In light of things

It's always good to reference articles that are helpful in a particular time of trouble or just when you need to be reminded... especially if it reminds you of the Gospel's implications with regards to whatever trouble or situation you're facing =)

Here are some good articles for your reading pleasure:

• The Bible called me Stupid
• Faithful are the Wounds of a Friend
• An Idiot’s Guide to Correction

Worth reading for anyone who is interested in investing themselves in people's lives and for all of us, because we all need loving correction.

I don't like being corrected. Who does? But it's part and parcel of growing in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us with the truth of the Word and enables us to obey the Word. That doesn't mean it's easy :(

Cooking is fun-er now

It's a tranference of interest. Nope thats not it. It's an expansion of interest. You know how i've always liked making stuff, the interest just expanded to include food. It's been fun! Especially if you have friends to do it with! I appreciate the fact that friends scream in mutual surprise shock omg-i-can't-believe-i-just-did that when you accidentally drop your egg yoke into your egg white only mixture. Or need four eggs when you only have three. Or be ready to bake and find that you don't have baking paper -.-  

I'll shamelessly spill that up until recently, i hated it. I still am fearful of the heat, the oil burning my skin and extremely sharp knives slicing the tips of my fingers off but the interest keeps on growing (although if i could find mittens that extend to my shoulders to cover my arms while i'm cooking, i would definitely use them). I never thought i'd be the so-called "domestic maternal grandma" type, but what the hey, i can sew, craft, and now cook. 

Next thing on my list - cleaning. Maybe gardening. Hahaha now those are things that i'm positive i'll never like. 

If at first you don't succeed, maybe you're doing something wrong.

Well well well, here we are at the second attempt at cooking! Thank goodness my lunch date, also known as the poor guinea pig had cancelled, so that i could take my time and taste it first hahahah just in case. At least if it didn't taste good, i would have ordered pizza or something =P

This thing today came about from a pact to start eating healthier (and no, even chinese food from the mix rice place doesn't count as healthy). I guess there's nothing better than home cooked food. That however only counts if home cooked food (at least from my home) tastes good too. 

Anyway, today's recipe is Sausage with Cabbage and Corn Saute from RealSimple magazine. I show no pictures of the process because i felt abit too jakun to take pictures, might as well just concentrate on making the food taste nice. Besides, the pictures of my dish wouldn't have turned out as nice as the one from the site, as above *grin*. 

So a few healthy details about this meal:

1. I used olive oil. Apparently, it's much healthier than normal oil, longer life expectancy and something about chronic illnesses. I don't care, it makes food smell nicer. Extra virgin is the healthiest quality apparently.
2. The recipe gives a 60:40 ratio of veggies to meat. And it helps that the veggies taste so yummy! Who knew balsamic vinegar could make veggies taste so nice!

Well, try the recipe for yourself to find out how good the veggies are. And oh yes, a side note: Even though Italians and Mexicans speak almost the same language, their sausages DO NOT taste almost the same. So go look for the Italian sausage instead of being lazy like me =) 

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Going over to Lydia's place soon to bake pavlova again! I love pavlova! Well, let's hope and pray i don't embarrass myself by burning it. Again. 

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edit: Try and finish up the veggies fast. They discolor the dishes. 

Love me, love my hair!

My long neglected hair had a well deserved bubble bath and indulgence. 

Reminds me of relationships. You have to take care of it, and regularly, and give it a break sometimes. Otherwise, it'll grow wild, out of your control and shapeless. The thing is, you've got to shape it with the right things, or it just gets messy or look cheap. 

So here's a timely reminder to take care of your hair, health, and husbands.

Being busy

Having a lot of things to do makes me busy. 

And i'm busy, a lot. 

And it kinda sucks.

Cos i don't get to see my friends more, spend time at home without working on something...

Although it's also been kinda good.

It's made me realize the necessity of waking up early and sleeping regularly.

It's made me realize the prudence of making good schedules and keeping to it, although not being confined to it.

But i'd be kidding if i didn't say that i still wish i had more time on my hands.

Well well, look at the time. Got to go. 

I still hate cockroaches

Remember this post? 

And the sordid ending, where it eventually got swept away into the bin?

Here's how i like all cockroaches...

Taken before being swept away.

The Peasant Princess

Have you ever heard sermons in your own respective churches on the Song of Songs before? Well, if you haven't, hear these, by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church. Click the images to go to the Peasant Princess website and watch the videos. Honestly, the images were enough to drag me over there, but the videos were a pleasant not-so-surprise. Play the Whac-a-fox game after you've heard the third in the series, The Little Foxes.

(all images from peasantprincess.com)

Ha ha happy

not exactly enough to make me happy, but these little sayings on bumper stickers from Melissa's FB wall are pretty funny.

(all images from gettyimages, edited by me)

the picture says it all

I hate cockroaches

My sister and i were sitting innocently enough doing stuff on the computers when suddenly, out of nowhere... A GIANT HUMONGOUS KING OF ALL COCKROACHES descended upon us. 

We proceeded to collapse into fits of debilitating fits of laughter and disgust and fear of all things creepy crawly (or at least i was). This woke mummy up and she came out to check on us. 

She waged war on the cockroach for us, cos we were pretty useless, hiding behind a towel (me) and a dictionary and japanese grammar (my sis). She was fearless on the hunt. 

Although she never managed to complete the job (she haha disintegrated into the same debilitating fits of laughter, turns out she wasn't that fearless after all), i love my mummy for trying. My dad who woke up when all three of us girls became useless writhing jellies laughing our heads off, had to complete the dirty deed and proceeded to lecture mummy for not setting a good example for her daughters =P

My opinion is: cockroaches, lizards and all other forms of creepy crawlies belong solely in the husband/daddy/man of the house department. 

The moral of the story is: Don't leave windows open big enough for cockroaches to get in.

the end.

A dedication in humility

Thanks be to Jesus, who suffered death to redeem us from sin and the wrath of God, for giving up himself to be our credit of righteousness, undeserving as we are. In this we have our confidence, in this we have eternal hope. 

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

Thanks be to God who's grace is so obviously evident in every little particle of life, in mine, forever teaching me and showing me His character, in perfecting me. It is grace and God's grace alone that allows me to be more and more like His son.

Thanks be to God, who forgives us our sins, by the gift of His son. He teaches me to trust in the Gospel, reminding me in the life of a woman who forgave "Many times over...", that God has forgiven me so much, so that i too can forgive much. 

"He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore, he is not disappointed when he does not find it. When our virtues become more mature, we shall not be more tolerant of evil; but we shall be more tolerant of infirmity, more hopeful for the people of God, and certainly less arrogant in our criticisms."(CH Spurgeon)

For a beautiful woman;

whose children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her.

God's grace gives me another day with you

I feel like life just kicked me in the shins. Hard.

So many things, so many feelings, and there's always the temptation to emo.

Then God reminds me of His grace and in His grace, He gave me friends who write terrible things to slap you in the face -.- Just kidding! It is a well written reminder for me not to emo.

edit 1.00am: Actually the temptation is not so much to emo, its to escape and run away. Hide, forever and ever. Forget all about everything. But essentially the same thing lah. Sometimes i chase this elusive 'escape' so much, i forget about God and the freedom i have in him.

Oh! These days all of God's grace i see in my life, in other people's lives... It overwhelms me into abundant joy, tears and thankfulness. I thank God that He is God and i am not. 

Oh, my mind is so jumbled, i can't put proper words to all the thoughts and feelings. And putting an end to this random word vomit is a random song: 

Some folks don't get it 
But we never fret it
'Cause we know that time is our friend.
It's plain to see 
That you're stuck with me 
Until the bitter end.

Some folks cant stand it
They say time is a bandit
but i take the opposite view
cause when i need a lift,
Time brings a gift
Another day with you...

Borrowed words

From people more witty than i, to express all i want to say, because i can't.

“Sickness, like any other weakness and trouble, should force us to stop, to face ourselves, and to look for the Lord. It’s a chance to find sins we have been too busy to notice and…a chance to find a quickened need for Jesus’ mercies and a deepened delight in God.”

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah."(Psalm 68:19)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

"We dare not speak on God's behalf to explain why He allowed these particular acts of evil to happen at this time to these persons and in this manner. Yet, at the same time, we dare not be silent when we should testify to the God of righteousness and love and justice who rules over all in omnipotence. Humility requires that we affirm all that the Bible teaches, and go no further. There is much we do not understand. As Charles Spurgeon explained, when we cannot trace God's hand, we must simply trust His heart."

"Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15)

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen; For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Gum election project

Gum Election is a guerilla art project which started in New York City in October 2008. It should encourage people to vote on November 04th and also not to spit out their chewing gums carelessly on New York Cities already dirty streets. 

I thought this was pretty good as an effort to clean up the streets! 

For the obvious hate encouragement, not so much.

The Most Important Issues in the Elections - John Piper

Although this is specific to America, the principles apply to us here in Malaysia too.