Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

[‘These moments’: An attempt to capture moments within the week. No words. Simple. Special. Moments I wish to treasure and remember.]

Hello Penang!

This is my first time here.

And I thought of blogging on-the-go, sharing bits of info and photos that may be useful to others 🙂

Anyway.

One of the things that I know we’d need is internet access when we’re in Penang.

Available options include:
– buy a ‘roaming, international package’ from a provider in Jakarta
– buy a SIM card at the Penang airport
– buy a SIM card from a local store near where we stay

We decided NOT to buy from Jakarta because it’s pricey, eg. Telkomsel offers a 3-day package for Rp120,000 and we only get 1GB internet quota.

And so we bought one SIM card at Penang Airport.

Here’s more info:
– DIGI counter for tourists is located on the left after we exit the glass door (where people greet those who arrive:)
– You’d need to queue for a while, but the ‘registration process’ done by the staff is fast (less than a minute)
– You’d need to have your passport ready as they’d need to register our passport info
– Their 7-day package is RM26, and we get 1.8GB of internet quota

…

Here’s what we recommend though:
If you have time to explore the shops near your place of stay, and you don’t immediately need internet access upon leaving the airport, get your SIM card from a local convenience store, like Happy Mart or 7-11.

Info:
– DIGI package is only RM8 (500MB of internet quota), and I added RM10 to get an extra 1.8GB of internet quota that lasts for 7 days. Perfect.
– The staff helped and did the registration for me (passport needed)
– The process takes more than 5 minutes, but I didn’t mind the wait 🙂

PS:
Not sure if ALL store staff would want to help and register our number. Not part of their service, but if they do help, it’s out of their goodwill, I guess.

Have fun in Penang!

The other day someone said, ‘Time flies SO fast!’

Yes it does, and I feel it, too!

As we can’t stop time from ticking, the bigger question is:

… How have we used our time?
… How have we changed ‘for the better’ over time?

…

Some people can be so productive / fruitful in the same 24 hours we all have. They inspire and build others. They ‘squeeze’ their time and skills.

They choose to do certain things and AVOID certain things.

How have we changed ‘for the better’ over time?They make things happen. They touch other people’s lives. They focus NOT on self nor personal desires.

They are grateful for the life God has given and when challenging times do take place, they don’t allow ‘self-pity’ to enter their heart and mind.

…

Today, I’m reminded that the choice is ours to make.

ie. How WE will spend/use/squeeze/share (or waste) OUR time, God-given gifts, skills, resources, etc … while we STILL HAVE time.

By God’s grace.

…

Food for thought?

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Photo:
Grateful that with this man, I get to walk, run and sometimes fly away together … hopefully, while redeeming our time 🙏🏻

Whether we realise it or not, our perception / expectation of what Valentine’s Day ‘should be like for us’ is influenced by ‘how much we choose to absorb and accept’ the values found in:

– the kinds of movies we watch

– the kinds of books/articles/quotes we read

– and the kinds of thoughts shared by our friends

…

eg. Watching too much of Korean romantic drama series will somehow affect the way we expect men/women/spouse to treat / behave towards us … which frankly may NOT be healthy / realistic =\

…

Food for thought on Valentine’s Day?

Many of our fears today are acquired fear, … fears that we learn and adopt as we grow up.

eg. Babies don’t fear of failing. Babies who learn to stand, keep getting back up when they fall.

Fear of disappointments, pain and suffering?
Fear of certain animals, of water, of heights?

We tend to imagine the worst possible outcome, instead of the better / best possible outcome.

Today, I’m reminded that when we are faced with our fears, some of the things we can do are: learn to rationalise / talk ourself out of it / focus on something else / be thankful to God for something …

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We tend to imagine the worst possible outcome, instead of the better / best possible outcomeI still have a phobia towards a certain creature (thanks to what my helper did to me when I was little!).

I cannot be near it, and when I see a glimpse of it, I’d irrationally react before I could properly think.

But then I remember the time when I was with our church’s humanitarian aid team a few months ago.

We stayed in a small village hit by an earthquake in Sulawesi.

Their small ‘shower cubicle’ (on the right in the picture) is also the place they’d wash their dishes.

Their small ‘shower cubicle’ is also the place they’d wash their dishes Just outside of it, is the kitchen and where they’d wash their food, etc.

I remember, as I hung my clothes on rusty nails at the back of the cubicle door, I spotted ‘it’, the creature I terribly fear, at the corner of the door itself!

I knew I couldn’t scream or run out, so somehow I decided to turn my back, took off my glasses (so everything is a BLUR!) and took a quick shower (yes I washed my hair, too, with the cold water taken from the concrete water tub)

(Not wearing my glasses was great because I didn’t need to see what the water truly looked like).

My heart was beating like mad, and thoughts crossed my mind.

What if it slipped into one of my clothes I hung on the door?

What if it fell onto my arm as I take my clothes?

What it walked towards my feet?

What if. What if.

…

In the end, I survived the close encounter with what I so terribly fear.

None of those ‘worries’ happened.

Phew!

…

So, am I cured? NO.

Do I now think of ‘it’ as cute? NO.

Is the phobia still there? YES.

But I guess, I know now, that when certain situations come up and ‘I have no other choice’, it IS possible to face my fear.

And that, is good enough for me.

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How do YOU face / cure your fear?

Someone ever asked, ‘Do you decide what your children get to wear?’

The answer is yes, when they are babies and toddlers =)

When our child was older than 1.5yo, I did sometimes ask ‘Do you want to wear this or that?’, giving them only TWO options to choose from.

An open question like, ‘What would you like to wear?’ would often invite unnecessary tantrums and arguments because the child is overwhelmed by the many different options.

Giving them only 2 options to choose from is better because it allows them to exercise more independence in making decisions and yet still within our guidance as we’d know better what to wear for specific occasions.

(Total ‘freedom to choose’ given to a 2yo on what to wear would potentially mean the child picking beach-wear to a wedding dinner, eg. And I can envision the crying and screaming when we say no to their choice of clothes)

As our kids get bigger (older than 4yo), I started to allow them to decide what to wear AFTER they first check with us:
– where we’re going
– is it casual wear or more formal wear, etc.

After asking those questions, Brie for example would then pick her own clothes and ask if the ones she has chosen are appropriate. If I see them as not suitable for the occasion, I’d explain why, and she’d then go and find another set of clothes to wear (sometimes she asks me to recommend what to wear)

…

This is still the case for Brie and the other 2 kid today. I’d share with them where we’re going, and they’d go ahead and pick their own clothes. If we strongly feel it’s not appropriate for the occasion, we’d tell them and they’d get changed.

Over time they all get the idea and learn what is okay and what is not … 😁

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Our hope is for our kids to learn and understand too, that sometimes when there are dress codes to certain occasions, we need to observe them (eg. No casual shorts and wear proper shoes when going to funerals or church, etc).

Just a little sharing on how things work in our family =)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

*Warning: This post may not be nice to read during mealtime ☺️*

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One thing about mountain climbing is, you need to be mentally ready to NOT have the usual luxuries, as simple as a toilet ☺️

Our team brought that ‘shower tent’ when we recently went to Mount Slamet, Central Java.

It’s not for us to have a shower, obviously =)

…

Once you are ‘done’ with your business, cover it with earthNow you see, there’s ‘nothing’ at the bottom part of the ‘tent’.

So, upon arriving at the area where we’d build our tents, someone would DIG deep into the soil with a spade, and THAT is where everyone would do their heavy business.

Once you are ‘done’ with your business, cover it with earth, so the next person can be spared from seeing what you have left behind.

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What if you prefer to do it elsewhere?

That’s OK, too!

Up on the mountains, we have a super hugeeeee toilet … 😁

Just make sure you:
– find a spot that’s a little further from the crowd

– watch where you step (someone else – BEFORE YOU – may think THAT’s a good and safe spot, too😎)

– cover it with leaves when you’re done (just to be nice and polite to others)

…

One fun fact:
your poop is good vitamin to the soil, hehe.

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OK, that’s all from me. Bye.

We are back from mountain climbing!

This time, our family of five (and some 32 others!) climbed Mount Slamet in Central Java.

I have quite a few photos to share (and loads of stories and personal reflections).

Will post them one by one yeah!

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For now, I’d like to share with you the clip above which I already shared on my Facebook.

I titled it:
Little, short legs. Big logs. Beautiful mushrooms spotted along the way.

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Confession:
As I watch this clip again, I remember how I felt a little impatient when Brie didn’t go ‘faster’. Trekking behind her meant we sometimes had to wait longer and go slower.

Now I feel guilty for feeling that way. Sigh.

At 7yo, Brie indeed kept going and her little legs went through tough treks with no complaints (she talked a lot though 😁)

…

Am I proud of her?
Yes!

Actually, I’m not just proud of her accomplishments, fighting spirit and independence, but also for Anya and Vai who went along with us (and reach the very top of Mount Slamet, at 3428m above sea level!) ❤️

Hope and pray that they adopt that never-give-up attitude and strength as they grow up and go through life’s many struggles 🙏🏻 By God’s grace.

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Personal reflection:
Funny how we often feel it’s okay to feel impatient towards others who are slower when at the same time other people are actually being patient towards us for being slow (in comparison to their pace!)

Reminder to self:
Need to exercise more patience, tolerance and self-control towards others, esp. towards my kids.

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#gunungslamet