Philip's Dream Team

Birthdays are a big thing in our family. Philip just reached another milestone. We were busy preparing and enjoying his birthday. We all had fun.

Philip, “The best part of my birthday was the food. I had garlic rice, mee-sua, steam broccoli with red and yellow peppers, tofu meatballs, stir fry chinese cabbage and brussels sprouts and assorted mushrooms in butter and cream. All lovingly prepared.


The White Mocha Cheese Cake made by Nee satisfy my caffeine craving.



The Napolean Cake was a surprise gift from church friends and that was delicious too. I am a very satisfied man.”


Heather, “I really enjoy cooking for daddy. Mum n I took 3 hrs to get the food ready.”









Jordan, “The best part of daddy's birthday was to stay at Crowne Plaza Riverside and swim swim swim.”

Doreen, “To see Philip & the kids happy..... really makes my day.”


Thank you for all the gifts and wishes.

We have many funny incidences with Jordan and he really makes us laugh out loud without having to try too hard!!!

Scenario 1
Recently, we went out for supper and this is how the conversation went.
Jordan: Daddy, don't park in that parking space over there.
Daddy: Why not?
Jordan: It's the parking lot for the handicapped person.
Daddy: Are you sure ? How do you know?
Jordan: Yes ! I am sure. You see ... got the picture of the man in the wheelbarrow.

My jaws literally dropped!!!! I have been working in the field of disabilities for 20yrs and here is my son calling a wheelchair a wheelbarrow!!! God help us!!!

Scenario 2
I was driving Jordan to his swimming lesson and there was a jam.
Jordan: Mommy, why are there so many cars on this road today?
Mummy: It's the Salvation Army Boys' and Children's Home having a sale.
Jordan: (With a shock look, he said) You mean they sell the children in the homekah?
Mummy: (speechless!!!)

Scenario 3
Jordan was instructed by daddy to practise piano.

Daddy: Jordan, don't keep playing the wrong note. Correct your mistake! What note should it be?
Jordan: It's F lackchurnal.
Daddy: A WHAT??? ( Quite horrified )
Jordan: (Replied very confidently n loudly). F LACKCHURNAL

By then... all of us were hysterical with laughter. A new musical term for F natural?!?

All these happened in a matter of 1 week. He really tickles our funny bones. Our kids certainly make our lives much brighter. God bless them always!!!

Lord You are worthy to be praised
Lord let Your glory come and fill this place
Lord let me pour out my heart to say
I love You, I thank You
For this beautiful life I have in You

Blessing and honour
Glory and power
Be unto You, Be unto You

Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
You are perfect in power
Love and purity

This song was written in the midst of pouring out my heart to God. When was the last time you pour out your heart to God ?

I found out that it is very ‘therapeutic’ emotionally to pour out my heart to someone when something troubles me, and I am always grateful that Doreen never fails to lend me her ears during those times. A good counselor is someone who is good at listening, and God is the greatest listener of all. Do you know that God is constantly waiting for you to pour out your heart to Him ? Just you and Him, telling Him every concern your have, your dreams and your pain, your victories and successes. I love to hear my children telling me their joy and excitement concerning their exams, schools, friends and God is even more keen to hear from you. Tell Him how much you appreciate Him, just enjoy loving Him. When all is said and done, and after you have finished wiping your last drop of tear, you will come away refreshed, healed and released from all the emotional baggage that you have been carrying . As for me today, after the ‘pouring out’ session with God, I was so refreshed that the only response I had was to worship Him. It is like a foretaste of heavenly worship with the angels, proclaiming: Blessing and Honour, Glory and Power, Belong to You, Belong to You, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty…. This is the ultimate in worship. Nothing in this world can match the extravagant experience of worshipping the Almighty God in His throne room !

Be a worshipper today, my friend. The more you pour out from your heart, the more you will receive from the fountain of God’s living water !

Are you the real thing? In our world today there appears to be many fakes and sometimes it does take a fair amount of discernment to be able to “see” what is real or fake. For instance , they are heaps of fake stuff in the market.... fake hand bags are everywhere. I personally find it hard to tell between a fake LV bag and the real thing. Sometimes the only time I know whether a bag is real or not is to see who is carrying it for instance... when Sim Nee carries a Gucci I know its genuine ....not the one bought at Petaling St. However, this shouldn't be the criteria for separating the real and the fake but somehow... for certain things one can pretty much hit the right assessment especially if you know who the person is.

Often clothes carry fake brands. A friend warned us never to buy fake Polo shirts from Thailand. They bleed when you wash them. Imagine the catastrophe when you wash them together with your other clothes in the machine. Teruklah!!!!

Just to narrate a really funny incident. Philip seldom or should I say hardly ever shop for fruits. On one occasion, he decided he would drop by the fruiterer and get some grapes. He saw a bunch hanging in the shop and he told the guy that he would like that particular bunch . The guy ( I presumed was dying from laughter) told him politely that the grapes were fake ones and the real ones are in the crates. Philip's lament was that the fake ones look so real and he was fooled.

So likewise in this world , there are fake and genuine people. Philip and I have met our fair share of fakeys. I am sure you know what I am talking about . Their actions and words often contradict, and their talk are usually what both of us termed as cheap talk. What we mean by this is, they don't mean what they say at all. In circumstances like these, it is hard to form true friendships. Everything is so superficial and politically correct. We are usually very guarded in such settings. Fakeys also work very hard to look genuine and sometimes they really overdo it. It's like the manufacturers of the fake products working hard to make their stuff look real. Having names which sound almost like the real stuff ( Does Pig-epal donuts sound familiar to Steven??) or the logo slightly altered or patterns that look similar. Some of course have the audacity to do an exact copy.

However, we are glad that God has provided us with a bunch of people who genuinely love and care for us. We can let our hair down and be ourselves . We salute you for being REAL and for loving us so much.
This special group of people make us laugh till our sides split, they are so kind to us, they pamper us, they give to us with a cheery heart, ... I am sure you know who you are. True friendship grows well in relationships that are continually watered with God's love.

So back to the question... “Are you real ?” We cannot fool God. God always sees the heart. We can flatter, say all the right stuff but if our heart is in the wrong place.. then we have a lot to answer to God. Even as I type this, the Holy Spirit reminds me...that I must be real and guard my heart against having hidden or selfish agendas. May we be sensitive to His Spirit so that what comes out from us are a true reflection of His love.