Google Knol on Tithing

By GOD's Grace - I have just written and published a Knol in Google. Google's Knol is similar in concept to Wikipedia. As defined by Google, a Knol is a unit of knowledge.

The title of my publication is "Tithing". It is about Biblical tithing.

All that is in there has been sourced and interpreted mainly from Pastor Joseph Prince's sermons. Only a few things in it are what I believe GOD's revelation to me about tithing. The Knol is therefore not representative of Pastor Joseph Prince nor of New Creation Church. I look forward to your comments, advice of feedback to help me improve any areas that are lacking.

Please click the following link, (and hopefully it links):

http://knol.google.com/k/voon-cheng-tiang/tithing/2gc2cgvd878qc/2

GOD bless! :)

Roots Food

I am a Singaporean Fuzhou ren - Hockchew neng - and some of the food unique to Foochows are Engchow Keh, Hockchew Nyuee Yuan, stir-fried Pak-Kwor, and the Yann. They are, respectively:

- Chicken cooked in the special red-yeast wine and paste ingredient;

- Fishballs with minced pork within it;

- Rice-flour sticks;

- Skins to wrap minced pork, which itself is made by beating a mixture of pork and flour till it becomes a translucent sheet, which is then dried. Nowadays, the skins are simply made of flour, unlike the original Yann-pi (pi for skin) Interesting?

And Mother is an expert in brewing red yeast wine and its paste ingredient. She would make several bottles of each, to use during cooking, especially on festivals and auspicious dates, and to give to family members and relatives. And woww, she cooks up a mean dish of authentic Hockchew engchow keh that my Papa and his Foochow relatives relish and give the 2-thumbs up. Although Mother is Hokkien, she learnt the Hockchew dialect to its finest nuances, intonations and accents. I've once heard a Foochow lady exclaim her surprise to learn that Mother is not a biological Hockchew.

During Chinese New Year and weddings of my siblings, Mother will always cook up a sumptuous feast that will include all of the above, plus more - such as her Ngu-Hiong (fried 5-spices spring roll) and Engzhor Tha (red dates drink). Mother also prepares and cooks the most ingredient-filled Bak-Zhang. Her bak-zhang is the Hokkien variety - fragrant with dark soy sauce, chestnut, dried shrimps, fatty pork and black mushroom! Mother can also cook braised duck. Mother passed the art of brewing Eangchow (the paste ingredient) and Eangchow Jiu (wine), and the art of cooking Eangchow Keh to my two elder sisters Ros and Pat.

Recently when my 2nd Sis Pat brought us four girls to her club for lunch, we talked about Mother's cooking. Then last week, my Eldest Sis Ros again cooked some Engchow Keh and passed it to me. Hmmm - this is what I call Roots Food: food that reminds me of my roots. In fact, I still have a bottle each of Mother's Engchow and Engchow Jiu - which she made and labeled on 8 and 9 January, 2002. This was the final batch that she brewed. The two bottles are tightly sealed and there is no sign of deterioration, except that the wine has evaporated somewhat.

The photos posted above shows my Eldest Sis Ros' engchow keh which she brewed and cooked, and a bowl of Hokchew nyuee-yuan and the yann, which she bought. Roots Food - satisfying to the appetite, aromatic to the senses, invigorating to the roots. Yummm!

I am proud to be a Hockchew Neng who enjoys my engchow keh and other Hockchew cai (dishes). Thank GOD for my Hockchew roots!

The Tree

A few months ago, Carolina gave me a gift (bless her!) - a little plastic jar. In it are many rolled-up strips of Bible verses. Occasionally I will unroll one to read. There is a term called 'The Rhema Word of GOD' which, I was told is a Scripture verse that, when I read it, 'jumps upon' me, is especially edifying, and immediately fills a personal need in a particular circumstance.

This happened when I read one of the verses recently. It is about 'trees'. Although I have many, many of GOD's promises and assurances regarding my forthcoming one year study in Europe - there are still many unknowns in the pipeline. Gracious Father GOD used one of these precious verses to once-more establish me in His love, grace and shalom-peace.

The Scripture verse is from Jeremiah 17:7,8 which I personalize into:

“In CHRIST JESUS - blessed is Voon-Cheng who trusts in the Lord JESUS,

And whose hope is Him.

For Voon-Cheng shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And Voon-Cheng will not fear when heat comes; but my leaf will be green,

And Voon-Cheng will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will I cease from yielding fruit."

While the world has received its report-book for the 2008/2009 year of 'drought' caused by recession and inflation, praise GOD that He comforts me that the 'year of drought' will not harm me. The word 'hope' means a confident and joyful expectation of GOD's good things to happen in my life! And what do I need to do? It is written that I only need faith to trust and hope in Him. Letting His peace guard my heart and my mind - do not be anxious about anything; and letting not my heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. This, I have to hold unswervingly to.

Jer 17;7,8 is a mirror verse of Psalm 1:3, that says, (also personalized):

"In CHRIST JESUS, Voon-Cheng shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

Voon-Cheng bring forth fruit in its season,

My leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever Voon-Cheng does shall prosper."

The 'rivers of water' that I am planted by refers to The HOLY SPIRIT in me (John 7:37-39) - which is imparted after JESUS' death. Hence the two passages exhort me to never forget to focus on The Finished Work of CHRIST at the cross for me:

* He shed His Blood and died to forgive all my sins - and gave me His Righteousness;

* His Body was wounded to heal me of all my diseases - and gave me His Resurrection Life.

Upon a tree on Calvary Hill, The SON of GOD was hung as a curse for me - that I receive His blessings forevermore (Galatians 3:13,14).

He gave His Life for me on a tree of death and the curse - that I am today grafted into The Tree whose foliage is always green, who will never fail to bear fruit, and through This Tree of Life - whatever I do prospers and is successful. Thank You, LORD JESUS.

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The Group of 5 first came together in 2006 when we went to Batam for traditional massage. It was a fun filled, relaxing, and warm excursion. After the almost 2hr-long full spa, Carolina, Linda, Mimi, Jenny and I did the usual rounds of shopping and makan. The most talked about experience was the spa's 'kang-kang' - a luxurious time for some but an uneasy one for others. I liked it v. much, though.

Dinner brought us together again recently. The four ladies gave me a lovely dinner treat at Cathay Restaurant. But it was the good 'young' company that I appreciate most. Jokes flew over sumptuous dishes - especially on abbreviations and acronymns. I can't remember them all, but Carolina and Linda certainly have created a variety of instant abbreviations to describe a host of typical scenarios.

Mimi had good news: her son Benson is now eligible - thanks to mom! - (and any pupil from his school provided they come within qualifying times) to participate in any inter-school swim meet. Woww, that's a first time achievement. We also wished Mimi a fulfilling time at the conference that she'll be attending at Cape Town for 10days later this month.

What is your interpretation when you hear the phrase: Lhong-piak, Hokkien for "to crash/ to hit at a wall"? We all had a good laugh when Jenny recalled the incident when she and a friend overheard a stranger on the street telling her friend (on mobile) that she's going to 'lhong-piak'. Intrigued by the phrase, they tailed the woman and realized that 'lhong-piak' means ... to withdraw money from an ATM machine! What would ABeng-ALian Singlish come up with next?!

New Identity

On my way to church today, I saw three Cosplay characters, and took a photo with them. Their characters are, from left: Karda, Lavi, and Komui - all from the D.Gray-Man series. Many people do not think much of people who go for Cosplay. But I admire their courage, their creativity. They really need much dare to stand up for their pursuit, to display their Cosplay characters in public - literally being uncommon. Generally the common mass tend to pull down those who are uncommon, don't you think so? Who knows I may be a Cosplay fan if various conditions were favourable, *ahem*, one of them being, *cough*, age. Cosplay fans assume a new identity when they are dressed up in their favourite characters. They no longer become a common person.

In CHRIST JESUS, GOD's Word says that I am a new creation (2 Co 5:17) - and it all began with the love and The Finished Work of CHRIST at the cross (v14). All old things connected to me have passed away, and woww! everything about me in Him has become completely new. In the past, I try to be a righteous believer by keeping laws. But this old mindset is gone. Now, my new mindset is: I know that I am righteous because CHRIST died for me (v20).

This is the new mindset in His grace. And I am set apart from being common, by His shed Blood at the cross for me. I have become uncommon. I am set apart in His love, His grace and His Finished Work. In Him, I have an everlasting new identity: I am a new creation; and I am no longer common, but divinely set apart.

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Byrd and JiaJia are two pet-friends that will always have a place in my heart.

Mother discovered Byrd as she was sweeping the hall one morning. Apparently the strong winds in the early morning had swept the nestling off the nest, and she had waddled under the sofa in our living room. Immediately I became foster mom - feeding, changing the soiled newspapers, getting a second-hand cage in readiness when she's able to fly, and simply just bird-talk with her. It was this bird-talk and feeding sessions that bonded us together.

She learnt at least three vocabulary: her name 'Byrd', 'up' when I want her to mount on my finger, and 'zhong-liang' for bathing. From the back yard, she can even chirp a shrill 'Byrd' response when I call out to her at the gate when I reach home in the evening. Whenever I said it's time for 'zhong-liang', she gets all excited - wags her tail and jumps all over me - and simply cannot wait for me to get the dish and set the water dripping. When she has enough splattering, she hops out of the basin - all dripping wet - and heads for a corner in my bedroom where she will spend the next hour preening and then resting, knowing that night has come and it's time to sleep.

When she is ready, she flies to a top most corner of the window grille, where she will sleep till first light. Then she will glide down right beside my pillow. And irregardless whether I am ready or not, she will wake me to demand her breakfast. With her beak, she'll open my lips and my eye-lids. If I had a late night and want to snooze, I get her on my finger and thrust her back to the window grille. It is a futile delay tactic because in less than a minute, she'll glide down and pester me again.

During the day, before I go to work, I will put her in the cage. She didn't like to be caged up, and inevitably I have to chase her round the back yard to catch her and put her into the cage. I will release her when I come back from work and she will be so ecstatic to regain free range liberty. Before her bath, she'll hop around the back yard and kitchen to investigate things, like the washing machine. One of her favourite activity is to hop onto one of my foot as I go about doing chores, and not only nip at a piece of skin and flesh, but twist it as well. It seemed that the louder I scream, the more it motivated her.

Jia Jia is the family pet and is closest to my niece. She is a long-haired chihuahua. When she first arrived, she was like a tiny ball of fur and can fit into a big pocket. When she is happy and excited, she will spin in circles. She loves chicken breast, so I'll steam the meat and divide them into smaller portion and freeze them for later feeds. She loves going for walks and car rides. And yes, she loves tummy rubs! In one of the photos, she is seen posing with the neighbour's pet pomeranian Goldie.

Byrd and Jia Jia. Long gone. But never forgotten.

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Ruth and Susanne brought me out for lunch - a hearty, lovely lunch at Waraku - on the eve of National Day. Our friendship came together in September 1991 when we first became colleagues; and over the years we bonded closer.

I am constantly learning from Ruth in many areas such as work professionalism, balance and management of time in work and family, and relating to challenging persons and situations in the love of GOD. She is one person who can keep her cool and objective perspective in the thick of things. Her swiftness in analysing situations and problem solving is amazing. Yet when she reminisces humourous memories, she giggles like a child.

Susanne is most creative in the elegant sphere. From personal choices such as clothes and accessories, to her expression of art and creative works, and to her style of teaching. Once she came up with an idea of decorating a 'Christmas Tree' with various types of shiny, transparent blister packagings - and it won first prize! When we met for lunch, she surprised me with a gift she created and commissioned to be produced to commemorate her 21 years in teaching. She painted a picture of a facade of the school and had it printed out on a ceramic plate. She is excellent in designing stage costumes and props too.

There are friends whom you respect and admire. There are those with whom there are no barriers in sharing our hearts. Then there are friends who support you when you need a helping hand. There are those whom you learn from and sharpen one another. Ruth and Susanne are GOD's gift of friends who are all of the above. May GOD continue to bless them, and their families always with His loving heart and His mighty hand.

Celebrating Life

Today, on Sat. 9 Aug 08 - I celebrate life.

I celebrate new life - Mona and Hubert's new born son arrived 3 days ago - a bundle of delight for new parents, their families and relative, and us friends. The photos above are Mona and Hubert's new born son, Mona and Hubert at their wedding dinner - cutting cake and pouring champagne; and Mona with an elegant baby bump. I rejoice with both proud parents their new roles, new dreams, and a new horizon. May GOD bless Mona and Hubert with many, many joyful days ahead, and His guardian angel to watch over their new born son.

I continue to celebrate friends. Carolina, Linda and myself visited proud parents Mona and Hubert and baby boy yesterday. After that we had another round of coffee, cake and chat. I'm grateful that I have friends with whom I can just talk at lengths about everything that friends can confide in. May GOD continue to bless Carolina and Linda and their families richly.

Singapore's 43rd National Day being today - I celebrate my wonderful Nation Singapore together with it's nearly 5 mil population. I am certainly proud and privileged in being a Singapore Citizen. I love Singapore, and pray for continued showers of blessings for its leaders, its citizens and all who live, work and visit here. Indeed, there was a refreshing rain before the actual parade began in the evening.

I celebrate also the spirit of sportsmanship at the Beijing Olympics. I applaud the decision 30 years ago in 1978 by the Chinese government to soften its Marxist-Leninist rule, and open the doors of China to the world. May GOD continue to open the hearts and minds of its leaders and peoples regarding freedom and spiritual freedom.

I praise GOD for His Life in me through CHRIST JESUS. I celebrate His love and His grace. I echo the psalmist in Psalms 63:3, and declare: "I praise You GOD, because Your lovingkindness is better than life itself." Sometimes I am too busy with life and its activities. When I quieten down and rest in His Presence - I meditate on His everlasting love and immense grace over my life. Then I realize how much 'life' pales in comparison with His tender-mercies.

Above all - even as I celebrate this earthly life, I celebrate His lovingkindness, which is far better than life itself.

Friends Forever 011

Friends-Forever Carolina and Linda brought me out for 5 wonderful things on the 5th of Aug 2008: 1) Jiak-hong 2) Lunch 3) Shopping 4) Tea 5) Chit-chat.

Bless Linda for her kuat driving, we zoomed about town and I was starting to feel like a child enjoying a joy-ride. Then she brought us to Kuriya, a Japanese restaurant, for a lovely lunch. Let me see - it's been eight hours already - and folks, I'm extremely ecstatic to report that I survived an excellent dish of fugu. My first fugu. Highly recommended. But only at licensed Japanese restaurants please. Ehh, what's that? Sorry to inform you, Tekkapasat is not a licensed Japanese restaurant. You may end up with a tekkaperutsakit if you try to buy fugu from there OK!?! (hope I didn't infringe design copyright of the Brangelina Twins Magazine)

Although we passed the fugu test, Carolina and I suffered extreme dizziness from the moray. No, no, we didn't order the moray eel. Did I say moray? Excusez-moi (Carolina will understand why I use this). Sumimasen (Linda taught me this when we -Linda, Carolina and I were in Ibaraki, Japan, in 2003 for the ACMR Conference). What I meant was the 'moire effect' - and it came from the design of the seat covering. I did not take a photo of it, but if you're interested to see a mild form of the seat, er, I mean, moire pattern, click on this link:

http://www.mathematik.com/Moire/

Hello? Hello? If you see 2 'Hellos' it means you've recovered from the moire effect. By the way, if you're interested to see the moray eel and the fugu (puffer fish), try Ocean Footage for short (I mean very short) clips of these two marine fishes and others too:

http://www.oceanfootage.com/

From the sea, we now go to shopping. At JL's I bought a down-feather winter coat. From the coat, we fast forward to cheesecakes. Then from tea, we proceeded to tete-a-tete-a-tete (3 persons, so add one more tete).

Finally it was time to - go home? No! We booked another date to fellowship again. Didin't I start off this blog entry with Friends-Forever? Finally ... finally ... it's time to go home. In the car, I nearly dozed off with a smile. Dreamily, I submitted my verbal report of the day to the 2 Girls: This has been a Relak-one-korner, jangan-tension, maintain-balance Day. Just before I took my ten winks, I think I heard them reply: Friends-Forever. I'm sure I whispered an amen.

Friends Forever 010

If there are any groups of my friends who can tolerate all my cheesy jokes, this group of former-colleagues: Joyce, Judy and Peng Choo would count as one of them. I got to know Judy in 1991 (that's 17 years ago), and Joyce and Peng Choo in 2001 - and instantly I know I can trust them. The topmost photo showed us getting together yesterday - they had very thoughtfully brought me out for lunch at Crystal Jade, hmmm, yummy. Thanks, Girls.

Joyce, Judy and I enjoyed our 5-day holiday in Adelaide in Dec'2005. We stayed in a cosy hotel called Hotel 208 - and we managed to meet up with former colleague Sharon and her family there, and they took us to many places, including a cherry farm that we liked tremendously. We also managed to catch up with former colleagues Felicia and Vanessa who have settled in the nice and tranquil city famed for its alfresco dining.

On the 4th day of our vacation, Joyce, Judy and I booked a full day tour to visit Kangaroo Island, one of its highlights being to watch sealions at Seal Bay. By the time we boarded the cruise back to mainland, it was already evening and we, being tired, napped in the coach as it travelled back to various hotels in the night. Abruptly, we were told we have reached our hotel. We hastily grabbed our bags and got up.

At the entrance just before we alighted, the driver - in an effort to confirm our hotel - he suddenly asked me (I had to be the one infront leading the two small gals under my charge, you know) - what is the name of our hotel. In limbo between nap and reality, and with the two girls behind me jostling - I garbled: Hotel 88! Trust me to mix up Adelaide's Hotel 208 with Singapore's Hotel 81!