chocolate fondue + water

was craving for chocolate but there was almost none in the fridge except for a packet of expired chocolate fondue chocolate. so i decided to make some chocolate "fondue" for myself, but since i couldn't find the chocolate fondue set, i decided to improvise...

put the chocolate (solid) into a bowl and boiled half a pot of water. when the water was boiling i placed the bowl into the pot and let it melt.

then, david called. so i talked to him and happily forgot to keep an eye on the stove....

what resulted was....... ferociously boiling water spilling into the chocolate bowl and mixing into the chocolate. it looked gross i tell you. but how can anyone waste good chocolate?

and there was another problem. how was i gonna to get the bowl out of the pot?! ans: with much difficulty. (c.f. JJ Williams)

so anyway, FINALLY, i'm sitting here eating my half diluted chocolate 'fondue' which is actually just melted chocolate. with cut up apples. fuji apples, my favourite.

and the chocolate still tastes as good.... ahhhhh :)

six and decreasing

i just realised
that i have only
6 more weeks left in singapore

tomorrow i have my last exam ever

6 more YFs left, 6 more friday dinners, 7 more sunday services depending on what time i leave.

oh man, there's so much to do and too little time!

Passion Week - a lighter side

rev quek was so funny today. we had our quizzes marked and he realised that one of the questions could be misinterpreted, so he said 'ok both answers are correct - passion week what'...

:|

ok i think i was the only one who found that funny (as usual)

but, maybe it's time i start finding some passion from somewhere, about my work at least! in about 2 weeks i won't have the chance to anymore!

Knowing the end from the beginning...

Apologies for the rather emo nature of this post, haha. it's the last week of school now, and i mean, LAST, for the rest of my life. I can't really decide how to feel: a bit of excitement, a bit of nostalgia, some regret, and plenty of anxiety. Not sure if i'm overplaying the significance of this last week but I don't really want it to slip by (like all the other 15*7 weeks) and not take a moment to think about it all. 

lately i've been really worried, for the first time, and arguably too belatedly, about my faltering GPA. i have no idea why it is that only at the end of it all then i start to notice how close i am to attainment of an academic accolade. kinda regret that i didn't put in sufficient effort in the past semesters that i might now have to live with that narrow miss for the rest of my life. but it's too late for regrets now, and it's never time to worry, because why should i, if God already knows the outcome, and He knows that it's best for me? at the end of the day, i guess i've to ask myself if this pursuit for academic pride, glory, or to say that i've fulfilled my vocation and did the best i could to glorify His name (because i know i could have have a lot better?)  

I believe that all things will work out for good. good does not mean I will get what i want, but I will have what i need. sufficient for me - the way He meant it to be. Truly, i've already experienced more mercies than i deserve on this academic journey - can i still doubt its availability? Shall i not rather rest in the peace of the knowledge that the One who knows the end from the beginning will bring whatever He deems fit to pass? all these are but head knowledge - so difficult to translate to heart knowledge... herein lies the test, and the challenge. Give me grace, and greater faith. 

1. All the way my Savior leads me,
   What have I to ask beside?
   Can I doubt His tender mercy,
   Who through life has been my Guide?
   Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
   Here by faith in Him to dwell!
   For I know, whate’er befall me,
   Jesus doeth all things well;
   For I know, whate’er befall me,
   Jesus doeth all things well.
2. All the way my Savior leads me,
   Cheers each winding path I tread,
   Gives me grace for every trial,
   Feeds me with the living Bread.
   Though my weary steps may falter
   And my soul athirst may be,
   Gushing from the Rock before me,
   Lo! A spring of joy I see;
   Gushing from the Rock before me,
   Lo! A spring of joy I see.

tour of singapore: National Orchid Garden (with a very cool model!)

19 March 2009

We were supposed to go to botanic gardens for a surprise picnic to celebrate Karen's 18th birthday. Sharon and I wanted to bring joel and chloe, who wanted to bring shermin, which then made it necessary for aunty carrie to come along, who also brought sean and sheryl, who then called sayuri. and ah ma decided to come along too. 

we finally arrived at botanic gardens, after a long-drawn process of trying to get karen out of the house first before we could pack everything. It was a long long walk to the amphiteatre, where we were supposed to lay in ambush. This is the first time i'm visiting the gardens again after a good 5-6 years, and it really does look slightly different. It was ah ma's first time there too, and along the walk, she commented (in hokkien), 'what's there to see here? all grass and trees...' 

until...

we went by the national orchid garden and it seemed that we were still quite early. I offered to go in with Ah ma, since it was free for students during the school holidays. it costs $5 for adults, so mummy stayed out and handled the kids. 

in we went, it was quite big, and surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and colourful experience. there really was a large variety of orchids and some other plants too, and i think my grandmother really loves flowers. i tried to make her pose for pictures and it was personal satisfaction when i got one with a smiling face, haha. 

a bit about the place: It is located in the western end of the botanic gardens, and is about maybe 6-7 acres. There are over 1000 species and 2000 hybrids in the collection, and the landscaping is very well-done. there was also a section for VIP orchids, where special breeds were presented to visiting dignitaries and an 'orchidarium', which housed the more exotic species i believe. 

here are some pictures:

at the entrance... i really wanted a picture of the 2 of us and the background by my arms weren't long enough...

so i got a random schoolboy to help us, but he did a terrible job... the above is edited, and still quite bad. heh. so i gave up and decided to be the photographer from hence on...

touching the petals and telling me about how the orchid is one of the hardiest flowers around, and what some of the other plants in the garden were for... 

i made her go into this huge birdcage thingy... part of the rather interesting landscaping.

plus, there was a big photo sign, which means, 'TAKE YOUR TOURISTY PICTURE HERE'. so we did.

presenting... the national flower of singapore... vanda miss jochaim...!

inside the orchidarium, there were interesting breeds... 

this was like 5 mins after mum called to tell us to get out of there cos karen was coming... we were trying to find the exit, and saw this mirror. some quick thinking resulted in this, but we were kinda still moving so it's blur... wasted :|  she was very amused indeed.

my ah ma is so cute, half way through, she whipped out her handphone from her handbag and told me to take a picture of her and the flowers, but i didn't know how to read the chinese words so i couldnt figure out how to activate the camera, so i used my phone instead. just put the photos onto her phone just now, it's proudly sitting on both her's and my ah gong's phone desktops! :)

i wonder when this liking for purple started. aunty carrie likes purple too, so does sharon.

anyway, bottom line is, it was a very fruitful day, i came out very happy, and it's been a long time since a buck has gone such a long way... :) 

i <3>

some of the other photos from that day are here: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=96649&id=692471387