Articulating Thoughts

What is 'Bon Odori'? Originally a Japanese Buddhist observance honouring the spirits of ancestors, today it has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which Japanese return to ancestral family places, and visit, and clean their ancestors' graves. In comparison to the celebrations in Japan, the festival celebrated in Penang and Selangor is less associated with Buddhism and more with Japanese culture. Held mainly to expose locals to a part of Japanese culture, the festival provides the experience of a variety of Japanese food and drinks, art and dance, with the vast number of Japanese companies in Malaysia taking part to promote their products.         And the upcoming Penang YOSAKOI Parade 2013!!! 19th January 2013!!!     Cosplay          

Since I got pregnant, my OB as well as everything I read (online and books) and everyone I met stressed on being "hydrated". Even though sometimes you know it, but you can't do it. Yeah, I knew I had to increase my intake of fluid, but with the changing hormones - I just couldn't do it.  Water tasted so bitter that I would put a little, tiny bit of salt or squeeze a lime - so that I can drink some. Mama milk was out of option - I would throw up. Pregnancy goodies like -chicken soup and so on would make me dizzy.   At about week 12 -  my OB couldn't find the baby, she said, "Can't see clearly," (maybe the water is low). Since then I have been drinking more water to keep myself as well as the baby hydrated. Being the first-time mom - I was worried. Went online - logged on to babycenter.com and read all that I could on amniotic fluid (the water in the womb). Now what does this water do to my baby and why is it important?  Let's see... ...

My hubby found this in my mailbox today. So excited to see a big envelope - a big stuffed envelope addressed to me :D . I couldn't figure out what this was about. I checked the sender's address and it was from Canada. I wasn't expecting anything from Canada. Even the sender's name didn't ring a bell. There was no swap name or any detail on the envelope. I opened it carefully not knowing what was inside. While opening the envelope - I was still thinking that this was a wrong swap. I didn't sign up for any craft or craft supplies swap. I went through each item carefully thinking, "Oh no! I'll have to return this to the person who sent this to me. It's a wrong swap."  ;( It wasn't until I read the note in the envelope addressed to me that I realised that this was for me. It was ALL for me. It wasn't the wrong swap. I had forgotten all about it.  Isn't this like an answered prayer? We ask God for many things d...

During my first trimester when I couldn't eat anything at all and food became my number 1 enemy, most of the time I survived on bread. Since nothing tasted good, and with my tendency to throw up - bread and such were my only source of energy. Consuming bread would give me 20-30% extra energy than usual.  I was reminded of this declaration by Christ, " I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty, " (John 6:35) and it dawned on me that this is what Jesus meant when he said, "I am the bread of life," or "I am the living bread," (John 6:51).  If having one normal  chapati / roti / bread can make a difference in my health - and if Christ is the living bread and the bread of life, then I'll never be sick, never be weak. I'll be strong in him if only I could "have" him and "consume" him. Wouldn't I?

What would be the best gift for a girl? - we can easily count on our fingertips. But when it comes to the selection of a gift for the beloved males in our family - we seem to struggle at each occassion. Well, I was struggling with the same issue few months ago.  During our 4 years long distant courtship, my husband and I never got to celebrate any of those special days and occassions together. For our first anniversary, I was really struggling on what to give him. Something that he would like and appericiate, something that would not collect dust after sometime.  Learning from past experiences, I have understood that the best gift you can give someone is something that THEY like - irrespective of how silly, inappropriate and irrelevent it might seem to you. For example I would like to send some really nice stationery (pens, stickers, notepads, and cute stuff ) to my cousin but she hates it; she prefers dolls, teddy and soft toys - those are what makes her happy. ...