Modified Crepe Cake....

The other day, SYuen got her hands on " Flavours" magazines from our good friend, Bee Ling as reading material. She then told me about the crepe cake recipe and the rest of the goodies listed in the magazine. At first, it was just a reading material for me but soon, I find the recipes in the magazine to be quite doable and interesting. Like I said, I do like cooking and I do like to try out recipes when I have the time. Well, I have often been reminded that if I want to enjoy the quality of life then I must learn to make the time and enjoy what I do! So, make time was what I did today. When I told SYuen that we are going to do a cake today, she was very happy and she was ready.
So, off we went to the supermarket to get the stuff for a crepe cake recipe. Well, a promise is a promise as far as I am concerned. You see, I did promise her that I would make a crepe cake for her. This time, I have the time and why not. So, we got all the things together and soon, we were kicking up a storm in the kitchen area. SLing wasn't as enthusiastic as we [ father-daughter team ] were and so, she went to have her much need afternoon nap. BTW, she had worked hard at washing clothes and cooking for us ; rightly she should have her rest too. So, SYuen and I did all the measuring, mixing and pouring ingredients here and there. Soon, the batter is ready and so was the vanilla filling. Just as all first try, it was little chaotic but we had a lot of fun. The vanilla filling wasn't really as what we had wanted but we'll accept that until our next attempt then! In the meantime, we are happy with it!

After a little rest, we started the "construction" of our crepe cake. As I cooked up the batter piece by piece, SYuen layered it with the vanilla filling and blackberry jam. It was supposed to be a 20 layer crepe cake but we lost count! Who is counting anyway? We continued until we finished the batter and the vanilla filling. I taught SYuen how to move the plate so that she can spread the filling more evenly and it was fun seeing her do that. Soon, the crepe cake was ready and we admired it for a while. YES! We did it. OK, so it wasn't what we expected but we did it our way! Wooohoooo!

After letting the crepe cake to cool down for a while, we wrapped it with clear film sheet and whisked it into the fridge. Then, we waited in anticipation. After about 2 hours later, we took out the crepe cake, it smell nice and we readily laid it on a glass top. I then sliced the cake and the layers were there to be seen and it was a great feeling of achievement. SYuen and I squeaked in delight because it was our first attempt; it turned out alright. Now comes the taste. After a good dollop of ice-cream and a splash with Hershey chocolate syrup, it was ready to go. SYuen had the first bite and she said it was nice. Then our family food critic, SLing came down and had a slice of the crepe cake and said the batter was too thick and on and on.... but SYuen and I just smiled and told her to keep quiet and enjoy our "creation"! We all had a good laugh and later, JWee came back after football game to sample the cake. He liked it too. So there you have it, folks. Quality time spent with family with minimum cost and whole loadful of fun! BTW, this is not a cooking show programme. It is just how spending time with family can help to foster better relationship when we get everyone involved in this small cooking project. Well, like they say, the way to the family is through food still holds validity. Recipe? What recipe? It's all in the heart!~

Heart warmers

If there is redemption for a bad day at fishing, it would be having fun with two cutest kiddos in town namely Ashley & Ryan, our nephew & niece! Yup, folks - these two adorables were the soother to my bruised body and spirit, actually! Wow! How much they have grown especially Ashley while Ryan had added volumes of words in his vocabulary nowadays. " Nooooo.." is still there ; "I don't know" is still prevalent and Ah John is still a joy to my ears!! I guess, I am waiting what Ashley will be calling me then.

Ashley has grown up very nicely and when she is in her walker, she moves so fast and ever smiling. Probably, she looked aloof for a while until she gets to her senses who you are before warming up to you. But either way, she is still a real delight. I love playing with her while she is easily one tough cookie too when it comes to tantrums. I love it when she glides across the living room with her posh walker. She is really so cute-lar. Always looking out for her brother's toys, it would drive Ryan nuts when he sees her with his toys! Ahhhhhh! Siblings! What can I say, right? I was laughing my head off when I see these two kiddos antics. Definitely takes a bundle of energy to take care of these two cute-looking babes!

Ryan comes next. Well, what can I say about this talented boy except that his vocab improved. Still some gibberish words here and there but he is having a lot of words now. Still likes his Ping Pong brand cream crackers and his smiles are infectious! His manja ways are still there but I find it easier to tell him 'NO' this time. I guess, that's good.

S2City Park was our evening playground that day. It was a beautiful eveing for walks and games. The lake was fantastic and virtually filled with assorted fishes ranging from tilapia, carp, catfish and tortoises. Ryan and Wei played football and the family was having a ball of a time. It was a good time and a time I relished the fresh air of nature. It was also nice seeing everyone from mother in law, Jade, Ashley, Wei, Ryan, SLing, JWee, SYuen and me having a good time. I guess, nothing beats spending time with your loved ones. Definitely good for your body ,mind and soul, I guess. The park is beautiful and the par course available are quite good and well-maintained. I guess, I'll do my walks here when I come by the next time.

The one incident which caught my eye was when Ryan sat on the sofa and dozed off after some time spend on the park before we went out for dinner. He just sat down on the sofa, had some crackers and slowly slipped into sleep mode. So peaceful and innocent. What a sight, actually! So calm and so serene. I guess, boys with energy levels like Ryan would love to do a lot of running and as they tire out, you could see their nature at best when they doze off.

Like I said always, coming back to Seremban gives me a lot of rest and new perspective in life. I learned a lot whenever I come back to here. As always, Wei & Jade have always been such wonderful family to us and it gives a lot of comfort in my heart knowing that they are doing alright plus their two kiddo are so cute & adorable. Thanks again, Wei & Jade.

I am looking forward to spend more time with Ashley & Ryan in our next visit. SLing and I plus our children miss the family in Seremban a lot. I guess, we'll have to make the time and make arrangements in our activities/schoolworks/my works and all irrelevant activities from now on. Afterall, spending time with these two young kiddos and my own children taught me a lot. BTW, life is a never ending learning curve for all of us from the young to the old. But spending time and sharing time with my children and these two young ones taught me that there is always a kiddo somewhere that needs your love and your attention. Be it your own or the ones belonging to others - they all need a hug and the warmth of your heart always. Parents, just as God loves you, love your chidlren - hug them, talk to them and show your love to them. [ never spoil them though! ] Children, love your parents and always know that they love you no matter what happens! Teach your children to hug you and to wrap their arms around you, talk to you and to love you unconditionally. I am so proud & happy of Wei & Jade for teaching Ryan & Ashley to do just that. I know deep in my heart that they are on the right path of parenthood! Their love for their two children deserved praises because I have seen what they have done for their children - not spoiling them but raising good mannered children! Keep up the good work and be blessed always!~

Snagged lines!

When JWee and friend, Jameson made plans for a fishing trip, I was excited, of course. Honestly, it has been quite a while since I went our fishing and I feels kinda "rusty" in my fishing skills, actually. As usual, I was all excited, got my bait ready ranging from sea worms to small belanak fish, prawns and cuttlefish. You see, I like to be ready when I go fishing and that included rigging up the hooks and the lines earlier.
That morning finally came and it it came with a slight drizzle. JWee and I met up with Jameson at Pulau Melaka bridge. From here, it was a good drive inside the Pulau Melaka project and almost to the end of the project site. Along the way, I saw the abandoned rows of commercial building lots and it was indeed a saddening sight. A project that started out so magnificently with the plush and pomposity of advertisements ended up being a ghost town. Yup, it was a sore sight and quite unpleasing to the eyes. Bah! What do I know as I am just a silly citizen with some spare time for fishing with son and friends, right? Anyway, after a short drive, we arrived at the end of the project site. The place looked promising and I started rigging up JWee's rod and then Jameson's fishing rod and finally, my own. It was taxing indeed but I guess, someone's gotta do it, right? Soon, as my line hits the water, there were a lot of complications that ensued. Firstly, it was the line getting snagged all the time due to the rocks below. Then it was the strong wave hitting the stone filed wall and the early morning bitter cold chill. After some try and missing out some of my sinkers, we decided to change places. I guess, it was the turning point of our fishing trip that day. If the morning had started out stressful and uneventful, the second part of the change turned out to be an extremely painful physcial time. Slipped and fall at least 3 to 4 times when trying to retrieve my fishing rod after seeing some activity on the fishing rod. With algae covered rock, walking wasn't easy and the rocks were slippery. I landed quite awkwardly especially on my butt and had a lot of cuts plus bruises when I tried retrieving my fishing line from a snagged rock. Jameson and JWee also fell flat on their butts after some time. But it was all in fun but for me, there were lots of bruises and cuts due to the sharp limpets and hard shells along the rocks. Soon, the sun came up and it was some fine sun bathing before we headed out at some shed mainly of small trees.

Jameson and JWee seemed to be having a great time picking out the shellfish and having a time of their lives picking out hooks off the rocks. Nothing went right for me as the line got entangled and the lines were simply too caught up that I have to cut the lines away! I was a like a blistering idot trying to clear the lines when I saw two good friends [ JWee & Jameson ] just having a good time out there eventhough none had any fishing experience, their lines got stuck and not caught any fish. Their playful ways and young man antics made me realised a lot of things. I guess, I was so caught up in the fishing thing that I forgot to enjoy myself. I guess, it wasn't much about catching fish but just having a great time out there. From then on, I threw out the line, just lay out at the flat bed huge granite stone and just relaxed. Occassionally, I looked up towards the heaven hoping for God to spare me the blushes of at least, giving me one pull of fish. Anyway, He knew better and there was simply no fish bitting as the tide went lower. Then, there was a shriek of joy from both young men as they caught some sort of a starfish. Honestly, I don't know what it was but if it excited the young men, it was good enough for me. It was the strangest looking starfish and Jameson stood proudly beside it. In the midst of our exceitement, Matt came by and joined the other 2 boys in their conversations. All in all, it was a good experience for me as I came to understand that it wasn't all about fishing but having fun out there. Maybe, I have been too tense or even too hopeful of catching something when all is needed is just some relaxing time in the sun. Well, I'll fight the fishes another day, I guess. I told the boys that we'll be going for another fishing trip soon and I intend to keep that promise.

While I was settling down my fishing gear at home, my colleague called me on the phone and asked me about our fishing trip. I told him I had so much bruises and cuts on my hands & legs. Before I could explained, " Waaah! So good until your hand legs were bruised. Must be good fishing grounds! ". I then explained to him that the rocks were slippery and I landed on my butt so many times and received so many cuts that I think I have gone senile. Then there was pause at the other end, followed by a deafening burst of laughters. Then I heard him say in the midst of his laughter, " So, you caught "batu" today-lar? ". Yeah, rub in salt to the wounds......anyway, I explained to him politely that it was exactly what he had said - Tangkap batu! As for the pains, well, no worries, I am accustomed to physical pain and I can stand it. Yes, I can bear the pain . It wasn't that bad to me though I had one third of my left toe nail broken off and bruises on my legs and hands. Like they always say, biasa already-mah!

Well, I'll fight another day. My next destination is kelong......safer-lar [ some people say but Ihave yet to experience it! ] I'll tell you when I get there one day!~ Cheers!

My Creed..

To live as gently as I can

To be , no matter where, a man ;

To take what comes of good and ill

And cling to faith and honor still;

To do my best, and let that stand

The record of my brain and hand;

And then, should failure come to me,

Still work and hope for victory;

To have no secret place wherein

I stood unseen to shame or sin;

To be the same when I'm alone

As when my every deed is known;

To live undaunted, unafraid,

Of any step that I have made;

To be without pretense or sham

Excatly what men think I am;

To leave some simple work behind

To keep having lived in mind;

If enmity to ought I show,
To be an honest, generous foe;

To play my little part, nor whine

That greater honors are not mine;

This I believe is all I need,

For my philosophy and creed. ~ Edgar A. Guest

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed.
We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.
With its possible adversities, Its burdens,
Its large promise and poor performance.
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This just leaves only one day . . . Today.
Any person can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -
yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.
It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday
and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Let us therefore live but one day at a time.

Precious and profound 25 minutes....

Immediately after the Royal Rangers weekly meeting today, I was chatting with my good friend, Dinesh when Sis.Sharma who was passing by my table asked me if I would like to listen to the sermon given by a notable invited guest today. When she mentioned the name, I immediately recognised the name and as my eyes lit up, Sis.Sharma knew what I was thinking and she told me that she was looking for me but could not find at that time and that is why she is telling it to me now. I excused myself from my conversation with Dinesh and headed out to the multi-purpose hall where this man of God was preaching in the BM language. Along the way, Sis Sharma was telling me that I have about at most another 25-30 minutes of sermon listening before it ends.
I immediately pulled up a chair and seated myself next to our BM pastor, Pst. Alfred. There were about 25 of us in the room listening the message. How I wish this hall would be packed with people who are hungry for the Word from this man of God! As I listened to the sermon, I was really blessed. The salient points of the message and the emphasis of the word of God on forgiveness, true repentence, dealing with anger, the road to heaven and hell were raised and precise answers according to the Word of the Lord were eloquently given. Yes, I understood what was said perfectly though it was in the BM language. I wasn't wowed by the personality that presented the Word of God. It was the conviction and the way the message was presented that wowed me, actually. I have heard of this man of God whose testimony on the goodness of God on his life had saved many people for the Kingdom of God. I came in not to see this man of God or be awe by his fame but I came in to hear the Good News he brings! It was indeed a privilege to be able to hear this man of God speak. What a privilege ! As I sat there listening right to the end of the sermon, I was encouraged and I was blessed by the message. I didn't take the time to stop by to shake his hand as my children was waiting for me after a long day at church. I really wish I could shake his hand and tell him how wonderful the last 25 minutes had been for me. Well, I pray that I would have the opportunity again to meet him and to speak to him again, probably in the field one day!

Andrea & Bernice....

Today, Royal Rangers Melaka # 1 celebrated the birthday of identical twins, Andrea and Bernice Lung. I can't tell them apart, to be honest, but they have been faithful and wonderful in the Royal Rangers family. To try to know who is who, I would always call out " Andrea, Bernice" and then either one will correct me and say, " Aiyah, comdr! I am Andrea and she is Bernice-lar! " and I would laugh my head off ! Smart children!
Anyway, for many years now, Alvin & Sherry Lung had been very supportive of the Royal Rangers Ministry since the very existence of this ministry. I could still remember Luke & Claire being in the ministry and now, how they have grown up and went on to be a blessing in the other ministries in our church. For me, Alvin & Sherry had always been there for this ministry and I could never thank them enough for what they have done for this ministry. Their words of encouragement, the support, the advices and the help extended by them had been priceless. They may not be rich financially and materially but in my eyes, they are already rich with the blessings of God and for their big wondrous heart. Thank you, Alvin & Sherry !
So, when Sherry told me a few days ago that they wanted to celebrate Andrea & Bernice birthday with the Royal Rangers children, I am all for it. Today, she got all the drinks ready while I went out to get a chocolate cake for them. It was fun all the way and to see the both of them having wide smile and nice grin on their faces gives me a lot of pleasure. I gave them both a good hug and I really felt blessed by these children.

Yunno, when they were younger, it wasn't easy taking care of these two children, Andrea & Bernice. Their close attachment to Sherry made it very difficult for them to attend camps as they will be bawling their lungs out each night. But as they grow older, they became very manageable and I give credit to Comdr. Jessica whose mother's heart helped these two twins a lot. I remembered telling Sherry that her girls cried a lot at night and she would scold them gently that they should get used to camping life, learn things and so on. Such was Sherry 's faith in the Royal Rangers Ministry moulding of lives process which I really take a lot of comfort from. I know that it wasn't easy for Sherry to do and I appreciate her a lot for that confidence. From then on, going to camps for these young ladies had been easy with less tears but more fun. Afterall, we are celebrating their eighth birthday today. Yes, they do start early in Royal Rangers Ministry.

The funny thing is as I recall the times spent with them, I have such fond memories of these twins. Yes, like I said, it can be challenging when dealing with them but it was really fun. I remembered that there was once during dinner time in the camp, they were in tears. I know that they were hungry but they were tears. So, as the commanders took turns to talk to them , the eye taps flowed for a while and then it went dry but they don't look unhappy but hungry. However, neither of them wanted to say that they wanted to makan. So, each asking each other to eat first and it was a ding dong until I told them that they are both going to eat or they'll starve for the night! Then, the tap flow again but they started to eat amidst the Niagara falls! To me, it was a pretty sight and one that I would treasure a lot because they are so innocent and cute. I guess, they must have thought that I was the big ogre or the big bad wolf by what I did. But to me, my commanders and I were simply moulding and shaping lives for our Master Ranger.

BTW, I love their smile a lot. They are always very courteous and they greet me every time they see me. I guess, what makes my day and life light up is when I see those pretty smiles and greetings from these twins. I have been blessed by these twins already!

So, Andrea & Bernice, Blessed Birthday, dearies!