Day 16: When I was daydreaming

Today, I just want to let you know that it's never too late to do what you wanted to do or say. It's never too late to apologize to a friend and mend the friendship. It's never too late to be honest with yourself by confessing to the person you like. It's never too late to help your parents with housework or say those three words - I love you - that would mean the whole world to them. It's never too late to dream big and to do everything you can to accomplish it. It's also never too late to change - to be a better person - a better child, sibling or friend. It's never too late to start appreciating the little things around you - food, clothes,  handphones, cars - or the limbs, the pair of eyes and ears that God has generously given to you. It's never too late to discover your talents and be the person God has always wanted you to be. It's never too late to learn from a mistake and start over. It is also never too late to stand up and speak up for what you truly believe in. So, be brave and do what you always wanted to do or say before it's far too late.

Most importantly, it is also never too late to turn around and run back to God's open arms.

I may not know everything but I know one thing - God is always there (for you & me) through thick and thin - and it is my source of strength and perseverance to run the race till the very end. You may or may not be facing hardships now, but always remember that God would not let you go through something you can't bear. Just stick with God, no matter what.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it" - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Two nice things: 

1. Home cooked dinner 
2. Full-bloom dandelions 

"Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me" 

#NowPlaying - One thing remains ; Jesus Culture 

Enjoy the rest of your day! :)

Day 3-4: The long awaited cleaning spree

Sunday & Monday 

4 November & 5 November 2012

My mom and I flew the distance to let our new home have its long awaited cleaning spree. How interesting. Not that I'm complaining, it's just funny when you think of it. My brother cannot be put to blame because he has to juggle his time between God, family, work and school. Not forgetting his two newest family members, Buddy and Sox. He normally comes home tired, so that explains why the house is in a dusty condition.

Because the weather here is dry, dust tend to accumulate in the speed of light. So on the third day of our arrival, we started cleaning our house. I find this a good opportunity for me to be more independent for I have a very easy life back home in Malaysia. The house was always spotless because I was fortunate enough to have a maid. I'm such a bad kid. There are times where I wished that I didn't have a maid though, so that I would have been grounded with cleaning skills and all. But, it's never too late to learn right? 

So I was in charged of sweeping and wiping the windows. Sounds easy, but it took a lot of energy to get those stubborn stains of the window pane. I even had to asked my mom to help me with the stain. It just didn't want to leave and get a new home. With the help of my mom's biceps and triceps, the stains left reluctantly. Woohoo! Now I can declare the house clean for a few hours because I'm pretty sure dust will start coming back. 

Besides cleaning, we did a lot of grocery shopping too. My mom and I love doing grocery shopping here because the stores here, like Target, sells everything! They have clothes, kitchen utensils, bathroom stuff and grocery under one roof. It's amazing! So one minute we can be looking at food and another minute cute outfits will be grabbing our attention. You can imagine how big the store is! 

Of course besides cleaning and grocery shopping there are some fun highlights too. Some of them are.... 

• Sunday Service at the Newsong church. ( Day 3 )

We headed for Newsong church in the morning. Apparently we were running late and, unfortunately, we missed the worship session. I was pretty sad because my brother kept telling me that "worship is the best part!". But he comforted me by letting me know that there is always a short worship session at the end of service. That managed to cheer me up a lil'.

The pastor was a Korean and he spoke about how all of us are orphans because God adopted us into his beautiful family in conjunction of Orphan Sunday at their church. The Newsong church has a passion for the orphans in the world and I reckon that that is something really amazing. They adopt and share the love of God with the children. Many a times we complain and we don't see how fortunate we are to have a proper family when there are millions and billions of children in the world that are dying of hunger and cold. We, I included, have become so ignorant of all the statistic and numbers we see in reports. 1 million looks like this 1000 000. Yeah, there are 6 zeros, so what? Well, try picturing 1000 000 faces and those faces are not smiling, they are crying for food, for a home and for love.

Just think about it. 

• Dinner at Uncle Sam Lai's place ( Day 3 ) 

Uncle Sam was our hero for fetching us from the LAX airport to our current home. He, being ever kind, invited us over to his place for dinner with his family. We were so hyped for it! Mom decided to cook an Asian dish since Uncle Sam is from Hong Kong and mom decided to cook Bak Kut Teh. So once the soup is done, we went over. 

Uncle Sam has a lovely house with a roof slanting towards the back, a garage at the front,  a swimming pool at the back and a 30-year-old tree in front of his house. When we rang the door bell, his daughter Samantha, chimed "they brought foooood!". We chuckled at her statement. How cute can a kid get? 

We were introduced to Aunt Anna, Uncle Sam's wife. We then proceeded to setting up the table for dinner. In minutes we were all seated around the square table with home cooked pork ribs, baby pak choy and bak kut teh making us drool. We said grace and started eating like barbarians. The pork ribs were so deliciously tender. I would really want to head back to Uncle Sam's place for another round of it! Oh, what caught my most attention was that Andrew, Uncle Sam's 3-year-old son, uses an airplane spoon to eat. I never had those when I was little! haha. 

Again, it was our first time meeting the family but it felt as if we have known them forever. Mom started chatting with them about anything under the sun. It was getting a little late and we had things to complete at home so we headed home. 

With this little visit to Uncle Sam's place. I can tell that Uncle Sam and Aunt Anna are one of those couples who knows how to control and take care of their family. They are loving and at the same time, strict. They drew the lines and their children were obedient enough to respect that. Kimberly is such a great eldest sister. Andrew fell asleep during dinner and just before he was shipped upstairs. Kimberly made sure that he wasn't cold by pulling his blanket up till his neck and what touched me most was that he gave him a kiss on the forehead. Although they don't say it, I know they love one another a lot. I went home with a concept of how my family should be next time and it was all thanks to Uncle Sam.

"What cha looking at?" Sox

You maybe wondering why name Sox, Sox. Well, first of all, Sox's legs looks as if he is wearing real socks and he looks like a fox. When you combine socks and fox together, you will get Sox. Therefore, that's how Sox got his name. (:

Buddy and Sox cuddling in the cold night.

More doggie pictures to soothe those eyes of yours! It is getting colder each night and the sun is setting earlier and earlier. When the clock hits 5.30pm, the sun is already sleeping. There is a good outcome of that though. It encourages us to sleep early and wake up early to enjoy more sun. I guess it's finally the time to find out whether waking up early is my specialty. (:

Homemade Red Velvet cupcakes! *over baked! 

It was around 9.30 in the night and the kitchen was all clean and roomy. It was a crazy idea, but I still went on with it; I baked. This time it was red velvet cupcakes! It's a premixed cupcake mix, so you can't credit me entirely. Forgetful me forgot to read the instructions carefully and I over baked the cupcakes. Nevertheless, it's still yummy and edible. Even my mom, a person who sets very high standards, said it was good. Sorry I can't get you to try one, but you can always eat with your eyes!

Till then. 

Day 2: The Adventure Begins

Saturday, 3 November 2012

Daisy-like flowers. 

Yellow Sunflower.

Orange Sunflower?

Roses 

More roses!

"Flowers do not judge their beauty, why do we? - Sonia"

Roses, Lilies, Daisies, Daisy-like flowers.... They have it all at Irvine's Farmer's Market. It was my first ever visit to a Farmer's Market. It was a very impromptu decision to go to the market, but I was glad that we made that decision. The sky was cloudless and blue. Just a sight of it freshen my mind almost immediately.

White tents were set up on each sides of the roads. Under each tent, a wide variety of things were sold. Uncommon fruits like the strawberries, raspberries, cherries and common fruits like the apples, oranges were sold. Some sold bags, summer dresses, accessories and last but not least, flowers! I kept wow-ing whenever I saw a different colour or flower. And I have wowed so many times which may have made a few buyers reckon that I may have some mental issues.

Strawberries were one of the biggest highlight for the entire trip. My mom bought a 4-day supply of strawberries and we ate them for breakfast and desserts. We couldn't get enough of them. Usually I would eat my strawberries with sugar, but over here, I didn't have to. They were naturally sweet! Plus they are a good option when you have an urge to munch something.

I guess the Farmer's Market here is something like the Pasar Malam in Malaysia. But there was something that made the market here different. There was one tent where an elderly man was singing and strumming country songs on his guitar behind a microphone. Our entire trip was accompanied by some good classical country songs. It was such an enjoyable moment.

left, Buddy.
right, Sox.

I woke up to these two cutie pies. They just make my day shine like the sun Sometimes, I wonder what is going through their minds. Are they thinking of meeting Taylor Swift? Or are they curious about what's happening on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram? Haha. I think not. I bet they are coming up with some strategy to grab our shoes when we're not around since they love biting them. I really don't get them. Why would they want to smell and bite something that are so smelly?

Here's another thing that always make me very curious. They can be so nice to one another and the next thing you know, their bitting each other or barking at each other. And then they start being nice to each other again. Sometimes, this makes me want to learn the 'woof language' so desperately. Once I know the basics of 'woof language' I might just be able to understand what they are thinking and maybe, just maybe, teaching them a secret hand shake might not be a tough task anymore.

Oh, here's another thing. These two tiny creatures are always hyper. They think they are in some dog licking competition. Every time when I try to bend down and snap a decent picture of them, they will always start jumping on me in attempt to lick my face. However, I happened to snap a picture of the both of them when they were looking curiously at me. Heehee, success! I managed to take the bottom picture when Buddy was sun bathing. I guess he was enjoying the sun so much till he was lazy to come attack me. So yay!

My name is Lim. Buddy Lim.

Isn't he the cutest?

In-n-Out 

I have been craving for burgers ever since PMR ended. I forbid myself from partaking any fast food before PMR because I was afraid that I might fall sick during PMR week. Now that PMR is over, I can eat anything I want, whenever I want. Although I had McDonald's before taking off for the States, it was never enough to satisfy my stomach. Thus, I have been craving for In-N-Out, one of the delicious burger stores ever. It's cheap and yummy. Even my mother, a health freak, agrees with me. When you make your trip here, do remember to try this!

The sky has always been one of my best friends. It has always been with me (and you). We might be in different countries, but we share the same sky, the same sunrise and sunset. Just the thought of it is so mind blowing. There is always a tiny feeling that develops in my heart whenever I take time to observe Mother Nature; that feeling always give me a sense of peace and it never fails to warm my heart. And that was the exact feeling I felt when I experienced my second sunset right here in Irvine. It was simply magnificent. All glory be to God!

Can't wait to venture deeper into the indescribable Irvine.

***

As I am enjoying myself thoroughly in this beautiful country, the Royal Rangers in Malaysia was celebrating their 30th Anniversary. Time flew by so fast and there was no doubt that this ministry has done so much for so many people. I am one of them. It has shaped me into the person I am today. I may not have the best character or personality, but it was this ministry that thought me what is right and what is wrong and it never fails to encourage me to strive to be a better person. It was also this ministry that helped me grew closer to the Lord. Thank you Lord for 30 years of goodness and I'm very excited to see what You have in store for us in the years to come! #RR30years. 

"Towards greater things!"

Have a lovely day! Cheers! 

Day 1: The Arrival

Friday, 2 November 2012

Taken at Hong Kong International Airport.

Hello LA! 

"Cabin crew please prepare for landing," the pilot announced briefly. This is what I have been wanting to hear from the pilot at the very start of the flight. I am here at last.

Once my mom and I stepped out of the plane, we were greeted with warm smiles by the person in charge at the immigration. Although his smile lingered on his lips, his voice had such authority that made us tremble a little when we made small conversations with him. We had no problems with our bags and we were soon out of the airport.

The cool crisp LA air came rushing into my nose. The cooling scent remained in my nose and I was glad that my smell receptors didn't shut them out. The air that I was taking in was so familiar and at the same time, it was all so foreign. This was also the time that I came into realization about how much I miss America; how much I missed its style, its beauty, its wonders, its accent... Well, it was great to be back and I thank God for that.

The flight was terrible, to be frank. I had problems with the airplane's food and the worst part is, I don't know why am I having this problem. I love food so much, but somehow I can't seem to handle the smell of airplane's food. Just a tiny scent of it makes me want to puke. However, they served ice-cream during one of the meals and that turned out to be the only thing I ate in the plane. Now that I have arrived my destination, I'm glad that I'll have at least another 21 days to prepare myself for another round of endless horrifying hours in the air.

Uncle Sam (one of my brother's closest friend), along with his super adorable 3-year-old son, came to fetch us from the airport. It was so kind of him to purposely drive from Irvine (a small town located south of California) to come fetch us. My mom and I haven met him before this, so we were worried how things were going to turn out, but surprisingly it wasn't awkward for us.

An hour passed without us knowing and we arrived our house. Yes, our house in Irvine. It's by God's grace that my parents managed to purchase the house early this year. For that, I thank God once again. My mom has been waiting for this moment ever since she bought it. It was a huge leap of faith to purchase a house through the internet with only limited amount of pictures of the house. And it's true that God always makes a way when there seems to be no way. Our house is beautiful. It might appear to be a little small to some, but it's perfect for us.

My brother has been living alone ever since the house was bought. However, he wasn't lonely anymore when he brought in Buddy and Sox. They are the most beautiful creatures. They are so tiny and they have a mind of their own. It's such a joy to have them around and they are always so friendly. They will run up to you and start licking your face like there's no tomorrow. Somehow they look much smaller than the pictures my brother showed me which made them to appear cuter.

Well, what can I say, I just love them to bits, except the licking part.