Beauty in Routine

As I sat mulling over how the days had crept by so fast.... and how routine life is .....until I have nothing to post in my blog... suddenly God reminded me that there is beauty in routine too.

Lately , I have been really busy at work and going thru the motions of life to the point that I have taken the routine of life for granted. Actually routine is good . We all need routine to keep sane but extreme routine with no excitement and nothing to look forward to can kill life. One can end up merely existing from day to day and forget to live life or even worse ; don't know how to live life.

As I pondered about my routine, I find that I enjoy the usual rounds of spending time with my family in different settings. For instance, I enjoy the morning ride to work. I have the privilege of being driven to and from work by my very own personalised chauffeur. I have a hubby who loves driving so the morning chats are good and the afternoon rides are entertaining as well when the kids take turns to tell us about what transpired at school.

Honestly... routine is not that bad as some make it out to be. Our family routinely make many trips to the supermarkets buying stuff without a care in the world. But of late these trips have been rudely shaken with the melamine scare. The melamine issue has invaded our family routine. Now we have to be careful when we shop. Philip and I are very doubtful of any products with the “Made in China” label. We steer clear of them. When we first married , Philip was keen to visit China, but in recent years his interest has faded. Now he tells me he rather go to other nations . That's very fine with me.


Our routine has also been shaken with the HFMD alert. Now our kids go out less. Its really a shame coz we like to go out as a family.

So be grateful for routines when nothing seems to be happening. It can be a good thing!!!!

Infact if we are totally honest with ourselves, we can add colours to our routines by putting into our routines the things we like to do. So as we maintain, add and minus events in our lives, we are routinely enhancing our lives .

So make the most of your routine. Go find the beauty in your own routine and be blessed.

Praise The Lord

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Praise the Lord for His glory and strength.
Praise the Lord and bring an offering to Him
Worship the Lord for His beauty and holiness
Come let us sing to the King of kings.

Let the heavens be filled with joy.
Let the earth be glad.
Let us shout aloud “The Lord Reigns !”
The Lord reigns in all the earth.

Give Him all praise for His goodness to us.
Great are His faithfulness and mercy to all.
He is our strength and strong tower in times of trouble.
He is an awesome and mighty God.

Worship is an act to honour God. It’s like when you attend someone’s birthday party, you know to whom all the honour should go to on that day. Not only that, we will always do something extra nice to make our loved ones happy on their birthday, and most of us are very good at that. Well, the word worship should not be just a religious term, not just about liturgy in churches, but rather, think of it as a way to make God happy, to honour Him, to acknowledge Him as our Lord every single day of our lives. God is the King of kings; great and awesome beyond our comprehension , yet, He delights in seeing His children come to Him and enjoys being with them The more we draw near to God, the more we will enjoy worshipping Him. Choose to be a worshipper today. It will totally transform your life.

Almost Brangelina

The instructions were simple enough. These are the keys to the house, the switches are here & there & everywhere, and the alarm system is really not that intimidating. You arm it, then you just have to bypass the areas which you do not wish to arm and these initials stand for all the different zones in the house. Ok,... get it? And don't forget the kids' art and swimming lessons, feed the fish, pay the kids' fees, make sure the wine chiller is at 16 degrees etc, etc Ciao!!! See you in 9 days.

Now begins our life... in a big designer house with high tech alarm system, 5 kids to look after ( 2 are our own ), 2 maids etc etc. This is almost like Brangelina.

The first 2 days were days I call adapting to new habitat. Philip & I kept getting the switches mixed up. I have to keep telling myself. When the switches' blue lights are on... it actually means off. This is day 3 and I am still grappling with the switches!!! How can a house have soo many switches?!?


The 1st nite before bed time was “ Get that dog outta here before I grill it” nite. A neighbour's dog had somehow strayed into the compound & Philip and I had to chase the creature out of the gate and there we were with brooms and mops running round the compound trying to scare the creature out of its wit and fur!!! Alex's relatives must think that we are really nutty. Only the 1st nite and there we were flying round the garden like witches on a broom. Jac had warned that once the alarm is on... any creature roaming around will be picked up by the sensor & this would trigger the alarm. I don't mind dogs but I was adamant that no 4 legged creature was going to ruin my sleep!! I am sure Brangelina don't do this bit... they have their bodyguards to do the running for them but we have not reached their status as yet...so for now we'll have to do the chasing ourselves.

We have our own version of papparazzi as well. Very often Alex's relatives (young & old alike ) would drop in and this includes the relatives' maids bringing their young charges as well as they all live nearby. So there goes my privacy. I have to make sure I look presentable at all times. At home I normally wear my crummy clothes and my hair would be quite scarecrowish but I can't afford to do that for 9 days. I have to dress properly and make sure my hair is not sticking out here and there!!!

To look after 5 kids is really draining on the body and mind. Philip & I are out of steam by late evening and the 5 are still bright eyed and bounding with energy. Even during the Raya break, they are all up by 6.30am. So I have no choice but to drag myself out of bed and brace myself for another marathon day of kids. They are lovely kids but my energy level is definitely not on par as theirs. I need to chew on ginseng to keep up with them!!!

This “Almost Brangelina” lifestyle will certainly stick well in our memory.

Another Milestone

Birthdays are a big thing in our family. Philip just reached another milestone. We were busy preparing and enjoying his birthday. We all had fun.

Philip, “The best part of my birthday was the food. I had garlic rice, mee-sua, steam broccoli with red and yellow peppers, tofu meatballs, stir fry chinese cabbage and brussels sprouts and assorted mushrooms in butter and cream. All lovingly prepared.


The White Mocha Cheese Cake made by Nee satisfy my caffeine craving.



The Napolean Cake was a surprise gift from church friends and that was delicious too. I am a very satisfied man.”


Heather, “I really enjoy cooking for daddy. Mum n I took 3 hrs to get the food ready.”









Jordan, “The best part of daddy's birthday was to stay at Crowne Plaza Riverside and swim swim swim.”

Doreen, “To see Philip & the kids happy..... really makes my day.”


Thank you for all the gifts and wishes.

Laughing Out Loud

We have many funny incidences with Jordan and he really makes us laugh out loud without having to try too hard!!!

Scenario 1
Recently, we went out for supper and this is how the conversation went.
Jordan: Daddy, don't park in that parking space over there.
Daddy: Why not?
Jordan: It's the parking lot for the handicapped person.
Daddy: Are you sure ? How do you know?
Jordan: Yes ! I am sure. You see ... got the picture of the man in the wheelbarrow.

My jaws literally dropped!!!! I have been working in the field of disabilities for 20yrs and here is my son calling a wheelchair a wheelbarrow!!! God help us!!!

Scenario 2
I was driving Jordan to his swimming lesson and there was a jam.
Jordan: Mommy, why are there so many cars on this road today?
Mummy: It's the Salvation Army Boys' and Children's Home having a sale.
Jordan: (With a shock look, he said) You mean they sell the children in the homekah?
Mummy: (speechless!!!)

Scenario 3
Jordan was instructed by daddy to practise piano.

Daddy: Jordan, don't keep playing the wrong note. Correct your mistake! What note should it be?
Jordan: It's F lackchurnal.
Daddy: A WHAT??? ( Quite horrified )
Jordan: (Replied very confidently n loudly). F LACKCHURNAL

By then... all of us were hysterical with laughter. A new musical term for F natural?!?

All these happened in a matter of 1 week. He really tickles our funny bones. Our kids certainly make our lives much brighter. God bless them always!!!

Lord, You Are Worthy

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Lord You are worthy to be praised
Lord let Your glory come and fill this place
Lord let me pour out my heart to say
I love You, I thank You
For this beautiful life I have in You

Blessing and honour
Glory and power
Be unto You, Be unto You

Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
You are perfect in power
Love and purity

This song was written in the midst of pouring out my heart to God. When was the last time you pour out your heart to God ?

I found out that it is very ‘therapeutic’ emotionally to pour out my heart to someone when something troubles me, and I am always grateful that Doreen never fails to lend me her ears during those times. A good counselor is someone who is good at listening, and God is the greatest listener of all. Do you know that God is constantly waiting for you to pour out your heart to Him ? Just you and Him, telling Him every concern your have, your dreams and your pain, your victories and successes. I love to hear my children telling me their joy and excitement concerning their exams, schools, friends and God is even more keen to hear from you. Tell Him how much you appreciate Him, just enjoy loving Him. When all is said and done, and after you have finished wiping your last drop of tear, you will come away refreshed, healed and released from all the emotional baggage that you have been carrying . As for me today, after the ‘pouring out’ session with God, I was so refreshed that the only response I had was to worship Him. It is like a foretaste of heavenly worship with the angels, proclaiming: Blessing and Honour, Glory and Power, Belong to You, Belong to You, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty…. This is the ultimate in worship. Nothing in this world can match the extravagant experience of worshipping the Almighty God in His throne room !

Be a worshipper today, my friend. The more you pour out from your heart, the more you will receive from the fountain of God’s living water !

Fake vs Real

Are you the real thing? In our world today there appears to be many fakes and sometimes it does take a fair amount of discernment to be able to “see” what is real or fake. For instance , they are heaps of fake stuff in the market.... fake hand bags are everywhere. I personally find it hard to tell between a fake LV bag and the real thing. Sometimes the only time I know whether a bag is real or not is to see who is carrying it for instance... when Sim Nee carries a Gucci I know its genuine ....not the one bought at Petaling St. However, this shouldn't be the criteria for separating the real and the fake but somehow... for certain things one can pretty much hit the right assessment especially if you know who the person is.

Often clothes carry fake brands. A friend warned us never to buy fake Polo shirts from Thailand. They bleed when you wash them. Imagine the catastrophe when you wash them together with your other clothes in the machine. Teruklah!!!!

Just to narrate a really funny incident. Philip seldom or should I say hardly ever shop for fruits. On one occasion, he decided he would drop by the fruiterer and get some grapes. He saw a bunch hanging in the shop and he told the guy that he would like that particular bunch . The guy ( I presumed was dying from laughter) told him politely that the grapes were fake ones and the real ones are in the crates. Philip's lament was that the fake ones look so real and he was fooled.

So likewise in this world , there are fake and genuine people. Philip and I have met our fair share of fakeys. I am sure you know what I am talking about . Their actions and words often contradict, and their talk are usually what both of us termed as cheap talk. What we mean by this is, they don't mean what they say at all. In circumstances like these, it is hard to form true friendships. Everything is so superficial and politically correct. We are usually very guarded in such settings. Fakeys also work very hard to look genuine and sometimes they really overdo it. It's like the manufacturers of the fake products working hard to make their stuff look real. Having names which sound almost like the real stuff ( Does Pig-epal donuts sound familiar to Steven??) or the logo slightly altered or patterns that look similar. Some of course have the audacity to do an exact copy.

However, we are glad that God has provided us with a bunch of people who genuinely love and care for us. We can let our hair down and be ourselves . We salute you for being REAL and for loving us so much.
This special group of people make us laugh till our sides split, they are so kind to us, they pamper us, they give to us with a cheery heart, ... I am sure you know who you are. True friendship grows well in relationships that are continually watered with God's love.

So back to the question... “Are you real ?” We cannot fool God. God always sees the heart. We can flatter, say all the right stuff but if our heart is in the wrong place.. then we have a lot to answer to God. Even as I type this, the Holy Spirit reminds me...that I must be real and guard my heart against having hidden or selfish agendas. May we be sensitive to His Spirit so that what comes out from us are a true reflection of His love.