Our duty

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit, not only it is a sign of forgiveness of sin, but also a sign of commissioning us with the duty to preach His love and peace. It makes us worthy to receive His body and blood and also are we to be guided by His spirit, to start with the journey to spread the Good News.

As such, we are given the gift of the Spirit dwells among us and at the same time, we are called to carry out His duty, as his disciple. We receive, and we give.

Why don't we start doing something today?

yang bao

My summer babies who gave me a big sweet smiley.

But maybe it was wrong to bring back some sunflowers during raining season. Your smile was fading away and this is my fault of not able to provide these babies with lovely sunshine.

Heartbreaking to see them withering in the rain...always remember your loveliness.

需要陽光的寶貝　我的向日葵　只在陽光下燦爛　善於激情中優美　

我說陽光會不見　你說你不後悔　陽光像往常一樣消失　你像我想像般中憔悴　

我錯了　希望月亮帶給你安慰　

你說你　要的不是這種光輝

需要陽光的寶貝啊　別氣我不懂別向我示威　

無論我多想是個太陽卻只是另一株向日葵

Weekend leisure

Need not taking any transport and I was surrounded by the beauty of the nature. All kinds of flowers and vegetables decorated my neighbourhood as a garden of heaven.

Pictures: ballon-flower, lavender, cherry tomato, eggplant and hydrangea

Reborn

I do not believe our community is a brutal one which never allows others a chance to regain their lives.

Self-giving is the centre of love. If we do not love them, we will not be loved too in our case.

To accept rather than to reject, open up our mind to help those beside these a hundred kids. Let them know, the light is out there to attract them to the right way.

Hug them and you will know, they are in fact innocent kids whose have the same heartbeat as your own kids.

***

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?"

They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.

And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him.

Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more."
(John 8:3-11)

Green tea coke

Is it limited to Japan market? Don't hate me, people... >=P

Queen's English

Queen's English represents the essence of royalty. Nonetheless, from the change of the accent of her majesty since the first televised broadcast half a century ago, it seems like the charm of this royal family is fating out through the flow of time, even though her quality might be intrinsically constant.

Twenty years

we know what had happened.
we remember what had happened.
we never forget what had happened.

I did not know how to react in that year,
But I know how I feel after all these years.

The tremble after seeing the eyes of desperation,
The shiver after hearing the weeping mothers.

Even if you did not know all these years,
Your conscience will lead you to the truth.

if you seek after the truth, you will know what had really happened.

Kamaboko

Funny food~!

How can they make such cute and pretty fish cake? Read the ingredients and said no artificial things, purely made of spinach and cacao something like that.

How can they make it in the shape of tommy cars?

After a year

After a whole year this yacht is still there, at the same place, in the same pure colour, as if time had never ticked pass since the time when I first saw it in the last early summer. As if the colour was pressed deeply in my eyes which I could never forget.

At that moment, an angel's voice was singing this song:

多簡單愛情　像就做完的夢　清楚模糊多簡單
像第一次問你愛不愛　你說　愛　愛
多美麗回答　它輕輕的掠過　不願落下
這一些熱的烈的情和蒼白的浮冰　多無影啊
散　散落那些忽而現　又有時隱而不見的飛
散　散落那些抓不住的才是真的

Happy Mother's Day

Choco trial

Not really interested in home-made bakery as there are too many better ones to choose from outside. Yet, because of the gift I received for long, it is time to try if I could make my first semi-instant cake.

Bakery is different from cooking and I know failure is a must if I keep ignoring the recipe, even though it was just mixing up the flour, egg, oil and water.

Hm, not a bad one. Confidence is still here (with smile). Feel like fulfilling a commitment.

I haven't tried it yet. Let me give it to my friend tomorrow and if I can still see her the next day, I will finish the whole plate myself.

My friend, ogenki-de

倘若結束為了重新開始
旅途落泊能讓記憶穩固
歡樂太短為了回憶千次

Little flower talk

Someone says flowers understand human's talk.

I told this lovely little bell-shape flower that, I long for a deep breath in the blue and she replied saying, we all may only need sunshine and water to survive.

I said no, as I also need some bread.

She said, I don't need bread, I need love.

Peter Pan

Peace in heart is forgiveness

Forgiveness is the virtue that enables us not to allow past hurts to determine our decisions and actions in the here and now. Forgiveness opens up the space for creating together with the one forgiven a new future where we can "fall peacefully asleep". Giving and receiving forgiveness is a resurrection activity. This is how Jesus is known.

Forgiveness is part of the reality of risen life; it is the effect of death and resurrection. We should walk and act like a forgiven people.

Today

今日像明日一樣
今日任何日一樣

Spring Spring Spring

No recipe

How many thumbs up if simply judge from the presentation?

Always believe in the beauty of ‘No recipe is the best’. It is like blending colours, pepper, salt, sugar and vinegar, simple seasoning can draw a rainbow on your dish.

Remember what you've been eating throughout all these years, make memory serves as your basis to cook. Be somehow imaginative and you may find you can cook better than what is said in a recipe!

Light

With the cross staying in the dark, a light shines through the way. It is His word of love and peace.

Love and peace can never be conquered by death and darkness. Through His mercy, we are released from our crosses. We are forgiven if we forgive.

We witness how love and peace bring us back to live, so we proclaim his Love in the light of His light. Easter symbolizes the transforming of oneself, passing over and living a new life in his grace. Turning from darkness to light.

Our “seeing” comes through hearing an unbroken chain of witnesses who have encountered the risen Lord and preached Christ raised from the dead. Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach; they preach not only the good news of forgiveness of sins and the coming of God’s reign, but disciples also preach by their witness to new life in Christ.

Sakura

When was my first encounter with cherry blossom?

I don’t remember, but this season always reminds me the start of something. The start of work, school and new life. It’s full of stress.

Getting drunk under the flower tree is a way for people to get away from the reality, at least for a while.

There are a lot that I don’t remember but all of a sudden, those things all flash back like an attack. Oh, I had been doing that some years ago. Gosh, I did such stupid thing at that time.

The pressure of getting used to new life, new faces. The pressure of forcing yourself to get out of the shell and try to be reachable. The sadness of missing old days old face and old habits.

But as time goes by, new faces become your daily life, new things are no longer new to you. Days by days, you keep on forgetting older days.

Just as I forget what did I see when I first saw cherry blossom.

I just see what I am seeing everyday.

Time is near

My children, I am not to be with you much longer.
You will look for me,
but I say to you now
what I once said to the Jews:
"Where I am going, you cannot come."

I am going where you cannot follow me now;
later on you shall come after me.

You will lay down your life for me, will you?

Palm Sunday

Glory comes to Jerusalem today.

But without extravagant carpet, it comes in lowly with branches, by a donkey which should not be ridden by a worldly king.

Yet, He comes as a King to rule over us through love and peace.

He comes, not to enjoy homage, but to suffer, for us, for everyone. The greatest should be the least and the King acts as a servant for all.

Cherry blossom outside the church blooms fully. It blooms to enjoy the praise from everyone passes by and sooner after this week, it will fall, losing its brightness, but later, it will grow as fresh green to bring warmth to this world. This cycle, is just as the Holy Week of Easter.

1827 days

In the 1827 times of sunset, how many times did I really see into my eyes the mandarin orange sun suspending in the air?

It never takes long to sink behind the skyline, behind the roof and behind the day. It never counts, but we human count it as a day.

Days by days, sunrise and sunset like the ups and downs of my own pathway. Still, it keeps going and I keep going.

At first it was counted like an extended trip but later it was realized as part of a life-long trip. It may end some day, it may never end.

We have choices in life, but we do not choose life.

No one knows when it will be the last sunset and I do not know when will be my last time to see such a beautiful ending of the day in my days.

How much smile do I have in these 1827 days?

That's life

Tell me I am not living somone's life by logging off on time. yes, on time, what should be nothing more than normal but it is a sin in some people's eyes. I don't care.

I would be feeling so sorry to myself if I am not taking the chance of these two weeks to catch my breath and refocus.

I could smell how blissful the air was before sunset. I needed two seconds to make myself believe in my wrist watch.

For how long haven't had a proper nice homemade dinner, with some lovely dvds. After wondering what's next for Jesse and Celine, oh, it still wasn't 8.30! Should I go for a night jogging or something?

Still can have some time sitting, doing nothing but staring at the full bloom of lily that had been seducing me through its sweetness for some days.

Yes, that's life and what we should have.

Make me a channel of your peace

We are looking for sign, for guidance whenever we are in doubt. We do not know the true wisdom behind every sign that has already been shown to us.
Instead of asking for a sign, we should ask what we should do to realize the sign of Love that lives inside our faith. Instead of asking for a sign, Saint Francis asked of a chance to be a sign of love, a channel of love and peace.

The hymn version of the prayer of Saint Francis is printed on today’s leaflet. It’s my favorite prayer and also a school song that I’d been singing every day for five years.

Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me bring your love,
Where there is injury your pardon Lord,
And where there's doubt true faith in you.
Make me a channel of your peace,
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope,
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
O Master grant that I may never seek,
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Before sunrise again

Came across with the turning corner of an old bookstore in some dram, I know it was somewhere in Paris. So it’s time to revisit all-time-favourite movie. But first let me sink in Vienna, deep into this unrealistically romantic story.

Keep thinking, what would I do if I were Jesse?

I just know I would be so upset if I would have to wait for another six months.

Maybe in the first place I wouldn't have the courage to ask her get off the train. It’d be a lonesome Vienna to me.

If everything is so irreversible, Why not do? But I don’t want to be the little guy only living in people’s memory and being forgotten. I’d rather be a nobody before being given a name.

It is these scripts keep echoing inside me.

“Think of it like this. Jump ahead, ten, twenty years, okay and you’re married. Only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to have, you know. You start to blame your husband, You start to think about all those guys you've met in your life, and what might have happened if you’d picked up with one of them, right? Well, I’m one of those guys. That’s me, you know.”

It’s when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with, and you realize that that is how little they’re thinking about you.

The second Sunday of Lent

“The forty days of Lent are a representation of the time when Jesus endured desert and the temptations of the devil. The celebration of Lent is to prepare the Christian believers through the acts of prayers, penitence, self-denial and giving of alms for the annual holy week commemoration.”

Self sacrificing is what we are asked of and is what we should do for the others. Just as how Abraham tried to sacrifice Isaac in God’s test on him and just as how Jesus sacrificed himself for us.

How much do we do to giving up our desire for a greater good? How much more we are not willing to give up?

If we do remember how He loved us till his death, so what else we would reserve and not to give, if it is for Him?

***
Today when I did the first reading, I found my voice was a bit different from before. I was speaking like a story teller and yes, what happened in Genesis is just like a story surrounding the solid faith of Abraham, which becomes the faith of today’s church. “I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore...”

If we wish

Healing a leper in the Gospel symbolizes many things. Love with no discrimination, that either clean or unclean deserve God's grace, God's power over sin, faith in God's love and so on.

But one question has already been on my mind: why Jesus asked the leper not to tell anyone about his miracle?

Today I've got the answer. It is because Jesus didn't want us to rely on a sign from Him. His Love has no sign but faith. Demand for a sign, a miracle, would draw us to the superstition of believing in wondrous works, rather than His true message of love through healing a leper.

For the truly faithful, no miracle is necessary; for those who must doubt, no miracle is sufficient.

If His wish, we will be saved and He do will it. If we wish, we will be healed. Do we will it?

If we wish and His will be done.

The warmest St Valentine’s Day

Waken up by a warm sunshine kiss this morning and at the moment when I opened the window, I doubted if I were brought to a southern country during sleep.

It was a warm day, in February.

There's nothing strange to wear short sleeves in the warm February in Hong Kong, but it is absolutely an exception in Tokyo. It should have snowed.

Temperature went up to twenty something and seemed people were reluctant to believe that and still wearing down feather coats. I was sweating with my summer tee shirt.

Certain species of sakura have already bloomed. Cloudless sky was freshly bushed with pure blue. It is like a day in late April.

Still feel like either I were in another country, or the clock had sped up.

Despite the dangerous level of cedar pollen spreading in the air, I wanted to smell the freshness of the early spring.

A warm and beautiful day for all the lovers on this very day, isn't it a romantic gift? Look out, chocolate from your beloved ones might melt under the sun. Kiss him/her before the light and warmth go out.

New year coming

Narcissus is too fragile to live until new year comes. Peach blossom may be another choice. In order not to let it bloom too fast, it shouldn't sleep with me, with humidifier and heater on throughout the night.

Hope luck will come in this year along with the pink red colours, just as the peach branches strive through the about-to-snow freezing weather.

On this new year eve, I hope it will snow, I hope it will snow.