20160913- The Amazing "A's of Albany

[Natural Bridge @ The Gap, Albany, 15/9/2016]

"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through.  Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love and then we return home" - Australia Aboriginal Belief

Scoot Off!
Yes, a team of 8 did just that on 13/9/2016 to Perth and then headed to Albany, which was about 4.5 hours drive down south.  The whole trip cost about S$1k as we bunked in for 3 free nites in Perth with sleeping bags in the living room for some!

Awe-Inspiring Trip in Albany!

• Amazing Flowers in Spring as we found out that the temperature was much lower than usual years!
• Admirable yellow Canolas and pink white everlasting flowers!
• Astounding Winds at one of the 2 wind farms which served 80% of the 35,000 population in Albany!
• August waves in the coastal beach! Crystal clear pools!
• Astonishing Big Trees at the Tree Top Walk!
• Adventurous climb to Castle Rock - a feat for the over 50s to 70s!
• Awesome looking Alpacas - the guard llama for the sheep!
• Alfresco lunch overlooking the vast vineyard!
• Astronomical Nite at University of WA off campus site at Pingelly! (Where for the first time,  we saw Saturn with the ring, enlarged moon and also the beautiful Alpha Centauri - a pair of twinking diamond like stars) with just the telescope!

That perhaps summed up my thoughts for this amazing "A"s of Albany.

"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through.  Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love and then we return home" - Australia Aboriginal Belief

Above was a quote taken at the Windfarm.  Perhaps it is quite true in our spiritual walk here on earth.  LOVE -We love because He first loved us.  We are from dust and dust shall we return when we expire in 70s, 80s or 90s according to His call. Indeed it is not about me, not you nor us.  It is all about Him.  GOD is LOVE.  In this pilgrim process, life isn't about finding yourself.  It's about discovering who GOD created you to be. Amen.

Interesting quote indeed.  The 7-day trip ended as soon as it seem started.
It left me footprints of what I gazed back in the various places we visited.  From the mountains to the seas and the forest .  

Albany is an awesome place to be reminded of YHWH, the creative Creator God. His creative wonders which made man minute when one stood at the cliffs observing the pounding waves or hugged a big Grandma Tingle tree which is past already 400 years old! The fabulous waves that foamed in white & how the trees clapped their hands as written in the Bible -made me appreciate what the psalmist used to describe in the psalms.  Being up close and personal to a Wind Farm which produces clean energy! And the brevity of the numerous permutation of colourful spring flowers that last only for less than a month except for the everlasting ones. And being able to climb a rock (something that I hate doing in vertical sports) to embrace the panaroma view of Albany from on high.  And last but not least - being able to see Saturn with our naked eyes! Yes, the ring around this planet was so clear!

And a chance to pet that cute looking Alpacas!

So here's the video to sum it up! What an awesome God we serve!

20160912-My Airplant that blooms - This is the Air I breathe!

Ps150: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!"

The Beauty of Airplants!

There are more than 650 types of air plants (Tillandsia spp.) that can grow and thrive -- without soil.  After more than a year hanging at our balcony barren - FINALLY -  this particular one bloomed radiantly! Wow!

It started with red tips on the leaves..and lo and behold about 7 days later - pretty red little flowers just appeared. So cute.

Fundamental Need : Air!!! Life!

Perhaps like  Gen 2:7 where the LORD BREATHED into the nostrils  the breath of life, and the man became a living thing.  So does this airplant that survived mainly on air !

Likewise in Eze 37:5 the Sovereign LORD made the BREATH enter the dry bones and woosh! They came to life!

Finally in John 20:21 After His resurrection when He appeared to His disciples. What did Jesus do? After He said " As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" V22 He BREATHED on them and said "Receive the Holy Spirit"

How long can one hold his breath on average?

Having equated air with life, now we can understand why most of us on average can only hold our breath for 20-30 secs at most .  And if relaxed manner holding the breath underwater - perhaps 2 min. But In 2012, German freediver Tom Sietas held his breath underwater for 22 minutes and 22 seconds, besting Dane Stig Severinsen’s previous Guinness record by 22 seconds. 

The day we breathe our last gasp of air is the day we expire.

So what do we do with our breath on earth?

Guess by now we understand what Paul wrote in Acts 17:24-25

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all man LIFE & BREATH and everything else"

V28 For in him we live and move and have our being.

Do not take our breath for granted.

The air we now breath is free.  Thank God we need not pay any air tax.  Pretty great air we have in little red dot though once in a while contaminated with the haze from our neighbour!

But this new born spirit eternal life to those who received Him as the Son of God , crucified on the cross for us , cost Jesus His life.  Not so free after all .

And as said, what does our Lord Jesus Christ really need from us? He owns every part of this earth and every part of our being.  He designates the time we expire.

THE FINALE PSALM 150 sums it all up. If you do have breath right now and reading this little blog on airplants....

PRAISE THE LORD! Anywhere. Anytime. With musical instruments if you can play. Dance.

LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD.  PRAISE THE LORD.

20160906:Rom11:36 Input / Output : lOve+lIve

Rom 11:36 "For FROM him & THROUGH him and TO him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen"

Max Lucado "We exist to exhibit God, to display His glory. We serve as canvases for His brush strokes, papers for His pen, soil for His seeds and glimpses of His image ... He uncommons the common by turning kitchen sinks into shrines, cafes into convents, and nine-to-five workdays into spiritual adventures... When you magnify your Maker with your strengths ... your days grow suddenly sweet." Your work is important to God. Whatever your work is, it should represent Him. Manage them well. Even the breath we breathe and the blood that courses through our veins are God's investment to us - He expects a return. So, use them to promote His Kingdom."

Someone sent the above quote to me few days ago.

I pondered.  I wondered. How true is the text of Max above.

And then I took a photo of my red mouse over this mouse pad whose words are "wonders'as in Daniel 4:3 "How great are His signs , how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation"

Rom 11:36 "For FROM him & THROUGH him and TO him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen"

I used to liken our Creator God to be like a super computer - with mighty computer processors. The Input and Output devices that we now use to communicate with our PCs.  My mouse or keyboard is an input device for my laptop, while my monitor and printers are my output devices.

On the other hand, I often wonder & marvel at the state of the recent technology where we can send photos via our phone using the software like WhatApps to another party in another part of the world in second! How the picture is being send and received often awes me.  The Inputs of the signals and data received by the system and the Outputs transferred.

I am bad at computer programming. In my time, we learn BASIC.  If you were my age learning this in the 1980s, you would probably know my age. LOL.  Those IF...THEN...ELSE...GOTO...and I remembered my program always never seemed to work.  Just failed in that logic thing!

Fast forward to 2016, we now have WIRELESS network.  We use less of the keyboard.  We use Voice instead of the tapping in or scribbling.  And today, a foreign language can be immediately translated to another language of the other person's choice! The chicken and the duck can now 'talk' to each other:(

Reflections

If God our Father is indeed the CPU of our lives, whom He sent His Son here to earth for us (such as said, no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ His Son), and then only to give us His Holy Spirit (the unseen Helper) in this new wireless world of connection where we can tap unto Him --anyway, everywhere, anyhow , anytime without the need of any I/O device , how then should we live our life?

Apart from Him we cannot do anything. How true if the the brain of the CPU stops processing on our behalf once we disconnect with Him.  

Today, we are seeing multitudes of people with zombie like disease - heads bent, fingers hooked.  Walking in this posture on the roads.  In eating places or evening restaurants - people are so unaware of their next person presence in the seat too.  Each minding their own virtual chat , overlooking the physical presence of the humans in the surrounding.  We definitely need to DISCONNECT  to CONNECT.  So likewise, such so called good devices may need to be put away so that our QT with Him will not be hindered as well.

INPUT/OUTPUT ?

Why did Jesus cry out in John 7:38" He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters."

Max quote above - is yet another affirmation of our INPUT and OUTPUT of this life of having Jesus in our lives.  Jesus' ways are often not the world's ways.  In fact it is often a reversal.  

We love because He first Love us.  That is the input of love we receive from Him.

And In Him we live and have our being.  That is the output of how we should live.  

In Love we Input and In Output we Live to magnify Him.

"For FROM him & THROUGH him and TO him are all things.  To him be the glory forever! Amen"

Stay Connected to the CPU!

20160823: Acts 9:3 Sunrise Fire Glow or was it not?

Acts 9:3 " as he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  v4 He fell to the ground, and heard a voice say to him 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

Received this 'initially thought awesome sunrise photo ' from my niece this early morning.  And to my horror, she revealed it was not a sunrise glow.  But perhaps a fire glow from afar.

Only till this evening, that STOMP reported this sight from another resident - apparently, no SCDF report on fire was reported.  So this light which came from the direction of Seletar Airport seemed to be from a far.....

http://www.stomp.com.sg/singapore-seen/singapore/fire-at-seletar-airport-reminds-bedok-resident-of-lord-of-the-rings

Now: Found out that it was a normal flare at Pasir Gudang. Used as safety devices in refineries and petrochemical facilities : They safely burn excess hydrocarbon gases which cannot be recovered or recycled !

Reflections
Since this morning "Orange glow sunrise" spotted, I had been thinking about this light from heaven.  Was recalling how Saul encountered this bright light that came upon him while he was hot and fired up in persecuting believers.

But just one encounter on the road to Damascus changed Saul to Paul - 180 degrees turn. Blinded and then later his visions were set on clarity by Ananias.  Filled with the Holy Spirit. Baptised.  A man changed from PERSECUTOR of faith to that of PREACHER of the Good News that Jesus is the Christ!

Like the burning bush that Moses encountered in the mountain - a bush in flames yet was not burned.  That one encounter changed Moses from a DESERTER to that of a DELIVERER declaring the great I AM , the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who remembered His suffering children.

* When did you have that bright light encounter with YHWH?
* Is that light still burning in your soul? Or has it been smothered out?

Just heard this song "At the Cross" by Brooklyn Tabernacle choir. What awesome lyrics .  Another reminder that at the cross, He died for our sins.  He had to leave so that we will continue to have the Holy Spirit to guide us.  All fired up for Him while on earth.  Till we see Him again .

20160809_51st NDP- Ulu Pandan park connector to Chinese Garden bike

 9/8/2016..The Cycle from Holland V to Chinese Garden on Red Dot 51st!

When was the last time I was at Chinese Garden?  Mmmm ...at least more than 40 years ago! Heh heh!

Today, we decided to try out the bike trail using the Ulu Pandan Park Connector (about 7km) all the way to Jurong Chinese Garden (via Jurong PC - about 9km?) !
Started at 9:15am, we departed from Holland V hawker centre, taking the ride into the start of the Ulu Pandan PCN which was just opposite the Buona Vista MRT station.

Nice scenery along this park connector!

By 1pm , we were back at Holland V!

My thighs had some cramps along Toh Guan Road the the turn of IMM on the way back! Ouch!

And then also along the Ulu Pandan Park connector on the way back! And then along Holland Road on the last leg of the homing:( Thrice cramps...ouch! More than 30km and 3 hours of cycling under the hot noon sun...dehydrated this time!

But it was a worth it biking adventure!A trip down memory lane back to Chinese Garden which I had never popped in since 40 years plus ago!

The structures are still there...but the humans had grown taller...and older of course!

Blessed 51st birthday to little Red Dot!

20160726: Rom 10 - A salvation by what apps?! Nike!

Rom 10:13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved"

A little testimony of His faithfulness:

It was a Tuesday of quite a gloomy session of  lousy news.  Cancer invasion and relapse in the 2 of the family members and friend's spinal pain issues. However, the Lord is always near and He often uses unusual ways of cheering me up. This was one of those days.

It was this evening on the what apps chat with another ex colleague whose husband too was receiving chemo treatment.  Was always curious about her faith as she was using some of the 'christian cliches' in the chat.

So this evening. I decided to put a direct question " Hey , you also became a Christian?" To my surprise the answer was " I am not yet a Christian but soon"

Wondering "But soon" means ?  And I could't help remembering this logo.

Nike! Just do it!

In Heb 3, in 2 separate verses, the exhortation was that when "today we hear his voice , do not harden our hearts"  So I decided to apps the ABC salvation in simple form to her! No need to wait liao. Nike?

A- Acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Admit we are sinners)

B- Believe He died for our sins and rose again

C- Confess we are sinners and His blood shed for us is remission of our sins

Rom10:8 " The word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart." that is the word of faithwe are proclaiming. v9 That if we confess with our mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. v10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified , and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved"

And she replied " Yes, I believe it"

So I trust as in v11 "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame"

V14 " How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written" How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news"

And we thank God for the gift of salvation.

V20 As declared by Isaiah" I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me" But for those who seek Him, yes He can be found by just a mouth away. Why tarry? Today if you hear His voice, harden not your heart. Just a simple ABC to getting to know the greatest King of all the earth! No hell but heaven!

Reflections of the simple Tick! Nike

In 1971, Carolyn Davidson (lady above) charged 17.5 hours of work to come up with this Nike swoosh—which ended up in a $35 paycheck. While she didn't profit immediately from her work on the Swoosh, the designer was eventually celebrated by the company when they threw a party in her honor. She was also given a generous amount of stock in the company (estimated to be worth upwards of $1,000,000), as well as a diamond and gold ring featuring the Swoosh design.

As I thought about Davidson's small invoice amount of only S$35 back then, would anyone fathom the success of the company whose logo was designed by her in later years?

Is that a form of delayed gratification?

But in terms of eternity, it is priceless for a swoosh decision that would moved one from darkness to light.  From death to life.  Sometimes, people do not know how to become a child of God.  But it is as easy as a kindy ABC ! No big hoo ha. Merely a call of the heart to simply believe in Jesus and the confession of our mouth.

Never tarry.  Never delay.  We may never know what would happen next suddenly to prevent us from calling out to the name of Jesus.  

20160723_Tangkak Durian_Mt Ophir (Gunung Ledang)

23/7/2016 Trip to Tangkak for durians and a small trek to Mt Ophir !

It was our annual durian hunt with hubby's classmates which began only last year. This 2nd year we moved up to Tangkak , making it a full day trip which started at 6:30am

Traffic via Causeway was surprisingly good and we managed to stop over at about 8am @ Toast in Permas for breakfast.


Arrived at Tangkak at about 11am where the durian feast began!

 The 4 types of durians from the AA cheapest to the most expensive of Mao Shan Wan was laid on the table for sampling! (and we spent RM698 all in all)

The growing sequence of a durian from day 1 to the final 6th months - see its thorny TRANSFORMATION!


12:30PM  Arrived at the foot of Mt Ophir to discharge those calories!

Pretty cool waters!

3:30pm : Off to hunt for the famous Tangkak Beef Noodles! And bought the traditional biscuits...

6pm....On the way to Simpang Rengkam..the bus started to made a "plop plop plog noise"! Fortunately it was not a tyre puncture but  a screw loose causing the bottom flap to make that noise...stopped at a repair shop and got it fixed in minutes....after collecting the Muah Otah:)

Good chicken (RM38) and braised pork trotters with sea cucumber (RM138) the most expensive dish..total bill RM500+ (for 7 dishes)

10:15 pm Home sweet home ...smooth customs this time! Heng ah!

All in for this trip -bus and food? S$70....not too bad eh?
Looking for to next year! Yeah!

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
The Ukelele sing-a-long song in the bus journey...If I had a million dollars..LOL Ji Ba Ban!

OPHIR : is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its WEALTH!  King Solomon received a cargo of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes and peacocks from OPHIR every 3 years! (wikipaedia) Oh My! Ji Ba Ban alright!

Nah sih gua uh ji pa ban, ji pa ban,
Gua uh ji pa ban, jit si lang tio khin san,

Bo khong bo lang jai, kong tio chin pai seh,
Chiak kak hia nih tua hanh. ko mm pat je puey kee,

Pah piah hua chuey ni, bo chia bo chu ko bo ai lin,
Kua lang chua bo ko chuey sing di, wu jii ko wu seng,

Nah si gua wu ji pa ban, wa beh je puey kee,
Wa beh ew seh kai, ha wa ee sai dai yang,
Lit pun chiak su shi (Wa chia li chiak su shi)

Nah si gua wu ji pa ban, wa beh buey chia buey chu,
sang ting ka hai bi, siang lang ka ho kih,
lai hor wa cho bo
I’m quite lost here on the underlined part. Can anyone help?

Nah sih gua uh ji pa ban, ji pa ban,
Nah sih li wu kiam eng jii, khui chui bien keh khi,

Bo khong bo lang jai, kong tio chin pai seh,
Chiak kak hia nih tua hanh. ko mm pat je puey kee,

Pah piah hua chuey ni, bo chia bo chu ko bo ai lin,
Kua lang chua bo ko chuey sing di, wu jii ko wu seng,

Nah si gua wu ji pa ban, wa beh je puey kee,
Wa beh ew seh kai, ee tah li lim ko pi,
Loh pi chiak speh ge ti (Loh pi chiak speh ge ti)

Nah si gua wu ji pa ban, wa beh buey chia buey chu,
Buey tiam lai siu chor, eng eng bien cho kang,
Chua kow ki san por,

Nah sih gua uh ji pa ban, ji pa ban,
Nah sih li wu kiam eng jii, khui chui bien keh khi,

Nah sih gua uh ji pa ban, ji pa ban,
Chap cheng puay cheng teh ki eng,
bien huan ma boh bun tuey (huan chien pu se wen ti)

Nah sih gua uh ji pa ban, ji pa ban…
Wei, peng yu eh, li siong ji pa ban, chin chuay ah?

Just if you’re wondering what the heck is this guy singing about, here’s my DIRECT TRANSLATION, I repeat, DIRECT TRANSLATION from hokkien to English for your listening pleasure.

If I have got one million, one million,
I got one million, my whole life no worries,

Never say nobody knows, say already very shy,
Eat until so big, never sat on a plane before,

Worked so hard for so many years, no car no house and also no lover,
See people get married and do business, got money and got success,

If I have got one million, I wanna sit on a plane,
I wanna explore the world, Hawaii to sun bath,
Japan eat sushi ( treat you eat sushi )

If I have got one million, I wanna buy car buy house,
Eat all the delicacies of the world, who got the good luck,
Be my girl ( thanks to xiaoken@hwz for explaining these two lines )

If I have got one million, one million,
I got one million, my whole life no worries,

Never say nobody knows, say already very shy,
Eat until so big, never sat on a plane before,

Worked so hard for so many years, no car no house and also no lover,
See people get married and do business, got money and got success,

If I have got one million, I wanna sit on a plane,
I wanna explore the world, Italy drink coffee,
Road side eat spaghetti ( road side eat spaghetti )

If I have got one million, I wanna buy car buy house,
Buy shop to collect rent, easy easy no need to work,
Bring dog go for a walk,

If I have got one million, one million,
If you need to borrow money, just open your mouth and ask and no need shy shy,

If I have got one million, one million,
Ten thousand eight thousand take go and use,
No need to pay back also no problem ( pay back money not a problem )

If I have got one million, one million,
Wei friend, you think one million a lot ah?