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Hi my dusty, rusty blog.
Recently, I came to know of a friend who found this blog and started reading it from the beginning.
She said she was inspired by my journey, of how God has been so Faithful in my life.
That in turn inspired me to perhaps revive this blog? (If I can keep my word that is,haha)
Since after marriage, my life has taken a huge turn. Firstly was the influx of amazing new friends into my life. Then more avenues to serve in ministry. And of cos, marriage life has been getting more n more fun:)
It's gonna be our 1 year anniversary soon! :) Gonna have a wonderful romantic time,hehehe.
God is good lah. I'm so undeserving, but I have everything.
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whoa whoa whoa.
Is this blog still alive? hurhur.
The last time I blogged was June 19th! That's two whole good months!
Sorry, ever since Facebook and Twitter took off, I've been distracted from blogging.
They are evil. It's the easy way out for lazy me. Facebook: Just upload pics without Photobucket. Twitter: Just blog one-liners. (If you're interested, http://twitter.com/sunshineblush)
So, Twitter is the new Blogging. I'm a Cyber nomad. This phrase just popped out to me.haha. Leaving one cyber space for another...and then another. xanga-myspace-LJ-multiply-facebook-twitter!(n i suspect more coming up!)
Well, but I'm sentimental enough to come back here again ;P
Loads have happened since my last entry about the Fourth Letter:
1. There was a 5th letter I never blogged about. 2. Went for a Bintan Trip! Sun Tanned till I was happy:) 3. Built lotsaaa awesome relationships. 4. Blessed in million ways in my ministry. 5. Turned down a job offer. 6. Watched very exciting movies like UP. 7. WENT TO JAPAN!
Of cos, the highlight was no. 7. Yes, I did it again. And I'm intent on doing it again and again.
We actually experienced an earthquake in Tokyo. How did it feel? Hmm.."interesting" yet scary. But Praise God for His Protection... Never clutched on to Psalms 91 more! We are so blessed to have angels to bear us up lest our foot dash against the stone.
Ok, I wish I could upload my photos here, but I need time. So, in the meantime only my friends on FB can see them.
I'm thinking of selling some of my old clothes online. Well, we'll see if I ever get to doing it!haha.
Till then:)
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The Fourth Letter was easy to find.
The answer lies in here: http://sunshineblush.livejournal.com/30943.html
So now, the clue makes alot of sense, right?:)
"There I am, alone most of the day, Sometimes I'm used, to while Time away, Sometimes I'm On, but many Times Not. Though Nikki seems to think I should Rot. For I'm a waste of attention Spent, when she should be the Main Event."
 Letter 4 hidden Under the Teevee.
Teddy told me to prepare song and dance items for him so that he can watch when he's back.
Well, if that's what he wants, loads of it he'll get.*mischievious grin*
The clue to the last letter:

Where by a couple is found. "They come together from Taiwan!"
THIS IS REALLY HILARIOUS. If you know the background. In my usual babyish gibberish time to him, this phrase "They come together from Taiwan." kept coming up in an attempt to annoy him:P
I would pepper my replies with "They come together from Taiwan.Xiang1 yi1 wei2 ming4". He would get so helpless trying to talk to me, he'll end up laughing.
Yukki, do you know what it is?:) |
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Last night, I was on the phone with dan as I began my "search"(not much of a search actually) for the Third Letter.
She sounded as excited as I was. I headed for Mirror no. 1 in my room. It was pretty difficult to reach behind and I couldn't find any letter initially.
I then tried Mirror no. 2...and the letter was definitely not there. Dan suggested that I tried the bathroom mirror! I told her it was impossible as it would be wet by now. Nevertheless, I still gave it a shot. Obviously it wasn't there.
I decided to take a break and went for a shower. After a refreshing bath, I was ready to look for the hidden letter again. I went back to Mirror no. 1 and touched all corners behind it....
And, hooray! it was there all along.
 The Third Letter hidden behind the Mirror
This letter was different from the other two I received earlier. There was something inside! I got so excited that I kept pressing and shaking the envelope. Soon, I gave up since I couldn't figure out what was inside.
Next morning, looking forward to opening the envelope was what motivated me to get out of bed. hehe.
I was elated to find out that the very special third letter included an extra bonus!
 A thumbdrive!!!
This was what it contained:
 Magisean for you
I loved it!!!!!
If you've never heard of Magibon, youtube her. She is a very highly subscribed Youtuber, known for doing NOTHING. Yes, you heard me right. NOTHING, except stare into the screen with her big wide eyes.
Some people find her annoying but I find her so amusing that I've watched almost every video she made. HAHA. just to admire her big pretty eyes.
Teddy knows that I like watching her and he did a great job at imitating her...realllyy funnnyyy:)
 The real Magibon
  Magisean Vs Magibon
After melting from the sweetness of the letter and watching that crazy video, we have the clue to the Fourth Letter!!!
"There I am, alone most of the day, Sometimes I'm used, to while Time away, Sometimes I'm On, but many Times Not. Though Nikki seems to think I should Rot. For I'm a waste of attention Spent, when she should be the Main Event."
That's easy:)
If you've followed my blog since years back, you'll know this answer too:)
*Double Portion*
Apart from the sweetness of the husband, there came an UNEXPECTED sweetness from a dear friend.

She sent me this letter on Monday morning before she went for Arrow Camp so that it'll come to me during the week.
I am surprised and touched. Truly...it's a beautiful surprise.
Thank you dear.
I Love you, Amanda Bok:)
oops I meant Bmanda.hahaha! |
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Yesterday went by really quickly.
After work, I headed over to Niq & Yuzhen's place for dinner. Niq cooked emperor's chicken! I enjoyed it..ooohh the Chicken's essence.
We just nua-ed around,watching silly stuff on youtube, talked nonsense and ate ice cream. Ahh...I love chilling out sessions like that.
Next, you guys can come over. I'll cook Aglio Olio Pasta:)
When I reached home, it was 10plus. I made a beeline for the silver suit jacket hung neatly in the cupboard. Flapping open the lapel, I reached into the pocket and smileeeeeedddd. I'm a smartie!!!
Teddy knows I love cheapthrill... And his letter begins with,"Yes! You've managed to find the letter! So smartie! How'd you do it? heh."
See. He totally agreed with how Smart-ie I am.hahaha!
 The hidden 2nd letter
I must admit it was so tempting to rip off the envelope to just read the contents of the letter. But thank God, I was quite sleepy...so I managed to resist the urge to read.
This morning, I read it on the bus again. I hope there weren't people who noticed the girl who grins foolishly to herself every morning on the bus.
I almost laughed out loud when I read the part he said he loves me and if I don't believe, "ask Fat Bunny, he will confirm tell you one."
 Fat Bunny's straight faced matter-of-fact answer caused me to almost LOL.
And then, the clue to the location of the third letter.

Erm. Hello dear, this verse doesn't exist in the bible!!
So being the smartie I am, I tried different "permutations" of it.
2 Cor 13:8, 1 Cor 13:18, 1 Cor 3:18...they all made no sense as clues.
Then I came to 2 Cor 3:18...it does look promising.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (New King James Version) 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The mirror, is it?:) |
| » Here we go again |
Teddy's off to History Makers camp and once again, I didn't get to go this year. Boohoo. Well, there's always hope for next year and the year after next, cos I intend to stay forever young.
The last time he did this for me was in Nov 2007 when he went for DARE camp.
http://sunshineblush.livejournal.com/57309.html
 The 2007 letters
I didn't expect receiving this bundle of Love again this time, so it really caught me by surprise!:)
This time however, the rules have changed abit.
Instead of giving me all 5 letters (a letter a day for the 5 days he is away at camp), he passed me only the 1st letter.

The clue to finding the 2nd letter is in the 1st and so on.
This morning, on the bus to work, I excitedly tore open the envelope for the 1st letter. I must admit what he wrote really touched me and tears gathered in my eyes!haha.
At the back of the letter was the clue to finding the 2nd one. "Silver usually stays in pockets. But I'm found in the pocket of silver."

Hmmm...silver wedding suit?I'll look for it tonight:)
I appreciate Teddy's effort to make up for the time he's away. On Saturday, we had a simple date. Dinner at Popeyes (I like to call it Pop eyes) and then sitting down near the waters. We talked, we prayed, we laughed, we played. It was a Magical moment for me. We have not done that for a long time and it made me wonder what we have been doing for the past months being distracted by the TV,internet etc. I think I've fallen in Love with this man..pardon my mushiness. But while we talked, I realised we really do have a very special and close Connection that can never be taken away.
God is so good.He really is. Giving me someone like that, who finds my ugliness beautiful, who doesn't laugh at my dreams, who brings out and believes the best in me.
 I'm gonna miss you...
**On another note, I've been meaning to say this. I'M SO EXCITED! I can feel it in my bones that something awesome is happening:):):) I feel so privileged to be where I am now, doing what I do in God's House. Lord,multiply my 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
Jun. 15th, 2009 @ 03:15 pm
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| » Updates + I cut my hair! |
Life's been full of Divine Coincidences lately!
I've been "Love-Attacked" so many times that often I find myself tearing endlessly in the Presence of my DaddyGod.
It wasn't all rosy.
There were down moments; moments I felt like giving up, moments I felt like throwing in the towel.
But I never did. The Grace of God wouldn't let me.
There were many times I wondered what I'm purposed to do...
But only to realise I'm Purposed to be Loved by God. Deeply, Madly, Crazily.
And the rest would fall into place.
God has shown me how Special I am to him, and yet many times I forget. Sometimes, I feel like a child running everywhere with my toys rather than to Him. Yet, He has never failed to come after me, wooed me, grabbed me by the arm and sat me down in His embrace.
The Divine Coincidences that happened two weekends ago made me a happy girl.
1) I finally found the courage to go up to the lady who encouraged me to join campus ministry in 2003 to thank her. In 2003, I attended church alone for a period of time. I asked God to send me someone to "MAKE ME" join Campus. Left on my own, I know I would never take the initiative. That Sunday 4th service, this stranger lady beside me asked me out of the blue,"Hey! Are you in any ministry?If you're a student, you could join the Campus Ministry...." Silence.God is that You? I was overwhelmed.Whoa.I smiled shyly and said "oh okaay." But I got a little "weak-mind" during the sermon and thought to God,"erm.Really?Should I join?If You really want me to, make her DRAG me to the counter." After service, that's exactly what the lady did as she took my wrist and said,"Come, I bring you to sign up at the counter outside." Whoa. This is for real.
That lady wasn't a campus ambassador. She was in YAM (young adult )ministry then. Somehow, I remembered her. I remembered even her name. After 2003, I've seen her around but never felt like doing anything. However, since the past year,I've felt the urge to go up and thank her. But I was too scared, so I didn't. Last Sunday, I overslept and couldn't serve for the 1st service (that has never happened,maybe once many donkey years ago?). I saw her again nearing altar call at the foyer. My heart started beating real fast. I tried to make eye contact to get the right moment. But she didn't recognise me, as I've expected. At that moment, Clement happened to walk past and I asked him if he knew that lady. It happened that he did. So he introduced us. And I thanked her and told her everything on my heart. Through tears, I told her she has made a difference in my life even if she doesn't remember me. I told her how I was depressed then after a bad break up. I told her my prayer to God and how He used her to reach out to me. I told her how her little action of bringing this stranger girl to the counter to sign up for campus ministry changed her life, saw her singing and then marrying a very wonderful man. It was a very precious seed sown.
She was speechless for a moment I guess. And with glassy eyes, she replied that I made her day and she was thankful that I told her. She said that it must have been God cos she was never the kind to go up and ask people to join a ministry. Amazingly too, she was late for serving as Royal Steward...and she has JUST arrived in church. I laughed and told her I was late for choir reporting too! That's why I was where I was talking to her. And I guess we were both flustered and feeling kinda bad that we were late but DaddyGod turned it into such a Beautiful encounter. Clement also turned out to be at the right place and right time:)
2) God put on my Heart 2 people (let's call them A & B) that I want to get to know. Teddy told me that if God placed it on my Heart,why not? On the same Sunday that I was late, A showed me a piece of paper with scribblings. She was very shy and told me not to freak out. On the paper it says that God showed her 2 people that she would have a closer relationship with etc...and one of the names was mine. and the other was that of B's!
*And there were also other little coincidences along the way that warmed my heart:)
**
I want to be a wife who shared the same dream and vision as Teddy. But I don't know how it will happen. I can only trust You Lord.
**
On another note, I got myself a new hair!!!!!!!
short hair!:)




Nice? :)
May. 4th, 2009 @ 02:57 pm
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| » Yukki |
親愛的Yukki,

Happy Blessed Birthday to youuuuuuuuuu!!! I cannot say enough how much I Love you. Your Joy is infectious...I feel soooo Happy when I'm with you. You are adorable without even trying.
Thank you for being a friend that will go an extra mile for me & Dan. It felt so good to be able to meet you again, eat meals together, shop together. Those are things that best friends do and yet we only get to do it once in 2-3 years. I MISS YOU SO MUCH. I thank DaddyGod for bringing you into my life and maintaining this friendship for 10 years+ now. You're amazing. I feel so happy seeing you happy.
 Love you, my dear.
Mar. 27th, 2009 @ 05:23 pm
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| » Honeymoon Journal 8 - FINAL! |
YEAY! FINALLYYY....
...continued
Shopping on the 2nd last day.
 Sen nichi mae .
This is the famous 551 Horai bun.
 Everyday, people QUEEEUUUEEE to get them. Apparently, many Japanese like these kinda Chinese food. This bun is very interesting. The texture is chewy! Teddy liked it but I prefer our original soft and squishy bao.
 A sample of what is to come at dinner.
 The standard Japanese girl. This pic was taken in front of the Turkish ice cream stall.
And then, it was the MUCH AWAITED DINNER.
 We have been eyeing this place for a long long time.
It's quite a high class restaurant that serves crabs.
As the trip is drawing to an end, we decided to splurge whatever we had on this dinner.
The cost per person for the course we chose was around SGD 95. But it was well worth it, you'll see why:)
 
 The course we chose.
First dish.

 Boiled Crab
  Dipping it in what tasted like vinegar.
  We also had Kani Chawanmushi. Next up is Crab Sashimi! IT WAS SWEEEET.
Then, BBQ crab

Tempura crab

Tea Rice with Crab
 
And the best Matcha ice cream I've ever tasted.

We were given a bowl of vanilla ice cream and Green tea separately. The Ice cream was sweet while the Green tea was EXTREMELY BITTER! Separately, they are world's apart. Put together, WHOA. BitterSweet Combi.
 Busy opening my "fortune bag".hahaha
 Fat Bunny with heat pack.
The following day, it was about food again!
Lunch was Yakiniku.
  The one at Maruyoshi tasted better.
We spotted a Crepe Van like those you see at beaches in dramas.

In the end, we did not buy the crepe from the van. Instead we bought one at the Crepe Ojisan stall.
  Vanilla, Chocolate and Banana.
 Interesting item on Mac's menu.
This marked the end of the trip. When we finally reached home, Fat Bunny was exhausted.

It was a blessed honeymoon:)
Mar. 25th, 2009 @ 11:20 am
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 7 |
...continued
Yes, I'm STILL at it! hahahahahaa...taking forever to complete it & I can't wait to share on the Taiwan trip (which will happen soon I hope).
At Osaka:
The Osaka aquarium is a popular attraction.

  random faces.
We met a really awesome comedian there. I think he really is going to make it big one day!
  Try juggling knives, an apple...then eating the apple while you're juggling.
Inside the aquarium:
 
 
 The tanks were huge...stretches up from the 1st floor to the 3rd/4th.
 gross looking.
Lunch that day was a 999yen steak set (approximately $16)

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at Namba/Shinsaibashi area.

 Near Shinsaibashi, there is an interesting area called Amerika-mura(American village). They sell lotsa vintage, hip hop stuff. I bought a 2nd time pretty velvety blazer for just $16!
We decided we had to STOP eating all the naughty, oily food. Hence, we opted for Shabu Shabu that night.
  Steamboat. Don't the beef slices look tempting?
Next day:
 On the screen again.
 Glico man.
As New year was nearing, streets were selling the "Fortune Bags". Inside these bags are random stuff. For example, if you like the brand say Cecil Mcbee, you can buy a fortune bag from them at 10K yen. The value of the items inside the bag would be 20K yen...BUT you cannot choose what you get.
It's a cool gimmick...sometimes, I just feel drawn to buy Mthe bag just to see what's inside.hahaha.

 Macdonalds....
MY FAVOURITE RAMEN OF ALL TIMES.
  I'm gonna drool. We ate it 3 times in a row. (Niq & Yuzhen just came back from their honeymoon in Japan, they ate it 7 times in a row.) CONCLUSION: You GOTTA try it.
The following day was spent at Nara.
What is Nara without its deers?
 
  Teddy feeds the deer and got harassed.
 
Lunch was Ten Soba.

Dinner at my Favourite Izakaya AGAIN:
 
 HORSE SASHIMI. Sean ate it. I tried alittle..tasted sweet.
New year eve was spent like this in the hotel room:
 Hooray!
 New year TV show.
I was happy to see my hallelujah chance man.
 
:)
to be continued...
Mar. 24th, 2009 @ 03:20 pm
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 6 |
...continued
Our last day in Kyoto!
We took the Nara line to Fushimi Inari. It was the temple with many many many many torii gates.

By "many" I mean "MANY". usually we only see 1 standing on its own in other areas (eg. the torii in the sea at Miyajima Hiroshima which I went on the 3rd day of the trip.)
  You get the point.
 The touristy shot once again.
And then photos of the many toriis made beauitful by the sun rays.




 

 Peekaboo.
He just gota be in the photo or he'll get restless.

After we were done Fushimi Inari-ing, we went to Nishiki market back near Kyoto central. It's a wet market..but super unlike Singapore's wet market. Didn't feel gross at all,very clean and well maintained.
 
  Check out the crabs.
 happy me.
We walked all the way to Sanjo to look for Santouka Ramen.
 little duckies swam in it.
After walking for very long and asking around, we finally found the Ramen shop.

 The menu
  The Ramen.
 The egggg.
It tastes about the same as the one in Singapore, but recently, I heard from a friend that the Singapore branch's standard dropped:(
We took a stroll on Kyoto streets after lunch.
 
At night, we went back to Potoncho, hoping to catch a glimpse of Geisha again. But she didn't appear:(

So we had to settle for this:
 Painting of Geisha outside an izakaya.
That night, we decided to not eat a proper meal.
First was Parfait!!!!!!!!
 It was ab-so-lute-lyyy yummy!
Then we went to the convenience store to grab some random foodstuff.
 I bought vegetable juice for Fatbunny, but I didn't wanna dirty his little white fur mouth, so I drank it for him:)
Next morning, we checked out to begin to make our way to Osaka.
 The Roman looking restaurant building we pass by every morning.
By the time we arrived at Osaka, namba. Our stomachs were growling.We ate Yakiniku that day.
Prior to eating Yakiniku in Japan, I've always had the impression that Yakiniku is what you find in MOS Yakiniku burger...Yoshinoya Yakiniku rice. The not very nice type.
But this was REAL YUMMY YAKINIKU.
 
 We cooked our own. All for just $20+ per person.
Advertisement time.
 

After lunch, we walked to the famous Dotonbori.
 This woman in the corner with white hair looks like from Anime movie.

We saw this interesting screen on a building wall. When you stand in front of it, you will appear on the screen!
spot us!!!
 
 
 
Shopping along the area.
 Japanese man in leopard prints.
Bright lights in Osaka city!
 
  Spot the famous Glico man.
What's for dinner?

Okonomiyaki~~(Japanese pizza) Personally, I've never liked Okonomiyaki. But I must say I prefer the Osaka Okonomiyaki to the Hiroshima one.

 Hungry?
to be continued...
Mar. 13th, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 5 |
...continued.
It was our 2nd day in Kyoto.
After sighting the Samurai dog, we made our way up the tedious slopes to Kiyomizudera.(literally translated as "clear/pure water temple")

The first thing that met our sight when we were up there.

 Check out the mountains covered with snow in the background.
 We just had to do the touristy things.


:)
Then, we had mannnnnyyy prettyyy photos.




The "wishes" of the people.
  I jus love the sight of everything bathed in golden sunlight.
The "bad luck" that people want to get rid of.

Thank Jesus we don't have to do these things.
 Even good fortune can be BOUGHT WITH CASH.
My Good fortune was not paid by me:):):)
Looking for a lover?
 

Well, Fat Bunny found his.
 
Then we saw more Beautiful sights.









This is the view of the temple from the other end.



I have nothing much to say...we were just awed by the Beauty. How come we don't get to see these sights in Singapore? boo.
It was already evening by the time we left Kiyomizudera. We decided to go to Gion (where Geishas are sighted) to try to catch another Geisha, but unfortunately we saw none:(
So we did went to do shopping instead (shopping at Kyoto is surprisingly pretty good). This was our dinner:
 Fast food mentaiko Pasta & Cheese fries!
And the below photos just summed up how we felt that day:


to be continued...
Mar. 12th, 2009 @ 11:25 am
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| » Scream like you've got the Golden ticket to Hollywood! |
The Suspense is FINALLY OVER!
I took my JLPT 1(Japanese Language Proficiency Test) last December, a week before my Wedding!
That was a risk...I never liked handling 2 major things at a go.
It was torturous waiting for the results since December... For the past few weeks, I've been praying,checking my mailbox, pray somemore, check mailbox...but nothing came.
Then, the below was flashed on the JCS website.
 The results of 2008 JLPT in Singapore.
I took level 1...which had 122 passes out of 429! (28% passing rate). Fear hit my heart and I prayed somemore... "Jesus, let me be in the 122, I don't mind even if I'm 122nd person..." "Thank you Lord, I AM going to pass Amen." "Oh Jesus, I'm so scared, I wanna wanna wanna pass." "Jesus, You're gonna make things Good...I'm so gonna pass.Amen."
Last night at choir, I Smsed my dad,"Got my letter?" He replied,"Yes. Japanese letter."
My heart skipped a beat. My stomach lurched. I chocked. I wanted to just run home at that instance and TEAR THAT ENVELOPE.
After choir, Teddy and I were making our way home. I said,"Dear, imagine with me now. You can see a rectangular box. In the box it says "PASSED" and/or "合格".Just visualise together. Amen."
In the cab, I started my jittery nonsense again,"omg, what if I failed, I will cry all night!" Teddy said,"How should I comfort you if you failed?" I looked at him incredulously and said haughtily," O you of little faith!" (what a joke!)
When we arrived at the void deck, I had to fight the urge to run all the way up. Then it was the moment of truth after I "tumbled" through my front door and held that precious envelope in my hands. My hands trembled as I tore it ferociously.
I opened the fold and saw 301/400. In a split second, I was in mid air screaming like a mad woman. Teddy and my dad looked at me and waited..trying to intepret my reaction. That's when the Golden words came out of my mouth ,"I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!" I did a Victory Runway walk and striked a pose. Teddy just stood there, an amused expression on his face.
280 (70%) is the passing mark..I would have been very happy to get just 280. But DaddyGod HAD TO Bless me with More! I never expected to even get a "300". But "301" is just like the Icing on the cake, the extra Tip from God, the Cherry on top. That's 75%!
Ahhhh...at that moment, I really experienced how it felt like to jump and scream, holding your very own precious golden ticket.
"Yatta!"
Feb. 26th, 2009 @ 10:37 am
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 4 |
...continued
Our First Day at Kyoto!
Our First stop is the Flea Market at Kitano tenmangu. It was a Qara moment! We did not purposely plan on arriving at Kyoto on the 25th, and it turned out that there was a Flea Market every 25th of the month.
It was an experience going to a "Pasar Malam" in the Cold.
 The yummy food stalls.
 Cheap cheap things.
We got scarves for S$3 and Teddy got a vest for S$5!
 Kitano Tenmangu
 Eating Takoyaki in the shelter as it started drizzling!
In the late afternoon, we travelled back to the hotel for check in.
 I Loooovveee the Futon.
At night, we went to Kawaramachi for shhhhoooopppingg. Shopping is pretty good at Kyoto!

And we passed by lovely reindeers which I did not buy in the end:(

Then, it was Potoncho where we bumped into a Geisha!
 Unfortunately, I only took a photo of her back view:(
 St james club for you.
As it was late by the time we finished with exploring Potoncho, we decided to have dinner in an Izakaya near our hotel.
 
Next day, we woke up to a White (2nd day of) Christmas!!!

 :)
And have I said enough that God is so Good?! That day, we were intending to go to Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion) and I've ALWAYS WANTED to see Kinkakuji in the snow as Mat san (my ex boss) once told me that it's Beauitful & Stunning in Snow.
 Our tickets.
 It was indeed a pretty sight.At this point of time, snow was still little, so it wasn't captured on the photos.
It was a breathtakingly Beautiful sight.



 Snow got heavier...brrr..
 Snow on the roof of Kinkakuji.
Guess what, after we left Kinkakuji, it stopped snowing! (and never snowed again for the rest of the days we were in Japan) I really Believe DaddyGod made that Moment just for me <3
We were famished at past noon.
 At Takashimaya.
Lunchtime was the much anticipated Teppanyaki Kobe Beef.


 It tasted as Good as it looks.

The meal ended with Sorbet.

The chef was SUPER friendly:)
 Though he doesnt look that friendly in this photo.
Being ambitious, we rushed to Kiyomizudera right after lunch... and this is who we met.
 A Samurai Dog!
to be continued...
Feb. 23rd, 2009 @ 02:33 pm
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| » See Good! |
I'm so determined to See Good this year! The Free Favours of God have already started raining on me since last year and I'm Excited and Anticipating for More to Come!:)
The most popular Question I've been getting is, "How's Married Life?"
It has been REALLYFABULOUSLYAWESOMEANDLOVELY.
"One can take a thousand, two can take ten thousands!" is DaddyGod's Promise to me. I'm fully expecting an Increase in Anointing.
We've been so blessed...ever since we got married in Dec, Pastor in his sermon, has touched on Marriage on many many occasions.Yeay!! we're just absorbing whatever we can like a spongey.
I'm also fully expecting the Power to Get Wealth! Deut 8:18 But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you Power to get Wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Pastor preached that the word "Power" is "Koach" in Hebrew which is a made up of the words "Groom" and "Bride":D
This is the year that I will grab the Promises of God with many "Amens!" And I will FIND, SEARCH, LOOK OUT for the Good, even in an evil day.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who Trusts in the LORD, And whose Hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the Waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be Green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding Fruit.
My Heart will safely Trust in you. I do not want to choose to be the cursed man who makes flesh my strength. Your Hope, Your Word, Your Love and Your Promises are my Strength.
I do not want to choose to see the bad, the ugly, the lousy, even in good times. I want to choose You, Your Perfection in me, Your Plans for me.
I will keep my Eyes on Good while Jesus, You're in charge of the Fruits.
Psalm 34:8 "O Taste and See that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who Trusts and takes refuge in Him."
Feb. 23rd, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 3 |
...continued
On our 1+ hour ride to Osaka, Fat Bunny was very bored.
 So, he did his hula hoop in the bus.
Upon arriving at Osaka and after checking in, we headed for RAMEN!!! We just chose the Ramen shop with the very long queue.hahaha.
 After waiting for about 20 mins.The shop's name is Ippudo (一風堂).
I think the Ramen cost about 800-900 Yen.

 Egg that makes you drool.
Well, I would give it a 8/10.It was really good stuff and I would have rated it higher if not for the fact that One Ramen (will blog about it another time) has already won my heart...and since then,I haven't found any other Ramen that I crave for so much.
The rest of the day, we shopped around the Umeda district. There was nothing much that caught my eye.
Dinner was at one of my fav Izakayas.
  Prawn Salad & Cheeseballs!
 YUMS.Sashimi Moriwase with 6 kinds of Sashimi =S$ 16 (if not for crazy exchange rate, it would have been $13). But still!
Needless to say, we were really satisfied:)
In the morning, we decided to make our way to the Osaka castle. At the undeground mall which links to the subway station, we saw this map.
 How "APT" for a Honeymoon trip! It was supposed to be 'WIDE AREA REFUGE", somehow it became a WIFE area refuge.hahahahaha...Imagine that!Ok, I don't want to imagine.
Arrived at Osaka Castle Train Station.

Fat Bunny was super Excited and he kept trying to jump out of the bag!
 Disciplining Fat Bunny.
And he got upset that I scolded him.
 Trying to pacify Fat Bunny.
What made me happiest was seeing them both enjoy themselves.
 My Favourite Photo,hahahaha!
We walked towards the Castle that once belonged to Toyomi Hideyoshi, a Daimyo that unified Japan.
 The gross looking Moat.
It was really Sunny that day! See, we couldn't open our eyes.haha.

We met this FRENLY ojiisan who was very helpful! He excitedly offered to take photos for us and claims to know the best angle to take the photo!hahaha...Later he passed us some useful English maps.
 Really Sweet old man. DaddyGod, Bless him!!!
Different shots of Osaka castle.



Cannon! (Sentosa also have, chey)

Photo-taking of the displays was not allowed in most areas of the Castle.

 Tokugawa Ieyasu.I just had to take this photo cos he appeared in my History text in JC.hahaha... Didn't expect him to look like this.
After 2 long hours of touring the Castle (I got bored somewhere in the middle of it while Teddy super enjoyed everything ), we saw this Time Capsule to be opened in 2070. Teddy says wanna come back here together with me to see it opened...but maybe we raptured already,haha.

 Byebye Osaka castle!
We were famished...and headed over to Good Ol' Macs!
  Ebi burger is my Favouriteeeeeeeeee-test! Teddy satisfied after many days of no Coke.
With satisfied tummies, we travelled back to collect our luggages so that we can move to the much awaited stay at Ritz Carlton, sorry, I meant THE Ritz Carlton. (or in japanese 'Za Rittsu Kaaruton')
  Bedroom, Bathroom.
 Lobby with real Fireplace!
Hotel food was expensive and catered to the Foreigners...so we decided to have a romantic in room dinner! It was Christmas Eve that night.
Pre cooked Food in Japanese supermarket = YUMMMMMYYYYYYY

 Our Buys.
Fat Bunny eyeing the big piece of Chicken Drumstick.

 Teddy enjoying the yums.
At the hotel, we also made use of their swimming pool and enjoyed the HOT BUBBLING jacuzzi outdoor where it was freezing! It was a great substitute for hot spring:)
Morning Breakfast!

We went to the lobby and there was caroling cos it's Christmas Day!

We checked out that day and made our way to Kyoto.
 My darling porter boy. I only carried my little handbag,hahaha!
 Finally at Kyoto! Teddy doing the Otousan's Pose in front of the Kyoto Tower:)
Next up will be the BEAUTIFUL KYOTO photos!!!!
to be continued...
Feb. 17th, 2009 @ 10:14 am
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| » Honeymoon Photojournal 2 |
...continued
On the 21st, we woke up happy to find ourselves still in Hiroshima... And it's Breakfast Time again! WOOHOO.
 
After the hearty breakfast, we accompanied Okaasan to her friend's place to pass apples!
 Very nice apartment!The garden was pretty big (too bad I dont have photo now).
Then, we went for Japanese class! hahaha... Okaasan is a volunteer Japanese teacher to China students working in Japan.
  Okaasan's best friend's class. Teddy is sleepy.
  Left: Nakamura san and wife whom I met in 2004! Right: Lunch with Okaasan's best friend.
At about 2pm, it's byebye to Hiroshima. We took the Shinkansen Nozomi to Kobe.

Our first stop after checking into hotel is Cream Puff shop!

The inside was overflowing with goodness!
 
That night, we shopped and saw an interesting sign above a shop.

We didn't buy much that night and proceeded to Harbourland instead.
  These were all beautiful restaurants!
The view was amazing.
 We commented that the building on the far right (cut off) looks lil like esplanade.
Despite being somewhat scared of taking the ferris wheel, we did.
  To make the scary ride more worth it, we HAD to kiss.haha.
Then, it was dinner time at BikkuriDonkey!(shocked Donkey)
  Hamburg Steak!
We took a stroll to Meriken park afterwards to see the 1995 Earthquake memorial.
  kinda eerie.
Afterwards, we took a long and slow stroll back to the hotel. Next morning, we did our last bit of shopping in Kobe.
 On the Streets.
We discovered some really INTERESTING THINGS.
  Make-up hair for men and Clip-on fringe for girls.
Shortly after, it was the much anticipated Lunch time!
 Fat Bunny sipping his water.
 Kobe beef attempt #1- fail... We didnt really like it. Maybe cos it was the promotional lunch set and they din give the best part.
At about 1pm, we made our way to Arima Onsen resort(hotspring) up the mountains!

Our resort's lobby.

That's when I met the very lovely Yu. We became friends!

Girls get to choose the colour of Yukata and Obi they want. I chose a Pink Yukata with yellow Obi! Teddy had no choice...there was only one colour for guys.hoho.

Initially, we wanted to ride the Cablecar up to Mt Rokko, however, we missed the last ride:( In the end, we just explored the Hotspring Town.
  It was freezing!
Along the hotspring town, we discovered a tap where natural hotspring water flows out freely for all to drink!
  But it was REALLY SALTY....it's the minerals.blech.
Then, we also saw a free hotspring area to soak our tired feet.
 IT WAS ALMOST SCALDING HOT. we were silly, there was the not so hot ones, but we didn't know...hahaha... we were wondering if something was wrong with our feet. The rest of the people were soaking their feet happily. Only when I tried putting my feet in the other one, then I realised they had varying degrees. By then, my feet was already blushing red!
A traditional Japanese dinner was waiting for us when we went back to the Ryokan. It was really cool. We got our own private dining room!
  Menu & Food.
 
  my favourites,haha.
 Pear Custard was absolutely stunning.
After dinner, we returned to our room with FULL FULL STOMACHS.
 Sean resting with Fat bunny and his makedo bed.
At about 10pm, it was our private slot of Hotspring time! woohoo.
  Stairs to the Outdoor Hotspring.
We had a super good sleep that night. We woke up very early the next day at 6plus am SINGAPORE TIME (7plus am Japan time) for our breakfast at the private dining room.
 How do you stomach all these so early in the morning???
 
Then, we were encouraged to go watch the Mochi making session.

 Free Mochi ! (I was TOO full from breakfast to eat it, so Sean ate my share)
When I checked out, I had a pleasant surprise! Yu actually left me a letter at the reception counter as she wasn't working that day!
 awww...so sweeet:)
 Byebye to Hotspring!
That day after the much refreshed rest at the Hotspring Ryokan, we took a 1 hr plus bus to Osaka.
to be continued...
Feb. 11th, 2009 @ 11:00 am
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| » Honeymoon PhotoJournal 1 |
Hi!
These photos are really late. It's exactly 1 month and 1 day since we came back from Honeymoon.
How I miss the food there...
As I have 1000+ photos, I'm going to select the main ones to summarize the whole trip!
 On the plane.
 Upon arriving at Kansai airport, we took the Haruka line to the Shinkansen station.
 Fat Bunny elated to be in Japan again!
We travelled from Osaka to Hiroshima in about 2 hours.
 The sight (yum) that greeted us at Okaasan's place. Yaki Soba and Sushi!
Later in the afternoon, Teddy and I travelled to the Peace Memorial Park. It was my THIRD time there...hahaha...but this is a must-take photo:
 
We entered the Museum.
 The watch that stopped at 8.15am(Time A-bomb was dropped)

Afterwards, we took a little stroll in the park.

and ended up near the shopping arcade Hondori.

After some shopping it was yummy dinner back at home.
  Check out the naughty cat! His name is Cha Cha Maru.
 BIG apple for you.
Next Morning, we had Yummy breakfast before heading off to Himeji Castle.

After 1 hr+ of Shinkansen ride,

we arrive at Himeji.
  On the way to Himeji castle, Teddy got me a Matcha icecream cone!
  The Beautiful & famous Himeji Castle.
An interesting discovery:
 
Then after 2 hours+ hours of exploring the castle, we went to Himeji zoo which was just next door!
  The animals looked very emo over there.
Fastforward 2 hours, we were back at home for dinner.
  Kushiage!!!
Cha Cha wanted to steal our food...

See cha cha's face!!!! as he enjoys being stroked.
 
The sleepyhead sleeps like a human being.
 no more neko punch from you!
On our third day, this was our breakfast,prepared with Love.

Okaasan gave us a ride to the train station nearby.

 The view in front of train station.
We took a ferry to Miyajima island.

 The Beautiful torii in the sea. The last time I went there in 2004, it was low tide.
I met a little polite boy who said Konnichiwa and bowed at me. His clothes were so thick, he could hardly bow..and looked as adorable as a little penguin.

 Teddy trying to seduce the deer.
 Deers roamed free on Miyajima.
 :)
 Teddy happy with his squid leg.
 
Our Crazy moments.
 

Teddy had to try the Oyster.
 He loved it! Fresh,sea salt taste..
After spending about 2 hours there,we travelled to Alco park mall (?) to meet Eri chan!
 Eri and her half Czech baby boy:)
We decided to drop by the A-bomb structure at night. It was a different sight.
 
The day ended with superdeelicious dinner.

That's the end of our 1st 3 days in Hiroshima:D
...to be continued.
Feb. 5th, 2009 @ 12:41 pm
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| » Helper-Taking it out of context |
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Taking the text out of context and you get corny. *Pastor preaching about wife being a helper to her husband* Teddy turns to face me,"Dear you're my helper." I beamed with lots of pride..like a primary school girl receiving praises from her parent. "Hmm...?", I replied,looking into his eyes,smiling,waiting for more. "..You help me take off my shoes and help cook for me." *silence* I smiled sweetly and said,"I help you pluck out your nose hair:)"
Feb. 1st, 2009 @ 08:22 pm
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| » CNY! |
It was a busy January...
The year started with me celebrating New year's day in Osaka... then fast forward a little, it was the wedding of my JC fren, Marvin and his loooooong time gf (since 2000?).
It was held at the Fullerton hotel..the food was Gooood. Truely a beautiful wedding. It was not the decorations that I remembered, nor was it the programmes of the night (however, being a true blue Singaporean, I do remember the food!).. what struck a chord in my heart, was the presence of God in that place.
Tears welled in my eyes when I watched their wedding video. The long journey they took...from JC 1 all the way till they are 25. I remember seeing Marvin & Michelle's Neo Print back in JC 1... It said "Agape Love". Truely, it can only be the Love of God that holds this union together. God's fingerprints are all over this marriage.
 Blessed Marriage!!!!!I'm very happy for the both of you:D
** Last week we had CNY service at the indoor stadium. The drama (The Little Nonya based on The Love Story of Ruth) was FABULOUS! I reallllllyyyy hope they sell the dvd..with the lovely songs!*hint* The actors and actresses Shone, it had to be the anointing of God, cos they only pulled the drama together in a short time of 3 weeks!
Then, we had our silly fun item of CNY song.
  Gong xi Gong xi Gong xi ni!
  Our first item together!
We got to sabo and bully each other on stage.hahaha.
** The following day, we had a farewell gathering at Melanie's house.
 Dearest MEL going to MELbourne.boohoo.
 Our more un-boring photos.
  Ling, Doreen.
 Ling,me n Dor...and the rest of the calefares!
We had Sarpinos Pizza and then Macs ice cream & Twister fries. Speaking of Twister Fries, I LOVE THEM!!!!! But Macs only sell them once a year!!Grrrrrrrr.... I'm so gonna eat them again later tonight:D
**
CNY day 1
 Visit to the Goh grandpa.
Then it's millions of photos of the Gohs again!:D
 
 
 
 
My mum describes these kinda photos by us as "GLGG".(Gu li Gu Guai )
 My sis.
Dinner was at my Grandpa the chef's place!

Since Peranakan food is getting popular after the Little Nonya show, I shall flaunt our delicious food.
  Yummy Buakuluah (dont know how to spell)
 Sharksfin prepared by grandpa.
 My cutie cousin.
 Sean getting acquainted with her.
  Her "Sour Pickle" face expression.
 I was so shocked when she followed me and did the Peace sign!! The expression was totally her own, I didn't even tell her to do that. Ain't she cute?? Then she excitedly craned her neck to see the photo on the digi cam after it was taken!
Moral of the story: IT STARTS FROM YOUNG! even a small girl would wanna check how she looked on the photo after it's taken!Ahhh..the wonders of Technology- "Take until you're happy"...
 Another shot of the cutie.
 My wonderful dad and us:D
** CNY day 2
 
 
We were busy eating during house visits...hahaha..so we only have our own vain shots:D
HAPPPYYY CHINESEEEEE NEWWW YEAR !!!
Jan. 30th, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
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