Another year older

Today is my Birthday, another year older, another year wiser. No intention for big celebration since I knew that I will be away to USA for a week, what is more I already felt like my birthday for 4 continuous nights already in New York City. The Lord blessed me with this short trip, which already served as a pre-celebration that leading to today 15th July 2007.

This morning, we had a simple lunch with Onki and Jo Jo before we head to church. Today a sister in the church shared about her experience using 2 Corinthians 5:5 - Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come". I felt that the Lord also wants me to take this verse personally and reassuring me that He is empowered me for the next season.

Tonight Johannes brought me to a Indonesian Grill restaurant in Den Haag where we had a meal by ourselves. I opt for Asian food because I have been eating western food when I was in the State. The meal was just perfect to tune me back to Asian's palette again.

This photo is taken in front of the Queen's office. The sculpture is called "The Kiss", it is the Art Neuvo replicas of Gustav Klim.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

With Love from New Jersey

Manhattan view from Edgewater, New Jersey

Me with Manhattan as background

Sunset in New Jersey, along Hudson River

Tonight I went out with S and G. This is the only night I didn't get myself to NYC but explore the charming part of New Jersey. G is very hospitable and brought S and myself around NJ. We had our dinner at one of the restaurants at Edgewater promenade along Hudson River with the view of Manhattan. We sat from late afternoon till night sipping our Cosmopolitan and chatting and catch up our stories since our ex-company generation. Tonight is my last night here, I have been enjoying myself so much this trip. I finally seen New York city from different perspectives as if I am already fall in love with this city. NYC, I will see you very soon, till we meet again in fall....

Manhattan by night

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present the night view of Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn.

Viva Big Apple!! Enjoy!!

Grand Central Station

Our last stop before heading back to Fort Lee was Grand Central Station. Although I have passed by a couple of time during my last visit, but I never actually been into the building itself. It looks more like a grand theatre than a train station. The high ceiling and the constellation drawings are great display, the chandelier also made the terminal building more impression than any other train stations in the world.

New York Stock Exchange

The A-Team posing at the New York Stock Exchange building. This is also where your company was listed. The A-Team consists of SM (UK based Malaysian), GY (American-Japanese mixed), NP(UK based French) and Me (NL based malaymui).

Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn

11th July 2007, heavy rain.

Today we had another early day from work. Nicholas wanted to head to the city and so we decided to check out SoHo as it is famous for its Chic boutiques. After an hour of shopping in the rain, we head towards Brooklyn to enjoy a famous pizza meal at Grimaldi (just under the Brooklyn Bridge). As this area provide the perfect view of Manhattan, it actually was a great place to unwind in the evening. We managed to enjoy the view of Manhattan before the sunset and also the night view after our dinner.

Manhattan skyline -- Very impressive indeed!!

Empire State Building

10 July 2007, weather is extremely hot and humid, apparently NJ/NY is in the midst of heat wave this week. Well, I should count this a blessing, after all the summer in Europe has been terribly wet and cold so far..

Workshop went well with client today, finished on time. Since Grace has a rented car, we decided to cross George Washington Bridge to New York instead of staying in New Jersey.

We went to upper west side of Manhattan nearby Central Park for dinner. The Cuban dinner was excellence, we shared our starters – calamari and oyster shooters. I ordered seafood paella and it came with a giant lobster and endless of scallops, shrimps and many others. I was struggling with finishing the seafood, let alone the delicious rice.

The night is still warm and young, since this is the first trip for one of my team members; we decided to give him a crush course orientation of Manhattan. We visited Empire state building, straight up to 86^th floor for the night view of NYC. The visibility is around 10 Miles, despite of the crowds; the night view was charming and magnificent.

Glamorous NYC

9th July 2007, 35 C, Humidity 99%, New York City

When I set off from Zoetermeer it was only 15 C, by the time I arrived at Newark airport it was 35 C in the mid afternoon. I have to literally strip off my layers of clothing to adjust to the temperature. Finally after the relatively chilled and wet summer days in June, I once again welcomed by the sunshine and the heat wave in New Jersey and New York. I couldn't wait but check out the NYC and heading straight to Manhattan in the early afternoon. Good to walk on 5th Avenue again and seeing the yellow cabs and the world's famous designer store along the way. Met up with Megan and Liz who happened to be also in NJ and we had a girl night-out in the NYC.

20 Blessings

The following list counts 20 blessings from the Bible for you and me. May it strengthen you when you are down.

1. Why do I say “I can’t do it” if the Bible says that I can do all things to Christ which strengthened me (Phil 4:13)?

2. Why do I feel lacking if I know that God will supply my every need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19)?

3. Why should I feel afraid if the Bible says that God did not give me a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7)?

4. Why should I feel lacking in faith if I know that God has assigned me a measure of faith (Rom 12:3)?

5. Why do I become weak if the Bible says that God is my light and salvation and I will be strong and do exploits (Psalm 27:1, Dan 11:32)?

6. Why should I let the devil win over my life if the Spirit that lives in me is stronger than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4)?

7. Why should I surrender if the Bible says that God will always lead me triumphantly in Christ (2 Cor 2:14)?

8. Why should I lack in wisdom if Christ himself has become wisdom for me and God will give me wisdom if we ask Him (1 Cor 1:30, James 1:5)?

9. Why should I be depressed if I can remember that I can hope in God whose faithfulness is renewed every morning (Lament 3:21-23)?

10. Why should I worry, stressed, and complain if I can throw all my worries to God because He cares for me (1 Pet 5:7)?

11. Why should I always live under burden if I know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and Christ has set us free (2 Cor 3:17, Gal 5:1)?

12. Why should I feel punished if the Bible says that there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1)?

13. Why should I feel alone if Jesus says that He will always be with me, never leave or abandon me (Mat 28:20, Heb 13:5)?

14. Why should I feel cursed or feel unlucky if the Bible says that Christ has redeem us from the curse of the Law so that through faith we receive the promised Spirit (Gal 3:13-14)?

15. Why should I feel not enough in this life if I, just like Paul, can learn to be content in whatever situation I am (Phil 4:11)?

16. Why should I feel unworthy if Chris has become sin for us, so that in Him, we become God’s righteousness (2 Cor 5:21)?

17. Why should I feel afraid against other people if I know that if God is for me, nobody can be against us (Rom 8:31)?

18. Why should I be confused if God is the King of Peace and He gives us knowledge through His Spirit that lives in us (1 Cor 14:33, 2:12)?

19. Why should I keep failing and falling if the Bible says that as children of God, I am more than conqueror through Him who love me (Rom 8:37)?

20. Why should I let the pressures of lives disturb me if I can have strength because I know that Lord Jesus has conquered the world and suffering (John 16:33)? “Be still and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10a).