The Pride of Your Heart

Obadia Chapter 1 verse 3 - 4

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1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Rainstorms

We experienced a heavy rainstorm last night and the strong wind caused a lot of damages in and around Miri City. My grand kids and I were downtown to see a good friend who works at the Other Office Pub. When we arrived there near 8 pm, the evening was just fine: warm and a little breezy. My intention to be there was not for the usual “beer-socializing" thing but to pick up the tobacco leaves packages from the bar that my friend reserved for my son. Once at the entrance, the kids were a little surprise to encounter a different kind of atmosphere compared to other places they had been to, however as the minutes passed, they began to monopolize the place. So, I said we must be on the road home by 9 p.m. At this time it was already raining and very windy outside.

Driving along the Miri-Pujut road, we met with massive traffic jam and it was caused by fallen trees and blocked the highways.

We made a detour as we arrived along the Permyjaya roundabout and drove all the way to DPS supermarket before making a turn back to Lutong, where we live. It took us more than an hour to reach our house! Usually it's within a 10 minutes drive for me from Lutong to Miri City!

My! I couldn’t believe what I saw as we arrived home. Branches, zinc slabs, shoes and slippers and flowerpots were strewn every way and the sight scare Nigel and Nicole! Both of them huddled each other inside the car and dare not come out! After much coaxing, only then they got out of the car. Nicole started crying again when she saw one of her blue slippers on the grass at the yard instead of at its usual place, the doorstep. So I have to brave the rain and collect the slippers for her.

It comes to my mind that we were only experiencing a small impact of the stormy weather. Just imagine what thoses people in Myanmar were going through when cyclone Nargis hit their home. It saddened me when I think about those unfortunate people out there. Silently, I said a little prayer asking God to forgive us for our sins and to protect us in our every undertakings, to comfort and console those people who are affected by nature’s wrath. I thank God for keeping my family safe on our journey home last night and also protecting my DIL and youngest grandson safe from danger too.

This afternoon I drove to town and I saw many fallen trees and broken branches along the Miri – Pujut Road. The workers from Miri Municipal Council are seen cleaning up those areas affected by last night’s rainstorms. It would be nice to have a clean-look Miri City again later.

Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resorts

Sometime in September 2007, our department organized a team’s meeting day away from the office environment.

We went to Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort, where at that time it was still undergoing it’s hotel blocks construction. However, its chalet rooms were already ready for occupancy and the Belian Spa Chalets have a Jacuzzi bathtub!

This trip was my first and I find it very interesting and awesome then.

Early this year, our team’s Family Day was also held at the same resort and this time the resort is completed with hotel rooms. It’s a pity I didn’t manage to take pictures during our eventful day's trip because I forget to grab my camera with me. Also, I noticed that not many of my colleagues are carrying theirs too! I just wonder why. However, here are a few pictures I took during my first trip to Borneo Tropical Rainforest Resort.

P/S: If you have any plans to visit Malaysia, make Miri City as one of your stopovers! Miri City is located in the 4th Division of the state of Sarawak and it’s popular for its tropical resorts like Mulu and Niah Caves and many other attractions. Wish you enjoyed your stay in Miri City and in general, Malaysia!

A beautiful sight of the oil palm tress planted by the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad (SOPB) at the Miri Oil Palms Plantation located at around the vicinity of KM41 Miri-Bintulu Road, Lambir District.

A signage is erected just close to the reception lobby and its message is quite clear. Mind your manners!

Depending on what you want to do while there, if you are to do jungle trekking, then you'd have to go by foot, however for a tour of the resort this "tough guy" is used to transport you around. :)

Chinese Lunar Year of the Rat

It's now just a little past midnight and those who celebrate the Chinese lunar year will usher in the Year of the Rat with family gathering, dining together and not forgetting lighting up loads of firecrackers as the clock strike 12 midnight.

Around my neighborhood, fireworks started as early as 10 pm this evening. At this very moment as I am typing away, the sounds of firecrackers are blasting away! The noises sounded just outside my bedroom windows and in the far distance. The sounds are loud and very deafening. It's like the sound of gun-shots, bombardments and cracking storms and would surely be frightening to any young little boys and girls who hear it.

My grandchildren are very afraid of any loud sounds like thunderstorms and heavy downpours and so too are they afraid of fire crackers. Like in previous years, instead of enjoying the beautiful display of fireworks, they would instead be crying and holding on tight to dear life! Poor little thing!

Today, I want them to stay away from my home and be with their other grandparents because many of my neighbors are mostly Chinese who celebrate the Lunar Year. I am sure there is also some Chinese living near to where their grandparent's house so not much to escape from for them both though. However, I do hope they are okay and be already being in bed at this time of the night.

As for myself, I always enjoy this time of the year celebration. In my younger days, I played a lot with firecrackers. I wasn't at all afraid of firecrackers and I would say it was because I was a little tomboy! What boys can do, I could do the same too! I even enjoyed doing boxing with some of them! Tee..he...he..., isn't that outrageous! Whatever, that type of sport had passed. :)

When my two sons were young teenage boys, we lighted up the firecrackers together and enjoyed the fun with our neighbors. It's just so wonderful to live with a community of different ethnics and cultures, especially at where I live and I have the privilege to participate in much kind of festivals all year round!

To every one born in the Year of the Rat

Here is wishing you prosperity, happiness and good health.

To dear little mouse, watch out for the cat. It's open mouse season for sniper kitty. Ha..ha.ha...

Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Happy New Year 2008

Christmas joy is still sounding in the air and soon gone will be the year 2007. We gladly welcomed the new year which is just round the corner.

What is your new year's resolution? For me, nothing is better than leading a good and simple life where in every acts I do, it is pleasing to God. At this very moment as I am composing this blog, the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi rings in my head.

I got sentimental whenever our church choirs sang this hymn on Sunday Mass or any Holy Obligation days. My whole being will be filled with emotion and silent tears rolled down my cheeks. To say I am sad, I am not. It's just that the words written in the prayer touched my heart.

My new year wish to you and yours is have a Blessed and Happy moments all year round!

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying (to the self) that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Let this Christmas season be a renewing of the mind of Christ in our thinking,

and a cleansing of our lives by His pure presence.

Let His joy come to our weary world through us.

~ Gerald Kennedy~

Wishing all dear friends and colleagues

A Very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

xxx

Family Purple Chocolate

Business-Cum-Holiday Trip to Brunei July 2007

The Oil and Gas Discovery Centre

At a recent course I attended which was held at Brunei Shell Petroleum's Learning and Development Training Centre Seria (the oil producing town), I took some interesting pictures of some of the oil and gas facilities structures erected within the vicinity of the Seria Disctrict.

A X-mas Tree on display at Brunei Shell Petroleum Training Centre.

One Billionth Barrel Monument

Production of the Billionth Barrel of Crude Oil July 1991 - Seria, Brunei

Along both sides of the walkway is a display of some awesome gallery of monument stone plagues showing the many past historical and current operations carried out at the oil and gas facilities at Brunei Shell Petroleum.

A close-up of one of the stone plagues.

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Camera Shots - More Pictures

These are a few of Nina’s favorite pictures taken at Lake Miramar.

From: NinaOA [mailto:ninaxxxx…com]Sent: 26 January 2007 01:05
Here are pictures taken yesterday at Lake Miramar. M..xx… went for a jog and I went for a walk, not with a dog but with my camera and these are my favourite shot especially for you and your blog . I have a filmstrip on it, will post it out soon. hugs, Nina

Picture of a woman walking her dog in silhouette tone.


Pictures in sepias tones.

Pictures taken in almost natural tones. Very beautiful images. :)

Nina dear, thank you for allowing me to share these pictures here. I am always impressed by your talent in handling your camera. Cool man! Like it so much that it almost tasted like vanilla ice cream?!! He..he...he... Well done and keep up the good job!

Camera Shots

“I left my heart in San Francisco.”

That is the theme my dear friend Nina used for sharing some beautiful pictures she took during her family trip to San Francisco, USA. A well thought theme for the awesome pictures taken by a beautiful friend!

I mentioned in one of my blogs about how I got interested in taking photographs with my Sony Digital Camera. Well, after looking at the pictures from the Internet, I was so impressed by how talented these photographers are. It doesn’t matter whether they are novice or professional photographers; their pictures are equally awesome!

Came Nina; she further inspired me to get my camera clicking and since then I make sure I carry my camera with me wherever I go.

Today I received an email from her and here I would like to show you some of the pictures that she took and shared with me.

What do you think?

~ The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. ~ Psalm 24:1 NIV