Archive for December, 2008

Powerhouse Rocks!

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

That is, young people lingo for having done a good job. I think. :-P

I must say that the Powerhouse did an excellent job with their stage performance at the Gaya Christmas Celebrations Thursday night. All their hard work and dedication to the project really paid off. Being the final act for the night, they truly gave the evening’s program the high ending it deserves. Well done yo!

Ok. Let’s switch lingo.

We were part of the Family scene in their thirty minutes or so of a variety of performances. (There was drama, dance and multimedia presentations. *Thumbs up!*) We sang the song entitled We Will Serve the Lord, (or Hand in Hand, Heart to Heart) originally brought by Rick & Cathy Riso of Integrity Music. Both Big Sis and Middle Sis had a solo each. The Hubby and I led the rest of the families that were invited to join us on stage through the Chorus of the song.

When we went through the scenes during practises and then the final stage rehearsal, there was some hiccups with our song. Mainly to do with the Hubby’s Guitar accompaniment. He wasn’t happy with the sound of the guitar he used. Especially when combined with the acoustics of the open air stage. After thinking through his musical arrangement, he finally decided not to pluck the strings but to strum through the music. It sure did sound so much better!

And we did a little vocal warm up before coming on stage which we didn’t do during practises.

And the song flowed smoothly together with the rest of the show. Thank God!

There was even a funny moment. Little Sis caught sight of little Aaron out in the crowd and waved to him! And Middle Sis saw uncle Pastor J in front and waved to him too. Hehehe…

In the midst of all the commotion of getting ready for our show, we couldn’t delegate our camera to someone to take photos for us. I was told however that some folks we know did manage to take some snapshots. Here are some that I’ve been able to get my hands on so far.

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Big Sis and Middle Sis was also part of the Drama as kids who went shopping with their Moms.

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Will need to compile the rest of the photos sometime soon.

It really was a great show. We’re grateful to have been part of such a great team. ;-)

In the meantime, here are some scenes we captured while strolling down the Street last night.

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The Nativity scene at Lintasan Deasoka. Last year they had a ‘flying’ angel above it. :-P

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Check out the throngs of people!

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Giant screens to watch the stage shows from.

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YELLOW Santa! He was part of the Digi booth and he had to say ‘ho, ho, ho’ the whole night. Hilarious!

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And here’s my Little One after some ice cream!

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Alas, with an ending of just a pre-recorded ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ song, we thought the Closing was quite the anti-climax. :-P

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Posted in Daddyhood, Laughs, Mommyhood | 7 Comments »

Gaya Christmas Celebrations

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008

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Just a shoutout to those of you who are in KK from 17th – 19th December 2009. Christmas celebrations begins with the Gaya Christmas Celebrations at Lintasan Deasoka, Gaya Street from 7 – 9pm. An annual event jointly organised by the Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (KK City Hall) & the Sabah Council of Churches.

Yours truly and the Family will be performing a song on stage the second night. See you there? ;-)

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And The Activities Kick In…

Monday, December 15th, 2008

First off, we had a Christmas event with the residents of Taman Antarabangsa, Likas last night. Graced by the attendance of Likas State Assemblyman, YB Datuk Liew Teck Chan. One of the Ushers told me that there was more than 200 guests that evening, not including Church members. It’s our best turnout yet since we began having community events at this Taman. There was games and stage presentations by children, youth and adults, as well as yummy food. To top it off, the weather was perfect! All in all, everyone had a good time. :-)

The Children sang some Christmas carols.

Here they are at practise…

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Doesn’t she look like she’s REALLY singing from the words printed on the card? :lol:

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And here they are, ready for the actual show.

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I couldn’t get a front angle shot cos it was cramped and there was a Reporter moving up and down the stage taking shots…

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I could only take photos from one side of the stage…

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The Children did very well!

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From Our Home To Yours

Saturday, December 13th, 2008

We started a tradition in our home some years ago that we hope we’ll get to do every Christmas for a long time. A Family Christmas Portrait.

Naturally, it was always difficult to get the Children to cooperate in the time and manner we’d like to have our photos taken. Now that we’re a little more experienced than the the first few times, this year we just worked around the Children’s antics.

So we calmly put a tripod up and  as can be expected, while Daddy was adjusting angles, the Children were up to their own little agenda. The Hubby then calmly called the Girls together everytime he was ready to take a snapshot, and clicked as soon as the Girls were in the picture frame.

Makes for a less stressful phototaking session.

Here’s a look at some of their antics…

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Thankfully, things got a little better…

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Finally, we chose this one as our official Family Christmas Portrait.

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Father God, When your precious Son became a tiny baby in a stable in Bethlehem in poverty and simplicity, you changed our world. As we imagine those surroundings, we join with the shepherds and the wise men in wonder and praise. We thank you for our material lives, praise you for our spiritual lives, and trust in you for our eternal life. Amen.

Have a Blessed Christmas Everyone.

We love you all and are thankful for each and everyone of you.

:-)

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Posted in Family Life | 2 Comments »

Magical Christmas @ 1B

Monday, December 8th, 2008

Beautiful!

The lifelike pixies were a bit scary for my Youngest One though… :-P

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yes, they are flying up and above us… :-P

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Here’s where the ’snow’ that fell upon us came from…  :lol:

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You have to pay RM10 for a photo with Santa on his chair… :-P

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Posted in Current & Contemporary, Snapshots, Sights & Scenes | 3 Comments »

Resolution = Courage

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines Resolution as the act or process of resolving, of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones, the act of answering, of solving, an act of determining.

Also, it is synonymous with Courage.

In MY words – making a firm decision doused with great courage to perform it.

Christmas day is coming up soon which usually means the New Year is but a blink of the eye after all the festivities have settled. It is also usually a time of the year to reflect on the year past, and to make plans for the coming year.

How has the year been? What have we learnt this past year? Can we say we are a year wiser? Were we able to come out stronger from the low points of the year? And do we embrace the high points of the year with gratitude? How have I fared with my loved ones? My family? My friends?

Based on “The Greatest Gift,” a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern, a person’s real worth is measured in family, friends and selfless service.

My resolution for the coming year is based on Phillipians 3 v 12 – 14.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (The Message)

I have resolved to drop the baggage that I carried with me for the past year, albeit unknowingly at times, and even some from years before. I resolve to forgive the hurt that I experienced, real or perceived, from the people I care about. And then, like the dropping of an overweight luggage, I’m letting go. I’m going into the New Year, (and into my tenth year of marriage to my Beloved :-) ) packed light, with just the essentials of faith, hope and love.

And I’m not turning back.

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Christmas with the Children

Monday, December 1st, 2008

I joined the Young People of Pulse, my Home Group, for a visit to the Pediatric Unit of the Likas Hospital this past weekend, as part of Pulse’s Christmas activity.

Our Group was led by the lovely Dr Evelyn Dusing, who I must say, did a beautiful job of speaking to and praying for the patients. She was even able to pray in our local Bahasa Malaysia! Awesome!

Evelyn divided us into groups of three, and I had Nat & Adelyne with me in my group. We then made our way to the rooms assigned to us. I left the Children with the Hubby who watched them at the hospital playground.

The rooms we were assigned to was for patients who were being treated for Leukemia.

After visiting the patients in the first room, I had to hold back tears in the hallway. While we smiled and spoke in a low tone with a cheerful disposition, my heart broke at every bed we visited. Speaking to the patient and then their parents, my heart went out to both child and parent.

This was not the first time I’d visited a Children’s Hospital, but it was the first time I visited as a Mother.

Chemo treatment is painful. There were needle bruises all over the patients’ bodies. Some children were very young; still in diapers. Generally, the children were weak from all the treatments they’d been having. It pained me to see their pain, and I could feel their parents’ pain too. As a parent, if only we could take the place of our child undergoing treatment.

I was particularly moved by one little girl awaiting bone marrow donors. She had just heard that the blood test of her latest potential donor did not match. Her Mama requested prayers. So I prayed a prayer for both Mama and Little Girl that was as kind as I possibly could. Inside my heart though, I prayed to God for more than the words that were coming out of my mouth. It is Christmas Lord, if there could be a miracle, I told Him…

After our visit, we reconvened at the Hospital Cafetaria where my Kids would later join us. I was so happy to see them!

Even with the colds and coughs that they occasionally get, they are by far so much healthier than the Little Ones I had just visited. And I thank God for that. I should never take that for granted.

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A Christmas Prayer

Jesus, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth . . . . may we begin to see the world in the light of the understanding you give us.  As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known, so may we worship you in meekness of heart.  May we also remember our brothers and sisters less fortunate than ourselves in this season of giving.  Amen.

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