New Year, New Day, New Beginning

I'm writing this post early because I just have to share these words by Henri Nouwen in his book "Here and Now: Living in the Spirit." In the past several years, I had grown from someone who enthusiastically made summer/fall/winter break to-do lists and new year's resolution to someon who became disappointed in unmet goals and the lack of discipline to achieve what I had envisioned. I grew skeptical about these lists but I think I've changed in the last few years; I've learned much more about accepting failures and the grace God gives. Anyway, here's an excerpt from Nouwen's book that I hope will encourage you at the cusp of another new year!

"A new beginning! We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning, as a unique opportunity to make everything new. Imagine that we could live each moment as a moment pregnant with new life. Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of promises. Imagine that we could walk through the new year always listening to a voice saying to us 'I have a gift for you and can't wait for you to see it!' Imagine.

Is it possible that our imagination can lead us to the truth of our lives? Yes, it can! The problem is that we allow our past, which becomes longer and longer each year, to say to us: 'You know it all; you have seen it all, be realistic; the future will be just another repeat of the past. Try to survive it as best as you can.' 

So what are we to do? We must open our minds and our hearts to the voice that resounds through the valleys and hills of our life saying: 'Let me show you where I live among my people. My name is 'God-with-you'. I will wipe away all the tears from your eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone' (see Revelation 21:2-5)

We must choose to listen to that voice, and every choice will open us a little more to discover the new life hidden in the moment, waiting eagerly to be born."

Links lately

Moon during the day, York-summer 2013

Looking at beautiful photography on blogs is one of my favourite past times since my days in the US. I want to share some of the blogs I find lovely again, since I realised I have lost some of the nice blogs that I used to visit as I did not keep track of them.
-This photographer and particularly this photo session in Scotland
-Beautiful design and calligraphy of these wedding stationery.
-This unique and vibrant orange backdrop to a wedding.
...and rediscovering some blogs I used to visit:
Sandra Juto (one of the earliest blogs that taught inspired me to take pictures of random buildings, signs, the road etc)
Curating cuteness
My Haru
Hei Astrid
3191 miles apart (a diptych blog by two friends)
Mieke willems

ps: I will try to blog more often again because blogging is a good way for me to stay organised.

February on Lake Lucerne

It was sunny (this was during winter and in a week of gloomy weather), breathtaking, and unforgettable.

Lake Lucerne is located in central Switzerland, just like how this vignette of our boat ride on the lake is in the centre of our first day of seeing Switzerland, and the only spot of sunshine in that day.

The sun broke out around noon time after we had almost given up hope to see the beautiful mountains in Switzerland during our short trip there in February to visit Rebekka and her family. We rejoiced and welcomed the sunshine, recognising that it was God's favour to his children. It made the journey even more delightful.

Words and pictures do not suffice to describe how beautiful the scenery was. Super grateful for the experience.

As the year draws to a close, this is still the lesson that I need to learn: to always remember and be thankful in life...

Early days at the new home, part 2

My favourite drink that I created: milo + cinnamon sugar + frothed milk (so so good for those cold rainy evenings at home)

Thank you God for the new home, and for time with family and visiting relatives in this new place.

Early days at the new home, part 1

 One of the best parts of this new home is the trees surrounding us.

 "Fall"

 Rare sunset sky since it almost always rains during this hour.

 Homemade dumplings to get me through the days while mom was back in KK.

 Hand-squeezed orange juice

 Work preparation

 One Sunday morning, an owl friend came visiting.

 Sunny day

 Pasta cooking that was inspired by the Youth Over Flowers in Africa series (Chef Bong).

 Tea time

 Purple flowers

 Dew on the needles

 Matcha latte at home

Mood 2

Sharon and Jinah's visit

Sharon and her cousin Jinah came to visit me two weeks after YuMin and her sister did. I was really glad to see Sharon again because the last time I saw her was five years ago in Chicago. Despite the tight schedules as I had to work, we made the best of our time together in Kuching. Here are some of the things we did and saw.

Dinner at The Junk, a fancy restaurant with decorations that resemble things that people would have in their Kuching houses several decades ago. The food was really good and served in massive bowls.

My salmon gnocchi

Jinah is a speech therapist and an experienced traveller. She's very cute when we took this photo.

 Dessert time at the Chinahouse.

There was something really refreshing and calm about the riverside that night, probably due to the heavy rain that had just washed down on everything that evening. Sharon also found the view across the river to the Astana very captivating.

 The next morning, this was my duty while my two friends relaxed in the hotel:

 Lunch break runs: Audrey brought us to have local food at the hawker center near Pandungan

Since Sharon was interested in learning about the history and culture of Sarawak, we went to the Sarawak Museum (free entrance, lacks air-con, has some good cultural/ethnological artifacts to be viewed, and no photos were allowed inside). I dropped them off at a nearby mall (after getting lost a bit on the road) and rushed back to the examination place to continue the afternoon exams.

After finishing my first day accompanying violin students for their exams at the Hilton Hotel, Sharon and I went to Kai Joo Cafe to chat and update each other about our lives. 

We were caught in a heavy rain when we arrived India street so we spent some time taking photos of the shops that were closing, and eventually headed to the same place we went to the night before because it was the closest place to avoid the rain.

 

Ending this post with silly photos we took while waiting for dinner. ;)