"In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.'" Hosea 2:16
The week of January 13-19 was declared as a week of fasting. I decided to fast from my computer from 10:00pm onwards. Very effective fast for me. On Saturday, I started laughing, sometimes for no obvious reason. Maybe cos it snowed in Alabama that morning. I'm not sure when exactly did this start. I was at the Tuscaloosa Ballroom winter ball and stay out late too. Had a crazy mambo lesson and as I was driving home, I chuckled now and then. I noticed every time I did chuckle, giggle or laugh, the power of a lie was broken. I had believed many lies that kept my shell up and kept me hiding from God (& everyone else).
I wanted to get to church early since we would have a visiting speaker, Hansie Steyn from South Africa for the revival services. I was pretty excited since I knew of many testimonies on healing that have happened there. Since I myself have experienced it twice, I was excited for other people to hear or have it themselves. I could sorta contain my laughter.. in church but I felt like laughing the whole time actually. During the evening service there was an altar call, but somehow I didn't feel ready to get out there. I wanted to talk to the speaker first about what it was and be prayed for the next evening. I wanted the pastors to be there when we prayed. The more laughter, the closer I was to what I wanted from God.
"There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God." Many times I have believed those to be lies instead of God's truth. Before I got out there the next evening, I remember saying to God, "Here I am, I don't want to hide anymore. You already know what's wrong. I want to see You and want You to come see me." No shame and no fear. There is NO condemnation in Christ but life and freedom.
I was among the first few people he prayed for and he motioned me to come to the middle. He also wanted the church to hear my confessions and what I wanted from God. I wanted the curses of Freemasonry, rejection, abuse, death to be broken over my life and I wanted them gone as well. As I told of what happened before, I felt such release just by openly telling all these. I had worked through forgiving a lot people the year before so I could also openly forgive them. Hansie said this, "For some reason, I like you. I don't know why, but I like this young lady." I laughed. No one has said that into a microphone before.
I mentioned going to China and Hansie confirmed that God is sending me there. God's anointing is on my life and all these curses had to be dealt with now. If not, China would be an awful experience and I'd be wounded badly. "God is going to use you to do some miracles there and you will come back and tell these pastors of all the wonderful things that happened". (I pray I'll be ready for that.)
As he started praying, I remember this clearly... I heard this voice saying "they don't like you" and I looked around me and behind me. I laughed as I saw the whole church praying for and with me. I thought, I can't believe that .. look at all these people, no one is leaving. Another lie was broken! At one point, Hansie asked if I had suicidal thoughts and suddenly, it dawned on me I did. They were always very subtle thoughts and what-if situations as I'm very inquisitive. I confessed them. I didn't want the spirit of death anymore. All these curses and spirits left.
The funniest part for me was the profession of God's truth. There had been 5 other women who had gone forward for prayer and Hansie had them repeat these too. I wasn't surprised. "I'm special, I'm worthy, I'm royal, I'm wonderfully made, I'm marvellously made, etc.." This one caught me off-guard: I LOVE being me! I had to chuckle when he had me say that.. it counters the statement "I hate being me" which I have often said.
I received many hugs and affirmations. How brave I was to share all these in public! I said it wasn't bravery.. God's love came and there was no more fear. This fulfilled the first dream I mentioned earlier. The lions in my life had to be dealt with in public and their downfall would be seen. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. What a better way with much accountability!
The next morning I received the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. My sister had sent it by surface mail only 12 days ago! It takes an airmail package about 10 days and surface 3-4 weeks. God must have sent His courier angels to deliver this one real quickly. As I began to read the book, many of the verses jumped out especially the ones from Hosea :) The romance may now begin.
So watch out, the extrovert is back, still a little shy but she's back! Gloria Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
My journey to freedom (3): streams in the desert
'"There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
Hosea 2: 15.
As school was and to some extent still is emotionally challenging, God has provided other outlets besides the piano. Firstly, I thank God for TFA. He also led me to this church using a dream. I had visited the church before my first year and just couldn't stay. I went back under God's leading and timing. Things had changed. The friendships I have formed there and the support I have from them are certainly streams in the desert. God has also used them to draw out some difficult issues.
Secondly, dance has been a great outlet for me. Most people will think .. hmm a secular activity. It has been a wonderful journey of self-discovery. In fact, I think it led me to the conclusion I was hiding from my true personality. I used to be an extrovert and all of a sudden I became an extreme introvert when the bullying started. Through my interest and discovered ability in dance, I realized the need to break out of my shell. The shell has been thinned out slowly over the years. (My years in Winfield and Wichita helped immensely too. Thursday night cell: you guys were so nice to me... I choke up when I think about the Christmas gift you all sent!) I'm sure I sometimes confound my partners with this dual personality.
Thirdly, I have been taking classes in Chinese history. I have met some wonderful people there too. Another one of my escape plans from the music dept, has opened a door for me. I am planning to go to Beijing, China this fall. I had been very tentative about applying to the program especially since there was no way I could afford it. Trusting that if God wanted me in China, He would pour the funds out.
Joshua 3: 15-16 "Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho."
I was in Wichita when I heard a sermon on this passage. I knew I had to submit my application, I had to get my feet wet and the water will part. I continued to pray for funds and I grumbled.. how on earth am I going to find money for China. Strangers aren't going to give me money! Getting another job or two on the side wouldn't be easy in a college town. Strangely enough the day I prayed for a job and released that worry, I received a phone call at around 9:15pm asking me to accompany a choir.
The following day my parents called to say someone they met on New Year's Eve has decided to sponsor part of my Beijing studies. There was a visiting preacher and I went forward for prayer. The rhema was "you are accepted, accepted, sooo accepted. God give her the courage to proceed with what she is tentative about. Raise her to be the intercessor You've called her to be. God is bringing you many new things this year, lots of new things." January 6 was a traumatic day 4 yrs ago but God turned it around. In the evening service, God allowed me to feel intense anger over that incident. I forgave and let go. I ended up having a great evening with two friends. For the first time, January 6 was a great day!
I also found out the later that my Beijing application has been accepted. I now have around ten piano students so I can save some money for next spring. I have all my funding (and perhaps more). Complete strangers ARE giving me money.
Hosea 2: 15.
As school was and to some extent still is emotionally challenging, God has provided other outlets besides the piano. Firstly, I thank God for TFA. He also led me to this church using a dream. I had visited the church before my first year and just couldn't stay. I went back under God's leading and timing. Things had changed. The friendships I have formed there and the support I have from them are certainly streams in the desert. God has also used them to draw out some difficult issues.
Secondly, dance has been a great outlet for me. Most people will think .. hmm a secular activity. It has been a wonderful journey of self-discovery. In fact, I think it led me to the conclusion I was hiding from my true personality. I used to be an extrovert and all of a sudden I became an extreme introvert when the bullying started. Through my interest and discovered ability in dance, I realized the need to break out of my shell. The shell has been thinned out slowly over the years. (My years in Winfield and Wichita helped immensely too. Thursday night cell: you guys were so nice to me... I choke up when I think about the Christmas gift you all sent!) I'm sure I sometimes confound my partners with this dual personality.
Thirdly, I have been taking classes in Chinese history. I have met some wonderful people there too. Another one of my escape plans from the music dept, has opened a door for me. I am planning to go to Beijing, China this fall. I had been very tentative about applying to the program especially since there was no way I could afford it. Trusting that if God wanted me in China, He would pour the funds out.
Joshua 3: 15-16 "Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho."
I was in Wichita when I heard a sermon on this passage. I knew I had to submit my application, I had to get my feet wet and the water will part. I continued to pray for funds and I grumbled.. how on earth am I going to find money for China. Strangers aren't going to give me money! Getting another job or two on the side wouldn't be easy in a college town. Strangely enough the day I prayed for a job and released that worry, I received a phone call at around 9:15pm asking me to accompany a choir.
The following day my parents called to say someone they met on New Year's Eve has decided to sponsor part of my Beijing studies. There was a visiting preacher and I went forward for prayer. The rhema was "you are accepted, accepted, sooo accepted. God give her the courage to proceed with what she is tentative about. Raise her to be the intercessor You've called her to be. God is bringing you many new things this year, lots of new things." January 6 was a traumatic day 4 yrs ago but God turned it around. In the evening service, God allowed me to feel intense anger over that incident. I forgave and let go. I ended up having a great evening with two friends. For the first time, January 6 was a great day!
I also found out the later that my Beijing application has been accepted. I now have around ten piano students so I can save some money for next spring. I have all my funding (and perhaps more). Complete strangers ARE giving me money.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
My journey to freedom (2): the desert
"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. ... Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:6 & 14)
God moved me from Kansas away from close friends. I have to say my time in AL up till now has been a desert experience both positive and negative. I do not want to elaborate on the many times I have been wounded by people. In short, I have always experienced rejection, and abuse in some form or another, in varying degrees.
The beginning of 2006 was a time when I had to relive a lot of past hurts and forgive the people involved. I worked with a counsellor briefly and she helped sort through a lot of junk. There was rejection and loneliness to deal with. My sister was getting married and I received 3 wedding announcements in one week. Just coming out of depression, this would have been a setback if not for God's timely promise: "Gloria, I love you and I will provide you a husband" -Feb 1, 2006. It would work out from God's providence and not my doing. How comforting!
A few weeks later, I felt God's calling for me to play a recital series to raise funds for my home church, I knew the time for emotional healing had come. It was only fitting now that my body is whole. It was good to do this as I would see some of them at my sister's wedding and of course, during the summer. The test of my forgiveness was to commit to practicing and using the musical gifts they tried to ignore or suppress. When I finished the recital series, I knew I had released them.
At the end of the series, I received two dreams from God in two consecutive nights. In the first dream, I saw a very fierce lion tormenting the townsfolk. It was roaming the town square and I could not get to my car which was parked nearby. The scene was rather chaotic as people tried to figure out what to do. To make matters worse there were lionnesses and younger lions too. My friends offered me ride and I went with them for awhile, but I insisted on getting my car. They dropped me off near the square again. There were still many people around watching these beasts. Suddenly, another lion appeared and the people exclaimed. This second lion walked up to the first lion and we watched. This lion took a swat and the next scene in the dream there was only one lion left. The first lion was gone. "There's not even a piece of fur left! Did you see that?" Pretty scary and awesome dream at the same time.
The second dream just tickled me. I dreamt I was in a mall (I know, you must be thinking .. "Gloria and shopping, why am I not surprised?" ...). There was a shop that caught my attention. There wasn't really anything in the shop but it had bright colors. The walls were bright pink and the floor was flourescent green. I walked in the shop and immediately confetti fell on me. It was big, sturdy pieces of gold foil in a triangular shape. I thought it was fun and so I stepped out to see whether more confetti would fall. I jumped in again and sure enough, it did. I did this over and over again. Playing, spinning in circles and laughing in this rain of confetti, I did eventually became hungry. I decided to look for some food. I found the food court and sat down at a bright orange round table. The moment I sat down all my favorite white-colored food appeared. Different noodles, sweet tofu, sweets etc ;) It covered the table. I was so delighted and began to dig in, of course! Before I could finish a plate, another of the same appeared. I couldn't stop trying all the dishes and I wasn't getting sick from this indulgent fare. You can imagine, I woke up with a smile that morning.
Later that day, I found out both dreams were related to the same passage in the bible.
"I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid." Ezekiel 34: 25-28
I returned to AL and little did I know, it would be a very difficult academic year 06/07. There will be much more pain. I held on to this promise in Ezekiel along with other promises and prophecies spoken over me.
God moved me from Kansas away from close friends. I have to say my time in AL up till now has been a desert experience both positive and negative. I do not want to elaborate on the many times I have been wounded by people. In short, I have always experienced rejection, and abuse in some form or another, in varying degrees.
The beginning of 2006 was a time when I had to relive a lot of past hurts and forgive the people involved. I worked with a counsellor briefly and she helped sort through a lot of junk. There was rejection and loneliness to deal with. My sister was getting married and I received 3 wedding announcements in one week. Just coming out of depression, this would have been a setback if not for God's timely promise: "Gloria, I love you and I will provide you a husband" -Feb 1, 2006. It would work out from God's providence and not my doing. How comforting!
A few weeks later, I felt God's calling for me to play a recital series to raise funds for my home church, I knew the time for emotional healing had come. It was only fitting now that my body is whole. It was good to do this as I would see some of them at my sister's wedding and of course, during the summer. The test of my forgiveness was to commit to practicing and using the musical gifts they tried to ignore or suppress. When I finished the recital series, I knew I had released them.
At the end of the series, I received two dreams from God in two consecutive nights. In the first dream, I saw a very fierce lion tormenting the townsfolk. It was roaming the town square and I could not get to my car which was parked nearby. The scene was rather chaotic as people tried to figure out what to do. To make matters worse there were lionnesses and younger lions too. My friends offered me ride and I went with them for awhile, but I insisted on getting my car. They dropped me off near the square again. There were still many people around watching these beasts. Suddenly, another lion appeared and the people exclaimed. This second lion walked up to the first lion and we watched. This lion took a swat and the next scene in the dream there was only one lion left. The first lion was gone. "There's not even a piece of fur left! Did you see that?" Pretty scary and awesome dream at the same time.
The second dream just tickled me. I dreamt I was in a mall (I know, you must be thinking .. "Gloria and shopping, why am I not surprised?" ...). There was a shop that caught my attention. There wasn't really anything in the shop but it had bright colors. The walls were bright pink and the floor was flourescent green. I walked in the shop and immediately confetti fell on me. It was big, sturdy pieces of gold foil in a triangular shape. I thought it was fun and so I stepped out to see whether more confetti would fall. I jumped in again and sure enough, it did. I did this over and over again. Playing, spinning in circles and laughing in this rain of confetti, I did eventually became hungry. I decided to look for some food. I found the food court and sat down at a bright orange round table. The moment I sat down all my favorite white-colored food appeared. Different noodles, sweet tofu, sweets etc ;) It covered the table. I was so delighted and began to dig in, of course! Before I could finish a plate, another of the same appeared. I couldn't stop trying all the dishes and I wasn't getting sick from this indulgent fare. You can imagine, I woke up with a smile that morning.
Later that day, I found out both dreams were related to the same passage in the bible.
"I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forests in safety. I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid." Ezekiel 34: 25-28
I returned to AL and little did I know, it would be a very difficult academic year 06/07. There will be much more pain. I held on to this promise in Ezekiel along with other promises and prophecies spoken over me.
My journey to freedom: physical healing
"Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " Ezekiel 37: 4-6
These miraculous events happened in the summer of 2005:
I visited a bible study and we discussed meeting God, how for some people it is very dramatic. I said I don't know why but I don't really want God to come see me cos I'm scared so I'm holding Him at arm's length. God heard me say that. Lovingly and gently in the middle of that night, He came and poured love on me. I woke up and His strong presence is unmistakenable. I kept saying I'm not deserving of this but He poured more. I have never encountered Him like this before.
The following week I was freed from my cat allergy, skin and joint problems: two things I picked up in Kansas. After that night, my allergies left. I could play with my furry friends all I wanted. It was great cos we had 5 cats, 2 kittens and 3 dogs at that moment.
I have been suffering from joint pains in the neck and shoulders for along time as some of you probably remember. While packing for AL, I developed hip pain also out of the blue. I paid a visit to a Chinese medical practitioner in Kampar and she encouraged me to visit her teacher who was visiting from China. He is a chiropractor, physiotherapist and Chinese acupuncturist. Upon his first exam, he determined I needed a neck x-ray and suspected cervical misalignment. I took the x-ray and the diagnosis or prognosis was not good. It really sank me to read that I had cervical spondylosis in two vertebrae. I really didn't want a condition that is usually seen in seniors and would worsen with age. Well I didn't have to suffer with it anymore.
Grace asked me to trace when the joint pains first started cos I didn't have them when I was growing up. I started to recall a lot of days at Southwestern College and finally traced an incident that happened my freshman year. It was the night before Keynotes was supposed to go to MacPherson. I slipped (that's what I thought) on the stairs in Broadhurst and to avoid a head-on fall I grabbed the railings, twisting my whole body out of alignment. I had never ever slipped on stairs before that and this marked the beginning of my six-year struggle with joint pains. Silently, my skin problems also started. I attributed my eczema and dermatitis to the Kansas climate. I had another accident before another Keynotes outing to Augusta (sophomore year) when I burned my fingers and didn't realize it. Something blinded me to the pain so that I could not treat the first "attack". I even did dishes with steaming hot water but never realized how much more damage I had incurred until 6am the next morning. Looking back, all those were all spiritual attacks and I really got slammed. Hopefully with God's grace all that He wanted done got done.
Grace and my dad prayed for me that night after the diagnosis. We all wouldn't accept that this condition was God's plan for me. I prayed and forgave everyone I could try to hold accountable for letting these things happen. While praying in the Spirit, my sis received a vision and it showed the true cause of my joint pains. She saw a huge white lizard clamped on my body. It was biting my neck, its front legs were dug into my shoulders and the tail was hooked around my lower spine and hip. All these spots are the problem areas. I prayed and asked God's forgiveness if I had gone where I shouldn't have. This spirit was of the native land and I'm not exactly sure what the history of the land where SC stands. As my sis and dad prayed, I could feel it squirming and twitching muscles in the process. In Jesus' Name, she had to command it to take its bite out, remove each of the feet and uncoil its tail. It wasn't going to leave without a fight. When God's holy fire came, it had to let go. PTL!!
After it left, there was no longer a burden on my body but its effects on me were still present. It had degenerated & twisted my bones. My body was so out of alignment. The tips of my fingers didn't meet exactly when both hands touched, my elbows and shoulders out of place, my feet were slightly imbalanced and my spine was of course twisted. The Holy Spirit is the most gentle chiropractor and already paid for with Jesus' blood. As my sister commanded each muscle, tendon, ligament and bones to get back in place in the Name of Jesus, I felt an electric current flow through my body. I could see and feel my bones and muscles move. There were some muscles who"called" out for attention. My sis had already ended the prayer when my left arm wouldn't stop twitching. Well she prayed for the right arm and the left didn't want to be left out. It was pretty hilarious as she heard a tiny voice call out "you forgot me". I no longer had the awful knots in my shoulders and certainly, with proper alignment as God's manual intended I had not felt as good in years. I'm sure there is no more spondylosis. The scaling and peeling on my face healed slowly and by the end of the week, I had clear skin. No more lizard skin!
If you read till here, this is just the beginning of God's healing in my life. Physical healing is easy and could be instant. Now onto the tougher stuff: healing of the heart.
These miraculous events happened in the summer of 2005:
I visited a bible study and we discussed meeting God, how for some people it is very dramatic. I said I don't know why but I don't really want God to come see me cos I'm scared so I'm holding Him at arm's length. God heard me say that. Lovingly and gently in the middle of that night, He came and poured love on me. I woke up and His strong presence is unmistakenable. I kept saying I'm not deserving of this but He poured more. I have never encountered Him like this before.
The following week I was freed from my cat allergy, skin and joint problems: two things I picked up in Kansas. After that night, my allergies left. I could play with my furry friends all I wanted. It was great cos we had 5 cats, 2 kittens and 3 dogs at that moment.
I have been suffering from joint pains in the neck and shoulders for along time as some of you probably remember. While packing for AL, I developed hip pain also out of the blue. I paid a visit to a Chinese medical practitioner in Kampar and she encouraged me to visit her teacher who was visiting from China. He is a chiropractor, physiotherapist and Chinese acupuncturist. Upon his first exam, he determined I needed a neck x-ray and suspected cervical misalignment. I took the x-ray and the diagnosis or prognosis was not good. It really sank me to read that I had cervical spondylosis in two vertebrae. I really didn't want a condition that is usually seen in seniors and would worsen with age. Well I didn't have to suffer with it anymore.
Grace asked me to trace when the joint pains first started cos I didn't have them when I was growing up. I started to recall a lot of days at Southwestern College and finally traced an incident that happened my freshman year. It was the night before Keynotes was supposed to go to MacPherson. I slipped (that's what I thought) on the stairs in Broadhurst and to avoid a head-on fall I grabbed the railings, twisting my whole body out of alignment. I had never ever slipped on stairs before that and this marked the beginning of my six-year struggle with joint pains. Silently, my skin problems also started. I attributed my eczema and dermatitis to the Kansas climate. I had another accident before another Keynotes outing to Augusta (sophomore year) when I burned my fingers and didn't realize it. Something blinded me to the pain so that I could not treat the first "attack". I even did dishes with steaming hot water but never realized how much more damage I had incurred until 6am the next morning. Looking back, all those were all spiritual attacks and I really got slammed. Hopefully with God's grace all that He wanted done got done.
Grace and my dad prayed for me that night after the diagnosis. We all wouldn't accept that this condition was God's plan for me. I prayed and forgave everyone I could try to hold accountable for letting these things happen. While praying in the Spirit, my sis received a vision and it showed the true cause of my joint pains. She saw a huge white lizard clamped on my body. It was biting my neck, its front legs were dug into my shoulders and the tail was hooked around my lower spine and hip. All these spots are the problem areas. I prayed and asked God's forgiveness if I had gone where I shouldn't have. This spirit was of the native land and I'm not exactly sure what the history of the land where SC stands. As my sis and dad prayed, I could feel it squirming and twitching muscles in the process. In Jesus' Name, she had to command it to take its bite out, remove each of the feet and uncoil its tail. It wasn't going to leave without a fight. When God's holy fire came, it had to let go. PTL!!
After it left, there was no longer a burden on my body but its effects on me were still present. It had degenerated & twisted my bones. My body was so out of alignment. The tips of my fingers didn't meet exactly when both hands touched, my elbows and shoulders out of place, my feet were slightly imbalanced and my spine was of course twisted. The Holy Spirit is the most gentle chiropractor and already paid for with Jesus' blood. As my sister commanded each muscle, tendon, ligament and bones to get back in place in the Name of Jesus, I felt an electric current flow through my body. I could see and feel my bones and muscles move. There were some muscles who"called" out for attention. My sis had already ended the prayer when my left arm wouldn't stop twitching. Well she prayed for the right arm and the left didn't want to be left out. It was pretty hilarious as she heard a tiny voice call out "you forgot me". I no longer had the awful knots in my shoulders and certainly, with proper alignment as God's manual intended I had not felt as good in years. I'm sure there is no more spondylosis. The scaling and peeling on my face healed slowly and by the end of the week, I had clear skin. No more lizard skin!
If you read till here, this is just the beginning of God's healing in my life. Physical healing is easy and could be instant. Now onto the tougher stuff: healing of the heart.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Birthday Tomorrow - Random Stuff
Alright, I like this article a lot. Afternoon naps improve memory... This may explain why my recital prep works.. I warm up and practice a little in the morning or early afternoon. Usually it would be followed by lunch and I'll study the score one last time. I must have a good nap. It's a blessing to be relaxed enough to sleep before a recital. :)
Goodness! It looks like this year is going to be an adventure. Some pretty interesting turn of events. I'm dancing or doing something for "Dancing with the Stars" UA version in late Feb?? Hahaha. Justin has already kidded me as to whether I'll take up acting next. Means I'll have to practice seriously and those leather shoes better be here soon. Semester in China is coming up in the fall. All the prep work for that.. I'm forcing myself to speak Mandarin at the Chinese restaurants here. Who would have known huh?
Signing off one last time as a 27-yr-old ;D
Goodness! It looks like this year is going to be an adventure. Some pretty interesting turn of events. I'm dancing or doing something for "Dancing with the Stars" UA version in late Feb?? Hahaha. Justin has already kidded me as to whether I'll take up acting next. Means I'll have to practice seriously and those leather shoes better be here soon. Semester in China is coming up in the fall. All the prep work for that.. I'm forcing myself to speak Mandarin at the Chinese restaurants here. Who would have known huh?
Signing off one last time as a 27-yr-old ;D
Saturday, January 5, 2008
My Fruitcake Recipe *laughs*
Ok ok I know .. I'm sorry to those of you who were expecting a fruitcake from me. Since I usually start the planning process during Thanksgiving, I didn't this year. I was down in Gulf Shores at the beach. I bought all the ingredients though but never made it. Life got real crazy with two last minute gigs and lots of accompanying. Here it is adapted from my godma's recipe.. in a typical Gloria sort of way:
Fruit Cake Recipe
1. 4 cups (675g) mixed fruit & nuts: red & green cherries chopped, black & golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts etc.
2. ¼ cup mixed peel: orange, lemon rind fresh (Don’t use candied citron!)
3. ½ cup dark rum (Myers Jamaican is my preference) or peach brandy
4. 1-2 tsb plain flour
5. Two sticks of butter softened (250g)
6. 1 cup brown sugar
7. ¼ cup of light corn syrup
8. ¼ cup marmalade
9. 1 tsp vanilla essence
10. 3 large eggs (room temperature preferred)
11. 1 ¼ cups of plain flour
12. 1 heaped tsp of baking powder
13. 2 tsb mixed spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
14. pinch of salt
15. 2 loaf pans & wax paper to line
16. Extra pan for water
17. Foil to wrap
Directions:
1. Macerate mixed fruit and peel with dark rum or peach brandy in a large bowl and cover. If possible, let it stand overnight.
2.Cream butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, marmalade and vanilla essence together. Beat until fluffy.
3. Whisk eggs lightly in separate bowl.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, mixed spices and salt together.
5. Pre-heat oven to 300 F.
6. Add eggs and flour to batter alternately.
7. Dust fruit mixture with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
8. Add fruit mixture to batter a little at a time. Stir to mix evenly.
9. Line 2 loaf pans (4x10) or 3 smaller foil ones 3X6.. with greased wax paper. Tip: Save the butter wrapper to grease paper.
10. Pour batter into pans.
11. Place a pan of water in the oven. Bake in top rack of oven for 50-60 mins at 300F. If cake browns before it’s done, cover sides with foil.
12. Check cake by poking a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
13. When cake is done, remove from oven & let it cool in the pan. Brush top of cake with rum.
14. When it is totally cool, remove cake from pan and place on piece of foil. Brush all sides of cake with rum and cover with foil. Place in fridge or cool place.
15. Brush rum again the next day.
16. Let the cake sit for a few days to a week and THEN enjoy!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
True Hero Ignored...
A family friend of ours lost their son, Kerk Zi On and this was ignored by the Malaysian press altogether. He is being recommended for the National Bravery Award for saving the life of a complete stranger and losing his in return. His parents were part of the organizing committee for the recital series in Malaysia two summers ago.
Dec 30, 2007 Letter from Zi On's Parents
-------------
Dec 7, 2007 - THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.Zi-On Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Zi-Lu Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own."He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears."He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile"."He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Tan said.She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland."We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Tan said.
Mr Keng said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.Inspector Mark Jones said Zi-On's family would accompany water police to Moreton Island tomorrow to view the search area.
Dec 30, 2007 Letter from Zi On's Parents
-------------
Dec 7, 2007 - THE family of a Malaysian-born man missing off Moreton Island yesterday spoke of their pride in their son's heroic final actions as hopes of finding him alive all but evaporated.Zi-On Kerk, 25, was last seen assisting a young Korean woman in Honeymoon Bay on the northern tip of the island at 3.40pm on Wednesday.Police described how he threw the woman on to rocks, possibly saving her life before he was swept away by a wave.
Brother Brian Zi-Lu Kerk, who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne to be with his grieving parents, said it did not surprise him to hear Zion had put someone else's well-being before his own."He was always helping people. He has such a kind nature. It's just like him to do something like this," said Mr Kerk fighting back tears."He's not a big guy. He's like a stick and he was not a strong swimmer . . . It's such a shock," he said. "He will always be my older brother."
Mother Chong Cho Tan who flew from Malaysia last night with Zion's father Kerk Choon Keng, said her eldest son was a sergeant in the boys' brigade who kept a "low profile"."He was a loving son, a good brother. We're a very close family," Mrs Tan said.She said Zion had studied commerce and accounting in Canberra before moving to Brisbane to undertake a master's degree in property valuation at the University of Queensland."We're hoping for the best but if God has taken him then we have to accept that," Mrs Tan said.
Mr Keng said the family had been briefed by the water police and understood the search would soon become a recovery operation for his body.Inspector Mark Jones said Zi-On's family would accompany water police to Moreton Island tomorrow to view the search area.
Dance and I
I have been thinking about this subject for the past few months. I wonder how directly or indirectly dancing has influenced my piano playing. I finally had the chance to review the video recording of the last recital in Winfield. I couldn't help but notice the motions and timing of the phrases. Of course, they have been consciously (theoretically and historically studied) planned but often times the actual performance is not what I intended. For the first time, the outcome matched my intentions. Certainly in the playing the piano, I could take on another character but often times I am unwilling to let myself do it.
I wonder whether the long hidden extrovert is finally coming alive again. I think I have suppressed that side of me for sometime now. I know for sure dancing has given me a great outlet and enlarged my circle of friends here in AL. It has improved my coordination and keeps me in better shape. It takes a certain amount of self-confidence and courage to get on the dance floor when it's not contra! If my former roomie is correct, I love attention but hate to admit it. I guess if I do enjoy performing, it means about the same thing. :)
I don't really have a favorite dance. I really enjoy contra because it involves a whole group and it is not exclusive. You end up dancing with everyone and it doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has a great time. I like a good partner who can swing properly, I don't mind a fast twirl. Even though it looks like everyone is doing the same thing, a lot of us improvise within the dance. When it gets close to recital time, I wear my wrist brace to contra since some people don't allemande properly. I like Celtic and bluegrass music for down time so it's my cup of tea.
Ballroom is a different game .. I like it for different reasons. It's more ... like my former dean said.. "even your leisure time is structured!". I guess I'll get to wear my recital dresses more often, although at times I just don't want to be dressed up. I have found out that people watch other people on the dance floor. Scary! Half the time I don't know what I'm doing. Oops.. I'm not allowed to say I don't know how to dance anymore. I get asked often so maybe I do know how to dance. I have been blessed with the opportunity to dance with good partners. Most of my lessons occur on the dance floor. One thing I know, if he leads, I'll follow. (It would be frustrating to dance with someone who doesn't.) It's been a good experience coming out of my shell.
In the meantime, I'll have fun turning every pair of shoes upside down to find leather soles ;)
I wonder whether the long hidden extrovert is finally coming alive again. I think I have suppressed that side of me for sometime now. I know for sure dancing has given me a great outlet and enlarged my circle of friends here in AL. It has improved my coordination and keeps me in better shape. It takes a certain amount of self-confidence and courage to get on the dance floor when it's not contra! If my former roomie is correct, I love attention but hate to admit it. I guess if I do enjoy performing, it means about the same thing. :)
I don't really have a favorite dance. I really enjoy contra because it involves a whole group and it is not exclusive. You end up dancing with everyone and it doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has a great time. I like a good partner who can swing properly, I don't mind a fast twirl. Even though it looks like everyone is doing the same thing, a lot of us improvise within the dance. When it gets close to recital time, I wear my wrist brace to contra since some people don't allemande properly. I like Celtic and bluegrass music for down time so it's my cup of tea.
I would love to dance some more international folk. I know it would help my sense of rhythm when it comes to changing meters and assymetric rhythms. I finally feel comfortable with 5/8 and 7/8 time signatures after the sessions with Daniela Ivanova. This would definitely help my sight-reading at the piano. Hopefully, I can teach some of these to my world music students.
Ballroom is a different game .. I like it for different reasons. It's more ... like my former dean said.. "even your leisure time is structured!". I guess I'll get to wear my recital dresses more often, although at times I just don't want to be dressed up. I have found out that people watch other people on the dance floor. Scary! Half the time I don't know what I'm doing. Oops.. I'm not allowed to say I don't know how to dance anymore. I get asked often so maybe I do know how to dance. I have been blessed with the opportunity to dance with good partners. Most of my lessons occur on the dance floor. One thing I know, if he leads, I'll follow. (It would be frustrating to dance with someone who doesn't.) It's been a good experience coming out of my shell.
In the meantime, I'll have fun turning every pair of shoes upside down to find leather soles ;)
Christmas & the new year 2008
Where did the year go? I guess it's Happy New Year 2008... To those of you whom I didn't manage to send a Christmas newsletter to, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! There are many things for me to look forward to this year. There will be several firsts and new opportunities for me. As with the new and unknown, there will also be many challenges ahead.
I am continuing to teach music appreciation and world music this spring semester. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed with planning the world music class. I have too many ideas right now and haven't figured out the course outline. Our dept has also decided to include more classroom technology for music appreciation so I'm spending quite a bit of time learning to manage this. At least, all the paperwork for this class is finished. That's the teacher side of me.
The student part: ... hooray.. no more music classes!! I won't be graduating this semester as I originally planned. A mistake in the filing deadlines has put me behind. With this setback comes a great opportunity to spend a semester in Beijing this fall. I am very excited about this possibility. Going to China would also allow me to spend my entire summer & also eventually Christmas in Malaysia. :) Since I have no obligations in the US, I am taking this chance now to spend almost 7 months in Asia.... reverse culture shock is going to hit me. It would be good to utilize the Chinese I learned a long time ago and do some research in China.
As for the piano, I'm learning a new program for my final recital. After playing the 40 min Schubert, everything seems short (no offense to anyone). I intend to have all the pieces memorized this semester and play the recital after I return from Beijing. I will have a more technically challenging recital this time. Some of the pieces on the program include Beethoven's Sonata in E minor op. 90, Schumann's Papillons op. 2, Tcherepnin's Five Chinese Concert Etudes and yes, yes, I know... I'm giving in.. Chopin's Barcarolle!
Other developments:
- I have finally given in to the mp3 player and digital camera craze. I'm definitely not a technophobe since I maintain the dept's equipment. I just didn't want to spend the money on it.
- I'm dancing way more than I have (or should perhaps). I have several invitations to check out some dance groups.. swing, international folk, contra, & ballroom. I went to a contradance on New Year's Eve and ended up dancing a waltz followed by a polka to usher in the new year. Fun!
- I am still looking for piano students and will try to teach with some of the music schools here. I think it is time I came out of piano teaching hibernation.
I am continuing to teach music appreciation and world music this spring semester. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed with planning the world music class. I have too many ideas right now and haven't figured out the course outline. Our dept has also decided to include more classroom technology for music appreciation so I'm spending quite a bit of time learning to manage this. At least, all the paperwork for this class is finished. That's the teacher side of me.
The student part: ... hooray.. no more music classes!! I won't be graduating this semester as I originally planned. A mistake in the filing deadlines has put me behind. With this setback comes a great opportunity to spend a semester in Beijing this fall. I am very excited about this possibility. Going to China would also allow me to spend my entire summer & also eventually Christmas in Malaysia. :) Since I have no obligations in the US, I am taking this chance now to spend almost 7 months in Asia.... reverse culture shock is going to hit me. It would be good to utilize the Chinese I learned a long time ago and do some research in China.
As for the piano, I'm learning a new program for my final recital. After playing the 40 min Schubert, everything seems short (no offense to anyone). I intend to have all the pieces memorized this semester and play the recital after I return from Beijing. I will have a more technically challenging recital this time. Some of the pieces on the program include Beethoven's Sonata in E minor op. 90, Schumann's Papillons op. 2, Tcherepnin's Five Chinese Concert Etudes and yes, yes, I know... I'm giving in.. Chopin's Barcarolle!
Other developments:
- I have finally given in to the mp3 player and digital camera craze. I'm definitely not a technophobe since I maintain the dept's equipment. I just didn't want to spend the money on it.
- I'm dancing way more than I have (or should perhaps). I have several invitations to check out some dance groups.. swing, international folk, contra, & ballroom. I went to a contradance on New Year's Eve and ended up dancing a waltz followed by a polka to usher in the new year. Fun!
- I am still looking for piano students and will try to teach with some of the music schools here. I think it is time I came out of piano teaching hibernation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)