Papa, he loves Mama

I used to listen to this song from my mum's antique radio in the 80's.
Today this song kept on ringing on my head and therefore i kept on playing it over and over again in Youtube.
The baby-ish voices at the background were so cuttttteeeeee singing along the chorus "papa he loves mama, mama he loves papa"...

A Hero That i Shall Never Forget

The usual thing when everybody's back to their hometown is subconsciously reminiscing their past as small little things that triggers their fond memories... or in another way saying it... "Down to The Memory Lane" :-)

As i was on my trip from Kota Kinabalu airport, passing my neighbour's house, i remembered once when i was much younger how he denied himself to catch a thief. It's kinda nostalgic for me when my dad asked for my pardon while we were having our tea time, for he thinks it's part of his fault...The truth is, i never blamed my dad for it, in fact i never blamed anybody around me for it. All i ever think was, why in the world that i've never manage to walk to my neighbour and say thank you to him for being so super selfless. My dad reassured me that, on behalf of me, he did go and thanked my neighbour for his heroic moves.

I still remember vividly how all this came about, is when my parents were so busy finding money to support their 6 children's education, i was left all alone in the house on sunday morning to prepare myself to go for tuition in the afternoon while the thief jumped in from my study room window. I could still remember his physique, as tall as 6 ft and very muscular, he could've easily strangle me with one grip.

To make the story short, my neighbour was bare feet and was only wearing his house boxer ran on a very gravel road to catch the thief, when the thief ran faster than him and jumped to the river, my neighbour ran back to his house and call his friend from the opposite side of the river to standby and catch the thief. The thief was still swimming but my neighbour threw all the bricks and heavy stones towards him so that he will come out to the other side of the river which in the end, he did. Hence the thief was captured.

Even up till now, i never thanked him personally for i never saw him being in the neighbourhood anymore. I am still searching for the opportunity to thank him and will always do..

Creative Talk

Watching Jim Parson (more about Jim Parson) playing Sheldon or Dr. Cooper in the series drama of the Bing Bang Theories (more on The Bing Bang theories) awed me in how lengthy his scripts is and yet ... well versed by this individual.

The pride just watching him going up the stage receiving his first 2 Emmys as "Best Actor in Comedy Series" and "Outstanding Male Actor in Comedy Series" while his other contenders Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, an actor from The Glee (a series that i dont follow) and another contender ( from another series i dont follow)  but is a real hunk, while him Jim Parson making his humble speech up on the stage thanking many people...but what caught me was how Alec Baldwin reactions was. I would describe it as a bewildered face.

Truly talented and a funny guy.

Nick Vujicic an Inspiration... a Hero

Here's to why i would say he is a hero..

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs and he could easily give up just about everything and anything and nobody would blamed him for feeling so. Nevertheless, lo and behold he grew up living life to the fullest and became an inspiration to millions of people out there who feels their life is hopeless and to the point of giving up or suicide.

Watching his motivational speech in one of the school in the states made me realise how perfect he is in his imperfect physique. He is just the right person to speak up and impact nationwide. With every little that he has, he made it giant. A giant heart indeed. I love and really love his spirit and he made me feel different every morning that i wake up eversince. 

Nick, you truly are an inspiration !

  

The Prayer


A song popularized by Josh Groban, that i dedicate to every mother or mother-to-be out there ....



I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we’ll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E’il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera 

A Recipe for Birthday Celebration

Roast Lamb & Mash Potatoes with Mango Salsa
Not only i make my Husband's day but i also make my cousin's day when she got stranded in the airport due to not paying PTPTN for a year (poor her....)  and decided to join the party. So since her shopping spree in Thailand burnt out, i guess good food plus good company just make my husband's 40th birthday more awesome.  

Below are the recipes

Roast Leg of Lamb with Orange Juice and White Wine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange juice (naval orange is the best ..very sweet)
• 1 cup white wine (choose good white wine , i used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (6 pound) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed (please choose good lamb, i used Australian lamb bought it @ Bangsar Village grocery shop & ask for fat-removed lamb)
• salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Place orange juice, white wine, olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme and rosemary, and pepper into a blender; mix. Pour into a large, resealable plastic bag, and add the lamb. Coat meat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before roasting. Pat dry with a paper towel. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the meat.
3. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Arrange two racks in the oven - a middle rack to hold the lamb, and a lower rack to hold a roasting pan to catch the drippings. Place the empty roasting pan in the oven while the oven is preheating.
4. Arrange meat directly on middle rack, fattiest side up so while the lamb cooks the fat will melt into the meat. Position roasting pan underneath meat to catch the drippings. Roast for 30 minutes, and then reduce heat to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads between 130 to 135 degrees F (54 to 57 degrees C), about 10 to 12 minutes per pound. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Traditional Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil; cook for 20-25 minutes or until very tender. Drain well. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper; mash until light and fluffy.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped ( i replaced with 1 cili padi)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno or cili padi, lime juice, and lemon juice. Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

So now you have the recipe, what are you waiting for..no excuses this time...  :-)

In Him we can trust - by Melanie Jominin

Just as I came back from a long holiday and about to start my day in my cubicle, my colleague informed me an earthquake struck Sumatra with 6.6 magnitude. I was dumbfounded for a while for I thought that  lately we are often bombarded with these natural disaster news that is caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide and many more worldwide. We both were so disturbed with the news that we start recalling the documentary that we used to watch titled “Nostradamus Predictions”.  

Nostradamus is an astrologer who wrote “The Prophecies” published in 1955 a collection of 12 predictions which led to numerous speculations.  A few of his predictions involved major world events such as the rise and fall of Hitler, The assassination of John F. Kennedy, 9/11 collapse of the World Trade Centre and the most talked about now with a movie to visualized this prediction -2012 The End of the World.

At the end of our disturbing moments my colleague actually asked me, “So Mel, is the world really going to end at 2012?” I replied “Even if it is, let me die quick. I don’t want to open my eyes and know that I became “cacat” (handicapped) after a catastrophy.”

I still can’t get it out of my thoughts and it became a conviction that dwells me deeper into all this. I think not only the geographical coordinates were affected after a certain natural disaster happened (for example when the Tsunami struck Japan part of the world plates shifted that causes flood in other areas of the world), part of our lives are also changing as the world evolves.

The human natural metamorphosis doesn’t stop the ageing process; birth, death is still part of being a human.  Nothing seemed permanent nowadays. It comes to another question. What is permanent nowadays anyway?

Job? Nope…The higher level you go the higher the stress is to maintain your job.

Money? Nope….Hard to come, easy to go …even successful investors have their ups and downs.

Relationship? Nope….Adultery, divorce rate (OMG…Hollywood marriage)

As the thought goes deeper I can’t help to wonder, with where I am right now, the age that I am right now, the friends that I have right now that all these will constantly change or maybe to my worst imagination…gone.

Or is this Que sera sera, whatever will be will be or will it be C’est la vie.

My brain hurts thinking this way.

As I woke up the next morning, a particular verse kept on pushing in my brain. Alpha …Omega…it reminds me of  the verse in Revelation when God says:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End

 Yes the world evolved.

Yes people changed now and then.

Yes we planned the future and sometimes no matter how hard we try things doesn't always go our own way. (If it does, good for you.)

But God,
He doesn’t change.
He assures us that He is still the same from A to Z.

Therefore friends and even to myself , from the first day we were born to the last day we breath in this world He gave us hope and strength that we needed that He will still be the same for us. 

Our beginning and our end.