December: It means a month with lots of weddings

I just came back from Hong Kong and China a week ago. It's always fun to have a family trip.

Well, December came. It means Christmas is coming!!! It means the year 2009 is going to end soon. It means it's time to reflect on the year 2009.

It actually means I need to give quite a few ang pows for the weddings. This month, I've got 3 different wedding invitations. I just attended one, 2 more to come. The first wedding, my friend married to a Taiwanese girl. The 2nd Taiwanese daughters-in-law in the family, bravo to the brothers in the family.

The 2nd wedding is a Malay wedding, my uni Toastmasters Club friend.
The 3rd wedding is my high school best friend's wedding, I'll need to go back to my hometown then.

December is the school holiday month in Malaysia, I guess that's why a lot of people would pick December for their weddings.

It means, I may only see the year end sales and a lot of cute christmas gift boxes (maybe they're not that attractive), etc, etc... But not owning them.

Adulthood..huh?

Grant Me

Grant me a pair of unbreakable glasses
To discern the genuine beings
in the masquerade

Grant me Your wisdom
To protect me and shield me
While they try to scorn me with their lies

Grant me a pair of wings to fly
Over the sorrows of the dark valley
Into Your luminous hideaway.

Words/Coral Lean
Drawing/萬歲少女

On my way, again.

Packing bag for a family trip. This coming Saturday I'm flying off for a family trip to Hong Kong and a few destinations near HK.

Sometimes, I just wanna worship You...

Sometimes, I just wanna worship You,
with my tongue, with my voice,
with the language I've never learn to speak in.

Sometimes, I just wanna worship You,
with my heart, with my soul,
with the zeal I have in my soul.

Sometimes, I just wanna worship You,
with the works, with my hands,
with my eyes turning to You.

Sometimes, I just wanna worship You,
with my love, with my songs,
with the words and the inspiration You gave me.

I'll play you a song, oh Lord.
I'll play you a love song,
with my fingers on the piano,
with the talent you've given me.

When my heart feels the sorrows of this world,
Please keep reminding me that I can still sing,
I can still sing a love song for You,
which will rejoice me and give me hope that
One day, You're going to wipe away my tears,
Forever and Ever...

Written by Coral Lean
Art by 甜甜老師

I love Google logos...

Google Celebrating the fall of Berlin's Wall...

I had been a big fan of Google Logos... The Sesame Street Google Logos are very cute and reminded me of my childhood.

Ooh, my auntie and me cleaned up yesterday and she found a few pictures of me and my younger siblings during the childhood. We were playing sand at the beach.

"Chu Chu Ban" (in Hokkien), we used to have one in our primary school. Favourite hang-out place during recess.

Thinking back my childhood, I used to watch Sesame Street too. I liked Big Bird. :) I always thought Ernie is cuter than Bert (I preferred round face...).

Ernie and Bert


I love the Google logo for Doraemon as well, I guess next year, they may come out with the Crayon Sinchan's logo as well.

There were a few Google logos which were based on Chinese festivals.

To Celebrate Confucius' birthday.

"Qi Xi"- The Chinese Valentine's Day when Niu Lang (the guy) and Zhi Nv (the wife) meet up during 7th of July every year(according to Chinese Calender). My favourite story when I was young :)

Niu Lang was a poor farmer. Zhi Nv was a fairy and she went to bath at the river with her fairy sisters. Niu Lang was amazed by Zhi Nv's beauty and he stole her clothes. She could not get back to her fairy home without the clothes. Niu Lang asked her to marry him, they loved each other and had two kids. Yet, Zhi Nv was captured back to her home, and left Niu Lang behind. They were very sad... Being touched by their love, they were allowed to meet each other during 7th of July every year (Qi Xi). The sparrows of the earth would fly up to the sky and create a bridge for them to meet up during Qi Xi.

The Japanese version of Niu Lang Zhi Nv, they called them the "Tanabata Lover".

Celebrated Mid Auturm Festival

Celebrated Mei Lan Fang's birthday

I just love Google logos...

Been thinking about... "You can't change others but yourselves"

Most people thought "You can't change others, you can only change yourself." Even in counseling sessions, this is a very common phrase.

However, there's such thing called behaviour modification, where the psychologists / school teachers would try to apply behavioral techniques in changing certain behaviors.

Is it still true that we can't change others, but only ourselves?

It depends on relationship, I think. "Can't change others but yourself" is a fruit of individualistic (others' issues/changes are none of your business?) and the fruit of conformity (since you can't change the issues or society around you, why bother?). If changes were not possible, marketing departments of various companies would not have a chance to sell their products or services because they 'can't change' people. If changes were not possible, the authors of self-help books would not get their cash in. If changes were not possible, why Jesus had to come to earth and commanded us to spread the gospel?

If it is impossible to expect changes of others, marriage, family, workplace, school, community, were all collapsed... because changes = development.

Certainly, changing ourselves first could be the most effective way to change others. We, as role models, and others, as learners. We could not expect the changes of others, if we did not change first.

My Taiwan Trip-Day 2

After such a long time, you might already forgotten that I've promised to show some pics on my Taiwan trip...hehe... sorry for the long wait.

This is the day 2 of my trip in TaiChung, we went to Qing Jing highland 清靜, it's a very nice and cozy place.

1st breakfast in Taiwan. The pancake taste a bit like 'roti canai' but with bacon.. hehe

After that, we took a taxi back to the station again...

this bus looks like the one we're taking... but not this one...


I like this lift...

Stopped by a bus station to change bus, we managed to grab something to eat, and the pearl milk tea -yummy yummy, little pearl..not like the one we normally have here.. but, it's really nice.

This pic taken by Eric (in fact most of the pics you see also taken by him, hehe...), very scenic.. the river...

I'm thinking why can't we build some tunnels like this in Malaysia too?
Well, can't compare, can't compare, I keep telling myself...
If keep comparing, then probably I may vomit blood liao...

Well, this pic is too small, but there were a few people crawling on it...
(Click for a bigger view)


Finally, we've reach Qing Jing


We were staying here... Yun Hai 雲海

This is one of their receptionist center. Quite cute :)


The garden is very beautiful too. We supposed to have our tea-time here, too bad it was raining in the afternoon when we came back...


The reception


After checked in the hotel, we walked to Qing Qing Cao Yuan, the farm to see the sheep....yeah...(青青草園）

On the way there, I took some pictures as well. There are more than 100 hotels along the hill..seriously, to pick a nice one and cheap one is hard... But we were quite satisfied with the one we stayed.

Our first lunch in Taiwan. Mee Hoon and bamboo rice, plus the wild boar sausage (not in this pic)


The lady who is selling the bamboo rice is quite pretty..


Finally, we've got to see some sheep... ^_^

Baa Baa black sheep....

After the sheep watching, it's time for some cow-watching.
As usual, I took the first step of volunteering myself in the cow performance...
It was tough to find some partners-in-crime... But I've found 2...

First, we needed to pull the cow to show the audience.


Then, we had to compete drinking with the little calf. Of course, it won!
(our mouths are so small, what to do...)


One of the tasks was quite interesting.
We rode on the cow's back and tried to shoot the balloons. I was the one holding the gun...


After the game, we were on TV... First time on TV, and it was a Taiwanese TV station, I had no idea what the program was for...


I love this phrase.. "Close to heart" -literally translation


I love the flower pots outside at the sinks outside toilet... Beautiful...


We almost missed this part. Thank God it rained and we decided to go back to the farm again...
Cute cute lambs.. I love them...


Feeding them was a very fun thing to do... Ooh, they are so cute...
Why people want to eat lamb chops oh... They are so cute and adorable...

After a walk in the sheep farm, I understood Bible's parables better... Sheep are really helpless and could not actually defend themselves... Lambs, are much more helpless and vulnerable. Without a shepherd, they may be lost...
Just like human, without the light of God...


Check out my souvenir after the participation in the cow game.
We had tea break, the flower tea and cakes are nice... :)


Dinner time - included in our package.
It was really a heavy dinner... Rice plus 3 dishes, plus steamboat.
^_^ delicious as well.


Taiwan trip Day 2 report-done...