green hot chillis

First fruits... i wonder how they taste...

all grown up...

planned to post this some time back but didn't manage to...



this is my lil baby sis' sending in her income tax forms... or rather, her big brother dropping it off for her... heh...

sigh... wonder how much i'll miss her when she's 6602 miles away...

You light up my life...

Quite a long time ago, my mum gave us some cash to get lights for our hall. Until now, most of the lighting in our home are just plain 'mentols' at the end of an electrical connector. So, after going around and checking out light shops everywhere from Puchong to Jalan Pudu, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. Square. Dark brown and beige to match the concept of our furniture.

So, I was just passing through Sg. Wang on my errants and saw a light shop. Walk in to check it out and spotted (what I thought was) a sweet, cottagey looking set of lights. No, they weren't square. No, they weren't anywhere close to dark brown or walnut. Well, have I told you that impulse purchasing is my ultimate downfall but the story of my life. Maybe all the going around looking and looking made me so tired I just wanted to end it...



Well, I made sure they got me a base and cables that were dark brown and I was pretty happy with my purchase. Excitedly greeted Cheryl at home with, "Da, guess what?!"

me: I bought something *in a sing-songie voice that builds anticipation*
Cheryl: What is it? *in anticipation, due to my sing-songie voice?*
me: I got us our lights!
Cheryl: Cool! Let me see!
me: tada!
Cheryl: *speechless*
me: nice or not? nice or not?
Cheryl: But it's purple... *in very obvious disappointment*
me: yeah, it's handmade!
Cheryl: But, it's purple...
me: and handpainted!
Cheryl: But it's purple...
me: i thought it looks real sweet and cottagey...
Cheryl: But it's purple...
me: your favourite colour is purple, plus it's not the gawdy purple, it's more like lavender...
Cheryl: But it doesn't GO with anything in the house!
me: fine, forget it....

And so, for the seven hundredth time, the little monster called impulse purchase sunk his full set of teeth into my behind... And the set of lights got chucked into my room upstairs. Until, last weekend when I finally decided something had to be done...



Click on photos for a clearer view. Notice that the flowers are now colour coordinated to our walls! Wheeee....



Well, we don't always get what we set out for. But we live and learn. And they look pretty ok. Just wish they were square tho ;)

Going Green

Gardening is very enjoyable. A plant that costs a few bucks or even free can grow and multiply! Hopefully we'll be able to get some fruits in a few years. Whatever it is, we plant and water but untimately it is God who makes them grow. And that is a miracle in itself, just like everything around us!

Some shots of our garden...


Our chilli plant.


Lime tree has to be checked for caterpillars everyday!


Vietnam apple, mango and coconut.


Longan! And kangkung growing wild on the compost heap.


This is so easy to plant, just cut and stick into the ground.

Tag, i'm it!

Ok, so as not to be a wet blanket, I'll do this... Got tagged by Kotak and this one is relatively easy, so i'll comply ;)

1) Each player must post these rules first.
2) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.Here are 8 little known facts about me:

It took me quite some time to come up with these...

ONE
I get grouchy when i'm hungry and tired. (ask Cheryl, she'll vouch for that)

TWO
I need to shower when i wake up and before i sleep.

THREE
I've never had an operation in my life, or broken any bones.

FOUR
I get an oreo craving some days towards the end of the afternoon.

FIVE
I enjoy watching children play.

SIX
I sleep on my tummy when i'm really tired.

SEVEN
I can go a whole day without drinking any water. Yes, i know that's very bad.

EIGHT
I am a fan of UFC. Check out www.ufc.com

NINE
I go into the jungle at nights looking for snakes.

TEN
I get mushy and teary eyed at the silliest things. eg. commercials, cartoons and sad stories.

Ok. Confession time is over. I tag the following people.
Cheryl
Sarah
Jess
Pei Yee
Pei Ling
Tze
Grace

Soppy Sappy feeling

i'm feeling a little melancholy today...

maybe it's because i'm tired
maybe it's because i got in touch with a primary school friend today
maybe it's because he told me his mum accepted Christ
maybe it's because i remember his mum stopped him from coming to church
maybe it's because it looks like i'm not gonna start training again today
maybe it's because my car got scratched in the car park by someone

whatever it is, i just wanna go home and hug cheryl...

the coolness of the night

Went to templer's park last night looking for fauna but only saw one toad... However, the wonder of nature was beautiful and made the trip worthwhile anyway. Walking in the cool of the night with the the sound of the river gurgling and insects chirping, then going INTO the river and wading around was blissful to say the least after a scorching hot day. Switching off my torchlight and allowing the darkness to totally engulf me then looking up at the millions of stars in the night sky. Ah... joy :)

Let's go to the zoo!

The only memory of KFC in the national zoo now are rubbish bins with colonel Sander's face on them... Had a great time with the kids last sat... Simply love them at this age where boys are yucky and not mammals cos they can't give birth! Wahaha...

my country is in trouble...

there is so much to say, nothing said will help... everything is sensitive, sentiments and anger run deep... every issue will bring us back to the racial, political and economical rut we're in... but we just sit back and watch, as the sampan were on springs a leak... sigh... oh, we sigh too and throw our hands in the air and say there's nothing we can do...

i think it's time we get on our knees and start praying real hard...

Lina Joy case

baby titus

a month of mountains

well, most of you know i've been hitting the trails quite a bit this month... went herping last night in janda baik for a few hours... must say the jungle there is quite a serene place at night... not so for ledang where giant cicadas cause loads of noise, and little grey birds make sounds that echo through the trees... too bad ledang is closed to hikers for the time being... anyway, what are my blogs without pictures? here are some shots from 1st may ledang trip with the guys...

things about kk

Sorry for not posting for so long... Photobucket has been abit of a pain while uploading... Here are some things i observed about kk...


1. people here are friendlier
2. there are 4wds everywhere
3. they have many mini round-a-bouts
4. lots of people speak hakka
5. this city seems alot safer
6. utensils and sauces are kept in a big plastic container on tables in makan shops
7. there are churches all over
8. public toilets are in every corner (and clean!)
9. sunsets are not necessarily nicer than in kl (only you actually have time to sit and watch)
10. parking tickets are still the system here (creates job opportunities!)

:P

Satisfied Shiekhs and Such...

This post is a week late. We made sinking sheikhs in class. Law of pressure and bouyancy. Lesson was that regardless of ups and downs, we sould be content. Just like the satisfied sheikhs were smiling all the time...





after meeting game...

welcome baby Ryan!

Ryan Low Tian Wang was born 5:51pm on the 13th of April, 2007.

小天望


Congrats to Adrian and Cindy and proud 3rd time grandparents!

Jim

Jim was quickly losing it. The more time he spent in his truck on the job, the more time he had to think about things. The more time he had to think about things, the more he felt he was going crazy. His behaviour had began to change. He got irritable very quickly and became agitated over small, insignificant details. He lashed out at his friends whenever they stepped on his toes. He realised this change but couldn't seem to control it. He grew moody and his emotions would fluctuate between two ends of the spectrum. One moment he would be angry and tense. The next, he was shedding a tear over the sight of two children playing. He was happiest when he didn't have to think. Watching movies and playing computer games were a good means of escapism. He filled his schedule with activities and kept himself busy, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He couldn't trust himself to be alone. He would feel like cutting himself or ramming his truck into a tree. Suddenly taking his own life seemed like an option. He knew that was something he should never consider but he was slowly losing his grip on reality. Life began to feel like a cruel game. One that had no restart option. He thought through all the various ways he could get it done. He could even plan it to look like an accident. Then suddenly he was sure suicide was not the way. He had to practise what he preached. Too many people were counting on him. He was too responsible then to do something as foolish as that. But it was precisely his responsible nature that was causing Jim all this anxiety. He had always been taught never to run away from a problem. But today was going to be different. It was his 3rd delivery of the day and it took him to the outskirts of his small hometown. However, instead of turning into the lane that would bring him to Mac's Hardware, Jim drove on and didn't stop. He floored the pedal and the roar of the engine made his heart pound. He was no longer going to be Jim. As the distance between him and Soundry town grew, Jim realised he could no longer be Jim. He was driving away from his life as he knew it. His family, his job, his friends and everything that made him Jim for the past 28 years. He was a free man, and it felt incredible in a frightening kind of way. He was no longer Jim, Jim was gone, dead, killed...

Paintball!

Jon invited me to join his friends for paintball war last sunday. This place in Kuang, Sg. Buloh had great landscape. They had jungle (which we didn't go into) and urban scenario with huts, trees, barricades etc. Great fun! Here are some pics.



The group before us... check bottom of post for video...




Our 'enemies'...


Half of our team... Masks on!


jeng jeng jeng...


Discussing strategy before action...


In action... i squat like a girl, haha... but it's the best to keep low, and ready for take off...


After...


So many places to hide...


here's a video of the other team playing...

Teens games...

more marbles!


paper, scissors, stone... move, move!

---insert title here---

what is this i feel?
frustration eating from inside out
gnawing at the corners of my soul
who am i?
what have i become?
flights of fancy, moonless nights
soaring high on dragon back
as the petals hit the ground
and salt runs down the cheek
sad songs ease the piercing hurt
andrenaline dilutes the hate
but will not calm the storm
tea leaves swirl and dance
and i cling on to the promise made

Marble Madness...

Ok, so i had to think of an interesting title for this blog. Part of last week's teen's club lesson was a task to build a marble roller coaster track. Roller coasters being the subject of the day. Ups and downs, twists and spins, all add to what make roller coasters fun. Of course the lesson was that life is fun and good too, if we keep to the track. Imagine what happens if a roller coaster car goes off the tracks, well many people's lives are like that if they don't allow God to be in charge and keep them on the right track. My lesson seemed to fall flat right from the beginning because only one of the children had ever taken a roller coaster ride! Yes, only one... sigh... I had to show then videos on my laptop, so they had a virtual ride :)







Failures are a part of learning


Finally, it works!


Two more tracks, if you have to chose only one video to watch, this is the one!


Oh, we also celebrated Adrian, Hsin Ren and Karnan's birthdays. Actually the cake belongs to Adrian courtesy of Aunty Sharon but we sang for the others as well...

Roscoe the great hunter...

Here's Roscoe with his catch of the day!