You'll Never Walk Alone

Maintaining a blog is difficult work... as I've come to discover. It's not that I have nothing to write about; the difficulty comes from finding the time and having the mood to write when the time is right.

Life has been a whirlwind of activities in the year that's past. One of the highlights was Liverpool Football Club finally making that long awaited visit to where I live. Watching them play in an actual stadium vs watching a game on the telly is so different! The atmosphere of being surrounded by fans as eager as I was, singing some of the Kop's songs and watching the players in live action (even though they were the size of toy figurines seen from where I was seated) was amazing and no words will do justice to describe the feelings I had. All I can describe in detail will be the fact that I screamed and cheered like a madwoman each time they scored a goal - and I want to thank my young friend who screamed and cheered in the same manner which really made me feel like I'll never walk alone. :)

Before the kick-off

The amazing atmosphere!

Then there were the many birthdays celebrated by family members that gave me the opportunity to enjoy my new hobby of cake baking and decorating. I baked a total of 3 cakes (and a batch of cupcakes) since the princess doll cake from my last post. But this story belongs in another post. So, stay tuned! :D

The making of a Princess

On 29 April 2011, the world celebrated the Royal Wedding and yours truly was glued to the telly for the whole duration... Weddings are special magical occasions that appeal to this die-hard romance lover and what could be more romantic than the wedding of a real prince to a commoner! And this romantic was rewarded at the end of the tele-marathon by 2 magical kisses on the balcony by the couple! SWEET!

Growing up, I used to love watching the princess stories by Disney, my favourite being Belle of Beauty and the Beast. I guess it was because she was portrayed as someone kind, gentle, loving and always looking for the good things in others...

My little one loves Cinderella and it was her love for this princess that gave me the idea to make something special for her birthday. I'd always been fascinated by cake decorating, from the time I was given a book on such at the tender age of 8. It was a simple book with simple cake decorating ideas. Alas, due to lack of encouragement and being lazy, I did not try my hand at it.

So, it was with much courage (and possibly a tinge of over-ambitiousness) that I decided to make a 3D Cinderella doll cake for little one's birthday. Having baked only 2 cakes in my entire life and zero cake decorating experience, I scoured the net looking for cake ideas. And I was rewarded by the page 'Coolest Cinderella Cakes'.

I decided that using fondant seemed the best way to do it as it had a nicer finished look. However, after reading all the comments found on the net, marshmallow fondant seemed the best choice. Peggy Weaver has a very good recipe on What's Cooking America with detailed explanations on how to make it. I highly recommend her recipe to anyone looking to make their own fondant. [Point to note though, I did not use the entire 2 pounds of icing sugar recommended. Being in a country with high humidity and hot all year round, too much sugar would make the fondant dry and tear easily.] You'll also need to check out the Buttercream Icing recipe on the same site as the icing is the 'glue' that holds the fondant to the cake.

Anyway, long story short, after a month of looking for ingredients, baking and fondant making trials, the day of reckoning arrived. And the finished product? See below....

the Cinderella Doll Cake

It was difficult because I couldn't find the mould that would give me the shape of the top part of the skirt and tried using a mixing bowl to bake the cake in. The result was not good as the middle part of the cake was not cooked. So, as a last resort, I baked two 8" x 3" cakes, stacked them up and carved them to get the shape.

All in all, it was a difficult process but the result was a really satisfying end to the hard work put in. And the delight in the little one's face was the best gift I could have received. Truly, the Lord's promise that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength is real and meaningful to me. Praise be to His name!

Time flies

I haven't been writing in a long while and it didn't strike me just how long until I logged into my webpage and saw the date! Time has really flown by! Much has happened in the short 4 months that has passed. I received my exam results (another marginal fail! wonder how many more of those I'll see before I clear this difficult hurdle but that's another story for another day), attended two concerts as a proud parent and last but not least, paid a doctor visit 2 times in 2 weeks and seeing him again this Saturday to make it 3 for 3...

It's been a difficult 2 1/2 weeks (started 2 months ago but the difficulties only accelerated in the last 2 weeks or so), emotionally, mentally and physically. Not so much the last actually but doctor says I need the rest to recuperate. I had a minor surgery - minor because it's done in a day and treated as outpatient - but in terms of the recuperating period, not so minor.

2 months ago, the ladies group in my church invited a radiologist to give a presentation of breast health/care. Dr Evelyn Ho, a radiologist with extensive experience in the field, thought us how to carry out self breast examinations ("SBE"). The SBE ought to be conducted on a regular cycle, preferably once a month after the menstruation has ended.

I've done SBEs before but wasn't really doing it the right way until Dr Evelyn came. So, that very same evening I decided to give it a go. And lo and behold, I discovered something that every woman dreads, a lump! To console myself, I said, it must be a bone. But the thought that it may not be disturbed me and after another couple of times, I decided to seek medical help. Was wondering which doctor to see, no one else seems to know, and some friends told me to see the OBGYN. After a week of unsuccessful calls to the clinic, I decided to look up Dr Evelyn Ho at her clinic.

She confirmed my worst fears and in fact, told me that there were lumps in the other breast as well. However, those lumps were confirmed to be benign but the one that bothered me bothered her to. Apparently, the ultrasound worried her as the 'lump' was really more of a mass that was complex. She suggested that it be removed.

Many people told me to seek a second opinion but after much prayer, I have decided not to. A lump is a lump and it won't go away. And if a doctor with YEARS of experience tells you to remove it, then what are the odds of another saying the same? Besides, if the other doctor says differently, it would make it worse because then I'd probably want to seek a third opinion and waste time and money in the process. The stress would triple and I didn't want that.

So, long story short, I had the operation last Saturday and will see the doctor this Saturday for the biopsy results. That's really the part that is giving me more sleepless nights. I do trust the Lord and whatever His will for me, I pray He will give me the strength to overcome. Why I'm writing today is actually because I want to give thanks. Many would ask how I can give thanks for stress like this... but the Lord says to give thanks IN all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18), He didn't say to give thanks FOR all circumstances.

I want to thank God for how he 'spoke' to the ladies in our church to include the breast health talk in the activities for the year, and how the doctor could make the time to give the talk, how He has been with me and kept me sane and given me peace. I want to thank Him for giving me such a wonderful hubby, a lovely daughter, supportive parents and dear sisters and brothers (from my earthly family and God's family) who have been praying and caring for me. I am thankful that the surgery was successfully carried out and that there has been minimal effects from it. Thank you God for everything!

Of Rafa & Rafa

My heart is aching and my soul is grieving. The manager who was so beloved at Liverpool, and by me too, is leaving the club. I guess this end was inevitable in the light of the events that have taken place since the new owners took over the club.

No thanks to Hicks & Gillett, Rafa Benitez is leaving the club he Truly, Madly, Deeply loved. Yes, he may have made some mistakes in his purchases of new players or employing certain tactics in some of the games, but hey, name me one manager who has not made such mistakes. It's easy for commentators, who have the gift of hindsight, to make comments that have been critical of the manager or the club.

For a club that has prided itself in the motto "You'll Never Walk Alone", today's events have opened my eyes to just how much the club has changed with the induction of the Americans. For a club well known for its history and the loyalty of its supporters, it's sad to see that it has become one that airs its dirty laundry for all to see and there is a lack of unity in all ranks, be it the players, the manager, the board or the owners and sometimes, the fans themselves.

Rafa, I wish you all the best. You are the only manager in my lifetime who has brought delight and reward for my support. The tears I've shed during your tenure, in pain and in joy, will be remembered even long after you've gone. If it's true that you're joining Inter Milan, then I sincerely wish that their fans will appreciate you as much as I have. Thanks!

On a much happier note, Nadal is through to the semis at Roland Garros! Yay! He is still way off his best but he's getting back there so I hope he lifts the cup this year. I hope it will be a Soderling-Nadal final so that Nadal will get his revenge on his defeat last year.

Well, it's just one more week to the world's greatest event - the World Cup! Olé olé olé!

Electrostatic Shock

Electrostatic shock  is not a word you'd hear often, but it occurs on a regular basis for everyone, some more often than others. Static electricity is all around us all the time but goes unnoticed on most times. Ask yourself this; have you ever received a shock from a car door or other door handles, the shopping trolley or even when you touch a friend's arm? Well, that's electrostatic shock!

In recent months, my colleagues and I have had more than our fair share of electrostatic shock at the office. Everything we touch seems to give us an electrostatic shock - even when passing a simple piece of paper without the touching of our hands! This in turn has led us to making numerous complaints to the company to look into this issue because lately, the shocks are more frequent and the impact much greater. One colleague even commented that her fingers are numb after each shock.

Our health and safety officer finally made his rounds today to look into this problem and find a cost-effective solution that would be most practical for all. First thing he did was distribute, to all of us, a write-up which articulates the reasons for electrostatic shock and the ways we can protect ourselves.

We all had a good laugh when we read that one of the ways to protect ourselves was to remove clothing! No way that's going to happen in our office! But one method that we really think would help in our office environment in the short-term is to place water containers/plants around the room (but this only offers a protection level of 3/10). So, that will be one method we will try while we wait for the management to put in place a better protection plan for us. Anyone know of any other methods, feel free to share!

Ten Things I Love About You

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach 
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning 

Julia Quinn's latest historical regency, Ten Things I Love About You, will hit the bookstores (in America) on May 25. When it will hit Malaysian stores is another matter, but that's another story for another day. Ten Things I Love About You is the story about Sebastian, who was introduced to us in the book What Happens In London.

If you're one of those who have been waiting anxiously for this book, you can check out the excerpt! Her website www.juliaquinn.com offers a lot more on her other books, so check it out too!

Via Dolorosa

Tomorrow will be Good Friday. And at this time every year, I'm blatantly reminded of how Jesus was crucified... and rose victoriously from the grave just a few days later.

So, in order to fully appreciate the significance of Good Friday, we must never forget the greater day, Easter Sunday! Good Friday would be meaningless if Jesus had died and it'd stopped there. His death would have been any ordinary death and it would have meant that he is powerless against death if he had not risen again.

Yet, Good Friday, for me, would always be special simply because Jesus died FOR ME and uttered these words "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). 

But it's sad how Easter has been overrun by bunnies and commercialism. In these days, if we do not tell our children about the real meaning of Easter, all they would think about would be Easter Eggs and having a good time. Just like Christmas has become a tradition of giving gifts, Easter has become a day of decorating and hiding eggs. I'm just glad that my child understands this bit - now I just have to pray that one day my child will also accept the salvation that Jesus offers.

Well, words will never be enough to describe the pain our Saviour had to endure for our sake but this song does help, in a small and simple way, to remind me of how Jesus not only died but suffered at the hands of those who'd just praised and hailed Him as the King just a few days past. 

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day

The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street

But the crowd pressed in to see

The Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back

And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head

And He bore with every step

The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering

Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,

But He chose to walk that road out of

His love for you and me.

Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men

Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise be to my God and Saviour who loved me and gave His life for me. Hosanna to the son of David, Hosanna to the King of Kings! Amen