Bert 45th Birthday

Dear All

We celebrated our daddy/hubby's 45th birthday today. Instead of getting the usual off the rack cake (read as...to save cost ;) haha), the little wife made him a butter cake (recipe courtesy of Janice). I made it on Friday evening and kept it in the fridge. When we cut it this evening, boy, was it hard as stone!

I baked it will tender loving care, making sure it didn't burn on top, watching it very carefully, adjusting the flame to bottom flame only and later turning the temperature down. It looked perfect UNTIL Bert cut it....eeerrr, it was a bit charred at the bottom. If only I had X-ray vision, I could have seen through metal....well, goes to show there's no such thing as perfect, ya? The main thing, Bert appreciated it, and it taste good. Thanks again to Janice, I made sure I used Golden Churn! Haha!

For dinner, the girls wanted to go to Crown Plaza at T3 (again! It'll be our 3rd time this year alone)...seems like this would be another one of our favourite haunt, except we can't do this too often cos it's like so ex! So we will keep it just for special occasions. We had the buffet and fortunately, Tiffany's still 12 and considered a child, so she was charged half price. This time, they changed the buffet spread but still kept the nicer ones like the pasta with cream sauce, the chilli crabs, delectable western deserts and Felicia's fav...the sushi. This time they added the Japanese baby octopus. We all ate till we almost popped! This time round, there were fewer customers, so the service was superb till the waitress almost took away Felicia's plate when she was not done yet! Talk about personal butler service ya?

T3 is a great place to do last minute shopping too. As teacher's day is around the corner, the girls suddenly decided that they need to give all their teachers a present! That now includes cateschism teachers and even Felicia's choir teacher!! So we popped over to Candy Empire and grabbed boxes to chocolates and then over to Mini-bits or was it Mini-Toons, and grabbed a few artificial flowers. I didn't want the girls to get the usual teacher's day stuff as when I was at Popular bookstore on Friday, practically all the school kids were buying the usual gifts. I pity the teachers who'll be receiving countless similar gifts. With all the buying, did the girls offer to foot at least part of the bill? Not a peep there....all costs are borne courtesy of mum and dad! I think I need to have a word with them tomorrow, as they are now so bush and asleep. Sunday is a very busy day for us as it's 9:30am Mass followed by 2h Chinese tuition and then visiting my parents at night after we ta-pao our dinner.

I better hit the sack too. Good nite.

Love Theresa

LC Sharing Session @ Anne&Matthew's

Dear All

For those who couldn't make it for the LC gathering last week, the sharing question was:

John 15:16-27:

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: Love one another."

Reflection question:

How would our children describe me as a husband or wife especially to our grandchildren?

Here's the hosts - Matthew & Anne

The yummy ice (Rice) cha-chang? cum nasi lemak

Love Theresa

It will be my 45th birthday this Sat...

Dear God,

This coming Saturday will be my 45th birthday. I have walk and breathe on this planet for a good 45 years....as such I have so much to thank you in a way that sometimes I feel that I did not thank you enough...so I think I better thank you for the following that happen in my life...Better than never...!

1. In all my 45 years I have never been admitted to a hospital for any serious aliments.. ...For that I thank you.
2. I thank you for giving me a happy family and my spouse.
3. I thank you for giving me a stable income enough to feed a family of 4.
4. I thank you for my late mother, without which I don't think I would be a Catholic, perhaps a Taoist or maybe Freethinker of sorts or maybe a Buddhist, I don't know...
5. I thank you for the peace that you have given me and am still having it.
6. I thank you for the small cosy house of which now I am staying.
7. I thank you for giving me that ability to sleep very well at night.
8. I thank you for at the age of 45, I still have most hair on my head.
9. I thank you for at the age of 45 am still able to run and jog quite a distance which is my passion.
10. Lastly but not the least, I thank you for your presence in my life especially during my difficult times, all these great 45 years.

THANK YOU, LORD! THANK YOU!

P.S. I also would like to thank you, Lord, at the age of 45, I am still able to type this Thank You note to you on the computer...

Sincerely,
AlbertY

Feast of Assumption of Our Lady

Dear All

We recently celebrated the Feast Day of the Assumption of Our Lady. Fr Joseph gave the sermon. We attended the 1pm Mass on Sat. As Tiff's common test starts this week (and the marks are counted towards her final exams), she grumbled why must we attend Mass today and again on Sunday.

Fr Joseph summed it up so nicely. We honour and talk to our mothers and fathers often. This special day is dedicated in honour of Our Lady just as Fr Joseph have a family gathering on every dead anniversary of his mum to remember her.

He asked us...how many of us pray to Our Lady? Numerous hands, including Tiff and mine went up. Next he asked...how many of us had our prayers answered by Our Lady? Again the same hands shot up including ours.

Even before Jesus came to serve His people, Mary was already doing that. She said Yes to God and she went to help Elizabeth though she herself was expecting. She truly is a good example to Jesus as a child, as well as to us.

Fr said the very fact that Mother Mary has been answering our prayers is a testament that she truly is in heaven today.

As a parting challenge to us, he asked that instead of always asking Mary and our parents for things, we should try to tell our parents how much we love them. We should speak to our parents the way we speak to our girlfriends and boyfriends during courtship times...with concern and love and attention.

Have you told your parents, if they are still around, how much you love them? Perhaps we could pray for them and especially for our parents who are no longer with us, and the Good Lord and Mother Mary would bring them to heaven.

Happy belated feast day!!

Love Theresa

FireProof Website

Dear All

You can go to www.fireproofyourmarriage.com to read sample pages of the 40 days dare featured in the Fireproof movie.

The 1st day's dare is : If you are tempted to say something negative, hold your tongue...it's best not to say anything.

I've asked Tiffany to apply this today. The siblings are daily at each other's throats whenever they are at home together. So whilst at dinner, when Tiff was about to call her sis names to even just mentioned a negative comment, I gently reminded her to stop. She did. And guess what? No negative reaction from Feli. If you remember science, we were taught "Every action has a reaction". So if the action is stopped in time, there'll not be any reaction. That translate to a more peaceful family environment...at least for a couple of hours tonight ;)

Who says the LoveDare needs to be applied only between couples? I think it applies to all relationships, especially amongst family members starting from the immediate family. Afterall, the LoveDare was taken from the Holy Bible, and the Holy Bible is the true guide for mankind to live a holy way, the way God meant us to live in order to be truly free.

If I remember correctly, Day 2's dare is to do an act of kindness in addition to not saying anything negative.

Love Theresa

Bert's Colleague

Dear All

For many of us, this National Day weekend is a wonderful long weekend. Some may be partying, some may be shopping...for us, we had decided to keep it simple and rented DVDs and just stayed home.

During this financial crisis and H1N1 situation, we must thank the Lord for all the wonderful things He has given us instead of grousing and complaining.

Bert's colleague, who is just 29 years and planning to get married next year, is now lying in ICU fighting for her life. She is a victim of H1N1.

She's a slim and healthy lady who had just completed a marathon. No underlying ailment whatsoever. Yet another colleague recovered from the virus, but she's in critical condition. She just had 3 heart ops and the docs had decided not to sew up the opening just in case they have to go in again. And it all started out with a flu. She saw the GP who diagnosed it as H1N1. As her symtoms were mild then, she was given 7 days MC to stay home. She was supposed to be back to work tomorrow, Tues. Her lungs are also filled with fluid.

I am worried for her and pray for her and her loved ones. I am worried too about this virus. Why? At first it's because those who are asthematic are at risk and Feli is asthematic. Now I'm worried as, at least to me, the virus seemed to have mutated somewhat...it's attacking even those who are apparently healthy and young.

Hopefully, researchers would find an effective vaccine for this virus soon.

The good point that came from deciding not to go out this long weekend was, we finally got to watch the movie Fireproof. I saw it 2x, once with Bert and the second time with Feli. I even cried on the second watching. It's truly and beautiful and touching story. I realised from the show now more clearly the LC question and Bert posed last month. How do we see the crucifix in our married life?

To me, it's to love Bert even if he doesn't respond back. It is to give and never expect to receive.

This would be particularly so when one of us gets senile or ill or in such a state that there's no response. It is to live our wedding vows, with the grace and strength of the Lord, to love our spouse even if we hurt inside. That's the way the Lord wants us to be because that's the true meaning of love.

Love Theresa