:- thank you Daddy for good weather for camp 2008. Mass activities is today la and the weather was perfect. I was so tempted to send sms to Jon or shawn and check on the construction of my station's bullseye traget boards. - I was reminded gently by Daddy to let go and let Him. a wave of peaceful serendipity surrounded me.)
So we drove the tech mgr Jens around singapore to see the sports flooring that my company has done. Got to know that there'll be 2 more programs for Junckers ( the brand i'm representing ) in gonna be on .08.08.08 and the other in shanghai somewhere in OCT 08 - some european fashion week - lots of clothing, models etc and the flooring would most likely be Junckers. ( Daddy I want to go!!! I recieve it in Jesus name-Amen )
after lunch at a jap place in behind tampines sports hall. met up with henrik ( marketing mgr southeast asia ) and Niles who jus touch down at the airport. All danish brokes. rushed to the warehouse to check on the show piece, mock up for sentosa IR project.
When back to office, had a short briefing, went back to the warehouse again. then head down to one deg 15 marina ( beautiful place! ) had a longggggggg dinner till 11pm.
So it was driving danish brokes around the whole day. It felt good. and at the back of my mind, i kept thinking of camp and prayed in tongues when i could for the campers and my events teammates.
Tomorrow is another long day starting at 7pm and 8pm at sentosa for breakfast.
Thank you Daddy for the car to use this week. what an unexpected blessing.
