A reflection on 2008

It has been rather long since my last blog entry. Life has it such that blogging was not a priority, and subsequently becomes something I forget exists.

2008 if I could coin it in any terms that will do it justice would be "total surrender." The Lord has tested me in every area that is conceivable. But, I still stand firm and believe that He is God. I think when one goes through testings in life, the response could be in still believing, or leaving God. If I had to do it all again, I wouldn't change a thing. I learnt SO much through 2008, and it has made me stronger, though I still feel weak. He carried me through, and I believe that He will carry me through 2009. I do hope for a better 2009, one full of challenges, joys, laughter and good things. But, is it for us to determine how life is? We could plan, and try our best to steer life...but God is still totally in charge. And for me, having given God keys to every area of my life, God is steering my life.

I will try blog more often so you know what is going through in my life (although I will have to say that many issues faced in 2008 has a private and confidential element to it which unable me to share freely -- especially not on the internet).

But, let us not lose faith. Not lose faith in God. In life. In the good things in life. In people. In the goodness of heart. In love. In hope.

"And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6)

Here's wishing you a 2009 filled with love, faith, relationships and strength.

Trio.

I saw a rat in the longkang by Murni. Then, I heard a "mew." A little later on, I spotted a croackroach below Lina's chair. Yikes!

24 white kittens!

You will not guess what I dreamt of last night. During the dark of night in an unconscious state, I dreamt of receiving 24 birthday presents from a person. When I excitedly opened the pretty bags, there were 24 cute white kittens!

I'm not freaking out or anything...but if you are planning to get me a birthday present, you have lots of time to think about it. Please please please do not get me 24 white kittens! There is no space or time at this moment. I would however love a dog someday...when I have a house. Hint Hint :)

Being on time.

Here I am, waiting for my friends to show up to go to a mamak session. I have only been back in Malaysia for 2 1/2 weeks, but yet, I am fooled everytime! Fooled as in, I would be at a place, or be waiting for a friend/s to show up at the specific time we had agreed upon. Unfortunately, none of my friends have managed to show up at the agreed time...none at all! Let's see...CT and Fel were 1 1/2 hours late, and that was by far the longest wait I'd had in my entire life. OH WAIT, I forgot, WM was actually 15 mins earlier...ah, at least I have one friend who strive to be there on time no matter what. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bickering about it as I wait here typing on my MAC, but somehow...Malaysians find it hard to be on time. Why is that? Of course, the famous reason, would be one where they were stuck in a jam. For me, that is perhaps the only acceptable reason...aside from other emergencies.

I am not trying to harp on Malaysian's "tidak ketepatan masa," but in all honesty, the latest any of my appointments arive in Canada is 15 mins. They are usually on time. Meetings starts and ends on time (ok, excluding EW perhaps...)

I wonder if it is the mentality...we still have a "kampung" mentality that friends can "singgah" at any time and people are openly welcoming their house to the friend. Of course, that would work in a "kampung," but not really a city due to our busyness.

To make things look fairer, I have heard that Africans are on average late for 2 hours.

Perhaps we should make it a point to be on time. Being on time speaks a lot.

Grace going half vegetarian?

Ya know, I didn't think that I would care so much about food. After all, I love my Ramli Burgers, Laksas, Ribs, Donairs (OH YUM!) and all. But, recently I've been slightly concerned about my food consumption. First of all, I am actually trying to be more healthy...so I am watching what I eat and hoping that it is the right proportion. Really, I am not anal about it, but being inspired by my colleague Sarah who eats grass (oops, sorry, I mean salad) everyday...I kinda think that fruits and salad is pretty good for ya. I eat bad sometimes, but normally have quite a balanced diet. In any case, something caught my attention today and made a small impact in my life. I was a lil shocked after reading an article today on the world's increasing food prices This fact blew me away this morning:

"It takes an estimated seven kilogrammes of corn or soy just to produce one kilogramme of meat."

Isn't that something? All of those resources being wasted away, on a proportion of 7:1 to produce a kg of meat! Woah! And really, the article continues to say that as developing countries (especially China and India) demands more meat, the world will increasingly (and currently does) face food price increases. Demand and Supply. Yes, there you go. Well, I am sure as humans become smarter, technology (biotech perhaps) will be able to bring up supply to a nice good equilibrium with stable food prices. But until then, it is a lot of strain on the land and people's pockets. Lotsa big ramifications with world food prices on the rise.

Anyways, to cut the long story short, I am not gona be a vegetarian (well, at least not now) but will aim to reduce the strain on our land by eating more fruits and vegetables. I went to groceries today, and believe it or not, I only bought fruits and vegetables (ok, that is beside the fact that I still have frozen meat in my freezer). In any case, I am gona eat more healthily with a larger proportion on vegetables and fruits. (Ok, but I will be on a break on this half vegetarian diet in February as I will be back home in Malaysia with LOTSA YUMMY FOOD!!! CAN'T WAIT)

What about you? Any thoughts on how food consumption affects the environment, economies and people in the rest of the world?

Selamat Tahun Baru!

Happy New Year y'all. 2007 has flown by, and has brought us a new chapter in life: 2008. As much as 2008 is filled with uncertainties for me, I am actually slightly excited at the possibilities that 2008 will bring. 2008 will be one filled with new decisions for me. We will see where the road leads, and where the road eventually brings me to in life. I feel like I have something to look forward to. And that it may be a change in life, a small change if not a big one. I do hope whatever it is, I will be doing something exciting. I have yet to write a list of New Year's resolution. I have thought of a few, but thinking about the possibilities and hoping that life will be exciting this year, perhaps I should aim to live a life full of excitement this year. I think that is it -- I got it. My New Year's resolution: living life in excitement and on the edge. Radical. New. Fresh. Different. Plain, simple, yet exciting.

Where is India to be found?

"India is not to be found in its few cities but in the 700,000 villages…we have hardly ever paused to inquire if these folks get sufficient to eat and clothe themselves with.”

Mahatma Gandhi