flower in the wilderness

beautiful day

2012-02-14T21:22:00.001+08:00

it's a beautiful day meeting beautiful people. and no, the least of the reasons is because it's valentine's day. yesterday and today, my sister and i, together with many many other loving and helping hands (e.g. mum, mum-in law, lisa etc..) set up a bazaar at NUS, Central Forum. the concept (thought of by the sister) was simple, to provide materials and print out a photo for those who were keen to create something hand-made for someone they loved.

i must say that when i arrived yesterday, the mood was sobering and i started to get rather worried. what if no one took to the idea? i was worried that my sister's investment of time and effort would have amounted to nothing.

yet, after day 2, i look back with much happiness, and many lessons learnt, with many sweet people who touched me in their own little way.

one quiet couple came by... and worked on the project together. both were clearly dedicated and they put in lots of effort in the details. i believe they put in as much effort in their relationship :) i wanted so much to ask them for a picture, but i was shy :p

a few sweet guys came by... some uncertain of what to do, some clearly artistic. one even skipped his class so he could work on the frame!

all had something common. they wanted to make their girlfriends smile :)

a girl sat down and came up with a beautiful frame for her mother. just because.

and another one sat down, did up a masterpiece for her family, and left thanking us, because she enjoyed herself very much. such snippets of human touch and interaction remind me of why i do this in the first place! that's why i say it's been a beautiful day :)

of course, i also met vera, and vera's friends, who were beautiful people too! i loved your stall set-up :) wish i caught a picture of it!

on another note, we'll be back at NUS again, this time selling more hand-made wares. think pouches, pencil cases, bags, necklaces and postcards. support us if u can :)

christmas project 2011

2012-01-25T12:56:00.001+08:00

like every other year, the grand old debate begins once again, about whether we should do any Christmas gifts. i suppose last last year (2010), we had a good excuse not to, since we were about to get married within 7 days. so we invested on these instead.

but we had no excuse this recent Christmas, hehe :) and so after some deliberation and discussion, we embarked on a journey to create these...

thank God for a fruitful time, and for how things still turned out despite the hiccups we had. doing such gifts gives us time to ponder on each person who has been a blessing to us throughout the year, especially when we type notes for them and think back on the year of friendship/fellowship. also, we wanted our gifts to point to the perfect Giver, who has given us the perfect gift. hopefully, these sticker calendars will enable each of us to look to God in the rest of the days He (God-willing) gives us for the year.

first, we printed the calendars on A4 sticker paper, readily available in every bookshop. Editing the photos was done on photoshop, with the help of polaroid frame templates found on Fuzzimo - a site definitely worth checking out if you're into graphic design. The fonts i used more often are Print Clearly (for the dates) and Day Roman (for the month). Thereafter, i used Powerpoint to arrange 14 images per sheet and printed them out using my trusty old Epson inkjet printer.

we did lots and lots of cutting. think: the number of people we love x 12 months = an EXPONENTIAL AMOUNT of stickers to cut out. what you see in the pictures are not all! to make full use of time, we would bring the box of stickers and 2 pairs of scissors around so we could work on the cutting whenever we had free pockets of time.

after the cutting, we needed to sort the stickers according to their months....

then, we tucked them into (commonly seen in FITW) white glassine bags. our original plan was to print the greetings on the bag itself with inspiration from here. however, to our dismay, the glassine bags were too slippery and thin and the printer simply could not work. hence, we had to change plans. we ended up printing them on sticker paper and cutting them out ourselves.

looking at these photos make me realise why i love photography so much. everything, from God's creation, to His people, to scenery, to the movements of His creatures, can be seen with a godly perspective and can remind us of what kind of God we have. indeed, they are proof that we have a God at Hand (Hebrew: Elohay Mikarov), near to us, revealing to us who He is and what He requires of us.

p.s. you will probably see these photos popping up on my blog throughout the year :) i hope what they express will be a blessing to you, to point you to God :)

1....2....300!

2012-01-22T21:33:00.001+08:00

God blessed our dear friends with a beloved and highly adorable baby called Nathan! we have never seen so much hair on a baby! :) check out this cute little boy with his countless expressions :)

so, with the request of them and also a strong desire to contribute and show our affection, PP and i embarked on a project we think is rather major.. making 300 bottles of hot chocolate! fortunately, the giving of hot chocolate is highly versatile and the wordings on the labels can also be changed to fit the occasion :)

herein lies countless bottles, waiting to dry..

we could not find plain white marshmallows, but it turned out to be a blessing because the fruit-flavoured marshmallows added colour to the bottle :)

We used the same labels and design, but changed the wordings.

then, instead of attaching red hearts, we printed his picture on photo paper using our old but reliable canon selphy photo printer :) cut cut cut!

tied the photos and the spoon with brown twine...

300 of these is definitely not an easy task, but thank God for enabling us :) :) here's another version of it, filled with chocolate rocks instead of hot chocolate - to remind fellow brethren to "Continue Stedfast (like rocks) in Doctrine and Fellowship". not done by us la - many thanks to the loving hands who prepared this for our YAF anniversary :)

another year has dawned

2012-01-20T11:24:00.001+08:00

wow!

in the blink of an eye, we are in a new year again. it has been a rocky start to the year. i don't mean rocky in the negative sense, but rocky, in that there have been many UPS, and many DOWNS. yes, all in the span of half a month?!? all in His plan, hence, all good :) much as i longed to sit down properly to pen my thoughts, i have been MAD BUSY. u will know why, God-willing, in a coming blog post. think 300 bottles of hot chocolate, hahaha!

thank God for His sustenance thus far. i long to document everything so i can use this blog as a record of how much i need Him and how good He has been to me. thank God for a special someone sent along the way to remind me also that this blog must be a blessing :) :) His ways are indeed perfect :)

when the year started, this song was my prayer.

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be

In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.

Another year of progress, another year of praise,

Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,

Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;

Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;

Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,

Another year of training for holier work above.

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be

On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.

Frances R. Havergal, 1874

people talk about new year resolutions, but i guess i do not really have fixed ones in my head. perhaps they are more of lessons learnt, from the past year... that for a fruitful and truly blessed year, i must....

walk with the LORD (night classes at FEBC have been a good way to keep it)

serve Him and love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength

think more of others and less of myself

be humble (still learning and always learning, sigh)

count my blessings (so i will be joyful)

perhaps this verse sums up everything very well...

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 1 Samuel 12: 24

Consider the word "only". it means a lot.

pomelo pulp

2012-01-10T12:22:00.001+08:00

pomelo pulp is a favourite of mine, since young! i would painfully slog through the peeling of the pomelo pulp, just to enjoy the juicy, tangy sweetness and the experience of the pulp bursting in my mouth at one bite! it goes marvellously well with this too!

of course, mummy dear knows that perfectly well, and i was extremely touched when she handed me a box of peeled pomelo pulp :)

the perfect gift

2011-12-17T23:37:00.001+08:00

dear readers,

i'm not sure who reads my blog, but im thankful for this outlet where i can share about God's goodness to me.

anyway, Christmas is coming! are you excited? many will probably be partying, enjoying the festivities, and gift-giving! aah. i confess, I LOVE GIFTS. i love receiving gifts, heh. when PP and i were still young (think awkward 15-16 year old teenagers), we would meet very briefly, in church, every year, to pass each other a Christmas gift :)

don't you think there's something special about a gift?

1. it comes free!

2. you can tell at one glance if the person knows you well by buying you a meaningful gift you will use!

3. a gift makes you feel loved. ♥

today, i would like to share with you about a gift that the God of this world has given. yes. the almighty Creator, Sustainer of this earth and Lord of this world has a gift for puny men like us. Can you comprehend? But first of all, can you accept that there is a God of this world? Just look at His creation.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3: 16

God gave this gift out of love. By right, we as men are in no way on the same level as God. yes, sometimes we think we are the gods of our life.... but when you sit down and seriously think about it, how many things are really within our control? how many times are we been tossed up and down, in our circumstances, emotions, relationships? this world is upside down.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3: 23

We have sinned against God, whether intentional or not. Our wrongdoings, the things we regret doing, will one day be brought up again as judgment against us. It's fair, isn't it? we do what we deem right, and we hold accountability for our actions. despite this knowledge, we still sin against our conscience and cling onto selfishness, lies, pride, anger. the list of our sins is endless. and we ought to be punished for these sins we commit. God saw our need, He loved us, and He sent His Son. It is a perfect plan! Only the son of God, can be a perfect substitute for the sins of man.

Dear friends,

God presents us with 2 options. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6: 23. What do you choose? This gift that God presents to us is free, something we need, and definitely, out of the infinite love of God. Will you accept it? Because if you do not accept a gift, you cannot count it as yours. And you can be sure that this gift is beyond any other gift on this earth, for it allows us to be counted as God's children, to be under His care, and no matter what happens, God's love and presence transcends all the miseries of this life.

How to accept it, then? John 3: 16 (above) has already stated that whosoever believeth in him and puts their faith in Christ Jesus, should not perish, but have everlasting life. Will you accept this gift?

I would like to warmly invite you to come to my church to find out more...

Christmas Praise cum Baptismal Service
“Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne”
24 Dec, Sat, 5 pm
Speaker: Rev Dennis Kwok

Christmas Sunday Service
“Joy to the World”
25 Dec, 2 pm
Speaker: Pr Joshua Yong

Come! You'll be blessed.

great ocean road part 2

2011-12-15T00:34:00.001+08:00

thank God that in spite of the rain, we could still catch a glimpse of God's creation and the well-known and all-famous rock formations at Great Ocean Road :) honestly, i really would wonder what the big deal all these are, if i did not know the Designer and Creator behind all these. i'm also glad to have studied abit of geography, so i could know about how weathering might have played a part. of course, many will attribute the gigantic rock movements and drastic changes to the millions of years the earth has undergone. well, let me tell you, it's the work of God, through a flood. read it in the Bible: Genesis chapter 6, and chapter 7.

Do you believe it? i cannot help but believe. i'm convicted of my belief that there is a Creator of this world, everywhere i look, no matter where i turn. look at the clouds! the beautiful parchment on which God painted with clouds. look at the sea! the vastness and depth that no man can grasp. indeed, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. " Psa 19: 1

these are the last of the 12 apostles...

our view on a sunnier day... :)

love the sound of waves, especially as they crash against the solid rocks. No wonder there are so many beautiful hymns with depiction of rocks. For example, "He hideth my Soul in the cleft of the rock", "Rock of Ages", A Shelter in a Time of Storm", "It is Well with my Soul", the list goes on....

The Arch

The Grotto

Rocks and a Lonely Boatman

scrapbooking adventures

2011-12-12T22:23:00.001+08:00

i'm not an experienced scrapbooker, but i must admit that i have succumbed many times when i walk into scrapbook shops. oh, the possibilities! i have lost count of how often i wished the paper were fabric.

my weak spot is definitely craft punchers. so far, i have accumulated (blame the sales lah) a fair collection of punchers, mostly Martha Stewart. I'm happy to share my collection with you and to show you the possibilities :) anyone can do something crafty! if you get the right tools and use them in the right ways. it's all about experimentation ;) if you are a friend and you would like to borrow these, i'll be happy to oblige as well :) make my investment even more worthwhile please, heehee.

meet my number one cutter :)

my first and most favourite cutter that is worthy of mention is the rounded corner cutter. looks simple and unassuming, but it's definitely a worthy buy. cutting the corners of the photo or card can do wonders and "up it one level" immediately! that is why PP and i invested in a few (i.e. three) to cut the corners of our 1000 wedding cards (here's a peek of what it looks like). thank God for joyful and loving hands of those who helped us! there was no brand on the cutter, but PP and i got ours from Popular Bookstore and Art Friend. p.s. the large size makes nice, wider, rounder corners :)

next, you can probably tell i really like birds :)

these are my two investments, which i find very useful in embellishing cards. the second cutter is really nifty! the sides can be opened up, with markings that you can use as reference. So, if you use it to cut the border of the card, you can follow the markings so the pattern runs on continuously :) here are some cards that i've done up, using the above-mentioned.

my sister taught me a simple technique called distressing, easily achieved with a stamp-pad (i used a brown ink-pad) and a sponge! super easy! simply take a sponge, dab it on the ink-pad, and go over the edges. immediately, an awesome vintage effect is created, putting all the different elements together very nicely :)

another cutter that i use very very often is my Martha Stewart Lace Scalloped Heart Punch.

This has served me very well! simply because i do not only use it for scrapbooking, but also for packaging as well :)

lastly, two punchers that i find very useful for making bases are my EK Success Scallop Circle Punch and Paper Shapers 2.75" Extra Large Nesting Punch.

The latter is really really useful in making very pretty bunting :)

it can be used for packaging as well :)

hope my experiments have inspired you somewhat :) thank God for opportunities to work on this like these :)

great ocean road part 1

2011-12-06T00:25:00.001+08:00

aah, time to continue to my posts on australia! it's been a while since i last posted anything on it :/

anyway, PP and i spent a few days driving Great Ocean Road. the drive was long so truly thank God for safety! shortly after we left GOR, a portion of it was closed due to landslides and floods.

I must say i was pleasantly surprised around the way, with the beautiful sights and sounds. not just of nature, but of the ambience. love travelling and soaking up the feel of the particular city/town. although the weather was gloomy and rainy, but it was an experience not to forget!

Aussies are incredible! it was soooo cold, with absolute strong winds, i was wearing two layers of warm kit, and still shivering. yet, the Aussies were happily surfing amidst the freezing weather! 真是好佩服：）

see the white specks? they were pretty parrots (i think) taking shelter from the rain :) we visited the city centres at various stops....saw interesting eateries..

and quirky shops! i believe these were at Lorne...

cows!

and very, very adorable surfer wannabes :)

♥

daily scoop!

2011-11-30T23:29:00.001+08:00

have you ever tried the chá (earl grey) ice cream from daily scoop?

daily scoop is located in sunset way and holland village. and the earl grey ice cream there is ♥ ♥ ♥ LOVELY :)

my favourite combination is pairing it with a chocolate-coated ice cream cone. mmmmm :)

seats at daily scoop (especially the sunset way outlet) can be rather limited so my suggestion is to pack a pint of it and bring it home. that way, you get to eat more in one sitting hee hee ;)

oh yes! and did you know that they offer an online ordering service, with delivery too? check it out here :)

p.s. chá ice cream seems extremely rare and is not available every night! be sure to call if you are visiting the place specially for it :)

The Daily Scoop Singapore

41 Sunset Way #01-04 Clementi Arcade Singapore Tel: +65 6463 3365

Blk 43 Jalan Merah Saga #01-78 Chip Bee Gardens Singapore Tel: +65 6475 3128

all your anxiety

2011-11-24T20:52:00.005+08:00

perhaps this blog paints a rosy picture of my life, depicting that all is well and struggle-free. well, i can only say that God is good and i'm learning to count my blessings each day. i DO struggle, every day, with sin, with worries, with fears. things are sometimes not easy, but thank God that He is gracious to me. recently God has sent a few occasions which show me clearly just how weak i am and how much i need Him.

when PP came back from australia, he shared this meaningful hymn with me which i would like to share with you.

Is there a heart o'er-bound by sorrow?

Is there a life weighed down by care?

Come to the cross -- each burden bearing,

All your anxiety - leave it there.

Refrain: All your anxiety, all your care,

Bring to the mercy seat--leave it there;

Never a burden He cannot bear,

Never a friend like Jesus.

No other friend so keen to help you,

No other friend so quick to hear;

No other place to leave your burden,

No other one to hear your prayer.

Come then at once--delay no longer!

Heed His entreaty kind and sweet;

You need not fear a disappointment--

You shall find peace at the mercy seat.

keep quiet

2011-11-10T00:22:00.001+08:00

as a teacher, i do find myself saying this alot, haha!

after several meet-ups with my friends recently, i do realise how blessed i am to have groups of beloved close ones whom i can be so comfortable with :) from these times, i have realised something...

it is all right to keep quiet sometimes.

when a friend shares, sometimes all she needs is a listening ear. im glad our friendship has gotten to a level where we can stay quiet and just enjoy the company :)

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:28

children's day 2011 - part 2

2011-11-01T00:09:00.002+08:00

of course, we wanted the bags to be slightly different for our sunday school children :) we did almost the same things for one side, with the bicycle and their names. as for the other side, i decided to use fabric markers instead :) here's how it turned out :)

and since we did not fill it up with anything else, we could fold the bags and tie them up nicely with my favourite brown string (also from SKP). i love how nicely they could be bundled together! :)

thank God for the opportunity and time to work on these :) such joy and so much more meaningful than creating things to sell :) :)

children's day 2011 - part 1

2011-10-31T23:54:00.001+08:00

i must say that i (maybe PP too!) regretted many times after we embarked on this project. it was TOUGH! on top of the fact we had to juggle several things to. nonetheless, it was a small gesture on our part to show our love to our students. hope they liked it!

important things you need to embark on this project:

1) do it with a smile :)

2) a nifty pretty stamp - bought or carved by a dear one like PP :)

3) alphabet stamps (i got mine from Kikki K!)

4) it's always nice to have someone to stand by you in the projects you do :)

PP and i purchased canvas bags in bulk. thank God for leading us to a reasonable source, where we managed to get them for less than $3 a bag :)

thereafter, stamp, stamp, stamp and stamp somemore...! and this is what you should get :)

as for the other side of the bag, we created a design, and printed it on iron-on fabric transfer paper (i have used them here and here before)

here's the end result :)

we packed it with cheezels (i promise you this is a must), snacks and stationery. did the kids like it? i think so. one of my favourite students, E, declared, "I'm going to keep this until it grows mould! awww <3

im one half

2011-10-27T23:14:00.001+08:00

as a pastor has said before, marriage is a time when "two become one". and if separated after that, each individual is not longer one, but half. PP has been away for one and a half weeks thus far, and more than ever, i feel like im one half :/ im not moping of course. separation is a good time of quietness for myself, to think, reflect...and also to channel the time to my other friends and loved ones :) so thank God, for His perfect timing, for His sustenance, for His goodness and blessings. of course, i miss him a lot, resorting to even sleeping on his side of the bed. im definitely looking forward to his return, and it's a comfort to receive support through him in his little creative ways :)

to the dear ones who ask of me and support me in little ways, thank u too..

the black sheep cafe

2011-10-13T12:19:00.001+08:00

i remember our last food adventure here. for yummy xiaolongbaos!

PP and i are a little more wary about sharing our food adventures. we don't want people to get the impression that we live to eat or that we enjoy such palatable luxuries all the time. it is often a once in a while treat and must as we are tempted to, our finances don't allow us to splurge too much hehe...

that said, some places are great finds with great food and of course, worthy to be shared with u :) one of such places is a little restaurant called The Black Sheep Cafe.

It is tucked away in a little corner of Little India (I think), with an Indian chef, but seriously, it has the best french food i have ever tasted! here's a glimpse of the menu:

we usually go in search of "Pan-fried foie gras", a personal favourite of mine. it came in a generous serving and was WONDERFUL!

We also ordered Duck Confit, which was so well-cooked that it melted in our mouths. PP said there was no need to apply any strength to cut the meat. it simply slid off our knives :)

Be prepared to wait though. This quaint little cafe is not a huge set-up and when it's full house, you may have to spend up to half an hour waiting for the dessert. well, i guess that gives u more reason to savour the food slowly :)

The souffle is worth the wait, and a must try!

The Black Sheep Cafe

35 Mayo Street (Off Little India)

make reservations at 92721842 or 62925772

note their unusual opening hours here!

secret tip for hydrangea bouquets :)

2011-09-27T11:17:00.001+08:00

i have always looooonged to have hydrangeas for my wedding bouquet. to my dismay, after doing some research, i found out that hydrangeas perish really quickly and it would not be able to last half the day. so, on my wedding day, i was expecting baby's breath or white roses. to my joy, the florist (working with my bridal studio) gave me what i wanted, teaching us a secret tip!

"keep the flowers in the fridge. just before you take it out for the day, throw the hydrangeas into a pail of water for a few minutes... and they will look like fresh blooms...!"

and they did :) thereafter, my darling groom-to-be wrapped it in coral blue ribbon and pasted a sweet little heart on it to fit our theme :) the sweet florist also sprayed sky blue paint on PP's corsage of baby's breath to match my bouquet :)

and since we are on details, here's close-ups of my dress and shoes...

shoe soles say "happiness starts here", from Beverly Feldman (bought them from Hue in Raffles City). how apt :)

Photo credits: Bryan Jean Photography

bazaar pictures

2011-09-20T22:07:00.001+08:00

thank God for sustaining us through the bazaar. it was a really lovely experience, meeting all the lovely people! i can't help but feel that there is this strange connection i share with my customers. i love how we both share an appreciation of pretty things, and i am also very thankful for their sweet support in many ways!

here are some pictures :)

see this sweet, pretty wooden crate? i tried sourcing for one but it was rather tough :/ unexpectedly, PP built one for me from scratch, using wooden planks from daiso! :)

learnt much, as with every time. looking forward to the next one already :)

姐，Z, J + ZH, XW+HL, 真的感谢你们下来支持我。被你们的爱心与关怀感动了！

bazaar, again!

2011-09-07T22:29:00.001+08:00

im stoked.

every time we approach a bazaar, my heart palpitates wildly just thinking about it, haha! yes, there are tons of preparation to do and the stress is mounting. also, it's a smaller-scale one, as im only taking part for one day and renting only one table. but still, i can't wait!

things to expect this season:

more hand-sewn, hand-drawn pouches for phones, instax cameras and pencils

polaroid stickers

+ photo-cards

+ bottle-cap necklaces

and other knick-knacks that hopefully, will make you smile :)

catch a glimpse of the previous bazaar here :)

teacher's day project 2011

2011-09-06T11:30:00.001+08:00

once again, PP reminded me that i could not, not do anything... just like he did here.. and so, by God's grace, and with PP's help, this is what we came up with. I decided on hot chocolate with much hesitation, because i was not sure whether most people would like it. however, fond memories of how the hot chocolate warmed my heart in melbourne made me decide that this was probably the best thing to perk a teacher up, especially in the office :)

let me share here how we did this!

we purchased little canisters from this random shop in Jurong West. It sells baking supplies and other groceries, together with takeaway boxes and paper bags - the kind of things i like! thank God that it came in the right size! there were 2, and the nice auntie found the bigger one for me :) since i was buying quite alot, i got it at a reasonable price of 50 canisters for SGD$12.

After some scouring, i think this is the name of the store :)

Lee Bee Enterprises Co

Jurong West Street 52, #01-152, Blk 507 Singapore 640507

p: 65619518 f: 65666264

not wanting to take any risks, PP and i did some washing...

hot chocolate and tiny marshmallows were purchased from Cold Storage. i must confess i have tasted better-quality hot chocolate, but i guess Cadbury makes a rather good alternative. Another brand worth trying is "Swiss Miss".

transferred the chocolate and squeezed about 10 marshmallows in :)

cover, and paste the label :)

here's a close-up of the label...

seal and tie in a little plastic spoon using brown string - both available at SKP (again, one of my favourite stores), and finish it off with a gorgeous heart. i purchased the Martha Stewart heart lace scalloped punch from Paper Market.

ta-daa :)

this was a simple project that did not take alot of time :) if you would like the soft copy of the stickers, feel free to ask me for it and i'll gladly email it to u :) i used labels from Mayspies (label number: 09 00 14). The font names are Learning Curve, and Print Clearly. Click on the links and it will lead you to a site to download these gorgeous fonts i have used countless times.

Just around the corner is children's day! ACK! i have not fully decided what to do.. but you can see what i worked on for the past 2 years, here and here :)

thank God that my colleagues liked it and it put a smile on their faces :) :)

thirst

2011-08-30T17:19:00.001+08:00

thirsty? less in the physical sense, but the spiritual sense. many times in life, we crave for things. we long for material things to make us happy, memorable times to cause us to smile, special events to look forward too, even yummy food to satisfy our cravings. how happy do these things really make us? how much of our thirst do they quench?

i find im like that sometimes. not contented, not happy, searching, yearning for something, but what?

Psa 63: 1 says "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; "

that's when it dawned on me that nothing, absolutely nothing on this earth can fully satisfy me. it is all vanity, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes. only when i learn to find my contentment in Christ and seek Him first, will He add the rest (Matt 6: 33) and give me the desires of my heart. (Psa 37:4).

saybons french food factory

2011-08-16T15:02:00.001+08:00

for a little palate surprise, PP and i cut down on the amount of food catered in the buffet lunch and used the money saved to share some delectable french dessert! of course, it was from none other than our favourite Saybons!

coincidentally, their colours match our wedding theme TTM :)

check out their menu and you will see an array of crepes that are MUST-TRY. the wild mushroom soup and lobster bisque are personal favourites of ours! we liased with Daphane, who was super nice, friendly, and very pleasant to work with. she was able to identify our needs and flexible enough to accommodate what we wanted. for example, she advised us not to serve lobster bisque because some guests might have allergies, which was something we never thought of. basically, everything, including the set-up was handed over to them and boy, did they do a wonderful job! in spite of the long queues, the chefs worked extremely hard to feed everyone :) on top of that, they were so sweet to keep an extra container of wild mushroom soup for us to bring back to enjoy :)

many thanks to Saybons for capturing these photos so we can now share them with you :)

side note: their escargots are quite awesome too :)

holding hands

2011-08-10T22:39:00.001+08:00

today marks 7 years we have held hands. while we do not have a special anniversary date (well now we do have a wedding anniversary date heh), this day is rather special to us as shared here.

2 months before we held hands, PP actually spoke to me about it. it was our desire to keep pure, for God. And only God could have kept us together, till thus far.

Your Hand in Mine

(Written by PP)

Hands were held while we were small,

That their precious one will not fall.

But even when the fall did come,

*Sayangs* were given by dad and mum.

Hands were held by you and me,

As we walked down “that alley”.

How it happened I did not know,

But one thing’s sure, I’m not letting go.

Just as when you were a little child,

I’m holding yours with a loving smile.

Never a fall I dare not say,

But your hand in mine will surely stay.

Your hand in mine so long ago,

Yet our love is made to grow.

Not by any good in us,

But in God’s faithful hands we simply trust.

Two hands alone can never be;

To last for long there must be three.

Like the blissful couples passed,

Your hand in mine, with God we’ll last.

love

2011-08-07T23:25:00.001+08:00

a word that carries so much meaning and weight. having been married for 7 months thereabouts, there have been many times when i have been forced to ponder on what does it mean to love? by the interpretations of the world, it means doing crazily romantic things, going to gorgeous places for dates, strong, heady passions... the list goes on...

today, i sat down to rethink (and am still thinking as i type this). what does God say about love? how do i love PP, the way God wants me too? what would it mean to say, "i love you"?

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

a very good reminder for me, that love is a choice, and requires action. God, help me to love according to your standards, and to learn from your example of how you loved us and gave yourself for us.

new look

2011-08-02T13:55:00.001+08:00

aah.. a new look for Flower in the Wilderness, which nicely sums up the things I would like to share with you. While "Amazing Grace" is one segment, honestly, everything in my life is by His grace and none can exist without the love of God, who sustains, keeps and blesses me. may everything in my life point you to Him, and show you that there is a God in this world who is very real to me and has saved me from a meaningless life destined for eternal death when i was dying in my sins. All glory goes to Him.