Double Celebration

Today my family and i celebrated both my parents' 21st Wedding Anniversary and Timmo's 20th Birthday Anniversary. Father was feeling rather generous and brought all of us, immediately after the church service, to a fine place called Dozo - a Japanese fine dining restaurant with a modern twist. The food was fairly interesting, but it came with several critiques. Nonetheless, it was a time with reasonable food, for which i'm grateful for either way, and good fellowship among the table.

Study Getaway

And so i'm away for a getaway. Welled up with a culmination of emotions, i reckoned that a getaway somewhere would probably do me justice. Spent the whole of yesterday and today at my father's workplace: Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia.

Having cooked mainly Western meals at home, i asked my dad if it was suitable for me to pop my head in the kitchen to learn how to prepare some of the local dishes. It was not a problem - after talking to the head of the F&B department, i ended up right smack in the middle of a busy kitchen. Unfortunately, i felt so immobilized in the kitchen as everyone was speaking in Malay and i had no clue to what the orders were. To make things worse, most of the stuff they threw into the woks were already pre-made the night before so i had no idea what these pastes and curries comprised of.

Nonetheless, i made the best of my time there as i found a chef who was able to communicate in English. Managed to learn how to make roti canai, or more commonly known here in Singapore as roti prata, as well as murtabak, a thin prata-like bread with stuffings in them, from scratch. Although what i wanted to learn was more of the curries, every opportunity to learn new things always excite me, and i remain grateful.

Took the buggy out for a spin too, because Father wanted to take photographs of the animals that reside in his golf course. Visited my aunt for dinner too; her dog is extremely adorable - he mounted a soft toy every other minute and wouldn't let us go when it was time to leave. Here are some photographs that i took from my phone:

Library; Friend; Food

Currently in Jurong Regional library revising for my last paper. In a small place like Singapore, coincidences are far too common for them to be called coincidences. Met a classmate, or a classmate met me rather, and instead of responding to me motioning to her to join me, she preferred to study without a table. Reason: because the chairs are too hard. Interesting.

Rather weary from the readings, i felt it'd do me justice to take a break and blog. Although i'm still struggling to get a hang of jotting down my thoughts coherently, i'm grateful nonetheless for this avenue to express my thoughts. 

While i intended for this to be more of a food blog (only to become more active after my IB examinations, due to the demands of the course and of the nature of cooking), i haven't actually been cooking and most of my posts have been what you'd normally find on any other blog. However, i find myself reminiscing about past dishes that i've done together with Yi Yi and decided to showcase the kind of things that will be in store on this blog. Of all the vain things that charm me most, i would say that cooking probably hits the top of the list, mainly due to how therapeutic it is, and the excitement and euphoria that comes along with it.

This pretty little dish is a Salmon and Scallop Ravioli with a white wine tomato base sauce.

While this particular dish was assembled by Yi Yi and Serena (another cook who helped him) during his last dinner service, i made this dish with Yi Yi several weeks prior to that night for several churchies and it went down a storm.

Salmon and Scallop Ravioli with white wine tomato sauce

Handmade pasta, compared to those found dry in packets from supermarkets, is absolutely divine. i really hope that i can get back to the kitchen soon to try something more adventurous. In the meantime, my books shall be my best friends.

What a day, and the wind cries Mary

Decided to put my jazz playlist on shuffle today while revising "receptors and stimuli" and stumbled upon Cullum's jazz rendition of Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music". Despite being criticized by other jazz pianists for not being a proper flat-out jazz musician, i still find myself being attracted to his music; for not only does his music still contain elements of his jazz roots, Jamie's voice is, in itself, extremely enchanting.

Found a video of him performing a mash-up of Robbie William's "Bodies" and Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary". Starting off with his usual routine of playing percussion on his piano, common in many of his performances, he begins with such charisma that you'd feel as if you were at his own concert. But you're not. The following piano interlude linking to Hendrix's classic proves to be a showcase of lovely toe-tapping ingenuity, which is gorgeously complemented with the sound of Jamie's wise raspy voice that takes decades of chain-smoking to acquire, to which we most pleasantly find out that he does not even smoke at all. But going back to the track, it's the coruscating piano solo after and the wind screams Mary that has won me over.

A creative and absolutely talented young musician. Definitely someone who loves music, that's for sure.

Failure

When you've failed a friend, even without intending to do so, the guilt nicks at the back of your mind: you feel froth-corrupted; as if decayed by some horrible disease.

Damn my body.

Wedding

Today marked Wenyao (Nathanael) and Chui Ting (Alethea)'s Wedding. Now i've known Wenyao since i first became more active in church and he has been one of the few people whom i truly admire for his heart for God. Soli deo gloria was one of the things he has taught me: All things done solely for the Glory of God; which has become a major part of my philosophy today.

Here are some of the memories captured today by my handy phone:

 We love because He first loved us.

 The theme for the wedding, since Wenyao is an Aerospace Engineer, revolved around aeroplanes. Here's the pageboy with a ridiculously oversized hat - though i most admit, makes him rather endearing.

 Again, the theme of the wedding is quite evident here.

 Walking in are some of the bride's 姐妹s, as they were.

 All smiles for a happy occasion.

 And in comes the bride herself, escorted by her dear father.

A beautiful bride with a beautiful smile. 

Again, all smiles for the happy couple.

They re-entered rather quickly, too quick for my phone in fact.

A very important piece of paper.

The Bride, the Groom, and i.

It's remarkable how this couple came to be what they are today. It has truly been a blessing, and a very touching one at that.

Pursuit

Sometimes i wonder how far people would go so as to chase their dreams. When they do achieve them, what do dreams then become? And what do they matter in the end? Some people find an eternal, almost transcendent, satisfaction; others, an ephemeral euphoria. Perhaps it all boils down to what you chase your dreams for and how you chase them.

There is a propensity nowadays for people to be so obsessive about their dreams and attaining them, but at what cost? A friend of mine recently shared about her experience during a test she took. People were blatantly cheating at the back of the lecture theatre just for the sake of gaining a comparative advantage. Are dreams worth stepping on other people's toes and leaving behind our moral compasses just to stand out? i definitely think not. 

In the case of not achieving our dreams, what happens then? i think contentment and acceptance are absolutely crucial. As a Christian, i strongly believe in trusting in God's Sovereign plan, and having the faith that God has other options for you. i know it sounds a little too dogmatic and difficult to execute, but let us bear in mind God's wonderful word to us. 

How sweet are Your words to my taste; sweeter than honey to my mouth! The same familiar verse resonates so strongly, '"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord. "Plans for welfare and not for evil; to give you a future and a hope"' (Jeremiah 29:11). He who has ears, let him hear the infallible word of the living God!

Perhaps it is the stupidity and callousness of man's heart, so obsessed (yes i am using obsessed again) with thinking only upon the present, and not caring about what is to come. 

Today the man is here; tomorrow he hath disappeared.

And when he is out of sight, quickly also is he out of mind.

Do we then give up on our dreams? By all means, no! While i find it necessary to do the best you can, we have to bear in mind that sometimes things just do not work out. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (God's revealing of His plans) will be given unto you as well.

Let us pursue our dreams with something more beautiful set in mind.

Concerned

Reading about some of the latest happenings around the world has left me rather concerned, almost depressed in fact. First from the Dark Knight killings in Colorado, to the shooting in New York due to a dispute at work, to the British assassinations in the French Alps, to the murder of a US ambassador and several others in Libya, and finally to the killing of two innocent British policewomen in Manchester - it is almost unthinkable as to how depraved our world is. It makes me so sad to think of the two promising women, young women at that, who had so much potential and so much ahead of their lives, only to have their lives taken by a madman who gave himself in shortly after the killings.

Yet, it really brings into mind Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". These incidences are greatly illuminating in terms of showing how chaotic and sinful the world really is. They definitely bring out the imperfections and sinfulness of man and these really remind me all the more to rely on God's supreme sovereignty and less on my own foolish thinking.

More of God; less of self.

Those things that a man can not amend in himself or in others, he ought to suffer patiently, until God orders things otherwise. Thomas À Kempis' The Imitation of Christ is a wonderful book; a book of great importance - perhaps second in the Christian's arsenal after the bible. Even a mere chapter a day is great gain. i should start reading more.

Farewell

You can't repeat the past. Time, inevitably, eludes us despite how much we think we have it under our control. It's been close to a year since i've known my brother Yi Yi, and now it's time to say farewell as he parts to pursue further education; to chase his dream and passion. It's truly been so enlightening to have learnt from such a crazily passionate home-bred chef. The sheer amount of drive that he has and his love for food has not only served to bless others, but has inspired me and rekindled my love for cooking as well (Check him out here).

To Yi Yi:

The times spent cooking with you, whether they be for your clients or just for our fellow church friends, remain close to my heart. i can never really express how grateful i am for the prayers and for the friendship we've shared, both in and out of the kitchen. As you flip to the next chapter of your life in le cordon bleu, London, may you always find strength in the Lord our mighty Fortress & draw strength through Christ our Redeemer. i will most definitely be looking forward to cooking with (and learning from) you when you're back refined!

As Richard Bach, American writer, once said, "Don't be dismayed at goodbyes; a farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends". Do not be dismayed, wherever you go. Isaiah 41:10 reads, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". Take greatest care; i will be keeping you in my prayers.

Once again, i feel inundated with emotions i can hardly comprehend. Nonetheless, i remain, ever more grateful.

Awakening

To be honest, i have always found it difficult to express things - my thoughts especially - in words (even the title of this post is ripped off from a novel i am currently studying). Nonetheless, here begins a new journey. Most of the thoughts conveyed in this blog will be about my life experiences of which, although having lived only a considerably short period of time, i am extremely grateful for.