Life is ExCitiNg: May 2006

Gayang seafood restaurant

Gayang seafood restaurant, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

Yesterday has been a day of tasting Sabah's local delicacies. Last night was seafood at Gayang restaurant. Excellent fresh prawns... So sweet and fresh!

The pic shows the many live seafood to choose from.

Fish head bee hoon

Fish head bee hoon, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

For lunch yesterday, I had this famous Inanam's fish head noodle. A beautiful dish of fresh fish head stock with a hint of salty veg, toufu, bee hoon of course plus other ingredients. Tasty!

Tuaran noodles

Tuaran noodles, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

Breakfast yesterday was at Tuaran, where we ate the ever famous Tuaran noodles. The noodles were freshly made with no preservatives added. Although it was not like any type of noodles that we had ever had before, we decided that the noodles were nothing too extraordinary. The coffee shop selling the noodles was like some 50-80 yrs old!

Coconut break

Coconut break, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

On the way back from 'Shangrila', we stopped by a roadside stall selling all 'types' of coconuts. There was the normal fresh coconut, coconut puding and charcoaled coconut! Yes, burnt coconut... Taste like hot coconut juice!

Shangrila Rasa Ria resort

Shangrila Rasa Ria resort, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

We are at Shangrila rasa Ria resort... Just to visit la! It has a beautiful beach and the kids are enjoying the sand. Lovely resort.

Corn n nuts 1

Corn n nuts 1, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

Just had to blog this before we retire for the night. After dinner at Tanjung Aru, we stroll along the beach. We came upon this place with lots of small food stalls clustered in one place. It was to my surprise to see so many stalls selling steamed sweet corn and ground nuts. So we decided to buy some (RM 2 for 3 pcs of corn, RM 1 for a cup of ground nuts). We just had them for supper and boy, are they yummy! Will go back there again to get more during our stay here. The pic above is the sweet corn.

Corn n nuts 2

Corn n nuts 2, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

And here is a pic of the delicious bag of steamed ground nuts (equal to a cup). My parents also loved it. They commented that it is difficult to steam the nuts just nice! The ones we had tonight was just perfect!

Sorry, could not put both these pics in the same blog when blogging using my pda.

Ta Pau at Sipitang

Ta Pau at Sipitang, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

We are in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah now. We travelled by road together with another family - separate vehicles. We made a few stops on this 8-hour journey. One of the stops was at Sipitang where we had the most enormous 'pau' (bun) ever. It is literally called 'ta pau' (big pau). Boy, was it delicious! All in all, it was a pleasant journey with not too heavy traffic and nice weather. Praise God for answered prayers!

More to come from KK... Watch this blog!

The Da Vinci Code

I have not watched the movie yet as it will only be shown in Miri next week. But it is a movie filled with half truths, and this makes it difficult for a lot of people to separate truth from fiction!

Someone sent this link to us. It is a cute response to the Da Vinci Code. But it is only in Singlish or Hokkien.

Enjoy, by clicking the link below!
http://www.syfc.org.sg/events/dvc/cinema.html

A good book to read to know the truth from fiction is entitled "The Da Vinci Code : A Quest for answers" by Josh McDowell. It's an excellent deconstruction of the book and the movie.

An excited little boy!

Ok, it is not like everyday we receive letters in the post box as we are in this IT age of emails but when we do, don't we get all excited, a little bit at least?? I'm not talking about bills and the likes... but pure letters/cards/wishes from friends and families. People nowadays write emails (which is efficient and quick no doubt) and not do snail mails anymore... but bless those who still do!

Well, Joshua received two 'snail mails' / cards over the span of two days this week. When he saw that it was addressed to him personally, he was just so excited! Usually mails would be for mummy and daddy only. So you can imagine the excitment on his face when he received his letters. By the way, they were birthday cards and one of them received today is from a NZ Uncle & Ee Ee. As you may have guessed, his birthday is coming up ... turning 4 in early June, but after the Gawai celebrations!

It is just so wonderful to see kids grow up!

Rainy evening

Rainy evening, originally uploaded by Yong Family.

It's raining here this evening... wet, wet and roads are jammed up to! So taking the opportunity to blog... to pass time. How's the weather over there?

State Government Election today...

Today, Sarawakians vote for their choice party to form the next Sarawak Government. For me, I vote in Miri and my voting station is at a primary school in Permyjaya. Schools are the choice centres for voting stations. It was a quick and 'painless' process as I went in the afternoon, where the mass voters would have probably cast their votes by then.

However, to my dismay, I could not drive in to the school to park my car. I was told that I had to park it by the road side and walk all the way in to the voting hall! Thank God it wasn't raining but it was a very hot day! Hot, hot day!

Here are some pics I took.

When I arrived at the school, I wasn't sure where the entrance was as it was a massive school and pretty new too. Then I saw this gathering of cars and brollies with some men there and I figured that I would go and ask them.

They informed me that I have to walk in from this gate as I cannot drive in... that was to my dismay and horror! I mean the school is so big and there are plenty of parking spaces inside! Oh well, no choice, I had to park my car by the road side and walk in to the school under the blazing hot sun.

It was a long walk to the voting hall. Very long walk...

When I reached the entrance, I was greeted by two government servants who readily checked my IC and gave me a ticket with a number on it. I was told to porceed to Hall #3. I asked where it was and the lady kept saying, "Di belakang, di belakang (translated from BM to English, it means, " At the back, at the back.". I looked a little puzzled but proceeded in the direction she was pointing (as there was hardly any voters around!).

It was easy enough to find the hall and once in there, I had to produce my IC and the ticket to the person in-charge. Then with a booming voice (I mean there were only 5 of us - 4 of them were there to facilitate the voting process), he read out my ticket number, my IC and my name. If I were standing 10 feet outside the hall, I think I would be able to hear him pretty well!! I guess this is all the voting procedure that they have to abide to. One of the government servants there was in charge of handing out the voting slips, whilst the other two would record what was read out by the other... as proof that I was there and voted!

The man with the booming voice returned my IC and the other government servant gave me a voting slip. I proceeded to the voting 'box' where no one is supposedly be able to see my vote, put an X in the box of my choice candidate and dropped the voting slip into the big black box. And that was it! Voting done. The whole process only took 3 minutes or less.

So I walked out of the hall gladly knowing that I have fulfilled part of my duty as a citizen of Malaysia... and proud to be a Sarawakian!

Oh, yes. I had to walk out in the hot, hot sun again to get back to my car!!

Happy voting Sarawakians!!
Hope yours wasn't as 'hot' as mine! Ha ha ha!

Sunset at Piasau Beach, Miri

So here's the promised post to show you how beautiful a sunset in Miri can be! We share the same sun but we do not see the same sunsets! They are unique and breathtaking creations of God. I have learnt that no two sunsets are the same... be awed and perhaps, inspired!

These photos were taken on 13th May 2006 starting at 6:18pm at Piasau Beach in Miri. No touch up were done on these photos. It was a bit cloudy that evening but nevertheless, the sunset is beautiful! We brought the kids to play with the sand at the beach whilst daddy snapped photos of the sun setting! It was a wonderful evening for all.

As to all sunsets, the real beauty is when the sun is just at the horizon when the clouds in the sky are transformed to amazing vivid colours; these reflections of light from the setting sun makes the shapes of the clouds surreal.

At 6:18pm

At 6:25pm.

At 6:32pm.

At 6:37pm.

The miracle of sunset begins.

At 6:38pm.

At 6:39pm

At 6:40pm.

At 6:43pm.

At 6:44pm.

We were having dinner at the Boat Club overlooking the amazing display of the final bits of the sunset! Beautiful, isn't it?

Reflections : A lesson in life - Good things come to those who are patient!

My wife, a mother

Today, we celebrate my wife's day... Mother's Day! So this post today is dedicated to my lovely wife, the mother of our two kids. I met her some 6 years ago at our work place. Fell in love with her and never actually recovered from that! I proposed to her whilst flying back from New Zealand (where I had the opportunity to get acquainted with her family in Auckland - they migrated there back in the early 90's) and to my relief, she said yes. Else, can you imagine how extremely awkward it would be to sit next to her for the next 10 hours!!! I took a risk... don't we all? Thank God!

We got hitched in May 2001 i.e. registered officially and had our church blessing on 07-07-2001. This we consider our Wedding Day. So after a few months into our marriage of togetherness, we were 'delighthed' to discover that we had begun the process of "populating the world"! Aren't we obedient to God's Word? (If you do not know what that means, ask your mummy or daddy!!). This delight was mixed with a bit of apprehension at first as in 9 months time, we would have 'upgraded' our status from Mr & Mrs to Mummy & Daddy! But praise God when our little bundle of joy appeared, we were truly blessed! Josh is a lovely boy.

The Motherhood process began for my wife, actually well before the delivery date as she was reading lots and lots and (I mean) lots of books on mothering! She was rather well prepared for Josh. The changing of diapers, breast feeding, washing up teats & bottles, preparation of baby foods, washing cloth nappies, bathing the baby, cleaning toys, waking up in the middle of the night when the baby cries, watching over the baby's temperature when he was unwell; all this became routine! She learned fast and coped, with a lot of adjustments.

So, with about 2 years of practise on the first kid, Jess decided it's 'time' to show herself to the world. On 31st March 2004 (shy of a day to April's Fool - smart girl), Jess came into the world. So a mother's work is never done... 'cos the changing of diapers, breast feeding, washing up teats & bottles... (you get the picture) cycle started!

Boys are different from girls (I mean apart from the obvious - if you have to ask your mummy or daddy what that means, I personally think you are too young to be reading Uncle's blog!!); they are different temperament wise. So mothering them requires techniques that need to be learned and mastered. Bringing up children is not an easy task and may seem very unrewarding at times! She has done well so far... we love her!

So if I were to reflect on this now and think "Can I do this without her?" (besides the obvious of conceiving children!) the obvious answer would be "No!". I liked what our pastor preached this morning in church and here are the sermon notes. Mothers are a special breed, so with this sermon to end my post, I would like to say, Have a Blessed Mother's Day!

Click the podcast icon and see what you hear!

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Roles of a Mother
14th May 2006

1. They are predestined to fulfill God's plan and purpose for mankind

- Gen 1:28

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

- Gen 3:20

20 Adamc named his wife Eve,d because she would become the mother of all the living.

- Deut 7:14, Luke 1:42

14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young.

42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

- Gen 25:23

23 The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

2. They provide support and stability to their husband

- Gen 2:18, this was God's idea to provide man with a companion

3. Because of their steadfast love for their children

- two examples from the Bible :

(i) Hannah's love for Samuel (1 Samuel 2:18, 26)

18 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

(ii) Rizpah's love for her sons (2 Samuel 21:10, 13-14)

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night.

13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

My latest MERCY ME Album collection!

Just bought the latest Mercy Me album called "Coming Up to Breathe" at our local Salvation music & book shop in Miri. It's just FANTASTIC! If you recall, I was introduced to this band when I was in Houston last year, where I had the golden opportunity to attend their Christmas concert (It was actually a Steven Curtis Chapman concert featuring Mercy Me Christmas Concert.). It was memorable and amazing. Their genre? Adult Contemporary Rock : leaning a lot to power ballads. I love it!

Head on to their website for more info. on their latest album "Coming Up to Breathe " at the following URL : http://www.mercyme.org/

Here are some of the reviews of the album that I fully agree with.

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... a huge leap forward for MercyMe... easily their best album yet.
- ChristianMusicToday.com

In just one listen, "Coming Up to Breathe" became my favorite MercyMe album. With lyrical and musical variety, passionate vocals and plenty of guitars, this project will win over new listeners while satisfying existing MercyMe fans.
- Randy Brandt

I have been completely unable to listen to anything else since Coming Up to Breathe came my way. The sound is louder, the music more intense, and the lyrics so penetrating; the songs have a "stick with you" quality that supercedes almost anything MercyMe has done before. I often find myself humming "So Long Self," "Something About You," "Bring the Rain," or "One Trick Pony" in the car, in the shower, and everywhere in between! "Bring the Rain" particularly jumped out at me -- what a powerful, profound new worship anthem.
- Infuze.com

The entire album is comprised of songs that are each unique, each memorable, and -- with rare exception -- each eminently listenable.
- TheTrades.com

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Go get your copy and be blessed!

A Family Break at Singapore 2006 - Part 3

After the superb Underwater World 'adventure', we hopped on to the free bus shuttle and headed to Dolphin World. This place is famous for its pink dolphins... yes, PINK!

The pink dolphins were doing their usual tricks. It wwas nice to be able to watch the show 'live' rather than just on the TV screens at home!

The kids managed to play with some sand at Dolphin World too! Sand and kids are not separable!

Here are a few family pics taken at Sentosa, on our way back to the main island of Singapore.

The pic below has the Singapore busy harbour at the background.

Back at Orchard road on the last day at Singapore, we did some last minute shopping. Picture below is of Josh with one of the Tangs lion statues.

Josh at the Changi airport. Yes, both mum and dad were still shopping then!

Here are some miscellaneous videos of our memorable trip to Singapore. And this is the last installment of our Singapore trip. Hope you have enjoyed the 'trilogy' of our Singapore posts. Enjoy!

A Family Break at Singapore 2006 - Part 2

So this is part 2 of my blog on our family vacation in Singapore. I have added in some short videos too for your viewing pleasure.

Picture below was taken at Fabers Hill, where the Cable Car ride to Sentosa starts.