Looks to Egypt

"This is what the Sovereign LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
'Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, "No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle."
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!'"

Isaiah 30:15


encouragement for today
Is there any area of your life where you've wandered from God? The clue is a lack of peace. Anxiety that "looks to Egypt" rather than God for help. If there is any such area of anxiety in your life, confess it. Return to God, rest in him, and trust him alone to take care of your problem. Quietness and confidence in him is the answer. Rest in God today as you wait for him to act, rather than running off in your own strength to "Egypt."

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Online Find

Found another online find that offers LSAT prep. At Knewton, they offer LSAT courses at many different hours to make it convenient for those preparing for LSAT. It is important to pass the LSAT to determine the degree logical and verbal reasoning for law candidates. LSAT is a required test done in United States, Canada and Australia for all ABA-approved law schools. I just found out that the test includes logical reasoning, reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, etc. It just reminded me of the exams for Philippine civil service examinations. :D

Hungry All the Time

I haven't started dieting again since we came back from our recent trip. I just wanted to eat and eat. I don't have a heart to start dieting yet. I think I am having a food trip hangover. LOL. I saw my Indonesian friend again. And again, I was reminded to do some exercises. She has been my inspiration to lose weight. But then again, I thought house cleaning could be a good exercise. Mop and vacuum the floor, dust the blinds, do the laundry and dishes... I think those can be considered exercise. So I'm not totally guilty of no-exercise life. But I get hungry all the time. So I need to work doubly hard.

God of this City

This wasn't a new news. It's all over the internet news even when we were still in the US. There has been burning of churches in Malaysia... Catholic paper was allowed to use the term Al1ah to refer to God... Confusion still going on...

Meanwhile, my heart sings this song:



Chris Tomlin got the right to sing the song from the guys in Ireland who composed this song out of desperation for the people in Bangkok, Thailand when they were there. This band from Northern Ireland was hired by a Brothel owner to sing in their bar. As a band, they accepted the offer... And I say this was worship leading at it's best... you know, when you worship God amidst darkness, praying and begging God for light to come. And so this band was playing worship songs throughout their time there... and this song just came out... out of desperation to reach out to the people in darkness... in that city.

In Belfast, when Chris heard this song, he talked to the band and he was given the right to sing the song and share it to 17 cities when they did the Passion World Tour in 2008. They actually didn't do any promotional products for this one... When people hear this song... they're just smitten. I was myself... and in certain situations, I sing this song to God... God, you're the God of this City. Greater things are yet to come, greater things are yet to be done... In this city... in this nation... in this country.

There is no one like our God.

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

You know when you're out of ideas and you scram for something to write? Taking quizzes is a classic way to fill up those empty brains. LOL. Anyways, this is one of those times.

You Scored as Classic Pumps

You are Classic Pumps. Not a slave to fashion, you believe that some things never go out of style for a reason. One or two expensive items are worth a whole closet full of junk. Go on with your persnickity self, girl!


Classic Pumps 63%
Flip-Flops 47%
Quirky Shoes 40%
Sexy Heels 40%
Sensible Flats 30%

Not all people like taking quizzes because for them, when they do, it doesn't really give the right results. I think it all depends on how you answer the test. If you're true to yourself, you'd get the right results. Oh well, there are pathetic quizzes that have pathetic results too... but of course, you can tell which ones are good and which ones are not.

Why did I choose this quiz? Because I need a new pair of shoes! LOL. I haven't worn pumps in a long while. Stuart Weitzman must have one of those. I need to check again. But then, I have to see it and try it on me in real. So maybe I need to go to Sunway Pyramid again and buy a new pair.

Joys of Parenting

I posted this in my FB status... but am gonna post this in my blog also:

joys of parenting: when you take time to teach your kids and see them actually doing it themselves eventually. what great joy it was when we realized our 5-year old son can now read His Bible and he does the Bible reading for our nightly (almost) family devotions.

Schenker learns how to read in school but he learns the Bible reading and family devotions at home. You know when he's out there, we dun know what kind of stuff he's learning. What makes it more challenging in Malaysia is that we have a multi-religion, multi-racial and multi cultural society. So as parents, we want our kids to know and understand our own values and beliefs. We want them to be confident in what they believe in. So we must set a strong foundation which starts in our home. Sending them to a traditional school would certainly expose them to a real world... which means, there are bad stuff, and there are good stuff they learn outside of home. Of course, as parents, we are there to guide them. My boy asks a lot of questions that he sees from the outside world. It is good that early on, we can tell him which ones to embrace and which ones to be thrown away.

Good foundation starts at home. God knew exactly what He said in the Bible "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6 (King James Version)

And of course, as parents, we are in constant prayer for them. We are in constant pursuit for what's best for them. If we have to, we can also invest an insurance even if it would mean searching for term life insurance online. Yes, parenting each child has its own challenges, let alone the different stages. No parents are perfect. No child is perfect. It is only by God's grace that we are able to do our roles effectively.

To Drive or not to Drive?

We are planning on going to Hatyai, Thailand next month. We used to go there by car. We never used our car, by the way. We just borrow car from my brother-in-law. But this time, he's planning on selling his car so he hasn't renewed his road tax yet. Malaysia charges road tax annually and usually when drivers pay road tax, they usually buy an insurance for the car too. I am tempted to offer (not to buy) to find auto insurance quotes and pay for the road tax... but for the type of the car he has, it would be price-y to do so.

Why not drive our car? I am not very confident with it because the air con doesn't do well on long trips. The compressor freezes over time and when it happens, it doesn't give a cool air anymore. But hubby is planning to send it to the car shop. So if it's fixed, we might drive to Hatyai.

Of course, I don't mind taking the train. Train is pretty much comfortable, esp when traveling with kids.

So... to drive or not to drive is still a question. We would know for sure after we get the car from the shop.

Oh.. by the way, when I said we are going to Thailand... that would mean me, hubby and the KIDS.

For Free?

We were taken by surprise when we checked in at Atlanta airport and were told that we had to pay $20 for one luggage per person and pay 30$ for the second luggage. We were not prepared for it. You know, when we went to US, we only had two luggage with us and when we left Atlanta, we had 3. Go figure. LOL. That was uncalled for, indeed. I mean the fee for the checked in luggage (not the third one). They started this 3 months ago, they said. So, I was thinking, probably this was one of the ways to alleviate the income for the airport people due to economy breakdown. But still, it was a lot for a luggage fee.

Another surprise was when we were in LA and we met with my Lola. She drove a 2-year old C300. In LA. How cool was that? Anyway, we were not surprised she drove a car like that. What surprised me was they don't pay road tax in the US. Or probably it only applies in LA? In Malaysia, you have to pay an annual road tax and depends on what car you have, you pay according to the type of car. One of my family members drives a Mercedes and he has to pay 2,000RM + annually just for road tax. Now with a free road tax in the US, I wonder if one can get a free life insurance quote too?

Another free thing in the US is when you're a veteran and you're stripped of your home in some point, the government gives you a place to stay, for free. All the medical expenses are for free too. With a lot of homeless people I saw on the streets in LA, I was hoping they would get their own place for free too. But that would be a tall order for sure.

San Diego, California

When we were in San Diego to visit our friends, we made sure we visited their beaches. San Diego is known for it's beautiful beaches. We visited Coronado Beach and La Jolla Beach. La Jolla beach has seals. At the background of the image above is the Hotel de Coronado. It's an old wooden made hotel that holds a lot of haunted stories. I never dared go inside. :D We just drove around it. And oh... the water was freezingly cold. We dipped our feet into it anyways. We wanted to experience the cool feeling of dipping our feet into an ice cold beach water.

Seals at La Jolla (pronounced as La Hoya) beach. They actually built a breakwater and to protect and preserve the seals.

Expensive is more Complete?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I should be taking another trip to the grocery soon, and milk for my kids is definitely on top of the list. I always find myself doing last minute groceries, and I do not usually take the extra effort to read the nutritional contents of the milk I buy. To be honest, my choices are greatly influenced by what I see on TV commercials. I mean, why would I bother to read all the nutritional details when for one, they are written too small (LOL) and TV commercials do have those experts talk about their products’ nutritive value? I just give them the benefit of the doubt and not really check it myself—not until I came across this article about PBM Products, LLC, makers of formula milk in leading superstores nationwide filing charges against Mead-Johnson Nutrition Company. This is because the latter has been deceiving the public through its TV commercials that Enfamil, their brand, is the only product clinically proven to improve brain and eye development. Mead Johnson made it appear that the other brands do not contain DHA and ARA, making their product superior over others... PBM products included. It amazed me that PBM do have those two essential fats on their products as well, at the same levels with Enfamil! Imagine, their products are 50% cheaper compared to Mead Johnson’s! I wonder how many mommies are like me? No time to check on labels or read the finely-written nutritional value of the milk I buy, and lured to believe in a myth that more expensive products are more complete? Isn’t this good news? I can actually buy a milk that is half the price, and still give my kids the best nutrition they deserve! Hmm... I wonder what I should buy for the extra 50% I saved?

Beverly Hills

Went to Beverly Hills when we were in LA, California. Beverly Hills is a good place to get a good view of LA. A friend of ours who toured us around and hosted us said most of the celebrities live in Beverly Hills because they like to look down on people. LOL. j/k

Anyways, we drove around Beverly Hills looking at the huge houses. Of course we didn't know whose house where. It's just amazing to see how people can afford to live in a house like that... oh well, they're celebrities after all!

Growing Old?

Funny how my joints make sounds when I get up in the morning. The same thing happens when I stand straight after bending for long. I get mean jokes from hubby about this, and the kids find it funny. Imagine, I am still in my mid-30’s! I wonder what would my joints sound when I would be in my 60’s? Oh, please... I do not want to think about that now. But really, I should be doing something. Perhaps taking joint supplements would be helpful. At least I know I know my bones are taken cared of as I gracefully grow old. Yes, gracefully and beautifully.

Water Filter

4396508. It looks like I didn't know how to count. LOL. But no... I wasn't counting. I was talking about a water filter. I so badly need to get one of those. Ever since we moved to this house, we haven't had a chance to install water filter into our tap water. Now what we do is we buy bottled water from a water filter down the road. It's hard to live like this. I always have to wait for hubby so we can have new water refill. And if he's not around, I take the old way of boiling the water first.

My Lolo and Lola

When I was in Los Angeles, I made sure I met with my Lolo and Lola, my granduncle and grandaunt. Since they were my grannie, I was kind of expecting them to be really old. My Lola told me she was gonna drive to where we were and so the hubby of mine was so concerned whether she could make it to Hollywood. If you're from America or if you've been there, you would know what I mean. They do drive like crazy there, especially in Los Angeles. But to our surprise, when we saw the both of them, they looked a lot younger than expected. My Lolo was in his 70's but he looked like in his 50's only. I wondered whether he used any of the anti aging products. But it's unlikely. So we asked him what he did. He said he's still into sports. And he's a lively person. He loved to tell jokes. I think those were some of the factors that made him look so young and vibrant still.

Travel Plans

I don't have any more travel plans this year... except when we do travel for work. This time though, kids are involved in the plan. If they're not in it, I say, no thanks. Of course, there's an exception. It's funny though that everytime I plan on going somewhere, I always end up looking for quick weight loss tips. Maybe I should plan way ahead so I don't need quick tips. Anyways... I am taking a break now and not thinking of any weight loss activities. I'll probably need to do it before we go to Hatyai next month. LOL.

Sleepy at 7:20PM

I am sleepy and tired and I need to do the strivectin reviews. I try not to sleep in the afternoons after we came back from our US trip. Yesterday, I managed not to sleep during day time. I slept at about 10pm and woke up only in the morning at 7:00 o'clock. I hoped to do the same today. And so, no matter how tired and sleepy I am now, I'm trying not to hit the sack. It seems that we do things better the second time around. We learn from the first, that's why.

Mexican Food

Hubby and I had a chance to go to Mexico when we were in San Diego, California. Our friends told us that it would only take 20 minutes to the border. And so even though we didn't plan to go to Mexico during our US trip, we have decided to go there. So we went to the nearest city which was in Tijuana. Going there was like having a 180-degree switch. It was so near US and yet people don't speak English. Oh well, it was Mexico after all. We had fish taco. It was my first time to eat fish taco. I thought when they told us about it... I thought they were just joking.

When we went to our next destination, which was in Bakersfield. We had another round of Mexican Food. I had Esther's Delight which I really really highly recommended. When we went back to LA, we had Mexican food for two dinners. LOL. I just loved Mexican food there. And you know when it's Mexican food, it would only mean one thing: massive portion. And you are right to think that I would need a colon and body cleanse. I just ate too much. Those food were not particularly bad... it's just that I ate too much.

I really enjoyed Mexican food there. Somehow it tasted a lot lot lot better compared to what we get here in Malaysia even though the chef of the restaurant we usually go to is from Mexico. Well, I'm just glad I was able to taste an authentic Mexican food. Oh by the way... my favorite was Chile Relleno.

Jet Lagged?

Not sure yet. When we came home last night, it was 1:00 in the morning and we got to sleep until 6. The whole day today, we tried not to rest nor sleep. I just want to be able to sleep tonight. Not sure how jet lagged I am. Will know tomorrow. Maybe, it won't be that bad compared to last time when we came back from our trip to London/Colombia. It took me 1.5 weeks to get over the jet lag. I hope it won't take that long this time. But I am trying to do everything I can so the jet lag won't be that bad. For now, I have to go off to get that sleep. Ciao!

Tasty and Healthy!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

Spring rolls really warm my heart. What is good about this dish is you can be creative with what you want for the filling. My mom’s spring rolls is one thing I have come to “inherit”—and my kids love it as much. When I was pregnant I had to think of menus that are healthy and tasty as well. I searched all over the internet and read all sorts of books about pregnancy, desperately trying to get a good source of protein, but at the same time I did not like oily dishes. I believed in a myth that pregnant women are not supposed to be eating sea foods as they are high in Mercury. Good thing I heard from a friend that not all sea foods are so—yes, shark, mackerel, swordfish, tilefish are among them, but no, tuna is not included! In fact, women who eat sea foods during pregnancy would have a low or zero percent depression. Isn’t it good news? I could actually make healthy tuna spring rolls! Tuna suited me perfectly. For one, it is not oily. But the best part for me is, it is not only tasty but it is healthy as well. Pregnant or not, it remains to be my favourite dish. Yummy! Oh, wait... I just remembered. When I had a chance to go to Tijuana, Mexico, I had a taste of fish taco and I really think it was tuna inside. Can I say "Yummy" one more time? :D

Enjoyed Hospitality

Every place that we have gone to had unique qualities to it that we had experienced. For example, when we were in Alpharetta, our friend prepared for us these massive lobsters and she taught us how to eat it the Bostonian way. She also taught us how to recognize a female lobster to a male one. It really makes a difference when you know the gender of a lobster because then you would know how to open it the easy way. When we were in Jackson, our friend's mom cooked us a vegetable stew and made us corn bread. We had it the southerner way. It was very interesting. Our experience was made great because of the hospitality of our friends. I can't thank them enough. :D

Truth about Tuna in Pregnancy

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of HealthyTuna.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I was pregnant with my first child I was picky with food. I hated oily foods and preferred to eat sandwiches in the morning. Hubby was very keen that I had healthy diet. And so we would ask around on what to eat and what not to eat. I could have those very sweet jams alright, but has to be controlled. Some sandwich spreads could be too sour. Ground pork or beef can be a good option, but they were too oily. Then we discovered healthy tuna. But shouldn’t sea foods be a no-no for pregnant women? I was delighted to know that pregnant women should not eat sea foods high in Mercury such as shark, mackerel, swordfish, tilefish—but tuna was not on the list! My joy was doubled when I learned that tuna and other sea foods not high in Mercury could prevent women from experiencing depression during and after pregnancy. Ground tuna with mayonnaise, cucumber, a little ham and cheese became my favourite snack during my entire pregnancy. I loved its taste and the thought that it was healthy for me and the baby. The truth is, I would love to make one good tuna sandwich soon—hhmm...the thought of it and writing this now really makes me hungry!

So what's my recipe for tuna sandwich? Simple. Wheat bread, cheese, canned tuna, pepper and salt to taste with sliced tomatoes, lettuce and onions. Hmmm... makes a great tuna sandwich

Just Came Back!

We just came back from our long trip. We indeed had a long trip from Los Angeles. Took Korean Air from Los Angeles, via Korea. We had a 10-hour lay over in Korea. We actually didn't have a plan in going out of the airport to visit Korea but since we learned at the airport terminal that one could actually go in for a transit tour with a US visa, we decided to take the 5-hour Seoul City tour. Will have to post pics soon.

The good thing about our journey was that we arrived here in Kuala Lumpur at 1:00am. So we got to sleep. We woke up at around 6 am coz the children realized we were at home. Such a great time of reunion with our kids.

Now, am back to work again.

Jackson Moments

This is a backlog post. We went to Jackson after the Passion 2010 Conference. Tiffany and her parents drove all the way to Omni Hotel to pick us up. It was so sweet of them. Loved the time I spent with Tiffany and family. We got to experience the southern hospitality which was very very sweet.

We got to join the prayer meeting in their church too. They attend a Mennonite church in Atlanta. Loved the acapela worship. Got to sing from the hymnals again. It has been a long time since I sang those hymns.

"Sweet hour of prayer; sweet hour of prayer. That calls me from a world of care."

Our time there was very refreshing too. It's cool to be able to experience different cultures and traditions. It's like a breath of fresh air.

I loved Jackson because of its laid-back lifestyle. You know when you live in a laid-back community life can be stress-less. One doesn't need to use anti wrinkle creams at an early age. Of course, there would be factors that can give you stress. But those will be minimal. It's different when you live in a city and you need to rush in everything you do.

Suffice to say, I loved it in Atlanta. The only regret I had was it only snowed after we left. Such a bummer. I had really high hopes of seeing snow in America.

Just a Question

What is an emi shielding? I kind of having a difficult time understanding how it works. According to what I read from the internet, it is somewhat a nickel coating.This is usually used in plastic electronics enclosure. It is really good to read about it because now, I realized that it is also for use on switches. Sometimes, when I have a hard time understanding something, I write about it. Then only would I be able to understand the meaning and uses of some terms. Anyways, it helps to enlarge your vocabulary. Always.

Places and Friends

One thing I love about this trip is we could go to different places and meet friends. I know it's too long. Too long to be away from kids. It's sooo crazy. It's sooo maddeningly crazy. But we dun get a chance to travel like this. We first went to Alpharetta, then to downtown Atlanta. We then went off to Jackson to meet our Mennonite friends. We have a friend in Florida too. But we didn't get a chance to visit her. I would definite love to do so if there's a chance next time and probably book an accommodation in one of those destin fl hotels. I think Florida is worth going as they have the best Disneyland in the world.

Anyways, after Jackson, we headed to San Diego. I am so awed at how God blesses us with a trip like this. Thank you, Lord.

Deb's House

I loved Deb's house. It's so huge and yet so cozy. It has 3 storeys. The one storey was in the basement with 3 rooms, a kitchen, a living room and baths. You could actually consider it a house by its own. On the first floor was her room, a dining room, kitchen so huge, living room with a fireplace, and another room for reading which she furnaced with coach and side tables. Then there's the ceramic tiles in the bathrooms. I wonder how much she spent to build the house. And I also wonder how much she spends just for the maintenance. Heard that it is really pricey to do house maintenance in America. Oh well, if they could afford that kind of house, they could certainly afford for the maintenance. Makes me wonder... how much can we afford to live in America?

Scrapbooking

No. I am not planning on doing a scrap book. Although I really need to do those, to just document our travels in a hard copy. I am not very creative in terms of doing a scrap book. I am not very patient with the details. I only got to sit down and endure when I did our wedding invitations. After that, I haven't really sat down and try my hands on arts and crafts. I am getting my kids exposed to it though. Just in case they like to do some arts and crafts. Last December, I had them made some Christmas cards and they were all joy to see the results. The only thing is... we didn't get a chance to send those cards. Sigh.

Car Wash

We were driving in San Diego and my husband suddenly asked our friend if there was a car wash in the US or do the people wash their cars on their own? Then I realized we didn't see any car wash nor steam cleaners while on the road. But our friend told us there are car wash services in the area. They're just situated somewhere. Anyways, there's not a lot of people that send their car for washing here coz it's really expensive. So they try to wash cars on their own. Apparently, standard of living in America is a bit high. It's kind of a challenge to live a frugal life.

Star-studded

It felt like the conference we attended was star-studded. My version for having such wonderful speakers and musicians. I wonder how they made it. I mean the conference was packed with 20,000+ students! I love the booths too. They are so well-organized. They must have a professional designer to do all those. Aside from the fact that they had cardboard display, they also had real ones. My favorite was the ART display where you could express yourself in many different ways.

All in all, the conference went well. I thank God for those 20,000+ students who were able to join. It's amazing to see students awakened... and hopefully... they will remain to be. They are the future of America.

One Year Older

My husband and I just turned one year older today, Malaysian time. Yeah, my husband and I share the same date of birth. He's just one year older. And since we're still in America, we are celebrating our birthdays for two days. Yeehaw! LOL.

This morning was very significant. At a strike of 12 on January 5, Malaysian time, I and the hubby were in Philips Arena, worshiping God with Charlie Hall leading the worship. I am free, the song says. Indeed, I am free... free and awakened by His love. It was amazing to be worshiping God with 20,000+ young people who are in the universities and some already are in job search and in fact, some are already working!

It is just so mind boggling to know how much God has blessed me.

One of my friends in facebook gave me a verse in I Chronicles 4:10 that says: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Yes, it's the prayer of Jabez. And it's kind of my prayer in some point of my life. I might have forgotten I prayed the same prayer... but I was reminded. God has answered my prayer. God has blessed me.

You know, sometimes, we think and wonder why God has been blessing us. We must have done something right, we think.

But I think, God is blessing us not because of what we do, what we don't do, who we are, etc... but God is blessing us because of who He is. He is a generous God and that in everything He does, He wants us to give Him the glory.

It's not about us.

It's not about what we do.

It's about Him who has created all things through Him and for Him.

I like what John Piper said in the message today:

God is a God-centered God. I know it's so mind boggling. God wants the glory... not because He is ego-maniac... But He is a God-centered God.

Anyways, we started our birthdays (Malaysian time) with Charlie Hall leading the worship. We started our Birthdays (American time) with United Hillsongs Worship Concert.

Today is a day full of blessings.

... and God blessed Jabez.

So did He me.

In Atlanta

We came to Downtown Atlanta yesterday to check in at Omni Hotel. We're supposed to be checking in on the 2nd. But the international team admin called us the other day and told us we could check in on the 1st. Wow. It's cool to be blessed like this.

Today is -4 deg celcius in Atlanta. We went out to feel the cool weather. I had 3 layers on. The cold was seeping through my tripled socks from my shoes. It's awesomely cold.

Had breakfast at Chick-Fil-A. It was good. I ordered bacon, cheese and eggs in biscuit. It was very good. Oh... we actually had Moe's last night for lunner. My term for lunch and dinner combined. We were told about it before coming to Atlanta. Should try the homewrecker, we were told. We gladly did and amazed to see it sooo massive. LOL. That's why we didn't go for dinner after that.



We are at CNN Center. Could actually see the CNN doing the news. My husband is keen in doing the tour. I am not. I'll probably just hang around the room while he does that.

I am superly missing my kids.

Bittersweet.

My travel life is.

But I don't get a chance to do this every so often... so... I am consoling myself to be happy while in the US.

Also, I forgot my sister's phone number. She lives in Hawaii. Hope my other sister could read this and give me her phone number. It would be not-so-cool not to call my sister.

We walked to CVS grocery this morning. It was super cold, at -4 deg celcius. But we enjoyed the walk. I felt my ears and nose became so crisp with coldness. LOL. It's like an ice of air was splashed on our face - if there's such words.

it's me,