Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! (Matthew 10:8)
Prompted by Donna Partow's book, Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be: A 90-Day Guide to Living the Proverbs 31 Life, I decided to write a mission statement for my the remainder of my life. Here's what I wrote:
LIVE OUT LOUD Matthew 10:8.
That's why I named my blog Matthew 10:8. Writing a mission statement for your life and living it are two different things. Today, at least, I'm asking the big, age-old question: Why? Why did I do it? Why is it so hard? Why do I want to quit every other day and why can't I? I've really been challenged a lot lately. I've been confused, questioned, misunderstood, beaten down, crushed, mocked, and accused. I've been on the mountain top, in the valley, on a roller coaster, and on an adventure and thrill of a lifetime. I always come back to the question WHY? Why am I not seeing the dead raised, the lepers cleansed, demons cast out, and ALL the sick healed?
And then someone very wise gave me some counsel and perspective. If God allows me to make a difference in just ONE person's life. If He uses me to heal one ailment, cast out one demon, cure one case of leprosy, or raise one person from the dead (physically or spiritually), it will be a life well-spent. As someone who has received healing from an incurable disease, I know how important for me that ONE moment was and continues to be. It has literally changed my entire life. It is the reason I can't quit. It is the reason why I have to get up every day and give it another shot. It is the reason why I must continue to lay hands on every sick person I encounter. It is the reason why I must keep striving for the standard set by Jesus: 100% healed! It is the reason why I must strive to LIVE OUT LOUD Matthew 10:8. Freely I have received. Freely I must give. It burns in my bones (Jeremiah 20:9).
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tribute to Michael Jackson
Why are you so angry? LOL. It tickles me to know that.
I don't really feel like typing much these. Don't really feel like expressing much, not to any of the people I don't really know anyway. Please, don't let me any of my meaningless, harmless words hurt you. That would be too precious.
Why would any thing as mediocre as me upset you? :)
Do you really care that much? Awe.
Bangkok city is and always has been a beautiful city. Coming here could be the best weekend consisting of shopping and massage and fine food. I realized I did enjoy shopping, a lot. Was stuck in a jam for nearly one and a half hour and surprisingly even that didn't disturb me. Other than the fact that I wasn't the driver nor the fact I just got out from an hour massage. But even the driver seemed relaxed, half way driving and stuck in jam, he got out of his car to look for his sniffer under his seat. Funny little guy.
Good god, look at the time, it's almost to dinner. And I have yet to shower and curl my hair. Time does wait for no one.
Speaking of MJ, someone sent me this link when I got online earlier.
On the page I saw two of Michael's photos, pretty alive and kicking, just 2 days before his sudden cardiac death. Surprised that he's looking really well despite his sharp nose, dancing on the stage on his coming concert.
Despite growing up from two Chinese schools (elementary and high school), my childhood idol has always been MJ. An odd from the bunch as everyone else was worshiping every other surviving Chinese artists back in those days. Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Jacky Cheung, etc.
I know naught of their songs, admittedly, I thought there was something wrong with me. I never listened to Mandarin songs that much, even though none of my family members nor relatives conversed in English.
But I was a little fan girl, admittedly, when I was in my early teens, I was having intimate fantasy toward the king of pop.
I was too young to understand what was sex. Hence there was no wet dream of the sort, but I've always dreamt of meeting the king himself and through some miraculous way, form a family and get married with him.
I remembered my mom teasing me when we were in Disneyland back when I was in standard six and my mom and I were sitting in on a 3D studio watching a Michael Jackson cast movie. I was goggling, drooling if not, at the 3D Michael popping out in front of me, dancing so near me, and almost wanted to extend my hand and touched him, when I heard my mom teasing me non stop from the side.
I was angered with embarrassment. Blushing and always denied and claimed I was just watching the movie and was focusing on the background dancers and how amazing their dance techniques were.
The day I found out he got a lady pregnant (whom I know now was Deborah Jeanne Rowe) and married her, I was completely heart shattered. His news was all over the paper, it was the first time I paid so much attention to papers. Admittedly, for a 12 year old, I screamed from within that it should have been me! For he did pass by Malaysia on his History World Tour back in 1996.
After that, I decided to block out the fact that he's married and focused on my illusions, what if I went for the concernt, and that I was older and of age, and that we had one of those ridiculous fairy tale acquaintances where he spotted me from the stage and we had love at first sight and....etc.
Cut me some slacks.I was only 12 and in love.
I need not profess here how much I miss him, of my childhood crush and memory, of which newspaper cut-out I still keep in my drawers back in 1996 when he did his world tour in KL.
While the rest of the world shall jot down how amazing and what he has done in his life, his contribution to the music industry and history, being one of the first artists back in the 80's to cross over nation boundaries, to countries even in the middle east when satellite tv wasn't as popular. He was phenomenal, yes.
But he was my idol, my first crush, my childhood companion or fetish, and that's what it meant to me and for me.
Michael, this is a tribute to you.
I'll miss you gravely.
I don't really feel like typing much these. Don't really feel like expressing much, not to any of the people I don't really know anyway. Please, don't let me any of my meaningless, harmless words hurt you. That would be too precious.
Why would any thing as mediocre as me upset you? :)
Do you really care that much? Awe.
Bangkok city is and always has been a beautiful city. Coming here could be the best weekend consisting of shopping and massage and fine food. I realized I did enjoy shopping, a lot. Was stuck in a jam for nearly one and a half hour and surprisingly even that didn't disturb me. Other than the fact that I wasn't the driver nor the fact I just got out from an hour massage. But even the driver seemed relaxed, half way driving and stuck in jam, he got out of his car to look for his sniffer under his seat. Funny little guy.
Good god, look at the time, it's almost to dinner. And I have yet to shower and curl my hair. Time does wait for no one.
Speaking of MJ, someone sent me this link when I got online earlier.
On the page I saw two of Michael's photos, pretty alive and kicking, just 2 days before his sudden cardiac death. Surprised that he's looking really well despite his sharp nose, dancing on the stage on his coming concert.
Despite growing up from two Chinese schools (elementary and high school), my childhood idol has always been MJ. An odd from the bunch as everyone else was worshiping every other surviving Chinese artists back in those days. Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Jacky Cheung, etc.
I know naught of their songs, admittedly, I thought there was something wrong with me. I never listened to Mandarin songs that much, even though none of my family members nor relatives conversed in English.
But I was a little fan girl, admittedly, when I was in my early teens, I was having intimate fantasy toward the king of pop.
I was too young to understand what was sex. Hence there was no wet dream of the sort, but I've always dreamt of meeting the king himself and through some miraculous way, form a family and get married with him.
I remembered my mom teasing me when we were in Disneyland back when I was in standard six and my mom and I were sitting in on a 3D studio watching a Michael Jackson cast movie. I was goggling, drooling if not, at the 3D Michael popping out in front of me, dancing so near me, and almost wanted to extend my hand and touched him, when I heard my mom teasing me non stop from the side.
I was angered with embarrassment. Blushing and always denied and claimed I was just watching the movie and was focusing on the background dancers and how amazing their dance techniques were.
The day I found out he got a lady pregnant (whom I know now was Deborah Jeanne Rowe) and married her, I was completely heart shattered. His news was all over the paper, it was the first time I paid so much attention to papers. Admittedly, for a 12 year old, I screamed from within that it should have been me! For he did pass by Malaysia on his History World Tour back in 1996.
After that, I decided to block out the fact that he's married and focused on my illusions, what if I went for the concernt, and that I was older and of age, and that we had one of those ridiculous fairy tale acquaintances where he spotted me from the stage and we had love at first sight and....etc.
Cut me some slacks.I was only 12 and in love.
I need not profess here how much I miss him, of my childhood crush and memory, of which newspaper cut-out I still keep in my drawers back in 1996 when he did his world tour in KL.
While the rest of the world shall jot down how amazing and what he has done in his life, his contribution to the music industry and history, being one of the first artists back in the 80's to cross over nation boundaries, to countries even in the middle east when satellite tv wasn't as popular. He was phenomenal, yes.
But he was my idol, my first crush, my childhood companion or fetish, and that's what it meant to me and for me.
Michael, this is a tribute to you.
I'll miss you gravely.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Millionaire to Brokeback Nicolekiss
Random photo:
Been kinda missing my old hair lately.
But finding a lot of new and interesting hairstyle to do with my new do. Perfect timing to get my curler and creativity out. ;)
Did a fantastic do a week ago that made me looked almost like a Japanese girl, lack of petite frame gave me away. Sigh.
Three days ago I was a millionaire.
Most people would be when they visit Bali.
Here's a photo of my thick pile of Rupiah, too thick to stuff into my Guess purse.
It's funny how some readers think Guess purse is worth showing off.
"ooo.. look. Nicole is flashing her Guess purse which I so carefully observed and scrutinized on her blog. She thinks she is so rich and all showing off her purse? I hate her for showing off a purse. Stop showing off your purse bitch!"
The comments made me laughed so hard I rolled on the floor.
Elo... Guess is worth showing off? You must've been outta your mind. It's not Juicy Couture or LV or Gucci ok? It's just freaking Guess. Everyone can own one.
Oh wait. You can't? Too bad for you then.
Landed in the land that has never been ruled before yesterday.
standing in Suvanabhumi Airport - Bangkok with my too-lazy-to-wear-fancy-pansy-on-plane outfit.
Got broke today.
After spending 5 hours shopping in Pratunam.
Shit, Bangkok is dangerous.
Just spent RM40 (400 baht) to go online from hotel room. Ouch.
What to do when you travel to a country where there's no free wifi in Starbucks.
Emo.
Been kinda missing my old hair lately.
But finding a lot of new and interesting hairstyle to do with my new do. Perfect timing to get my curler and creativity out. ;)
Did a fantastic do a week ago that made me looked almost like a Japanese girl, lack of petite frame gave me away. Sigh.
Three days ago I was a millionaire.
Most people would be when they visit Bali.
Here's a photo of my thick pile of Rupiah, too thick to stuff into my Guess purse.
It's funny how some readers think Guess purse is worth showing off.
"ooo.. look. Nicole is flashing her Guess purse which I so carefully observed and scrutinized on her blog. She thinks she is so rich and all showing off her purse? I hate her for showing off a purse. Stop showing off your purse bitch!"
The comments made me laughed so hard I rolled on the floor.
Elo... Guess is worth showing off? You must've been outta your mind. It's not Juicy Couture or LV or Gucci ok? It's just freaking Guess. Everyone can own one.
Oh wait. You can't? Too bad for you then.
Landed in the land that has never been ruled before yesterday.
standing in Suvanabhumi Airport - Bangkok with my too-lazy-to-wear-fancy-pansy-on-plane outfit.
Got broke today.
After spending 5 hours shopping in Pratunam.
Shit, Bangkok is dangerous.
Just spent RM40 (400 baht) to go online from hotel room. Ouch.
What to do when you travel to a country where there's no free wifi in Starbucks.
Emo.
What's in a name?
I've got a favorite but I'd love to hear what you think of the final choices for a new business and blog name. Please click here to pick your favorite. Votes being tallied until midnight, June 30.The winning namer and a randomly chosen voter will both be given an in-home cooking lesson!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Toronto's Most Unique Diaper Cakes!
Beautiful new designs of baby diaper cakes added today!
Coming Soon: Baby gifts for under $50!!
Honor the Point
In Bill Johnson’s book “Face to Face with God” he talks about how when we recognize God's presence through others and we "mimic" their actions, or step out in faith believing that God has shown up, that we will also experience God's presence. He writes:
"It's possible to be right next to God and not know it! I often see this truth played out in life. It never ceases to amaze me that in the same meeting one person can be experiencing a powerful touch from the Lord, and at the same moment the person next to him is wondering when the meeting will be over so he can go to lunch.
There are two things that we should learn from this fact. The first thing to realize is that it is possible to position ourselves to encounter God by learning to recognize the signs of His presence, not only as we experience them but also as others experience them. My hunting dog is trained to 'honor the point' of the other dogs he is hunting with. That means that he 'points,' even when he has not yet picked up a scent of his prey. He assumes the same posture to give me a signal that he has found something. He takes the same posture that the other dogs have. As a result, he eventually picks up the same scent that they have picked up. Likewise, when we recognize that others around us are connecting with the presence of God, even when we are not yet aware of Him ourselves, we set ourselves up to become aware of Him by acknowledging His presence on the basis of others' experience.
The disciples learned a challenging lesson in Mark 16:14 in this regard. Jesus rebuked them because 'they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.' Learning to believe God through another person's experience is one of the most difficult yet important, lessons in life. Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we are required to recognize when someone is telling us the truth even when we don't understand.
"It's possible to be right next to God and not know it! I often see this truth played out in life. It never ceases to amaze me that in the same meeting one person can be experiencing a powerful touch from the Lord, and at the same moment the person next to him is wondering when the meeting will be over so he can go to lunch.
There are two things that we should learn from this fact. The first thing to realize is that it is possible to position ourselves to encounter God by learning to recognize the signs of His presence, not only as we experience them but also as others experience them. My hunting dog is trained to 'honor the point' of the other dogs he is hunting with. That means that he 'points,' even when he has not yet picked up a scent of his prey. He assumes the same posture to give me a signal that he has found something. He takes the same posture that the other dogs have. As a result, he eventually picks up the same scent that they have picked up. Likewise, when we recognize that others around us are connecting with the presence of God, even when we are not yet aware of Him ourselves, we set ourselves up to become aware of Him by acknowledging His presence on the basis of others' experience.
The disciples learned a challenging lesson in Mark 16:14 in this regard. Jesus rebuked them because 'they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.' Learning to believe God through another person's experience is one of the most difficult yet important, lessons in life. Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we are required to recognize when someone is telling us the truth even when we don't understand.
The second thing to realize is that when God does lift the veil of our senses to perceive what is going on in the spiritual realm, we are not spectators who have stumbled upon something that has nothing to do with us. God is communicating with us and allowing us to see what He sees in order to invite us to know Him and partner with what He is doing.
It is a mistake to think that only certain people with unique gifts can hear and see God. If I think that it's only for others, then I will disqualify myself because I know I'm nothing special. In doing so I remove myself from active faith. One of the essential gestures of faith is to live with the expectation that the God who said that His sheep hear His voice and who gave His live to restore relationship with each of us would like to communicate with us. This faith leads us to lean into His voice--to learn as the prophet Samuel did to say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Significantly, it was as soon as he learned to take this posture that he gained access to the greater revelation that God had been inviting him into."Saturday, June 27, 2009
Drum Roll Please...The Finalists!
Thank you to all of my friends (and friends of friends, and friends of those friends, and those friends' friends...) who suggested names for this blog and my accompanying cooking lesson business. I am excited to share the finalists with you, and have you pick your favorite. You may click here to see the list of possible blog/business names and cast your vote.
Votes will be tallied until midnight, June 30th (that's Tuesday). On Wednesday (or Thursday if Wednesday ends up being completely nutty) I will announce the new name for the blog and the two winners: the generous and creative person who came up with the winning name, and the the winning voter (chosen by random drawing).
The fine print for the contest is the same as the original post.
Kids today...
White Furry Poncho. Check.
Cute Japanese style side bangs. Check.
High Pony Tail. Check.
Stockings. Check.
Boots. Check.
Dress. Check.
Damn.
Kids today dress up nicer than I did when I was 17.
WTF man.
Cute Japanese style side bangs. Check.
High Pony Tail. Check.
Stockings. Check.
Boots. Check.
Dress. Check.
Damn.
Kids today dress up nicer than I did when I was 17.
WTF man.
Stuffed Zucchini/Squash (aka "Zucchini Rockets")
Simple veggie side for summer dinners. I made the mistake of cutting it up before serving it to my kids last night and roasted, chopped zucchini isn’t nearly as appealing to little ones as a “zucchini rocket”. Today I’ll put a room temp “rocket” on their plate and let them eat it with their hands."Zucchini Rockets" (aka Stuffed Zucchini/Squash)
Zucchini and/or squash, washed and cut into 2-4” hunks
Melon baller or metal measuring spoon (to hollow out the squash/zucchini hunk)
1 jar Trader Joe’s Tomato Bruschetta
Shredded Parmesan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the zucchini or squash into 2 to 4 inch hunks. (They can be different heights.) Then, using a melon baller or metal measuring spoon (the idea is to have a sharp, small diameter) scoop out most of the inside of the squash/zucchini, leaving a base of about 1” in the bottom. Place them in a baking dish, hollow hole up. You’ll stuff the hole in a minute.
Roughly chop the squash or zucchini you just scooped out into smaller pieces, and toss in a mixing bowl with a handful of shredded parmesan and 1 jar of TJ’s prepared bruschetta. (At our TJ’s the bruschetta is found in the pasta aisle next to the olives.) Now you simply re-stuff the zucchini/squash chunks with this mixture (you’ll have extra filling which you can bake in a separate dish and use in omelets, frittatas, etc.).
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the zucchini/squash is tender, but not mushy. Serve warm or room temp.
Anticipating Farm Camp
I am not sure who is more excited for Farm Camp? Me, my lucky child who gets to go, or my little one who is going to be exploring the phenomenal acreage with me each day that his brother is mucking around with the pigs, learning about composting, building a fence for the sheep, and harvesting garlic?
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Bruery Provisions
Did you know we opened up a homebrew shop about a month ago? If you haven't, that's probably because we've been keeping it quiet as we're just starting to get the hang of it. The shop has made some great progress over the past month and we're really proud of it. Where was this store when I first started homebrewing in Chapman University student housing? I had to drive all the way to Long Beach, Riverside or Laguna Niguel!
The Bruery Provisions features a great selection of homebrew ingredients, equipment, books about beer and homebrewing, as well as Bruery merchandise and general beer merchandise. We're also one of the few places where you can buy the DVD of Beer Wars!
We're in the process of building a web store so we can sell everything to be shipped or for pickup. Hopefully we can get that running sometime in July.
Every few days we're getting new inventory, and if you need anything in particular, we'll get it for you. We hope you enjoy it!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Shenzhen: Window of the World - 世界之窗
I've always thought Shenzhen to be boring and unattractive.
Reading from Lonely Planet, it described the port town to be one of three most developed and biggest cities on mainland China (after Shanghai and Guangzhou), mainly due to the influence of it's neighbour first world Hong Kong.
Having been to Shanghai and Guangzhou, I was determined to cross over to Shenzhen from Hong Kong to judge this city myself.
big Hello Kitty in the train station on the HK side
big Hello Kitty lottery roller
Knowing that there are one man to every six women ratio of the population here, it's not difficult to deduce the fact that Shenzhen is really a town of mistresses, assumely kept by Hong Kong male residents.
Other than its plain development, Shenzhen, to be honest, doesn't really have anything to offer other than sex and pubs.
But to create a few attraction to cater to the large tourists influx every year, there are a few places worth visiting here.
One of it would be Window of the World.
look at all themistresses and their children tourists.
A very... very impressive theme park that has around 130 reproductions of the world's most famous tourist attractions, including seven wonders of the world.
The entrance itself it a reproduction of The Louvre (Museum) in Paris.
From the entrance you can clearly see a "miniature" size of the actual Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Window of the World is the perfect example to showcase the best of trait of China -
that Chinese can "copy" almost anything.
We are Chinese! Muahaha! We copy ourselves too!
Even at the entrance, it displayed different sculptures that represented different parts of the world:
India, Rome (Italy), Greece, Egypt, etc.
There's also some that showed the aboriginal origins culture.
Which was... erm... rather... interesting. cough*saggingboobs*cough
Chinese shouting: "Hmph! Take that world! See how we copy the entire world down! All 130 of them! Even your damn Eiffel tower and Venus de Milo!"
Among all the statues, I thought the Hindu Goddess statue was impressive. The carvings skill, the impersonation, the posture, how it represented all the right godly features.
From whichever angle.
Very... Impressive.
It does makes me wonder, and anticipate how China see us Malaysia as...
You know, how important and impressive Malaysia culture and architectures are to the world through the Chinese's eyes.
Only to realize, after looking at this photo for a few minutes,
we've kinda been overlooked in their global perspectives.
"Where the F*ck is Malaysia?!"
Reading from Lonely Planet, it described the port town to be one of three most developed and biggest cities on mainland China (after Shanghai and Guangzhou), mainly due to the influence of it's neighbour first world Hong Kong.
Having been to Shanghai and Guangzhou, I was determined to cross over to Shenzhen from Hong Kong to judge this city myself.
big Hello Kitty in the train station on the HK side
big Hello Kitty lottery roller
Knowing that there are one man to every six women ratio of the population here, it's not difficult to deduce the fact that Shenzhen is really a town of mistresses, assumely kept by Hong Kong male residents.
Other than its plain development, Shenzhen, to be honest, doesn't really have anything to offer other than sex and pubs.
But to create a few attraction to cater to the large tourists influx every year, there are a few places worth visiting here.
One of it would be Window of the World.
look at all the
A very... very impressive theme park that has around 130 reproductions of the world's most famous tourist attractions, including seven wonders of the world.
The entrance itself it a reproduction of The Louvre (Museum) in Paris.
From the entrance you can clearly see a "miniature" size of the actual Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Window of the World is the perfect example to showcase the best of trait of China -
that Chinese can "copy" almost anything.
We are Chinese! Muahaha! We copy ourselves too!
Even at the entrance, it displayed different sculptures that represented different parts of the world:
India, Rome (Italy), Greece, Egypt, etc.
There's also some that showed the aboriginal origins culture.
Which was... erm... rather... interesting. cough*saggingboobs*cough
Chinese shouting: "Hmph! Take that world! See how we copy the entire world down! All 130 of them! Even your damn Eiffel tower and Venus de Milo!"
Among all the statues, I thought the Hindu Goddess statue was impressive. The carvings skill, the impersonation, the posture, how it represented all the right godly features.
From whichever angle.
Very... Impressive.
It does makes me wonder, and anticipate how China see us Malaysia as...
You know, how important and impressive Malaysia culture and architectures are to the world through the Chinese's eyes.
Only to realize, after looking at this photo for a few minutes,
we've kinda been overlooked in their global perspectives.
"Where the F*ck is Malaysia?!"
Red, White, and Brue!
This Fourth of July, celebrate Independence Day at The Bruery with our Red, White, and Brue party!
To commemorate this holiday, we invite you to come enjoy a little outdoor grilling, a few games, and of course, some great beer. For the occasion, we'll be pouring a few special beers - can't tell you what they are yet, but let's just say it'll be a patriotic twist on a Bruery favorite!
Our hours will be 11 am - 4 pm, so come in and celebrate with us and fill up your growlers or grab a few bottles for your own parties and picnics afterwards.
See you there!
PS - the name was inspired by a suggestion of one of our customers so we just want to say thanks Greg!
Quinoa Salad(s)
I’ve been averaging one Quinoa Salad a week this summer. Usually it’s first made for dinner, alongside grilled fish or chicken. And usually I make made way too much, so I have plenty for lunch in the days that follow, or I can leave my dinner host with an ample supply to enjoy later on. Each time I make it the ingredients are a little different, depending upon what I have in my fridge and pantry, but every time the results are equally delish. It doesn’t photograph well with my little rinky dink camera, so you’ll have to just take my word for it.One Quinoa Salad That Was a Hit
1 package of quinoa (prepared according to the pkg, though I use vegetable broth instead of water)
Baby Heirloom Tomatoes (pretty colors), quartered
Artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled
Toasted Pine Nuts
Vinaigrette (see below)
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add enough vinaigrette to your desired taste. For this one, I emphasized the lemon in the vinaigrette so I also dressed it with some lemon zest curly q’s.
Another Quinoa Salad That Was a Hit
1 package of quinoa (prepared according to the pkg, though I use vegetable broth instead of water)
Bell peppers, roasted and chopped
Zucchini, roasted and chopped
Squash, roasted and chopped
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil, chiffonade (chop without bruising the leaves)
Feta cheese, crumbled
Pistachios
Vinaigrette (see below)
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add enough vinaigrette to your desired taste. For this one, I had tons of basil and pistachios, so I saved some of each to sprinkle over the top before serving.
Basic Vinaigrette
fresh basil
olive oil
lemon juice
garlic
splash of red wine vinegar
kosher salt
pepper
Toss all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more olive oil or acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to suit your taste and texture. If you want to thin it even more but are happy with the level of zing you’ve got going, you can add a bit of vegetable broth instead of citrus or vinegar.
This is a great make-ahead dish for the Waveny Concerts or other outings when you want a sophisticated side that will travel well. It’s hearty enough to please a vegetarian guest, and is a wonderful accompaniment to grilled veggies, fish or meats. (Hint: skewers travel well, and can easily be eaten in your lap.) You can play with the ingredients to create your own signature Quinoa Salad.
Our garden
Today we planted our garden. Not the garden I imagined…but it’ll do. In fact, it’s probably just right for us this year. Some fresh herbs—basil, mint, rosemary...a tomato plant (we’ll see how that goes?)... and some lettuce and chard.I had these grand plans of clearing out some of the randomly planted beds on the patio, starting seeds in the basement, and harvesting our bounty. But, I don’t have a green thumb, nor did I deal this spring. So instead I signed up for a CSA April-October and then last weekend I purchased some small organic plants at the New Canaan Farmer’s Market and today my sister-and-I transplanted them into pots I had stored in the garage.
Maybe next summer I’ll tackle a real garden. Or maybe not. We’ll see.
Pesto Pasta (aka "Green Pasta")
Wow, once I downloaded all of the photos from the past couple of weeks, I realize I have a bounty of great, simple meals ideas to share with you. As I mentioned in the June 6, 2009 entry on homemade pesto, it freezes well. I had divvied into tubs and frozen it for nights when we’ve had a busy day of activity but I still want to put a healthy dinner on the table. The one pictured above was made with:Homemade Pesto (thawed)
Whole Wheat pasta (cooked according to package)
Roasted Asparagus and Zucchini (which I will roast and then store to be used in omelets, frittatas, or things like this pasta dish throughout the week)
Fresh Parmesan
Presto! A healthy dinner on the table in mere minutes. And, it was equally as good the next couple of days served room temp for lunch.
Doorkeeper
"I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." -- Psalm 84:10
God knows we need more doorkeepers than we do kings or presidents. We need people who know how to access God's presence and open the door for the glory of God to come into our homes, churches, cities, and nations.
"Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shall come in." -- Psalm 24:7
What does it mean to be a doorkeeper? Think of holding up the heaviest garage door you can imagine. Your arms are lifted upward in praise and worship. The breeze of God's presence is blowing through the open door. Doorkeepers are in the best position to catch that breeze. They are literally the gateway for the rest of the world to have an encounter with God.
We often miss the mark when we prefer to go inside and let the door swing shut behind us. In that mindset, we don't care about the world as long as we get it. A doorkeeper props open the heavens; invites others to enter in; stands in the gap and keeps the door open. The doorkeeper gets the richest blessing just by standing at the point of access.
The Lord is standing at the door and knocking. The oil of His presence is on the doorknob. The doorkeeper gets to touch that doorknob over and over and over. The anointing is transferred to the hand of the doorkeeper.
Today's prayer: "God, I want to be a doorkeeper for you, in this city."
God knows we need more doorkeepers than we do kings or presidents. We need people who know how to access God's presence and open the door for the glory of God to come into our homes, churches, cities, and nations.
"Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shall come in." -- Psalm 24:7
What does it mean to be a doorkeeper? Think of holding up the heaviest garage door you can imagine. Your arms are lifted upward in praise and worship. The breeze of God's presence is blowing through the open door. Doorkeepers are in the best position to catch that breeze. They are literally the gateway for the rest of the world to have an encounter with God.
We often miss the mark when we prefer to go inside and let the door swing shut behind us. In that mindset, we don't care about the world as long as we get it. A doorkeeper props open the heavens; invites others to enter in; stands in the gap and keeps the door open. The doorkeeper gets the richest blessing just by standing at the point of access.
The Lord is standing at the door and knocking. The oil of His presence is on the doorknob. The doorkeeper gets to touch that doorknob over and over and over. The anointing is transferred to the hand of the doorkeeper.
Today's prayer: "God, I want to be a doorkeeper for you, in this city."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
First Photo Taken with Kiss Camera
Short note: flying to Bali today. Bali bali bali bali.
So yes, I bet you guys are wondering what great achievement I have done so far with my great Canon 500D, also affectionately known as the Kiss Camera.
It was a fun session, spontaneous? yes. humourous? yes yes. disgusting? err.... probably.
It was my attempt to make my own Hong Kong French Toast,
which was, eh hem....
an utter failure. T_T
A reader of mine once commented that the most revolting thing can be best shown with the best quality of photo, which also means, a good camera, and make the most revolting thing, looks even more, err... revolting?
Sick, I know. I'm a sick person. Deal with it.
Agree with me though, that sometimes the best photos are the ones that can show the most repulsive side of things.
I dare you to eat that!
Pussy.
So yes, I bet you guys are wondering what great achievement I have done so far with my great Canon 500D, also affectionately known as the Kiss Camera.
It was a fun session, spontaneous? yes. humourous? yes yes. disgusting? err.... probably.
It was my attempt to make my own Hong Kong French Toast,
which was, eh hem....
an utter failure. T_T
A reader of mine once commented that the most revolting thing can be best shown with the best quality of photo, which also means, a good camera, and make the most revolting thing, looks even more, err... revolting?
Sick, I know. I'm a sick person. Deal with it.
Agree with me though, that sometimes the best photos are the ones that can show the most repulsive side of things.
I dare you to eat that!
Pussy.
Short Leash
“Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial.” -- 1 Corinthians 6:12
I once decided to write a book entitled “Living on a short leash with God and loving it!” Other than the title and a couple starts at chapter one I put it to rest. It’s in the book graveyard with other great titles such as .... “Unity: What can we learn from the ant?” or “Have you lost your first love and become religious?” Maybe someday these book titles will become sermons. :)
The concept of the “short leash” is one I practice daily. I propose that the shorter my “leash” is with God, the better my life gets. Once we come into salvation through Jesus Christ, we usually begin refining our practices. For example, we may stop doing certain things or going certain places. The deeper our walk gets with God, the more we discipline ourselves, and the leash begins to shorten.
First, it is important to note that the leash was not put on me by God. I put it on myself out of love for Christ. I want to please him. I want to choose the best. There is safety in a short leash because the choices become few. I love that! No longer do I have to decide if it’s okay to do “x, y, or z”, the decision is already made and I’m restrained by the “leash” (or by my word or by my decision to manage my decision).
Second, as the leash becomes shorter my proximity to HIM becomes closer. And, I would also propose that the shorter the leash is, the closer I am to HIS voice; the easier I recognize those slight tugs of adjustment; and the easier it is to be overshadowed by HIM. There is definitely safety in a short leash with God and I’m loving it!
Today’s prayer: “God, everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial. How true that is! Thank you for the ability to make choices. Today I choose you! I choose to be bound to you as tight as a belt around your waist. Thank you that you will never let go of me. Amen.”
I once decided to write a book entitled “Living on a short leash with God and loving it!” Other than the title and a couple starts at chapter one I put it to rest. It’s in the book graveyard with other great titles such as .... “Unity: What can we learn from the ant?” or “Have you lost your first love and become religious?” Maybe someday these book titles will become sermons. :)
The concept of the “short leash” is one I practice daily. I propose that the shorter my “leash” is with God, the better my life gets. Once we come into salvation through Jesus Christ, we usually begin refining our practices. For example, we may stop doing certain things or going certain places. The deeper our walk gets with God, the more we discipline ourselves, and the leash begins to shorten.
First, it is important to note that the leash was not put on me by God. I put it on myself out of love for Christ. I want to please him. I want to choose the best. There is safety in a short leash because the choices become few. I love that! No longer do I have to decide if it’s okay to do “x, y, or z”, the decision is already made and I’m restrained by the “leash” (or by my word or by my decision to manage my decision).
Second, as the leash becomes shorter my proximity to HIM becomes closer. And, I would also propose that the shorter the leash is, the closer I am to HIS voice; the easier I recognize those slight tugs of adjustment; and the easier it is to be overshadowed by HIM. There is definitely safety in a short leash with God and I’m loving it!
Today’s prayer: “God, everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial. How true that is! Thank you for the ability to make choices. Today I choose you! I choose to be bound to you as tight as a belt around your waist. Thank you that you will never let go of me. Amen.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
My New Toy - Kiss Digital X3
Also known here in Malaysia as the Canon 500D.
Ha ha! Finally I have my very own DSLR!
Now feel jealous non-big-ass-camera-owners!
Unboxing something new always feels like you're stripping for the very first time in front of your boyfriend.
No wait, or was it the other around?
It was after I got it that I realised 500D was also known as the Kiss Digital X3 in other countries like Japan.
A KISS Camera!!!
This camera was designed for me! OMG! It's fate!
It's so cute and small for an SLR and it's utterly gorgeous.
Oh.. what's so special about this camera? Ho Ho Ho...
I'm going to shock you.
It can take video!
Yes! 500D is the second of EOS cameras to shoot movies (after EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008)! One nifty little breakthrough.
1080p HD video recording at 20fps, take that!!
But with that quality, I can shoot what? 7 seconds of video? -.-
Let's worry about that later. I'm just begining to play with the camera, fixing my own lens kit that comes with the box up and shooting this and that and everything that moves.
Fiddling around the settings and stuff is harder than I thought. Then again it took me months of practice to perfect my use of Canon Ixus 860. So I guess it's all patient and consistent usage.
What I love about the camera is that it's so small that it's light to be carried around.
Look how small it is next to me baby's 50D.
Clear Travel Photography here we come!!
Wallpaper lovers! Be prepared to be flooded by insanely beautiful flawless clear scenic photos!!!
"let's get this party started, eh heh..... let's get this party started oh hoh...." *music droning out*
Ha ha! Finally I have my very own DSLR!
Now feel jealous non-big-ass-camera-owners!
Unboxing something new always feels like you're stripping for the very first time in front of your boyfriend.
No wait, or was it the other around?
It was after I got it that I realised 500D was also known as the Kiss Digital X3 in other countries like Japan.
A KISS Camera!!!
This camera was designed for me! OMG! It's fate!
It's so cute and small for an SLR and it's utterly gorgeous.
Oh.. what's so special about this camera? Ho Ho Ho...
I'm going to shock you.
It can take video!
Yes! 500D is the second of EOS cameras to shoot movies (after EOS 5D Mark II in September 2008)! One nifty little breakthrough.
1080p HD video recording at 20fps, take that!!
But with that quality, I can shoot what? 7 seconds of video? -.-
Let's worry about that later. I'm just begining to play with the camera, fixing my own lens kit that comes with the box up and shooting this and that and everything that moves.
Fiddling around the settings and stuff is harder than I thought. Then again it took me months of practice to perfect my use of Canon Ixus 860. So I guess it's all patient and consistent usage.
What I love about the camera is that it's so small that it's light to be carried around.
Look how small it is next to me baby's 50D.
Clear Travel Photography here we come!!
Wallpaper lovers! Be prepared to be flooded by insanely beautiful flawless clear scenic photos!!!
"let's get this party started, eh heh..... let's get this party started oh hoh...." *music droning out*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)