Mi Choza De Nipa

COURAGE Standing for what you believe in, Regardless of the odds against you, and the pressure that tears at your resistance   STRENGTH Keeping a smile on your face, When inside you feel like dying, For the sake of supporting others   DETERMINATION Stopping at nothing, And doing what's in your heart, You know is right   COMPASSION Doing more than is expected, To make another's life a little more bearable, Without uttering a single complaint   LOYALTY Helping a friend in need, No matter the time or effort, To the best of your ability   SELFLESSNESS Giving more than you have, And expecting nothing But nothing in return   CONFIDENCE Holding your head high, And being the best you know you can be When life seems to fall apart at your feet, Facing each difficulty with the confidence That time will bring you better tomorrows, And never giving up

What can I say?!   We’ve got the keys to the new house yesterday, and since then, we’ve been busy cleaning up the place. I’m so tired, and it is just nice that I’m already on leave from work starting tomorrow. That means, I can get so worked up and so tired, and not worry about going to work the next day!   There’s a lot to be done on the new house, but no such things as repairs needed. Only retouch on the wood parquet, so that the sheen and shine is restored back, and on some of the other items in the dresser made of wood, or fitted with wood.   And boy, oh boy, the new house is such a very far cry from the current house we are living in now! And to think we were actually considering buying the current house! And, somebody even suggested just that!   The kids are enjoying the new house, and the previous owners left a load of dolls of various sizes and makes. These the kids pass the time with as ...

I am not King Solomon; I don’t even come close to a 1% of his stature or wisdom, but let me state my case anyway.   In my observation, I see that there is a folly going on in the church, and lest I be found to be simply judgmental, let me convey my message in its raw form, and you be the judge – as to whether I am right to call it folly, or not.   There is one who almost always without fail able to stand up at any part of the worship service, except on one part, which is of much importance to the church growth and expansion – giving of tithe and offering. Isn’t that a folly?   We see many young children growing up so fast, that they are already getting mature and nubile, and all the other kids are following right behind in their maturity, both physical and spiritual.   But, on the other side of the balance, there are those going right into middle age, getting near or past 40, and they still think that they...

Today, I was asking friends of contact #s for the movers that they engaged when they moved house.   I got a few names and numbers, and when I started canvassing, I found that the price of the service of the different companies are almost the same; that would include the haulers (2 men up).   There’s one who charges $150 for the truck, and for each hauler, $50; at least 2 would be needed. Another charges for $250/trip. Then there’s the other mover who charges $300/trip, with succeeding trips on a pro-rated charge, full will be $300, halfload truck = $150, and so on. This group charges an additional $25 for the up/down movement if you are not on the lift level. Not sure if that is per storey. At most, you’d be paying $75 more.   At the end of the list, there is a hare-lipped lady who would seem to be the best deal, but the price, I still don’t know. She’d be dropping by at our place today lunchtime to see t...

In a week’s time, we will be getting the keys to the new house!   Having packed most of the things that are not in use at home, there are still many things that needed packing. Those that are being used, or are still being used now and then, we are putting in a box, but not sealing it.   We’ve got the 2 display frames from the shop, one simple painting from Myanmar , and it was a very cute piece for the kitchen, and the other, a cross-stitched ballet dancer, done by househelp hands who had the talent, and, being simple, it will be just nice from the kids’ room.   Well, not to say more, here’s to say “¡Es hora ya!”   ¡Toda la gloria al dios!

My wife called around 3.30pm to say that the package from Ireland has arrived.   And although it was only a small item , it was indeed beautiful!   I’ve dropped my Irish friend a note to let him know that we have got the item he sent , so that he stops worrying.  Well , the post is early , in that he estimated about 10 days; the parcel arrived in about 7 days only!   It was heavy , so that has warranted some scrutiny and inspection from the Post office; the box is a bit opened up – perhaps to check what was inside. That’s OK , as this check is necessary for security purposes.   What else can I say? God’s goodness is pouring down , through friends!   May I be a channel of God’s blessings as well.   To God be the glory! Amen!

As the time draws near for our transfer to the new house , the emotions are mixed: There is , first and foremost , the exhaustion from all the thinking and fixing , packing and boxing of things that we will be bringing over. And it is really a surprise to know that we’ve been keeping things , particularly old documents , that we no longer need , but wouldn’t take out from the cabinets or boxes , open up , and review , then decide to throw away – if not for the move. And one thing to note as well , the old house is already so dusty and dirty in many parts that we don’t normally and usually trod into – again , if not for the move.   We are doing the throwing away so that we don’t bring those unwanted items to the new house. And , we are doing the clean up , as the inspector will be coming over to check here and there the old house , before they take back the keys to the current flat we are renting....

I was hunting for a French school that provides parttime tuition/classes for primary school students. My wife and I have decided to change the language that our daughters are taking, and that French, we thought, would be a better option, if not the best.   It is a disappointment that MOE does not support foreign language studies in primary school level.   Of course, going through the list that came from the primary school admin, it wasn’t just of much help going through the list in the internet. Most of the so-called “language schools” or “language centers” that I’ve called to check only offer either English or Chinese. Makes me wonder what the name stand for. Anyway, I got one, but oh the price that they are asking for a 32-hour class: S$1,600 for a one-on-one tuition. We remembered that some of our friends also had their kids take up French instead of Chinese. So we got The name of the school, and I was ...

I’ve always been fascinated with technology, and the way that it progresses these days. Unlike before, which is a crawl, and breakthroughs are really breakthroughs, compared to today’s progress and development, it is already measured in leaps and bounds.   One particular area I have just been checking is TV and home theater systems. About 2 years ago, Plasma and LCD TVs were introduced to the market. DVD players were simply labeled as Either interlaced, or progressive scanning type. Of course, that time, TVs were already coming In the big sizes: 37”, 40”, 42”, etc.   Today, we have the HD systems: HDTV, HD-ready TVs, Blu-ray disc player, standalone up-scale converters, etc., etc. 7 years ago, the systems were bulky, not to mention the price. These days, almost everything electronics is coming in smaller and more compact, and with more features and functions.   That being said, I was surprised to see a 5...

As quickly as the resale application was submitted , so it is with the confirmation of the first appointment date: 14-Jan , at 10am. With that is a BIG relief: we’re in. Our race is eligible to buy a flat in that block , and this is going to save us all trouble , if in case we are not eligible , and have to do all the flat-search all over again.   We’re just waiting for the letter to have the first appointment schedule in B&W.   And when it comes , we’d sure be confirming with the owners of their plan to relinquish their house to us , even before completion date , even before first appointment date. Estimated discussion is by next week , the last week of Nov , and it is also our last week to find out whether we are renewing our tenancy in the JTC flat , or not. If all things proceed as expected , we’d terminate our contract on the current flat we are renting , and we are spared from the renewal fee...

We are now in the final phase of our 2 nd attempt on flat resale activities. First attempt having failed due to the issue of ethnic integration imbalance, we now have found a new flat, decided to buy it, and have done checks, and having found that the restriction doesn’t apply at the new block, went on to pay the downpayment of only $300, pending the document coming from the housing board indicating that our first attempt is cancelled due to the race ratio issue. The next day after, the letter arrived, and I got back the desposit and the valuation report fee from the owner of the first flat; unfortunately, the administration fee is already paid off to the housing board, so there is no way that it can be refunded – the service has already been rendered, whether application is successful or not.   We paid ahead of time the remaining option exercise fee, totalling $5000, and we have also given the administration fee (2 nd time) and...

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A slideshow on leadership and teamwork…

DIRECTIONS HOME I really like this one. Someone spent a lot of time on this... ,//// \\\\, ___________ *'o oo`* /__/ _/\_ ____/\ ```)"(''' | | | | | | | || |l+-+-+-+-| ,,.-*o' ,,.-*~*~*-.,, `o*-. :oo *~*~*-..,, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. DIRECTIONS TO OUR FATHER'S HOUSE. Make a Right onto Believeth Blvd. Keep straight and go through the Green Light, which is Jesus Christ. There, you must turn onto the Bridge of Faith , which is over troubled water. When you get off the bridge, make a Right turn and Keep Straight. You are on the King's Highway - Heaven-bound. Keep going for three miles: One for the Father, One for the Son, and One for the Holy Ghost. Then exit off onto Grace Blvd. From there, make a Right turn on Gospel Lane Keep Straight and then make another Right on Prayer Road As you go on your way, Yield Not to the traffic on Temptation...

I was in a meeting yesterday , and it was to understand certain issues that has been creeping up over the past couple of weeks. Some folks are coming in late. Some folks that came early the week before are coming in late the following week. Some folks are continuously coming in late for practice. Some folks who can’t make it to the practice don’t even bother to look for replacement – a task that should not be borne by the scheduler already. Songs are not learned. Even if they are , they are not committed to memory. These , and a lot more!   I was keeping quite for the most part of the meeting , in that I was thinking to myself , “these are not new problems…” These have been the same issues over the years.   With these classic examples , what I read in the book “Read Right” by Dr Toddler proved true , once again: 1.        There is a big difference between ...

My wife and I are discussing what we should do , to circumvent our current situation: 1.        The rental contract for the current flat is ending 31-Dec. 2.       The advice to renew/terminate rental contract can’t be later than 1-Dec. 3.       We are allowed to get the keys and occupy the resale flat starting 16-Dec. 4.       The valuation report will not be out until 2nd week of Nov , at most. 5.        The re-application of bank loan for the new flat can’t be done without the valuation report. 6.       The bank loan re-application may be fast , but it will still take some time , perhaps 2-3 days. 7.       The resale application can only be submitted by 17-Nov , to mark the year 5 of the building. 8.       First appointment lette...