Broke but not broken shall carry you through...

The definition of broke is penniless but being penniless will not break your spirit to carry on with your life. Well, that should be the simplest explanation to the person who asks. BUT there's an undercurrent which lies beneath that phrase...
There are ways to look at things differently. A person may feel that someone has broken his spirit, hurt his ego and downright plunge into his inner man, but as long as the whole physical self was not broken, one shall carry through with life. No doubt everything was broken on the inside, but the outer shell was still intact, the main physical build was not broken, thus it will take time to heal the inner-self. But in this case, there will be no changes in character building because as long as a person does not have a broken and contrite heart, a new one cannot be given to him. Same ol'... same ol'... nothing can break this person except when God decides to stand before him and if that doesn't break him, then he's of the the evil one. A lieutenant of Satan.... or maybe a Sergeant...

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

[Psalm 51:17]

Every prayer to the Lord will not return void...

Do not be afraid of those

who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Rather, be afraid of the One

who can destroy both soul and body

in hell.

[Matthew 10:28]

An Awareness of Reality...

... and be warned...

This is a prayer of David's supplication... a cry unto the Lord to act against those who wronged him.

O God, whom I praise,

do not remain silent,

for wicked and deceitful men

have opened their mouths against me;

they have spoken against me with lying tongues.

With words of hatred they surround me;

they attack me without cause.

In return for my friendship they accuse me,

but I am a man of prayer.

They repay me evil for good,

and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint an evil man to oppose him;

let an accuse stand at his right hand.

When he is tried, let him be found guilty,

and may his prayers condemn him.

May his days be few;

may another take his place of leadership.

May his children be fatherless

and his wife a widow.

May his children be wandering beggars,

may they be driven from their ruined homes.

May a creditor seize all he has;

may strangers plunder the fruits of his labour.

May no one extend kindness to him,

or take pity on his fatherless children.

May his descendants be cut off,

their names blotted out from the next generation.

May the iniquity of his fathers be

remembered before the Lord;

may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.

May their sins always remain before the Lord,

that he may cut off the memory of

them from the earth.

For he never thought of doing a kindness,

but hounded to death the poor

and the needy and the broken-hearted.

He loved to pronounce a curse -

may it come on him;

he found no pleasure in blessing -

may it be far from him.

He wore cursing as his garment;

it entered into his body like water,

into his bones like oil.

May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,

like a belt tied for ever round him

May this be the Lord's payment to my accusers,

to those who speak evil of me.

But you, O Sovereign Lord,

deal well with me for your name's sake;

out of the goodness of your love,

deliver me.

For I am poor and needy,

and my heart is wounded within me.

I fade away like an evening shadow;

I am shaken off like a locust.

My knees give way from fasting;

my body is thin and gaunt.

I am an object of scorn to my accusers;

when they see me, they shake their heads.

Help me, O Lord my God;

save me in accordance with your love.

Let them know that it is your hand,

that you, O Lord, have done it.

They may curse, but you will bless;

when they attack they will be put to shame,

but your servant will rejoice.

My accusers will be clothed with disgrace

and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.

With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;

in the great throng I will praise him.

For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,

to save his life from those who condemn him.

[Psalm 109]

Who is wise? He will realise these things.

Who is discerning? He will understand them.

The ways of the Lord are right;

the righteous walk in them,

but the rebellious stumble in them.

[Hosea 14:9]

"I will heal their waywardness

and love them freely,

for my anger has turned away from them."

[Hosea 14:4]

Revolving Restaurant...

The Revolving Restaurant has been in City Bayview Hotel for years, but it was my first time stepping into the place. As I've always have difficulty picking a place to dine in, thus the decision to dine there was an impromptu one.
Yes, I love food. And I love good food. Splendid taste. The place is different as it is really revolving 360-degree but of course at a very slow pace if not the food will go flying everywhere. Can enjoy the view of Penang Island but seems like I enjoyed the food more than the view...
Although there's not much to choose from, but they tasted great. The cakes... *slurp* *yummy*

Oh...oh... oh~! My favourite of all.... prawns... and butterfish... I am truly blessed to be able to enjoy my life in such a way. Incomprehensible. There are so many other in-house hotel restaurants to dine in. EverGreen Laurel has an amazing array of food to choose from. Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O)...

Reminder: Don't weigh yourself on the bathroom scale or else you'll be so depressed that all the sweat from working out daily for months... GONE within an hour of having a sumptous meal.

A Perfect Sunday...

Observing the Sabbath? I'm afraid I fail to do that as there are just too many activities going on in my Sunday plan. It started with the same thing... WORK... but the 3 hours of work no doubt it is taxing and sometimes I was hit by the lazy and sleepy bug, I managed to end it in a good note. The rest of the activities are the ones that I enjoy doing very much...
Movies~! Not going to do movie marathon in the mean time because there's just not enough time in between. So after catching a movie, reading time at Borders. There's not much to shop around. I get bored with seeing clothes, begs, shoes and all those stuff. Inventory on my clothes... my clothes can last me at least 5 to 6 months without any washing. Oh, well... finished reading a good book... an inspiring one written by a Sri Lankan lady...
Then, after an hour or so of sharpening the mind, it's time to tone the muscles. It was a good game - win or lose doesn't matter... haha...Dinner and grocery shopping in Tesco... I'm very familiar with the arrangement of stuff so can get things quick and leave. I don't really like to shop there but still have to get all the food stuff. Then, time to speed the spiritual soul...
....and the last will be getting myself hook to the computer then slumber time and oh,no... MONDAY~! Argh~! Paperwork... :(

You Can't Have One Without the Other...[169]

Faith is like calories; you can't see them, but you can always see their results~! Genuine faith produces genuine works.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

[James 2:14]

It's like asking, what good is it to have a driver's license if you can't drive? The answer is: None~! It's like asking, can that kind of phony faith save? The answer is: No~! We are justified by faith alone, but not by the faith which is alone. Genuine, saving faith is accomplished by faith; it is not found in the empty wastes of hollow words.

Characteristics of genuine faith:

1. It is not indifferent but involved. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? [James 2:15-16] In one way or another, most of us have been that needy person and can still remember the empty platitudes we received instead of real help. The proof of genuine faith is missing - real food and real clothes. Echoes... If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. [1 John 3:17-18]


2. Genuine faith is not independent but in partnership. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. [James 2:17] Faith and works go together like a horse and carriage. You can't have one without the other. Dissolve the partnership and faith dies. Faith was never designed to dwell alone, separate from the partner that proves its existence.


3. Genuine faith is not invisible but on display. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. [James 2:18]
4. Genuine faith is not intellectual but from the heart. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. [James2:19]

This person's defense against not having any works is to hide behind an impressive knowledge of God's Word. James said that the demons have their religious facts straight, but they're still demons. We can know all the religious facts we want, but until we believe in Christ, we're no more Christian than the demons.

There is one interesting between the intellectual friend and the demons; the demonic tribes tremble at the thought of God but the dead faith of the religious intellectual doesn't produce even that much of a reaction. James is not ridiculing having an intelligent faith; rather, he's mocking those religious intellectuals who love to debate religious truth but have no plans whatsoever to commit themselves to following Jesus Christ.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? [James 2:20]

If you take away the element of application, you're left only with mere intellectual assent, which neither glorifies God nor helps the person who possesses it.

Two commendable Old Testament Examples:

Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, " Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

[James 2:21-25]

Both evidenced the same kind of faith.

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. [James 2:26]

Where there is separation there is death. Without works, faith is nothing but a corpse, void of vitality and useless to everybody but the undertaker.

James isn't saying that our salvation is dependent on our works. Nor is he trying to make us produce more works out of guilt or fear. He's only questioning those who claim to believe in Christ but whose lives never show any evidence of that faith.

Too Proud to Apologize...

When a man of high social standing refuses to apologize to another and make things look like the other person is psychotic in nature, it proves only one thing, he's just too proud of himself. Always thinking he's right, never see his own fault... eat up your own phrase donkey...

Do not just see beyond your nose because it may be dirty too

and how about this one as well...

You can never run away from your own shadow till you become the light

This might taste delicious if you can swallow it whole...

The easiest way to solve a problem is to see it as not

And this one suits you really well...

I cannot change anyone or anything, but i can definitely change myself.

You're the total opposite of this... HYPOCRITE~!

Often we use people and love things when we should be loving people and using things instead

For this one that comes from yourself, too time to digest it in your own stomach...

Often we ourselves are to blame for tripping over our own foot

This is definitely NOT describing you~!

Finding an excuse is much more difficult than saying the truth.

For yours will be "Finding an excuse is much easier than saying the truth" *.*
PS. It will be really scary when I stand right in front of you and you won't know what hit you... YOU'VE MET YOUR MATCH....

It Takes A Stalker to Know Another...

*Laughing away and chuckling*... like the old adage, "It takes a thief to catch a thief."

I woke up this morning and had a hearty laugh looking at this:

Question - How do you get a monkey stalking you off your back?

This morning I skipped going to the gym because I woke up feeling sleepy, so slept for another extra hour and I was laughing my way to a fresh awakening reading that plus the laughable comments.

Now, the donkey is talking... and a big old donkey at that...

Hhhmmmm.... that's not such a nice donkey pic... what about this then?In this case, the donkey thinks that there's a monkey behind its back, instead of puss-in-boots poking the donkey with his sword... *hahahaha... I just can't help laughing while typing away*

Well... donkey ain't smart enough because that's the trait of a donkey. A monkey, on the other hand, is one cheeky and agile plus adorable cute little one...

~ THE TALE OF THE DONKEY AND THE MONKEY ~

Donkey and monkey used to be friends. Donkey found monkey first but donkey forgets that honesty is the best policy in friendship. Monkey is always cheeky but donkey is one dull friend who couldn't cope with monkey's cheekiness and agility. In a few occasions, donkey stepped on monkey's tail while walking but donkey never said sorry. Monkey didn't really bother about those even though it hurts. When monkey started communicating more with donkey, monkey realized that donkey never keep to its words. Donkey never visited as promised. Donkey promises photos of places but never do that as well. Donkey said a lot of things but never keep to any of his words. Monkey doesn't like to be lied at.

Donkey was never remorseful of telling lies after lies. Donkey ignores monkey whenever donkey wishes, but donkey used to give the assurance that donkey will never do that, not ever... no matter how busy donkey was with work and games or travelling...
After some time, donkey started to act like a zebra. Showing all its black stripes. Telling monkey what he can or cannot do. Donkey wasn't like that before :( donkey has never been like that. Looks like donkey finally shows it's true colour. Donkey was mean and kicked monkey away. Donkey will never show its true colours to people who work for him.
Monkey knows donkey's dislikes in certain things but being cheeky, monkey will always disturb donkey for the fun of it. Donkey is too stupid to see it that way and took things seriously most of the time. Monkey comes to realize that donkey contradicts himself in his own shoutout. That cartoon pic is like donkey talking to its own image...

In conclusion, a donkey will always be a donkey. Smart in his own thinking yet stupid at the same time, yet people will always LIKE what donkey says because donkey has nice braying voice and donkey loves the attention from people. For the donkey to go head on with the monkey... think hard, donkey. Both donkey and monkey have very bad temper and monkey's temper will hurt donkey until the tail goes missing.

PS. Monkey will hunt donkey down in person. Run, donkey, run~! Donkey made a grave mistake by hurting monkey so badly before monkey went off to an important trip and donkey never said a single word of sorry right until today.

My Mid-Autumn Festival...

It's always nice to have teenagers who are sporting. We were talking about how we walked around with lanterns and what type we have had before. Then, all of the sudden we were jumping in joy about taking one on the day of the mid-autumn festival.

We were left with only two days and scouting around for nice lanterns at last minute... whoa... I couldn't even get the large ones except for these few small ones. No matter what, that nite turned out to be great. The guys were sporting enough and helping out lighting the candles while I waited for my lantern because I was afraid of fire and I have never light a match or use a lighter before. So, I was happily waiting and then clicking my camera.

We managed to get all these beautiful Disney characters lanterns as well. They're so amazingly colourful and the weather was great.

Haha... the designer lanterns... not in the market...

Never Bite the Hand That Feeds You...

Another way of rephrasing that idiom with some additional value which I came across sounded like this...

One who bites the Hand that Feeds will end up being bitten

True enough. Biting the hands of someone who feeds you... feeding a person can mean helping a person out in times of trouble, caring for the person tremendously without having any blood-relation or plainly being there for the person when needed most... but instead of being repaid in kindness, the person who feeds got bitten. That is a very hurtful thing to do and the wound in the heart will have an everlasting effect. Well then... who's going to bite that person back? Certainly not you or I for it is written...

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

On the contrary:

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

[Romans 12:19-21]

A Man With a Deluded Heart...

~ The easiest way to solve a problem

is to see it as not ~

That is equivalent to brushing everything under the carpet and yet, there are people who like this kinda shoutout. Or do they just click to remain in his good books? A man who misleads others should face the full wrath...

Let's dissect every part of the statement above. If there's no problem in life where everything runs smoothly, do you think people will look for God? The answer is NO~! Who needs God? Everybody can be their own god. There won't be a need to pray anymore. Has this man's heart been deluded by his own achievements?

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. [Psalm 51:17]

A problem is not given to put our lives in shambles nor a problem is to make our lives more difficult. Problems occur in our lives to make us grow.... in faith... trusting Him... make us better in every are to overcome bigger hurdles. What will you gain by seeing a problem as not a problem? That's living in total denial. Face it and take it as a challenge, go to the Lord and He will carry you out of it unscathed. Don't end up like what's written in this Proverbs....

But since you rejected me when I called

and no-one gave heed when I

stretched out my hand,

since you ignored all my advice

and would not accept my rebuke,

I in turn will laugh at your disaster;

I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

"Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

they will look for me but will not find me.

Since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the Lord,

since they would not accept my advice

and spurned my rebuke,

they will eat the fruit of their ways

and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

but whoever listen to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm."

[Proverbs 1:24-33]

If there's God in your life, you won't be afraid of anything... and YOU DEFINITELY DO NOT HAVE TO SWEEP EVERYTHING UNDER THE CARPET AND LIVE IN DENIAL AND TO TEACH OTHERS TO DO SO, TOO...
No point holding a pity party and asking around for help. Even Google who has all the search results can't help anyone who has problems...

Listen... and Listen Well...

Clinic Cafe...

It's a new cafe with a new concept. I've dined in prison and ate on toilet bowls and bath tubs so this was kinda new with the hospital ambiance. I have nothing good to say about this place but I do have something that I want to point out. In doing business, don't give anyone the opportunity to circle your mistakes.
Should I say spot the difference? That's in the menu. This was what we got...
The reason I went to this place with the crazy doc was because we were always looking for a new place to try out the food. And because she works in a hospital, she doesn't have time to do crazy stuff let alone do it in front of her patients. Thus, we ordered everything with special clinical utensils that came along. Sad to say, we didn't get what we were hoping for like what it was shown in the menu. And the waiters and waitresses had the cheek to say that it whatever we see in the menu was for illustration purposes. If so why don't you put an asterisk on the bottom?

It's as simple as making a very small statement at the foot of every page of the menu.

*Pictures shown are for illustration purposes only. You will not get what you see*

I can sue your restaurant for giving false information and misleading advertisement. I'm not going to do that, but I just won't step into that place again. The portion of food given is half of what was shown in the menu. So deceiving...

This Means A Lot To Me...

Nothing means more than getting soak with God's Word. The start of just 15 minutes of devotion time doesn't work at all because now that when I'm done, it's around an hour. An hour of carrying out Bible study with the kids with explanation and everything and another hour or so of devotion time for myself. I have never walk so close to the Lord and it brings so much peace that no words can describe. Logos to rhema... words do jump out of the Bible and get implanted in the heart. In this decaying world, morally decaying world I should say, you need God more than anything else. The most essential part of relationship with God is love. If there's no love, then there's nothing more to say. You can't force yourself to follow His path if you don't love Him. It will be just like reading a compilation of olden days law book, history, short stories written in parables, books of angels and something like reading the Chicken Soup. The Bible is more than that. It's alive~!

Total Workout in the Kitchen...

I have always like Nyonya Cuisine. Chicken pongteh, curry kapitan, assam prawns and obviously, I like this a lot...
...thus, I decided to try it out myself...
... bought two of those... cut into quarters and started shredding...
Looks easy, sounds even easier and eating will be the easiest. Mind you... I was sweating like a pig shredding those two into thin strips... Can you imagine working out on the steps? It was 10 times worse... I was covered in sweat from head to toe... even my legs were sweating. Now I know why Nyonya cuisine is expensive and I don't mind paying for them to cook for me...

Where Are You Going After This?

One who do not fear death will often live well beyond health...

As you can see, there are many great philosophers out there who like to write quotes. Quotes that are relevant in real life, quotes that come out from their own understanding, quotes to be used by others and quotes that might be misleading. For positive thinking, the quote above is only partially true and yet, many will take that the way to live one's life. It shouldn't be so as you will have to come to a point of time in your life and start pondering, "What are you doing here on earth? Do you just live because you have to? Or there's a purpose why you are here in this Earth? Do you just live one day at a time and when time comes, you just go? But where are you going? Has it ever occur to you where you're going?"

There is only one way to have good health. No matter how much you do not to fear death, it will come looking for you if you do not have God in your life. By going to the church once in awhile doesn't make you a Christian, by accepting Jesus once and then completely forget about Him after that doesn't give you the guarantee in life that you really needed.

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. [Proverbs 3:1-2]

There are people who changed God's Word without realizing it. Or they just change it into their own words to gain popularity. In the end, you will go nowhere. Empty you come, empty you go. No matter how much you have in this world, you will bring nothing with you when your cup of iniquity is full.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. [Isaiah 5:21]

Again, I repeat, do not use the Lord's name in vain. Do not claim to be a Christian when you're not. It's too obvious because I can sense it especially when you deliberately turn down a person's prayer request. A prayer asked in time of need. If you're really a Christian as you claim to be, you should be familiar with this verse....

"Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I NEVER KNEW YOU. AWAY FROM ME, YOU EVILDOERS!" [Matthew 7:21-23]

You are ashamed of Jesus. You've never glorify Him in any of your work throughout the continents of the world even though He has said,

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. [1 Corinthians 10:31]

A Hike to Remember...

This wasn't a last minute plan. We had planned the hike earlier as my precious was pestering me about going to Pantai Kerachut. After the first experience of travelling along with a convoy, I'm good in doing so. For this trip, we went in 3 cars. All in all, 12 amateur hikers. While waiting for the rest to reach, I started snapping photos. I like the jetty as previously I was walking on an old wooden one beside this newly built jetty.
As you can see, the weather was great. Two days before, it was pouring cats and dogs and one day after, the rain was unstoppable. Now, I truly understand the power of prayer where you pray and believe that you have received it. One of the hikers asked me what happens if it rains. I straight away answered her, "It won't rain. I've prayed for good weather and good weather we would get." Indeed, God answers prayer even if it was as small as regarding the weather as He has power over the sea and the sky.
This hike was more like a photography session. I have more than 500 photos but only uploaded 179 photos in Facebook while the rest of them have more than 100 with them as well. In every stop, we were posing in front of the camera, my camera mainly.
Then, we went for the canopy walk. It wasn't my first time on a canopy walk as I had walked on one in Selangor Forest Reserve 10 years ago. I truly love this kinda activity. I'll choose all of these things over shopping.
Now, it was exactly the blind leading the blind hike. I've never been there before but since there's a map and also some signs then we just hiked. Hey, that's the wrong way... aiya... turned back to the other side... see... the blind leading the blind... haha...
It took us 3 hours to reach, hiking up and down, crawling over toppled trees due to heavy rain, enjoying looking at giant pandan leaves, huge centipedes, purple mushrooms and ants working hard carrying their loads and I have all that captured. The picture above was a very special lake but it has dried up due to the hot weather... and I have no idea when it will be filled up again. Have a read about this unique lake.
I was totally awe struck looking at the scenery. It is so BEAUTIFUL~! And I thought I was in another island. God is just so amazing and I really pray that there won't be any development in this place or I will personally rally against it.
This is so much like a postcard picture. The 3-hour hike was worth every single ounce of sweat just to be able to look at such beautiful view. The quietness and the serenity. I couldn't express how much I love this place. The main reason I wanted to go to Pantai Kerachut was to look at this adorable cute creature created by God.
I do not have to travel to Rantau Abang in Terengganu just to look at turtles as we have it here in our own backyard. To some people, it is not worth going to Pantai Kerachut because you only have a few little turtles to see then you have nothing to do anymore unless you choose to have a swim in the clear sea. Well, it's not so for us. We swept the floor and remove as much sand as possible from the plank floor and then we started going crazy with my camera again.
This is what I call bonding time. It makes me feel a decade younger again. Anyway, I'm not that old, I'm forever young.
We really love that day. The day didn't end there. After the hike, the great food came along and we went to another place as well. Another eye-opener in our own backyard.
We took a boat home because we had jelly legs and we couldn't imagine hiking up and down for a couple more hours to go home. I recognized this boatman and he recognized me as well. I have always wanted to learn how to operate a motorboat and the simplest thing I could do was ask him whether he could teach me how to handle one. Yeah... no doubt he was rushing for time, he taught me how to handle one so now I have no problem getting a speedboat revving on the sea. Again, God knows what I have desired for...