My Learning Den

2 years on

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:36:00 +0000

2nd Anniversary

becoming an Australian Citizen.

Today mark the 2nd year I adopted Australia as my home and became a citizen of this great country. It took me nearly 13 years before I took that step. Two years on and I have never looked back. I am proud to call myself an Aussie.

This is the great southland and sun burnt land...this is home.

Birthday Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:29:00 +0000

H A P P Y

B I R T H D A Y

S I S

hAPPy bIRTHdAy tO ThE GrEATeST sIStER In tHE wORLd

LOVE YOU

I dreamed a dream by Susan Boyle

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:20:00 +0000

You have to watch this....
Decide for yourself ...as for me ...She was incredible. Love the song. Love her confidence and feistyness. Never to late to dream. Lyrics are below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms We cannot weather...
I had a dream my life would be
So different form this hell I'm living
so different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:15:00 +0000

H A P P Y

E A S T E R

He died and rose again that we might live

and

be free from the bondage of sin.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only beloved son

that whoever believes in Him will not perish but

have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Rod Stewart-Have I told you lately

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Not the best performance on this song but I like the violin solo at 1:59. Enjoy.

Rod Stewart & Amy Belle- I Dont Want To Talk About It

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:48:00 +0000

A nice duet by Rod Stewart & Amy Belle.
The part I particularly like is the saxophone solo at 3.03. Enjoy

River Flows in You - Yiruma

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:42:00 +0000

www.yiruma.com

In Loving Memory of Grandma

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Siat Cheng

1918 - 25 March 2009

Grandma passed away peacefully at

9.45 am on Wednesday, 25 March 2008

in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Earth Tremor in Melbourne 6 March

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:31:00 +0000

My son and I were home last night. He was in the family room at the back of the house while i was in my room studying. All of a sudden we felt the house shake and then a loud bump. Then it stopped. At first I thought something fell in the house... or maybe a tree outside the house. I called out to him and he ran to me feeling rather scared. We did not know what happened. then we went out and heard some of our neighbours talking about the shake. It was then that we realized that it was probably an earthquake that caused a tremor.

News came on and confirmed our suspicion. The tremor measured 4.7 on the Richter scale, was felt just before 9pm. According to the seismologist, it was Victoria's strongest earthquake since 2001. Bureau of Meteorology said the tremor was centred 5.5 kilometres north-west of Korumburra, in South Gippsland.

These are certainly very interesting days in Mebourne, Victoria. Bushfires, firestorms, rain, and now earthquake. Gosh I dont want to think about what next.

Showers from heaven

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:08:00 +0000

This week we got some much needed rain. I call them showers from heaven. Thank you God!Most of you know that Victoria has been experiencing some of the dryest time in the last ten years. Drought and extended drought are some of the expressions used to describe our lack of rain.

Last Friday and this Tuesday school was cancelled for my kids as their school is located in the high risk firedanger zone. There were fears that the hot weather and strong wind forecasted were going to be as dangerous as Black Saturday. The state was in such heightened state of emergency. People were tensed, worried and scared. This is understandable after what happened that day. The Victoria Police send text (sms) messages to every mobile/handphone users warning of extreme weather conditions and the risk high wind and fire. This has never been done before so you can imagine the intense awareness.

and...then rain fell so unexpectedly. You must understand that everytime rain has been forecasted we get twenty drops and then it's over or worst still it never came. Wonderful drops of water from the sky....showers from heaven...blessings from above. You cannot imagine the joy and happiness that brought. Slow rain continued the last few days. The perfect type of rain for our dry land. Though it is not enough to break any the drought, it is good enough for now to reduce the risk of more fire dangers. The temperature has fallen dramatically to the high teens instead of thirties and forties. What a relief. Rain also fell on some areas where bushfires were still burning out of control in areas where firefighters cannot access.

THANK YOU GOD.

One Month since Black Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:56:00 +0000

Today mark a month since Black Saturday. The worst bushfires that ravaged many lives, homes, towns, livestocks, land and everything in its way.

The fires killed 210 people, destroyed close to 2000 homes and displaced almost 7000 people. Many are traumatised. Many more are grieving the lost of loved ones. The next few days as the coroner released more bodies, many funerals will be conducted to farewell loved ones. Please pray for those who have lost so much in so short a time.

Perhaps Love

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:35:00 +0000

by
John Denver & Placido Domingo

I love this song...it was playing on the radio tonight. I like to share it with you. Hope you like it.

John Denver dedicated this song to all mothers, and especially to his own mother. Lyrics are below.

Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Oh, love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you.

Back to University

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Summer holidays have ended and it's back to Uni this Monday, 2nd March 2009. It's going to be a new beginning for me as I start my 3rd year in at a different University. I leave Victoria University with a heavy heart having been there two years. During that time I got to know some really nice people and I will miss them very much especially my good buddies Steph & Meg. I start at Monash University this Monday. Im nervous starting afresh and yet I am excited knowing the changes will help me widen my experience and expose me to the different approaches towards social work.

Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers.

Bushfires Update

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:24:00 +0000

These last three weeks have been a horrible time for our state. At last count 210 has lost their lives. 37 people are still missing and unaccounted for. The firestorm that swept across so many parts of our states left devastation everywhere it went. The lost of 210 lives to bushfires seem unreal and almost incomprehensible in modern days.

For more updates on Victorian Bushfires go to

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/indepth/section/0,,5018723,00.html

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=19190

http://www.theage.com.au/national/bushfires

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25119492-601,00.html

Bushfires

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:51:00 +0000

I have lamented about the lost of the many beatiful places in these bushfires. However, it is nothing compared to the lost of human lives. So many people have died. Their families have suffered immeasurable loses. The pictures below are just a few of those human faces.

UPDATE 7:01pm:
THE death toll from Victoria's bushfires has risen to 181 as fire crews continue to fight blazes across the state http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25033819-661,00.html

UPDATE
7:01pm: THE death toll from Victoria's bushfires has risen to 181 as fire crews continue to fight blazes across the state http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25033819-661,00.html

Bushfires: More bad news

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:38:00 +0000

Bushfire death toll rises to 131 across Victoria.
The government has advised us to expect more bad news to come. All news report about the bushfire is bad and things are not under control yet. There are so many bushfire burning across the state that resources are very stretched. We It is good to know that other states are sending re-enforcement and volunteer firefighters. Offers of help are coming from many different countries too.

For more updates go to
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun
http://www.theage.com.au/
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
http://www.abc.net.au/

You can also listen live on
http://www.3aw.com.au/

Below are some pictures of the horrific bushfire

Bushfires: Some updates

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:21:00 +0000

The latest is 76 dead and many places are still burning. The death toll is expected to rise. Please keep our firefighters, SES and CFA in your prayers. And of course, those directly and indirectly affected by the fire.

UPDATE 9:28pm: GRAVE fears are held for Channel 9 veteran Brian Naylor as the bushfire death toll rises to 84.

For the latest updates from CFA go to
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/incident_updates.htm

To read more from the The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/

Herald Sun headlines. For more go to
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun

You can listen live on the web at
http://www.3aw.com.au/

Marysville Destroyed

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Aerial view of Marysville after bushfires destroyed the town

I woke up this morning with news that one of my favourite place is burning and the fire has destroyed the town. I got teary eye cause my kids and I love Marysville. I have written about spending vacation at Marysville on my blog. So I am feeling a bit sad..actually I was feeling quite sad.

Below, pictures of Marysville before the bushfire

Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden
http://www.brunosart.com/

Stephensons Falls

Summer Bushfires

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:30:00 +0000

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/fires/updates/report/index2.htm?time=Sun%20Feb%208%2010:54:59%20UTC+1100%202009

We are currently experiencing one of the worst bushfires crisis since Ash Wednesday.

The temperature yesterday was 47.2C and it was one very hot day. It has been so hot here that when it burns it gets out of control very quickly. Add to that some of the fires were deliberately lighted. I hope the authorities catch the culprit/culprits.

Andrew Bolt (of the Herald Sun) has been updating news about the fires http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/now_the_search_resumes/

The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/national/death-toll-rises-from-bushfires-20090208-80jv.html?page=-1

The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/

I'm A Middle-Aged Woman by Lisa Koch

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:11:00 +0000

This is funny. Hope you have a good laugh too. Sung by Lisa Koch.

MIDDLE AGED WOMAN

I'M A MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN by Lisa Kock at her pal's birthday bash

Heatwave

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:23:00 +0000

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun

This has been a very very hot week. I usually cope reasonably well with heat having grown up in the tropics. However, the last two nights have been nearly unbearable. Monday was ok when it cooled down early in the evening. On Tuesday the temperature went up to 43C and at night it did not go down below 29C. Yes, it was hot.

Yesterday (Wednesday), I didnt cope as well. Having to run around running errands meant I had to go in and out of the heat..it was unbearable. I was feeling a bit unwell towards evening and had to lie down. Thank God we were invited to a friend's pool to cool down. I jumped in almost immediately and stayed in for a long time. It felt so good.

Today (Friday) it will be very hot again. Tonight we will be going over to a friend's house to celebrate Chinese New Year and the good news is he has airconditioning system in his house.

Keep cool and keep hydrated. Stay out of the heat.

To those in the Northern Hemisphere who are experiencing severe snow storm, I'm sorry I can't sympathise with you though I can understand how tough it can be. Stay warm and stay well.

Year of the Ox

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Wishing all my family and friends

Happy Chinese New Year

Kong Hee Fatt Choy

Gong Xi Fatt Chai

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina

Happy Chinese New Year

I Still Call Australia Home

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Australia Day 26 January

Summer School

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:51:00 +0000

Gary Foley lectures

Gary Foley & Me at the BBQ lunch

I decided to attend summer school and chose Indigenous Australian Issues and Understandings as my focus. Classes were held at VU from 19th - 23rd Jan.

Little did I know that Gary Foley was the lecturer. If you havent heard anything about Gary Foley, just google his name and you will find out a little about him. There is a good website started by Gary Foley which you can find lots of resources and information http://www.kooriweb.org/

Regardless of who you talk to....he is an icon in the indigenous community.

Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy

noreply@blogger.com (LL Goh) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:27:00 +0000

A very nice song.