You Say Donuts, I Say Doughnuts

It was Sarah and Beverly's birthdays earlier this week. Instead of bringing in a cake, they decided to bring in four dozen of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (yes, you read right - not just four, but FOUR DOZEN!!! - Homer Simpson's dream come true!). I'm sure there has never been so many calories in our room before! It was strange how the lady behind the counter didn't bat an eyelid when Beverly, Dan and I placed our order (pic on right). Maybe we looked like we regularly scoff down four dozen doughnuts between the three of us?

National Wedding Show

Joined hundreds if not thousands of brides to be (and troops!) at National Wedding Show Spring 2006. Was not as excited about it as I thought I would be (and was two weeks ago). I guess as many have pointed out, it's more than a year away (also, the absence of my own supportive 'troop'!). I'm in my project management mode and want to get targets, milestones, names on my spreadsheet and project plan. I really need to remind myself to start enjoying the preparations properly rather than get all worked up about project managing it! ;)

I did get some good ideas on alternative guestbooks, photography style/momento and bonbonieres. All filed away categorically to be looked at nearer the time when others start sharing my enthusiasm and excitement. :)

(This picture taken of one of the catwalk models before I was told no photography was allowed in the hall. Oops...)

Is it possible.........

...in an era where technology knows no bounds, where everyone has two email addresses, a house phone, a mobile phone, a fax... that one can still feel lonely?

...with the advance of science and artificial intelligence, supposedly being able to tell us what we think, that we can still feel sad but not know or understand why?

...with all types of entertainment innovation brings - TVs, iPods, Playstations, that one can still feel empty and bored?

Is it possible?

More cute alert!!!!

The Metropolitan's six month old four-legged and tail wagging recruits learn how to bark! They're Adorable! One of them just looks at the handler then turns around a bit before letting out a small bark. Not very scary but cute! :) Follow this link to find out more.

Finally, a course that Livea will excel at! In fact, she can probably teach it. Mummy reckons that she has three types of barks:
- "I just feel like barking at that harmless bird/cat/person few hundred metres away",
- "A stranger's entering my territory!",
- "Someone I love is home!" - usually followed by lots of excited running and jumping around.

Cute Alert!!!!

Awwww...... A Puppy Monorail built in two days! The puppies look slightly apprehensive. Perhaps they're not pleased at being the guinea 'puppies'!

Photo taken from The Monorail Society. Follow this link to read more and see more photos on the conception of this and James Horecka's sketches!

Thanks to B for pointing this out! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Darling sis sent me a sweet text about how V Day isn't just for lovers but for family too. I so agree! Happy Valentine's Day, Jo!!!

The connection between Valentine's Day and romantic love wasn't evident in the earlier times, and it could be the doing of commercialism. I do think V Day is ensuring your loved ones (be they your other halves, best friends, family) know that you appreciate them. And yes, at the risk of sounding like a cliche, you shouldn't do it just on this specific day - it should be every day!

Charlie the doggie sent me a V Day card. Isn't that sweet?

City Church Keeps Up with the Technology

City Church's latest sermons are now available on podcasts!!!! What a great way to catch up on sermons missed, refresh memory or for those who were from City but have left! If you don't already have iTunes, go to www.apple.com/itunes to download it. Then subscribe free to "City Evangelical Church" podcast.

Mystery comment leads to memories from Aitken!

"Mr & Mrs Chan" left a comment on my blog and it didn't sound like a random comment. Several people's names went through my head as I tried to figure out who it was. Finally checked links to their blog (yes, should've done it in the first instance but I like the odd (only very odd, mind you) challenge to my memory ;) ) and who should it be but Jennifer! Now, isn't that a blast from the past! Must admit, her name wasn't one of the few I had thought off for "Mr & Mrs Chan" because I knew her in her maiden name.....

My uni flatmate, whom I've been rubbish at keeping in touch with! Super-duper gal! Independent, strong-willed and definitely not one you want to cross! Miss the Aitken days, Jen! Cooking, eating, playing cards, eating, setting 'cleaning duty rotas', eating and getting through 'flat politics'! *) Did I mention eating?

This photo was us meeting up in Singapore (despite both of us from the same hometown in Malaysia!) - the first time we met up after four years, and turned out to be the only time as that was two years ago and being in almost-opposite ends of the world mean it's difficult to just get together whenever we feel like it. Shame. I do miss our talks about nothing-anything-and-everything (and lots about doggies!).

Also in the pic are Uncle and Aster. Uncle isn't really my Uncle but we called him that because he was the oldest in B's flat. A fantastic cook! Always the 'voice of reason', but one who also knows how to party! One of the memories (which I'm sure Uncle is going to kill me for!) is Uncle trying to open his room door after having a few too many to drink. I won't elaborate more - suffice to say that it took a while.... hehehe.... Sorry, Uncle! I'm still lucky that I can taste Uncle's yummy home cooked food as he came back to UK with Aster last year. :)

Anyways, check out their blogs - links on the left hand side of this page.

Window Shopping - honest!

I wandered to Selfridges last night. One of the joys of being on this project is being able to stay 2mins from Bond St so able to take a quick wander to Oxford Street and still be back in half an hour in time for ER. Mainly window shopping (really!!!)! Ok ok, I bought a SAP BW book but it was only £1 in the sale! Come on, if that isn't a bargain, what is? (And yes, I'm sad for being ecstatic at buying a SAP book in the sales).

Anyway, here's evidence of my window shopping.... The window displays at Selfridges. A different type of art in its' own right...

Snowflake Skydive

(Picture from www.theworldteam.com)
Isn't this absolutely beautiful? 400 skydivers from 31 countries formed a snowflake en route to a world record for the largest connected mid-air freefall formation. This jump also honoured the 60th anniversary of the reign of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

See www.theworldteam.com to read more about their preparation, joys and disappointments with each practice.

You can take....

Presented at the new initiative to attract students from another country into a 3 year programme which they spend doing their exams and getting on-the-job training like any other graduate, then return to their home country equipped with the qualification and international experience. The presentations went well - good thing I didn't have to present in the native language of that country, as my grasp of that language is restricted primarily to ordering food and negotiating prices!

The questions we got however, was very mixed. Mindset is very much still based on academic results rather than realising the benefits of being an all-rounder. Yes, of course you need good results, but think - what actually sets you apart from all the other graduates with A's or 2:1 degrees? The cheek of some of them as well, asking for the exact questions we ask at interviews. First of all - d'oh! As if there's a script that interviewers follow to a T. You might as well use robots to conduct the interviews then, following a 'Decision Tree' to allocate students to an Accept/Reject pile depending on the key words given in their answers. Even call centres are discouraged from using scripts now. Secondly, why would we tell you exactly what questions we ask, if those questions did indeed exist? This isn't an exam where you can 'spot' questions. Besides, would it be fair to the rest of the students?

Memories of MCKL CF

Have been looking around for lyrics to two of my favourite songs from MCKL CF days. Coleen then suggested the very sensible idea of Google-ing it. Lo and behold, I found it! Why didn't I think of that before? D'oh! Will just put some of the lyrics here... (Thanks Coleen!)

Shine Jesus Shine chorus (for full song, go to www.grahamkendrick.co.uk):
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light
Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1987 Make Way Music,

Everlasting Light (for full song, go to http://jrodil.tripod.com/singles.htm):

Women: One candle lights one candle, two candles light four,

And where they shine there is no darkness anymore.

Men/Women: Two candles light four candles, four candles light eight

And in the light of Jesus, we can celebrate

Men/Women: Everlasting light, everlasting light, Filling up the darkness with everlasting light

(Unison) Everlasting light, everlasting light, Filling the darkness with everlasting light

How to make the Perfect Creme Brulee ... Or Not...

We each had a go at making the 'perfect' creme brulee. Guess who got it right?

The apparatus....Step 1... (Note the slightly 'disfigured' creme brulee on top right corner?)
Step 2... watch little crystals form...

Step 3....

Step 4.... Almost there....
Five years of dental school and three years experience obviously gives you steady hands. Dr Daly does it right (difficult as it is to believe!) ;)
We still had a 'back-up' waiting in the wings, just in case.....

Luke 3: 1 - 20

We looked at this passage in church a few weeks ago and it occured to me that I am so underprepared for the second coming. We were asked to think about the preparation we make when friends come over - how we clean our house from top to bottom. Or, when parents visit - the hoovering, washing of bedsheets, cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing pots and pans.... Why don't we put the same amount of effort and urgency in prearing for God's coming?

Preparation is not solely by making sure you don't commit crime. It's not just going to church for a couple of hours on Sunday. Preparation is also about belief and repenting. And if you think that's easy, think again. Ephesians 6:14 onwards: "....belt of truth...breastplate of righteousness...readiness from the gospel of peace....shield of faith...helmet of salvation....sword of the Spirit...be alert and always keep on praying...."

Do think again - are you prepared?

Candles Candles Candles

More amateurish artistic photos - this time of candles (Don't ask me why candles!) :)

Candles at the Cinnamon Club Bar - candle surrounded by rose petals













Some from dinner at Locanta Piccalilli this evening:

Eternal flame even through the reflection.... Right side up, upside down......

Lows meet Ngs

First 'official' meeting of both families - minus me! B's dad suggested having dinner with my family whilst B was home (and I was thousands of miles away in UK!). Wasn't sure whether to feel gutted or relieved that I wasn't around - hehehe.... Heard all went well, so in retrospect, guess I'm gutted! ;) Looking forward to the next one in August, hopefully I'm invited this time! ;)

Dinner @ Zen's:

Dot: Livea's future 'doggie-in-law'

Conviction

Richard North Patterson dealt with the very controversial subject of mentally ill people and the death penalty in Conviction. Mr Patterson's credentials as trial lawyer, assistant attorney general and advocacy group board member were evident in this novel. Legal terms which I didn't comprehend flew back and forth throughout the book... Habeas corpus, AEDPA, Ninth Circuit, Eight Circuit, clemency petition, freestanding innocence, Herrera, Atkins.... (Ok, so maybe not all legal terms).

The legal battles were the most interesting - when both sets of lawyers faced the Ninth Court, Supreme Court and District Court. However, 'lawyer speak' was used most of the time (although I'm sure lawyers would tell me that's simple layman-speak!) so the dramatics were sometimes lost on me. This seemed to be a book more for lawyers. I'll need to ask a professional in the legal field this, but comparing Mr Patterson with Mr Grisham, I'd say the latter appeals more to non-lawyers because of the real layman speak in his novels (hence why most lawyers don't like him, I guess! You can't win every battle!).

Conviction did make me think about the death penalty more. I used to think there was a clear answer - don't commit a crime - clear and simple. But this novel threw in some grey areas - what if justice was not served properly, if the person was led to commit a crime (s)he didn't understand due to lack of mental capacity? Mr Patterson allowed some glimmer of emotion through, which when he did, was very touching. It certainly forced me to re-think my initial thoughts on death penalty.

I'll have to read the book again and really make it a point to understand the legal terms to fully appreciate the story. Or get one of my brilliant lawyer friends to explain it to me (I'm looking at you, Yen!) ;)

Bye, Rika!

Bon voyage! Hope you're having fun catching up with family, friends, food!!!! Do keep in touch, yeah?

(Just realised we took the pic in front of the Parents Association sign! D'oh! For those of you who were wondering about the relevance, City Church meets at West House School. Met Rika at City Church rather than some Parents Association - thought I'd nip this first in case it fuels rumours!)

Lion Dance

Lion dance during our meal at Chung Ying Garden on CNY Eve:

Oops

The eagle eyed amongst you would have noticed that I didn't include the Seville photos on my links last week. I have now...! Have also added more pics of our meal at Chef's Table at Angela Hartnett's. Check out the links on the left.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Another book turned movie bestseller. Movie or book? Another debate rages....

It was my intention to finish reading Arthur Golden's epic tale of the mysterious geisha world before watching the movie. With the last few book-turned-movie bestsellers (eg LOTR, Chronicles of Narnia, The Firm), I'm ashamed to say I watched the movie which then inspired me to read the books rather than the other way around. (I found the Harry Potter sagas rather unmotivating, which didn't inspire me to read the books).

Memoirs of a Geisha the book was very engaging. I felt the emotions of Chiyo/Nitta Sayuri as she struggled with trust after Mr Tanaka's betrayal, was taught to suppress her feelings as they have to be hidden behind her white 'mask' since geishas "don't have a choice", and how she didn't have a say in her life which was dictated by Mother and bidding wars even over her mizuage. These didn't come across as well in the movie. There were sparks of brilliance in Zhang Zi Yi's, Gong Li's and Michelle Yeoh's performances as Sayuri, Hatsumomo and Mameha respectively. However, the script had been condensed far too much - understandably as the movie would have dragged on a lot more. Rather than focusing on specific key topics, I felt that the movie contained snippets of the book's highlights, jumping from one event to the next without much explanation. The scenery in the movie was breath-taking - made me want to visit Japan all the more. It was interesting to note that most of the movie was shot in California, however. I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed when I visit Japan, though.

Excluding various bits that were cut out of the book (some of which I thought were very important, like her danna), the movie stayed quite close to the book. Obviously artistic licence was used several times, though the point of it remains to be seen. For example, substitution of Nobu-san with Chairman Ken when it came to sending Sayuri away in the war, and Colonel Derricks instead of Sato Noritaka whom Iwamura Electric was trying to impress.

Whilst reading the book, I couldn't help comparing it with Mineko Iwasaki's "Geisha of Gion". I must admit that I hold Mineko Iwasaki's memoirs in higher regard. After all, she was the most successful geisha of her time and the book was her autobiography. There was a lot more explanation into the world of geisha - it wasn't simply a matter of looking pretty and acting demure. The determination she had (since approx five years old when she knew she would become the okiya's atotori), the perseverance in her profession (never once taking a day off until she was ill with some sort of kidney infection, I believe) and the business mind behind running an okiya. There was richness in the traditions that you could sense as you read the autobiography, which Memoirs of a Geisha the book and movie didn't give it the attention it deserves. Memoirs of a Geisha focused more on the fictional account of a geisha's lifelong search for love. I felt that it didn't set out to discover more behind the intentionally-hidden facade of a geisha's world.

I wanted to like the movie a lot more than I actually did - because of how much I enjoyed the book and even more because "Geisha of Gion" really intrigued me. I expected to rave about the movie a lot more. I am slightly disappointed in the movie's plotlines however I guess tradeoffs had to be made in condensing a 428-page novel into a 2hr movie. The scenic sets did make up for it though.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

Happy Chinese New Year!!!! May the Bow-Wow Year bring you prosperity, good health and success!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Kung Hei Fatt Choy!

San Lin Fai Lok!






(Scenes from London's Chinatown)

Proposal Done!

First proposal presentation done! Phew! Was quite fun actually, though I may feel differently if I didn't have two Partners there to answer the difficult questions.

Even if we don't win this, it was an excellent learning opportunity to be involved in a proposal. Fingers crossed anyway.....

New/old photos

Found my discs with some 'old' photos (ie pre 2004!) and uploaded them here. They are taken during family holidays in Malaysia (Pulau Redang) and Spain (Seville, Barcelona, Madrid). See links on the left side of this page.

Lyrics for You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)

You are holy (You are holy)
You are mighty (You are mighty)
You are worthy (You are worthy)
Worthy of praise (worthy of praise)
I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love you (I will love you)
All of my days (All of my days)

I will sing to (You are Lord of Lords)
And worship (You are King of Kings)
The King who (You are mighty God)
is worthy (Lord of Everything)
I will love and (You're Emanuel)
adore Him (You're the Great I Am)
And I will bow (You're the Prince of Peace)
down before Him (Who is the Lamb)
and I will sing to (You're the living God)
and worship (You're my saving Grace)
the King who (You will rein forever)
is worthy (You're the Ancient of days)
And I will love and (You are Alpha, Omega,)
adore him (Beginning, and End)
And I will bow down (You're my savior, Messiah)
before Him (Redeemer and Friend)
You’re my prince of peace
And I will live my life for You

You are holy (You are holy)
You are mighty (You are mighty)
You are worthy (You are worthy)
Worthy of praise (worthy of praise)
I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love you (I will love you)
All of my days (All of my days)

I will sing to (You are Lord of Lords)
And worship (You are King of Kings)
The King who (You are mighty God)
is worthy (Lord of Everything)
I will love and (You're Emanuel)
adore Him (You're the Great I Am)
And I will bow (You're the Prince of Peace)
down before Him (Who is the Lamb)
and I will sing to (You're the living God)
and worship (You're my saving Grace)
the King who (You will rein forever)
is worthy (You're the Ancient of days)
And I will love and (You are Alpha, Omega,)
adore him (Beginning, and End)
And I will bow down (You're my savior, Messiah)
before Him (Redeemer and Friend)
You’re my prince of peace
And I will live my life for You
You’re my prince of peace
And I will live my life for You

(Marc Imboden and Tammi Rhoton)
©1994 Imboden Music (Admin. by Music Services) Martha Jo Publishing (Admin. by Music Services) 

Quiet one...

It was a quiet one for my 26th. Many commented that I should do something to celebrate but I really just wanted a quiet weekend after the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year. I have not had a nice quiet weekend since end Nov so this was a treat to myself!

We had a nice meal at Zinc and we were then going to watch Memoirs of a Geisha. Alas, everyone else in the city seemed to have the same idea about watching Memoirs of a Geisha. It was sold out, so we decided to come home and work on our blogs instead! Adventurous, huh? :)

left: Bri with posh fish and chips!

centre: Bri surprised me with a mini bday cake

right: Drinks at Zinc

Angela Hartnett at the Connaught

This was meant to be our celebratory meal at the end of the project. As it turns out, the project will go on until Sept 2007 at least. Anyway, the Centre of Expertise (CoE) team (and honorary guests!) had the privilege of going to Angela Hartnett's restaurant at the Connaught. And not just going to the restaurant, but getting a tour of the kitchen too and also had a go at making desserts!

Yup - They do spoil you at the Chef's Table. Arrived to champagne then venturing downstairs to check out 'behind the scenes', ie the three kitchens downstairs. We were led to the Chef's table, which is situated in the heart of the kitchen (between the main course and desserts kitchens), and in front of us were three flat screens showing us the activities in each kitchen. There was a total of eight courses or so (we lost count after awhile!). With each course, our waiter enlightened us with how it was cooked, even bringing out the sift at one point to show us how the celeriac cream was made! Lots of intricate detail and thought goes into each dish and careful preparation.

A totally different culinary experience - one of the best so far!

In the dessert kitchen pitching in to make desserts (and I don't mean only by eating!). More photos here....

Get Rich or Die Tryin

After dinner on Tuesday, I was wandering through Leicester Square. As I turned round the corner, there was a big crowd gathering around Empire Cinemas. Turned out that it was the premiere of 50 Cent's movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin". Since I had some time before heading off to RML, I stayed round to see if I can spot celebrities.

Ok, I'm probably going to show my age now but I hardly recognised those who were walking up the red carpet. I saw Jodie Marsh, someone from Sugababes and Michelle from Big Brother. If you're thinking 'Who?', yes - that was my first thought too. I didn't even recognised the faces to these people whose names I recognised. It was thanks to the screaming teenagers next to me that I managed to decipher some of their names!

Manager? Leader? Are they the same?

"No one is indispensable".
"A great Manager is one you can easily replace."

Harsh statements? I thought so when I first heard them, but then after some thought, realised how true they are. In the current business environment we are in, a sustainable business model is one that ensures efficiency and continuity. What would happen to the business if the only person who knows how everything operates meets tragic fate? Or uses this knowledge for 'business-ransom' purposes - more money, title, benefits, etc?

During the selection process for Development Programme, I was asked the difference was between being a good Manager and a good Leader. That stumped me as I always thought they were one and the same thing. Aren't they? Wouldn't they be the prerequisites of generally good leadership? As I continued on the Development Programme and now the Accelerated Leadership Programme, I realise more and more that there is a distinction. Even in every day work, I come across superb Managers but noticed they may not necessarily show the tendencies to be great Leaders. On the other hand, I also see people with fantastic leadership competencies yet their management skills are probably not the best either due to personalities or experience. I have had the privilege of working with some who are fantastic managers and visionary leaders, and eagerly seek more of these opportunities. As such opinions and experiences arise, I start seeing the distinction more and more....

In my humble opinion, a great manager is one who can efficiently and effectively multi-task, delegate, organise, coach, counsel, demonstrate excellent hands-on work and provide and receive constructive feedback amongst other qualities. Sound like a long list? Well, I think these are more easily achievable than being a great Leader (not saying I've achieved them all!). To me, a great leader is one who can provide great vision that is ambitious yet achievable, revolutionary yet rewarding, impossible yet makes it possible through clear communication and motivation. A great leader is not necessarily the person sitting at the top of the hierarchy. A great leader is not afraid of taking the unpopular stance for benefit of all and does not shy away from making difficult decisions. Above all, a great leader is humble, one who sees potential leaders as peers not threats and respects others for their abilities not rank or title.

So the statements above - yes, they will make you unpopular. Yes, they will make you look arrogant. But they came from people I view to be great leaders and it was then that I realised that as a leader, you cannot shy away from making statements like these if they are true even if it may make you unpopular with some people until they come round to understanding(like me!).

The Ted is clean (well, cleaner...)

New Year, new dawn.... Spent good part of Saturday evening tidying up the house so now will have to make sure we keep the house clean and tidy!!!

Did quite a bit on Saturday... Met up with Krystalla for lunch at Cafe Lazeez. It was so cool to catch up after so many months! Even weirder, as we left, we discussed weekend plans and it turned out that we were both trying out Jamie Oliver's pork chop recipes. Mine turned out ok - see pic below. It's supposed to be Costolette di maiale con salvia but Sainsbury's Central didn't have sage and prosciutto so those were substituted with basil and chorizo. Ok, ok, so not really the same ingredients but hey, it didn't turn out that bad. So, I guess it should be Costolette di maiale con basilico. Anyway, hope yours turned out well, Krystalla! We'll have to swap recipes next time.... And here's a pic of Bri's Crepe Suzettes which were scrumptious too...

Salem Falls

Finished reading Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls this week. Ever since My Sister's Keeper, I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult, and her books so far have not disappointed me. The difficult theme behind each book has always been sensitively handled.

Whilst the scenario in Salem Falls of modern witch-hunt may seem rather extreme, I wondered if perhaps this isn't unusual in the real world? A web of lies starting from someone's desire to be noticed or determination for the blame to be shifted from oneself, being spun needlessly until it hurts others.

It is easy to read the book and think "this wouldn't happen in real life", but then read the papers and it's happening every day. Philip Bosson told officials that his daughter Kayleigh was a victim of the Boxing Day tsunami. After many hours of police time, it emerged that Kayleigh never existed. Why would you want to invent such a horrible lie? I'm sure it's bad enough if you have indeed lost a loved one in the disaster but if you haven't, why pretend you have? How insensitive can you be to parents who have lost children, those who were left widowed, children who are now orphans, because of the disaster? I'm sure those who have been affected by the tsunami would do just about anything to have their loved ones back, so why - why lie about losing someone?

Then I read about the recent GP poll by Norwich Union Healthcare showing 3 in 4 put forward food intolerance claims just to follow celebrity sufferers. Don't waste valuable GP's time lying about allergies as they can better use this time to treat real cases.

If you want to be noticed, do something worthwhile. Volunteer for a needy cause, run marathons for charity, aim to be the next straight A's student, the youngest-ever CEO - whatever that is legitimate. Don't lie and hurt others, be it spreading rumours, cheating or suing for the wrong reasons.

30,000 Mornings

I am not sure what to make of Hiag Akmakjian's 30,000 Mornings. As I was reading through most of the book, I could not tell what its aim was. It felt as if I was following Inge (the Finnish model-and-photographer) getting lost in her wanderings through New York and trying to understand what happened to Karen, her friend who vanished from New York without explanation. Parts of the book were strangely pulling though - you can't help but feel Inge's confusion.

Just a random aside - the book gave me what must be the longest name of a place. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobllllantysiliogogogoch. Try saying that quickly! :) It's a Welsh town on the island of Anglesey. The name translated into English means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave."

If you think that's bad, whilst finding out what Llanfair means, I found out that there's a village in Thailand called Krungthepmahanakornamornratanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilokphop
nopparatrajathaniburiromudomrajaniwesmahasatharn
amornphimarnavatarnsathitsakkattiyavisanukamprasit Now, would that fit on a road sign?

I've booked my ticket to Hong Kong!!!

Yay!!! Confirmed my ticket to HK to visit B over Easter!!! We're also hoping to go to Tokyo from there, for a short trip. Need to sort out visas.... Can't wait!

Now... to look for good deals HK-Tokyo, then UK-Msia for summer!

Proposals, Initiatives, etc

Got exciting news that I will be presenting at a proposal presentation for a priority account! Said yes and now, just have to make sure my mind thinks the same! Talk about a MAJOR step out of my comfort zone! Presentations aren't my kinda thing, let alone one to clients which involves winning more work! *Gulp* Fingers crossed, it'll be fine....! It is a great piece of work and the role carved out for me (should we win), ensures a steep learning curve and travel which is excellent!

Also said yes to a new initiative from the Firm around graduate recruitment and the link with Partner Firms. Again, it sounds like another great initiative to be involved in, and to be one of the first to drive this forward too! Better watch what I keep saying yes to, or it may backfire. All these great initiatives and not being able to spend time to do them well.

Just marked a Graduate Assessment exercise. Am I glad I don't have to do that anymore (the exercises, I mean... not marking them!)! Completing application forms, graduate interviews and assessment centres can be rather exhausting. Best not speak too soon about not having to do these, in case I mess up the proposal presentation and end up having to look for jobs elsewhere!

Charlie

This is Charlie, the doggie I'm sponsoring at Dogs Trust. You can visit him by clicking this link. Sounded as if he had a great Xmas!

Their tagline of "We never destroy a healthy dog" touched me, as I think animal shelters and pounds sometimes put dogs down after seven days or so (it may vary from shelter to shelter). These poor dogs are in shelters/pounds usually because of immature/irresponsible adults and are put down because of lack of space or budget, etc. Yes, there are economics of running a shelter involved but you cannot put down an animal just because of their owner decided that he/she has gotten too big or outgrown the cute puppy basket or can't afford to spend 15mins of the day walking them! People wouldn't even dream of giving up their children (usually! There are situations when these do happen, unfortunately), so why do these helpless animals suffer through no fault of their own?

Anyway, one can contribute anything from £1 a week and you get dogs like Charlie 'writing' to you to let you know of their progress. Sweet, eh? Unfortunately, I can't visit Charlie because he's still cautious around strangers but hopefully one day....!

Chocolate Fondue Fountain

Surely this is enough to tempt those of you who made New Year resolutions to eat healthily, stay away from chocolate or go on diets? Bri bought Donna and Idris a chocolate fondue fountain for Christmas and tried it out today. Lovely warm melting chocolate cascading, gently coating the strawberry, apple or marshmallow. And to get the mixture of melting chocolate and strawberry's juiciness or marshmallow's gooey-ness (if there's such a word?)..... Yum Yum Yum! And hey, there's the goodness of vitamin Cs in strawberries and apples also, right? (I'm just trying to soothe my guilty conscience now!)

Maybe this is a good way to tempt children who shun fruits? Hmmm......

Tube Strike - Grow Up!!!

So they are going to strike again. RMT union members are threatening to strike this Sunday due to unresolved issues around shorter working week deal and rosters.

Right.

So that's the solution then? Let's all regress to childhood. If things don't go our way, we throw our toys out of the pram and sulk. This is not a discussion about the dispute that RMT union members are on strike about, as I don't know enough details about it to justify saying whether that's the right stance or not. What I'm bemused about is the almost reflex-like response of calling for a strike if there's a chance that things won't go the way intended. By the way, this isn't an attack on RMT only - I see it the threats on news often whether it be employees at airline baggage handlers or car manufacturing plants, in UK, Paris, China, India, etc.

Grow up, people!!!! Going on strike doesn't solve the problem! Not in my opinion, anyway. Immaturity comes to mind almost immediately. What would happen if we took this approach with everything we did? Am I glad my parents didn't adopt this approach with me when I was little. The amount of times I have been mischievous and stubborn - did they go on 'strike'? No - they acted like mature adults and loving parents that they are and made sure two (or in this case, three) didn't play this immature game.

Act your age - not your shoe size!

Start of 2006

A nice quiet farewell to 2005 spent with two good friends and the new bundle of joy to the Pllana family. Lil Aurora was sooo adorable! Counted down to BBC's coverage showing fireworks in London. How cool to see the place I'm working at, at the centre of the countdown and firework display!

Not that much different in 2006 so far, but lots of exciting things to look forward to! It's going to be a significant year to friends getting married - Jen, Amanda, Manj, Fuz and Amit. I hope your preparations are going well and you are enjoying them! :) I will have to start my preparations in summer this year and am looking forward to all the help I'll be getting from family and friends.... (hint hint!)! :) And of course, not forgetting those experiencing parenthood for the first time (and enjoying it) or welcoming new additions to the family (Dan and Chee Chee)!

Will this be another superb year to remember? I'm sure it will be, and I hope it will be for all the right reasons and filled with good memories!

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Here's wishing you every success, happiness, joy and your wishes true (as long as they're legal and doesn't hurt anyone!!! :) )!!!! To a fab 2006!!!!!

Highlights of 2005

As 2005 draws to a close, I look back and am amazed at how much God had in store for me to make it a great year. There have been times where things may not have gone the way I'd like them to, but I am not complaining for the amount of things I have been able to do. Below are just some...

Jan:
My 25th birthday! Received lovely presents, and the best ones are B's surprise pressies of necklace and 25 roses (to mark my age - awwww....) and Bri cleaning up the flat before and after my birthday dinner. Bri says I've got to wait till my 50th birthday before I get this fantastic present again!

My first trip to Canada(for business); I had never seen so much snow before! We landed in a 'light flurry of snow' in Canadian terms, which is equivalent to a blizzard in UK. The Canadians were super-efficient; roads and train tracks were gritted and cleared of snow. We trudged through about 3 ft of snow whilst walking out for some dinner. Of course, being the tourists we were, we had to intentionally walk through snow piles although there was a perfectly ploughed pathway next to us. Fun making snow angels (see pic on left!) and having snowball fights on the way home from dinner one day too! Was spoilt with the hotel breakfast, where choices included pancakes with maple syrup (yummy)! For some reason, Canadian bacon tastes really good! I was also able to tag a trip to Toronto at the weekend. Trained it from Windsor to Toronto, which took approx four hours. Louise had flown into Toronto from NY for the weekend, so it was great to be able to meet up with her (haven't seen her in three years!) and meet her fiance Alan. I love Toronto - felt really safe walking around at night, although I guess it helped that 6-foot-plus Jon was there too! Took the chance to go up CN Tower the next day. We stood over the Glass Floor, 342m above ground. Definitely not for altophobics or acrophobics! See the pictures via this link.

Feb:
Spent the weekend in Glasgow en route to Loch Lomond on business. Great hotel (has a sauna room in each room!). Spent CNY in Loch Lomond.

Another trip to Canada; where the client treated us to an ice hockey game where Windsor Spitfires were playing at home. During half time, little kids (must have been less than six years old?) had a little game (you may be able to just about see them on picture on the right). So cute! They were better skaters than I can ever hope to be! At the end of the week, I made a trip to Niagara Falls. It was incredibly cold. Took a walk to the Falls at night when I arrived. It was raining and I realised that parts of my hat and coat, where it had been wet, had frozen. How cool is that? The Falls were soooo beautiful. With the snow all around, it felt like winter wonderland! Niagara Falls pictures here.

March:
A business trip to Bilbao and San Sebastien. The view I remember best about San Sebastien was walking over the bridge, looking to my right where I could see the Pyrenees covered with snow and to my right, one of San Sebastien's three beaches. We were treated to proper siestas during lunch too. Never have I had three-hour lunches before, and boy, were the food scrumptious! Fresh seafood, very simply prepared yet tastes incredibly good! The downsides of that were having to work till 11pm to complete the work and obviously, trying to lose the weight gained during my visit!

Second visit to Hong Kong, where I visited Ocean Park and Shenzhen too. Yet again, indulged in scrumptious desserts (mango pudding, mango pancakes, etc etc!), dim sum, wonton noodles, roast duck, and the list is endless. More pictures here....

April:
Completed the assignment that took me to Canada, Glasgow and Spain. Started another assignment that would be a fantastic learning experience and as a plus, a great credential to add to my CV.

May:
Meal with my new team at The Square. We had the ten-course Tasting Menu and for some reason, the dishes seemed to revolve around spleen!

June:
Presented a talk at the National Graduate Recruitment exhibition - signed up when I was brave, but before my talk began, I started thinking twice. Too late! It turned out ok in the end, and hopefully some have applied successfully for places.

Attended my first ballet class in about three years, and more than seven years since I stopped regular ballet classes. Really enjoyed the class and my pirouttes, developpes and grand battements were a lot better than I thought they would be. Of course, it was rather painful the next two days as I nursed my sore limbs! Not that I did anything strenuous during the class, but it just shows the lack of exercise I have had (despite eating loads when abroad!).

South Firebreak Day saw us having fun duck herding and trying our hand at archery. There were some interesting antics from fellow team members during drinks at the bar the night before, all of which I will not repeat here!

Also had a trip to the Hague for a two day client offsite meeting. It was interesting to hear how the project was going, especially how most clients faced the same issues, which I believe is mostly due to changes in attitudes towards regulation (ie more efficient to stop moaning/looking for ways out and actually do something about it!). In the evening, we had a teaming event in the kitchen. Sounds weird? In five groups of ten, we cooked a three course meal and were judged on quality, team and presentation. It was like Ready Steady Cook!

I attended City Women's Conference held at Lees Chapel. We studied chapters from Deuteronomy. I was encouraged to hear many experiences from others which weren't that different to mine, and realised how easy it is to walk away from God, then how difficult to rediscover the faith.

July:
Amongst the great meals we tried this month were at Passione and Ramsays Royal Hospital Rd restaurant. Watched Saturday Night Fever with some colleagues - very very good!

Our Away Day in Amsterdam. The second day coincided with 7th July bombings, which was a scary time for some as at least half the attendees were from London and were frantically trying to contact loved ones to confirm they are ok. The three-day Away Day was planned as a celebration of our achievements in 2004-5. Due to this tragic circumstance, our Managing Partner asked if we wanted the event to be more sombre or to continue with the well-deserved celebrations. Everyone gamely decided to continue the celebrations whilst humbly remembering how lucky that we were not in London when this happened, and that it did not affect our loved ones. I must say, however, cycling under influence of alcohol is a no-no! Especially when you're cycling on the different side of the road than you're used to! It was surreal returning to London the week after, seeing the bomb scenes which I had only seen on the news a few days before. Although I was lucky that none of my family or friends had been affected, it touched me to see how many lives were lost and really, how life is so fragile.

Aug:
A busy month with Anoup's wedding in Hitchin then Aston Villa, B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ, trips to Prague, Stockholm and Stonehenge. Probably easier if you check out the photos rather than me rambling on (more than I have done so far!):








B's and Bri's 27th Bday BBQ

Prague food

Prague castle

Prague LQ

Prague New Town

Prague Jewish Quarter

Prague Old Town

Prague Petrin Park

Prague Charles Bridge

Stockholm

Stonehenge

Sept:
Moi tagged along to B's conference in Paris. It was meant to be a holiday for me but thanks to a far-from-good hotel, I ended up feeling rather tired and needing another holiday when we got back to UK. Some of our Paris photos available here.

B decided that he was ready for long term commitment and proposed!!!! We haven't set a date yet, but it will likely be in 2007. A date will hopefully be confirmed in summer 2006.

Our quarterly Firebreak Day was spent canoeing. The other half went cycling, thinking it would be an easier activity and boy, did they regret it!!! We were entertained with tales of people losing controls of the bicycles, falling off the bicycles, controlling the bike whilst having a conference call.....

Our last Development Programme workshop. DP has now been replaced with Accelerated Leadership Programme (ALP) which, I was told, is more selective. I was privileged to have been nominated and selected for the ALP. Not much news about what is expected at this stage yet, but will soon hear more....

Indulged in food at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons. Can these pictures tempt you to visit?

Oct:
At the offsite meeting at Lensbury, I had to give a talk on a specialist subject to 70 people! Again, rather scary especially because these people would know if I'm talking nonsense since they work in the industry. Turned out ok in the end though - phew!

Watched Blood Brothers with Anne and Beverly. I expected it to be a musical, but felt that it was a balance of play and musical. Very interesting experience.

Attended the London Women's Convention. A day of praise and worship, and learning how to understand God's word in our lives. Very useful talks on friendship and bringing up children. I find these conventions such a great way to be closer to God again, to reflect yet again on His blessings.

Nov:
The ALP launch event was very enthusiastic and energetic. Expectations are high and I hope I will be able to meet them well.

Work took me to Philippines, stopping by HK on the way there and back. Pictures on this link.
Another trip to the theatre to watch High Society with Beverly. Despite the cinema being very empty and Jerry Hall absent from the cast list for this performance (not sure if this is a good thing), I didn't find the musical too bad. Having said this, I would not watch it again and was glad I got the 2-4-1 offer for this musical.

Dec:
Rest assured, I won't repeat everything again - see December 2005 posting. In "bullet point form",
Germany (Dresden and Leipzig)
Beauty & the Beast
Various Xmas dos
Lin's Xmas carol service
Absolut Ice Bar
Fat Duck
Milan
Christmas
All in all, I was lucky to travel both for leisure and business, to ten countries (Canada, Spain, Netherlands, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Czech Republic, Sweden and Italy), or twelve if you count stopovers (above + US (Detroit en route to Windsor) and China (day trip to Shenzhen).

Let us not forget the sufferings that many have endured in 2005 too. Whilst I look back at 2005 with happy memories, 2005 may not have been a year of joy for those who were affected by the Boxing Day tsunami, London bombings, Kashmir earthquake, the floods, plane crashes, car accidents, illnesses; whether they had lost loved ones in these tragedies or they experience physical/mental scars as a result of surviving these tragedies. May we learn from our mistakes in 2005 and make 2006 a better year, not just for ourselves but for our friends, neighbours, community and enemies.

December 2005

I have been rather rubbish at keeping this updated with my comings and goings, so thought I'll do a summary of what I've been doing in December. December 05 was an exceptionally busy month for me, so when you read this, don't think I usually have such an active social life! :)

3 -5 Dec: Germany
Bri and I trooped off to Germany, taking advantage of Steph's generous offer more than two years ago for us to visit her. I was also keen to visit a real Christmas market; we always have the Frankfurt Xmas market here in Brum and the sceptical side of me always wondered whether this is a real German Xmas market, as opposed to one they have just put up just for the Brits. Steph told us to visit Dresden, as the Xmas market there was the oldest (541 this year!) and Karsten (Steph's boyfriend) was living there (very convenient!) :).

Despite us landing at a remote airport (joys of taking budget airlines), Steph was eventually able to find us after driving round in circles at one point to look for this airport. Arrived at Dresden and left our bags at the YHA, then off we went to see the market. The Dresden Xmas market was huge! I wasn't disappointed with it! Stalls and stalls of mulled wine, wooden figurines from Erzgebirge mountain, handmade lace, pottery, bratwurst, etc. Even the mulled wine had different flavours - cherry, blueberry, honey. Christmas carols blaring from loudspeakers - it was lovely! Steph and Karsten were a great help in showing us what's typically German and translating menus and prices for us. They introduced us to spaghetti ice icream - yum yum yum! See my photos link for this.

On Sunday, both of them showed us around Dresden - it's such a beautiful city! And I say this despite the rainy weather we encountered throughout our visit (we brought the British weather with us). Imagine what it would be like if it didn't rain or if we visit in summer, which thanks to Steph's and Karsten's tremendous hospitality, we are now very tempted to do! Steph may regret extending her offer already! :) Our Dresden photos are here....

Steph dropped us off at Leipzig on Sunday afternoon. After checking in at Ibis, we went walking round Leipzig. Thank goodness the British weather was left in Dresden (ironic as this may sound). Leipzig's Xmas markets were spread out through the city. The ones in front of the Opera House were the most beautiful, I thought, especially when four men came out in full band costume to play the trumpet, etc. Click this link for our Leipzig photos.

6 Dec: St Nicklaus
In line with multicultural teaming, etc etc, we celebrated St Nicklaus as Dutch custom. Usually celebrated on 5 Dec, children have to leave shiny boots outside their doors for St Nicklaus to leave presents in (if they were good). If they had been naughty, they were supposedly going to be sent to Spain. (Not that bad a punishment, surely?) Those from Holland in our team couldn't tell us why naughty children were sent to Spain.

Anyway, our team had previously chosen Secret Santa names for whom to buy presents. We followed the 'older' version of the celebration (so no Spain trips for us!). We had to wrap our presents creatively and write a poem about the person/gift, then present it to them. Tho I dreaded writing the poem as I lack such creativity, Bri was a great help when I decided to write the poem whilst waiting for our flight in Leipzig. Was good fun overall.

8 Dec: Ballet
Watched BRB's Beauty and the Beast at Hippodrome with Christina. This is the first ballet I've watched in a while and I went away rather disappointed. Clara and the lady playing the squirrel had superb expression and strength. I felt the remaining dancers had rather sloppy techniques, which had I done them during my oh-so-younger days in ballet class, I would have earned the wrath of Ms Tan. David Bintley's choreography was a little too modern for my liking too. For example, his choreography to express anger was demonstrated through use of arms rather than strong jetes, pirouttes and grand battements, which I prefer. I guess this is subjective and I do prefer classical styles to modern ones.

9 Dec: First of the Xmas dos
ISAAS South had our first Xmas lunch as a 'combined' region. Exciting and scary at the same time, to see how big our team has expanded. Having eaten at Prana's before, I was disappointed in the Xmas lunch. It started out well as the duck breast I ordered was scrumptious. My main course and desert were not very nice. We had Secret Santa present time too, although it was a more general Secret Santa, if that makes sense. Girls bought presents for girls, boys for boys - then we just chose one of ourselves, rather than buying a present for a specific person.

As a result of a bigger team, it was more difficult to speak to everyone. As we proceeded to the clubs after, groups started forming anyways and we ended the night with two groups - the party animals :) went to Reflex to show off their dancing skills whilst another group stayed on at Hyatt's Praha bar where it was quieter. Since I've mainly been London-based for eight months, it was nice to be able to catch up with South again, especially after a tremendous year of record breaking achievements!

12 Dec: Another Xmas do
Our client team in London threw a Xmas do for the central project team, a black tie affair which most team members were able to make, coming from US, Netherlands and of course, UK . I am also a proud owner of an iPod Nano now! Each of us received one as a thank you for our work over the past year. By far, the most generous present I ever received. Definitely beats the Easter egg I received from another client!

Three pods on the London Eye were rented out for us, so we had a lovely 30mins ride watching the night lights of London sipping champagne and having snacks. This is the life! Then proceeded to have dinner on a restaurant-cruise type thingie. Food and entertainment were surprisingly good. As we passed certain landmarks, the band would start playing specific songs, eg Royal Britannia as we passed Houses of Parliament. When we approached Tower Bridge (my fav!), the boat turned round about three times. That can be dizzying on its own, what more with the influence of alcohol too!

13 Dec: Yet Another Xmas Do
This time, it was for my firm's team members working on this client, so it was pretty much cross-business-unit. We were treated to the tasting menu at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. Food was good, although I didn't think the quality of the food matched up to the price that we would have paid. It is a good cause though, as I believe the restaurant is effectively a non-profit organisation. The money received would go back into providing opportunities for the children on the streets.

17 Dec: Carol Service
B arrived for a two week and a bit holiday. Yay!!!!

We were back in Birmingham in time for Lin's carol service. The service was in aid of Cruse. I have not heard of Cruse previously. It is an organisation that provides bereavement aid and counselling to those who have lost loved ones. It was really touching hearing them read out the accounts of some of those affected. It is easy in this festive season to think everyone else is also having a good time....such times are especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones. At a time when most families and friends would get together for a celebration, they would be alone... For more information on Cruse, visit www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk

18 Dec: Family Carol Service and Ice Bar
City had its Family Carol Service a week before Christmas. It was great to hear the purpose of Christmas and really praising Jesus's birth.

In the evening, we went down to London and visited the Absolut Ice Bar. Fantastic place, albeit rather cold! Even the 'glasses' were purely ice. How cool is that? This was my consolation since I couldn't go to Sweden's Ice Hotel. If it helps, the wall at the Ice Bar was obtained from the same river where they got the ice bricks for the Ice Hotel. (Just go with me for this one, ok?) After 30mins in the -6 degrees Celsius room, walking outside in the 2 degrees Celsius weather made it seem like spring rather than winter! One day, I will go to the Ice Hotel....! Absolut Ice Bar pics via this link.

19 Dec: The Fat Duck
Indulged in luxurious food at the Fat Duck, voted the World's Best Restaurant 2005. We had the Degustation Menu, which had funny sounding names like Snail Porridge and Bacon and Eggs Ice Cream. Highlight was the Green tea and lime mousse dipped in liquid nitrogen. Weird but fantastic! We reckon most of the dishes had funny sounding names but were actually combinations of simple things. Snail porridge was really escargot! Credit due to Helson Blumenthal, though, for using these ingredients so creatively! Photos of our meal here.

20 - 23 Dec: Milan
Fashion, food, football! Home to (amongst many) Prada, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ferrari, AC Milan, Inter Milan and not forgetting good food - pasta, pizza, espresso, cappuccino, gelati, tiramisu. Surprisingly, we only saw one Ferrari the whole four days we were there! Anyway, pictures speak louder than words, so here is the link to our Milan pictures.

25 Dec: Christmas Day!
Church service then off to Ari's and Lin's for Christmas lunch. See previous posts; I won't bore you again! Pictures via this link.

26 Dec: Boxing Day
Most shops are already open on Boxing Day and started the Boxing Day sales. We wondered what the origin of Boxing Day sales was.... No exciting purchases by moi....

27 Dec: London
Braved London for Boxing Day sales. It was crazy! With the crowds there, you'd think that shops were giving out things for free! Having heard about the legendary Next sales, where people start queueing at 2am for the 5am opening, I ventured into the shop on Oxford St. (No, I wasn't that stupid to go in at 5am, it was more like 3pm!). To be honest, I didn't see what the big deal was. Things weren't that cheap! I definintely value my sleep a lot more!

That brings us to 31 Dec - New Year's Eve. Haven't decided where we would be yet, but will keep you posted.....

King Kong

Went to watch King Kong today. I enjoyed it overall. The start was rather slow, however, and I felt that there were parts that were there for the sake of putting in some special effects. A rather long movie (3 hours) which could have been condensed into 2 1/2 hours.

To me, the movie showcased how wrong people can be when they say humans are superior to animals in every aspect. How humans are actually driven by greed and superficiality. It made me sad watching the movie, as it reminded me of how loving and loyal my dogs were (Laddie and Fraulern are sadly no longer with us anymore *sob&*) and how they would very adorably guard us (maybe more Laddie, Fraulern was a lot more....'laid-back', shall we say).

Some argue that humans are the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom, mainly because we can think and express emotions. But is that really true? Maybe we are just cunning? Does loyalty mean anything to the human race these days? The wars that are going on - could they have been avoided if we had gone back to our basic principles?

At the end of the movie, one of the quotes was "Beauty killed the beast". I beg to differ. I think it was more "Human greed killed the beast" - not just in this movie, but in real life too.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Merry Christmas!!!!

As Christmas passes, it is interesting to note once again how well everyone gets into the festive mood. This is of course, great, but not many has stopped to think about the significance of Christmas. How Christmas came about.... Because of the love of God and the willing sacrifice of one to pay for all our wrong.

I love Christmas and all (in case you think I'm a bah-humbug scrooge person!). I love all the Christmas 'customs' as it were.... Xmas lunch, the various Xmas puddings (British Xmas pud, stollen, pannetone....), pressies (of course!), Xmas tree, decorations, Xmas music....

But isn't it sad how commercial Christmas has become? How many have reflected on God's limitless love for us? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). How encouraging it is to know that despite the countless times we have betrayed God's love throughout history as a human race and in our short lives, God still loves us so much to the extent that he was willing to sacrifice his Son to save us. I doubt many would be able to declare love to this level.

In this day and age, it has always been me me me..... Selflessness is not a common word in one's vocabulary. Even simple things like giving way to others on the road or ensuring that the door doesn't slam on the person behind you, would be basic manners but which many have forgotten. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:48). Shouldn't we come off our own self-made pedestals now and realise that it's not always ourselves to be focused on? It is especially sad when tragedies or disasters occur only for one to immediately focus on how it can benefit himself/herself? I hear of many scams after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami, 2005 floods or earthquake in Pakistan, where individuals go round to collect money, claiming to be for charity? Or those that went round Thai hospitals after the tsunami to kidnap helpless vulnerable children?

Christmas should be a time of celebration of Jesus's birth. That he was born to save our lives. We should rejoice in this! Instead of rejoicing that we were able to tick off most of the presents received off our 'Wanted' list.

We spent Christmas Day going to Christmas service, where John Stevens preached on Luke 2. John noted that Jesus, despite being King of Kings, was born in a stable (not a castle) and to a virgin. Such humble beginnings and life although He was destined to be our Healer, our Salvation.

We then headed to Ari's and Lin's, where we spent the rest of the day. Lin cooked a yummy yummy Christmas lunch before it was present-opening time! Check out the photos here!

Had Christmas pud and continued eating a little here and there throughout the day. Time to diet in the New Year (we'll see how long that lasts!).

Home away from home away from home

My place for these three weeks in London:

Snow!

It snowed in Birmingham on Monday!!!! Wasn't around when it happened as I was in London but got back in time to see a good inch on snow on the ground. I love snow - it makes everything look so pretty.,...

Am looking forward to more snow and hopefully we'll get a lovely white Xmas!

View from outside our house.,...

My car covered in snow....

Getting ready for Christmas

We put up our Xmas tree last Sunday! Here are some pics: