Thursday, March 29, 2007

Nice Cuppa

The coffee bean kiosk in Citysuper finally started to sell drinks!

I ordered for a latte in the first place but changed my mind after finding out the Coffee of the Day is Sumatra Mandheling.
$22 for a very generous regular serve brewed with organically grown beans. It is so satisfying ~.~

They have been giving out free coffee during morning time in the past two weeks and I didn't know about it until today! Although I seldom will take such kind of offer but still happy to know about it. What a generous promotion! (Well, in fact it doesn't cause them much to do this promotion. The direct cost for a shot of good coffee is <$1, to your surprise.)

Finally got a nice coffee stall round the corner. So happy ^^

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

性格診断

今日このネットベースの性格診断テストをやってみた。

個人的によく当たってると思うけど、周りの人もそう思うだろうか。

http://www.egogram-f.jp/seikaku/index.htm

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1. 性格
自分の地を丸出しにして、何ら飾る事の無い生き方をしても、人に非難される事の最も少ないタイプの一つです。常識家で有ると共に、責任感や使命感が強く、人の面倒見も悪く有りません。対人関係の配慮も行き届いて居り、いかなる場合でも、自分本意、自分勝手な態度や行動を、明からさまにする事は有りません。人生観や価値感が安定して居ると共に、精神的、感情的な安定度も高く、滅多な事で右往左往するような事は無いでしょう。人生教師的な雰囲気を持つタイプでしょう。

2. 恋愛・結婚
世間一般の常識や、ヒューマニズム的感覚から遊離した行動は、先ず取れないタイプですので、恋愛や結婚に於ける行動半径も、そう野放図なものとは成り得ません。突拍手も無い事や型破りな事で、自分の欲望や本能を満足させようとするのでは無く、一般的に許されている範囲の中で、バラエティを付けた生き方によって、好奇心や欲望を満たして行こうとするタイプです。良夫良妻タイプの一典型でしょう。

3. 職業適性
治安関係の公務員や法律家、科学者、芸術家、事業家などには、余り向いた性格とは云えませんが、広く一般的な職業には抜群の適応力が有るでしょう。中でも教師、医師、看護婦(士)、保母(夫)、秘書、宗教家、カウンセラー、ケースワーカーなどの仕事では、特に優れた適応力を発揮出来る可能性が有ります。

4. 対人関係
職場や井戸端社交に於いて、人生コンサルタントや人生アドバイサー的な役目を受け持って居そうなタイプで有り、家族や知人、友人の信頼が非常に厚いタイプで有る可能性が高いのです。貴方のようなタイプの社会的な存在価値と云うものは、そのような所にも有る訳でして、社会をスムーズに動かす為の進行係の一人として、今後も健闘して欲しいと思います。

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ページの最後の所にこう書いてある:

“冷静に自分を見つめ直すときは、新しい自分の未来を開拓する大きなチャンスです。”

旁觀

在GM會議上...
有人乘機弄權,挑戰別人的底線;
有人一直在check email,有人一副事不關己的態度;
HQ的二哥在釣魚,Y撩鼻●(嘟--)撩得出神....

在飯局上...
在36%的集中攻勢下,地上佈滿羊皮.
一隻羊對付群狼,另一隻羊有免死金牌保護.
位高的狼特別兇猛,次位的狼兒們只能流著口水遠觀.

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「沒有人不介意的...」
真的是這樣嗎?

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Story Telling

Stories written for children are fun and interesting. These stories are usually simplier, more easy to comprehend, with clear messages or values, everything is described in details, emotions and reactions are illustrated explicitely. These stories are written in this way because children's knowledge and life experience is still quite limited and it is important to tell them the details they may not be able to associate in order to communicate the message effectively. Listening to stories written in such a way is fun (as you don't need to use much brain), but to tell story in this way can be quite challenging.

There is a story time in P2SS. The teaching material is provided but the story outlined is too simple for the 20 min session. The teacher needs to put in more details to make it longer but yet interesting enough to attract the kids' attention. It requires some effort and time to do it and sometimes can be quite head scratching. But as in other teaching services, the teacher will be the one who gets the most.

The stories used in childern SS are usually quite familiar to the teacher (and even to the children). To elaborate the details to make sure the kids can follow and can understand the message well, the teacher can use everyday life examples, changing 3rd person narration into dialogues, make it interactive, use games, role play, etc. Applying these different techniques can help discovering new things from these familiar stories. It may just be a small point; but this small point might cast new light and help one see the incident in a completely new perspective.

Discovering new things from the Words is certainly very exciting; but to a green teacher, when the kids listen to the story attentively and quietly, being responsive to the interaction, it is really encouraging ^^

Friday, March 23, 2007

古力王

與Ku lo e到尖沙嘴的阿貓地攤預祝生日,訂到窗邊靠牆的沙發卡位,在我來說是店裡最好的位置.

上次見到的小貓長大了,活潑得很,到處遊行;大貓們則隱居店裡某處.

與友人relax地聊天,看貓書,偶爾被在窗邊上catwalk的貓咪分心,興奮地逗小貓玩,然後貓咪溜走,我們又繼續閑談... 不亦樂乎^^

這裡供應的貓飯一向不錯.今天的驚喜是這杯熱朱古力 -- "古力王".由於通常喝得到的熱朱古力不是太甜就是可可香味不夠,所以其實沒甚麼期待.而貓店的熱朱古力分三種:45%可可,65%可可或白朱古力,它的賣點是將朱古力塊溶在奶中而並非使用可可粉.被這些%選擇吸引決定碰碰運氣...

理所當然地選了65%可可的古力王.... 呷一口 -- 可可香味濃郁,口感細滑豐腴,甜度適中... 一瞬間腦裡空白,陶醉在可可與奶油混和所散發的甘香之中...好幸福啊...~.~
杯子旁的消化餅塗了朱古力,灑上糖湘顯出一個貓樣,可愛得很.

這杯古力王賣$40老實說不便宜,但還是值得的 ^^

♪ Happy Birthday! Ku Lo e~ ♪

Thursday, March 22, 2007

A Forwarded Message..

Can't remember how many times I received this. Everytime I read this, I give thank to my loving God who has been refining my life so carefully.

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Malachi 3:3 says:

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

山上寶訓

"The more I read these three chapters -- Matthew 5, 6 and 7 -- the more I'm both drawn to them and shamed by them. Their brilliant light draws me like a moth to a spotlight; but the light is so bright that it sears and burns. No room is left for forms of piety which are nothing more than veneer and sham. Perfection is demanded." D. A. Carson {The Sermon on the Mount}

站在一面裝上了許多燈的大鏡子,無論多小的瑕疵都會被清清楚楚的照出來.主的話就像這面鏡子,將人生命中的瑕疵、虛假、軟弱都原原本本地照出來.

這陣子在用教會送的「渴慕聖潔」靈修,上星期開始了山上寶訓的部分.捨不得水過鴨背,翻出唸書時代買下的這本書,希望好好地重新思想山上寶訓.

作者的這段分享道中了自己的心聲.天國的福氣多麼令人羨慕,然而,當人認真思想當中的意義的時候,神的聖潔會不留情面地把人的虛偽、軟弱、自我中心、隨波逐流、對信仰忽冷忽熱的態度明明白白地反映出來.無論裝得多好,瞞得過身邊的人,騙得過自己,在神面前卻無所遁形.

有時候接受不了自己的黑暗面,怕了這真光,會遠離神.但無論做了多久"游魂野鬼",最終都會被神的美好和信實吸引回轉.這全是祂的恩典.

"神的道是活潑的,是有功效的,比一切兩刃的劍更快,甚至魂與靈,骨節與骨髓,都能刺入、剖開,連心中的思念和主意都能辨明。並且被造的沒有一樣在他面前不顯然的;原來萬物在那與我們有關係的主眼前,都是赤露敞開的。" 希伯來書 4:12-13

Monday, March 19, 2007

擔心

逗小白玩的時候發現小白的耳朵前有一處血紅的傷痕,傷口旁看起來有點紅腫.好心疼啊...
用不刺激的消毒藥水洗了傷口,塗了點藥膏,希望有效. (這些藥品是早前被小白咬傷時醫生開的,現在用在小白身上...唔...)

很想馬上帶他看醫生,但會猶豫,因為聽了太多負面小故事,以致未能100%信任夏醫館的醫生們.總怕小事情給他們弄得更糟...

若是人遇上黃綠的話,藥吃不好,感到不對勁的話還能自己換醫生,覺得不舒服也會告訴人;小動物不會講,單單看他們的反應也不一定可以判斷醫生醫得好不好.

看著小白乖乖的睡,覺得他特別可憐...

A Blessed Day

Visited the DL for the 3rd time in one year -- this is significant for someone who is not quite interested in those talking animals. But since it was for free again plus there was $500 allowance, and it is the first time for mom & dad to visit HKDL, it turned out to be a nice family activity.

Prayed hard for the weather on Sat as it was very likely it's gonna to rain. Also prayed that mom & dad will enjoy the day...

Met up with mom & dad after Sunday service and headed to the DL. We enjoyed the food in the LKK Cafe, watched the shows, parade and firework, with a few breaks sitting on the benches and chat... It was all enjoyable and relaxing.
The HKDL is indeed very small. But the up side is it is less physically demanding for the elderly. And since I've been there twice before, I was able to plan the activities well. Dad said it was the most enjoyable DL experience he's ever had; and mom enjoyed it very much too.

God is so gracious! the weather was perfect -- cool but not cold, cloudy but not raining, bright but not sunny. May be because it was horse racing day, it was not crowded at all. What's more, mom's knee joints were functioning well and didn't get hurt after all the walks!

Thanks to our loving God!!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

砂與土

在Yr.11時唸過有關岸邊砂土的一些特徵.
在海邊的陸地,通常是鋪滿砂,沒有任何植物,也不保留水分.
離開海水遠一點的地方,砂中會夾雜一些泥土,也會開始有一些植物 -- 通常是比較"粗生"的淺根雜草. 長得快也枯得快.
再離水遠一點,土中砂更少了,而長出的植物的種類多了;除了雜草會長得較健壯外,也開始有一些小花.可是這些植物在天氣變化大的日子很容易枯死.
再走高一點,土中砂的成分更少了,而且開始有一些木本植物出現.這些植物的根長得較深,牢牢的抓住地上的泥土.較小花小草能夠抵擋風雨.
再往上看,看到的是能在寒冬後再次長出嫩芽,充滿生命力的大樹.

這些能夠栽種大樹的泥土並不一定"生來就是這樣的".
原來當小草和其他植物長在這些沙地上,這些植物在生長過程中會慢慢改變土質,而且植物會吸引小昆虫出沒,這也會幫助土壤優化.當土質改善了,儲水能力提高,養分增加,較大的植物也可以生長.最後這塊地所種出的樹可以為人遮陰、給小鳥築巢居住、結出可讓人裹腹的果實來.

不知道主耶穌講的撒種比喻有沒有包含這一層意思,自己也不敢隨意解話;但因為老覺得自己是長了荊棘的淺土砂地,還要是在路旁的那一段,這砂土演化的過程給了我很大的鼓勵.

神的話語滿有生命力,它能夠在乾渴的生命裡發芽生長,使生命變得豐盛.就算種子給不同的誘惑,衝擊奪去了,幼苗給擠死了,天父卻絕不會放棄而不斷繼續撒種.祂知道一個生命此時此刻能夠盛載多深刻的生命啟迪,祂不會在砂地撒下松子,因為祂知道這種子不能發芽,對這灘砂也起不了甚麼作用.當生命的質素被神的道不斷深化、淨化,人能夠更透徹地檢視自己的生命,讓道種繼續在生命裡發揮力量,結出令人羨慕的生命果子,祝福人,榮耀神.

只要我們願意自己的生命被祂改變,在祂,凡事都能!
耶穌來了,是要叫人得生命,而且得的更豐盛!