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2010 in review
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| Another digital slideshow by Smilebox |
While culling through our 2010 photos so I could do a back-up, many memories came flashing back while looking at the photos. So I thought it will be fun to do a recap of the year on a slideshow.
Putting it in words, 2010 will be remembered for these reasons (in no special order):
- I started baking and I mean seriously baking. From desserts such as cakes, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, loaves.
- CS finally took the plunge and went into his own business – starting his own driving school.
- Missed out on the freak hailstorm which hit Perth ‘cos we were holidaying in Phuket.
- We survived being away from each other for the longest time (2 months) when CS returned to SG to sell our flat.
- Became Australian citizens in August.
- Seeing breakthrough in the lives of the young adults in the connect group we lead in church.
- Did camping for the very first time.
- Experiencing off-road driving and sunset fishing during camping.
- Having mum-in-law come lived with us – a huge adjustment considering that we’ve always lived on our own since our marriage.
- Home improvement front – extended our driveway and had artificial lawn installed in our backyard.
- The passing away of J.R – the neighbour’s cat which we kind of ‘adopted’ ‘cos he was spending so much time in our home.
- All thanks to J.R, we started getting to know our neighbours really well. In fact, we now consider each other good friends and even hang out together!
- CS turned forty – self-explanatory, really.
- Being able to throw CS a proper birthday party with all our good friends around to celebrate with us.
- Our long weekend break in Yallingup – beautiful beach house minutes to the ocean, cooking using fresh produce from the market, each other. Really, we can’t ask for more.
- Growing in my new leadership role at work.
- Experiencing God’s grace in our lives again and again.
- The all-girls roadtrip was a blast but more importantly, it was a reassurance that some friendships can, indeed, stand the test of time.
- Starting my own herb garden – thyme, parsley, basil, mint, coriander, rocket leaves, spring onions, chives. Makes me feel like Jaime Oliver whenever I go out to the backyard and pick my own herbs for cooking!
- Started keeping a diary again ‘cos SF was sweet enough to send me a Starbucks one from Malaysia.
- Ironically, even though there is no Starbucks in Perth, my collection of the Starbucks mugs had actually grown – Lebanon, Portland, Bali, Seattle, San Franscico, Seoul. All thanks to friends who remembered.
- CS sold his prized Subaru Liberty GT post-Christmas cos he decided to ‘grow up’…all good except he’s now in the market looking for a 4-wheel drive to do off-road driving!
- First time we cut short our roadtrip downsouth to Nannup ‘cos it was too hot!
- All the summer stuff we got up to – beach time, snorkelling, outdoor movies, plays in the park, walk by the river etc.
wintry bliss is…
having somewhere to snuggle up in…
(Pictured here is JR our neighbour’s cat who’s been spending a lot of time in the house lately that he’s even got his own favourite spot on the couch.)
summer loving!
Except for the occasional crazy heat wave with temperature above 35 degrees, summer is really a good season to enjoy the great outdoors in Perth. For example…
- catching movies or plays in the parks/hills
- Meeting friends over brekkie cos mornings are warm and sunny
- soaking in the sun, sand and the beach
- going for picnics with friends
- enjoying spectacular fireworks display ‘cos Australian Day is right in the middle of summer!
this makes me smile…
Weather has been crazy these few days. Wind speeds of 110km/hr have been rippling through Perth for the past couple of night and hail could even be seen in the early morning because it was so cold. This is what the city looked like yesterday morning:
This morning, I decided to open the letter box before heading out to work, and I’ve actually got mail other than bills! Mel who is back home in Mauritius for holidays had sent me a postcard. When was the last time I received mail? Honestly, I can’t remember. Perhaps it was Christmas. Whatever it is, holding a handwritten card in my hand sure gave me a good feeling; I felt connected. And that was good enough for me.
week in our life: friday photos + words
The blooming roses outside E’s office (photo background) are such beautiful evidence of spring…
This entire week, a student club on campus had been raising awareness of the ‘anti-poverty week’ through a series of activities. One such activity was a nightly ‘sleepout’ where everyone is encouraged to put themselves in the position of a homeless person by sleeping on campus. The above photo is the scene this morning – final sleepout of the entire week.
I participated in the sleepout last night. Admittedly, my initial intention was to support the students rather than the cause; secondly, I was curious to try sleeping out in the open. However, at the end of my ‘homeless’ experience, I walked away with a precious insight…
It dawned upon me that Jesus (gasp!) was a homeless person too…In fact, he once said of himself ‘foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay his head’ (Matt 8: 20). Jesus became homeless when he began his ministry in the last three years of his life. Did he ever miss the comfort of his home; the warmth of his bed? Did he ever have to sleep in the open with his disciples when there weren’t any homes available in a town they visited? I am sure he did; thus the above statement he made. I could imagine there must be times when Jesus was weary from his constant travelling and was homesick. Yet, that human longing never stood in the way of him going to the cross for our sins. Yes, Jesus was homeless for my sake and your sake…
Once again, I am floored by my Savior’s love for me.
news update
It’s been awhile since our last update; and we even received ‘concerned’ emails asking how we are. It is always heart-warming to know that we are missed and there are people out there who are interested in what’s going on in our lives. So here’s a quick update:
- We will be moving out of our current rented place by 14 Sept. The new rented house is beautiful so despite the inconveniences of moving again, we are looking forward to living there. We will post some pictures once we moved in. [Note: email us for new address, if you want to send us something.]
- We were asked to take up cell leadership in our present cell as it is getting too big. We declined as we didn’t feel led to move in this direction as we prayerfully considered the invitation. Intentional discipleship/mentoring is probably what we wish to focus in this season of our lives. So it didn’t matter if it didn’t come with any official titles. [On this note, we are thankful for the opportunity to be involved in mentoring a dating couple from church. They had approached us on their own and we had been meeting them regularly since then.]
- Work-wise: CS is still in the midst of his 3-month training which is pretty ‘full-on’ (common Aussie slang) but otherwise, he is enjoying work and learning more about the Australian culture each day.E still can’t believe she is working in such a beautiful part of Perth – Fremantle. During lunchtime, she can be found either trawling the secondhand stores, quirky little shops or sharing lunch with friends in a park or the courtyard.
- Winter is gone and it is now spring! We have now officially experienced all the four seasons in Perth. And in the last week of September, we are planning to take a roadtrip along the coral coast to see the wildflowers which are supposed to be in full bloom at this time of the month. Watch this space for photo updates.
- A recent picture of us: This is taken yesterday after work (love the beautiful sky). We do a ‘park-and-ride’ every morning. So we would drive to a train/bus terminal(10mins) and park our car there (free!). Then CS would hop onto a train (10mins) and E would take a bus (25mins) for work.[This picture is taken with E's latest toy, Canon IXUS 860IS after weeks of badgering CS for it.]
