Just wanna post images/photos of our Noche Buena and Christmas Brunch.

Malaysia is not really big on noche buenas (Christmas eve meal) but I like to carry on the tradition in my family even if it means it's just us. At exactly 12 midnight, USJ 19 mall in front of our housing area did some fireworks. The kids got so excited to see the fireworks.

We had sushis for Noche Buena. LOL. I know it does sound weird. But ham and cheese could wait the next day, for brunch.



The family usually have dinner on Christmas Day itself but since we were invited for a birthday dinner that day, we hosted brunch for the family. And as expected, brunch was at 2pm (instead of the proposed 11 a.m. It's always a bummer for me. I know I have to adjust to it... but...



I made up my mind so our day and my mood won't be affected. We celebrated Christmas at brunch with my immediate family, said a word of thanksgiving for Jesus Christ. After all, He is the essence of Christmas.

My in-laws came only at 2pm. I guess next time I invite them for a brunch, I should say it's going to be at 8am. Then if they come at 11 we can do it on time. LOL.


Well, anyways... at least I did the necessary with my family on Christmas day. It is really important that kids know the meaning of Christmas.

I hope everybody had a blast celebrating Jesus' birth.

Our friend who picked us up from the KL Central station was telling us about his dog giving birth to puppies and did we want a puppy for ourselves? I though about it. I was glad the kids didn't hear the question, actually. Otherwise, they would be jumping up and down and pressure me to take the offer.

Actually there are just too many things to consider when you have pets. For our family, we travel a lot. We don't want to hassle people by just taking care of our dogs when we go out station. And also, what if nobody's around to take care of the dogs? We'll just decide not to go? That would be a KJ (kill joy) move already.

Also, we have to think about the food, dog medicine, comfort, etc. I am not even sure if we're required to do dog dna testing (?).

Dogs also need time. You have to walk them outside the house in certain time. I already have enough in taking the kids out for the park.

And so, to take or not to take a pet dog? I am definitely sure not to take the offer. But of course, I appreciate the gesture of thinking about offering it to us first.

image from: http://www.how-to-draw-cartoons-online.com/cartoon-puppy.html

Schenker started liking Thomas and Friends trains when he was 3 years old. So when we celebrated his 4th birthday, I did a Thomas and Friends themed party. Now that he's already 6 years old, you'd think that he already outgrew the train friends. But no, he's loving 'em even more.

He's got different dvd's of the Thomand and Friends stories. He's got different types of trains. Some of which he already disassembled, re-assembled, disassembled again. Some of the parts are probably lost. But he's still as fascinated as ever with the trains.

He got a collector's item recently. I hope he won't ask to collect them all. LOL.

Last month, when we sent my boy for a 3-day VBS (Vacation Bible School) or camp at one of the churches we knew, we decided to take her to a movie we knew she would love: Tangled. It's a story about Rapunzel, actually... the fairytale kind of story. It was so fun. We didn't watch the 3D version because I would usually get dizzy if I used the 3D glasses. We bought the couple seat or the love seat for the theater seating so Samantha had enough space for her to sit on.

The scene where there was light festival towards the end was hair raising. I had goosebumps galore. If you haven't seen the movie, you may want to do it now. It's worth watching. I would watch it again and again if I can.

I took this shot of Hatyai skyline from the 32nd floor of Lee Gardens Plaza. It's amazing to see most part of Hatyai from the top. This was the Hatyai where a couple of months ago, the water rose until 2 meters high. I wonder if there are a lot of metal buildings here, they would be rusted by now?

Nevertheless, this is to say that Hatyai has been one of those unforgettable places for me. I have shed buckets of tears during my first 3 months in Hatyai. I did struggle a lot, emotionally and financially. It was the most challenging time for me, to be in Hatyai with less support emotionally and financially. But in Hatyai, I saw how God never leaves His people. He just started pouring out blessings like never before. Like I always say, God's blessings come in mysterious ways. Sometimes, we have to wait... but He's never too late.

Everytime I go to Hatyai, I am always reminded by His faithfulness. I remember I made a deal with Him one morning when I was literally down on my face, crying out to Him. I had to apologize to Him a few years later after that. Whatever I said was out of desperation. But His will prevails.

God is amazing.