Philip's Dream Team

I will call to the Lord,
Who is worthy of praise.
and I am saved from my foes.
Who is like the Lord His ways are perfect.
A God of mercy and truth.
My Rock, My God in Whom I take refuge.
My Shield, My Fortress,
He reached down from on high and took hold of me,
He rescued me.
He rescued me.


Calling someone has become very convenient since the invention of mobile phones. Remember those days when you have to stay at home or office just to wait for an important call, or the annoyance of lining up behind a talkative person at the public phone booth. Well, the world may praise the great invention of mobile phones, but you and I know that if someone doesn’t want to be reached, or is absolutely unreachable due to lack of coverage, then you will always hear the famous robotic answer: the person you are calling is unavailable ……

I have good news for you. Our God is reachable, all ready to hear from you 24/7 and He never tires of your call. Another plus point is that the call is free, absolutely free of charge, for there is a promise made in the Bible that God promised to hear our calls whenever we mention the name of Jesus.

This song is birthed out of my experience in calling on God, and how He answered my prayers, especially those S.O.S calls, when I was in deep trouble and He has never failed me. This is our God.

Valentine's Day is truly alive and thriving in Kuching. You will be amazed at all the little makeshift stalls set up all over the city.. selling flowers , balloons , teddy bears etc. All the florists must be laughing all the way to the bank!!!!and the men must be hoping that the credit card bills will somehow be lost in cyberspace.

I have noted how Valentine's day has changed over the years for us. During the courtship days.... one would be dizzy with delight dreaming about where the dinner will be. (Better not be KFC, Pizza Hut or McD). Then the gift... what would it be ? So much anticipation.....and mystery. So pulsating!!!

After many years of marriage and with 2 kids in tow, Valentine's Day is totally different. A typical conversation around Valentine's Day usually goes like this.

Scenario 1
P: Where do you want to go for Valentine 's Dinner?
D: No needlah. Spend that kind of money!!! So ridiculous !!!
P: What do you want for Valentine's Day?
D: Nothing !

Scenario 2 ( on the road....passing many makeshift stalls selling Valentine's day stuff)
P: You want the flowers ? It's quite late now. Maybe only ½ price.
D: Don't be silly!!
P: Look teddy bears. You want one?
D:Of course not!!!

Drastic change eh!!!! No.... there's nothing wrong with our marriage. It's just that after all these years of marriage , he still buys me flowers when I least expect it, he still opens the car door for me, he still takes me out on dates (just the 2 of us).... so to me I get all these good stuff throughout the year so I don't see Valentine's Day as any different from all my other days.

I thank God for a good hubby who loves me even when I vex him. He's not perfect .... and drives me up the wall on many occasions but I wouldn't trade him for all the gold in the world.

So come next Valentine , I think the conversation would still pretty much be the same.

Jesus' the One whom I love to be with
Jesus' the One who hears me when I call
I know You love me
coz' You gave Your life for me
You are the One I love and adore
You are the One whom I think of each and everyday.

Jesus' the One who has chosen me
Jesus' the One who turns my night into day
I know You love me
coz' You gave Your life for me
You are the One who teaches me Your word
You are the One who gives me strength in all that I do

Being a pre-teen, I have encountered problems that I can't solve myself. I look to God for answers or advice and He always gives me the best advice. This song really encourages me to look to God as He can give me the solutions to all my problems. I trust God because He gave His Son on the cross to save me. Jesus loves me and He will always be there for me.

The firecrackers are blasting away and the night sky is aglow with such a spectacular array of colours again. I always enjoy watching the fireworks. People in Kuching really know how to celebrate; whether it is to usher in the new year or to close after 15 days of eating and enjoyment!!!


We celebrated the Chap Goh Meh dinner together with dad's and Alie's birthdays. We had the dinner slightly earlier than usual as Alie had to fly back to Perth. So it was also a Bon Voyage dinner for her as well. This last minute dinner decided on the spur of the moment by mom was taking shape by late afternoon. She organised everything with dad chauffeuring her to the restaurant to check out the menu etc and guess what she forgot after all the meticulous planning? The cake!!! The only person who thought of the cake was Jac. How can we have a birthday party without a cake and the candle blowing ??? Unimaginable !!!! So in the end Alie was assigned to get ANY cake at The Hilton. There wasn't many to choose from so we had this Mango & Peach Cheesecake. Not bad at all. Dad is 73 this year and Alie... well we can't disclose her age. Philip is always reminding Jordan, “Don't ask ladies their age!!! It's rude!!!!” Anyway ..... she is nowhere near 73... that's the best I can tell. Chinese New Year has come and gone .... almost in a flash. How time flies when one is having fun. Now I am dreaming of the next holiday!!!!

The new year was greeted as usual with a huge blast. The firecrackers were deafening and the fireworks were spectacular. We were able to witness some fireworks display in the night sky over our home.

In Sarawak, Chinese New Year is always celebrated with a lot more gaiety and pomp than the other states. I was in KL recently and I felt it was relatively quiet compared to Kuching. Eventho Mid-Valley, The Gardens and KLCC were decked in the usual red and pink colors of the new year .. yet it lacked the energy and vibes of Kuching.

Prior to the new year, there will be the dreaded spring cleaning to do ,
My Cinderellos





clothes to buy... usually I will buy at least 2 sets of clothes for the kids, cookies and cakes to order and buy... people like me are just too lazy to bake. After all Sim Nee is just a call away!!!! Then we work out the visitation schedules and make sure we are home when guests arrive. On the second day we had a sudden influx of guests in the afternoon and we ran out of glasses, and I did not even have time to replenish all the cookies and cakes!!!

The kids enjoyed themselves with the new year visiting... lots of food and of course the ang pows . It was also a good time for us to catch up with friends and relatives.

This new year, Jordan developed a new craze. He was given a chess set by Uncle Jonathan for his birthday and he has been honing his skills. His aim is to beat Philip at it and he finally did so once and he is mighty pleased about it. However, he has yet to convince me to play.... my excuse is “ Mommy is too lazy to figure out the moves. It's too much brain work and I want to relax!!!”

Chinese New Year will be officially over on the 9th February .... 15 days of celebration. It's still not too late to wish GONG XI FA CAI to all our relatives and friends near and far.