Friday, February 28, 2014

Five Minute Friday

Five Minute Friday

Choose excellence and enjoy it!
A job well done
Whether big or small
Is enjoyable

So choose excellence
 By slowing down 
To think enough
To care enough
To plan enough
To work enough
To do a good job

Of that DIY project
Of writing that note
Of cleaning the latest mess
Of listening to kid prattle
Of playing blocks
Of reading that book
Of exercise
Whatever needs your attention

Choose excellence
Turn away from mental or physical distraction
 Blow away the internal need to hurry on
Destroy the tyranny of the urgent
If it needs doing, do it well.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

When paperwork is more work than just paper

What Daddy found in Bangkok on his latest trip.  As this nicely discounted price is still about $50 a plate he didn't get to see if it still tasted good after being flown around the world.

Daddy's away again currently - on the adventure of renewing his and Grace's passports.  He had to fly to KL to go to the embassy there.  He'll be back tonight - arriving late having come back by bus as he can't fly back without his passport even though it is a domestic flight. We are very thankful that family members can now be the guarantor or it would be even more not-paper work! Hopefully he will be able to arrange for the new passports to be couriered to us so he doesn't have to repeat the day's journey to pick them up.  Then we can try again for his India visas...

Friday, February 21, 2014

five minute friday

Five Minute Friday
Small
Left Alone
Sobs and wails
Aching heart
All alone
Oh so small

Small
In his lap
Cuddled in
Cupped around
Just right
Small

Small
Can't keep up
Left behind
Not wanted
Unseen
Small

Small
Picked up
Carried around
Safe in his arms
Sweet conversation
Small

Small
Empty cavern
Needy heart
Cannot give
Shriveled sponge
Small

Small
Filled to the brim
Spilling over
Living water
Pouring on and on
Small

Small
But chosen
Small
But seen
Small
But filled

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Discoveries

The last two weeks have been full of discoveries. Some good, some not so good.  
While Daddy was away:
Viber is better than Skype for getting connected on phones through wifi

The children's hospital - Jasmin's cold became bronchitis, and the clinic doctor just sent us to the hospital
 After he got back:
India visas are not awarded to people living in Malaysia on our type of visas.  Oops.  This means Daddy's not traveling to India at the beginning of March - and the tickets are probably lost as we try to rework the trip into July in order for us to figure out a visa once passports are renewed... Ouch.

Renewing passports has been made both easier and harder - 20 days for processing now! But 10 yr validity and easier guarantor qualifications almost make up for it.

Sliding down a leaf-covered hill is almost as fun as sledding.  It is the dry/cool season, and uncharacteristically there has been no rain at all since before Christmas. So the trees are dropping their leaves copiously, making it feel like Fall...
The local park does afford some stick house building materials despite being regularly swept clean, and Mommy has not lost her skills in building with such odd assortments of sticks and materials.