Spectacles!

Ah Jon got his new spectacles today! Then we asked the optician to test Timothy and Jos. Believe it or not, Tim got astigmatism as well, 75-200! However Jos is perfect.
Ah Jon... (this picture has been retouched!)

Look at Timmy... this is the result of too much small screen ... Cost RM88.

I found some useful resources for effective evangelism

Ten excuses for not doing evangelism

Effective Evangelism

Lifestyle Evangelism

Culture

Church Leaders

Mid Brain Activation Class
The nest session of mid-brain activation class is on this weekend 7-8 June 2008. If you are interested please contact me at +6012 878 2007.

Mid brain activation training improve a child in the following ways:

• Better memory
• Better concentration & focus
• Improved character
• More creative mind
• Better learning capabilities
• More confidence & mental stability

The end result is that the child do better in school.

开发间脑的好处
加强集中力 加强记忆力
加强创作力 加强领悟力
发挥文武力 平衡荷尔蒙
重建生命钟 稳定的情绪

Loving Your Prodigal
I read about this interview on H. Norman Wright book "Loving Your Prodigal" and I thought that it is quite good. The way it define "prodigal" bring new meaning. I always thought it is referring to someone who "run away" or someone who "left the Christian faith" but now he/she is returning.

Here is the extract of the definition of the term prodigal from the interview.

What do you mean by the term prodigal?

The word is used to describe someone who is extremely wasteful. In the biblical story of the prodigal son, the son wastes his inheritance and so much more. Prodigal children waste the values their parents have worked to instill in them. They waste their potential, their abilities, their health, their future. In some cases, they waste their lives. For the sake of our discussion, I consider a child who has rejected the values of his family to be a prodigal, even if that child still lives at home, even if that child is 12 years old.

To read answers to other questions, please click here.

Why do some children become prodigals while other children in the same family don't?
Is there anything parents can do that will keep a child from becoming a prodigal?
You mentioned early signs of rebellion. What are they?
How does a parent maintain that kind of awareness with an 11-year-old who insists on privacy or a 14-year-old who won't talk about anything?
So if a child does rebel, despite the parent's best efforts, it must be devastating. How can parents deal with the emotions that come with a prodigal child?
In your book, you talk about the shame factor that often keeps parents from seeking support from friends or even from their church. How can parents move past that shame?
How can those of us who haven't dealt with this ourselves reach out to families who might be too embarrassed to talk about their prodigal child?
What can parents do to bring their prodigal back home, literally or figuratively?

Methodist Churches, Miri District Sport Day
Note: About 50% of the photos are published at photobucket. The complete full resolution photo can be viewed at Mei Ann's office on a DVD. If you want a personal copy, please message me on the comment. Cost RM20 each.
It had been a warm morning. The sport event was supposed to start at 7:00AM but was delayed by 30 minutes. Some churches turn up in full force. For GMC, about 10% of the total congregation came. Anyway, it was quite fun.
Opening ceremony by DS Liik...

Miri Praise Dance group ...

Ya... brother Teck Chung... warming up now. Group performance was marked!

As usual, there were fund raising by Mei Eng and Tudan BM churches. They need more fund for building their own churches.
Big and juicy dragon fruit from Mei Eng

Tudan BM Ministry - raising fund to build their own church costing RM700K.

Selling their handy craft

Fingers food etc...

Tea leave picker... you have to bounce the ball on the floor and catch it using the basket behind you.

Water ball ... fill up the balloon with water and run to the other end ...

and he spilled most of the water ...

... and fill up the bottle here.

Pass the "love" on. The rubber band must be passed to the next in line until the last person. Winner is the team who pass the most rubber band.

Tug-of-war... these ladies were serious... they were here to win! Actually they did win the game.

I think the supporters spent more energy pulling an imaginary rope...

... the supporters probably enjoy more in this game...

... refuse to give in easily. This team from GMC is a real fighter...

Connie... she was also very excited....

ok, final scores...

The winner!

Also a winner...

Overall, it was quite fun!
Ok, some candid shots... the weather was quite hot.
The ice "missed" her mouth...

oop...

Mother daughter bonding ...

... and more sibling bonding ...

... and the youngest hair stylist at work.

Overall, it was more of a family event if you don't take the competitive part too seriously.

Appendicitis - Peter got it
Remember not long ago I talked about Peter stomach pain? His severe pain started in the afternoon and he went to see a GP in town who could not figure out what is wrong with him. Subsequently the doctor sent him home after prescribing some pain killer for him.
That evening he didn't turn up for CG and I asked Margaret through the hand phone where the pain was and whether the pain moved around or not. I thought she told me that the pain was stationary at one place.
However, we prayed for him for divine healing. He stayed at home for the whole night until 9AM the second day before seeing another doctor who scanned him and did a blood test. He was confirmed immediately that he had appendicitis. Operation was almost immediate to have it removed.
Thanks God that there is nothing serious. He was discharged two days later. This morning, he has his thread removed and I took a picture of the "cut".
Actually this was exactly the position where the pain came from. We read somewhere that one of the very unique "feature" of appendicitis is that the pain moves around in the lower abdomen. Another tell tale sign is that you sometimes don't know where the pain came from!

Birthday Surprises
I have to say that I am deeply surprised and touched by some of the things that I received today. First, we were at the church moving furniture around as we wanted to do renovation. Then brother James make an announcement and broadcast to everyone that today is my birthday! Then the surprise came... hahaha


Brother James has arranged someone to buy a small piece of cake with a candle from Southern Cake Shop nearby... and asked Angeline to present it to me with everyone singing "Happy Birthday". Well, thanks, brother James for arranging this and to everyone else for "celebrating" my birthday. This thought deeply touch me! God bless you all!

ok, I have to blow the candle only.

Then another friend actually bought a big coconut cheese cake...

from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Very nice cake...

... and Joshua ...

... and Timothy and Ah Jon enjoyed them very much. Thanks to my far away friend.

Then another surprise came actually two days earlier. I got a call from a courier company as they wanted to deliver a package to me. I was guessing what it could be... a package bomb? I didn't order anything! Then I saw it was from my investment company. Upon opening, this is what I saw. A goodies basket from Mark and Spencer.... wa, this year is different.

Janice did an entry in her blog for my birthday and publish it just after midnight. How thoughtful of her.

Gawai Holiday Breakfast
Brother James SMS me first thing in the morning for breakfast with Kwok Foo. So we went to Yakin Food Court. Believe it or not, that place was packed with people! We met so many familiar people there... colleagues, church friends... Kok Chui and Lu Tien Tiong families...

Lu Tien Tiong's "partial" family. Esther Lu (missing in the photo) is away studying. Leonard (standing) is the eldest son and he scored very good results in his Form 6 (STPM). Praise be to God! He is now waiting for some good news from his uni application. I hope he got what he wanted.

Ok, we have William law, James and Kwok Foo. Kwok Foo brought his camera. He wanted to ask me to take a look to see whether his setting was correct but he didn't realise that the battery was flat!

Some of the food we order

Mee soup...

Yu tao...

Laksa...

The food there is nice.

Gawai (Harvest) Celebration
This year Gawai had been rather quiet. I could hardly hear any fire cracker. I am just wondering whether there is anything to do with the economic situation here. Or rather the police has been more successful in catching all the fire cracker importers.
Anyway, we visited only one brother in Christ. He is from the Iban Methodist Congregation. They prepared a lot of food, I would say, cooked in typical Iban style. I like them! They are non-spicy.
They also have a table full of finger food...

Our Pastor Law and Brother James...

Youths ...

Pastor blessed the one month old baby with olive oil.

I found some useful resources for effective evangelism

Ten excuses for not doing evangelism

Effective Evangelism

Lifestyle Evangelism

Culture

Church Leaders

I found some useful resources for effective evangelism

Ten excuses for not doing evangelism

Effective Evangelism

Lifestyle Evangelism

Culture

Church Leaders

Visit to the Optician

Are spectacle frame so useless nowadays or is it the user's fault. I knew that I sat on my spectacles and the frame changed shape and finally broke off. Now, I make a special effort not to abuse my spectacles as they are getting expensive. But I noticed a consistent problem, ie, fancy frame with spring. They look and feel good but in reality, they are hopelessly fragile! Look at this...

After searching through the whole collection, the optician finally announced the disappointing news... we cannot change the frame. We must now buy a new set. So off he went to the machine for a quickie review.... You know what, his astigmatism has increased. Ok, more accurate measurement is now needed.

The optician brought him to a dim room and got him to sit still and put on him a special spectacles (I am not an optician, so no technical jargon). He was put through a battery of tests with different test glass. Fortunately I have my wonder D3 with me and I manage to snap pictures in almost any condition without flash.

Finally he appeared at the door with the strange looking spectacles just to ensure that he can see well. The optician announced 325 to 350 and 350 to 400. Wah.... what has he done to himself? Is there any cure for astigmatism? I understand it is due to an uneven retina.
The Chinese believes "eat heart for heart", "eat brain for brain", "eat liver for liver". Usually they are organs of pig. If the saying is true, I will have to buy bags of pig eyes for Ah Jon to eat now! LOL. oh... forgot, the damage is RM168, ie, 26 pounds to our pocket. In UK, this would have costed 168 pounds. No leh... Janice think that it probably cost less than half of this because he is still a student.