Ipoh Day 2

Next morning saw us going to Thean Chun 天津茶室 to try the raved caramel custard.

Either I do not know how to appreciate caramel custard or bloggers are exaggerating. I read it will be sold out by noon time if we do not come early. Maybe I can grudgingly say it tasted like creme brûlée but cheaper version which is good if you like creme brûlée. It is not my favorite dessert.

There was this old lady who insisted we eat her homemade stuffed chicken wings. We bought one to share and also the chee cheong fun which was supposed to be popular too? But I don’t know why? Another normal dish except maybe they stuffed theirs with turnips and chives?

After a rather disappointing breakfast, we headed out to look for street photography.

This picture supposedly depicts the evolution of Ipoh.

Kopi-O (coffee without milk) anyone?

The picture is too faded now but you are supposed to see birds inside the cage (not an illusion!)

The famous Ipoh white coffee Ah Pek is supposedly drinking.

You have to be a good map reader and observant to find the images. Towards the end of the search, I was getting a bit grumpy because the map next to the street art were not clear and the weather was hot. It took rather long to find the pictures. Have to walk through alleys and up and down the uneven terrain before you get to see it.

It was difficult to find sim cards to use data in Ipoh. We were asked to go to many convenience shops which sell the card but do not register for you. More unnecessary walking! 😦 In the end, we were directed to this pseudo shopping complex and got the cheapest one. It’s difficult not to have data as you need to confirm the places you find with Google Maps. But I think there must be an easier way than only data, will explore next time.

We asked the saleslady who was telling us the Big Tree Foot Roadside Hawker (大树脚) Yong Tau Foo has changed owners so must eat the new one instead of the old one. It became a confusing set of info as a taxi driver told us the new one was not as nice as the old one. Initially we could not see the old one so settled for the new one.

I ate in a skeptical fashion, not sure was I eating the right one or not though the YTF was good. I was also rather sad that I did not get to eat the good one after traveling for so long during the initial stage. It was so funny my perspective changed when we realised that we ate the right one. Lol, so brand conscious! So remember, the old one is still under the big tree but the old owner has set up a new shop next to the big tree called 忠记. The fried YTF was not oily and tasted delicious when you dipped it into the assam gravy. The assam gravy needed to be ordered separately and the potent sourish tang made me very hesitant to finish the whole bowl as I had reflux disease. But thumbs up to them for concocting such a delicious gravy!

We decided to book a taxi for few hours to continue the journey. Imagine my horror to know after traveling for so long, this famous hainanese bread shop only opens after 6pm! *cries*. Wasted journey indeed!

Our taxi driver was rather amused we were in pursuit of good food and brought us to this inconspicuous house where uncle was selling rojak inside. Nobody will know he sells rojak as there are no signboards and you do not normally go to someone else’s house to buy food. The only sign that will tell you is the people you see sitting around waiting. I am not even sure how to go to this place. But I think the rojak was ok only. I have tasted nicer ones in SG, his was too sweet IMHO.

Though we were full, we still had one last place to conquer which was Sin Yoon Loong. White coffee originated from here. Lai Wah said it was one of the best kopitiam coffees she ever tried. I had a slice of their kaya toast and regretted I was so full because it was the best kaya toast I ever tried too! The kaya had this mesmerizing caramel flavor that complemented the butter very well!

A must visit if you come to Ipoh!

We were too full to eat a proper meal so we ate this salt baked chicken that the taxi driver recommended. Another good recommendation. The chicken were baked till tender and it was perfumed so beautifully with the herbs used. I love the chicken. We also bought one egg tart from Hong Kee Confectionery Trading Company. The crust was nicer than the egg custard; soft, crumbly and melt in the mouth kind. The kaya puff from Sin Eng Heong was really fortunate. We were told it was sold out and next available ones were one hour later. We were disappointed and while thinking what to do, another customer started to kick a fuss as he could not get his kaya puffs even though he came at 2 timings as proposed by them. The owner suddenly whipped out freshly made ones from the oven and we were blessed because we were the second in line! It was nice piping hot from the oven, the homemade kaya was not too sweet and the puff was soft, melty and buttery fragrant. I had too much food in one day and decided not to eat anymore of the puffs though it was nice 😦

on demanding my rights

I really love how God’s words always confront me point blank and brings out the sinful nature in me, lest I think I am better off than others or I do not need Him in my life.

I always have this issue with fair and unfair, justice and rights and feel very strongly towards this. One good thing that comes out from it is I want to be more active in social justice and be instrumental in helping social causes. A not so-good thing is I am very upset when I am treated unfairly or I will tend to complain when my rights/welfare are being compromised. I will become bitter and resentful towards people who cause things to become this way. I deserve more than this, I will tend to think. As a full-time worker in church, I should be treated better and given more welfare and benefits. I am not sure it stemmed from the unfair treatment I saw my mother gave my sister and being angry from young, or the unfairness/inconsistencies I see in my mother’s parenting ways.

But as I was being shown the word of God in 1 Thessalonians 2:6 “Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ”, I realise my immaturity. Paul had never imposed himself to the churches he went to, seeking to be a tentmaker and earn his living. True humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking yourself less (C.S Lewis) I am too engrossed in wanting my needs to be felt in church and expecting I be served my demands instead of serving others. I felt truly ashamed when I realise my arrogant pride is so much more at work than living a life of Christ; that He increases and I decrease.

The joy of knowing God! That He has freed me from the liberty of sin, I need not live a self-directed life anymore!

What stops me from evangelising

Following the same QT material from Explore App, I was confronted with this question and I have to evaluate hard my hesitance to share the gospel.

Was it because it will fail (because no one will become a Christian)? Was it because it will hurt (I might lose out in some way)? Was it because my reputation will suffer (no one will like me)? If I think in this manner, I am taking God out of the picture because I want to see visible success, security and praise.

I think my struggle is I am more conscious of how do I weave in the gospel beautifully instead of allowing it to flow in the way the Spirit works. It has to do with my need for control and perfection. I also struggle to be a witness at home because at home I am so comfortable at being an introvert I do not see the need to talk. And many a times I feel so difficult to be loving especially when I have issues with mum with regards to our different lifestyles and personalities. I have been trying to be more amiable and less angsty but it’s hard especially many times when I feel she gets my back up so easily. Eg, I am soon a 40-year-old but she does not see a problem with coming to my room and re-packing my room the way she wants it. I know it’s her OCD nature and control freak personality but it just gets into me so easily 😦

God, help me with my imperfections.

how to know whether you are a Christian

This was what I learnt from my QT (Explore App) some time back so thought to put it down for my reference. From 1 Thessalonians 1:4-9a.

Your faith makes a difference to how you live your life (v3)
Because you have experienced Christ’s love for you, and appreciated what it costs Him, you are willing to labour for others at cost to yourself (v3)
You have experienced deep conviction upon hearing the gospel message – there have been times when the gospel has impacted you deep down, as you’ve been convinced of your sinfulness and thrilled by the cross. To put it another way, the Spirit has gone to work in you. (v5)
You have committed to seeking to live like Jesus, and sought out wiser Christians to help you see what this means (v6)
You have welcomed the gospel and clung to the gospel in times of suffering – it has been where you look for hope and so your faith has proved enduring (v3, 6). When life has been hardest, you’ve not relied on yourself , or gritted your teeth, or given up – you’ve kept trusting Jesus and finding joy in the tears.

The safest place is in the centre of God’s will

So says an Indian pastor who does his ministry in a war torn area. As I read the book of Numbers and see where the tabernacle is placed; in the centre of the camp, I realise the importance of God’s centrality in my life.

The image to me is so powerful, that all aspects of my life looks towards the centre where God is, to see Him as my focus, my refuge, my everything. This paradigm shift suddenly gives me a sense of mission and determination to look to Him. It’s not something very new but the image just brings me to a heightened perspective of where is God in my life.

I feel a renewed sense of purpose.

My angst towards a colleague

I always think I have a slow fuse but recent days my colleague has been lighting up this fuse of mine till I am ready to explode.

It all started with my insurance claims which she has lost in her mountain of messiness that resides at her table. And when I asked her about the claims, she would always deny their existence on her messy table but they must be with me. She is as forgetful as me by the way but she will never admit her forgetfulness in any situation. And when she found them on her table, she did not apologise, took no action and said the insurance agent were slow in processing. I got rather annoyed and spoke to my insurance agent who coincidentally knew the boss of the insurance company I submitted my claims to. He wrote an email to the boss and then the truth was revealed that the claims were with her for at least half a year and she only submitted them early this year. My accident happened in 2014. I wouldn’t be that upset if she had admitted her wrong instead of shifting the blame to me and the agent.

Another incident happened recent weeks that she lost my medical certificates and claims again! This time round, she blamed my other colleague who passed to her for not opening up the envelope as she could not remember how they looked like. In the first place, why would someone open another’s envelope without permission to see the content? Thankfully I decided to be smarter and scanned all my documents passed to her. So when she saw the documents via the email, she was still unrepentant and said the cleaner may have thrown them away. It took her many days and finally she found the medical certificates but she lost the claims. She still had the audacity to ask me to go get all the originals from the doctors and she will post them again. I did not want to trust her this time round and said I will do the posting. She actually got unhappy. What’s with her and her attitude? She cannot be trusted with documents and always misplaces them, yet she wants to stake her control.

I was really pissed after these few incidents but also because these incidents happened many times before. Not only with my stuff but with other colleagues’ stuff too and she never admits her fault and her messy table.

But God reminded me in my QT recently in 1 Thessalonians 5: 13 & 15 to be at peace and do not repay evil for evil and to do good. I felt ashamed thus that I harbored a grudge for so long. That un-forgiving heart and the deliberate action to feed my anger have been eating into me too. I know the right thing to do yet I do not want to do it, James says it’s a sin.

Lord help me with my contrite heart.

My time is in your hands

Recently a call from a special needs school brought quite a huge disappointment to me. I have applied to work in the school this year. Though they were keen to take me, I felt I could not leave my ministry work till end of year. Thus I told them I would try for the position in 2016. The call was to tell me that no vacancies were available.

I began to question God did I hear him correctly. I felt all these while He has placed this burden to work with special needs in my heart. And He was the one who assured me during my retreat with Him to work with the oppressed/neglected/poor/needy/underprivileged in the society. I felt I was ready to work for a social cause now than to work with youths in my church. And when 2 special needs school wanted to employ me this year, I felt that I was going in the right direction. Thus when they said they had no vacancies, I was disappointed. I felt if it was the Lord’s will, I would be able to get a job there in 2016 too. I was also disappointed to have to work in church in 2016. I feel that my direct boss and I have a lot of differences which resulted in conflicts that to me are not healthy for him and me. Thus I thought it was a good time to leave. Now I am stuck.

Upon reflection, I was reminded an impression the Lord gave me recently. It was the story of Jacob and Laban in Genesis 31. Jacob had to work for 14 years to marry Rachel. Somehow that time I was able to tell myself that if I did not get to leave, I will wait, hopefully not for 14 years like Jacob to achieve what I desire to do.

Incidentally the day after the call, my friend shared with me her QT and it was about Jacob and Laban too! I was real encouraged, I felt it was God telling me that He knows what I am going through. Her devotion also brought up a verse in Psalm 31:14-15 <But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵My times are in your hands>. It was so comforting to know that! God is sovereign indeed! If I live for Him, then it does not matter when is the time because He knows what is best for me.

I shall wait upon Him.

That brings a new perspective to this verse in Isaiah 40:31 <but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint>

Past few months I have been mulling over whether I should continue in this career next half of my life. I feel that I have reached a plateau with regards to what I am doing. It seems that nothing really excites me or gives me the motivation to do things differently. I know I could have just plodded on with life doing the same thing but is this what I am created for, I wondered?

I suppose I had a lot of time to think things through as I was on MC for 3 months. But the more I think about it, the more I dread starting work again. I had many conversations with God with regards to my struggle. Initial stage I felt He wanted me to read Tim Keller’s “Every Good Endeavor”. I like the book and am still trying to process the ideas. In the beginning,Tim Keller mentions that “when we work, we are….the ‘fingers of God’, the agents of his providential love for others. This understanding elevates the purpose of work from making a living to loving our neighbour and at the same time releases us from the crushing burden of working primarily to prove ourselves”. “Everyone imagines accomplishing things, and everyone finds him or herself largely incapable of producing them. Everyone wants to be successful rather than forgotten, and everyone wants to make a difference in life. But that is beyond the control of any of us. If this life is all there is, then everything will eventually burn up in the death of the sun and no one will even be around to remember anything that has ever happened. Everyone will be forgotten, nothing we do will make any difference, and all good endeavors, even the best, will come to naught. Unless there is a God. If the God of the Bible exists, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever.” (1 Corinthians 15:58 In the Lord, your labour is not in vain”

I suppose this is the beginning of the Lord’s refining because the next time when I encounter a sister in Christ at church, it just struck me the significance of it all. This sister Amara has come back from India after ministering in Tamil Nadu for 6 months. We were interviewing her and she was so excited about her ministry there. She remarked now she knew why God healed her from cancer many years ago, this new lease of life has been extended to her to be a blessing to the foreign workers in Little India and now Tamil Nadu too. The amazing fact is she is 68 years old! Live to be a blessing. That’s such a simple phrase but so powerful to me. I felt very strongly this is what the Lord wants me to do with my life. It does not matter where I am as long as I live to bless others!

I was so moved by what the Lord has impressed upon my heart. And as I was taking Holy Communion on Sunday, Pastor was reciting this phrase “one in ministry to all the world”, it just reaffirmed me what I needed to do.

I feel a sense of excitement and liberation. My perspective has changed and I feel a sense of joy knowing that this life I am living is worth it because I live for Christ!

Tokachi Sennen-no Mori (Millennium Forest)

Day 4

This was a rest stop for taking pictures. It was in stark contrast to the heavy snow we had the day before. The sun was out and looked more like fall was the season. I felt very blessed that I got to experience fall and winter this time in Japan. And I really love Hokkaido, even though people felt that the radiation from Fukushima may have tainted the fresh and organic produce here. But everything tasted so good that it would be crazy not to try.

Our lunch at this Lavender farm which the tour guide bought us. This tour guide had such a gilb tongue that he had us spilling our pockets to buy anti-aging cream/lotion/oil at this place. The cash registers were ringing so merrily!

Everything on my plate tasted so fresh and had their original taste still intact. Though I am not a rice person, the Japan rice was that good for me to take more than what was necessary for my consumption. With the Japanese curry, I could have eaten more if I could.

And being at a Lavender farm will need to have everything lavender right?

This was a Millennium forest with very beautiful gardens as we were told, so we were left to explore the grounds.

I suppose the garden was made beautiful also the fact that there were only us so it was really serene. It was nice to see the fall leaves and the quietness of fall. Or perhaps its individual preference?

Our next hotel Tokachigawa was so quaint, there was a chapel for people to get married here and it was so pretty!