strolling.along.kraanlei

you walk along the river bank, now you focus on detail. you observe the color of doors and windows. you wonder who lives behind these windows and what the stories are behind each window . you wonder if these windows have been there since the beginning....

you now pay attention to the lock of the doors. these things just intrigue you now. never mind the peeling paints, never mind the rustic look. you wonder how the interior of these buildings look like. you are tempted to walk in but you not is impossible.

then you spot a nice little tea room. you are not in the mood for sweet tooth at this moment. so you say to yourself tomorrow you will come by for a cup of tea. you spot a gummy cake and cupcakes. you wonder if the gummy cake is delicious but it is definitely interesting. you can't help but walk in just to take some photos

then you come to the end of the cobbled street, you turn left into a main road. you are welcomed by this giant fortress 'gravensteen' or the castle of the counts

you walk into the castle. you feel the past glory of this place. you actually walk into the underground without paying since no one is stopping you. you decide you should not do take the advantage, so you walk up to the reception and walk out...

red.antique.ghent

you walk past some antique shops and take a stroll inside. you love some of these things but you know you will never take them home. still you browse through them merrily …

by now you are at the patershol district of the city. the red doors and window frames catch your attention. you realize it is a folklore museum ‘het huis van aljin’... you don't want to go in for a visit but you are deeply attracted by the red element of the building...

het huis van aljin - exterior across a few houses

at the entrance and the poster for the current exhibition

the lovely courtyard

you stop. you admire. you soak in the atmosphere. you walk on...

ghent.soup

you walk further and come across a market at a square called vrijdagmarkt, it is already past 1pm, the stalls are clearing up. you still manage to get a german sausage at one store and hungrily tug in.

you carry on walking in search for food and notice a soup lounge that seems interesting… you decide to walk in..

the choice is simple here, all you need to decide is the type of soup you want even then it is limited to four choices.. all come with an apple and two buns.

you want a carrot soup, he orders mushroom soup… you settle at the corner painted in pastel peppermint and sit by the window.

the sunlight enchant your humble soup with a dash of sun ray… you taste a spoonful and the soup takes you by surprise as you grasp the taste of organic, it is so fresh and so natural almost with no preservative in it…

you are glad you make a right choice… you are satisfied for the time being…

arriving.ghent

you are approaching the city, you see the ugly industrial area, you wonder if this is the right place to be… once you drive into the city center, you ride on cobbled roads, you hear the sound of the tyres on the uneven road, you see different towers and churches and you tell yourself you are in the ancient city…

you checked-in. you were told you have been upgraded to an upgrade to executive room. you are thrill and you shout out loud that the time is yours because you have been experiencing God’s blessings in a row… you first come across the walk-in closet, you admire the extra spacious bathroom.

you look at the attic window and enjoy the natural sunlight, you climb up the sofa and peep your head out to enjoy the city view, you are thankful for a new suite even though you know you are here only for one night. you enjoy a cup of nespresso in the room before checking out the city.

you step out the hotel and you are overwhelm by this gothic city hall right in front of you. you drop the plan on how you want to conquer the city. you decide to just wondering around not looking at the map and let the city surprises you. you know you won’t get lost in this city, you know the adventure will continue and you will see more, experience more in this medieval city...

you walk around, stumble into many old buildings that you don't even know why they existed...

you are hungry and can’t decide what to eat, you walk to groot vleeshouse but he doesn’t like the east vlanderen’s fare

you decide to have some thing sweet while you find a place to eat. the sweet caught your attention. you bought a small pack. you are surprised by the gooey natural syrup of blueberry that so natural and fresh. you walk on...

you come to the river side. you stop by briefly to admire the old houses along the river bank and the many cafes and restaurants along both side of the river. you walk further because you are hungry but you don't want to eat at a tourist trap restaurant.

you don't know where you are now, but you are glad that you get lost and encounter more buildings like this and this...

off.to...

tomorrow is a public holiday (yah!)... queen's eve (tonight) and queen's day (30th april) is usually celebrated in an elaborated way with people dressing in orange color, partying, drinking and be merry...

we are heading to belgium for a short overnight trip, my little white bear has been busy reading up on ....

happy queen's day, viva orange!!

miracle.continues...

i am swamp by the grace of God.... really nothing could describe how grateful i am to Him... He did it again... here is another miracle and another testimony of His miraculous work, two weeks in a row...

to set the situation in context, there is some sort of blood stain developed in my left eye and my internist has referred me to eye specialist. on the first consultation in early march, the conclusion is my left eye (the eye with spot of blood stain) has only 60% of vision. the doctor was a bit worried as it may be a complication of diabetes and referred me to do a neurophysiology so that i can be treated properly to prevent the lost of vision.

i did the neurophysiology test two weeks ago, and this afternoon i went to him to discuss the result. he told me he couldn't believe the outcome of neurophysiology report because besides myopia (short sighted that i have for years), my vision is perfect. there is no trace or sign of eye disease nor diabetes related problem. the stain is just a pigment that will not affect my vision.

well, i am in awe and i couldn't explain the result either, except all i know is when my Lord is restoring me, He is restoring me to the fullest...

the doctor did a few more checks on my left eye including the vision test. Frankly speaking some of the small fonts were almost not visible to my sight but when i was asked to guess, i guessed all correctly (a surprise to myself). the doctor is totally speechless and i stand completely in awe of Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" i am really living in this verse right now, He not just reversed the pre-cancer cells in my womb, He is also restoring my vision..

word just cannot describe how i feel right now, i feel so in awe in His presence, i am swamp completely in His grace and mercy...

thank You Lord, thank You Jesus!

thy.will.be.done

remember a few days ago i was still struggling on to go or not to go to united states? i just got an email from my american colleague that the assignment in manhattan is not going ahead because the client is not ready even though we have been awarded with the contract. i remembered i asked for 'thy will be done'... so thy will is that i stay in the country. now i can focus the entire month of may on an important business development. although my desire is to work on project but since the assignment is not going ahead, i will just enjoy the spring in the country after all thy will is the best will ever.
so for now, no united states, no new york, no manhattan but it's okay, for greater things are coming my way as long as i stay in his will....

foodie.april.weekend

saturday dinner at home, i invited my russian colleague and her sister to join us for dinner. upon request of AMS, johannes made roasted charsiu (叉烧）, roasted pork （烧火腩）, steam fish （蒸鱼）. pan fried fish cake （煎鱼饼）, soy chicken （酱油鸡）, stuffed tofu （酿豆腐）from my mil. i cooked oxtail soup, a shimmered white raddish and of course a big strawberry charlotte for dessert.

interesting group - two malaysians, two russians, two from hong kong and out of the six of us, there are two dutch as well...

plus a flourishing of champagne, processo and a 1.5 liter italian red wine...

america pancake this morning - fill with strawberries, red and blue raspberries, a good start for the morning

a crazy dim sum parade at the local chinese restaurant in den haag... from assorted dim sum （蟹皇烧卖，炸芋头, 麻辣鲜鱿，炸粮，潮洲蒸粉馃，三色粉肠，炸多春鱼），fried flat rice stick with beef （干炒牛河）to chicken feet （蒸鸡脚）... all authentic taste of hong kong according to my girl friend who feels really at home at the end of the meal

a bit of indulgence at cafe havana, i just love the liege waffle with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce. the sauce accentuates the vanilla ice cream with a tangy taste, yummy!

scent.of.hyacinth

walking on hyacinth field is such a pleasant experience, the frangance fills the air, the soft pastel colors fill the sight with endless of purple, pink and white...

the soft purple hyacinth, with dutch flag and an old tower form the perfect picture of dutch spring country side

hyacinth closed up

pink hyacinth

what a joy and blessing to enjoy these!!!

tulip.i.love.you

the best picture of the trip, captured by a talented photographer with a dslr

orange/red mix

pink

orange

i thanked God for creating beautiful flowers for us to enjoy!

paint.brush.of.tulips

when i started with water color painting, i practiced strokes of paint brush all the times...

these are the giant paint brush of c.o.l.o.r.s but forms by tulips...

endless of tulips

spectacular

awesome landscape

love the contrast of the full bloom tulip and the patch that still waiting for the time to blossom