what are the things that you can do, when it is a sweltering 43degrees outside?

1. Cook some piping hot dumplings, eat it, and sweat it out.
2. Frantically look around the house for some extra fans that you can pull out, together with the duct cooling.
3. Do some laundry- i bet your clothes will be crisp and dry in 15 min time, spare the ironing.
4. Turn on the teevee (like now) and watch Serena W and Elena D. in action for the semis in aust open! woohooo.
5. As we watch, dig into the freezer and find some ice cream cones (if any left) and savour it.

i think that's quite a bit to do already, in a sweltering 43 degree summer.

gong xi gong xi!!

we made some chinese dumplings- i reckon there were at least 200 of em, and ate them to celebrate chinese new year's eve. it was really an interesting affair, with colombians helping to wrap the dumplings in their style! and i made some cool curry puff styles too.. pats on my back. HAHA. but lorena said they looked ugly. o well, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

it's been an eventful week. praise God for His wonderful blessings, and i was deeply blessed with a casual instructor job at a disability centre very much. praise God for His wonderful timing. though work was challenging, and physically exhausting, i trust that the Lord will guide me through what He has brought me to.

i am thankful that before i started work, i had a pretty relaxing time, watching the awesome australian open. it's one big thing that i really look forward to! it's prolly of my bestest relaxation and enjoyment!

and i cant help to grin like a cheshire cat when federer turned the tables around and won his match todayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

anyway, i am indeed grateful for what He has done in my life through this year. i would think i shed much tears, but i did reap much with joy too in little ways, in many little aspects of my life. i saw the power of prayer, intercession for ppl you know are on the brink of giving up; i saw the power of prayer for His providence in lives of people. and the list goes on.

alright, happy moo year. :) i shall enjoy it with watching some good tennis. :)

merry 2009 and happy christmas!

08 was a year of un-expected surprises (or even shocks). :)

praise God for the eventful year, i bet i will have many stories to tell my grandchildren in future just cos of 08 alone. :)

just in case you guys think i have forgotten all back home, be assured i am very much still thinking about all of you!

09, i hope you will be a year filled with great love, grace, and mercy once more, and you will be a year that many breakthroughs are witnessed. in God's grace and name, amen.

Step out, Rise up!

*

Was browsing through a book on the signs in America, and i chanced upon this:

Today's Weather:

God Reigns, and the Son rises.

such fine weather everyday!

Seriously, i got to say physical weather has such a huge influence on one's mood. But i guess being in Melbourne, i have come to see the importance of living my life independent of the weather. haha. seriously, if physical weather is directly related to a person's mood over here, o well, you will seriously experience people with extreme mood swings.

SUMMER, for the first time, i wish you are already here.

The Puzzle

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little daughter, Kelly. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his magazine on which was printed the map of the World. Then tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Kelly, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together." He was sure that would keep her busy all afternoon! After only a few minutes, Kelly returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. "Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then the World came together.."

"The Lord will guide you always;
He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

-Isaiah 58:11-12

was basically thinking through some stuff while brushing my teeth in the morning. and this came to my mind: keeping the main thing the main thing.

not something new, but yeah, it's like something finally snapped within me. what's my 'main thing' at this very moment, or rather, season in my life? do i know what is that main thing so that i can keep it the main thing?

right. feels confusing isnt it. interestingly, today's sermon brought me to explore philippians a lil more. and an a-ha moment occurred.

philippians 3:5-9

is all about focus. absolute focus. and it means, 'letting go of nice things that don't matter', as defined in the maxwell leadership bible.

Paul had a sharp focus. he discarded not only the things he once counted as gain, but he would rather lose it all if that allows him to gain intimacy with Christ.

Jesus told Martha- "only one thing is neccessary".

quoting from the maxwell bible- people base their decisions on a variety of things:

1. The Ultimate: first things first.
2. The Urgent: loud things first.
3. The Unpleasant: hard things first.
4. The Unfinished: last things first.
5. The Unfulfilling: dull things first.

Paul exemplifies a leader who focused on the Ultimate everyday. how about us? how about me?

i have a tendency to do the loud things first, and even sometimes, dull things first.

so what can i do?

as suggested by john c. maxwell.,

1. Work on yourself. -You are your greatest asset or liability.
2. Work on your priorities. -Fight for the important ones.
3. Work in your strengths. -You can reach your potential if you do.
4. Work with your colleagues. -You can't be effective alone.

great life lessons to learn from Paul.

going a little cross-eyed with doing up the darebin blog. but praise God, at least what was supposed to be put on it turned out readable. haha. hope to add more stuff along the way! a stepping stone!

check us out @ www.hopedarebin.blogspot.com

i promise you i have decided and am convicted today that IT is not my stuff. i seriously think that i have not much of a "rapport" to say with htmL, xmL, or whatever Ls. haha. i hate it when it goes out of alignment and they tell me that the codes are "not closed properly". WHAT's not close properly; WHERE's not close properly, i have no idea! haha. man. i need some dummies course.

but anw, praise Him. it manage to fall into some alignment somehow.

now i shall go do something else- cutting the pork belly into cubes as instructed by Atom, and marinate them. so she can cook tmr's church dinner. haha

now, that's another task i think i will take a long long time. hmmm.

with God, all things are possible. -matthew 19:26.

yea, amen. haha.

Something about worship.

"The authenticity of worship resides not in the composer of a song, but rather in the heart of the singer”-Batsirai Chada

how true.

i say,

the authenticity of worship resides not in the composer of a song (or worship leader, christian artistes etc.) , but rather in the heart of the worshipper.

i stumbled upon shenteng's and peiru's blog on missions. was previously on a sleepy mode, and when i viewed their testimony online, i am so touched by their hearts to do something great for Jesus!

and i went on to read their blog- chronicles of ecuador. Christ is indeed working in their lives over there, and using them greatly to impact the south americans!

and of course, their support and encouragement for each other in Christ's work! sweet!

the verse peiru quoted spoke heaps too- 2 Cor 12

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You are my delight!

we were walking across the road aft lifegroup at uni a couple days ago, and the university security van drove past us.

and it read "obama university"

novel ways to communicate the news. :)

this song just came to my mind as i quieten my heart for the night.

honestly, i havent listened to this song since the time i went to penang, which was a year and half ago.

you-tubed it. and saw how mel greene sang for this. and it's almost like she is preaching it to me that yes, life now is so uncertain and fragile. we need to share to our loved ones, that they really need to know that they have an opportunity to taste and see, the love of His. and He is more than a story, more than words on the page, of history.

and truly. this song is my prayer for the night.

Avalon- Everything to me.

I grew up in Sunday school
I memorized the Golden rule
And how Jesus came to set the sinner free
I know the story inside out
I can tell you all about
The path that led Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He loves me
And I don't know what to say
But i'll never be the same
Because he changed my life when He became...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything, everything to me

We're living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that i'm aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I've found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
Now everyday I'm praying
Just to give my heart away
I want live for Jesus
So that someone else might see that He is...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breathe
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything
And looking back over my life at the end
I'll go to meet you saying you've been...

You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
You're everything to me
Lord, you're everything to me

birthday came; and birthday went. nevertheless, it marked an important journey for me. and it was a good and simple time. i enjoyed it.

i think the year as a 22 was probably the life's greatest learning lessons so far- of course, i know that there will be more along the way. it's a year filled with so much challenges, excitement, laughter, and definitely tears.

and so now. looking forward to a growing 23.

anyway, i thank the Lord for such a journey. couldnt ask for more.

i had a rather happy day today. i think a simple life, is quite a fulfilling life on its own. went to the supermart, browsed through Word, got home for dinner, watched amazing race and news.

listening: mark schultz- walking her home.

i finally bought his cd. i have thought about it for a whole year. haha. o well. :) no regrets.

5 days ago- i was battling with the coldest night of all at 5degrees. i squirmed in the bed and had sore muscles.

5 days later- i was still battling with the weather, the hottest at 30degrees.

man, when will it come to a nice equilibrium! haha.

my delight; You are my delight...

it's one of rhema's nightly lullabies. her room is just beside mine. and i listen to it almost every night.

read her bible today too. the children's one. was refreshing, colourful, and insightful. how great are the hands of those who pen and draw the bible with such creativity, simplicity, yet not losing it's full meaning.

from the bible, i finally could remember the names of the twelve disciples. haha. i am going around to ask people to name the 12 disciples now!

saw on shirley m's blog that a good laugh, a good sleep are the best cures in a doctor's book.

i think i am regressing bit, like an infant since i came back melb; i seem to need at least 10 hours of sleep before i feel kinda satisfied. 12 hours the best; but rare are those days.

and yeah, a gd laugh is what i need too. :))

was reading a devotional blog. and it was uplifting to the heart.

"garment of praise". from Isaiah 61:3

it was an entry of what are we clothing ourselves with day to day. we make decisions- major or minor every single day to choose what to put on on our physical body.

what about choosing what garment to put on, on our spiritual body?

Colossians 3:5

1Peter 5:5

my prayer, is that i'll be able to consistently clothe myself with a garment of praise, in every season, in every circumstance. amen.

Desert Song- Brooke Fraser, Hillsong.
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

blessed birthday suettty ho on children's day!!

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

Psalms 19:8-9