Revival!

It's been almost 2 years. HAHAHAHAHA. Oops.

Anyways, was just going through some of my older posts and I could see how much I've grown/changed/remained. It's pretty interesting. There was this one short post on one of the (at the time) new Proton car models. Well, I am now the proud owner of a metallic grey Perodua Myvi. Always thought I'd go for manual transmission. But my Myvi is an auto. Preferences change, circumstances change.

Conclusion:
EVERYONE should keep a journal/blog/record thoughts.

1. It helps provide people with an easy to use medium to reflect and keep track of themselves - personal goals, mindsets, major life events etc. 
2. It gives people an avenue to exercise their creativity - and thus create more wholesome people.
3. It's a better way of spending time compared to other destructive habits e.g. unhealthy snacking, falling asleep and drooling into the computer keyboard, etc.

So, should anyone come across this post, GO START A BLOG today!

Could it Be???

Was just having a discussion last night with V about what helped me release steam. You know, the one thing you can escape to when you're under pressure and after spending time on it for awhile, everything seems ok again and you can go back to finishing whatever it was that caused you stress in the first place. For him, it was exercise. Some people go for a movie, some clean their room/house. I wasn't sure what mine was, and to be honest, I've been wondering for quite awhile now...

So after last night, I decided to be a little more conscious about what it is that I was more inclined to. V also encouraged me to adopt a more go-getter attitude in this pursuit of the discovery of my passion. So let's see,

1. I love reading. But I don't think it's going to be much help in being a short term refuge from stress. It's more of a form of running away from reality. Long-term. For as long as I can. =P
2. um.... yeah, the list stops here. 

I mean, there are loads of other things I enjoy doing, but it's only as much as the average person. The usual staple of watching movies/funny clips on YouTube, short bouts of exercise, etc. But I was hoping I could find a more substantial interest. One that's real and relevant enough to qualify as a 'passion'. And then as I was doing my lab report and browsing through pictures to include, I realised I felt oddly happy + excited when I saw pictures of food preparation, especially those involving baking. Hmmm...


This is super weird because I thought I was the last person who's ever feel comfortable in a kitchen. I've always thought all the cooking skills in the family was channeled to my brother instead of to me. Well, we'll see where this leads. =)

Proton R3 Satria Neo - Canggih!

IT'S SO CANTIK!!!!! =D

Curious? Click here: R3 Satria Neo.

Just came across the promotional advert for our national car-maker's new release. It only just came out yesterday. Read an article by The R3gister about its specifications but I really didn't understand one bit (save for the built in GPS part). Hahaha...
*Note to self: MUST pay more attention to my brother the next time he car-speaks.

It looks and sounds canggih though. If I somehow manage to cinch a job earning a more-than-decent amount, this baby's definitely gonna be one of my options. Big IF.

Of course one could argue that this car's more for a REAL driving enthusiast and bla bla bla.. But hey, it looks good and I know it's gonna feel so good when I step on the pedal so yeah. Support Malaysian made products!

What is a Christian?

The other day, I went for a friend's church event and there, we were all asked a simple question: "What does the word "Christian" mean to you? They showed us a video of the responses of many people around the world. Most people answered with words like "Jesus", "church", "relationship with God", "nice and kind people", "one of the main religions" and so on. One funny answer was from a guy who spoke in Cantonese,

"They're boring, soft people. If I were a bully, they would be the first people I would bully!"

But I think the answer to that isn't very difficult. Technically, a Malaysian is a person from Malaysia and lives there and abides by its laws and rules. A German is a person from Germany, he/she lives there and abides by Germany's laws and regulations. 

The same way a dietitian is someone who practices dietetics and is an expert on diet, and a musician is a person who plays music and loves music and is very good at music. Adding the -ian behind a noun basically connects a person to that noun whether by relationship, passion, knowledge and/or love.

So the conclusion would be that a Christian is the addition of -ian to Christ. Christ-ian. 

I'm pretty smart kan? ;)

Implying that a Christian is a person who is of Christ, who knows and is passionate about and loves Christ, whom practices Christ's teachings and abides by His laws. Yay! 10/10 marks. 

Hmmm. The effect of too much academics and examinations. Here's a much simpler and easier to understand explanation that another friend forwarded me. A short and simple story.

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. 

Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...

'I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. 

On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, 'What you got there, son?' 

'Just some old birds,' came the reply.

'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.

'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,' he answered 

'I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. 

I'm gonna have a real good time' 

'But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?'

'Oh, I got some cats,' said the little boy. 

'They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

The pastor was silent for a moment. 'How much do you want for those birds, son?'

'Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. 

They're just plain old field birds. 

They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!'

'How much?' the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, '$10?'

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. 

 

'Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. 

Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

Satan replied, 'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! 

I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, 

how to hate and abuse each other, 

how to drink and smoke and curse. 

I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs 

and kill each other. 

I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked. 

'Oh, I'll kill 'em,' Satan glared proudly. 

'How much do you want for them?' Jesus asked

'Oh, you don't want those people. 

They ain't no good. 

Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. 

They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. 

You don't want those people!!'

'How much?' He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 

'All your blood, tears and your life.'

Jesus said, 'DONE!'
Then He paid the price. By dying, crucified on a cross.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

 

All because He loved us all so much. =)

Update #1

Guess I should begin re-blogging with what happened when I wasn't blogging. Though it may seem irrelevant to the here and now but they're still what I've been through and a part of what makes me, me. =)

First up: My attempt at making shepherd's pie! =D
I'll leave the end product picture for later... Gotta create a build-up right? Some suspense. So... Here's the process.

Firstly,boil some potatoes until soft enough for you to mash into a smooth and yummy texture.

 Then, (obviously) mash it up. 

Next, (sounds so much like those high school essays!) prepare the beef/whatever minced meat that's gonna be the core of your pie. Added carrots and a (very modified) mix of sauces, as well as peas for some greens!

 

After that (or if possible simultaneously while preparing the meat filling - depending on your ability in the kitchen), melt some butter in a pan and add in the mashed potatoes. Feel free to add whatever you think is needed to improve the recipe. Life without creativity = no life.

 

Find a baking tray or any container that would go into an oven without melting or exploding and fill it up with your meat + vege mixture. Then evenly spread out the super fragrant mash potatoes into layer on top of that like so.

 

In the spirit of creativity, I modified the knife designs on the potato surface. =D

So finally, here it is. End Product:

 Lessons learnt:

Too much potato, not enough other stuff.  

Baking tray was way too big (too wide of a surface area).

But boleh pass bah kan? Compared to this - what it's supposed to look like. 

Hmm. On second thoughts. Maybe I should have tried a few more times before I posted that picture up. Hahaha.

It honestly didn't taste bad though. Promise. =)

Will experiment more, when I'm in the mood.

Conflicted

Alamak. I have to allocate a budget for the number of emo posts I'm allowing myself in a week! And definitely none back-to-back.

 But today, I guess I just need an avenue to 'release'.

The day started out pretty good. It was NOT difficult to get out of bed. I did NOT fall asleep during class. The assignment topic was finally pretty much approved. I got the book I've been waiting for.

 

 Then comes a phone call that's supposed to make my day even more cheery and sun-shiny but on the contrary, it brought about the opposite effect with the deliverance of not-so-great news. But I thought, I can't let this pull me down after such a great start to the day! And so I set off on a personal quest to distract myself from whatever negativity that was threatening to swallow me whole.

 

Not sure if it's working but I'm not wallowing in my mud-hole i.e. you're not reading a whole bunch of censored out expletives. So that's a good sign. =)

Now, I think I owe it to myself to:

1. go back to my journals, preparing for exams and the mountain-high pile of assignments. 
2. come back to this trusty lil blog whenever I can. =)

Lord please grant me Wisdom

to understand, or if not, please please grant me the serenity and grace to accept all the stuff that's happening. 'Coz i cannot seem to understand.

He said why do you keep texting and spending time on the phone? Then the realisation hit me that it's because I just don't enjoy his company, so i'm turning elsewhere for comfort. I'm scared that i'm feeling this way. But the fact is, I am. 

We are so different. We hold beliefs so different from each other. E.g.

• I would do pretty damn much for a friend; but he asks "What, your friends don't have other friends to count on? Why do YOU have to go 'layan' everyone?" 
• Success is a measure of how content one is, in every aspect of life, to me. But no, apparently success should be measured by the amount of money we earn. Because who isn't happy with money.
• Hmm. And let's not even get into the whole racism thing. 

Dug up this old draft from many months ago, back in 2010. I do have a somewhat better understanding of it, but more importantly, I am a lot more accepting and much less resentful now. I guess I let that few differences cloud up my ability to see that we have a lot of other things in common. 

Thank You Lord. =)