The Secret of Being Glad ! (John 11:25-26)

Smile! We have eternal life. "Those who believe in Me will never die!" Jesus said in John 11:25-26.

Nathan and I just read a book titled "Pollyanna" in which she changed people's lives by teaching them to play a game called a 'just being glad' game. Basically, in any sad situation, we must find something to be glad about. There's always something to be glad about. (I highly recommend all of you to read this classic book!) Pollyanna's father made it into a game to help Pollyanna be glad about everything even though they were very poor.

Did you know there are more than 800 verses in the Bible that tells us to 'Rejoice; or 'Be glad' or 'Thanks be to God' ?
If God takes the time to tell us to rejoice so much, it must be real important.

My father told me once. When he was in secondary school, he had a wonderful christian teacher. This teacher showed real care for them and even for the naughty boys like him. My father said he used to wonder, "What is he so happy about?" Because this teacher was always smiling and happy compared to other teachers.
After my dad became a christian more than 40 years later, he realized something. That teacher must have been always joyful because he is a christian!

Yes, a christian must always find things to be glad about. She must not pout and look harrassed all day long. She must not moan and complain and lament about things she lost or cannot have.
Nay, a christian must be joyful because in our Savior and Lord there is always something to be glad about.
After all, we are the only people who will never die. Praise Him!


²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶ and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 
(John 11:25-26)

Happiness is : having your very own Nespresso machine

A gift that keeps on giving!
The coffee we make is always perfecto !
No more runny or stale coffee. No more running to starbucks across the road for a quick fix. It's all right here at home.
Every capsule costs about one dollar. And we are in control of how much sugar and milk we put in. No extra costs.

I love intense coffee, so my favorite is ristretto, arpeggio, indriya, and decaf intenso. They're all rated above 8 for intensity.
But I also love to get two shots if the intensity is 5. Dulsao and cappricio is ideal for two shots.

The machine is really over priced, if you ask me. So I'm glad I got this as a gift. If not, we might never have embarked on this aromatic and totally satisfying journey of nespresso.

happiness is ...

... brushing hair together with your daughter in the morning.

As I started to brush hair, my 9-month-old Emma was very interested with my hairbrush.
So I took out her little soft-bristled, purple baby hairbrush and lets her play with it while I brushed my hair.
What bliss!

I thought about the many times when I was younger. When I was dreaming about having my own daughter doing stuff with me.

Praise the Lord for His amazing attention to detail in perfectly ordinary stuff.

happiness is Watching your baby devour food with gusto!

BLW works!

Emma is now 7 months old. She's eating all kinds of stuff with us on the table. I'm watching the sugar and salt content, though. She mostly eats steamed vegetables, and grilled meat or pan-fried tofu.

In this photo above, she is munching on a shiitake mushroom, lightly pan-fried with olive oil.

So she could eat spaghetti and meatballs with us. Steak and baked potatoes. Grilled fish with miso. Etc.
She snacks on crackers with soft camembert cheese. Bread with cheese. Steamed japanese sweet potatoes.
She eats tons of fruits and veggies!

She does not choke because we observe what the book advises us to do with her.
I strongly recommend all parents and would be parents to read the book before doing this. Once you get the hang of it, it's so useful!
Our mealtimes is a happy occasion, three times a day!
We must treat meals for her as playtimes, as exploring time, instead of a chore.

Plus, Emma is still fully breast-fed. Thank God for that.

I'm lovin' it.
http://www.baby-led.com/

happiness is Seeing your daughter smile to a picture of shinkansen on the wall

(picture taken from http://digitalcitizen.ca/ with thanks)

When my son was a baby, he loved to look at a pooh plush toy sitting beside his changing table every time he was being changed. I remembered that lesson to heart. Before Emma was born I looked for a vivid picture, maybe in black and white, that might be her company beside her cot or changing table.

At the last minute, I found an old place mat of Shinkansen from my dining room. I almost threw it away a year ago, we've had it for so long.

I'm glad I didn't.

I knew the stark blue on white and the cute smiley face would attract a baby, hopefully would make her feel better during changing time.

I involved the big brother to paste it on the wall beside her changing table. He is now happy that she likes it.

Indeed, it works like a charm !

Emma always looks at the picture automatically since she was a newborn, and now even coos and smiles to it. Countless times we have thanked God for it, because it stops her from crying.

Little shinkansen has really been a comfort to Emma during those dirty diaper times. And a big help to us.

Choo choo!

Happiness is Seeing your hamster happy again

My son always adjusts quickly to a new house. He has no problems at all. In fact, he is enjoying it thoroughly. He enjoys moving into a new room, enjoys traveling the new route to school. But our beloved white pearly dwarf hamster, Remy, didn't share his excitement.

Remy was out of sort for days. He refused to walk into our hands, even into my husband's hand, which was his favorite. He also didn't want to walk into his food bowl like he usually does when we give him fresh dried food. My husband was kind of broken hearted for a while, worried. But he was also sure that Remy is just adjusting to the new environment. It is rather more noisy in our house with the sound of traffic nearby. Maybe that's why.

Anyway, today Remy was back to normal. He took to our hands more readily, chewing his food happily, and was looking contentedly sleepy at approriate times. We bought him a new maze for his habitrail ovo extension bowl. He explored the whole place calmly, and soon found a nice little nook for naps.

Come to think of it, he's already two years old. My son was praying that he would live long enough. This is one unusual hamster, folks. Simply irresistable in his mild manners and sweetness. It's so good to see him looking content and happy again.

Happiness is ...

Happiness is a plate of ayam penyet with rice on the side.

I'm thankful that here in Singapore I can still occasionally enjoy this crispy fried chicken dish complete with sambal belacan.

Yummy!