Posts from — July 2008

Being a music lover, my 8-year old daughter RD has been asking us to buy her an iPod. While we’re still not giving in, it is probably just a matter of time (and money) before she gets one. Besides, I too would like to have one!

There is an ongoing iPod Auction at uBid.com. That means 1,000 units of iPod are up for grabs starting at $1 only. That means the price will be driven based on what people think these iPods are worth.

uBid.com is different from other online auction sites. Most online bidding solutions are Consumer 2 Consumer while uBid.com is Business 2 Consumer. That translates to a safer, more reliable shopping/bidding experience since consumers know exactly who they’re dealing with. They even have a 100% fraud-free guarantee. They also go through warehouses all over the world ensuring a wide coverage. So what are you waiting for? Go and check it out and see if there’s something you might be interested in.

More on the Hillsong Conference… My husband told me about Australian Idol Guy Sebastian being involved in the conference. He went up the stage twice. The first time was when he did a number with Israel Houghton and the New Breed. Second time was during one of the evening service when he was part of the worship team. I am blessed by people like him who, despite being famous, have not forgotten their role in the church. That is to continue being a servant. Hmmm… I’m not sure if I’ll ever be famous. But I sure would like to be an example to my children in being a servant for the Lord. BTW, I heard that Guy wrote the theme song for World Youth Day 2008.

I wonder how many parents still have that little kid inside. I think it is helpful in a lot of ways. For me, it is probably good since it helps me to somewhat relate to my kids from a different perspective. On the other hand, it is undoubtedly refreshing to think like a kid.

Maybe it is due to mere lack of exposure to video games when I was a kid… but yes, I do find video games amusing. I could still recall myself and my husband playing hours of network computer game in our flat in Singapore. It has been a few years since those times. Even though console games have become popular, I still think PC games still have its unique set of followers. Take for example the Dungeon Runners game. This game is a free MMORPG that users can download and play for free! With excellent graphics and effects, it sure is one to catch the attention of game fans. The Bling Gnome, is but a little man (which I find to be a funny character) which converts stuff into gold. To help you out with how they look like, I have taken snapshots of a made up gnome (I’m sure your kids can recognize this one) which was worked out by my daughter RD.

Or better yet, go to dungeonrunners.com to download and try the game (and the Bling Gnome) yourself.

With the advances in technology and multimedia come huge leaps in the entertainment arena. My daughters are so used to seeing entertainment shows in the television and if something matches their fancy, then they would try to convince us to go. It may be as simple as a mascot scheduled to visit a particular shopping mall or as big time as a concert from a famous artist overseas, or even more, scheduling a trip overseas to go to the event!. Obviously, I couldn’t simply say yes to everything. I have to do a ‘screening’ of what it is and what there is to gain or learn, if any. Also of utmost importance is the ‘logistics’ part of attending such.

Anyway, as we go through the middle of the school holidays, I just thought of browsing along the web to see what’s up… whether it’s something we can actually do these next few days or it’s something that can be planned in the future. I then came upon something cool in the US. Probably topping the list of Things to do in New Jersey is the Wildwood NJ Amusement and Water Parks. It just looks awesome! There seems to be something for everyone. The Radio Disney Summer Concert Series is also included in the Wildwood events. It’s so good it’s probably a good idea to camp out at Cape May hotels.

Anyway, back to reality here at Sydney, I guess this is just one of the things that we can plan out for the (hopefully not too distant) future. But definitely something our family hope to visit some day.

I learned that the Hillsong United team together with Darlene is going to be at the World Youth Day celebrations on Friday here at Sydney. I was very glad when I first heard this news as I believe that they will be used mightily by the Lord to minister in this very large event. The estimated attendance for WYD ‘08 is around half a million!

Without a doubt, music has a lot to ‘play’ in the lives of many young people out there. With ‘young people’, I meant not only those in their teens but also those of very young age. The lyrics of some songs are just powerful that they create an impact on people’s lives.

Here’s a photo still taken during the Hillsong Conference ‘08 during one of the music electives. On the guitars are Michael Gungor and Israel Houghton, the two people behind the great song ‘I am a Friend of God’.

“Hope is good for breakfast, but not necessarily for supper”. I found this quote really interesting when I first read about it. I think it is a great line to encourage people of how good it is to keep hope up right from the very beginning (breakfast) of challenges. Surely there is no better way to start the day than to face it with boldness. But I think that the second part of the quote puts everything together. It somehow emphasizes the importance of time. We can only hope so much and it would be great if we have more than just hope in our hands at the end (supper).

We can have a great start with hope but we should not stop there. As a parent, I not only encourage my children to dream but to also work towards those dreams.

Check out this video from Big Apple Awards which presents this quote used in a keynote address.

Here’s a photo of the ANZ Stadium at the Sydney Olympic Park. It was originally known as Stadium Australia and came into existence for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It was also called the Telstra Stadium before coming to its current name. The thing is really huge having a capacity of around 80,000.

It’s just right beside the Acer Arena where the Hillsong Conference ‘08 was held. I haven’t had the chance to watch anything at the ANZ Stadium because most of the events are usually football or rugby which neither myself or my girls (and even my husband) are interested in. Anyway, I hope someday they’ll have something in there for a young family. Only then can I have the answer to the question: Howdya fit ‘em there?

Winter has somewhat come to its peak by now. Having grown up in a country where there is no such thing as winter, I have to admit this is not so easy even if the temperatures are not really technically ‘freezing’. As power or electricity costs are high, I obviously could not afford to turn up the heat 24/7. So I go for all available solutions. You’ve got jacket, blanket, beanie, and my favorite, coffee! Benefits of coffee has recently caught the eye of some scientific studies probably due to its popularity. It sure is a wonder how medical studies have advanced these days. Watch this clip.

My husband, C, had a chance to attend this year’s Hillsong Conference. It was a whole week event held at the Acer Arena in the Sydney Olympic Park. I had a look at the schedule and it sure is full packed. I actually went with him on one of the evening rallies when Joyce Meyer was the speaker. Even though I attended only one evening, I got a quick glimpse of how it is to be with 25,000 people together in worshiping the Lord. Anyway, C hasn’t ran out of stories yet and I believe he really had a great time.

My two daughters both wear eyeglasses. That’s actually a bit strange to us since neither of us parents have any use for spectacles. Though our optometrist did tell us that sometimes, the eye-related issues ‘skip’ some generation.

Anyway, as their mom, I’m working out anything and everything possible just to help them through. For now, they’re on prescription glasses for correction. Whenever we go to the optometrist, I simply amazed at the instruments used to ‘measure’ the eye. With these technological advancements, I am glad that medicine has more to offer. So other than eyeglasses, older people can work on contact lenses. Lasik is one of today’s most advanced and well-established medical procedures that enable visual correction. What makes it even more sought after is the fact that it offers excellent results through a procedure with great safety considerations. While being practically painless, the satisfaction and success rate is very high. Getting the right LASIK information is important to people who are considering this option.

My kids are still very young and we are optimistic that they will outgrow having to wear eyeglasses. Moreover, it becomes comforting to know that the future of eye medicine looks very promising. Lasik is just one example of excellent medical breakthroughs.

Earlier this week I wrote about the ‘adventures’ of the school holiday. Today marks the end of week one. Things have stabilized somewhat. There seems to be a good ‘balance’ around the home. To be more explicit, I have probably a ‘balanced’ amount of toys in the living room, the bedroom, and now, the kitchen and dining room. I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m starting to feel a bit uneasy as we got through the first week. That is because I know that I’ll somehow miss having them around. Come on, moms will always be moms. I guess that’s true even for our moms.

During winter, there is simply a tendency for the room to feel damp and stuffy. This is most evident as I can see moisture hanging around the windows of our bedroom. Or maybe this is due the fact that we use a vaporizer to counter the drying effect of heaters. Whatever the case may be, I think the overall effect is something that does not present a fresh atmosphere. This becomes more uncomfortable if you’re talking about the most important room in the house for relaxing.

This is a job for your good old freshener. Though I personally feel that the traditional spray tends to be too harsh especially since you get a pretty strong scent initially and somehow fades away as time goes on. Renuzit TriScents presents a totally different approach to freshening. It has different settings which will allow me to control exactly how much scent I want. And this scent can go on and on, all throughout the day in the same desired intensity. For added flexibility and variation, this new electric freshener transitions with three scented oils. That indeed gives a new idea to ‘freshness’.

So whatever season, there is now an answer to keeping the entire home fresh.

I can’t help but stare at my three-year old daughter CN as she sits in front of my laptop while she works out a game in the internet. Well, for one, I can’t recall myself doing that during my time. Apart from that fact giving a hint as to how old I am, it also tells how fast technology developed in the past few years. That translates to ’some’ need for us, parents, to keep up with tech stuff to join the journey with our children. It’s just a joy for me to see them exposed to this powerful (yet potentially dangerous) tool.

A few decades ago, parents are probably glad to say… ‘my child knows how to hold a pencil correctly!’ It’s funny that today, I exclaimed, ‘CN knows how to use a mouse!’

Health is wealth. As parents, probably part of our ‘responsibility’ to our kids is to keep ourselves in good health. I believe it shouldn’t be ignored or downplayed. A good way to motivate parents could be to simply think about their children.

There are various ways we parents can keep watch of health. Some may take a bit more effort such as getting a regular medical check-up, maybe taking supplements. Some may offer a bit more of a challenge such as working out those bellies with a good physical exercise! On the other hand, it may start with something simple such as eating healthy (in fact, I think this one offers a bonus since we also get the chance to train our kids on healthy food). Other may be just keeping watch of other food or things they use which may have impact on health. A way to do this is to keep oneself updated with the right information. Join the Breast Cancer Link Debate is an example which discusses possible health risk of anti-perspirants and to which, people can get information as well as share thoughts.