Pokémon Mania

At his old school in KL, JZ was super into Beyblade. Here in Penang, it's Pokémon. He has been trading cards with his friends at school (is that even allowed? 🤔) and has asked us to buy various types for him numerous times. (I've bought zero times 😂, Ah Ma gave in and bought once but I made him share half the stack with JJ. #toughluck) #sharingiscaring


Over time, interest turned into addiction. He has been so into Pokémon lately it's not even funny anymore. Card game – Pokémon  On TV – Pokémon  Go school – Pokémon  Come home – Pokémon  Sleep – hug Pokémon. (Thanks, Josiefinn.) Why??? I don't even get the Pokémon craze at all! At least Beyblade I could understand the thrill and fun factor. But Pokémon?? Nada.


JZ: Papa, you ask me to take care of Didi, right? (Justifying himself.) Can he do this? Howie give him one 3-Star Garchomp and he give Howie his one 3-Star Tornadus. Can?

JJ: *innocently, without skipping a beat* Kor Kor, can he just give me and I don’t give him back?

😂😂😂

Conversations such as these crack me up la. Big one memang straight like ruler; small one pula total opposite – give him A, B or C, he choose D. Boom! Businessman in the making, this one. 👍👍👍

AliExpress & Mommy FTW!

Totally loving my AliExpress buys for the boys' room.

Veli chip, veli gud, I veli hapi! Win-win-win!

Are the boys super into space, though? Nope. They prefer dinosaurs. But it's Mommy's house so Mommy can do whatever she wants. 🤣🤣🤣 #pullingrank #thatslife #dealwithit #Ihavebettertaste

Styling Up For TOP's WoW "Secrets Of Style" Workshop By Elizabeth Hor

It's been a loooong time since I've dressed up. Like, a SUUUUUUPER long time. In fact, I'm a hundred percent sure I haven't dressed up since we came back to Penang in mid-2019 and discovered the cancer. Before that, I think the last time I dressed up was for my farewell with either the #ChilternMoms or the #CHSuperMoms back in KL. I haven't worn heels since like, forever, too.


But today, no choice. Have to dress up. Haha. Instructed to pakai ons sikit and get with the "dress your best" theme for Women of Worth (WoW) Secrets of Style workshop. So since no more chemo (read: tiredness), no more Nivestim™ (read: acne), and no more hair-loss (read: eyelash loss) to worry about, ok la. I gather strength, awaken my inner diva, and layan a bit. Put on a wee little bit of eyeliner and smudge on some lipgloss. Hahahaha.

Wah, I really like the lighting in my new wardrobe. Perfect for selfies!

Mee and I, all dressed up, and on the way to church to serve!

Driving also can smile and pose. LOL.

Next few photos, courtesy of Jo.

Mee in action.

Worship team in action with a thorn amongst the roses.

Give me an award cos I'm in heels! 👠

All the not-so-single ladies. 💃💃💃

Style guru, Elizabeth Hor.

"You can't be who you are if you

can't see who God meant you to be.

Are you being who you are meant to be?"

– Elizabeth Hor, Founder and CEO

of Elizabeth Image Branding

She has an amazing testimony of how God's Word helped her see herself in a different light in spite of the past she was dealt with during her formative years. Learned a lot from her today and also confirmed that I am a small pear. 🍐 LOL. No points for guessing who's Big Pear. 🤪

Pearing up.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful I know that full well."

– Psalm 139:14 –

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 6: God Knows Your Limits

NOTE: This testimony is the last of 6 instalments. Click on the links below to read the others that came before it.

• Part 1: God's Timing
• Part 2: Trust Him
• Part 3: He Answers Prayers
• Part 4: God Uses People
• Part 5: God Provides

And my final testimony in this mini series is this:


PART 6: GOD KNOWS YOUR LIMITS

God doesn’t give us more than we can bear. I'm a practical person. Realistic. Pragmatic. A doer. A hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst, do-whatever-it-takes-to-make-it-work kind of person. Maybe that’s why God felt that – ok la. Of all people, she can take it. Then she can help others. I don’t know. 🤷‍♀️ But what I do know is this:


1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond your ability [beyond what you are able], but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

So, if you’re going through a bad patch, remember this:

God gives the hardest battles

to his strongest soldiers. 💪

He gave you this challenge because he knows you CAN handle it… IF you go through it being dependent ON Him. And after He helps you through it, it’s your turn to use what He has equipped you with so you can help others through their pain.

I have so many more mini testimonies to share from this chapter in my life but I shan’t take up so much of your time. The conclusion to each and every story are all the same anyway. In all things, I give thanks, and through all things, I look to Him. For my God is good, and He is faithful. Year 2020 will be a good year. Amen.

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 5: God Provides

NOTE: This testimony is the 5th of 6 instalments. Click on the links below to read the others that came before it.

• Part 1: God's Timing
• Part 2: Trust Him
• Part 3: He Answers Prayers
• Part 4: God Uses People

Which brings me to my next testimony...


PART 5: GOD PROVIDES

Chemo wasn’t easy on the body but I tried taking it in stride. Before my second round of chemo, my mom and I were talking over dinner about what I would need to bring along with me to make my many hours undergoing treatment, more comfortable.

We talked about two things in specific – bringing a Thermos along so I have a hot drink on hand, and keeping warm with something to put on. (The treatment room is pretty chilly and it feels colder still when the cold IV fluid runs through my veins.)

All my Thermoses and hot water bottles were still in KL. And we couldn’t decide between a jacket and a shawl because a jacket is warmer but I would be stuck wearing it all the time cos of the line in my hand. A pashmina, on the other hand, isn’t quite warm enough.

Well, little did we know that while we were discussing this, God had already provided me with a poncho – the perfect chemotherapy outfit that’s warm without sleeves to get in the way of the IV line. A friend of mine from KL had sent me a care package and it was sitting in my mom’s car as we spoke. I just hadn’t opened the parcel yet.

And as for the Thermos, another friend visited a few days later and gifted me one! So by the time I went in for round 2 of chemo, I was all set. Coincidence? I think not. The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:19 that our God shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Let me also read Matthew 6:26-32 to you.

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

So, yes. I am so grateful for friends who act when the Holy Spirit prompts them. And through them, I know that my God is taking care of me. He knows what I need before I even know it myself! So, why should I worry when the God of the universe is watching out for me?

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 4: God Uses People

NOTE: This testimony is the 4th of 6 instalments. Click on the links below to read the others that came before it.

• Part 1: God's Timing
• Part 2: Trust Him
• Part 3: He Answers Prayers

After the lumpectomy, we decided to seek a second opinion in Singapore. Even with regards to this, I have a testimony.


PART 4: GOD USES PEOPLE

This story began in KL. I signed JZ up for CCF in his school in KL and somehow always thought that it was run by Christian teachers in the school. Only in his last semester there did I discover that it was actually parent-run. So blur, right?? I immediately offered to help out.

During the last CCF meeting of that last term, I met up with a fellow parent volunteer – one of the leaders in the team. We had one meal together on my last day serving in CCF, and that was it. I left for Penang after that and we never saw each other again.

Somehow, when I found out I had cancer, she was the only one I actively sought out to journey through this chapter with me. This woman whom I served with for just ONE term and had ONE meal with, whom I probably won’t meet again. I also don’t know why I felt led to share the news with her.

(It was only later that I realised how important her role was

in assuring us that the treatment we were going with was right.)

When I was looking for an oncologist to see, a particular name came up from numerous sources. An acquaintance said that this fantastic onco was her church member and that she could secure us an appointment. Well, she tried and failed.

But this CCF friend of mine just went above and beyond. She took the initiative to ask her high-school mate – who’s currently a specialist at the same hospital as that doctor – to get me an appointment. And she got it, and set it… without even me asking her to do so!

Truly, God brought the right people into our lives to help us see the right doctors to show us what to do next. I learned that sometimes, God uses people to answer prayers and make miracles happen. And sometimes, when we step up to meet a need – just like my CCF friend did for me – we are being the miracle that person prayed for.

I also learned that if you feel prompted to do something – like sharing a word of encouragement, or showing kindness, or perhaps just sending someone a text to ask them to journey with you 😁 – act on it… the Holy Spirit prompts us for a reason. All we have to do is obey, and God will do the rest.

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 3: He Answers Prayers

NOTE: This testimony is the 3rd of 6 instalments. Click on the links below to read the others that came before it.

• Part 1: God's Timing
• Part 2: Trust Him

So… what happened during the lumpectomy?


PART 3: HE ANSWERS PRAYERS

Well, the lump I had was 3cm in size. Not small at all, especially considering I'm not busty to begin with. But guess what? We discovered that, in spite of the size, there was no spread at all to any other organ or lymph node in my body.

Results of further testing on the cancer post surgery also showed us that the margins of removal were clear. That means that my surgeon managed to remove all cancerous cells even without technology present to double check her work before stitching me up again, unlike what they are able to do in Singapore.

Before surgery, we also prayed hard for there to be no spread so that the next steps would be simple, straight forward and direct. And truly it is as Proverbs 8:29 says – “when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.”

We thank God for His mercy and we are grateful that He marked out the areas for us so no cancer cell could go beyond the lump. This meant that I could go ahead with chemo right away without wasting time, or having to go through another surgery, which would have most likely been a mastectomy.

Truly, He is a God who answers prayers.

--------------------------------------------
Side Note & Additional Information:
--------------------------------------------

I really thank God for leading us to Dr Teh Yew Ching (my Breast Surgeon) through Dr Shaun Khoo Boo Hock (her husband – also a surgeon) via Dr Yeoh Chee Lim (my OBGYN) those many years ago – seven, to be precise – and praise God she turned out to be a super surgeon!

We really didn't have to second-guess anything that was said to us, and there wasn't even a mad scramble to find a good doctor to begin with. I see now that God led us to the very best doctors in their respective specialities to give us the best advice and care possible during crunch time.

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 2: Trust Him

NOTE: This testimony is the 2nd of 6 instalments. Read the 1st instalment on God's Timing here.


But how did I find out I had cancer in the first place?


PART 2: TRUST HIM

It all started when I suspected I was pregnant. It was so weird cos I felt a letdown (something you only feel while breastfeeding) out of nowhere. Upon investigating, I felt a lump that resembled a plugged milk duct. I thought it was strange but we had wanted to get pregnant anyway so I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I felt hopeful! (Could it be hormones?) And true enough, 2 weeks later, we tested positive – I was pregnant.

Unfortunately, the joy was short-lived. The helper at home served me some juice a few days later with pineapple in it and, of all people, I’m super sensitive to it. So sensitive that my gynaecologist once instructed me to stop eating it. So, we lost the baby within the hour. I was heartbroken and cried like crazy that day.

But no time to dwell on that for long because the lump didn’t go away after my body went back to normal. So, I set an appointment with a breast surgeon we knew and got it checked out. Many tests and about a week later, I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from a lumpectomy that was performed to remove the cancer.

The lesson is this:

We are micro people who do not

yet see God’s macro plan.

Getting pregnant, losing our baby, discovering cancer, beating cancer. We thank God that all things worked together for the good of those who love Him. Wonder, worry, joy or sadness – whatever you’re going through, remember: it is not the end and you cannot see what’s ahead. So just put your trust in Him. If we hadn't gotten pregnant, we never would have found the lump. If we hadn't lost the baby, we would never have been able to prioritise my health and treatment.

Truly He is in control.

TOP 2019 Watchnite Service Testimony Mini Series – Part 1: God's Timing

NOTE: This testimony is the first of 6 instalments.


When we stepped into 2019, my family and I were prepared for a busy and challenging year ahead. Moving towns, moving homes, changing schools... new friends, new home, “new” church... there was so much adjusting to do. Little did we know, all that... was the easy part. We found out I had cancer in August. After that, our crazy year got infinitely crazier.


The second half of 2019 turned out to be exceptionally rough for me and my family. But in spite of the trials, tribulations and difficulties we faced, we see God’s hand guiding us and comforting us every step of the way. Here are just a few ways God has shown himself so real to us as we battle cancer.


PART 1: GOD'S TIMING

After years and years and years of talking about relocating back to Penang – and honestly, trying our best to do so and failing many times – we finally made the move this year. The ability to move back was a miracle in itself.

We found out about the kids' new school by fluke, and in one visit, we were given a guided tour of the grounds, the boys got assessed and were immediately offered places, we paid the registration and deposit, and... overnight, our kids became Penang school enrolees. So, schooling – kautim. 🏫

We also super-last-minute decided to go look at homes the day after because... well, the agent called, and we suddenly had time to spare since we didn't have any reason to survey schools anymore. Haha. So ma go look-see-look-see lor. No expectations whatsoever.

Truth be told, it wasn't our first rodeo around Penang properties. But we somehow never checked out any units at this place he had keys to that day. To our surprise, we took one look at the place, fell in love with it, made an offer that was accepted, and that was that. House – also sorted. 🏡

In a nutshell, everything just fell into place (Psalm 16:6) that one visit back last year, which resulted in us moving back this year. It was truly a miracle how the two concerns we just couldn't address the many, many, many years before were suddenly and effortlessly solved in just two days. ✌️ And just like that, we were coming home!

And a week after moving back,

we discovered the cancer. 

Thing is… if we hadn’t moved back, there is no way we could have gone through treatment this August to December without the kids being affected because we had no helper and no family support in KL. #flyingsolo #ittakesavillagetoraiseachild

Back here, we are blessed to have a helper to handle the home, grandparents to help babysit the children, and Mama to manage our meals for us during this time while I'm out of action. So what I’ve learned from our miraculous move back is this:

God’s timing is always perfect.

He’s never early, never late.