Isaiah 41:13 (NKJV)

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, "Fear not, I will help you."

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Krispy Kreme is in Malaysia

Someone who queued 36 hours for the store's opening has been awarded 1 year's supply of Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts!

And someone else who bothered to stand in line today meant I had some Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

The original glazed one is still the best. Don't bother with the rest. I wonder if they serve coffee. More importantly, good coffee.

Other thoughts today...

I actually got up early for a 7:30am breakfast appointment!

Thought I'll just hide in some cafe for the rest of the day. But given the 4 hours sleep I had, I doubt I'll last the day even if I had injected caffeine into my bloodstream.

Oh. I also remembered why I prefer to keep myself busy. Rest is much longed for but when one really has nothing pressing to attend to, when one can finally slow down and relax... that's when the carefully buried skeletons in the closet come out to haunt you. I suppose that's part of the reason why I don't like hanging out with myself anymore - too much space for yourself to think, and things you won't really want to think about start to surface.


A Little Smile

A little smile goes a long way to brighten up one's day,

A little smile is all it takes to help someone feel ok,

A little smile fills the room with merry and gay,

A little smile received, down your troubles lay,

A little smile gives courage to one facing challenges, come what may,

A little smile passed on, is worth more than gold can pay,

Your little smile is more radiant than the sun's bright ray,

Be generous with your little smile and bless many others, I say!



found this in Dunkin Donuts, Alamanda @ Putrajaya


Monday, April 27, 2009

never make assumptions

A group of us wanted to visit a Catholic Church just to see what it's like. There's one near my house and I found the church's mass schedule online. Evening Sunday masses are at 6:45pm. 1st and 3rd Sundays in Tamil.

2 groups of us. 2 cars. Church was exceptionally quiet. No one was in sight. Well, there was a man who was "reading papers in a nice environment". No one who knew what was happening was in sight. We took a look at the mass schedule again:

"Sundays 8:30am English
10:30am Chinese
6:45pm Tamil (1st & 3rd Sundays)"

Man. How did I read it in such a way that I was so convinced in my head that if 1st and 3rd Sundays' mass is in Tamil, then 2nd & 4th Sundays' mass is in English???

ops.

We headed out for Bak Kut Teh dinner instead. Thankfully I was with a bunch of good-natured people.


Sunday, April 26, 2009

Golden Week in Malaysia

Yes, it's my Golden Week in Malaysia. Unfortunately there's no cherry blossoms here. Heard it snowed today up in Aomori while people were supposed to be enjoying the cherry blossoms. Hard to imagine but cherry blossoms and snow sounds like an interesting mix - it might just be a once in a lifetime thing!

I've forgotten how liberating it feels when 1 does not have to work the next day. One thing about stepping into the workforce is how long holidays are almost non-existent. Ah well, at least I get to have full weekends from now =)

Hopefully I get to slow down a bit and refresh myself before I start again. 8 days ain't long. One thing I must do - hide in a cafe with a good book! or journal...


Monday, April 13, 2009

another weekend

time to bid farewell to another weekend. not just any other weekend, it's Easter weekend! I suppose I haven't been as reflective as I should have been, and the significance of the cross in my life should really be a daily issue rather than a once-a-year thing...

Easter. My very first Easter - I remember fanfaric music, people carrying large impressive banners into church (they were doing Easter drama) and I had invited my 2 closest college friends. My memories of Easter in NZ comprises of Brumby's Choc Hot Cross Buns + lots and lots of choc eggs. Hmmmmm. My memories of Easter in Japan... a reflective one, over a span of 40+ days (from Lent onwards), Passover, Choc Rooster, Choc Lamb, Easter "Advent" candles... 7 years later, I've come one full circle back to Easter in KL again.

7.5 years of walking with my Lord and my God. But of course, He knew me prior to these 7.5 years, and more importantly, He has reached out for me and made Himself known to me. Sounds like a rather long period of time, yet I think I've barely scratched the surface of coming to know the One who created Heaven & earth, the One who breathed life into humanity, the One who handcrafted me and knitted me in my mother's womb.

I've been weary before. I've been in despair before. But I've also tasted His goodness and His faithfulness. It's been an up-&-down 7 years. But no matter how foggy the journey ahead may seem to me at the moment, somewhere deep inside me I know that He will carry me through, not just another 7 years but many more good and fruitful 7 years to come.

Soli Deo gloria.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Via Dolorosa

No doubt friends and family are precious gifts from God but I suspect in spite of those closest to you, life is an awfully lonely journey and only Jesus can understand that form of ultimate loneliness and only He can walk me through it.

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
A Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating
there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa, called "the way of suffering"
Like a lamb came the Messiah Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa all the way to Calvary

Friday, April 10, 2009

pouring passion into every cup

When one pays for upmarket coffee, it's not unreasonable to expect quality.

I watched the barista as he steamed the milk, prepared the cups, pulled the espresso shots (he almost forgot abt them!) and finally handed over my order. He was nice and friendly, nothing to complain about. But as I watched him, it struck me how so many of us are just doing what we're doing for the sake of doing it. I don't blame this barista, and I'm not complaining about him either. In fact, I've had many days like his.

Where's the passion? I guess not very many people out there care about how their milk is steamed and frothed, nor do they care about how you pull your shots as long as they get their order served. Well, I suppose it's not exactly the most exciting process in the world, and it's hard to keep your cool when there's a long line waiting to get their coffee... but it's not just about serving ppl their coffees is it? It's an art, is it not? One that gives you a sense of satisfaction when you know that you've done every step meticulously to produce a masterpiece in every cup.

So I don't get to pour my passion into cappuccino cups at this point of time in life. But whatever it is I find in my hands to do, wherever I find myself sent, should I not pour my heart into the cup He's given me?

I guess I need to learn how to make the best of whatever I have, wherever I am. No point walking through each day mindlessly. Each day is a gift from God. If I simply can't muster enough motivation, I should just drop everything and go make coffee.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Feels like a Friday

Often when life gets into a routine, slight changes to the routine can be rather misleading.

When boss came on Tues, I thought it's Wed.

And when she came again today, it certainly feels like Friday. Fridays often get me excited about going for CG where one gets ample supply of food, fellowship and fun from friends. But no, not only it isn't Friday today, we don't even get CG this Friday.

So, on a Thurs night that feels like a Friday night (I'm always itching to do something/go somewhere on a Friday night), I'd say it's time for something a little different. Chilling out with a cup of coffee (nevermind I won't be able to sleep after) sounds nice.

Now, where do they have live music with good coffee in KL again?