dimanche, avril 17, 2011 Test-bake for the unleavened bread (aka mini roti prata) In preparation for Maundy Thursday/Good Friday, my Sunday School kids are coming over to my house to cook the unleavened bread for use on Thursday when we have our service. Recipe: 2 cups of plain flour (or any flour that doesn't rise) 1 tablespoon of cooking oil pinch of salt warm water To cook: 1. Sift flour into mixing bowl 2. Add cooking oil and mix until it's slightly crumbly (not all the flour will be "mixed in" but that's ok) 3. Add warm water slowly - do this in bits (i.e. add a bit, stir/mix a bit, add, mix etc) - mix until you get a nice solid dough 4. Take out as much dough as you want, roll it out on either baking paper or on any flat surface you want. My suggestion would be small little dollar-sized bits, although this can get challenging to do neatly 5. Heat the flat pan over the fire 6. Put in the dough-dollars into the pan. After about 30 secs - 1 min (depends on how hot your pan is), flip them over. 7. You should know when your dough cooks - it'll smell real nice. :)  The whole operation - dough, cooked, flattening plate, and hot skillet (low fire)  Cooking the dough dollars  Uncooked, and cooked  Cooked dough dollars, and bigger ones just to see which was better. I like the small ones better - they're just neater to manage/eat.  Mini roti prata!
[Test-bake for the unleavened bread (aka mini roti prata)] |
lundi, janvier 17, 2011 The best and busiest way to start a year: having two friends get married!Here's the view from the resting room (Meritus Mandarin Hotel, 11th Floor)  Libellés : church [Busy Weekend: 8 Jan 2011] |
mardi, août 24, 2010 Awesome conversations ... in slow motion Some of us are rediscovering the wonderful world of slow email... only now, with the wonders of gmail technology, we can actually see how long we take to respond to certain things. For example, this was one of the most awesome conversations I've had recently - and it was all about lights. Yes, like, switch on the light, that kind of light. Libellés : aki, art, church, diy [Awesome conversations ... in slow motion] |
lundi, août 23, 2010 To thank Andy for finishing our study of Acts (six months!) I decided to make something for the class on Sunday. A slow watch, a new sewing class, and slow traffic created the impetus for this little experiment. And so, I give you this exciting little ditty...Trial and error method of making a tiramisu ice-cream cake: attempt to make a tiramisu cake, accidentally buy too much cream, AND buy the WRONG kind of cream, then decide to freeze the whole wobbly, drippy mess. WIN! Ingredients: - 500g mascapone cheese (approx $11.50 from Phoon Huat, also available at Cold Storage and Jason's Supermarket, maybe at NTUC Gourmet) - 1000g whipping cream (approx $4.50 from Phoon Huat, CS/JS/NTUCg also have) - make sure you buy WHIPPING cream, NOT cooking cream like I did) - 6 tablespoons of sugar - or to taste - 3 eggs - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 roll of MacVites digestive biscuits (optional) - 1 double-pack of ladies' fingers sponge biscuits (impt that you get this; I have not found a suitable substitute in all my years of making tiramisu) - 1 cup of coffee (you can make it as thick as you want - I used six packets of IndoCafe in one very large mug) - some liquor (I used a tablespoon of rum, but you can also use Bailey's Irish Cream, Contrieau, or any other sweet liquor - try not to use hard types, like whiskey etc... unless you want your tiramisu with a bit of bite) Equipment you will need: 1. electric mixer (if you don't have this, I strongly recommend you forget this experiment) 2. a big large bowl that can fit ALL your liquid stuff (it should be able to hold your cream container, the mascapone container, and 3 eggs WITH ROOM TO SPARE. If your large bowl cannot fit all this, you have to find one that does, or you have to halve your ingredients so that you know, you have SPACE for it all) 3. Spoons, mugs, hot water 4. Cake tin/container that you want to assemble the cake in Instructions: The overall sequence is: make the creamy stuff, then assemble and freeze. This process should NOT be a messy one. Before you start: make sure that your freezer doesn't smell bad, and has enough space for your creation (or make sure you make a small enough creation that can fit into your freezer!) 1. Whip the cream using the electric mixer until it has changed from being milky to creamy. 2. Add the eggs in one at a time, and mix (either by hand or by machine) until the colour is even. 3. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and mix well (either by hand or machine). 4. Add the cheese and mix well. 5. Leave the mixture in the fridge, as you start preparing for the assembly. I left the mixture overnight. 6. Get your container (mine was 11" by 11") and line it with aluminium foil if you want to re-use it. Lay out the sponge cake along the base, then "fill in" the gaps with crushed digestive biscuits. 7. Make the thickest cup of coffee you like, add the liquor to it, then use a spoon and drizzle/spread the coffee mixture across the cake and biscuits. 8. Once this is done, use a large spoon and carefully distribute the cream across this first layer of sponge (take it out of the fridge first of course). 9. Lay the 2nd layer of ladies fingers, and repeat the same process with the digestive biscuits and the coffee. 10. Spread the remaining cheese mixture on the top of the platter. 11. Put it into the freezer to freeze. 12. After it's frozen, take it out of the freezer, then sprinkle cocoa power through a sieve for the perfect tiramisu cake. 13. Serves 20-25 pax. .JPG) .JPG) Left pic: equipment table with crushed digestive biscuits in red bowl, thick coffee in the mug, first layer of sponge half-drizzled with coffee, and the ice cream mix. Right pic: crushing the digestive biscuits in 5 mins with a plastic bowl and a ceramic mug. .JPG) .JPG) Left pic: Assembling the 2nd layer of ladies fingers (seen on left) Right pic: smoothening the top layer of digestive biscuits for a smooth finish. .JPG) .JPG) Left pic: cutting out the cocoa stencil with a penknife Right pic: sprinkling cocoa powder through the map of ancient Europe .JPG) Left pic: the wasted cocoa!!! But yum. Right pic: the finished product
[Tiramisu Ice-Cream Cake] |
samedi, août 21, 2010 Being babysat is a fun experience. I was babysat by two friends on Sat, from 230pm-1030pm, and this is my activity diary:2.30-3.00 - Tea Time! - I drank bubble tea at Novena Square - I had some exercise time: walk back to church 3.00-4.00 - Home Time - Then we went to my babysitters' new house, still being renovated, to play in the mud and muck for a while. We even had a visualisation exercise on "Let's Imagine What The Room Will Look Like", as well as a lesson on measurements with rulers and measuring tapes on the floor! We also had a bonus art lesson, on how to make a Screed Floor, and what makes it pretty. 4.00-5.00 - Making Money Light - We had a short lesson on mathematics, as we sat in a hot pink place full of lights, and worked on the object lesson for that time: budgeting and money. It was a good time because we learned that sometimes, going to further locations means cheaper deals! 5.00-7.00 - Cultural Exchange - Because it is the Because it is the month of Ramadan, it is a good time to visit Geylang Serai, to explore the festival that they have going on along the streets. It was a good time of eating putu piring, looking at really really really really cheap cushions and cushion covers, plants, and all sorts of other items on sale in the carnival! Along the way, we also explored some interesting surprises along the way: .JPG) 7.30-8.30 - Independent Project Time - My babysitters allowed me some time to work on my independent project, a tiramisu ice-cream cake, while they went to discuss some other matters with their uncle. I went shopping for cake boxes and trays, and cocoa powder. (Post coming up next about how to make this.) 8.30-10.30 - Dinner! - We ended the day with another semi-cultural exchange, eating dinner at Gurney Drive restaurant at AMK central. Not too expensive, and yummy to boot! Libellés : christian, church, humour [Being Babysat] |
mercredi, décembre 23, 2009 real computer geeks talk to their computers  Today the funniest thing happened - the church public computer was acting rather strangely and was performing very slowly (turns out it has a terrible virus which we're trying to exorcise now). J and I were typing on the Christmas programme, trying hard to figure out what was wrong with it. We decided that the computer was ill or just acting up. Immediately, both of us independently stroked the computer, simultaneously saying: (me) "Sayang-sayang" / (J) "Are you okay?" Behold the litmus test for real computer geeks. HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR COMPUTER TODAY? Libellés : church, personal, technology [real computer geeks talk to their computers] |
dimanche, juillet 05, 2009 Thinking about church discipline...  A rather passionate discussion with my mentor today re-started my thinking about the church and my own congregation - specifically, about teachers within my congregation, and about church discipline.This was particularly interesting because my former Pastor, AG, had recently sent along his weekly pastoral note - but the most recent note was not one written by him, but rather a note from another pastor: Where Extraordinary Grace And Celestial Joy Meet Oh, for my congregation to develop true spiritual maturity! We have fallen into the trap that so many smaller congregations fall into: leading the church with who is AVAILABLE, rather than who is ABLE. James 3:1 - Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.Oh, that we would take this injunction from God more seriously! Our teachers in Sunday School, in Wonderkids, in the Hands-On Bible Class, in our various cell/care groups - how many take this warning seriously enough to treat the Word of God with the care and diligence that is needed for good, strong, biblical teaching? How many leave preparations till the last minute, or worse, not bother to prepare at all, relying on "discussion time" to help pass the minutes till the lesson is over? For their inner lives, what do we know of them? How many are living upright personal lives, continually sanctifying themselves through prayer and petition? How many of them are living good family lives? How many are walking together with their partners in the right fear of the Lord? Indeed, how many are actually praying for the church and their friends - or perhaps, the question should be: are they even praying? There have already been examples of leaders who have disappointed with their behaviours. Will we have the strength to do what needs to be done, and to effect church discipline? The dead branches need to be pruned off, and the outlying branches brought and bent back into the fold. Will we have enough strength to impose sanctions and censure our wayward teachers, much less the rest of the congregational flock? Or will we be easy with ourselves, easy with the egos and people, easy with people's souls? The three fingers are pointing back at me too. Libellés : christian, church, thinking [Thinking about church discipline...] |
mercredi, juillet 01, 2009 Preach until people are blinded and deafened: "It's CAUSAL - BECAUSE I tell you the truth, you do not believe me.... the truth is so offensive, it guarantees unbelief... articulating the truth is going to harden their hearts... we still remain faithful, and leave the results to God... the Gospel will still be an aroma of life to some, even if it turns out to be an aroma of death to others..." It's sometimes very hard to listen to D.A. Carson, for fear that my head will either (a) explode from the sheer knowledge that he sprouts, or (b) fall off from all the nodding-in-agreement I'm doing! Libellés : christian, church, thinking [Preach until people are blinded and deafened:] |
vendredi, juin 26, 2009 This is a strange thing to say, but I felt extremely loved while driving up on my first Malaysian road trip to Batu Pahat. Andy, Matt, Uncle Andrew and Ming were all driving up, and they all made sure that everything was okay as we drove up in a five-car convoy. Andy leading the way, and Matt bringing up the rear (happily walkie-talkie-ing their way up, I'll bet!) It was really, really, really comforting to know that I wasn't driving the strange roads alone, and having to navigate the roads by myself (or with another passenger.) The same went for the ride back, with Isaac/Yuxun in the lead, and Ming/Julius getting my back. Ming & Jul behind us...  ...while we're happily safe.  Exiting Tuas checkpoint.  Nothing but blue sky and open road.
[The MACK's first road trip] |
mardi, juin 23, 2009 What happens when you use 3rd party software to chat... ... your phone dies from exhaustion. Heehee! Phone: fail. Libellés : church, humour, technology [What happens when you use 3rd party software to chat...] |
lundi, juin 08, 2009 A post I wrote in September last year, and only realised was left in "drafts" - More and more, I find that the World is really strange place to be if one is a Christian. Things are so alien, and are so incredibly incongruous to what we believe that I think 1 Peter 2:11-12 is really coming to life for me:Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. [An Alien, Alienated] |
mercredi, mai 20, 2009 PDL Day 06 - Life is a Temporary Assignment  This reminds me of a quote that a lovely lady once told me when I was 11 or 12, at a children's camp at the Christian Outreach to the Handicapped (1991? 1992?) - to learn to hold things with a loose grasp so that it doesn't hurt so much when God takes it away from us. (I think she was quoting Corrie Ten Boom, but I can't seem to find the actual quote and citation.) It's just really hard to remember not to grab everything we can in this "me" culture.It feels really comfortable on earth. Stuff fits us - clothes, shoes, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. There's always something MORE to do/ say/ eat/ take/ see/ experience/ encounter/ learn/ etc. And worse still, our own human desires pull us towards these things, and unyieldingly, we lean towards them... if we forget to check ourselves. My boss once criticised this of me (and he proclaims to be a Christian) - he said "Oh! Thought police!" I'll take that as persecution, thank you very much for adding to my riches in heaven, sir. It's crazy hard to remember this particular lesson: that this isn't home. This isn't our final destination. But it's not a vacation either! There's Matt 28, our eternal "to-do list" that never ends. So we straddle the two as best we can, muddling our way through with the Holy Spirit. I asked Andy last week if I should change jobs, to something a little more fulfilling, and something that would advance my career. He told me that he had once asked Ps. Jack Snell the same question. The answer? As usual, in the practice of all psychologists/counsellors, the answer came back in the form of a probing-reflective question: "Would it take time away from God?" I gave Andy a look that resembled the oft-used emoticon: -_- ... Oh, and Andy's been in his current job for about 10 years. How can one balance all the warring needs within us? To want to fulfil ourselves and our potential, and feel like a useful member of society, versus doing God's work and fulfilling our Holy function (to glorify God)? To meld the two is not impossible, but it's hardly economically-friendly - or put in less PC terms - there's really no money/easy street when you're doing God's work. Rom 7:19-20 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if (I) do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. It sucks being a sinful human. * Besides reminding me of the hymn "This World Is Not My Home", it also remind me of a lovely song by Chris Rice - Life Means So Much Life Means So Much Chris Rice [Album: Smell the Color Nine] Every day is a journal page Every man holds a quill and ink And there's plenty of room for writing in All we do is believe and think So will you compose a curse Or will today bring the blessing Fill the page with rhyming verse Or some random sketching Teach us to count the days Teach us to make the days count Lead us in better ways That somehow our souls forgot Life means so much Life means so much Life means so much Every day is a bank account And time is our currency So nobody's rich, nobody's poor We get 24 hours each So how are you gonna spend Will you invest, or squander Try to get ahead Or help someone who's under Teach us to count the days Teach us to make the days count Lead us in better ways That somehow our souls forgot Life means so much Life means so much Life means so much Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life And don't you think giving is all What proves the worth of yours and mine Teach us to count the days Teach us to make the days count Lead us in better ways That somehow our souls forgot Life means so much Every day is a gift you've been given Make the most of the time every minute you're living Libellés : christian, church, music, PDL2009, thinking [PDL Day 06 - Life is a Temporary Assignment] |
mardi, mai 12, 2009  (Warning: highly inflammatory)The AWARE issue just made me so angry that I shouted at someone in the office for trying to pin conservative values on all christians. Just because an anti-abortion, anti-gay message is coming from someone, does NOT necc. make it a Christian value - I was very angry at this conflation made because these bunch of idiotic women from COOS decided to take matters into their own hands. The church ALREADY has a platform - legal, moral, and God-driven - to preach our message of hope - it is the church. The fact of the matter is that the church in Singapore has generally FAILED to preach these hard messages - that life is sacred and begins at conception, that homosexuality is NOT supported by the church - so these sincerely wrong women decided to take matters into their own hands. These women should have done something other than to circumvent and take over something which is in the world - it's just engaging Satan on his own turf. If they are truly watchers of the Women's movement in Singapore - of which I have been an active observer of - they would have known that there are other things going on in AWARE - not just gay issues. If they were more involved with civil society in Singapore, as I am, then they would realise the metatexual issue at stake here, which is a statement on Singapore's civil society - the gay community (or GLBT/LGBT community) is very hard pressed to find a space to rally in Singapore, and therefore has to squeeze itself into the dialogue through spaces such as those provided by AWARE. Technically, because AWARE is a women's organisation, it should only champion lesbians - if it champions them at all. However, because lesbians and gays are related, there is issue-affinity there - then come along the bisexuals and the transexuals. GBLT is not a single-issue button - you press one, you get four minorities in with your cause. It is AWARE's fault for NOT realising that they should have refused to engage so much with lesbians because it would have meant taking on the collective baggage of ALL minority groups. We cannot delude ourselves into thinking that Christians are "neutral". This is the kind of thinking that confuses us. The ground that we stand on is never neutral. If we think it's neutral, we get sucked into this idea that our "conservative" stance is one which is held by most of society. While this is true in conservative Singapore, "most of society" is changing/degenerating fast. John 15: 18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. To think of ourselves as neutral is to take away the warning that Christ gave us: Matthew 10:16 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." --> Jesus to the disciples as he sent them out into the world. I find it irritating that Christians go out into the world, profess a Christian belief, and then get surprised and act so hurt when the world jumps on them for their beliefs. Have we been lulled so much into this myth of "tolerance" that we think that the "liberal left" doesn't have an agenda to push? That the "liberals" are really, all that liberal in the first place? Anyone who doesn't accept homosexuality and "liberal" values are persecuted by the sword! And they want to point a finger at us for the crusades? It's human nature to fear the thing we do not understand, and by extension, destroy it. Look at poor Miss USA (or whatever it was; Carrie Prejean?) She said she didn't support gay marriage, and now her whole family is receiving death threats. See these women who stood up (however wrongly) for "conservative family values"? Got publicly crucified by 3000 women at Suntec. Standing on the side of Christianity is NOT neutral ground. I wish Christians would stop looking so surprised when the world doesn't understand. In the wake of the AWARE saga, how should the church and Christians respond? My goodness, is that even a question? Study the bible, study WHY you're a Christian, and then get more involved with Christ and His work on earth - increase your bible literacy, work harder at Matt 28! Engagement with the world is through our lives, and unless your lives point to Christ, it's just (as Eccl says) meaningless stuff. I really didn't mean to go into a ten-paragraph rant on this issue, but everytime I think/talk about this AWARE issue, it makes me very (1) annoyed at COOS and (2) at these women, (3) and by extension, the church, for not giving women like these a platform to use their energy for Godly work instead of creating a mess. If COOS is patting these women on their back and congratulating them for changing Singapore MOE/AWARE history, I don't know what kind of church they are. Libellés : christian, church, current affairs, singapore [Christians and AWARE] |
jeudi, mars 12, 2009 Quote from interview with Rick Warren by Paul Bradshaw Interview with Rick Warren by Paul BradshawAuthor, "Purpose Driven Life" Pastor of Saddleback Church, California USA The reason for (troubles in this life) is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. It's a tough lesson to learn and live. [Quote from interview with Rick Warren by Paul Bradshaw] |
mardi, décembre 09, 2008 .jpg)  Yep, I love this area. My hinterland. :D Libellés : church, random, travel [我的地盘] |
samedi, novembre 15, 2008 A lifetime of kopi conversations  "christian stuff = more pastoral care / practical + applicable theology than divinity ... a wealth of lore and love for a lifetime of kopi conversations"This is what a good friend of mine told me in an MSN conversation about half a year ago, and I've kept it in storage for a while as I mulled over what he felt he wanted to contribute to the Christian dialogue. It's true that we Christians need to stand up and speak out a lot more about our faith. It's not that we have to make the Gospel practical - like God needs our help to make His timeless message relevant *snort* - but it's just that so many of us don't live life like God's at the centre of it all. It's an ugly, awful truth about ourselves, but there you have it, without the sugar and cream and cherry on top. We're supposed to be living examples of applicable theology, and instead, so many of us are waffling about in the shallow end of the baby pool, afraid and ashamed to plunge right in. Yes, we need to talk more about Jesus and about God. Yes, we need to live out our faith a little louder. Yes, we need to be pastoral in all that we do. My question to him is the same that I pose to all: how? (Ask me out for a kopi conversation to talk about this :D) Libellés : christian, church, thinking [A lifetime of kopi conversations] |
jeudi, août 07, 2008  My mother was a Malaysian, and as a result of her nationality, I spent most of my childhood holidays en route to places with strange-sounding names, like Batu Gajah, Ipoh, Taiping, Perak, and Butterworth (whose name afforded many afternoons of childhood musing.)My acceptance of travelling as a way of life grew from that, I suppose. There was always another world out there, just beyond the border - or, in my case, the causeway (whose name still affords many afternoons of grown-up musing.) Travelling was simply a thing that you could do, and quite affordably if you didn't mind some occasional discomfort. From the acceptance of travelling as a way of life grew the love of travel - it became a puzzle, something to work out. How can one get from Point A to Point B in the cheapest way possible, while visiting Point C, D, and E located in between, and within 3 days? It's a challenge to fit it all in, and I've learnt a lot about what I prioritise in life because of these perpetual exercises - for example, I'd give up a good meal anytime for a packet of sandwiches, if it means I can save money for London theatre tickets at The Globe. I'd give up the upgrade to the air-conditioned train if it means I get to spend more money buying trinkets at Malaysian pasar malams. All these feed into my absolute joy at hearing excited stories from SX who just returned from a hard-won trip to Leipzig, Germany. The happiness of poring over the quintessential LP guidebook, the joy at finding accurate maps, the wonder at the scenery and architecture of a foreign city, the excitement of figuring out train times and ticket prices, the curiousity when meeting new friends from foreign lands, the awe that grows when you see your bros and sisters worshiping God together, the amazement when you find out that you read the same crappy websites, the agony of eating bread and butter to save money, the slight fear at not being able to afford it all when you come back and pay it off... ...but above all, the absolute delight in enjoying God's creation. Grief shared is grief halved, and joy shared is multiplied exponentially. I am so glad that my absolute glee at travelling is now multiplied manifold. [The love of travelling] |
lundi, décembre 31, 2007  (Photos are from the Eio camera.)New years' eve was a hastily- organised affair which yours truly was assigned to look into. Thank goodness for online ordering - satay (and accoutrements), stingray, and chicken wings were ordered online, and the rest was easy to get from NTUC. We nearly burned the church down - or something. Andy was supposed to get the BBQ pits, but he underestimated the heat from the coals, which melted the aluminium foil trays that he was using as the pits. Result? One burned church table. (!!! !!!) The food was yummy though - after the initial sacrifices to the carbon god. Not many people came, either due to (1) other commitments to more funky countdown parties, or (2) too last minute. But there were enough people to finish the food, and enough people that it wasn't empty. All in all, it was a pretty good crowd size - not too few, not too many. Just nice.  After the cleanup, we all headed to United Square to play Monopoly (for no reason), but along the way, saw people on the overhead bridge. Realising that it was only 5 minutes away from the New Year, we went up to wait for the countdown as well - and managed to see the fireworks!So that's where I spent the crossing over: atop the overhead bridge immediately outside United Square, looking at the fireworks with some of my cell group members. I think it was a fun way to spend New Years - without the massive crowd quotient.  Fireworks!  Detour to the overhead bridge while headed to starbucks to play...  Monopoly! Winners in sequence: Michelle, Ming, May, Tim, Jem (I think.) Libellés : church [Countdown to 2008] |
mercredi, décembre 26, 2007  My Christmas this year was spent with a lovely little angel...  ... and some other lovely people who make life brighter. (1st row: Ben, Jon, Mich, Sharleen, Ade, May-Ann, Julian, Jeremy 2nd row: Andy, Tammi, Pastor, Minghui, Julius) [Christmas 2007] |
mercredi, décembre 19, 2007 Ah, air travel, how we love/hate thee .jpg) .jpg) (Although it doesn't really look like it, the domestic airport was really gutted - completely black and skeletal.)  So while I was (un)happily stressed out with a burnt-down Medan airport while trying hard to get to Aceh in one piece with my laptop and camera weighing me down like nobody's business...  I missed out on being in yet another church-wide photo. Sigh. [Ah, air travel, how we love/hate thee] |
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