One more Lord? =)

Sigh another guitar? Gibson Les Paul BFG Limited. Not the traditional polished finish, but i can live with the rawness..but the P-90 neck pickup rocks =)

Ideally, i would like:

• One good acoustic guitar
• One solid Les Paul
• One Fender Strat

And i will be complete (musically of couse hehe) =)

haha wah...dennis is getting free advertising man...

Rilakkuma :) :) :)

Our names together

MATILDA From the Germanic name Mahthildis meaning "strength in battle", from the elements maht "might, strength" and hild "battle". Saint Matilda was the wife of the 10th-century German king Henry I the Fowler.

ISAIAH From the Hebrew name יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yesha'yahu) meaning "YAHWEH is salvation"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation

Isaiah 12:2--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isaiah+Matilda = God, our strength & salvation =)

=)

This would make a lovely present (to me haha)

Love & Life :)

This story tells us something about..... LOVE & LIFE.

My husband is an engineer by profession,
I love him for his steady nature and..
I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders.
Two years of courtship and now, five years into marriage,
I would have to admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of
me loving him before, has now transformed into the cause of all
my restlessness. I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it
comes to a relationship and my feelings. I yearn for the romantic
moments, like a little girl yearning for candy.
My husband is my complete opposite; his lack of sensitivity,
and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage
has disheartened me about LOVE.

One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a
divorce.

"Why?" he asked, shocked.

"I am tired. There is no reason for everything in the world!"
I answered.

He kept silent the whole night, seemingly in deep thought.
My feeling of disappointment only increased.
Here was a man who was not able to even express his predicament,
so what else could I expect from him?

And finally he asked me: "What can I do to change your mind?"

Somebody said it right... It's hard to change a person's personality,
and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.
Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered: "Here is the question....
If you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind."

Let's say; I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff,
and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death.
Will you do it for me?"

He said: "I will give you your answer tomorrow...."
My hopes just sank by listening to his response.

I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of
paper with his scratchy handwriting underneath a milk glass,
on the dining table near the front door , that goes....

"My dear,
I would not pick that flower for you, but....
please allow me to explain the reasons further....."

This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading.

"When you use the computer you always mess up the Software
programs, and you cry in front of the screen. I have to save my
fingers so that I can help to restore the programs. You always leave
the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to
open the door for you.

You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city. I have to save
my eyes to show you the way.

You always have the cramps whenever your "good friend" approaches
every month. I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in
your tummy.

You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by
infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and
stories to cure your boredom.

You always stare! at the computer, and that will do nothing good for
your eyes. I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can
help to clip your nails and help to remove those annoying white hairs.
So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you
enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand...and tell you the colour
of flowers, just like the colour of the glow on your young face...

Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves
you more than I do... I could not pick that flower yet, and die ... "

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting...
and as I continue on reading... "Now, that you have finished reading
my answer, and if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am
standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk..."

I rushed to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching
tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread....!

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as
he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone...

That's LIFE, and LOVE.
When one is surrounded by love,
the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends
to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and
dullness.

Love shows up in all forms;
even in very small and cheeky forms.
It has never been a model.
It could be the dullest and most boring form ...

Flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear
on the surface of the relationship.
Under all this, the pillar of true love stands...
AND THAT'S LIFE

The happiest people in the world...
are not those who have no problems,
but those who learn to live with things that are
less than perfect.

The Perfect Place?

Have we found it? Is this the promised land, Lord?

hehe thanks Sharon ;)

seventh heaven

i've always had this question asked - how do you know if someone's the right one?

i've read lots and lots of books before i actually ever had a girlfriend (ie Matz) so i'll share some theory first.

basically these books talk about being able to connect at several levels of human interaction. you have to be able to connect:

1. physically, in the sense of physical attraction to each other
2. socially as friends e.g. hobbies and interest and similar social circles
3. intellectually e.g. connect on similar topics of discussions
4. emotionally, being able to connect on a heart-to-heart level
5. spiritually/values - having similar religious views and similar values in life

looking at this, most people tend to start a relationship on level 1 (only God looks at the heart, we can only see the outside first!=p). then as the high days of "I swear i'll die for you..." fade, people struggle with the "I don't feel it anymore". if those that can make it through this stage, they go on to the "we've been together so long liao....", they won't even know what to do if they were not together.

so that's Part 1.

but somehow i think the answer really starts with level 5 first. and i'll tell you where i learnt this - TV!!

long time ago there was this lovely show about a pastor and his HUGE family - Seventh Heaven. great show...so anyway if i remember, one of his son's was getting married and they feared that the future daughter-in-law wasn't really sure if this was the one.

so she asked the pastor - "How do you know if someone's the "ONE?". the pastor looked at her and took off his wedding band. on it, many years ago, they both engraved this on their rings - " You make me a better person".

that i think, is the answer. i remember a pastor saying "Marriage is not about your own happiness, but about helping each other become more like our Saviour, Jesus Christ" and in a simpler context - just becoming a better person than the one we were before the relationship.

it changes you (if you let it). you learn to think for 2 and not just yourself all the time. you learn the meaning of sacrifice, for no other reason that your partner's happiness. you learn that letting go of your own personal dreams and ambitions, allows you both the chance to build something even better, together.

that inscription is going on our wedding bands "You make me a better person" =)

Inle Myanmar Restaurant (and other foodies)

We dropped by Inle Myanmar Restaurant (Situated at Marina Square) last evening for a quick meal. As the name says, it sells Myanmar food. ha. We were intrigued (plus the price was rather reasonable).


Inle Myanmar Restaurant
Marina Square Hub

Spread for 2 and a happy face

Chicken Curry (with tamarind) - My fave!

Century Egg salad. Alil too squishy for me.

Fried Pompret with yummy sauce (Isaiah's fave!)

Desert - something that taste like chendol only lighter and more pleasant

Happy, full and fat :)

Hot Tomatoes Express
Plaza Singapura (B2)


Cheap and good :)

Neat Eater

Messy Eater :)

Time to keep to salads after all the hearty meals.

Fish & Co Salad

Stay healthy and happy peeps, wherever you are :)

Some hotel updates

Just went to Ritz Carlton, Millenia this evening.

Wouldn't say we were too impressed with the hotel as well as the set up of the Grand Ballroom. It is meant to accommodate a minimum of 60 tables, waaay above our target number. We were hoping to take a look at the other smaller rooms to see if we were able to hold the dinner there.

Unfortunately, as they were holding another event this evening, our appointment with the wedding planner got postponed. Rather disappointing to be honest, especially when Isaiah paid like an entire day of parking (super ex!) at Marina Square and rushed down from work. Nevertheless, not to make it a wasted effort, we popped by to check out the place.

Thumbs up or down?

Service wise -> not much experienced so far but not impressed at all with whatever we had. Ritz Carlton, Bali was notches and notches better. Certainly expected better.

Decor/Atmosphere -> doesn't have the ooh la la feeling. Guess i was still hoping for the Bali's Ritz feeling.

Verdict: We'll KIV & file it till we see the other hotels.

Next up, Shangri-la @ Orange Grove Road. And after that prolly Four Seasons. But we hope we'll score with Shang :) Pray for wisdom in us from God, so that we choose the right hotel that's suitable for everyone!

Shangri-la, Island Ballroom

God's faithfulness

Some of you might know that the past few weeks hasn't been exactly great for me. Been feeling miserable and bored and worst of all, i can't seem to find my bearing. So when things turn out this way, i turned not to God but to retail shopping. Shoes, bags, clothes, etc! And guess what, it's like God wouldn't allow me to find anything good or something. There isn't a single thing to buy. Trust me, i lowered my standards.. a lot!

So anyway. I was feeling really upset and miserable that i am not jetting across the world. As a little girl, that has been my ambition really. To find a job that pays for me to fly around to world.. working (yeah, its mad to some of you. but great to me okkkaayy). And alas! When i finally found a job, it was very stable - in all sense of the word. So stable i am officially stuck in singapore.

So last sunday, i was just asking God. 'God you played me out lor' And i was upset that i was like a trapped butterfly who can't fly out of my glass cylinder. And honestly, i feel trapped. Really trapped. Just let me fly the world!

As i was doing QT last night, through a very simple verse, God showed me something new..

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-32

When we see this verse, we normally see it as God providing our daily needs. But just last night, i felt that affirmation that God knows the desires of my heart (especially the flying one).. and one day it will be met. I will see the beauties of the world with God :) Right now though, i have to focus on Him. To seek his kingdom, to place Him in first priority.

Come, let's fly the world together :)

Marriage Preparation Workshop - Starting Right Together

we are supposed to be going for this course soon...would have gone earlier, but the first lesson clashed with P&S Tan's wedding!

any other couples want to come along? =)

after this course, we will have to go on another one-to-one course with Ps. Mark! intensive preparation man..but i think its worth it.

personally i think these courses are good even for couples who are dating seriously already. it certainly can help you avoid all the mistakes and little arguments that always crop up!

and maybe this course could shed a little more light or another angle on the question i posted earlier? hmm...

---------------------------
Starting Right Together is a preventive programme designed to help "intend-to-get-married" couples to understand and learn knowledge and skills in managing a lifelong marital relationship. The workshop comprises of 5 sessions. Topics covered include:

* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
* Before Saying “I Do”- What is Marriage?
* I Don’t Even Understand What I Don’t Understand - Communication
* Opposites Attract, Then Attack - Conflict Resolution
* Galloping In The Dark - Sexual Intimacy
* R & R in Marriage Is Not Rest & Recreation - Roles & Expectations
* Money, Money, Money Must Be Funny - Handling Finances
* By Law, It Takes More Than Two To Tango - Relating to In-Laws

4th Run: 2008 Aug 23, 25, 30, Sep 8, 13
Mondays : 7.30pm ~ 9.30pm
Saturdays : 2pm ~ 6.15pm

Why do Christians get married?

Ever thought about this question? Why in the first place? It's not a complete answer and aside from all the spiritual/theological answers, there's something more i think.....

what say you?

----------------------
Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God. In the marriage ceremony, a couple make a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other, come what may.

Marriage is a gift of God in creation and a means of his grace; it is given that husband and wife may comfort and help each other, living faithfully together in need and in plenty, in sorrow and in joy; it is given that with delight and tenderness they may know each other in love. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children may be born and nurtured in accordance with God’s will, to his praise and glory.

The Bible compares married love with the love Jesus has for his followers. He expressed his love by being prepared to sacrifice himself, even to die for the people he loved. This is amazing, unconditional love. Jesus never said ‘I love you, but …’. In our marriages we can try to follow his model by loving our partners in a self-sacrificial way, putting their needs before our own.

The marriage ceremony gives you a new legal status as husband and wife and a new stability within which your relationship can flourish and grow. Christians believe that marriage offers the right place for the fulfilment of our sexuality and that it provides a stable and secure environment for bringing up children.

God our FatherYou have taught us through your SonThat love is the fulfilling of the law:Grant to your servants that, loving one anotherThey may continue in your love until their lives’ end;Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

http://www.portsmouth.anglican.org/life_events/marriage/what_do_christians_believe_about_marriage/

Eph 6:18 ~ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Syl-vyn, we promised to pray for you =)

Isaiah's Graduation!

We just attended Isaiah's graduation tonight :)

It was a time of reflection as i sat there as an audience a mere two years later from my graduation. Indeed, we graduate as eager young adults ready to change the world. But we would soon realize that our dreams and aspirations were further than we can ever imagine. If we press on in our dreams and place our hope in the Lord, we might just find ourselves achieving those aspirations. That aside, the journey is a long and tough one with many new things to learn. Many of which will humble us. Most importantly however, we learn that in the big big world... we need God all the time.

They say the one and only thing that's constant is change. I beg to differ. The one and only 'thing' that's constant is God. :)

Some of my favourite shots for tonight. Will update more when i find the time. School work is piling up. *help!

Welcome our new Graduand of class 2008

If i may say, picture perfecto!

Hello new animal friend - Fat Lion. Welcome to the family!

Diamonds, a girl's best friend =)

Ring is not to scale!

You heard the joke about rings? First, you buy the engagement ring, then you get the wedding ring...finally you end up with suffer-ring! haha...typical joke, always hear it during wedding sermons.

Buying a ring is an extremely complicated process....especially when your girlfriend does not allow you to test any rings....then how to get the right size!

Isaiah - "Want to try out the ring? looks nice =)"
Matz - "You want to find out my ring size right! CANNOT! Wrong size you buy, then I don't marry you =p !"
Isaiah - "........"

But, haha...through extensive prayer and great faith...i got the right size =)

So you have to consider:
Certifier, Cut, Colour, Clarity...and the last one is Brand...

Anyway matz is not a diamond lover =) but still i love the classic look of the Tiffany ring.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY :)

It's my mummy's birthday today. (And Isaiah-mum's birthday in a few days)

And so i went, 'mummy, what do you want for your birthday?'
And mummy went, 'don't want la. don't buy anything. celebrate for what'.

Sounds familiar?
Then she added, 'very long never eat durians...'
So here we go, the story of the $120 durians.

It looks very innocent. But don't be fooled! Inside these Styrofoams boxes, lies many delicious durians! And the best part was that it cost me a madddddd $120. Who has eaten $120 durians before?

So after daddy's dinner, Isaiah and myself went to get durians for dessert. We were at the store (apparently Mr Goh Chok Tong ate here before) and the guy led us to the best durians in the house. The shelves were empty.. and i took that for a good sign.

Dad taught me how to buy durians earlier - just taste. nice then buy. good. simple enough.

So that's what i did! And man! Did it tasted good. Creamy, thick, bitter sweet.. just right. The uncle went, '$15 per kg'. My amateur brain translated it to be - many durians for $15. I mean, how heavy can a durian get right?

WRONG!! 7 durians (plus 1 free one) later, i am $120 poorer. I was in shock for like 15 mins after that. I mean.. how many bags/shoes/clothes i can buy...

But anyhow, everybody enjoyed it. From my sis to my dad and most importantly, the birthday girl.. my mum :) Even Isaiah who professes to be scared (like sick more likely) of durians ate it. That's good enough for me. There are some things that money can't buy :)

Succulent and fresh

Goodness inside out

Feeling your tastebuds tingle already?

Hohohohoho! Bye calories burn @ gym!

I wanted to post pictures of my mum, very pleased with the durians. But since it's her birthday, i think i shall spare her from it. :)

Happy birthday to my favourite mummy in the whole wide world. :) I always thank God for putting such a strong lady, yet full of compassion and kindness in my life. Your examples are what i constantly try to live up to. I love you Mummy.

New venues on the list

Raintree Villa, Resort and Spa

Picture taken from Marriott Hotel, Singapore

Picture taken from Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

Picture taken from Amara Sanctuary Resort

A few other places added onto the list:

- Ritz Carlton
- Marriott Hotel
- Raintree Villa
- Amara Sanctuary Resort
- Shangri-La Hotel

it's getting exciting :)

Just a short one on Villa Raintree Resort and Spa

The place's gorgeous. The restaurant has full glass walls and it overlooks the South China Sea. There's an open air bar on the second level where we can actually hold the dinner for the younger peeps. There's day chairs and all. And if we want, we could have people bbq-ing food for us. All these, overlooking the brightly lit seas.. under starlights. Wish i brought my camera though. If we're keen on it, we'll go back during sunset to have a better look.

The price is actually rather reasonable. One major drawback would be that they dun provide the perks that hotels do.

Verdict? Isaiah loves the place. I'm ok with it. (i have this thing with hotel perks. haha). But if we do decide to go ahead with it, we must engage professional decorators. :)

Us, full from $120 durians :)

Our future home =)

This will be our home, sometime in 2011/2012, hopefully earlier! You are welcome to come over anytime ;) but currently its just an empty plot of land! They will be starting construction soon.

We've scoped out the area..there's a coffee shop right across the road! So at least we know we won't starve!

So if you are young and wondering why you must study hard and save money....its so that you can buy a nice home for yourself in the future! (preferably one that has an MRT station nearby!)

Where it all started.....

Haha...just reminiscing...

This was the orphanage we visit in Dec 2004, in Cambodia (there's this thing about COSB ppl and Cambodia haha...).

This sweet young girl was so cute, so i decided to take a photo with her! THEN matz popped-up in the photo! I'll let matz explain it =)

Me? I'm part-Calvinist. Saw this fantastic list of Christian pick-up lines and this one hits the mark - "Hi, I'm Calvin (Isaiah). You (Matz) were meant to choose me"

God is good =)

Hotels Hotels....

Well we are in the midst of choosing a location for the dinner as well as the church wedding! Any suggestions people?

So far we've covered:

• Swisshotel - Raffles City
• Marina Mandarin
• The Sentosa
• Rasa Sentosa
• Marriot

And we'll be going down to the Villa Rainforest this saturday! Well it's still undecided....but we can trust that God will bring us to that perfect Eden for it ;)

Hello Hello :)

Welcome to our blog =)

I’m sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three

The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality

When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three

As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands

Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

Sweet flowers from a sweet person

Someone really sweet has been secretly sending bouquets of flowers to me via my school's general office. It's a warm fuzzy feeling... :)

'hello mdm, you got a delivery so we have to check if you will be in school till 5'(in a grumpy voice) '5? I dun think so''um, well, we'll try to rush down before that then''who is it from? ''well, we can't say. Perhaps it's a surprise.'

A sunflower bouquet from before.
And one more for the road :)

My Dream Wedding

So I'm not quite the girl who dreams about her wedding and her prince charming on a white horse. To be really honest, I did go through this period where i imagined what's life like to be attached. And prince charming was well, always a feature-less face. Not quite imaginative when it comes to people huh?

However, if i were to have a dream wedding, it would definitely take place in Ritz Carlton, Bali. We would hold the solemisation in the glass chapel that overlooks the great Indian Oceans. Each chair will be beautifully adorned by pretty lacey ribbons and covered with white thick fabric.



And we'll have the dinner/banquet just at sundown, where the guests can enjoy the windy breeze by the sea coupled with world class cuisine and service so heartfelt, you cant stop smiling.


And after that, we'll have one of the best spa in the world, enjoying the thematic pool for hours.


And now, all i have to do is to find something similar in Singapore or Bintan.. or earn BUCKET LOADS of cash :)