Macleod's Books-a booklover's paradise

I am literally lost in the bliss of thousands and thousands of books @ MacLeod's Books located at Pender St, Vancouver.

Macleod Books is a mind-blowing labyrinth with real gems hidden inside! The moment you enter the bookstore, you will be welcomed by books packed, crammed & stacked from floor to ceiling. It is an unbelievably-awesome-mess! I would call it an organized chaos! LOL! But I don’t really mind as I love stepping over, around and through the piles of books that are everywhere. I just like to meander around and breathe in the pleasantly musty scent of ancient-vintage books. To me, this place is an oasis on a perfect sunny afternoon or a Mecca on a rainy day but either way, I can totally find myself immersed in a booklover’s paradise like this!

So, if you are in town and a "truly lover of books" --particularly literature and vintage collectibles, then this place is a must-see! It’s a great place to find something no one else is going to have. One can find a marvelous hardbound first edition of Jane Austen Collections, Oscar Wilde play, Yeats, Kipling, R. Browning, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, complete works of Shakespeare (Abbey Library 1st edition), Tolstoy and a lot more....the place oozes with rich history and adventure. One can find a wide array of choices, from Opera to Physics, from Poetry to Gardening...yes, it’s sort of messy but I think that’s part of the charm. Yes, it is chaotic and crowded but it’s also a literary bliss! Make sure you visit this place because it's absolutely incredible!

The Ant

Photo taken @ Silver Lake, Hope, BC

An ant works extremely hard, very industrious, patient, feeds and protects its family. An ant can be able to carry a leaf or a crumb for miles no matter what just to get back home to anthill....this creature has the characteristic of PERSEVERANCE!

Dictionary defines perseverance as a steadfast persistence of a cause, action or a belief for a purpose....... For me, Perseverance is an amazing quality. It is a commitment, hard work, patience, endurance. It is being able to bear difficulties calmly and without complaint. It is a day-by-day decision not to give up. And eventually, it is what drive us to the end.

I believe that perseverance embraces discipline to actually know where we want to go. When we persevere it shows our fatihfulness and consistency....when we persevere, we must be strong and choose to win as it is not about today but it is about the journey of life.....

We live in a world of people who “don’t get it.” They don’t understand that while we strive to be the best at what we do, the most important thing in life is to please God rather than to please ourselves..... It is for GOD’s GLORY that we persevere…..It is for God’s glory too that we diligently send kids to school, do our daily chores, we toil, we work 8 hrs a day, run errands, keep our family safe and our home in order, and at the end of the day, it’s not about the moment but about eternity......

Thank God that I stand on the promises and the word of God for He helps us when we have a situation in our lives-- strength to strength. He is always there to help us not to give up until we finish the race!

caught up in grace like an avalanche!

My husband and I are being caught up in blessings and grace like an avalanche! God is so good to my children that He is the One who is worthy to be recognized and praised!

We are incredibly blessed and happy as our son Andrew was recognized with eight awards on his 7th Grade graduation ceremony and was awarded the Top All-Round Student of Class 2010-2011. Top All-Round Student award is given to a student who worked hard and met all the subjects exceeding expectations and with outstanding performances both academic, social and extra curricular activities. It was such a great honour to receive it....

Before the award was given, the teacher gave this brief introduction........"This student is such a blessing to me and Mr. Edwardson. This has been a phenomenal year for him and for us. He has an outstanding performance on all subjects throughout the school terms, receiving straight A's on all his subjects... His maturity, humour, intelligence and natural leadesrship make Andrew an outstanding student. Rarely do we have the privilege of teaching a student of his calibre and it is definitely what makes teaching worthwhile. He will leave Grade 7 with our best wishes and we look forward to hearing his accomplishments throughout the years. We hope you will always strive to do your best and challenge yourself to push for your personal best. The Top All-Round student for 2010-2011 is awarded to ......Andrew Memije!" when andrew's name was called, noel and i was so surprised and teary-eyed that noel missed taking video while i missed taking good pictures...:)

God is so awesome, gracious and good all the time. He never ceases to amaze and bless my family with great things - especially my children. All the praises and honor goes back to Him. To my son Andrew --- your exuberant thirst for learning and success both inspire us to thrive for better .......thank you for the joy you gave me and your dad today, a gift that is both pleasing and rewarding. I pray that you will make a difference and that you will use your God-given talents and gifts to be a blessing to other people......son, you rock, I am so proud of you and we love you!!!

I am happy for my son because not only he loves to learn and values the importance of education, but he also learned to love and care even more about his peers, elders, mentors, friends and family…

Thank you God +

There is more to life than just here and now...

"This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever" 1 John 2:17


As of this writing, the clock strikes at 12:00 and it marks the 43rd anniversary of the day I was born. Special events such as this makes me reflect and ponder on more important things other than what I would like to get as a birthday present. But first, I am thankful for the gift of life. I thought that life is such a precious gift and that I am blessed every single day. That I am made wonderfully for a reason. I knew for sure that I am not an accident, long before I am conceived by my parents, I'm pretty sure, I am conceived in the mind and plan of my Creator. That I am for who I am, for a purpose. That I am part of His intricate perfect plan...

All my life, I have been driven by something...hopes, dreams, goals, circumstances, values, faith, emotions, even pressures and deadlines! But at the end of the day, life is not all there is...that it's not about me, there is more to life than just here and now...this life is just a preparation for the next.

Knowing our purpose gives meaning to our lives. We were made to have meaning. When life has meaning, we can bear almost anything, without it, nothing is bearable. Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance nor hope...Nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for our lives, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.

God has a purpose for our lives on earth but it doesn't end here. God has....planted eternity in every human heart. It's more than opportunity of a lifetime. It's way beyond our lifetime. We are made to love Him and to last forever, for His plans endure forever! \0/

Have you ever wonder what's your purpose on earth?

wear a poppy to remember...

Every year, on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of eleventh month, Canadians pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. They gave their lives and their future so that we may live in peace.

I have always wondered what the little red poppy stands for and what’s the connection between poppy flowers and remembrance day. And so I have researched a little bit and found out that generally, poppy means eternal sleep and sacrifice. The connection began during the Napoleonic wars, when it was noted that "fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

It was observed that the poppy flourishes in a war-disturbed ground, and they are the first to reappear on a barren landscape of a battlefield. The presence of these attractive red flowers around the graves of the soldiers and the heroes reminds of the bloodshed and their heroic deeds. From then on, poppy flower symbolizes the sacrifice of soldiers in war who fought for our peace and freedom. Most commonwealth countries particualry Canada use artificial paper or felt versions of this poppy (see the above photo that I have taken). These are worn to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans and civilians in the great war, world war two and even the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan…

But why must we remember? I think, if we don’t remember, the sacrifice of those hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They had died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in-- they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness. As we celebrate Remembrance Day, let us wear poppy to express our respect and honor for them. Let us pay homage to those who respond to our country's needs.

I read this caption somewhere before...."without freedom there can be no ensuring peace and without peace no enduring freedom."

Be still

“Be still, and know that I am God” {Psalm 46:10}

Stillness and quietness are rare. We don't always know how to achieve them, least how to handle them. But for the sake of marriage, we need televisionless, phoneless, computerless and workless time together. We all need solitude for our individual lives but we also need marital solitude....

I must admit, it has been a little while now since my spouse and I have a 'marital solitude' that's free from distractions. We are equally busy with so many things...to name few -– work, kids' school and extra activities, chores, errands not to mention browsing, facebooking, blogging and the likes! So we badly need a marital solitude and quiet time very soon! And I know it won't just happen by itself...I've gotta make it happen....just like my time with God alone, I must plan my time alone with my hubby too.

But before I allow excuses to rule out any of these possibilities, I guess I have to put my schedule in writing and make sure we both mark and synch our iCalendars. And then I would have to put a little bit more effort on actually doing it. Eventually, I would require creativity and flexibility in my options though. And learn to discover new and fresh approach too.

Seriously? most married couples are surrounded with multitude pressures and stressful activities, but these pressures and stress we must often escape are not those we create for ourselves but those brought into our lives from the outside.

So, to put my two cents in, I think a key to keeping a cherished relationship alive maybe found in breaking away from distractions frequently enough to keep ourselves fresh and our love growing...afterall, relationship is a living thing~~it has to grow and it needs a good cultivating, weeding, watering and what else? Sunshine of course!

"Don't Worry"

It seems there isn't much to write about what's going on with me these days...but I have lists upon lists and crazy schedules since my kids were back to school.

My son is now in Grade 7 and their class is going to kick off the fall school term with a “dig camp” called “The Odyssey Archeology Programme”. They are going to do a 4-days/3-nights simulated archeological excavation at Panorama Ridge. The program will focus on Science for the study of human skeletal parts, Social Studies for the ancient Greek cities, Language and Literature for Homer's Odyssey, and Math for statistics, grid and triangulation system for measurements and locations, and dating methods for the artifacts being dug/found and a little bit of PE and even Arts.

Therefore, whether I don't let my son go is out of question as it is a requirement in the upper intermediate curriculum. After the “dig camp”, there's supposed to be a very stiff “dig exam”, and once they passed this dig stage, they can qualify to go for the next field trip/camping in March to UBC (University of British Columbia) and write a 10-page essay of a subject of their choice. Whew!!! I can't believe this is a curriculum of a Grade 7 class. It sounds so interesting and exciting. I also think it is a very intense and challenging hands-on program, something you can't find in a regualr four-wall classrooms. It's defintely going to be a huge exploration experience for all Walnut Road Elementary School seventh graders!

At first I thought, sure why not, but as I was browsing on the list of what they are suppose to bring, I started to worry, the students need to set up their own tents, prepare their breakfasts, set the bonfires, and so on ...panic was starting to build up thinking the temperature drops at night, even 2 sleeping bags won't be enough to keep them warm. During our camping this mid July, it gotten so cold at night up until early morning....and here's the perturbing thoughts:-- who's supposed to remind him to put on extra blanket? who's gonna remind him to zip on the sweatshirt and put on the hoody? who's gonna tell him not to mix the clean clothes with the dirty and soiled ones, and other stuff! He is just twelve years old and my baby! Besides I had never let any of my children out of my sight even for one night, not even a sleep over! So suddenly, I was left with this letting-go issues....

But after a chat with my husband, I did the right thing to do....I gave my thoughts and fears to God and asked for peace for myself and protection for my son, then I felt much better. There isn't much time to think about it, I have to hand over the form with my approval the following day. And there's the list of supplies that is ridiculously long! Aside from warm different types of clothing & toilettress, Andrew has to bring excavation equipments and camp equipments.

Even I am struggling with my letting-go issue, in my opinion, this camp is a very brilliant idea for these young kids to be able to experience important events in their pre-teens educational stage, as a matter of fact, this actually sounds like a real fun! This reminds me of my girl-scout Jamboree experience I had when I was in Grade 6. On a very positive note, I think it's also a good way for them to learn the hands on aspects of → team work, responsibility, decision-making and co-operation with other peers. It's very encouraging to know that my son and his classmates will develop significant things in the process, such as → sense of empathy, respect, patience, perseverance, and endurance.

I felt more comfortable after reading the whole program though. The students were placed under teams and Andrew was placed under “Oxford University” team....the other ones were Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge and of course UBC. I am also confident that this experience is going to be a great challenge for all the students not only to my son and for sure it is a very worthwhile one. From the newsletter, I've read that this program was organized and founded by Andrew's teacher and another school teacher, sometime 20 years ago with some Grade 8 students up to university graduates to serve as instructors, team security and supervisors, all of them have experienced “dig camp”. And it was awarded few times for an Outstanding Merit for all of Canada and then later the documentary film was distributed throughout Canada and US elementary schools. It is obvious that with this standard, the entire team really works hard. So my son is extremely excited to be part of it! I really felt his enthusiasm and interests. I am also happy and excited for him. And I'm pretty sure he will have lots of fun.

He assured me though that he will be alright and added that I should “not worry” at all. He is right, I should not worry at all and should start trusting my son that he is also capable of looking after himself. The key word is “Do not worry”! It hits me hard. This phrase can be found in Philippians 4:6-7. It says....”Do not be anxious about anything, but everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Oh what an assurance we have in Jesus!

The truth is-- there are so many things to be anxious about in my world, and probably in your world too. So, how do we deal with it? For me the bible offers some wise counsel as we face difficulty. As Paul wrote this, he was in prison. His words are practical because he was facing a very grim future, yet he pens these profound words....”Do Not Worry”.

That's right, I think I shouldn't...\o/

end of summer....! {sigh}

I haven’t been updating my blog for a little while now….sorry for being a blog slacker. I tend to be real busy during summer….when the sun is out, when the sky is cloud-free and oh so blue, and when the temperature is just perfect to my liking. I always thought that why waste being indoor, glued to your TV screen, and do nothing but couch potatoing -- if you can bask and enjoy the sun outside? There’s actually so many things you can do in the summer. Though there are also occasions that the temperature and humidity is just too hot to handle, I just try to meet those cooling needs the best that I possibly can. For instance, last week, it has been a real sticky, scorching hot days and nights for me and my family. And while it has been fun for some, it’s a bit unbearable and uncomfortable to others…I would say, we gotta enjoy the sun while it is still out there and while it is still literally closer to the Northern Hemisphere …I don't have real issues embracing the heat, I can totally handle the humid. I love summer. I love its sunshine and shade. I love its brightness and the happiness it can give me!

Summer, summer, summer ---ice creams, and sweet dreams, palm trees and ocean breeze, salty air and sun-kissed hair...summer, you are so sweet and so divine. Yes, we suffer a little bit but we really really like it!

To me, summer is one of the most beautiful words in english language. Nothing beats a summer afternoon, where I can lie on the grass and watch the clouds slowly floats across the sky or listen to the gentle humming of water by the river that runs through it, where I can see people jog, bike, brisk, and stroll with their love ones, including their very precious chihuahua dog. On summer late afternoons, I can smell the nicely done bbq’s on the neighbourhood, where I can smell the garden fragrance of pink roses, of the lush blooms of lavender, and the freshly picked peaches, blueberries and cherries …and I can hear the carefree children playing noisily outside....which reminds me a lot of my happy summer childhood memories in my small barrio of Santa Cruz…Oh you don’t have any idea how I love this season! It brings so much joy to me, even its ordinary days of delightful idleness, or some of its rare moments simply gaping at the beauty of our nature…the vast creation of our Creator.

The other day, when I was photo shooting and practicing my SLR aperture setting, and while I was so absorbed trying to achieve a ‘bokeh’ effect, carefully following a perfect combination of ISO, shutter speed and the DOF in manual focus, a sizeable spider in bright orange colour and a bug of some sort caught my eyes. I excitedly took about a dozen of shots with different angles, zooming and white balance exposures. But then, I started to notice too that the leaves around me has started to yellow already, our backyard grass are half covered with withered leaves and some of the leaves up on the trees has started to turn into unappealing browns………With much disappointment and silent dismay, a slight pang of panic and a heave of sigh, I told myself weakly …..Oh no!…It’s the end of summer! Where have all the whole 90 sweet-summer days had gone?

Life is so good! PTL! I guess, it was a pretty good summer after all, we did a lot of fun things this year. We watched the celebration of lights fireworks festival, we went to night market and enjoyed authentic oriental food on the street, camping with close friends, we checked out vintage and antique boutiques, we visited beautiful gardens in the island, immensely enjoyed the seafood there! We had couple of picnics by the lake, the kids did a lot of biking and went swimming, had couple of trail walking, we went to movies, and we watched a Sting concert and a symphony. We also had lots of late nights TV comedy shows, played scrabble and even learned to play cards with the kids. We had the opprtunity to attend a friend’s 50th birthday bash, had a couple of girls’ night outs, tried out new cafes, I've read few ‘easy-read’ books, and my favorite of all --- watched sunsets, which is for sure is always at the top of my list.

Seriously….we truly had an amazing summer vacation even we did not have the chance to go away for a trip. Not to mention I had a chance to spend some lovely bonding time with my niece who came to visit me from Florida and a cousin and her family from Alberta. We did shorter trips though just within BC and its lower mainlands. And one can never go wrong to “staycation” and enjoy the beautiful British Columbia. I didn’t take as many pictures as last year though. I thought, I just wanted to be “in the moment” a bit more and just enjoy myself. Sometimes it is hard to relax when you are standing up and snapping away. I did take about more than 500-600 photos which is just half as many as last year and still I have not found enough time to organize and pick out my favourites.

Overall? It was not a bad summer vacation at all! Though I am not ready for it to end yet, but ready or not, the weather has to sizzle down, the season has to end, to prepare for the next one…

beaming with joy

God is so awesome and good all the time. He never cease to amaze and bless my family with great things - especially my children. All the praises and honor goes back to Him. To my daughter and son -- your exuberant thirst for learning and success both inspire us to thrive for better ....thank you for the joy you gave me and your dad today, a gift that is both pleasing and fulfilling......you guys rock and I am so proud of you both!!! xoxo

michael jackson, a year later...

(i took this photo last year, from one of the posters for sale, down the busy and packed broadway street in new york)

One year ago today, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson passed away. His passing was both shocking and heart-breaking. It's crazy ...totally crazy, I can't believe that one year has passed and it's still surreal for me! How can MJ be actually be gone? As I logged-in to my computer this morning and streamed-live to my favorite music website, the song it's been playing was "Ben"...and there, I was all teary eyed, and you know that familiar achy feeling in your throat... and then, next thing I know all the good memories about MJ comes back naturally to me....

I am not embarrased to say that I am a huge fan of Michael...big time! I had never missed buying his albums, mind you it comes in cassette tapes back in our days. I would listen to his songs over and over again. I would memorize the lyrics by heart. I can't seem to remember how many times I used to dance 'Billy Jean', trying to master or should I say at least learn how to moonwalk... Michael rocked my world and I still love his music up to this day. In fact I have almost close to a hundred songs in my iTunes...and I love every single song. When I listen to his music, I seem to have a connection with him, like a real friend.

He's been part of me, and to say that I miss him is not enough. His music brought me happiness over the years, specifically during my teenage and college years.....even in my late twenties, especially the memories when I watched him perform live in concert (in Brunei) with my fiance, now my husband Noel. Among great singers, he was just so special, I don't know why...I think I know why...no one has the bond with the fans like he did, no one has fans that have been so loyal and so in love, no one else gave so much like he did. We all had our moments in time where we wanted to dance like Michael, and we were just so infatuated and in awe of his amazing talent.

Michael was a legend. He was a genius pop superstar in 80's and undisputedly the greatest singer of all time. He was by far the BEST and his artistic talent was just beyond measure. He came to define what music means and what music is all about. He was synonym of the word PHENOMINAL. The best of the bests ever!!!

Michael was such a very generous, compassionate and sensitive person with a big and beautiful heart. He wrote songs that made people sing and dance, songs that made people cry, sob, scream and have goosebumps, songs that made people change and united, and songs that made people fall in love with music. The only human being (next to Jesus Christ, when Jesus was still human) in the entire world that could touch the hearts of such a plethora of souls, every race, every creed, every color. He was born to amaze the world, to make a difference, either with his life or with his death....

"Michael, no one will ever moonwalk again like you, no one will ever fill your shoes, and no one can ever replace you .....thank you for the beautiful music you left behind...i love you and i'm so gonna miss you!"