even as the excitement of the recent sunday school sports day had barely settled, JC managed to put together a combined CG dinner-cum-bowling session last weekend. it's not easy getting a hundred people to turned up on time for dinner & get the menu in place but he pulled it off with near-military precision.
at the bowling alley, the adults took to the lanes like ducks to water... while some kids need a bit of coaxing... ...some exhibit their unique style...
....yet others were fascinated by the ball return & the screens showing the scores...
& i'm proud to announce that the boy was a winner on the nite with a princely score of 55...
JC also demonstrated that you can indeed do all things if you put your heart into it.
dropped by the little-known post office at the shopping mall this afternoon. it was opened this year & not many shoppers know of its existence as it occupies a quiet corner on the 1st floor. took the money order form from the counter, filled in the personal details, didn't even have to queue as there wasn't one, & within seconds of checking my IC with the computer screen, i have RM625 in my hands.
it's not a lot & yet it's a lot.
it's not a lot because it only subsidizes to the tune of RM52 a month, or just 19 lit of petrol at today's price, which doesn't take you far but every little bit helps.
yet, it's a lotbecause i've never in my dear life ever, ever made that amount of money in just 2 mins. just for filling a form & giving a thumb print.
so, should i be dissatisfied, or grateful to the govt's "kind gesture"?
after the movie yesterday, we had to pass the supermart on the way to the car park. it's like a recurring scene - expansive well-lit space, items neatly laid out & cashiers smiling albeit looking bored.. it's almost picture-perfect.
except that there were few shoppers (browsers?) & absolutely no paying customers.
that's not great news considering that this is the anchor tenant for the shopping mall. the locals are not surprised though. many had prophetically said that this mall hasbad feng shui - something about the water cannons aimed outwardly. this is a far cry from the time it was opened to great fanfare 10 years ago. Carrefour was the 1st anchor tenant but it folded 3 years later. it was taken over by The Store, only to suffer the same fate years later.
and now, Cold Storage aims to buck the trend. the car park may be nearly full but i suspect these are largely patrons of the cinema & games arcade. i doubt if the locals are going to buy groceries at those mont-kiara prices. besides, there are only a few expatriates in the area.
ironically, jusco which operates just across the road has doubled its floor space over the years & is doing a roaring business.
in medic-speak, i think the prognosis is grave & i give it 6 months, tops, before it goes belly-up.
took the boy to see Kung Fu Panda this evening. it was a weekday & there weren't many in the theatre. we were seated a good 15 mins before the movie was due to screen but the boy was restless. he started walking up & down the aisle, as if exploring for better seats & as if playing a game by himself.
as i observed him, his antics made me realise that i was exactly like him at this age. i remembered when my parents took me to movies, i wouldn't sit still & even after the movie had started i would wonder around in the dark. a few times i couldn't retrace my steps & was "lost". i recalled having to sit at the side stairways till my father came looking for me.
which is why i didn't restrain nor rebuke the boy. after all, he's just a chip off the old block.
it's the sunday school's event of the year!!after over a month's preparation, we present for the 1st time ever, Sports Day 2008!
despite an early morning drizzle, people came as early as 7am to help set up things, eg. marking out the running lanes.... ...laying out the chairs & tables...
the drizzle had stopped by 8.30, we were ready to start....with team captains rallying the troops....
let the games begin....
starting with......racing with a ball on a spoon....
...balancing a bean-bag on the head.... ...or between the legs....
..3-legged race...
the final event, & no less exciting, was the tug-of-war... with the victors celebrating...
& there can only be one winning team..
no sunday school program can be complete without spiritual food from the pastor..
as well as physical ones from the catering team...
...with souvenirs & prizes....
everyone took home one like this...
& everyone agreed on this - we should do this more often. it's hard work but it paid off in full.
that's the number displayed on my car's odometer. as of today, i've driven just over 100k km in my faithful 7-yr-old set of wheels. yeah, it's been to the workshop a few times outside of the usual service schedule for minor repairs, but by & large, it has been an extremely reliable work-horse.
in a way, i'm rather pleased because i've never previously owned a car that has travelled that distance. that is not to say i've been changing cars in the same frequency as some youngsters change handphones. far from it, as i have neither the resources nor the inclination to indulge in that luxury.
with some exceptions, i would say that if you take good care of your car, including driving it responsibly, it should serve you well. the same goes for my 5-yr-old nokia. other than the occasional glitches, i've no reason to upgrade it, although i did cast more than a casual glance at the very eye-catching 6300 launched last year.
that's why i can't really understand why my dear teen-aged daughter keeps bringing up the subject of changing her 2-yr-old still-functional phone to a more fashionable model - a nokia Express Music, i think it's called.
didn't we teach her the value of things & that we shouldn't be wasteful? now with the impending increase in fuel prices, the cost of living will no doubt escalate. which for me, means that the LCD TV & dSLR will have to wait indefinitely. everything will be gauged in its perspective & will have to go the full distance. suddenly, the idea of keeping the car for another 100k km doesn't sound outrageous anymore.
perhaps paul's encouragement to persevere & remain faithful is lost on her? or maybe she's just facing peer pressure?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2Tim 4:7
because the wife & kids have gone to penang today & i'm home alone. it's surreal & a tad eerie to come back to an empty house. wasn't it cole porter who wrote,"a house is not a home when you're not in it"?
with no maid, i can imagine the meals around here to rotate between this.... ...and this.... ...with a good measure of junk food thrown in...
no matter. for dinner tonite, i thought i'd come up with something a bit more "elaborate". managed to scavenge these from the kitchen... ...& transformed them to this.... ...tuna with onions in mayonnaise on lightly-toasted bread...
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) (Read by Max McLean. Provided by The Listener's Audio Bible.)
