Goodbye MJ

Dear MJ,


I've learnt about your demise on last fateful Friday morning. For seconds, I believed that your vanity was out to rock the world again.

I was pretty sure that you'll make a triumphant comeback after refusing Death. You'll spin your way back and bring the hoo-has to a greater height. Several days have passed, and nothing's happening.

I remember, when I was in my teens and dad gave me his walkman, I bled $7 to grab that 'Dangerous' cassette. You know, $7 was big to me as I wasn't receiving a lot of pocket money, and I was stinking stingy then. But I couldn't break the spell you've casted by ' Remember the time '.

I would follow the MTV channel faithfully every Sunday to catch your videos. Dad said that you're a 'beautiful man'.

When I finally started working and gained little cash power, I upgraded all my favourite cassettes to CDs. Yes MJ, your 'Dangerous' album included.

My husband does better. He owns a record of 'Thriller', and he insists that we should listen together soon.

We're not crying like how your mega fans are... but the loss is stiring a pain inside.

You're gone too soon.

So we've made a pact to remember you positively as an inspiring artist. An icon of originality that no one can replace in this time. You are truly the King of Pop.

And everytime I look back at my youth, I'll remember the time, I'll remember you.

Thank you, Michael. RIP.

I left my heart by a ...

Waterfall.


.........


And though the weather wasn't great, the lighting didn't help yield a great picture, and I was down on sugar that morning, such were factors that helped put the camera away. =)

Nature engulfed us as we rested merrily by the stream. A little chilly, but there was great bliss.

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1








I left the place with a heart watered, some lacey hearts, and a good time with the Lord. ;)

Have a blessed week ahead.

A heart, & a heartthrob

We're having little surprises these days. ;)

Come see who's at the porch.


.........



Now look closer. =D






And when the broadcast took place in Japan ( a little later than US, of course ), I almost made a hole in the ceiling when Kris Allen won the title at American Idol Season 8! Though I was rooting up for Kris, I honestly thought that the competition was stiff.



This lad is gonna be my heartthrob for quite some time. Blush... .

Here's dedicating Kris Allen's performance at AI. Have a beautiful weekend!

Wading by with goodies

' No holiday ' the Bear repeated, ' No holiday! '

The 'pleeeaassseee' look is not going to work. With Bear's project accelerating, there's a fat chance to make up for the cancelled trip to Maldives in May. Especially now that Swine flu has spreaded to Nagano, Bear is probably about to tie me to a chair.

During monsoon in Japan, it rains so abruptly and heavy, that the drops can be a little painful to feel. Not a fine time for outdoor at all.

Dreary days indeed... but I've got goodies to help me wade by! ;)





My siblings have sent me a parcel from Singapore!! Stuffed with love, food stuff to ease homesickness and things I love to bits!! Aren't they totally sweet?

Another friend prepared some devotion books for nourishment of my soul. =) Pretty heavy content though. =P

And look, who's nourishing my eyes these days.

Rowndy is fully bloomed! Here's looking at you!

..............

I wish you hear my place this instant. It rains elephants so suddenly again!!

Whatever. I'm making myself a hot drink and grabbing a book now. ;)

Idiot

A man stole a stranger's bicycle to travel 300km to another prefecture, in order to inform his brother that their father has passed away. Unfortunately, he arrived only to find that his brother has shifted. The man hurried back to turn in 2 days later.



He apologized and explained himself when he returned the bicycle. 10Yen was all he had.

10 Yen can buy you nothing in Japan.

The ordeal was broadcasted, and 'discussed' among the upper class personalities on TV. He was labelled an 'idiot' who could have borrowed a bicycle or a sum of money for train tickets.

I'm not approving the man's action, but I truly sympathize his plight. Given Japan's mountaineous terrain, it would take an hour to cover 50km at an average speed. I couldn't imagine what would have driven a sane man to do that in a cold monsoon season like this. I wish he had gone to seek help from those who named him an 'idiot'.

Who's the bigger idiot? Go figure.

The king will answer them, 'I tell you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' Matthew 25:4

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 19:17

That time of the year again

It's that time of the year again, when Spring is slipping away and monsoon nearing.

Poppies, the last sweet treat of my favourite season, are popping out merrily everywhere.





.




.







The flaming finale is sure easy on the eyes, on a drizzling morning. =)

So, is monsoon going your place too?

They're here again this year

.


Fresh and sweet in the morning.

Love the Bees!

In recent years, beekeepers have been losing 25 percent of their hives each winter.*The Xerces Society, Pollinator Conservation Program
.

Albert Einstein speculated that "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left."

Please know Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD in short. A severe absence of bees around the world, and best not taken lightly.





In Japan, over 200 kinds of agricultural crops are waiting to be pollinated by bees, and farmers are resorted to purchasing overseas bees at dear prices. In order to sustain the market, tenders are enduring teeth-gritting losses at the present, but the measure may not hold out long enough if the shortage of bees continues to aggravate!





That is to say, the impact of the disappearing bees is about to hit our tables very soon!

Our ever urbanizing environment is seeing the bees to the door. Scientists discover that the bees are sickened by a kind of mite, which enlarge in numbers due to the warming climate. Sadly, to wipe out the pest is proved difficult, for using of pesticide will only kill the bees as well.






To help save the bees, here's how we can do our bits.

Grow plants - Especially flowers rich in pollen with attractive colors. Bees are especially attracted to purple, blue and yellow. Aromatic plants like thyme, oregano, or rosemary are also recommended. Leave wild flowers alone. Dandelions are one of the bees favorite.

Avoid chemicals - Avoid using fungicides or pesticides in order to fight diseases or pests. Compost vegetable peelings in order to maintain a fertile, healthy soil.

Fight global warming - Let's do what we can!

The bees are buzzing for our attention. Let's love the bees.

Entering June

Entering June, we were pretty sure that the prime of Spring is very much over, but a vast field of Chinese milk vetch took us by surprise!

The sight was a little wierd though. Farmers were in the middle of clearing away the flowers to prepare the huge plot for some serious plantation. The friendly owner explained that the flowers were planted purely to enrich the soil, less for pleasurable reasons.

She added too though bees are very attracted to Chinese milk vetch, the field didn't welcome a many, as the bees have been decreasing sharply in numbers over the years. ' If only the bees were here... ' she said.

So, we saw no bees, but look what Bear has found!

Hmm... if you haven't been aware, an environmental issue is creeping under and surfacing sooner than we've expected. I hope to touch on this topic a little later.