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Health & Wellness

 

 

Psalm 23:1-6

Psa. 23:1-6
Jehovah is my Shepherd; I will lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside waters of rest. He restores my soul; He guides me on the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I do not fear evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You spread a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Jehovah for the length of my days.


This psalm tells us that Christ's shepherding of us is in five stages.
1. The first stage is of the pastures and the waters of rest. Pasture and waters are for our nourishment, including cherishing and enjoyment.
2. The second stage is the stage of the path of righteousness. The paths of righteousness indicate our walk. After we enjoy Christ, are filled up with Christ, and are nourished by Christ. we walk on the paths of righteousness.
3. The third stage is the valley of the shadow of death. The valley, the shadow, and death are not pleasant. Christ's shepherding leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.
4. The fourth stage is the battlefield, where we are fighting against the adversaries. At the battlefield, a table, a feast is spread for us.
5. The fifth stage is to dwell in the house of God all the days of our life.
(Ref: Life-study of Psalms)

We have a very good hymn about Psa. 23. Stanza 1 of this hymn reflects verse 1 of Psa and so on. Verse 6 of Psa. 23 is the chorus of the hymn.

Stanza 1
The Lord is my Shepherd forever,
He maketh me down to lie,
He leads me beside the still waters
O how He doth satisfy!

Chorus:
Surely goodness, lovingkindness shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life;
Surely goodness, lovingkindness shall follow me

All the days, all the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
And I shall feast at the table spread for me;
Surely goodness, lovingkindness shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

Stanza 2
My Shepherd Himself is my pasture,
My Shepherd, the waters of rest;
I eat of His riches in spirit,
I drink, and O how I am blest!

Stanza 3
My Shepherd my soul is restoring,
My will, and emotion, and mind;
And though through the valley I'm walking,
O what a Companion I find!

Stanza 4
A table prepared by my Shepherd
I feast on and Satan destroy;
My head is anointed with oil,
Mt cup runneth over with joy!

Stanza 5
And now in His house I am dwelling
Enjoying the goodness of God;
My pleasure is far beyond telling,
My pleasure is Jesus my Lord!

If we realize that we are sheep, we will see that we are weak, defenseless, and have the tendency to stray away from the flock. Therefore, we need the Shepherd to shepherd us. The good thing about the sheep is that they only know how to eat, drink, listen to the Shepherd, and follow the Shepherd wherever He leads the flock. Sometimes, when it's time to pass through the valley of the shadow of death, we may tend to beat around the bush if we struggle on our own and lose our direction, not realizing that our Shepherd is actually shepherding us to pass through our situation or environment. So, that's why the enjoyment of the Lord's riches comes first. Without enjoying the Lord on a constant basis, it is very easy for us to stay in the valley and not coming out it despite the Lord's calling for us to come back to His flock.

However, where does all this take place? If we are not in the church, we lose the shepherding of Christ. Outside of the church, without the church, there is no way for Christ to shepherd us. This is because He is the Shepherd of the flock, and the flock is the church... The best place for our amusement is the church life. If we decide to stay home instead of coming to the church meeting, we will suffer loss. To avoid this suffering, we need to come to the church meetings. In the church meetings, in God's house, we can enjoy the divine goodness (the grace of Christ) and the divine lovingkindness (the love of God) following us (in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit) all the days of our life. (Ref: Life-study of Psalms)

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Lord, there's nothing in this world like You

Listen...

Chorus:
Lord, there's nothing in this world like You
You fill me up completely.
And I would never give You up for anything,
Because nothing else could satisfy me so.

Stanza 1
People think that they can find
Satisfaction, peace of mind.
Everything leads to another,
But I found the best.
(Repeat chorus)

Stanza 2
No more trying something else,
Thinking that there's something more;
No more hoping "someday,"
'Cause today I have the best.
(Repeat chorus)

Stanza 3
Looking not at failures past,
Hoping not in future dreams;
Not wishing I were different,
Knowing everything's the best.
(Repeat chorus)
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Cats are Cute!!


Look at all these adorable cats!

Thanks for these great photos from friends and those who share them online.

Credit to all cat owners!

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Kune Kune

Guess what are these adorable cuties? I got this Kune Kune photo from one of the Kune Kune websites. Aren't they cute? I guess I could never own one in Malaysia =_='
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November - Enchanted


The next film that I'm gonna watch is...... ENCHANTED.

Synopsis: A classic Disney animated fairy tale meets with the modern, live-action romantic comedy in Walt Disney Pictures' ENCHANTED. Featuring an all-star cast, the film follows the beautiful princess Giselle (Amy Adams) as she is banished by an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who has come to her aid – even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince (James Marsden) back home – she has to wonder: can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

Release Date:
November 21, 2007
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樱花草

This song caught my attention more than 7 months ago. It's still fresh in my memories.

樱花草

晚风吹动着竹林
月光拉长的身影
萤火虫一闪闪
满山飞舞的钱币

天上银河在发光
地上风铃来歌唱
织女星在远方
古老浪漫的神话

流水走过
就像四季的变换
幸福在蔓延
爱你永恒不孤单

恋人手中 樱花草
春在漫步的微笑
种下了一朵朵
青春璀璨的年少

恋人怀中 樱花草
听见胸膛心在跳
偷偷的在思念
那是我们相爱的记号

La......

远方钟声再响起
蛙鸣唱起摇篮曲
白沙滩月弯弯
爱你香甜的梦里

天上银河在发光
地上风铃来歌唱
织女星在远方
许下爱恋的愿望

流水走过
就像四季的变换
幸福在蔓延
爱你永恒不孤单

恋人手中 樱花草
春在漫步的微笑
种下了一朵朵
青春璀璨的年少

恋人怀中 樱花草
听见胸膛心在跳
偷偷的在思念
那是我们相爱的味道

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Bible: Recovery Version

I received this as an email. So, I'd like to share it here so that more and more people will appreciate the Bible, especially the Recovery Version (RcV).

A Testimony

The Recovery Version (RcV) is usually published as a composition of four distinct items: the RcV Bible translation; the RcV Bible footnotes; RcV Bible outlines; and RcV Bible cross-references. Different editions of the RcV include various combos of each of these items, sometimes New Testament only, and sometimes the whole Bible. I will comment separately on each of these components, referring mainly to the New Testament editions.

BIBLE TEXT TRANSLATION
I read the Bible in five languages (including Hebrew and Greek), and this is definitely one of the best translations out there. In fact, although I personally prefer translations based on the Byzantine/Majority Text (for which I highly recommend Jay Green's Literal Translation of the Bible and the New King James Version), the Recovery Version is the best Critical Text (Nestle Aland) translation with which I am personally familiar. The RcV doesn't follow the dynamic equivalence philosophy, which I personally cannot stand (NIV, TNIV, CEV, and so on. Note: The NIV was my first Bible, and after five years of careful reading and marking up, I finally had to drop it, especially after I learnt Hebrew and Greek myself). It is solidly in the literal translation camp, and is written in very clear English.

In my opinion, it most stands out above other translations in the following two of its translation principles:

*Its treatment of Greek prepositions is the best I've seen in any English translation, such as eis (into/unto) and para (from/with), bringing out the fine riches usually accessible only to a Greek reader.
* Its careful and faithful treatment of words referring to the parts of man is unparalleled: psyche (soul/soul-life); sarx (flesh); pneuma (spirit); neshema (breath); ruah(wind/air/spirit/breath). This translation makes crystal clear the Biblical distinctions in the three parts of man - spirit, soul, and body - and presents the flesh in both its good and bad aspects, as the Greek and Hebrew clearly do; thus the English reader can see for themselves the full range of Biblical usage of these critical words. For example, compare the translations of Heb. 4:12; 1 Thes. 5:23; 1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Pet. 1:4 with other Bible versions.

FOOTNOTES
Although the RcV is in itself an excellent translation, by far the most outstanding feature of this edition is the footnotes. These range in length and scope from one-line grammatical notes to two-page theological essays. Although I am not a theologian, my personal studies of theology and history fully affirm for me the RcV's claim to be a "crystallisation of the understanding of the divine revelation which the saints have attained to in the past 2000 years." I have met for many years in Christian circles as diverse as the emotional, experiential Pentecostals to the rationalistical, theological Calvinists, and the RcV footnotes spans them all. It focuses on experiencing Christ as life in the Bible, but it solidly grounds the key Scriptural doctrines. It affirms all Biblical truths (e.g., BOTH predestination and free will; and BOTH that tongues still exist as a genuine gift and that tongues are the least of all the gifts, certainly not for everyone). It has intimate and tender notes that just cause your heart to soar in love for Christ (for example, see Matt. 26:8, note 1; 1 Cor. 2:9, note 3; Heb. 12:2, note 2), and detailed, thick theological expositions that span the entire Bible on key items (for example, see 1 John 1:6, note 6 [truth/reality] and 2 Cor. 13:14, note 1 on the classic doxology).

One of the aspects in which the RcV notes never cease to amaze me is in how intricately they use the Bible itself as the basis for interpreting the Bible. An excellent example is in how the footnotes on John 3:14-16 completely expand and enlarge on the classic verse John 3:16. You thought you knew everything about that verse until the RcV interprets it in the context of the verses immediately surrounding it, in the context of the chapter, of the book, and of the entire Bible.

I own many Bible commentaries, including three that focus specifically on Bible difficulties or hard questions, and the RcV trumps them all. I only used to refer to them occasionally, but now I refer to the RcV daily, as it sheds light on passages both apparently simple and hard. Of course, no Bible commentary will answer every question you have, but the RcV answers far more than any other one I own. And its interpretations are particularly compelling, because of its principle of using the Bible itself to interpret the Bible, rather than man's clever imagination; thus the footnotes usually refer extensively to other Bible verses.

OUTLINES AND CROSS-REFERENCES
Although the footnotes are the most outstanding feature, the Bible outlines and cross-references contain amazing light. In every other Bible I've had, I've learned to skip the outline headers as I read, since they didn't add much other than helping me quickly find the verse I'm looking for. However, the RcV outlines contain amazing revelation. For example, I can never forget the first time I read through the outline of the Gospel of John, and saw that Jesus Christ, the God-Savior, is Life Himself. Life is not a thing; Life is a living person who has come to meet the needs of every man, meeting us in every situation.

I usually read the electronic version of the RcV (available directly from the publisher, Living Stream Ministry), and the cross-references have made me click-happy, clicking from one reference to another. I used to own a Thompson Chain Reference Bible, which was the best cross-reference Bible I had known priorly. However, I eventually gave it away when I realized that I just wasn't using it anymore. The RcV cross-references reference more or less the same key verses, and even more, linking not only literal co-references, but linking verses based on those that convey the same revelation. The footnotes are also heavily referenced with related Bible verses that shed further light on the verse at hand.

CONCLUSION
I could say a lot more in praise of this study Bible (I've read the whole New Testament with all the notes, and should finish the Old Testament with notes in about a month), but I think this suffices. I heard that DL Moody said something to the effect that if he were stuck on a desert island, as long as he had a Bible and CH Macintosh's Notes on the Pentateuch, he would be a happy camper. Well, if all you had today was a copy of the Recovery Version with footnotes, you would have the Bible plus a devotional and theological library in your hands. I repeatedly thank God for giving the Body of Christ such a gift, and for placing it in my hands.

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Which Winnie the Pooh Character Are You?

You are Piglet. You are timid, quiet, and like to stay in others' shadows. Though your shyness can irritate some, you are courageous when it counts and are always loyal to your friends.

Find Your Character @
BrainFall.com
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The Healing Christ

This is a very wonderful message.

First of all, we need to know that God created man with 4 particular characteristics:

1. First, God created man in His image, that man might bear His likeness, expressing Him. This is shown in Gen. 1:26.
2. Second, God gave man His authority for His dominion, which indicates that man is His representative. This is also shown in Gen. 1:26.
3. Third, God created man with a spirit to contact and receive Him. This is shown in Gen. 2:7, Prov. 20:27, and John 4:24.
4. Fourth, God put man in front of the tree of life, indicating that He desired that man would receive and eat Him as the tree of life so that man might live God. This is shown in Gen. 2:9 and John 6:57.

However, man became sinners and were not able to fulfill the above 4 characteristics. Instead, man was fallen with 4 major diseases according to the book of gospels, especially in the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament. These 4 major diseases are:

1. First, fever. Fever signifies a person's unbridled temper, which is abnormal and intemperate.
2. Second, leprosy. Leprosy signifies isolation from God and from men.
3. Third, paralytic. Paralytic signifies being paralyzed by sin and thus is unable to walk and move before God.
4. Fourth, the flow of blood, the issue of blood. This signifies a life that cannot be retained.

But praise the Lord! Do you know that our Christ is the healing Christ? In Mark 2:17, "Those who are strong have no need of physician, but those who are ill; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

We are sinners who are feverish, we are lepers, we are paralyzed by sinners, and we can't retain life in us. As sinners, we came short of the glory of God and are doomed. But the Lord Jesus Christ came and ministered as a Physician, not as a judge. The judgment of a judge is according to righteousness, whereas the healing of a physician is according to mercy and grace. The Lord came to minister as a Physician; that is, He came to heal, recover, enliven, and save people. Don't misunderstand me. Yes, our Lord is still the righteous Judge. If we sin, He will have to judge us. But at the same time, He is also the healing Christ, the great Physician. He judges and He heals.

Once, an elderly saint told me that if as a Christian, in our Christian pathway, we have never realized that we are sinners, our Christian life has not yet begun. A sinner who doesn't recognize that he is a sinner will never treasure the cleansing blood that Christ shed for us on the cross. That is why we will pass through certain situations and we will be enlightened that we ARE sinners. We are GOOD FOR NOTHING. We have no right to judge others. Even the Lord Jesus came as a Physician primarily. Who are we to judge and have no mercy upon others? I was very, very touched by this point.

Furthermore, the Lord serves us with His forgiving authority and His cleansing power. He forgives our sins, cleanses us, and brings us back to God, thus restoring us from our feverish condition. He restores our fellowship with God and man, thus restoring us from our leprous condition. Because of Him, our sins are gone, and we have God as our everything. Now we are enjoying God as our life, our light, our everything. We are feasting with the Lord. This is the gospel, and this is also the way to carry out the gospel service. (Ref: Life-study of Mark)

But how do we experience Him as the healing Christ that we may be restored, enlivened, and be able to enjoy God as our everything? We need to practice 4 things:

1. First, day by day we need to spend personal time with the Lord.
2. Second, learn in the presence of the Lord to be dealt with under His light.
3. Third, be infused with His burden according to His perfect will to care for people.
4. Fourth, have a change in our disposition to be fishers of men and feeders of lambs.

The gospel service is not an outward work. The gospel is a kind of living. When we spend time with the Lord and enjoy being ministered with life by the healing Christ, we are being healed from our sicknesses, and thus we are able to learn to live out a kind of living that reflects our enjoyment of Christ. Then, we become the living testimony of Jesus.

Yes, we will still sin because our flesh prompts us to sin. But we have the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9). Of course we do not sin purposely. In fact, a believer who has experienced the forgiveness of sin will never dare to sin on purpose. Only those who do not know what is the forgiveness of sin dare to sin again and again, taking the blood of Christ for granted. This is foolishness. There is a verse in the Bible that says, God is not mocked. Although God is full of mercy and compassion towards man and is always ready to forgive us of our sins whenever we confess, we still need to revere Him in a proper way, that is, the proper fear.

The key is this: Our Christ IS the healing Christ. For Him to heal us, we just need to spend time with Him. In fact, the highest profession on earth is to spend time being infused with God that we may shine forth God. (Ref: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 62)

Amen!
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The Hebrew Exodus

Before the exodus
Exodus 12:31-40
31 And he (Pharaoh) called for Moses and Aaron in the night and said, Rise up, go out from the midst of my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Jehovah, as you have said.
32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go and bless me also.
33 And the Egyptians urged the people on, so as to hasten their departure out of the land, for they said, All of us will be dead.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing.
36 And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight if the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.
38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them, as well as flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.
39 And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt, into unleavened cakes, for it had not been leavened because they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared for themselves any provisions.
40 Now the time of the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred thirty years.

During the exodus
Exodus 14:5-29
5 And when it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants changed toward the people; and they said, What is this we have done, letting the Israel go from serving us?
6 So he yoked his chariot and took his people with him.
7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
8 And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so that he pursued after the children of Israel as the children of Israel were going out boldly.
9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army; and they overtook them as they encamped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh approached, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and there the Egyptians were, marching after them; and they became very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to Jehovah.
11 And they said to Moses, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you done this to us, bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Is this not the very thing that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
13 But Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid; stand firm, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will see no more again forever.
14 Jehovah will fight for you, and you will be still.
15 And Jehovah said to Moses, Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the children of Israel to move forward.
16 And you, lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
17 And I will now harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after them; and I will glorify Myself through Pharaoh and through all his army, through his chariots and through his horsemen.
18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am Jehovah when I glorify Myself through Pharaoh, through his chariots and through his horsemen.
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And the cloud was there with the darkness, yet it gave light by night to them. Thus one did not come near the other all night.
21 And when Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided.
22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
23 Then the Egyptians pursued; and all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.
24 And at the morning watch Jehovah looked down upon the camp of the Egyptians from within the pillar of fire and of cloud and threw the camp of Egyptians into confusion.
25 And He caused their chariot wheels to swerve and made them drive with difficulty, so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from Israel, for Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians.
26 And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and over their horsemen.
27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its level when the morning appeared. And the Egyptians fled against it, and Jehovah cast the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.
28 And as the waters returned, they covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all the army of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; not even one of them was left.
29 But the children of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Read on.

My points:
1. ALL biblical records are TRUE. The Hebrew exodus is just one example. Biblical records are not myths or fairy tales.

2. This kind of miracle only happened in the ancient times when God is revered as the All-mighty, fearsome God who can do whatever He likes. Indeed, before God became the man, Jesus Christ, He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). Of course today, He's still the All-mighty God and we still fear Him in a proper way. However, the Lord Jesus also commanded us to love Him with all our being (Mark 12:30).

3. Our experience of God and Christ should not be focused on miraculous activities. No doubt God will have to move His finger to perform miraculous deliverance, whenever necessary, according to His way, not our way of how miraculous is miraculous. But those who know God's heart will know that this is not what God wants to do.

4. Our experience of God and Christ is by enjoying Him as our food, drink, air, life supply, and everything by spending our time with Him in His word, and of course, by meeting with the saints to be the church. The desire of God's heart is that we are filled with Him personally, unto His fullness, the church, corporately. (Eph. 3:19; Eph. 4:13) Do you know this?
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The way we talk

These sentences are very meaningful. I provide 'han yu pin yin' for the Chinese characters and its parallel meaning in English. The original content is best understood in Chinese.

[说话的速度]
[shuo hua de su du]
The "Speed" of Speech

急事,慢慢的说;
ji shi, man man de shuo
Urgent matters: Speak slowly.

大事,清楚的说;
da shi, qing chu de shuo
Large-scale matters: Speak clearly.

小事,幽默的说;
xiao shi, you mo de shuo
Non-essential matters: Speak humorously.

没把握的事,谨慎的说;
mei you ba wo de shi, jing shen de shuo
Matters that you lack confidence in: Speak carefully.

没发生的事,不要胡说;
mei fa sheng de shi, bu yao hu shuo
Matters that are yet to happen: Do not speak absent-mindedly.

做不到的事,别乱说;
zuo bu dao de shi, bie luan shuo
Impossible matters: Do not speak carelessly.

伤害人的事,不能说;
shang hai ren de shi, bu neng shuo
Hurtful matters: Do not speak.

讨厌的事,对事不对人说;
tao yan de shi, dui shi bu dui ren shuo
Hateful matters: Speak about the matter, not the persons.

开心的事,看场合说;
kai xin de shi, kan chang he shuo
Joyful matters: Speak accordingly.

伤心的事,不要见人就说;
shang xin de shi, bu yao jian ren jiu shuo
Sad matters: Do not speak to everybody.

别人的事,小心的说;
bie ren de shi, xiao xin de shuo
Others' matters: Speak carefully.

自己的事,听听自己的心怎么说;
zi ji de shi, ting ting zi ji de xin zen me shuo
Your own matters: Listen to your heart.

现在的事,做了再说;
xian zai de shi, zuo le zai shuo
Current matters: Speak of them after they are done.

未来的事,未来再说;
wei lai de shi, wei lai zai shuo
Future matters: Speak of them in the future.

如果对我有不满意的地方,请一定要对我说。
ru guo dui wo you bu man yi de di fang, qing yi ding yao dui wo shuo
Dissatisfied with me? Tell me.
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How to live life?

Have you asked this question? HOW TO LIVE LIFE...
Be Calm... Quiet... Tranquil...

Bloom as often as you can...

Stay close to your family...



Explore the world around you...


Enjoy the relaxing rhythm of waves...

Watch the moon rise...


Spread your wings and take off on your own...


Then enjoy the comfort of coming home again...


Life is short.
While you can...
Take time to enjoy all the little pleasures that God has provided for you...


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Chunky Pumpkin Soup

I love soup, clear soup especially. Well, actually clear soup should be called broth. Anyway, I believer clear soup is healthier than creamy soups. And less work too :P

Western-style soup is mostly cream-based, pureed, and require a blender and stuff to blend all the ingredients together. In the end, there's virtually nothing to sink my teeth into. So, I prefer clear soup where the ingredients are still visible. I do not need a blender to blend the ingredients together. They may be soft and mushy, but most importantly, I could have something to bite.

So, I'm happy with this version of chuncky pumpkin soup. (Sorry, no photo. Well, this ain't a food blog. So, never mind.)

What to Use? (Serves 3-4)
2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 small (raw) pumpkin
1 medium onion, quartered
3 small potatoes, quartered
1 cup of canned sweet corn
1 cup of canned chickpeas
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
4-6 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

What to Do?
1. Peel pumpkin and remove all the seeds.
2. Chop the pumpkin into 1-inch chunks.
3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic & onion. Stir constantly until garlic is fragrant and onion is clear.
4. Add sweet corn, chickpeas, potatoes and pumpkin, cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add chicken stock, cover and simmer (over low heat) for 20 minutes or until pumpkin and potatoes are soft.
6. Turn off heat, add salt & pepper.

Note: This chunky pumpkin soup can be served in a big bowl or in a pumpkin shell*.

*To use a pumpkin as a serving vessel:
1. Select a pumpkin.
2. Rinse and dry the outside of the pumpkin.
3. Cut an approximate 4- to 5-inch diameter hole in top of pumpkin. Scoop out seeds and membranes. Use a sharp knife to make zigzag cuts around its rim.
4. Place a vegetable steamer rack in a large pot and fill 1/3 of the pot with water. Place pumpkin shell upright on the rack.
5. Cover and steam over briskly boiling water until pumpkin meat softens, about 25 minutes.
6. Check water level, replenish if necessary.
7. Pour pumpkin soup into pumpkin. Serve hot.
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Always Love

Another cooooool video about DOGS & Mankind.

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Think of friends

This video is coooool.....

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Flocking Life

As Christians, we love to come together, i.e. to flock together or meet together. The crucial thing is this: We don't come together to gossip about people's stuff or discuss about people's affair. We meet together to share, based on the word of God, the enjoyment and experience of Christ in our daily living.

In fact, praying should be practiced more than talking. It's useless to discuss about things and ends up without any having concrete solutions. Prayer means, "Lord, I can't. You can."

This weekend (13-14 Oct), I'm going to Genting Highlands with the saints (same church, another district) for a 2 day, 1 night trip. Then, I'll attend the young working saints grouping (Eng) on 14 Oct (Sun) evening.

Then, on Thu (18 Oct), I'll join the sisters in my home group for dinner and sisters meeting at one of the sister's house.

After that, on Sat (20 Oct), there will be the FTTMY graduation meeting ceremony. Right after the meeting, I'll follow some of the saints to a saint's house for BBQ dinner!!! Wow!!

I'm getting healthier and healthier! "Detoxification" starts to take effect. Thank You, Lord.
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Christ is our Shepherd

Some portions of the ministry that I enjoyed this week:

When we were fallen or backslidden, we argued with others and blamed them for our situation. But after we have been revived, recovered by life, we begin to realize that we ourselves have been wrong... Only after He gives us the life supply, binds up our wounds, and heals us can all the unjust things among us be cleared away... If we lack the Lord's supply, binding, and healing, we will condemn others, blame others, and complain about others... But as the Lord recovers us by life, we have genuine revival, we have the enjoyment of Christ, which causes us to be satisfied, restful, and peaceful, and we experience the Lord's binding and healing. (Ref: Life-study of Ezekiel)

As our Shepherd Christ takes care of us, including our problems and responsibilities. He takes care of us not only in spiritual things but in all things related to our human needs... According to Psalm 23, He takes care of us in every aspect of our living... We should not worry about our problems or about our living. Instead, we need to learn to put our trust in Him... As we experience the Lord's shepherding and remain under His kingship, we enjoy His peace and are no longer subject to spiritual troubles and disturbances. (Ref: Life-study of Ezekiel)

Sometimes when we consider our situation, we may be disappointed and feel that we do not have anything... We may feel that nothing is real, not even in the church life. What should we do when we feel this way? We should turn to the Triune God. He is our real blessing and portion... What blessing it is to have His face, His presence, and to enjoy Him daily as grace! The more we suffer, the more we enjoy Him as grace. What a blessing it is to have His countenance smiling upon us, assuring us, and confirming us! And what a blessing it is to have peace in Him, by Him, and with Him! This is the Triune God as our blessing. (Ref: Life-study of Numbers)
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Salma Doll

The Salma Doll, termed as the "Muslim Barbie Doll" looks demure and conservative. The word 'Salma' derived from the Arabic word "salamah", meaning peace. Let there be peace. Even a doll could convey this message.

(Photo: IBNlive.com)

Check out the short video of the creation of these cute dolls.
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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Hairless Sphynx Cat

I got a shock of my life when I saw the photo of a Sphynx cat. OMG!

Everything started when I "bumped" into Dragonheart's Domain. The About Me column caught my attention.

This hairless cat looks... errr... intimidating. Reminds me of one of those reverred ancient Egyptian deities.

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"Ding Bian Hu"

My first 18 years were spent in Bintulu, Sarawak (aka East Malaysia), Malaysia. Then, when I was 19, I came over to Petaling Jaya, Selangor (in West Malaysia) to further my studies.

There are a few East Malaysian dishes that I loved. One of them is "Ding Bian Hu". I don’t really know what these words mean.

"Ding Bian Hu" is a typical Foochow delicacy (non-halal) made from rice starch solution cooked in a seafood-flavored broth. Its cooking process is tardy. Read "True Flavors of Foochow Cuisine" to find out more about Foochow cuisine. I have tried "Ding Bian Hu" in Sibu, the native town of Sarawakian Foochows.

("Ding Bian Hu")

Preparation of "Ding Bian Hu"
1. Pour 2 big ladles of pre-prepared meat-bone soup into a heated giant wok.
2. While the soup is heating up, apply oil to the side of the wok.
3. Then, apply a ladle of rice starch solution as a thin layer on the side of the wok.
4. In a few minutes, the rice starch solution is cooked and the flimsy-looking pieces are removed into the soup in the centre of the wok.
5. This step is repeated a few times.
6. Add squid and/or fresh cuttlefish, black fungus, dried golden needles (a kind of Chinese vegetable), fish balls, pork and liver slices, chopped spring onion, fish sauce, and salt to taste.
7. The broth is left to simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
8. Finally, pepper and vinegar are added before serving.

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Left or Right?

Try this to identify yourself as a right or left brain person :)

1. Hold your hands together, as if you were praying. Look at your hands. If you see:
Left thumb is below the right thumb: Left brain.
Right thumb is below the left thumb: Right brain

2. Fold your arms in front of you, as if you are angry. If you see:
Right arm above left arm: Left brain.
Left arm above right arm: Right brain.

Based on 1+2 (order important), below is the interpretation of your personality.

Right-Left:

1. Considerate, traditional, indirect
2. Able to read others’ emotion instantly and respond in a friendly way.
3. Not very keen to take the initiative to move forward but tend to support others.
4. Stable and considerate.
5. Give others the feeling that they are being protected.
6. Weakness: Cannot say no regardless of how unwilling they are as they care for others more than themselves.

Right-Right:

1. Loves challenges.
2. Straight forward and will take action straight away once decided.
3. Very curious and dare to face danger without further consideration.
4. Quite popular among friends.
5. Weakness: Hard to listen to others and will listen to what whey want to listen in a conversation (very subjective).

Left-Left:

1. Dedicated, cold, perfectionist.
2. Very logical in all aspects.
3. The only way to defeat (or win over) him/her is through logical reasoning.
4. Proud, tend to have a strong feeling to do the right thing.
5. Trustworthy although may be quite tough to deal with.
6. Weakness: Leaves bad impression as being hard to deal with after first meeting.

Left-Right:

1. Strong tendency to take care of others, leader.
2. Has a cool and keen observation ability to see through situations, yet still can be considerate in others needs.
3. Has a strong sense of responsibility and tend to lead a group.
4. Very concerned about how others view them.
5. Always on the alert.
6. Weakness: May not be able to help themselves when they get into trouble because they tend to take care of others too much.


Me: The Left-Right type.
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Random moments...

I don't really like to take photos. But it's kinda fun when you "bump" into one of those group photos you thought you'll never get since the cameras were others. I'm lazy to "beg" for photos, so it never cross my mind that I'll really get them, no matter how precious they are.

I was browsing through The Last Adam website when I got hold of this nice group photo, taken in front of Malaysia's National Museum. They are visiting saints from Kuching (Sarawak, Malaysia) and I remembered that day (should be in the year 2006), I drove my car to accompany their bus around KL area. What a moment...


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Beef Stew

There is something about beef stew that makes me feel so homey...

One of my home group members is a great dad who manages his own business and cooks for his children while his wife works. His signature Beef Stew is superb...



What to Use? (Serves 3-4)
2 medium-sized beef bones
400g beef chunks (1 inch x 1 inch cubes)
3 large onions, quartered
3 medium potatoes, quartered
3 stalks of celery, sliced thickly
3 carrots, cut diagonally
3 medium capsicums (green, yellow, red), sliced thickly
3 large tomatoes, quartered
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
2 cm cinnamon stick
1 star anise
4 cloves
1 tsp thick soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

How to Prepare?
Preparatory work:
1. Marinate beef chunks with chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and thick soy sauce for 2-3 hours (up to you).

2. To prepare beef stock (so that we do not need to use beef stock cubes that contain MSG), place beef bones in a stewing pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a medium boil when the water starts to boil furiously. Turn off heat and leave to cool once the liquid becomes cloudy. Skim the fat away.

Stewing time:
1. In a pan, heat oil and fry cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and onions. Add in marinated beef when the onions begin to change color. Stir.

2. When the beef is nicely browned, add potatoes, carrots, celery, and capsicum. Stir for a couple of minutes.

3. Then, transfer everything in the pan into the stewing pot. Simmer over low heat until gravy thickens.

4. Add in tomatoes and tomato puree. Let them simmer for a moment until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lots of work but the end result is fantastic. A hot bowl of beef stew cures all loneliness... Yummy...

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Lord, plant my feet on higher ground

Below is the hymn that I enjoyed during the home group meeting when I blogged about being "captured" by Potato Salad. The content of the message is Jubilee of Grace.

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground

Stanza One
I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

Chorus:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan's tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

Stanza Two
My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

Stanza Three
I want to live above the world,

Though Satan's darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

Stanza Four
I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I'll pray till rest I've found,
"Lord, lead me on to higher ground."

In fact, this is my desire: Let the Lord lead me onward no matter how long the journey may be. I'm learning to prioritize, learning from mistakes that I've committed, learning to let go self-generated assumptions about things & matters, and learning to stay closer and be more bonded to the saints of the church where I'm meeting.

I'm also learning to make the effort to force myself to LET GO negative encumbrances that have been hindering me for so long a time, be they persons, matters, or things. Of course, still in the process. It's not an overnight practice.

I'll follow the saints to Genting Highlands for a 2 day, 1 night church trip during the Hari Raya public holidays (13-14 October). The threefold purpose:
1. Stay connected spiritually, psychologically to the community where I grew up with basically, in terms of spiritual edification.
2. Rest & relax from the hustle-and-bustle of working life.

3. Get recharged (spiritually) that I may see again what is the vision of living on this earth.

Let's GO ON!
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Christ liveth in me!

This morning, while attending the Lord's Table, I enjoyed this hymn: Christ Liveth in Me.

Stanza One
Once far from God and dead in sin,
No light my heart could see;
But in God's Word the light I found,
Now Christ liveth in me.

Chorus:
Christ liveth in me,
Christ liveth in me;
Oh! what a salvation this,
That Christ liveth in me.

Stanza Two
As rays of light from yonder sun,
The flow'rs of earth set free,
So life and light and love come forth
From Christ living in me.

Stanza Three
As lives the flow'r within the seed,
As in the cone the tree,
So, praise the Christ of truth and grace,
His Spirit dwelleth in me.

Stanza Four
With longing all my heart is filled,
That like Him I may be,
As on the wondrous thought I dwell
That Christ liveth in me!
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Potato Salad

Friday evenings are meant to be reserved for attending home group meetings (or some prefer to call them cell groups). After 5 days of working, I look forward to Friday evenings, not just for spiritual nourishments, but also for FOOD. Haha... that's quite true as I'll skip dinner, wait for one of my home group members to fetch me, and go straight to the meeting.

Last Friday, what caught my attention was this delicious Potato Salad.

Although I've skipped dinner, I restrained myself from gobbling too much as I won't want to put on weight. Haha...

There are many versions of potato salad. Here's a simple, personalized version of this ever infamous salad recipe.

What to use? (Serves 2)
4 medium potatoes, washed, peeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
2 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, chopped
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of fat-free mayonnaise
1 small lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

How to prepare?
1. Place potato cubes in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a medium boil and cook until potatoes are tender (able to pierce through with a skewer). Drain potatoes and cool to room temperature.

2. Place potatoes, chopped eggs, raisins, mayonnaise in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Add in lemon juice and salt to taste.

3. Cover bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.

Other ingredients may be added for more variety and taste, such as cucumber, tomatoes, celery, onions, nuts, cheese, mushrooms, etc. Sour cream may substitute mayonnaise.

It's always up to one's creativity to try out new combinations for lots of satisfying dining experience :)
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High Achiever

You're A High Achiever
You strive toward perfection, but you have a healthy understanding of what is and isn't possible, and you're able to enjoy the journey without getting overly hung up on the results. Good for you! You may find the resources below of interest in case any perfectionistic tendencies begin to creep in, or to help the perfectionists in your life learn to relax and accept themselves.

High Achievers' Traits
1. Satisfied with doing a great job and achieving excellence (or something close), even if their very high goals aren’t completely met.

2. Take pride in their accomplishments and tend to be supportive of others.

3. Pulled toward their goals by a desire to achieve them, and are happy with any steps made in the right direction.

4. Set their goals high, perhaps enjoying the fun of going a little further once goals are reached, not only happier, but also more successful than perfectionists in the pursuit of their goals.

5. Enjoy the process of chasing a goal as much or more than the actual reaching of the goal itself.

6. Able to bounce back fairly easily from disappointment.

7. S
ee criticism as valuable information to help their future performance.

8. Have high self-esteem, not self-critical and unhappy, or lonely or isolated but enjoys team work.

Good! I'll focus more on my strong points and get the best out of them! Way to go!

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Define Career

For single ladies, career is VERY IMPORTANT because that's where her source of income derives in order for her to survive in the pursuit of life, get her own house, own car, pay her medical/life insurance policy, her study loan debts, etc. It's good to advance & develop & getting better in life, ESPECIALLY in my career. Put aside boy-girl relationship. I don't have time for that, it hurts, & most guys are blind. (*High-fived*)

Career Attitude
1. Pride. Self-dignity. If everything we do at work has our name and signature on it, we'll give it our best shot and nothing less.

2. Passion. Just a simple plain ‘interest’ isn’t enough to bring us through tough times (unreasonable client/impossible timeline). An intense enthusiasm for all things worth doing will pull us through the toughest times.

3. Belief. In order to generate that passion, it is important to believe. Only a deep belief will create the vigour and force that gives us the fuel to charge. We can achieve all that we set out to do for ourself.

4. Self-discipline. Part of self-discipline is to sacrifice some fun time to focus on our goals.

5. Success. Knowing our goal and personal definition of success is an important element. Then, play up on our strengths and improve on skills required. Think about what are the skills sets that we do not have that are required for our job and build them up.

6. Sincerity. Doing our work with our level best, play our part, take personal responsibility for our work, and share your learning and knowledge.

In summary, the most important and practical things are developing self-discipline, learning to sacrifice, define what success means, be single-minded in pursuit of goals by knowing our strengths and skills, and doing our work with sincerity and have sharing as a work value we carry.

Leadership Skills
1. Integrity. To gain people's trust, it is important to learn to be honest. Take responsibility for our own actions. Do not play the blame game when things go wrong.

2. Passionate. Enthusiastic about work, have the ability to rub this energy off on others.

3. Commitment. Work hard and have a strong discipline in following through with team members' work.

4. Courageous. Brave to confront risks and the unknown. The ultimate test of a leader’s courage is also the courage to be open.

5. Goal-oriented. Focus on the objectives that need to be attained. Develop a plan and strategy to achieve the objectives. Build commitment from the team and rally them to achieve the organization’s goal.

6. Developing people. Develop the people to build a stronger team so that the organization is effective.

7. Prioritize. Do the most urgent and important things first regardless of interest in them.

8. No public glory. Whatever achievements are the result of joint effort. Share glory and credit with the rest for the work.

Work Behaviors
1. Prioritize our work. A good work plan or action plan is one that details what needs to be done, when and by whom. Have work plans for all the projects we are involved. Make sure the important work is completed on time so that the rest can carry out their duty smoothly and successfully. This contributes to the team’s success and people will know that we have work behaviors that are reliable.

2. Do more than talk.

3. Keep others informed. This allows team members to pace their work and know what to expect. Execute these work behaviors honestly, sincerely and consistently.

4. Self esteem. The experience of being capable of meeting life's challenges and being worthy of happiness. This definition breaks self-esteem into two components – the sense of competency (having the conviction and confidence to do the tasks at hand and achieving the intended results) and the sense of worthiness (finding relevance in things that foster personal growth and making the commitment to these goals that gives one a sense of satisfaction).

Time management
1. Understand roles. Understand own role and responsibilities in the office.

2. Do the important & urgent first. Prioritize tasks at hand. Do not overwhelm ourself with too long a to-do list. Too long a to-do list may cause us to procrastinate on starting the work.


3. Do not waste time. Allocate time for each task on our to-to list. Be conscious of time robbers, e.g. long tea breaks, long smoking breaks, chatting on the phone and surfing on the Internet.

4. Do it right the first time. Whatever we are doing, get it right the first time. Have a high personal standard that says nothing leaves our hand unless we know we have done our best.

5. Do it now. Do the task immediately. Do not procrastinate. Do not over rationalize and craft the perfect plan. A good plan executed today is better than an excellent plan not executed at all.

(From Career-Success-For-Newbies.com)
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