All kinds of everything reminds me of you.

I first learned this lovely song sung by Dana when I was a 13 year old in Form 1. The nostalgic song was written by Derry Lindsay & Jackie Smith. Lucia and the English department teachers in Sekolah Menengah Sains Selangor made me love the song even more when they taught it to their students during their creative English leassons there.

Snowdrops and daffodils, Butterflies and bees


Sailboats and fishermen, Things of the sea


Wishing-wellsWedding bells, Early morning dew


All kinds of everything remind me of you







Seagulls and aeroplanes, Things of the sky


Winds that go howlin', Breezes that sigh


City sightsNeon lights, Grey skies or blue


All kinds of everything remind me of you







Summer time Winter time Spring and autumn too


Monday Tuesday every dayI think of you.


Dances Romances Things of the night


Sunshine and holidays,Postcards to write


Budding trees Autumn leaves A snowflake or two


All kinds of everything remind me of you.







Summer time Winter time Spring and autumn too


Seasons will never change The way that I love you.


Dances Romances Things of the night


Sunshine and holidays Postcards to write


Budding trees Autumn leaves A snowflake or two


All kinds of everything remind me of you.


All kinds of everything remind me of you.
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/d/dana-lyrics/all-kinds-of-everything-lyrics.html .]

Snowdrops and daffodils
butterflies and bees .

( Kensington Gardens)

Sailboats and fishermen
things of the sea

( We took the ferry from Volendam to Marken and saw all the sailboats lined for the boat race on April 17. What a feast for our eyes! And in Marken - that little island, we saw all the things of the sea )

Wishing-wells wedding bells
early morning dew All kinds of everything reminds me of you ( The timing was perfect! We were in London from April 19-22. London was being spruced up for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on the 29th April and we saw London in her glory being prepared for the wedding bells.)

Seagulls and aeroplanes
things of the sky
winds that go howlin'
breezes that sigh

( We had glorious spring weather! Clear blue skies and cool winds that made the flags in Windsor Castle fly proudly. We had favour - free entrance into Windsor Castle bcause it was Good Friday)
City sights , neon lights

The night scene of the clock tower near our apartment on Prince Hendriks Road

(

We had the good fortune to see Tower Bridge by day and by night. And we saw the bridge open to let a big ship pass through.

Grey skies or blue
all kinds of everything remind me of you

Summertime, wintertime
spring and autumn too
Monday, Tuesday every day
I think of you.
Dances, romances
things of the night
sunshine and holidays
postcards to write

( See how bright the sunshine is and the intensity of the dark shadows of the soldiers. We had the good fortune to witness the change of guards in Windsor Castle.)

Budding trees ,autumn leaves
a snowflake or two
all kinds of everything remind me of you.
Summertime
wintertime
spring and autumn too
seasons will never change
the way that I love you.

( I saw this lovely hawthorn tree bud in Kensington Gardens near the Royal Albert Hall)

Dances , romances
things of the night
sunshine and holidays
postcards to write
Budding trees autumn leaves
a snowflake or two
all kinds of everything remind me of you.
All kinds of everything remind me of you.

And finally what makes a great holiday? Family togetherness... We had Jason's 84 year old father, and his 80 year old mum who needed to be in her wheel chair, my 80 year old dad and Christopher 72 year mum who is a fantastic cook!

Thanks to Chris and Jason and Christie for the finances and planning involved in the trip. Thanks to Papa God who gave us glorious weather every day and perfect timing for the unplanned flower parade, the unplanned sailboats race, the unplanned Windsor trip and other unplanned by us but orchestrated by Him. The old people and the young people and me all tumpang happy. Haha!!!

The warmth of hugs

I hugged 3 ladies today - all at different times but the warmth of the hugs lingered in my memories and I felt the love of Christ reaching out through those hugs.

The first hug was quite early in the morning about 7.50 ish. She is one of my very dedicated teachers. I have seen her come to school even when she is sick and she had produced excellent results for the two subjects she taught at O levels. She came in to ask for my permission to go back early after completing her teaching duties as her son had been warded at the hospital for dengue for the past 4 days. Such dedication! People who are not in the teaching line and often see only the lazy teachers please realize that there are many many quiet dedicated teachers still. Even with her son warded for four days, only now does she ask for some help. Of course I said yes. Then I noticed something in her face. She was on the brink of tears. I asked her if she mind me hugging her. She welcomed me into her arms and we hugged. I asked if she would allow me to pray for her son. She said yes again. I prayed for his full recovery in Jesus name. She is not a Christian yet. Her tears flowed and mine flowed too. I feel good - God's love for people can be imparted through our hugs. Please pray with me for the full recovery of her son from dengue. If God can heal Saras from dengue and bring her back from the brink of death, God can heal anybody!

Case two. 10.30 ish. This particular staff had been reprimanded several times in the course of these 3 weeks by inspection officials from outside. Yesterday she was again reprimanded by 4 more officials and when I looked at the report written by them and asked her some questions, she left in a tantrum shouting loudly she wanted to resign. She left the office earlier than schedule and I let her be because I knew she had had a hard day. This morning before coming to school, I prayed that God would give me the wisdom to encounter her and also His shalom peace to rest on her. She is known by other staff for her volatile temper and literally nobody dares to reprimand her. This morning she appears calmer. I praise her for the two very obvious good qualities I see in her despite her volatile temper - she is very honest and she is highly efficient - meaning she can work through documents and settle payments very quickly. Then I take her through some of the reprimands written in black and white. She is still calm. Thank God! Thank God for His shalom peace upon her. Finally when I have finished and she rise to leave, I ask if I can hug her. She hugs me tightly and cries many tears and apologizes for her tantrum yesterday. The hug have brough reconcilation.

Lastly a hug of joy! I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon and popped in to see Siva, my fantastic physiotherapist! Siva has helped me through many bouts of issues with my hand immobility and pain. She works patiently with two patients - one a ex-boxer who has fractured his arm and has undergone an operation and is healing well. I think he still dreams of making it in the boxing ring - I can see the look in his eyes. Another patient - a lady about my age has the same issues with one shoulder - she had an accident and is learning to raise her hand. I encourage the two patients and reaffirm to them that Siva's treatment can do wonders for our arm's issues. Before I leave, we hugged one another and I feel the happiness flow. So ... ask someone today if they need a hug?? Hug and let the love flow out through you. Be an encourager.

Gratitude

Gratitude overflows from my heart. Gratefulness for so many things. I have been so busy and I owe you Papa God to praise for so many things. First, Mum is already discharged from the hospital. Initially I worry how she is going to the toilet etc given the pain she feels when she gets up from bed and from a sitting position. But God is gracious. My brother found an Indonesian maid to look after my mum during this period and she and the Cambodian maid help Mum get up and down from bed. Today I also saw her raise herself up from a lying down position to a sitting position all by herself. That is great progress! Mum smiles happily as she shows me her new feat today - she can flex her knee voluntarily. The scar with the 3 marks near her knee shows where 1 tranverse screw is placed right through the long metal plate. The scar has closed so nicely that if nobody mentions the operation, others not in the know may think it is just some scars from mosquito bites. The Tan family has bought quite a few things to help mum cope. Her square walker. Her wheelchair. Her toilet chair. My dad says mum is a good driver with her wheel chair and she is able to maneuver very well all round the room and to the balcony. She is coping well. She no longer need Pampers except for night when she uses for" just in case. " Dad is so grateful and thankful that Mum has recovered so well and has minimal complications that he pledged two computers to my school's computer lab. One computer in his name and one in Mum's name. That makes the total number of compluters pledged to be 9 units! Haha! Another thing that gave me much joy were the excellent results of both schools I was and am involved in- SMK Seksyen 5 and SMK Convent Sentul! In fact the night before the results were released, I had completely no anxiety. On my part for SMK Seksyen 5, I knew I had done my best and the diligent and competent teachers there had also done their part to prepare the students. For SMK Convent Sentul, I was equally confident because I knew the nature of the previous principal - Puan Phoon to be a woman of integrity who would have done all she needed to do without missing anything and she would have also motivated the teachers to work hard at preparing the students. What a lovely nite of sweet sleep knowing that hard work will definitely have just rewards. Convent Sentul did very well - 10 straight As students and the school has not only reached the SPM 2010 target but also attained the SPM 2011 target. So we will have to set our sights higher. Next morning - I am delighted at the news of the 21 straight A's students in Seksyen 5. Again this has broken all previous records. Bravo! Later as I study the list of cemerlang students, I laugh and grin that students I have chased to complete their homework etc and phoned their fathers right in front of them are now listed in the cemerlang list! Wow -some of the cemerlang kids were students we "kurung " for a whole week and did not allow into Form 5 until they settled their Form 4 debt- hutang of homework and school based assessment projects. I am delighted at the Physics results with a CGPA of 3.8 and a total haul of 56 distinctions. 5 Azam had a CGPA of 2.0 and especially my 5 Dynamic gave me great cause for joy with the 3 distinctions for Physics from Steffi, Gurmit and Ngiam Kee Jian. Haha!

See the picture of Seksyen 5 teachers excited as they scan the results of the students even as they separate the carbon from the original of the results.

The Bible Knowledge students in Tabernacle of David also makes me very happy. All 3 SPM candidates scored As! When we first started Bible Knowledge classes in 2007, it was with fear and trembling as BK was so very different from teaching Physics. Bravo Pastor Kim - without you - this would never have been! Kim has done 80% of the work in the BK classes ! Now both teachers and students have grown to be more skilled with God's word and our faith in Him as the God of miracles have grown. Thank you Papa God.

My amazing mum and my amazing God

So many things have happened this past one week! Last Friday evening 11th March 2011, I recieved a call that my 76 year old mum had fallen and could not walk at all. The ambulance was on its way to send to her to the hospital. I made some emergency calls to ask Kim to handle my Bible Knowledge class from 5-7 pm, quickly sent my laptop and the exam scripts to her and then rushed to the hosiptal. I arrived a few minutes after the ambulance reached the hospital and Mum was wheeled into the emergency room. The Bible Knowledge students prayed for my mum.

The X-rays showed she had bilateral fractures in both her left and right femurs( thigh bone). The orthopedic surgeon told her this would be major surgery and he would consider doing both legs at the same time only if she was physically well. Otherwise he would do one leg and do the other leg at another time. A doctor mentioned she would be bedridden for at least two weeks since both legs were injured. I am shocked!

When I checked with my mum, i found that she did not fall because she slipped or fainted. She fell because her leg just gave way - the bone was too porous. Actually she was scheduled to fly out to Shanghai on Saturday with my dad and my sister's family for a holiday. God's timing is perfect - if she had gone to Shanghai and fallen down, it wouold have been very very messy and she could have gotten hurt in more places than just her two legs

That night, her blood pressure was good although a bit high due to the pain and other readings showed she was in good condition so the decision was made to operate on both legs.

Saturday 12th March 2011. She was given one jab at about 10 am the next morning. I prayed with her. At 11 am, the nurses wheeled her to the operation theater and I followed behind. At one point just before the OT, the trolley was stuck because of the swing doors swung back . To our surprise, my mum raised her hands instinctovely and pushed open the swing door! The nurses and me laughed! Here she was being wheeled into OT and here she was trying to help us!

3 pm. She is being wheeled out of the OT. I see her eyes opened and I see recognition in her eyes as i drew near. She tries to speak but no words come out. The nurses do not allow me to follow her to ICU.

4.30 pm. WE are allowed into ICU. She is fully alert and conscious of only a bit of pain. I looked at the records and saw the photographs of the long nail held with 3 tranverse screws in 1 femur and another long nail held by 2 transverse screws and she tells me she has no pain!

9.30 pm. The nurse allows her to eat. She insist on feeding herself- she says there is nothing wrong with her hands. She consumes quickly two half bowls of porride made more liquid by adding chicken soup.

14 March Monday. She can move her toes and flex one knee slightly.

15th March Tuesday. She tells me the doctor asked her to walk a bit using the walker this morning - from her bed to the toilet door and to the chair and back to the bed. I am amazed at her quick recovery!

16th March Wednesday. She walks a bit more and there is pain when she gets up and sits down but not when she walks.

17th March Thursday. She has walked more and can put her one foot completely down with no pain.

Thank you Papa God for preserving my mother's life! Thank you for your wonderful timing and her speedy recovery. By faith I also thank you for her salvation! Amen. Thank you - all of you who prayed for her and supported us in our time of need.

Streets of San Francisco

If you are going to San Franscisco,

Be sure to wear to wear

some flowers in your hair

If you are going to San Franscico

You gonna find ... some gentle people there.

We had so many nostalgic songs about San Franscisco....



Sue Jan is the only one who wears some flowers in her hair .. wonder if she knows this old song?






What beautiful sight caught my eyes and brought a smile to my lips? I really don't remember.... .
We rode the trams up and down the streets of San Franscico from our hotel which was next door to the starting point for the trams. Trams were 5 USD per ride but we had a 12 USD pass and we rode buses and trams all day and well into the night.
You can sit inside where it is totally covered, sit outside where it is not covered or hang from the bars and enjoy the wind and the rain.
Brrr...!






Sue Jan against the backdrop of the up and down streets of San Franscisco.






































Only in the up and down streets of San Franscisco can you ride these sort of wheels





We searched for Crooked Street - the most crooked street in the whole world. We really had to walk and walk
and walk UP UP before we found Crooked street




It's one of the backdrops scenes for American Idols when it was filmed in SFO.


Sue Ann standing in Crooked Street.
Try to count how many bends Crooked Street has.









The expensive houses and the elaborate driveways from Crooked street

Proud of Convent Sentul

Harkiren is grinning like a Cheshire cat because she and her group of friends has succesfully captured an image of the convex lens on a screen

Beauty in the sunlight and the snow

This beautiful snow lattice made by the branches, the snow and the sunlight took our breath away!













Then every now and then as we walked through the forest, we would kena bombed but ever so gently by falling snow spray from one of the snow laden tree branches. See the fine snow spray in the sunlight behind Sue Ann


.
Adventure - all of us had to cross this little creek . The instructions were clear!

Walk carefully on the plank across the creek and then stride purposefully and quickly in short steps up the little slope or risk sliding backwards down the slope and get wet falling into the creek

The mathematical wonder of God and nature's DNA. All these branches sticking from the tree trunk came out from exactly the same spot in perfect symetry. Even dead wood looks beautiful!



I am confident that Papa God who created all these beautiful sights by combining nature DNA, the weather, the environment will do no less for any one of us because we His beloved children are the apex of His creation.

And in those days and moods where I think I am full of flaws, my heart rejoices because despite my flaws, He has crafted us such to become who we beacause we are all things of beauty.