Christmas Love Movement

A lot to tell but can't find the right mood and the right time. Been to places in PJ that I would like to share but no time to sort out the photos. Wanted to show some photos I took at IKEA ..no time.. And when I have time, i'm just tired and no words came to mind and I just wanted to relax with some korean dramas.. ;P

Well, my time have been quite occupied with "CHRISTMAS LOVE MOVEMENT" lately. What is this "Christmas Love Movement"?, you asked..

It's an idea from my sister for this year Christmas. For the past few years, we have started to exchange presents among family members (yes, we don't have this culture before). Well, this year, we crack our heads thinking of what to buy for each other and everybody thinks this is a very difficult task. Hmm.. and so, sister excitedly suggested, 'how about we pool our money for gifts this year, and donate to an orphanage?' So, we wear our thinking caps and start to organize with family members and relatives. 

Some researches were carried out on the internet to check out which home we should give. And we found Vision Home, located at Tmn Rishah, on the same ground as Word of Life Centre. When I got there the first time to check out the home, I said to myself, "I've been here last Christmas to practise choir at the church! But I didn't notice the children home! >.<""

Initially, we thought response may be low and for the first year, probably we may involve family members, relatives and some friends. But sister said, we should put up an event page in FB and invite friends through there. We were touched by the tremendous responses from friends and friends of friends. I could not imagine the amount of rice, diaper and milk powder we have collected up till now. And the numbers are still growing!

God is great! He is faithful and listen to prayers! Trust that the Lord has touched people's hearts and moved them to give and support this Love Movement!

So yeah..i'm quite busy coordinating donations and follow-up with friends who have indicated they want to be involved in this movement. :D I don't know when I'll write again.. probably after christmas or new year. If I'm not back before that, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! Hohoho!

Life of Pi

Thinking of which title to use for my post.. "Life of Pi" or my first experience at Aeon Station 18 TGV cinema? Maybe both? But maybe "Life of Pi" is better since it is the story that kept me wanting to know more about the director, the story and actually, wanting to read the novel. 

Cousin and aunt wanted to watch this movie. Little did I know that it was showing at the cinema until they brought it up at the dinner table. They briefly told us about the story which tells of a young Indian man whom his family had a zoo in India. At some time, they had to leave India and transport the animals on a ship. But when they were travelling, they encountered a severe storm and only this young Indian man survive and had to live on the sea with a tiger after the ship wreck. 

It got me interested and wanted to watch the movie. But we didn't book tickets earlier and so, ended we had to watch a 3D show at Aeon Station 18 (the only cinema with reasonable seats). But it's all worth it, watching it in 3D. The scenes were so like "Avatar"... showing the life under the sea, whale, dolphins, and some magical island. Each scene is just too short to take it all in!

The most important thing of this story is that it brings you to think about God. His existence and His provision during time of needs. "Pi" started narrating his story to a writer in the beginning of the movie by telling him that the story that he's going to tell him may lead him to believe in God. 

It's an incredibly good and meaningful movie. And it will get you thinking. Yes, maybe I'll start reading the novel. ;)

Beginning my walk with God

Miracles do happen.. and everything is in God's planning.

It wasn't long that I started attending sunday worship regularly again. And it was only since August, that I've joined a cell group regularly. I've liked this cell group ever since my first visit and I've never regretted it. I was hesitant in the beginning when Susan asked me to join her. She promised to call me on the night of the cell meeting. I missed her first phone call and I thought if she calls again, I'll have to go. It was a blessing and God's will to put me there. 

3 weeks ago, an ex-schoolmate contacted me from UK and asked me to bring her sister to church all of a sudden. She told me her sister had a sudden urge to attend church after talking to her uncle who came back from Canada. So, I contacted her sister and things started from there. A few eventful happenings and my friend's sister accepted Christ just last Friday. There was no coincidence I believe.. If i was still lazing around, not attending church.. if I was only attending church and not joining any cell group.. if I haven't keep in touch with this friend.. I won't be able to bring her sister to God. And so happen, my cell leader and my friend's sister are both doctors which make her feel at ease as they are in the same field! I believe this is God's planning indeed.

So, what to do after accepting Christ? You will begin your walk with God. But how?? I was given the responsibility to be her mentor. Not an easy task for me. But by God's grace and guidance.. I'll try to be the best mentor for her in guiding her to start her walk with God. Thank goodness that there are booklets and guides for us to follow. Bible verses, instructions, examples, applications to daily life, prayer..etc. I believe this is also part of God's planning to build me up as a Christian, to prepare me in my walk with God too as I've been long a 'sleeping' Christian.. and to prepare me to receive the blessings of God. hahahahaha..

B.E.D - Bread Espresso Dessert

B.E.D stand for Bread Espresso Dessert... 

Interesting name, isn't it? 

Got to know about this cafe from a food blog. Wanted to go and try their bread for quite awhile but didn't have the time. Last Sunday, I said to my mom, 'let's have bread for lunch, shall we?' Mom was excited too..so off we went. 

First impression...cozy place to have a cup of coffee and small talk with a group of close friends. :)

If you want to enjoy a cup of coffee alone, there are magazines available for you to browse through. 

So, how does the food taste like? It was our first time there and we were not sure what to order. We were hungry and would like to have something salty but not too heavy so that we could also have some desserts. **grin**

We ordered a mushroom quiche and a house bread with roast chicken and salad. Very good choice! Actually, we didn't know about the sandwich until we saw the photo on the wall. Photos of their food are displayed right beside our table. 

 

Mushroom quiche at RM4.50/pc

The quiche and bread were super tasty! Quiche was not too heavy, just the right size. The bread was so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The salad was refreshing too! 

House bread with roasted chicken and salad at RM9.50

The brownie was slightly too dry though..even though it was preheated in the oven before serving. I prefer the cheese cake more. (Sorry about the cheese cake photo. Forgot to take photo and mom was already cutting it)

Brownie at RM4.00/pc

Blueberry Cheesecake at RM7.80/pc

There are other breads and pastries which are prepacked in plastic bags for sale too. Easy to have take away and have them for breakfast the next morning. ;P

A wide varieties of homemade pastries are available for you to have an enjoyable tea break, such as frangipane, creme brulee, profiteroles (cream puff), cup cakes, pies, etc. 

Here am I, happy with my lunch! ;D

If you wish to make a visit, their opening hours are :-

11:00 - 5:30pm (closed on Tuesdays)

Address:

3, Medan Istana 6, Bandar Ipoh Raya, 

30000 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-2411948

Fly trap

Mom bought this fly trap sticky paper to catch the annoying flies which were disturbing our peaceful lunch and dinners. Caught a few but there are still some which are too smart to be caught flying around. We have to use the mosquito racket to kill these flies. But it's hard to catch them. Wonder where these flies came from..could be rubbish area in the neighbourhood that attract so much flies.

But never the less, this sticky paper helped us reduce the amount of flies flying around at our table when food is served. But look at the eggs that came out when the flies die...! Eeewwww! I circled the eggs in green.

If the flies lay eggs on your food, you will get food poisoning. Diarrhoea and vomit. So be careful when you see flies flying around your food.

Fishtail braid

If your hair is blonde or is highlighted with lighter color, then this hairstyle will definitely look pretty on you. This is a simple braid if you wish to have something different than the normal braid. It's called fishtail braid. There are quite a number of tutorials on youtube but I find this tutorial easy to follow too. 

I tried it out but it look somewhat too dark to see anything special.. right? Hmm.. but if you have longer and lighter color hair, give it a go! Put flower as accessory and it will have a 'summer' or 'garden' feel!

Ramyun from BIG korean drama

Saw this ramyun selling at RM4.50 in Aeon supermarket. It looks so similar to the ramyun that Kang Kyung-Joon (Gong Yoo) likes in the drama. In the drama, he had the whole cabinet full with the same type of ramyun. I guess this is how advertorials are slot into drama... very common for korean dramas. Especially clothings, handphones, glasses, watches..etc. 

So... i bought one to try out. Yes, one only lah.. ;p 

Taste was ok lah.. not too great that I'll fall in love with it and buy a whole full cabinet. Well, I did purchase the ramyun after watching the drama..the ads in the drama did meet its objective. lol..

What a day...

It was a very busy and hectic day for me today. Came in to work at 8:00am. Checked my emails..checked my work plan for the day and started the experiment at 8:30am. The experiment needed 7.5hrs, plus minus. I'm assuming I can finish it by 7:00pm. This include an hour break for an appointment with a supplier that I promised to meet today at 2pm. Experiment went well, worked non-stop in the lab..hardly have time to loosen up at the washroom. lol... Not even a drop of water for a few hours.. Didn't go out for lunch either. Colleague bought '老鼠粉' for me. Finished the noodle in 10 minutes! Gulp! 

But my supplier was late for 2 HOURS! He lost his way. First time travelling to Ipoh using a google map. I thought he knew the way to our office, so I didn't offer him any map. But after 45minutes late, there was not even a phone call from him. I called him instead and found him lost in Ipoh city. That was so way out from my office. 

How did he lose his direction? 

Shouldn't he make good preparation before he started his journey to a new place? Hmm... I was having doubt at him already. I wanted to offer help but couldn't since this is his first time here..all landmarks are new to him. Signboards are not very helpful here..so I texted him our coordinates though he said he didn't have a GPS. But he managed to arrive at 4pm. 

Well, forget about the lateness. I was actually looking forward to meet him and check out the instrument he'll be showing us. New technology not known to me and seems like a helpful instrument in solving some of our uncertainties in our analysis. Could be a breakthrough for us.. 

BUT...to our disappointment, he wasn't familiar to the instrument!!! Can't even answer some basic queries. OK..i know i'm demanding because i was so hopeful to this new technology. And he's new to his job, i should give him a break. But it was also not very professional to show 'potential' customers that you do not really understand your instrument's abilities. I prepared samples for him to test too! None of them was able to be tested. 

Well..even though impression was not too good..thank you for showing me the instrument and bringing it all the way from KL. My experiment was OK too and I left work at 7pm as planned. ;)

BIG - Korean drama

Been busy with "BIG". *Grin* 

Got attracted to this drama because of Gong Yoo. First saw him in Coffee Prince which was the first Korean drama I watched. Ever since then, I've like korean dramas more than TVB series. Hehehe... i'm an avid Korean drama fan. 

This drama is highly recommended to those who like macho hunk Gong Yoo. I'm drooling all over when he showed his 'chocolate bar'. LOL . You have to watch the drama for that though..hahaha..

Of course, the story is very interesting as well. Synopsis can be found in a lot of place if you google it. So, I won't be writing much about that. Just want to show some photos I found on the web which has some of my favourite scenes. :D 

Not to forget the superb fashion styles in every episodes. Reviews and fashion recaps can be found here. I just realized that I didn't take notice of the fashion styles until i bumped into this site. Was too busy reading the subtitles. :P

Birthday dinner at Capucino Cafe

Celebrated J's birthday at Capucino Cafe last Friday. The cafe is located at Jln Chung Type Phin, opposite Elim Gospel Hall. The owner seems to have changed. They didn't look familiar to me from my last visit. But I do admit that it was quite a long time ago... oops.. 2 years! 

We ordered set dinner each. The normal sets are RM11.90 each which include mushroom soup, garlic bread, drink (iced lemon tea or peach tea) and ice-cream or pudding. I ordered a different set which cost slightly more expensive but still at reasonable price. All the main dish in the menu can be converted to set dinner by only adding an extra RM3.00. Mine costed RM14.90 + RM3.00 which looked more special. :)

Here is my set dinner, orange peppermint fish and chicken for only RM17.90. ;P

YT and SF had Mongolian chicken which was quite yummy too.

So, here were SF and I showing off our food. ;) Actually it's me who wanted to show off the food, but dragged SF along for the photo. See... she smiled a bit forcefully because she was very hungry already, and I was holding her from poking her fork into the meat. 

Here's our birthday girl! And some photos with her, and the cake. Nowadays, for just a small cake which is less than 1/2 kg, it's already costed RM28.00 (from Gold Vision). 

By the way, my dress is from Veofashion. The price is very cheap but quality wise, it is a bit risky to buy from them. But for casual wear, it's still quite ok lah! I bought 6 dresses/blouse from them already... but 1 out of 3 is not really wearable. But for yum char in Ipoh, you don't have to overly dressed lah! ;D

And here's SF with her lovely smile. (Because already filled up her tummy and waiting to eat the cake) hahaha...just kidding la.. SF is smiling so lovingly because she's sitting beside the birthday lenglui. 

Capucino Cafe information
27, Jln Chung Type Phin,
30250 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel: 05-2427988
Contact person: Mandy Eng (010-465 5668)

Harry Potter fan series

Fancy reading more of the Potter series? :D 

I stumbled upon a fan fiction of Harry Potter series when I installed "Goodreads" in my iPhone. I'm a big fan of Harry Potter! And you can guess how excited I was to see there are continued stories about Harry's son, James Potter!! Yes, these fan fictions talk about Harry Potter's son, James Potter and the stories depict him with his new found friends in Hogwarts and the magical world. 

There are 3 ebook series currently for free in Goodreads. Author is G. Norman Lippert.  

1) James Potter and the Hall of Edlers' Crossing. 

2) James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper 

3) James Potter and the Vault of Destinies 

I'm now reading the 3rd book. The stories are not as dark as the Harry Potter series, but they are worthy to be read never the less. There are still exciting parts in the stories, although I find that at times, it is a bit slow and not as addictive as JK Rowling's original Harry Potter series. 

Anyway, if you are a fan of Harry Potter, why not show some support to Mr Lippert, who had put in so much time and effort in giving us fans one more time of the Potter adventures? ;D

Hari Raya Open House

During Hari Raya Puasa last month, some Malay colleagues were very generous and invited us for lunch at their homes. They prepared varieties of food to serve us and were very generous in the amount too! Although from humble backgrounds, they are not in any way hesitant in providing us enough food and drinks to fill up our stomach. They showed great hospitality towards us and we ate abundantly. ;)

We were invited to three houses in 2 days and there were plenty of good food on the table. ;) This is the 1st house we went to... we had noodles and agar-agar here.

 

A lot of people came for the open house lunch. We chit-chat with the children too. They are shy and in a way, very respectful..giving us enough space to eat, serving us desserts.... after all, we are the superiors to their mothers. Kekeke.. well, superiors at work, but outside, we are friends lah! 

On the way back to office, we passed by a rubber estate. Captured this photo with instagram. Lovely scenery...

On the 2nd day of our food trail, our lovely colleagues prepared laksa, curry, different types of rice, noodles, biscuits and cakes! We ate until bloated! 

This is the 3rd house we went to. It has a kampung feel and the house is totally built of wood. The roof is made of zinc though..and that's why it's very hot inside. 

The dining room is so romantic! I can imagine a wedding shoot taking place here... =) Maybe someone can consider this idea ? 

Some highlights of Ipoh

Do you remember buying biscuits or breads from this biscuit shop in downtown Ipoh?  It's opposite the McDonalds in downtown Ipoh and Super Kinta. There's only a handful that are selling biscuits by weight from glass jar. This way, you get to try different types of cookies with the minimum weight and won't feel oblige to eat all from a ready packet even though you don't like the taste. 

Look who's here? This Malay guy has been selling breads and telephone cards at this biscuit and bread shop as long as I remember. :) He can speak fairly good cantonese too! Good thing is that you don't have to get down your car to buy the bread, he will come to you with the bread ! 

Spot this shop selling antique clocks along Jalan Pasir Puteh. An old man was working diligently on an old watch. Had a chat with him and was told that his children have no interest in learning the skill and that there is nobody to take over his business. I feel that it's a pity as the skill may be lost..

 They are still using these old sewing machines.

Here, at "JUN LIM", you can buy different types of rice and grains. I'm not sure how to explain the exact location, but it's on one of the small roads near Ee Chan mini market. Turn in from Kampar road and it's on your right.