thoughts

discernment in what I hear, what I observe, what I learn.

packed schedule. ottawa, retreat. rest, work, rest.

ending of this year, 感想. 感谢.

G.E.M

SHOOO MUCH FUNNNNN!!

今日超級開心＆勁好玩

Yaayyy! First official concert! And it was G.E.M's concert at Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Thanks to wonderful friends who drove and got us tix, Tai&I were able to enjoy a wonderful show by a talented young singer :)

This pretty pic is taken by Tai♡

^^ We sat in the 'floor' area so we got wristbands! yay!

So the night started out with transportation to STC, then waiting for the guys to get candy haha We then start out our journey to the Hershey Centre! Yumm! haha and I found out that they do sell hershey candy at the hershey centre, though I didn't take a pic ><

Anyhow, before going in, we grab a couple of things - i.e food, gifts, light thingys to wave around xD - then we sit and see a couple more familiar looking people from church! Turns out nearly the whole row (about 8 seats) were bought by acquaintances haha sweeeeet!

The arena wasn't really full in the end tho, the major areas that can see her are filled, but a lot of the side ones weren't, but oh well, people missed out!

So it starts! And I try to take pics...tho security was pretty tight, they went to everyone who held up something like looks slightly similar to a recording device. A little annoying, but fine >.<

Her voice is crazyyyyy good! So strong and controlled, shoo aweshummmmm :) amazing performances by her tonight, memorable ones being You Raise Me Up, 情人，The Voice Within....actually they were all shooooo gooooooood xD The dancers were amazing too! And the place was so cold! We were sitting above a rink, and because we were in the middle section, we were basically on the ice, except with wooden boards between us -.- But it was still very enjoyable hehe

Then the night goes on. She performed 'You raise me up' with a very 感人的故事. It was a story regarding her family, her grandma specifically, and it was beautiful - full of memories, hopes, and lessons.

At the end, when she came out for the encore performance, she invited the floor people to go up, and she even came closer. I got to see her up close and she's really tiny lol but nice skin :)

haha sounds like i'm a crazy fan, no, i'm not, just this once :D

Anyhow, wonderful night with wonderful people :)

Mini Pecan Tarts♡

Rejoice, Always Rejoice

19 brothers and sisters declared their faith in the name of Our Lord! 

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Mini Pecan Tarts~

Yummy mini tarts that can be eaten alone with ice cream ^-^

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Pastry: Cream butter/margarine and cream cheese.
   Add in flour and mix well.
2. Filling: break the eggs in a large bowl, do not beat.
   Add in brown sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla extract, and pecans.
   Mix well.
3. Make pie shells by taking out small chunks of the pastry and flatten it out, making a pie shells sort of shape. Place into mini cupcake tin.
4. Fill the shells with pecan mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for ~ 30 minutes / until delicately browned.

Enjoy while it's hot! ^-^

heavy heart. sinking deeper with each step i take, bringing me closer to

but i want to be far, far away.

i wonder, will you realize if i..

far away i go, into the depths of my heart, His will, the love that brings us through.

stepping on blurry lines..

seeking

Paris for a year while working/taking class(pastry/culture/language).

Shadow/teach a year overseas.

Ottawa for school? Involve in campus outreach.

Working in NGO.

So much stuff I want to do. Big ideas. Looking to the future.

Yet, here I am, idle. Why? What is it that I'm doing? Please help me. Please, Father, guide me.

wellspring

Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Father, how might I do so?

question

alone.

do you get it?

lest i forget..

Remember.

Remembering. Rememberance.

I remember that time, those times, and then there is this time.

you said...

Vulnerable.

To be vulnerable, one's vulnerability.

What is this? What makes this? Why is it so? Who isn't?

What is there left?

Pride.

To have pride, to be prideful.

What is this? What makes this? Why is it so? Who isn't?

Why is it there?

to be open to you, must i? should i? 

今天

Another rainy day, cold and grey.

As droplets form patterns against the cold coffee shop window, God continues to form patterns in His creation. In our lives.

Today is another one of the days where the light is not in sight. Grey and foggy as the sky, so is my heart. Heavy rainfall.

Typing on a slanted table, is as if I'm on a slant. Seeing everything with a slight tilt. A little off. And I need to straighten out my sight, balanced, steady. How I wish.

Perhaps this way is the best. Avoid, for now. Brushing it off. Cover it. Despite the hurt.

今天 這些飃雲代我哭。

Butter Cookies♡

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

- Psalm 19:14

---------------

Butter Cookies  (makes 24)

130 ml butter, room temperature

1/6 cup caster sugar (fine regular sugar) 

1/2 cup and a little bit, icing sugar
1 3/4 cup flour

1 egg, whisked

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Mix in icing sugar and flour.
3. Whisk in egg and vanilla, until combined.
4. Drop onto cookie sheet, and bake for 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

50/50

50/50

40/60

30/70

20/80

10/90

0/100

How long will it take?

It’s a re-opening. Something that should not be. Re-open.

Is it still here? It’s not supposed to.

But, never a farewell. Clueless of another life touched. What’s left is to marvel. Their accomplishments.

But struggling. Struggling.

Father, may this be my cry to You. That. 2 years. And a half?

When will it be 100?

Mini Cheesecakes♡

Doodleedoo~

Woken up early Sunday morning :) this calls for some blogging and baking~

感謝神。感謝你為我釘十架 感謝你賜給我的恩典

請你聼聼我禱告 讓我天天為你活。

I am always at awe with God. 創造宇宙萬物的神竟然會為我死 為我受痛苦. This is crazy. Crazy love. Trials after trials have come and are yet to be overcome. Miracles have happened, I've witnessed. 如果我細心看 就會看見, 感受到.

I praise God for last night, for blessing me with many brothers and sisters, for being able to know what is happening in Your city, for bringing us all together for one purpose.

Last night, Stream of Praise (www.sop.org) held an event at TCCC and I was able to see and do worship in a dialect not my mother tongue, yet that familiarity of love, of One, still came through. I'm thankful for the ability God has blessed me with, to understand various beautiful languages created, so that I am able to worship with many brothers and sisters in the language of their comfort. 我聼見了 聽見你昨天想告訴我的事情.

Once again I've felt overwhelmed by the yearn for God by His people. And once again this reminds me that we have to be thirsty, thirsty for His living water, to be filled, to share and spread. It's wonders what faith can do and I believe it will do wonders, greater than imaginable.

Seeds are sown, we just have to let God do His miracles and let it blossom.

雖然今天天氣不太好 但讓我在早晨來對你説 主耶穌今天我依然會當陽光去為你活 :)

♬ 禱告

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqdVMpHKORc&feature=related

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For spreading His love, here's something small enough to make LOTS and spread many smiles :)

Ingredients:

• 24 vanilla wafer cookies (I used graham cookies - 1 cup [or] oreo cookies work as well)
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 3 (8 ounce) packaged cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1 (12 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
   
   
2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil baking liners.
   
   
   
3. Crush graham crackers into very small bits. Mix in butter. Line muffin cups.
   
   
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the nutmeg and vanilla.
   
   
5. Pour mixture evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely, then top with cherry pie filling. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Since the cheesecake portion is the original cheesecake recipe, one can be creative and make various types. I divided the batter into, and did something different with each one:

• Green tea: Mix in about 3 tablespoons of green tea powder. The amount is really up to one's own preference - if you want a stronger taste, add more, a more subtle taste, add less. :) Mix well into the batter.
• Raspberry White Chocolate: Mix in 1/3 cup melted white chocolate into batter. Swirl 1/4 cup raspberry coulis into batter. Once baked, top with warm raspberry coulis/jam with white chocolate drizzle.
• Mini Kisses: Mix in 1/3 cup chocolate chips into batter. Once baked, top with chocolate ganache.

They're so much fun to decorate, I even drew some designs :)

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hmm..

What is it that I should do?

It's interesting to see those struggling, when you're struggling too. It's kind of like putting yourself in someone else's shoe. It's great to know that others are also going through hard times, so it doesn't seem like you're the only one in the world. But because of the struggles on other people's minds, sometimes you just feel like you should take on their struggle and it's not time to tell them yours, they have enough on their plate. So when that's the case, what should you do?

Sigh..

Isn't this a little unfortunate? People look for comfort from others. We look for satisfaction, for affection, for approval, for sympathy. We see ourselves in the perspective of others. Hmm..

I have this friend, and she doesn't care at all of what others think. See, that's great because she's living by her own standards and is not swayed easily. However, because of her strong character, it renders others hard to understand her and get to her - and at times, some of the things she does is just not seen as friendly she may possibly want it to - or maybe she just doesn't care.

So then what is the balance?

Panna Cotta♡

"wait patiently, pray actively.."

Sometimes there are things that I don't even know if I should pray for..does that happen to others? Is it just due to my indecisiveness that I am resulting to not being able to make decisions? This is horrible...sigh* It's like there's something I don't know if I should pray for, so then I pray that I may be able to know whether or not I should pray for that something. So confusing..or maybe I'm just in the wrong direction..now that's scary...=T

To wait patiently, and pray actively may sound easy...but it's actually not really..well, for me. I can be discouraged easily, or just leave it aside, and then I'll remember, and feel like I've disappointed by not being consistent, and then..ya..it just goes on..I need to get out of this funk! Booooo~

I just need to keep focusing on God and God ALONE. .v. 加欣加油!!

--------------------------

Anyhow, here's a dessert for those who are indecisive, because you can make as much as 20 different flavours and it's so much fun! kekekekeke~

Panna cotta~ yummmm!

(^means 'cooked cream' in Italian :) )

• 4 cups (1 liter) of heavy cream/half-half (if you want to cut down on the calories, which I very recommend to do so)
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract [or] 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 6 tbsp (90ml) cold water

1. Heat cream and sugar in saucepan/microwave. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
   (For vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean, then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)
2. Lightly oil eight custard cups with neutral-taste oil. (Or any other type of containers, preferably ceramic or glass.)
3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Pour the very warm cream mixture into the prepared cups, then chill until firm. (around 2-4 hours.

If the panna cotta is chilled in individual custard cups, run a knife around it and unmold onto a plate, then garnish. If chilled in a larger container, just spoon a couple in each bowl, then drizzle sauce and garnish.

Tip: letting it chill in wine glasses and serving straight from it will make it nice and classy, and no unmolding necessary!

Sauces can range from fruity, to rich and creamy, homemade to store-bought.

I've tried raspberry coulis, peach&honey sauce, and blueberry coulis. I would have to say, my favourite is raspberry coulis because the tanginess of the fruit compliments the rich, smooth, creamy texture and taste of the panna cotta. I haven't tried the rich sauces yet because I'm afraid that rich on rich would be too heavy, but maybe I'll give it a chance...sometime. hehe

Raspberry Coulis:

• 300g frozen raspberries
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar

1. Heat raspberries in a saucepan, using a spoon squeeze out as much juice as possible.
2. Turn off heat, then run it through a sieve, pressing and stirring it to get as much seedless sauce as possible.
3. While it's still warm, stir in icing sugar, then cover, and let chill in fridge. (30min-1 hour)
4. Drizzle coulis onto the panna cotta and garnish with whole berries/mint leaves.

Enjoy! :D

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