growing in Jesus

i like this song for a while now... it teaches and reminds me as i grow in Jesus everyday. 

it takes a lot of growing

for a tree to reach the sky

it takes a lot of rain to help it grow

it takes a lot of running

for a child to catch the wind

it takes a lot of walking to learn to run

and i'm growing in Jesus

getting stronger each and everyday in every way

cos' Jesus is growing in me

many times i feel discouraged

when the rain got in my way

i didn't know that it would help me grow

and everytime i run ahead

i always miss a turn

and end up walking backwards

while I learn

and i'm growing in Jesus

getting stronger each and everyday in every way

cos' Jesus is growing in me

and i'm growing in Jesus

getting stronger each and everyday in every way

cos' Jesus is growing in me

paranoia

i believe everyone of us has its own paranoia, that at some point we get paranoid on some things...

i have mine lately... i get paranoid when i thought i am rejected in which not intentionally done. yes! it's a matter of trust and i swore i have to let go of that thought and don't get paranoid... i realized it's not healthy in any ways... 

note to self: dwell on happy moments and happy thoughts. have faith and trust..!
paranoia kicked out...!

:)

happy birthday, ley

phuket, thailand - january 2011

laurence, my very good friend, spent his christmas last december 2010 at london… thinking it would be very cold there, he planned to be somewhere hot when he comes back to bangkok… and so he asked me if i wanted to go with him to phuket. without a doubt i said yes..! he knows it's been my long dream to see and experience phuket... 

kata beach, right in front of club med

i flew to phuket from singapore early in the morning on the first day of the year... laurence booked our accomodation at clubmed. 

club med's pool and dining hall...

club méditerranée, commonly known as club med, is a french  corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. (ref: wikipedia) 

laurence, looking like a don...

i arrived there first as lau travelled by bus from his another friend. while waiting for him, i found myself a spot at the bar, had something to eat and drink. when he arrived we had our late lunch. 

cheers..!

one thing i really liked on this trip was our experience of international cuisine. everything's just there that you don't know what you're going to have for a meal. it was my first time to choose not just a few but a lot of dishes for a meal. and you can eat everything as much as you want... 

beautiful sunset along kata beach

we strolled down the shore of kata beach in the afternoon until sunset. after dinner, we joined the party and had fun... 

top: it's a red carpet dinner
below: party, party, party..!

on our second day we went to phi phi island on a tour. we took the ferry tour, had we known that we can't be at the maya bay, we could have booked that tour by speedboat. 

on board the ferry to phi phi island

top: maya bay from afar
below: viking cave

maya bay is where the movie of leandro dicaprio, the beach, was shoot. and even from afar you'll see how nice the beach is... but we still enjoyed our self snorkelling. the water was just so clear, but we can't go far from the ferry as we're both scared. we're both not a good swimmer... 

phi phi island

we had our lunch at phi phi island. we enjoyed the scenery of the hot blazing sun along the seashore... 

and then, we went back to our respective origin on the third day...

if given another chance, i would love to go back there...! lau, thank you for dragging me along on that trip... and for these nice photos as well ;)

formula 1 singtel singapore grand prix

it's the time of the year for the formula 1 singtel singapore grand prix. it's usually held every september for five years now. it's the world's only f1 night race. 

i had the chance together with my girl friends to witness a friday night practice last 2010 thru the sponsorship of our boss, mr. puah. 

krisna, lm, jasmine & me

girls having fun...

he wanted us to witness such event even for once... the feeling was so different hearing the heart-pumping sound of those racing cars that passed by infront of us. 

top: mr puah, krisna & me
below: concert ground

i'm so thankful for the chance that once in my life i was there...

you're missed

happy birthday, babes... it's supposed to be your 31st today. you're always in our thoughts, me and nanay, and i believe all of your closest friends...

life could have been happier if you're still around. we always love and miss you...

official result - safra singapore bay run & army half marathon

the result of safra singapore bay run & army half marathon 2012 held last sunday, 9 september is out...

here's mine...

top: when average runner finished
center: when female winner finished
below: when overall winner finished

i was behind 50% mark, but i think it's not bad for someone like me who run my first 21km... i hope to improve my speed on my next run...

but one thing for sure, i did enjoy and had fun...!

to check result of runners you may know, safra result ...

sick (again)

i was sick again yesterday :( and i had to take a leave from work to get some rest... i might have eaten something that made my tummy angry... i had an intestinal disorder characterized by abnormal frequency and fluidity of fecal evacuations, in short diarrhea :( 

but one good thing about being sick, i was able to stay at home and just rest and sleep the whole day... and talked to my baby for hours... 

back to work today and feeling better now :)

safra singapore bay run & army half marathon 2012

yey…! i'm now a 21km finisher :)) after eight weeks of preparation i was indeed ready as i was able to finish the run… i slept over lerie's place as we have to get off very early for the marathon, our flag off time was 5:15 in the morning. thank you so much lerie ;) 

it was three hours of running and all i can think of was to finish the run... 'twas funny coz seeing the last 400m mark makes me want to stop but i keep on running and was so happy seeing the finish lane ahead... 

as per runkeeper app
still waiting for the official result

21km finisher medal
(photo by frank)
"distance is nothing if you're loving it"

it was so comforting accepting and holding the finisher medal... i'm thankful to have this run with lerie, adi and the very comfy running socks. thanks ley ;) i'm thankful for the strength and endurance He provided me... 

after the race with my running buddy lerie

this week i will start to train again for 21km for standard chartered marathon singapore 2012 on december 2 and 16.8km for adidas king of the road on october 28. but this time it'll not be as rigid as i have done for safra, i'll be following the training schedule lerie shared to me... 

see you runners...!

fort canning park nature walk

last sabbath afternoon our church, chuan hoe seventh-day adventist chuch, went out for a nature walk at fort canning park. we had a nice and a great afternoon. 

we had the chance to see some of the heritage trees here in singapore but i haven't remember the names of those trees... 

some of the heritage trees around the park

hanging & tiny flowers

enjoying and having fun

i just enjoyed the nature and the fun we had. 

group picture :))
below is actually a successive 10-shot pose
(photo taken from frank)

towards the end of our walk, we sat for a while on the ground at one part of the park. lerie and pastor bayu started to show their skills on cartwheel and most of the youths wanted to learn. so they tried their very best as well to execute. i didn't try but i had so much fun watching them... 

left: simon trying to help pastor bayu find his balance
right: pastor bayu performed a cartwheel over me and lerie
(photo taken from frank)

'twas a fun-filled afternoon to be out in the nature...

ready (hopefully)

the day after my first 10km run for pocari sweat last 15th of july, i started to train for my first 21km half marathon this 9th of september. 

i found this 10-week half marathon training schedule which i had as a guide... also lerie, gave me a 12-week training schedule but i think i'll follow that for the next half marathon this coming december for standard chartered...

i only have 8 weeks left, so i started my run on the third week of the schedule. i usually run in the evenings, few minutes after i get home from work and have my long run on sunday mornings... i haven't run on every schedule 'coz i was sick for few days plus the monthly period a girl like me expects... 

goal vs achieved distance in every run

i pray for strength and endurance that i maybe able to finish the 21km run and receive the finisher medal... but inspired as i am i know i can finish the race together with adi...

iLoveyou

i love you... it's a three very strong & meaningful words. expressed to let the one you love knows you love him/her... and should only be said when you mean it! 

i've got those three special words from brad yesterday. and heard it from him as well.
i never expected it this early, but how can u hold back such feelings... i was speechless for a while and so happy, the happiest girl at that point of time.

i love you, too brad :)) i pray and know that you will not break the heart of this simple girl you love. 

thank you as well 'coz you never fail to complete my day by putting a smile on my face :)

beef caldereta (ala charm)

it's only my second time to prepare beef caldereta... the first time was on my last birthday.

last week i've been craving for something like beef and so i told ate corazon that i'll try to cook beef caldereta on the weekend...

i only read blogs and procedures on how to prepare this dish. having all of those in my mind i prepared it my own way, hehehe...

i had the beef marinated the night before... and cooked the caldereta late in the afternoon yesterday. it's just almost the same how it is usually prepared but i put some cheese and pineapple in it... i love cheese...

here's what and how the beef caldereta (ala charm) was prepared...

marinated beef

i had the beef marinated with garlic, onion, soy sauce, a little of vinegar (or lemon), pepper and salt...

potato, carrots, jalapeno, red bell pepper & onion

saute one medium sized onion and two pieces sliced & seeded jalapeno in margarine. i could have used three or four jalapenos but fritzie is not a fan of hot chili food. also, it could have been better if i had butter instead of margarine...

then add the marinated beef and half of red bell pepper for the meat to absorb its taste. stir once in awhile until almost dry. add the marinade, pineapple juice and beef stock in two cups of water. let it boil in med high fire until meat becomes tender. at this point, i added some salt to taste.

add potato, boil until cook. add tomato sauce and peanut butter, carrots, sliced pineapple and the remaining red bell pepper. i like the carrots crunchy and not soft ;)

remaining ingredients

stir until it thickens. i added some cheese. let it boil for awhile and it's done and ready...

sorry, i can't give exact measurement of everything as i have it all estimated, hehehe...

beef caldereta (ala charm)
serve with rice...

it might not look appealing but my housemates said it's nice and yummm...