Celebrated my belated birthday on the last day of October with a precious friend of mine whom I've known for 19 years.
The amount of things I've gone through in my life and having him as a dear friend through most of my toughest times has been such a blessing. He is one of the wisest person I know with the heart of God, very giving and generous in many ways.
This is Jason, who is the lead pastor of the church that I attend and serve at, the beloved husband to @pinkjadeite. I'm counting my blessings and I'm truly blessed with amazing people in my life who are like mentors and great supporters who wants what's best for me.
So, today I decided to head to 1 Utama one of Malaysia's largest shopping mall for coffee then dinner rightafter.
For coffee, we went to my go-to cafe called Whisk then dinner to Luretta DOP. I had the Porchetta DOP which is their signature meal of pork belly with lovely sides and Jason had the pork fillet cooked medium rare. Oh my!! They truly never disappoint. I love all their food and everytime I'm there, I walk away super satisfied.
Anyway, thank you Jason for your time, treat and friendship. I know you're busy and had to entertain urgent matters throughout yet still made time to treat me. Truly appreciate it!
These are the kinds of relationships that matters and I cherish them very much 🌟
Good morning on the last day of October!
Slept quite late last night as there were many thoughts going through the mind. Woke up quite early too and no idea why I couldn't sleep in. But, that's ok! Decided to get up and head to the gym.
Came home and prepared this simple but power packed breakfast. Cereals with blueberries, banana and milk.
Decided to listen to yesterday's church service again and just allow these thoughts that I keep having go to Him. Anticipating a very good and significant last 2 months of 2022 while gearing up for 2023.
Have a good day Noisers! God bless you 😉
It's Friday!! While many people are happy because we can move into the weekend and have a break, I don't really feel so. I guess it's because I'm in the mode of wanting to quickly finish off work and not have any work linger into my weekend. I want it to be a no-work weekend which hasn't been the case for a long time up till last week. So, I'm attempting at it again... The good news is, I've completed all urgent matters and here's rewarding myself with my favourite yogurt drink from Yomie!
I chose their Purple Rice yogurt drink as I like the bite and texture when drinking it. It's not very sweet and very refreshing and that's why I love it. I don't usually get this anymore since it is not very cheap, RM14.70 for the taller cup. Yikes! But hey..... It's ok! Didn't have much for lunch + completed work calls for a simple celebration! Haha...
Anyway, weekend.... Here I come!!!!!!!!!!!🌟
Happy Weekend to you ☺️
The past semester, I was given 3 100% coursework courses (aka subjects) which means I will not have to worry about setting exam questions and marking them. That being said, 3 100% coursework only means a super hectic 14-week semester! 1 PR Fundraising event (Diploma students), 1 Advertising Campaign (Bachelor students), and final year thesis students, 4 of them. On top of that, I am in management so the work from there itself, well... I shall not even begin. I was initially given only 1 event to teach but due to unforeseen circumstances with another colleague of mine, the other event course was handed to me. I accepted it with openness and of course, I knew I could do it albeit being super busy.
On numerous occasions, I have received comments that being an educator in my case, a lecturer in a University is a very easy and free job. Many thought I just need to fulfill the weekly teaching hours and then we were done and free. On the contrary, we're actually very busy because if you understand the times we're in now, it is actually not easy teaching and educating as you would think. Many times, I work overtime because the job requires it and I can't fix a set time for it. Many times, I would be involved in counseling students for issues that they're facing be it in their studies or in their personal life, this is on top of my usual hours and consultations.
This semester, I spend more time with my students than even my husband and he knows it when I am involved in teaching events, he would be extra understanding and supportive to give me the time to work. It's just my heart and my conviction to give my all to my students, to be there for them to guide, advise and lead them as they figure out how to achieve the events' objectives on their own.
Here's some description for the photos:
Pic 1: Some activities were conducted to raise funds. Selling of items while taking profit sharing from the vendors, basketball competitions, art auctions, online charity sales and donation drive.
Pic 2: The launch of the Charity Campaign. This is a fundraising event to raise funds for The National Autism Society of Malaysia. Usually, for the launching ceremony, I would spend a minimum of 2 hours rehearsing with my students a day prior. It is to ensure, not just the program flow but the emcee, the movements on stage, the mannerism, the background music, the song timing, the timing of the gimmick, the token of appreciation session, the performance, etc goes smoothly and that the students involved would know every detail without missing them out.
Pic 3: The leaders! They're gems! So capable, responsive, and reliable. It's so hard to get a group of leaders like this. This is my 17th event as a lecturer and in so many years, such a group of leaders is hard to come by.
Pic 4: The launching ceremony of the advertising campaign in collaboration with Microsoft Malaysia. This is by far the biggest client I have ever engaged for any of my students' events in the past 12 years.
Pic 5: Cheque presentation ceremony of MYR25,305.91 in total raised! The original target was MYR10,000 and then MYR15,000. How amazing my students did to raise above and beyond that amount. On the left is the Dean of my faculty and on the right is the President of the The National Autism Society of Malaysia.
My hectic 14-week semester but a gratifying one
Finally, I am able to pen down my semester and the busyness that I experienced the past 4 months or so. It's my 12th year now as an Educator, growing up, I never ever thought I would be an educator, I repeat..... **NEVER!** Growing up, I always wanted to be a vet but my science and biology just SUCKED soooo badly then I wanted to become a professional sportsman, majoring in Tennis. I was never the studious type as I concentrated a lot of my time on sports and activities, just being outdoors. This story is for another day.
This opportunity to venture into teaching came at a very opportune time in my life. I decided to quit the corporate world to answer a calling from God to work full-time at church. In doing that, everything in all aspects was made smooth the moment I made the decision. I took up teaching at a nearby College as a part-timer, fulfilling almost 20 hours per week. Then in 2014, I decided to do my Master in view of going into teaching full time which I did, in 2016.
In 12 years, I have seen my style, values, and methods change as the generation progresses. It's not easy because it takes a lot for me to understand the changes, then apply the changes. Mind you, this is dealing with humans I'm talking about, the most complicated being you can think of.
The past semester, I was given 3 100% coursework courses (aka subjects) which means I will not have to worry about setting exam questions and marking them. That being said, 3 100% coursework only means a super hectic 14-week semester! 1 PR Fundraising event (Diploma students), 1 Advertising Campaign (Bachelor students), and final year thesis students, 4 of them. On top of that, I am in management so the work from there itself, well... I shall not even begin. I was initially given only 1 event to teach but due to unforeseen circumstances with another colleague of mine, the other event course was handed to me. I accepted it with openness and of course, I knew I could do it albeit being super busy.
On numerous occasions, I have received comments that being an educator in my case, a lecturer in a University is a very easy and free job. Many thought I just need to fulfill the weekly teaching hours and then we were done and free. On the contrary, we're actually very busy because if you understand the times we're in now, it is actually not easy teaching and educating as you would think. Many times, I work overtime because the job requires it and I can't fix a set time for it. Many times, I would be involved in counseling students for issues that they're facing be it in their studies or in their personal life, this is on top of my usual hours and consultations.
***The launch of the Charity Campaign. This is a fundraising event to raise funds for The National Autism Society of Malaysia. Usually, for the launching ceremony, I would spend a minimum of 2 hours rehearsing with my students a day prior. It is to ensure, not just the program flow but the emcee, the movements on stage, the mannerism, the background music, the song timing, the timing of the gimmick, the token of appreciation session, the performance, etc goes smoothly and that the students involved would know every detail without missing them out.***
***My students managed to invite Clarence Kang an autistic pianist who has won some awards to perform together with his mother. It was probably the best part of the launch and it was super moving that it brought some people to tears. Clarence's mother wrote the song herself of her struggles and the hope she believes in raising an autistic child.***
***My students invited Ahmad Uzair's and his family to conduct a sharing session during the event. Ahmad Uzaid the boy in the white t-shirt is the middle child and is autistic. Uzair's brother and mother shared what it is like living with a high-energy autistic brother and son. It's amazing how family support and love are!***
***TAR UC Unites For Autism! Raising awareness isn't enough, accepting that autistic people are just like us without discrimination is important too!***
***Some activities were conducted to raise funds. Selling of items while taking profit sharing from the vendors, basketball competitions, art auctions, online charity sales and donation drive.***
***Family members of the student committee taking time off to attend the event to show their support. So happen, her sister was my ex student too graduated 8 years ago.***
***A cheque presentation ceremony of MYR25,305.91 in total was raised! The original target was MYR10,000 and then MYR15,000. How amazing my students did to raise above and beyond that amount. On the left is the Dean of my faculty and on the right is the President of The National Autism Society of Malaysia.***
***Here are the student leaders of the Charity Campaign. I have them divided into departments in charge of different areas such as Fundraising, Publicity & Promotions, Logistic & Manpower, Sponsorship & Finance, and Creative & Design. We meet weekly on Thursdays after class hours from 5 pm till whatever time we end.***
***The advertising campaign leaders, also called Project Coordinators conduct a morning briefing before the campaign begins. Briefings are very important as there are many things to be emphasised and coordinated. I usually do not conduct such briefings because I train the leaders to do so.***
***The launching ceremony of the advertising campaign in collaboration with Microsoft Malaysia. This is by far the biggest client I have ever engaged for any of my students' events in the past 12 years.***
***These are the project coordinators giving a speech during the launching ceremony. One may be a very good leader but they may not be good speakers and with me, I like throwing them into the deep waters to learn and overcome their weaknesses, of course with much guidance. I thought they did very well though they were shaking! haha***
***This is the scene at the advertising campaign where the students were tasked to promote 1Microsoft which consists of Microsoft Surface laptops, Microsoft Office software, and its accessories. The tough part was to make it interesting and relatable to their peers in the Uni.***
***My colleague Abid partnered with me with this campaign. He mainly oversees all the Creative & Multimedia sections whereas I would look into all management and operations parts. By the way, he drew that!***
***The Microsoft Academy TAR UC committee, 34 of them worked super duper hard through this very busy and hectic semester. I am very appreciative of each and every one of them because I know it wasn't easy, especially dealing with an external client of such caliber.***
***Introducing my MVPs for this semester. I am ultimately so grateful for these two persons, Ally & Yun Hui who are the Project Coordinators for Microsoft Academy TAR UC. They're probably the best leaders I have ever worked with thus far. Without them, the event wouldn't have been a success. That's how important they are and they're like an extension of me. What a dream come true! In this photo, I brought them out of town for a meal in appreciation for their hard work and heart.***
**These two events were held in the same week, literally back-to-back. One Monday - Wednesday and the other Thursday & Friday. The next week, I was down with Covid! Coincidence? Haha! Maybe not, maybe it's God telling me I MUST REST and RECUPERATE! It was in overdrive mode for a good 3 weeks while going through something personally too. It was tough but now that I look back, I know God was with me all the way and it's amazing because I haven't been having proper sleep for 2 months yet I never felt like I had no energy. Once I recovered from Covid, it was a mad dash towards completing marking, grading, and moderating all the assignments before the deadline. So happen, there was a lot of other work with deadlines close to each other. I DID IT! Finally able to slow down although there are still a lot of other matters to look into at least my brain are not working overtime and overdrive anymore.**
Thank you for reading all the way til the end (if you made it! haha). I know it was a long one but I had to document it to remember what I have gone through and give thanks for everything. As an educator, it is gratifying when you see your students learn and change for the better in just 14 weeks (1 semester). It's a tough feat but not impossible and I am humbled to be able to do what I do.
As I end, for now, I NEED A BREAK! I NEED A HOLIDAY! NO EVENTS! Haha... I am gearing up for another event subject in February 2023, for now..... REST IT IS! Educators need time off too! hehe...
It's a long weekend here due to the Diwali holidays celebrated by the Hindus. Being in Malaysia, we're fortunate to be celebrating different types of festive seasons due to many races in this beautiful country.
I told myself on Friday that I would take this long weekend off and not touch or think of any work at all. And good job to myself, I kept my word!
So, after a good weekend spending time with church friends and family, today I started my day with playing badminton with my cousins and brother. They play badminton quite often and some of them are very good, like my bro. When he plays with us, he has to always hold back 🤭
It's my first aggressive activity after nursing a sore knee and ankle. Wore my knee guard and it helped a lot. Didn't really push myself that much, though I did push but was very mindful of my knee & ankle of course.
After badminton, we went to a Kopitiam for their famous curry noodles! Many people come to this Good Luck Kopitiam located at Taman Megah for this dish.
Went back to my dad's home to shower then we head to look for a traditional dress for an upcoming event that I need to attend. Thank God for this affordable choice that we found after going around the whole mall.
Came home to take a much needed nap !! Then headed out to my husband's favourite mala noodles place. He's been wanting to eat this for the longest time but I've been declining. Today, I surprised him by saying let's go for it and he was delighted.
The highlight of my day was probably the time I spent chatting with my husband when we went out for dinner just talking about life, about God and His promises, His word, His plan for us, the church and the people around us, exchanging thoughts and opinions. This kinda conversation bonds us even closer in many ways and I am ever appreciative of it.
I feel refreshed and thankful for this 3 days of rest ready to take on the week! Something so simple yet very much needed 😃
Tonight's dinner at Menya Hanabi, Uptown Damansara. It's Sunday means family dinner day! I make it a point to meet up with my family for dinner on Sundays since they live just 20 minutes away from where I live.
My father was supposed to join us but got stuck with his Uni friends so my husband, myself together with my brother, and his girlfriend decided to go to this restaurant. My bro and his gf frequent this place at least once a month and they really recommended it. It's a Japanese restaurant and I love Japanese cuisine!
I was told to try their highly recommended Mazesoba. I ordered the Nagoya Mazesoba. There's special instruction on how to consume it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The taste is just super delicious, strong, and yet refreshing when adding their famous Kelp Vinegar. In the end, they would give a small scoop of rice to mix with the leftover gravy in the bowl and that also tasted really good!
For sides, we tried their Chicken Karaage and Gyoza. Both were delicious and tasty!
What a perfect dinner! Apparently, there would always be a long line outside the restaurant but we were lucky to be the first in line when we arrived. Waited for 5 mins to get seated. I would definitely come back here again to try the other stuff.
A 19-year friendship that I cherish a lot
It's Saturday and I was really looking forward to today. My date with the first person I know when I came to this part of the city called Wangsa Maju. I was 18 and looking for a place to rent at Wangsa Maju as I enrolled in a College nearby and somehow my mother's secretary obtained @iamjadeline 's number. I have no idea how but I think it is God-planned! https://ecency.com/@iamjadeline
I went over with my parents to view the room and I was met by Jadeline at the condo unit with a huge smile. I remember she exclaimed in her low-key style "Wow, you're so tall!" haha! Must have been intimidating to her at first. That was the beginning of our relationship. I attended her cell group (a weekly group gathering of Christians to worship and pray together) and she led worship with a guitar singing "Deeply In Love". For whatever reason, I felt something.. something so special that I never felt before and I was mesmerised by the lyrics of the song which I did not understand. I wasn't a Christian then, but now, I understand that it is God touching me.
We have gone through countless journeys throughout our 20s and into our 30s, most of them were related to church and at the same time, lots of challenges and difficult times too. It just bonded us together even deeper to understand one another more and see each other grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus, as we have our foundation deeply rooted in Christ.
Today, for 5 hours.. what a huge privilege to have these 5 hours with this precious person. It's something we have sort of set aside for our birthdays to spend time with one another catching up and just sharing a lot of deep things with one another.
***This is*** ***@iamjadeline*** ***who is like an elder sister ever looking out for me even with little communication and physical connection.*** https://ecency.com/@iamjadeline
She is a person with so much depth and you have to really get to know her to really know her. Her outward expressions and how she carries herself don't really do justice to the extraordinary heart and quality that she possesses. She's such a role model and an inspiration.
So, we've been wanting to meet to celebrate my birthday but due to my busy schedule with work and many appointments, it had to be today. We went to a nearby mall called KL East Mall and decided to go for Japanese. Last year's birthday, I chose Japanese too! Haha.. looks like it's always Japanese with us. Next one, sashimi buffet? hehe!
The restaurant is called Sushi Zanmai. And here's what we ordered:
***Toro Salmon Sashimi, is basically Salmon Belly. LOVE THIS SO MUCH because of the fattiness of the fish***
***The usual Salmon Sashimi. Love love love salmon sashimi! Only wish the wasabi was real wasabi then it would have been perfect.***
***Salmon Mentai Roll. This was nice and the salmon on top was torched doused with a mayo-based aioli. We couldn't finish it so I packed some back for my husband***
***This is my Tempura Ramen in Miso Soup. I love ramen + Soup + tempura so having it all together is perfection! I am glad they have sizes so I chose the S size and it was really just enough and not too much.***
***This is Jade's Yakiniku Don with spring onions and onions. It's basically beef with onsen egg and rice. It was lovely! We also ordered the Size S.***
***We both are suckers for coffee! So, once we were done with brunch, we move on to Whisk a cafe located just opposite the restaurant. I know about their coffee and have tried them numerous times at another branch. We both had their Cappucino and of course, a Carrot Cake. It was a little sweet but not overpowering, but perfect with the coffee.***
***Here's the close-up of the carrot cake. Beautiful layers and textures. I always love carrot cake!***
.
Okay, enough with the food..... let's go back to the main character...
***She has been like a big sister I never had. Very grateful and feel super blessed to have her in my life.***
***Ok, let's end with me and my sashimi! HAHAHA, It was a super slow and relaxing day for me that I truly cherish after a long stressful period.***
Jade, thank you once again for your love and support throughout my life. You know words cannot express enough :) Love you lots! And thanks again for the treat and time together.
LET ME SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT THIS GEM IN MY LIFE
Pastor Gloria has been a crucial figure in my early 20s. I lost my mom when I was 22 years old to liver cancer and since then, Pastor Gloria was like a mother to me. Nope, we did not do anything "official" to this relationship but it was just organic through lots of reciprocal communication and mutual relationships. I am very open to her, never holding back when sharing anything, and I will always listen and heed her advice because she's such a role model in many ways. One of the greatest coincidences is that she shares the same birthday as my mother, my mother being one year older. WOW, I will always remember both of them.
She has been with me through many challenges in my life and I will always call upon her when I need counsel and prayer support. Without fail, she will always be there to comfort, encourage and pray for me. I couldn't ask for more. She is someone very firm and grounded in her relationship with Christ, someone that you can really count on, who is very prayerful and loves Jesus.
I have the privilege to be very good and close friends with her whole family. It's not one of those shabby and shallow relationships, but we have gone through so many things together in many ways that make these relationships super precious to me. During the early 2010s, I was in full-time ministry at church and had the opportunity to travel to various places in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore with Pastor Gloria and her husband, Pastor David whom I love and respect very much. My time with them just made me understand the person they are even more, and it helped increase my love and respect for them. I think there's a special spiritual bond when we do ministry together because we're open to the Spirit to serve the body of Christ.
I celebrate this beautiful and precious #GEM in my life! Thank you Pastor Gloria, I am who I am today because of you ❤️ I treasure and cherish every important relationship that I have because I feel blessed to be placed in the midst of all these wonderful souls.
Lunch date with a mother-like figure 💕
**LET ME SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT THIS GEM IN MY LIFE**
Pastor Gloria has been a crucial figure in my early 20s. I lost my mom when I was 22 years old to liver cancer and since then, Pastor Gloria was *like a mother* to me. Nope, we did not do anything "official" to this relationship but it was just organic through lots of reciprocal communication and mutual relationships. I am very open to her, never holding back when sharing anything, and I will always listen and heed her advice because she's such a role model in many ways. One of the greatest coincidences is that she shares the same birthday as my mother, my mother being one year older. WOW, I will always remember both of them.
She has been with me through many challenges in my life and I will always call upon her when I need counsel and prayer support. Without fail, she will always be there to comfort, encourage and pray for me. I couldn't ask for more. She is someone very firm and grounded in her relationship with Christ, someone that you can really count on, who is very prayerful and loves Jesus.
I have the privilege to be very good and close friends with her whole family. It's not one of those shabby and shallow relationships, but we have gone through so many things together in many ways that make these relationships super precious to me. During the early 2010s, I was in full-time ministry at church and had the opportunity to travel to various places in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore with Pastor Gloria and her husband, Pastor David whom I love and respect very much. My time with them just made me understand the person they are even more, and it helped increase my love and respect for them. I think there's a special spiritual bond when we do ministry together because we're open to the Spirit to serve the body of Christ.
So, when we met today for our lunch date, we had a good 3 hours of just sharing, and talking about God and His goodness. I am always reminded of God's faithfulness and sovereignty when we get time together. Our lunch was at this new cafe in Taman Melawati called SSC, a very small cafe that serves very interesting local food.
Here's sharing with you what we had:
***I ordered the Signature Soy Sauce Chicken Leg Noodles. I must say, it was pleasantly delicious. Not overpowering and the chicken was very tender.***
***Pastor Gloria had Laksa. I did not ask how was it as we were too caught up in our conversation but it looks good!***
***This is something special here. Their cakoi! Usually, it is just plain cakoi to be dipped in hot coffee but this cafe serves 3 different types of cakoi with different fillings. We ordered the Signature Chilli Prawn version. Goodness, gracious! It was amazingly delicious! The prawn was well cooked in sambal. I thoroughly enjoyed this!***
***For drinks, I ordered Cham (a combination of milk tea and coffee) requesting for a less sweet version, and boy was it good! Just the perfect sweetness. Pastor Gloria had the Winter Melon drink and she said it was good.***
***This is what the exterior looked like. I did not take any interior shots because we started talking and couldn't stop :)***
***That's me! This lunch is actually to celebrate my birthday. For whatever reason, I have many requests for mealtime to celebrate my birthday. I rarely get many gifts that's because people who know me know that I like quality time ;) Anyway, Pastor Gloria said this after taking this shot, "you all very smart ah, take the photo and tilt your head a little so don't look fat". haha! YES! That's right!***
I celebrate this beautiful and precious #GEM in my life! Thank you Pastor Gloria, I am who I am today because of you ❤️ I treasure and cherish every important relationship that I have because I feel blessed to be placed in the midst of all these wonderful souls. https://ecency.com/trending/gem
Catching up with an Ex-student, Miyaki
Last night, I had dinner with Miyaki, who is my ex-student, and graduated in mid-2017. I postponed our dinner due to Covid and was finally able to meet up after syncing our time. Miyaki is one of the many student leaders that I work with closely for events or PR campaigns throughout their study life as I am the assigned lecturer to guide these students to organise events. That only means, I spend way more time with the leaders whether physically for meetings or on WhatsApp guiding them in their discussion and work.
It was a good 3-hour catch-up at Chef Wan Restaurant, KL East Mall. From the moment we met, we hugged and started talking all the way till our see-you-again hug. It was just update after update, sharing encouraging things with each other and uplifting one another along the way too. These are the kinds of conversations I love having with people where we are just open to sharing and talking about deep things. Yes, there were lots of laughter as well because we love to make each other laugh even since our lecturer-student relationship 5 years ago.
She represents a group of students special to my heart. I've been teaching for 12 years now and among the thousands of students that have come through me, there are always those who are extra close and these are usually the leaders because we share bad and tough times together through organising events that then bonded us. I am always grateful for this influence and position that I am in to not just be their lecturer but like a mentor, a bigger sister, or someone they can always call on for anything.
***She arranged with the restaurant to bring this dessert with their LOUD SINGING of Birthday song as a surprise. AWKWARD MOMENT! haha***
I am very proud of how Miyaki is thriving in her career and she never stopped crediting me. I am super humbled when she said that because I always see myself as a rocket launcher for these students equipping them with more than just head knowledge but values and skills to thrive once they graduate and to me, this is more than a job but a calling. I am gifted with this grace and ability to do what I do, and I do it wholeheartedly.
Here's what we ate:
***Miyaki had the Chicken Basil Mimosa. She couldn't finish it as well, only half. We packed both of our mains home!***
***Chocolate Banana Tartlet is what we had as our Dessert. Ok, it wasn't too sweet which was perfect! How I wish I could have it with coffee.***
It's such a blessing to be able to have some downtime after such a hectic period over the past many months. One of my favorite and go-to things to do during my downtime is to listen to worship songs and let the song just minister to my spirit, soul, and body. While doing that, I let my thoughts go to God and just meditate on Him.
Today, Take Courage written by Joel Taylor / Jeremy Riddle / Kristene Elizabeth Dimarco from Bethel Music popped up on my Spotify random playlist and I have not heard this song in a while. I have it on repeat for the whole day allowing the lyrics and words just sink in.
Ahhhhhhh..... "Take Courage"! Simple but tough yet not impossible. I am reminded time and time again that it is okay not to be okay. Every day, every moment, I tell myself "take courage, stay steadfast, keep holding on to His hope", take one step at a time, and focus on Him and His faithfulness.
God is a good Father, one that wants to lavish His love on us and never fails to come in ways that are beyond our expectations. Just like the lyrics say, "The thoughts in His mind, Always higher than mine" and with that in His nature, I can learn to lean in more into Him and take courage, not mine but His. Every day is an opportunity for me to take in His strength, His goodness, His promises, and His assurance that everything is okay. Ahhh.... such relief!
Lord, I will not forget Your faithfulness!
Lord, I will not forget Your promises!
Lord, I will hold on to You!
I will take courage!
You are my shepherd, that is enough.
You make me lie down on green pastures, You lead me beside still waters,
You restore my soul, You give me strength,
You call me by name, You know my every desire.
I will take courage!
Weekend with the Family ❤️
The past weekend was a family-filled weekend with my in-laws here. The main reason we gathered is to celebrate 4 persons' October birthdays, namely; my husband's grandmother, mother, brother, and myself. We would usually gather at his hometown this time of the year. Still, they decided to bring them all down to the city and head up to Genting Highlands, located up on a famous privately-owned hill with a casino and theme park on the Titiwangsa Mountains. It is a place people go to enjoy the very cool air, similar to when in Europe but with the humidity. For me, I love going to Genting for 2 things; the cool air and the drive! Give me a low manual sedan car, and I will be zooming my way up the hill! haha... I really love a challenging drive! This time, it was tougher in a way, driving an SUV with the grandparents in my car, I had to change the way I drive 😜 Don't wanna give them a heart attack 😂
Family is very important to me. This is something I learned and inherited from my late mother. When I was younger, I never enjoyed my family that much due to the many different things that I experienced but one thing I noticed was that my mother no matter how busy she was, would always set aside Saturday nights and Sundays for the family. I would also observe how she would always phone her sister and mother to chit chat weekly and when we would go back to either hometown, dad's, or mom's, my parents would always take time to catch up and bond with each other. We would always find reasons to gather and have dinner with each other too and this is something instilled in me since young. Now that I am older, my brother and sister would say that I am the glue of the family always getting everyone together for meals and all that. I guess, losing my mom opened up my eyes to how we should cherish the ones now living. To top it all off, my husband is a family man! He is very close with his family too.
So, here's the story of the weekend that involved me. There were some meal sessions that I did not join due to work. It was a super hectic weekend for me as I was backed up in my work due to Covid and suddenly many works came at the same time with similar short deadlines that I needed to rush for. When I am not eating or driving, I am working. Basically, that was my weekend apart from going all the way up to Genting Highlands for 4 hours.
My family with my husband's family gathered for dinner at Extra Super Tanker last night. A restaurant we call "my father's canteen" as he is always there with his dinner buddy at least 5 nights a week. The food is amazing as always! Our family's go-to restaurant.
Friday Night dinner at HaiDiLao OneUtama. Brought them there as it is my hub's grandparents' & parents' first time. 8 of us with MYR700+ worth of food! It's a LOT OF FOOD! We ate our hearts out and had a good time indeed.
We took a cable car up to Genting Highlands and here's us in a gondola. By the way, I HATE CABLE CARS because I HATE HEIGHTS! That was one of the longest trips ever!
Took them up to the lookout point after dinner and it was super duper misty, windy and cold! It just rained hence why it is colder than usual however, I love it! Though the grandparents couldn't stand it, but being such good sports, they obliged for a group photo then off they went to some place warmer, aka indoors!
This is the morning after at Genting Premium Outlet where we went to look for shoes and stuff, unfortunately, no stock and size! One of my favourite photos of us for this year. For whatever reason, I really like it.
The past weekend was a family-filled weekend with my in-laws here. The main reason we gathered is to celebrate 4 persons' October birthdays, namely; my husband's grandmother, mother, brother, and myself. We would usually gather at his hometown this time of the year. Still, they decided to bring them all down to the city and head up to Genting Highlands, located up on a famous privately-owned hill with a casino and theme park on the Titiwangsa Mountains. It is a place people go to enjoy the very cool air, similar to when in Europe but with the humidity. For me, I love going to Genting for 2 things; the cool air and the drive! Give me a low manual sedan car, and I will be zooming my way up the hill! haha... I really love a challenging drive! This time, it was tougher in a way, driving an SUV with the grandparents in my car, I had to change the way I drive 😜 Don't wanna give them a heart attack 😂
Family is very important to me. This is something I learned and inherited from my late mother. When I was younger, I never enjoyed my family that much due to the many different things that I experienced but one thing I noticed was that my mother no matter how busy she was, would always set aside Saturday nights and Sundays for the family. I would also observe how she would always phone her sister and mother to chit chat weekly and when we would go back to either hometown, dad's, or mom's, my parents would always take time to catch up and bond with each other. We would always find reasons to gather and have dinner with each other too and this is something instilled in me since young. Now that I am older, my brother and sister would say that I am the glue of the family always getting everyone together for meals and all that. I guess, losing my mom opened up my eyes to how we should cherish the ones now living. To top it all off, my husband is a family man! He is very close with his family too.
So, here's the story of the weekend that involved me. There were some meal sessions that I did not join due to work. It was a super hectic weekend for me as I was backed up in my work due to Covid and suddenly many works came at the same time with similar short deadlines that I needed to rush for. When I am not eating or driving, I am working. Basically, that was my weekend apart from going all the way up to Genting Highlands for 4 hours.
Pic 1: My family with my husband's family gathered for dinner at Extra Super Tanker last night. A restaurant we call "my father's canteen" as he is always there with his dinner buddy at least 5 nights a week. The food is amazing as always! Our family's go-to restaurant.
Pic 2: Friday Night dinner at HaiDiLao OneUtama. Brought them there as it is my hub's grandparents' & parents' first time. 8 of us with MYR700+ worth of food! It's a LOT OF FOOD! We ate our hearts out and had a good time indeed.
Pic 3: We took a cable car up to Genting Highlands and here's us in a gondola. By the way, I HATE CABLE CARS because I HATE HEIGHTS! That was one of the longest trips ever!
Pic 4: Took them up to the lookout point after dinner and it was super duper misty, windy and cold! It just rained hence why it is colder than usual however, I love it! Though the grandparents couldn't stand it, but being such good sports, they obliged for a group photo then off they went to some place warmer, aka indoors!
Pic 5: This is the morning after at Genting Premium Outlet where we went to look for shoes and stuff, unfortunately, no stock and size! One of my favourite photos of us for this year. For whatever reason, I really like it.
Treasuring GEMS in my life
Let me share with you a different perspective of how these GEMS celebrated my birthday, instead of showing and talking about food, I will talk about these individuals instead, though I will still add in some food photos because they were just delicious (or maybe not)! And I have to credit my dear friend, @michelleloh168 for her thorough research, coming up with a list of options for me to choose from, which in all honestly made my life so much easier, because the "what do you want to eat" question is the toughest question to be asked. Good thing, I am an easy person to satisfy as my preference for food is quite wide. From the extensive list, I chose an Italian restaurant called Positano located at Publika Shopping Mall, a mall that I rarely go to. It was an easy choice!
I have known these girls between 11 to 17 years, that is most of my young adult and adult life. Going through these tender years where we were all growing in finding and understanding who we are, dealing with many ladies' issues (internally), and yet at the same time moving along with the times and seasons that God placed us in, sticking together through thick and thin, the ugly, the bad, the sad, the happy, the ups are just some of the things we've gone through together.
2022 has been a tough year for me emotionally and mentally. Going through one of the toughest challenges since my mom's passing has stretched me beyond measure in so many ways. I owe it all to these 4 amazing, strong, loving, and prayerful women for being my strength, encourager, supporter, and comforter. As much as I am a very extroverted person, I am very much a private and low-key person when it comes to heart matters, and what I am going through. I don't like the attention and most of the time, I feel awkward. I tend to keep it all and just go through it on my own which has proven to be a failure on numerous accounts. I learned to reach out and allow some people to go through things with me.
To be honest, it is not my first preference to be open even to them. Nope, I do not like opening up, do not like talking about my feelings, do not like to feel weak and helpless, let alone, show my emotions ever so rawly and often. They helped me in so many ways, to be honest with myself, and I am so grateful that I do not have to always put up a show or an invisible mask with them even on my bad and emotional days. It's their simple gestures and care in their separate own ways that melt me and allows me to open up.
Let me introduce you to them, only 2/4 of them are in Noise, @happycrazycon & @michelleloh168 while the other 2 aren't, Angie & Joanne. These 4 couldn't be any different from each other, in their personalities and all that however, what binds us all is the love for each other in Christ and having our priorities aligned as well. Friendships like this don't come by all the time and after going through so many incidences since high school with friendships, I now understand better what kinda friends I want to keep in my life. These 4, without a doubt!
We had time together last Saturday to celebrate my birthday. It was a lot of fun because there's never a silent moment when we're together but an abundance of laughter. Took a lot of photos too! I guess, why not!
Thank you my dear GEMS for being such amazing people inside and out, not just to me but just you being you. I love you all for that! Thank you for the encouragement and support during this time too. I know, I am always reminded, I am not alone because I have you ❤️
As I reflect back, it's important to know that we cannot live and go through life alone. We always need people, and I am glad I have them.
Let me share with you a different perspective of how these GEMS celebrated my birthday, instead of showing and talking about food, I will talk about these individuals instead, though I will still add in some food photos because they were just delicious (or maybe not)! And I have to credit my dear friend, @michelleloh168 for her thorough research, coming up with a list of options for me to choose from, which in all honestly made my life so much easier, because the "what do you want to eat" question is the toughest question to be asked. Good thing, I am an easy person to satisfy as my preference for food is quite wide. From the extensive list, I chose an Italian restaurant called Positano located at Publika Shopping Mall, a mall that I rarely go to. It was an easy choice!
I have known these girls between 11 to 17 years, that is most of my young adult and adult life. Going through these tender years where we were all growing in finding and understanding who we are, dealing with many ladies' issues (internally), and yet at the same time moving along with the times and seasons that God placed us in, sticking together through thick and thin, the ugly, the bad, the sad, the happy, the ups are just some of the things we've gone through together.
2022 has been a tough year for me emotionally and mentally. Going through one of the toughest challenges since my mom's passing has stretched me beyond measure in so many ways. I owe it all to these 4 amazing, strong, loving, and prayerful women for being my strength, encourager, supporter, and comforter. As much as I am a very extroverted person, I am very much a private and low-key person when it comes to heart matters, and what I am going through. I don't like the attention and most of the time, I feel awkward. I tend to keep it all and just go through it on my own which has proven to be a failure on numerous accounts. I learned to reach out and allow some people to go through things with me.
To be honest, it is not my first preference to be open even to them. Nope, I do not like opening up, do not like talking about my feelings, do not like to feel weak and helpless, let alone, show my emotions ever so rawly and often. They helped me in so many ways, to be honest with myself, and I am so grateful that I do not have to always put up a show or an invisible mask with them even on my bad and emotional days. It's their simple gestures and care in their separate own ways that melt me and allows me to open up.
Let me introduce you to them, only 2/4 of them are in Noise, @happycrazycon & @michelleloh168 while the other 2 aren't, Angie & Joanne. These 4 couldn't be any different from each other, in their personalities and all that however, what binds us all is the love for each other in Christ and having our priorities aligned as well. Friendships like this don't come by all the time and after going through so many incidences since high school with friendships, I now understand better what kinda friends I want to keep in my life. These 4, without a doubt!
We had time together last Saturday to celebrate my birthday. It was a lot of fun because there's never a silent moment when we're together but an abundance of laughter. Took a lot of photos too! I guess, why not!
Thank you my dear GEMS for being such amazing people inside and out, not just to me but just you being you. I love you all for that! Thank you for the encouragement and support during this time too. I know, I am always reminded, I am not alone because I have you ❤️
As I reflect back, it's important to know that we cannot live and go through life alone. We always need people, and I am glad I have them.
Family is very important to me. After I lost my mother to liver cancer, it truly shook me that life is short and that we should cherish the important people around us. I make it a point to always spend time with my family now that my dad is alone, though my brother is living with him but he is busy with his own life.
My younger brother's birthday is just 3 days after mine hence every year it's a combined celebration. We've been so busy with our own schedules and haven't caught up in a while to chit-chat and update each other with what's going on in each other's life hence last Sunday was prime time for it as we're all available, except for my sister who is residing in Singapore. Boy do I miss her! We're all very close and pre-pandemic and would meet up a few times in a year.
We went to this Western restaurant near my dad's place called Swimming Cow. I've heard of them for awhile now but because they're located at a place where parking is hard to come by, I seldom make my way there. My brother's girlfriend planned with my husband to bring us there for dinner and I found out, the owner is actually my brother's hiking friend! Haha... Should have known this earlier! Why are they called Swimming Cow because they specialises in sous vide meats (both chicken and beef) which it is cooked at a controlled temperature than on high heat for searing.
Anyway, here's what had that night:
Burrata Tomatoes Salad - this was super duper refreshing! Real mozzarella cheese with tomatoes and rocket (arugula) and drenched with balsamic vinegar. I loved it so much!
Fish Tacos - Deep-fried crunchy fish slices with their special mayo-based sauce and some pickled salad. Everything tasted super balanced.
Swimming Fried Chicken - Specially marinated, crusted chicken! Super duper delish! Too bad I could only have a bite as I wasn't feeling that well to have the whole thing on my own.
Australian Black Angus Sirloin - this was the highlight!! A medium rare piece of meat that was sous vide hence there wasn't any "leaking blood" from the beef served simply with roasted garlic, mustard, confit butter, salt flakes and pepper. I had many pieces of this! It was nice to chew and super juicy.
Pappardelle Beef Ragu - This didn't taste like when I had Ragu in one of the European countries where the gravy was super strong and thick, this was less strong in its flavour yet still tasty and very hearty. Smart to serve it with pappardelle as it soaks up the sauce allowing it to be coated so when we have a bite, you get both pasta and lots of gravy.
Truffles Fries - I seldom order truffle fries because it either taste overpowered by truffle oil (which is not really truffles) or you can't taste any truffles at all. But this was super well-balanced!
Lastly for dessert, it was on the house! Warm brownies with vanilla ice cream! The chocolate liquid that they used for the Happy Birthday wording was very nice! It's dark salted chocolate.
Lastly, while we were chatting at home, Suwen, my brother's girlfriend came out with 3 slices of cake! She got it from Swich. The 3 cakes are Gula Melaka, Mangosteen, and Burnt Cheesecake with rum-soaked raisins. We took back the Mangosteen and Cheesecake, and boy was it a shocker on my tongue! Haha... I did not enjoy it at all! Mangosteen cake was weird in taste and texture while the cheesecake for me was way to sweet.
All in all, it was a nice night spent with the family as we bonded over good food and caught up with many stuff.
The day I turned 37
It's been a hectic 2 months with work and then getting Covid in the last two weeks of the semester, then comes my birthday. On top of that, not having a good sleep for quite some time really doesn't help too. I haven't been able to post much here let alone clicking don't the app even just to scroll.
Anyway, putting that all aside, here's sharing what I did on my Birthday last Friday. Started with having to conduct a post-mortem with my students (postponed due to Covid) from 8 am-12 pm. We had some fun activities too during the post-mortem as it also falls on the last day of their semester. They bought cake and of course, sang and celebrated with me. I'm grateful for simple things like this though I don't look or desire them, in fact, I feel awkward! haha... I mean, what do you do, when people sing to you? haha... awkwardly smile right? Sing to yourself together with them? Gesture weirdly? HAHA...
Had to rush off after the post-mortem back home to get changed and ready for a lunch appointment with the most important person in my life, my husband! He spent quite some time doing research and searching for a suitable place that he thinks I would like. He asked me 2 weeks before what I wanted to eat or do on my Birthday and my honest answer was, "to stay home" because I was just too busy. But I know, he would want to bring me out and I know, it is good to go out as well so I continued to say, "you can plan and decide, I will follow your lead." He chose this place called Raw Kitchen Hall located in ELSE (a refurbished boutique hotel) located at the city center just next to Chinatown.
I was super impressed! Impressed with his effort and that he was able to look for such a place. I thoroughly enjoyed the quietness, calm, peaceful, and jazzy ambiance of the restaurant. We did lunch because dinner was fully booked. I felt super relaxed though I was actually feeling quite unwell that day and my super understanding and loving husband didn't mind tweaking our plans a little to allow me to head home to get some rest.
Here's what we had for our meals:
1. Appetizer: Prawn Toasties (tobiko, ginger lime dressing & dill). This was AMAZING! We loved it so much. The balance in flavour and texture was super lovely. 2. Mains 1: Black Mamba (apparently highly recommended). Contains tiger prawns, fermented chili sambal, squid ink sofrito, and egg yolk. Wow, this was uniquely nice. The egg yolk binds the dish so well together. Flavour was quite strong but the squeeze of lime was perfect to balance it all. 3. Mains 2: Seafood Tagliatelle, prawn broth, salsa verde, and chives. A simple pasta dish that wasn't so great. Maybe because it came last and we had the other two first and the flavour from the first two was stronger than this pasta dish so it made it underwhelming.
For dessert, I said no thanks as I wasn't feeling 100% to have more food inserted into my tummy so we headed to look for coffee and ended up at ETC (yup, that's the name of the cafe). Had a cup of cappuccino, and I was satisfied but regretted it later because it made me feel worse while the husband had his usual Long Black. We down our coffee really quickly and decided to head home so I can rest.
For dinner, we decided to have some Pho, a Vietnamese noodle dish with beef broth. I needed it and I was glad to have it. Then we just spent some time walking around the mall before heading home to eat some cake given by friends.
All in all, I am very grateful for a simple day spent with my husband. Something I really cherish so much because of our busy schedule, especially for who he is and what he has done for me this year. Thank you dear for everything, I love you to the moon and back!
It's been a hectic 2 months with work and then getting Covid in the last two weeks of the semester, then comes my birthday. On top of that, not having a good sleep for quite some time really doesn't help too. I haven't been able to post much here let alone clicking don't the app even just to scroll.
Anyway, putting that all aside, here's sharing what I did on my Birthday last Friday. Started with having to conduct a post-mortem with my students (postponed due to Covid) from 8 am-12 pm. We had some fun activities too during the post-mortem as it also falls on the last day of their semester. They bought cake and of course, sang and celebrated with me. I'm grateful for simple things like this though I don't look or desire them, in fact, I feel awkward! haha... I mean, what do you do, when people sing to you? haha... awkwardly smile right? Sing to yourself together with them? Gesture weirdly? HAHA...
Had to rush off after the post-mortem back home to get changed and ready for a lunch appointment with the most important person in my life, my husband! He spent quite some time doing research and searching for a suitable place that he thinks I would like. He asked me 2 weeks before what I wanted to eat or do on my Birthday and my honest answer was, "to stay home" because I was just too busy. But I know, he would want to bring me out and I know, it is good to go out as well so I continued to say, "you can plan and decide, I will follow your lead." He chose this place called Raw Kitchen Hall located in ELSE (a refurbished boutique hotel) located at the city center just next to Chinatown.
I was super impressed! Impressed with his effort and that he was able to look for such a place. I thoroughly enjoyed the quietness, calm, peaceful, and jazzy ambiance of the restaurant. We did lunch because dinner was fully booked. I felt super relaxed though I was actually feeling quite unwell that day and my super understanding and loving husband didn't mind tweaking our plans a little to allow me to head home to get some rest.
Here's what we had for our meals:
1. Appetizer: Prawn Toasties (tobiko, ginger lime dressing & dill). This was AMAZING! We loved it so much. The balance in flavour and texture was super lovely.
2. Mains 1: Black Mamba (apparently highly recommended). Contains tiger prawns, fermented chili sambal, squid ink sofrito, and egg yolk. Wow, this was uniquely nice. The egg yolk binds the dish so well together. Flavour was quite strong but the squeeze of lime was perfect to balance it all.
3. Mains 2: Seafood Tagliatelle, prawn broth, salsa verde, and chives. A simple pasta dish that wasn't so great. Maybe because it came last and we had the other two first and the flavour from the first two was stronger than this pasta dish so it made it underwhelming.
For dessert, I said no thanks as I wasn't feeling 100% to have more food inserted into my tummy so we headed to look for coffee and ended up at ETC (yup, that's the name of the cafe). Had a cup of cappuccino, and I was satisfied but regretted it later because it made me feel worse while the husband had his usual Long Black. We down our coffee really quickly and decided to head home so I can rest.
For dinner, we decided to have some Pho, a Vietnamese noodle dish with beef broth. I needed it and I was glad to have it. Then we just spent some time walking around the mall before heading home to eat some cake given by friends.
All in all, I am very grateful for a simple day spent with my husband. Something I really cherish so much because of our busy schedule, especially for who he is and what he has done for me this year. Thank you dear for everything, I love you to the moon and back!
Spending some time outdoors after a busy week
I am back! Was silent for a week due to my super busy week that I had. Both my students' events were literally back to back with each other and my work juggling between them was no easy feat. It was a good week and both events went really well nonetheless. Will talk about it in another post soon.
I am a sucker for the outdoors actually. I love sceneries, the skies, the landscape, the ocean, the beach, the mountains, the jungles... you name it, anything outdoors, I actually enjoy being a part of it or just staring at it, enjoying its beauty.
After a busy and stressful week, I wanted to do something and my husband, who knows me so well proposed to go to a park quite far away from where we live to do some cycling and just exploring since we haven't been to that park. He decided to also extend the invitation to our friend, @michelleloh168 to join us. Little did we know, there were other plans going on with the guys from church as they wanted to celebrate @helyanwe's birthday. I told him, just go ahead and have a great time. He then proceeded to spend time with the church guys and his hometown guys after that too.
@michelleloh168 and I proceed to drive to a nearby park, literally just 15 mins away called Kepong Metropolitan Park, famous for flying kites. Too bad there wasn't strong wind hence no kites were to be seen in the skies. However, the walk throughout the park which spans at least 4km was a very good one, well, apart from certain parts near the pond where it omitted such a bad stench from stale water.
One thing I enjoyed the most was the scenery! Look at how pretty it is based on the photos I posted. It was just so calming and reminds me of how amazing God is. Another thing I enjoyed was the company, we laughed so much while jogging making so many jokes and noises along the way which made jogging tougher! haha.. But nonetheless, fulfilling. The last photo is a collage of us figuring out a function in my phone. It was hilarious!
And the day before, we went to basketball with some church friends. Being able just to get out and sweat it out is just so refreshing! I am a massive advocate for outdoors and sports which I think is very much needed now than ever! So, let's get moving!
I wrote this 10 years ago and it is still true today... this is the Father's amazing love. Photos credit to Google Image : )
Ps Gloria Wong was reading out Ps 91 and a "preview" took place in my imagination. I've been following this show called 24 and the scene whereby the father protects the daughter from any kind of harm although his priority was sworn for national security. He would go against the regulations to do anything to make sure his daughter is safe and protected and at the same time protect his country.
This speaks to me that our Father in heaven, so busy taking care His kingdom and His business never forgets to come so personally to His beloved children to be there to comfort and protect. Never would He forget to put His beloved above His own kingdom but being God, taking care of both things at one time. It's just so sweet!
After that scene, a vision of an eagle extending its wings showing its majesty & how it then wrapped around me makes me feel so protected and secure. This is my Father in Heaven whom I love and cherish very much as He never forgets to come in such ways ❤
The Father's Love
I wrote this 10 years ago and it is still true today... this is the Father's amazing love. Photos credit to Google Image : )
Ps Gloria Wong was reading out Ps 91 and a "preview" took place in my imagination. I've been following this show called 24 and the scene whereby the father protects the daughter from any kind of harm although his priority was sworn for national security. He would go against the regulations to do anything to make sure his daughter is safe and protected and at the same time protect his country.
This speaks to me that our Father in heaven, so busy taking care His kingdom and His business never forgets to come so personally to His beloved children to be there to comfort and protect. Never would He forget to put His beloved above His own kingdom but being God, taking care of both things at one time. It's just so sweet!
After that scene, a vision of an eagle extending its wings showing its majesty & how it then wrapped around me makes me feel so protected and secure. This is my Father in Heaven whom I love and cherish very much as He never forgets to come in such ways ❤
It's TIME! Finally after 12 weeks...
This is it! 12 weeks of planning, it's time! My PR student's Charity Campaign for the Autistic community will finally begin tomorrow. I've raised their target from MYR10,000 to MYR15,000 which I think is very achievable. It's amazing to always be in the company of the younger generation and being able to educate whilst imparting to them. I'm tired, 13 hours out and coming home to continue work before heading to bed but deep inside, I'm satisfied and thankful to be able to do what I love doing. 🔥
What a day!
Started my day at 5.45AM (slept at 12 AM). It's been very hectic the past few weeks as my student events are just less than a week away. While I am super busy with those two events, I got an invitation from a local NGO called Malaysian Care. We partnered early this year to organise a Fundraising and Educational Campaign for the Young Offenders (Juveniles) at a local juvenile prison. The purpose of the funds was the build a Music Room and today was the Launch of the Music Room. They extended 6 invitations to us and hence I together with 5 of my student leaders went.
We departed early because it is located 50KM from our University and we had to be there at 9.30 AM, which is through peak period for morning traffic. It was a long journey but let me tell you, it was worth it! I seriously love my job and the influence that I can give to my students, allowing them to have this opportunity to do good to society and instilling values that the classroom cannot give is something I look forward to every single time I head to work.
It was definitely an eye-opener to spend time with the inmates (mostly 17-19 years old boys) and the prison wardens who were very nice, friendly, and informative to us. The moment I went in and saw the inmates, I felt the love of God immediately for them. God loves them so much and they need guidance. I am glad NGOs like Malaysian Care provides such services and platform for these inmates to reach out for help when they are finally released or even when they're going through their sentence.
To top it all off, it was such a pleasure to have these inmates perform for us with instruments, boy... were they talented! The most touching moment was when we all stood up as they sang the last song "SAYA ANAK MALAYSIA" (I am a child of Malaysia). Imagine, 15 of us guests from the Uni and the NGO together with 30 inmates singing this patriotic song in one harmony, it felt like there wasn't any difference between us. Just so beautiful. We all had a good time.
Too bad there weren't any shots in the prison as we had to surrender our phones at the entrance. There were prison wardens taking photos but we have to wait for them to be shared with us. This is an experience I will never forget!
To end it all, my watch reminding me how long have I been active today. haha! More than 12 hours to be exact.
Tonight's dinner at my husband's secondary school alumni gathering. Majority of them are seniors and they love their secondary school at Kuala Kangsar a lot that they conduct lots of events to raise funds for the school.
Tonight's gathering is in conjunction with the Mid Autumn Festival and they ordered a while roasted pork! Seriously GOOD!!! Sooooo soft and tender. I had to stop myself from having too much 🙈
The President of the Alumni graciously allowed the gathering to be conducted at her VERY HUGE & BEAUTIFUL home and being a good wife, I accompanied my husband to this gathering.
@Trieors
