Just found a beautiful homemade video my cousin created of his trip to Guatemala, and I’m living vicariously through his lens.
Mexico has always been one of the top travel destinations in my wishlist! I’m totally jelly. Have YOU been? Did you like it?
This was the last sighting of my brother, from a picture he posted on Facebook.
Looks scary, doesn’t it?!
Don’t worry, I’ll explain –
1) The small whiteboard contains updates to us about his status and then-location, and the numbers are actually GPS coordinates for him to show us where exactly he is in Tanzania, Africa (where he is working for 2 months on a research trip).
2) He looks really covered up, but the reason is because he is hiding from the bugs and mosquitoes that are plaguing him. He says that even when he wears long sleeved tops, the flies bite right through him! The only way to escape the bites is by wearing NS-style jackets, which are thick enough to protect him from the little horrible creatures – although they are too hot to wear most of the time.
Beware… He says the bites are sharp, piercing attacks and feel like needles through his skin. 😦 He also said he has thousands of bites from the TseTse flies covering his whole body (their bites can be deadly), and they give a heck of an itch!
He was a little miserable, but was comforting my Mom instead, “Don’t worry Mom, at least I didn’t get the deadly sleeping sickness yet. Also, the professor [that he is working with] and another local who was with us are really sick with Malaria. And I’m not.”
Malaria?! You can probably imagine how my over-protective Mom reacted to that consolation. She really was thanking Jesus non-stop the last few days for keeping my brother safe.
From my Facebook status/research: “Internet-ting… Helping my lil brother Thaddaeus Cheng to do research for his trip alone to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater – OMG the Great Migration! Looks phenomenal!!!! Is this what i’m missing out on in Singapore? I really want to pick up my stuff and fly to Africa NOW!!! But I don’t have vaccinations or thousands of dollars to spare 😦
PS: Book via a Safari operator, TripAdvisor recommends 1) Base Camp Tanzania for a good safari + reasonable cost. Having a good guide will make or break your trip.”
At least, he’s battling the bites for a once in a lifetime experience to (hopefully) catch the Great Migration, happening right now during his short trip to Serengeti.
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For other updates I’ve written about my brother in Africa, you can read this post about his journey or this post about the start of it (it also includes a bonus love letter that he wrote to us, haha).
I love this story on the internet and it is the kind of stuff I grew up with, and that my parents would try and teach me. This is what makes me who I am. I would love to share it with you!
I Was Kissed In the Middle of Target
Cheri Swalwell – Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Psalm 145:20: “The LORD watches over all who love him…” (NIV).
My children and I had the best experience in Target the other morning. I like to get there when they first open so we can beat the crowds and move on to our next errand. We walked into the store at the same time as a woman with her mentally-challenged adult son. I was in a hurry to check things off my list and move on to my next responsibility. His laughter is what caught my attention. He was having a great time. His smile lit up his entire face and anyone within hearing distance could tell that he was excited to greet the day, despite the early hour. He gave us a huge smile, a wave, and a hearty laugh. We responded and then moved on to the next item we needed.
A few minutes later, we were walking (okay, in actuality I was speed walking down the aisle trying to convince my kids to keep up) when we passed the same woman and son. They were casually stopped in the middle of the aisle, talking to a Target associate seemingly without any time constraints. The associate and woman politely moved out of the way so my children, myself, and our cart could pass through. Her son had other plans, though. He quickly stepped in front of me, embraced me in a hug, and before I could respond, leaned down and kissed me on my neck. Satisfied that he had brightened my day, he then allowed us to pass through and continue shopping.
That sweet gesture from a stranger in Target put a smile on my face. I had been rushing around, half listening to my children on our last weekly shopping trip before school officially started, concerned more with making sure I got everything we came to buy than about my loved ones who I was buying it for. My mind wouldn’t slow down, but instead focused on the schedule I needed to keep, the errands to run, deadlines to meet, work to be done, and bills that needed to be paid. I was having trouble keeping everything straight.
Those two brief encounters with that mentally challenged man showed me more clearly than any lecture could have that I am the one that is mentally challenged. I’m the one who has my priorities mixed up. I’m the one who spends way too much time thinking about things that don’t deserve that much attention while missing out on what is truly important.
Yes, schedules, deadlines, meetings, finances, and paying the bills are all necessary in our lives, but they aren’t what really matters. When I’m sitting at my desk working, then I should focus on work. When it’s time twice a month to pay the bills, then my focus should be on the bills. When I’m in front of the calendar planning our schedule, my attention needs to be there. But…when I have the privilege of going shopping with my kids, or we have the chance to share a fun activity, that is my time to be completely, 100% focused on them.
I don’t believe that this change in my perspective and desire for a new attitude will naturally just fall into place. I think that since we are born into such a fast-paced society, there will always be a lot that vies for my attention. I think that realization of needing balance is the first goal; then daily going to God and laying my schedule and my focus at His feet is necessary in order for true peace and happiness to follow.
I want to be like the man that I had the privilege to encounter in Target one beautiful Friday morning. I want to seize the opportunities that I have with my family – to embrace the details and to really feel the emotions of happiness and togetherness. I want to find pleasure and enjoyment in the simple things – the blessing of having money to buy necessities at the store, the ability to laugh and joke with my kids, and the joy of just being together.
My husband called to check on us later that day and I greeted him with, “Guess what? I was kissed by a man at Target today.” I hoped the impact of what I learned from that special messenger sent straight from God would somehow reach my husband despite his not having had the change to witness our experience firsthand.
I pray, also, that you were able to glimpse a little of the message a certain stranger at Target spoke to me. Maybe some of that will transform your way of thinking and if nothing else, help you to remember to appreciate life here and now, without running lists through your head, missing out on the fun that is happening right in front of you. I know that every time I go to Target, I will envision that man’s smile. It’s a weekly reminder to fully embrace life in the present, being thankful for all that I have.
Cheri Swalwell describes herself as a Christ follower first and foremost, wife, mother, and avid reader. She has been blessed to be a guest on a variety of blogs including here at Crosswalk.com/family and Christiandevotions.us. If you want to hear more about the heart she has for marriage, parenting, and relationships from a Christian perspective, feel free to visit her blog or “like” her on Facebook.
Hi follower/friend/freedom-fighter,
Last week I enjoyed my last day working at Lantern rooftop bar at a 5-star hotel, where I spent the last 9 months taking care of guests, VIPs and regulars at the award-winning bar and hotel. I also helped to seek for sponsors, put together 2 all-new event series at Lantern, initiated new developments for generating revenue, and gave advice for social media and marketing strategies.
It was great and I learnt a lot.
So what am I doing now?
I’ve been building a few projects and will see where it takes me. Hopefully it will take me to making money!
Here’s a quick peek into my personal life, 1st week after resignation/of being jobless:
– Wrote one blog post
– Received 7 job offers
– Have had countless meetings for upcoming projects
– One epic 2hour Skype session
– Learning lots more about start ups, digital strategy and SEO
– Trying to figure out ways to make money (ethically and legally)
– Prayed a lot and ate a lot also
– Went running almost every day
– Spent the remaining time with family and 70% of it with my brother
CONCLUSION: NOT HAVING A JOB IS LIBERATING, BUT HARD WORK!
I’m what CNN calls the Millennia generation – but I wouldn’t be here without your support. Thank you for reading me and I hope you will keep coming back for a dose on my love.
I went out over the weekend, and I just don’t understand why a guy who I’ve met twice and spoken to briefly would think it is appropriate to try and kiss me.
We have common friends, he made small talk, bought everyone bottles, and was nice enough. At the end of the night, he insisted on sending me home in a taxi as everyone else was headed in a different direction. I reluctantly agreed… He was persistent and wasn’t going anywhere. Could this be a gentlemanly gesture?
In the taxi, he tried 5 times to kiss me. Each time I pushed him away and said, “No, no, no. No thank you, no.” He said he felt rejected and I was impolite.
“My Momma has taught me many manners, but never this… Definitely not to kiss someone I don’t wish to kiss! YOU are impolite.” I thought to myself, clamping my mouth shut. I shoved my big handbag in between my body and his.
Noticing the distance, he held my hand and was calm for a second. And then he tried it all over again.
“No, no, no.”
“But you are single.” He demanded a reason for my refusal.
“I don’t kiss on the first date.”
His face brightened up and he asked, “So does that mean I can take you out on a date?”
“I don’t know. Maybe no.”
“Why don’t you want to kiss me?”
“The only thing my lips have touched lately is good food. I’d like to keep it that way, if it’s ok.”
Oh, the questions. And my answers to those questions. The taxi couldn’t get to his house fast enough (his house was the first/nearest stop), but when it did, it was as if he never got the hint. “You look tired. Want to stay over at mine?”
REALLY?…..
I said NO, for what felt like the 50th time that night. I bid him goodbye, see you around.
.
.
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So far, more than a year of being single might be a long and boring wait, but I’m sure someday the wait will be worth it.
I’ll be glad one day when I meet Mr Right, and he’ll be glad that I kept my lips (among other things!) clean for him.
In the meantime, I’ll keep keeping it busy with some fingerlickin’ good food.
This post is dedicated to my little brother – king of the jungle, over river or under.
From Asia, to the Amazon…
You, lil brother, are a wild one!
My brother Thaddy lives in London, and I am broke. So I decided the best b-day present would be to collect wishes from friends and family all over the world, and send it to him online. Everybody wins!
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Happy birthday from all of us in Singapore, New York, Vancouver, Australia!
With love, to London.
Tech notes: I haven’t made my own videos in a year and I did this in one day+night with iMovie ’11. I used the new “iMovie movie trailer” feature as a base template to start making my video, converted it into a “project”, and then cut out+added in more clips as I desired. (The iMovie templates do not seem to permit much edits, hence I prefer the flexibility when you convert it into a “project”.) Thanks to this site for helping to explain it.
It was pleasantly simple… Try it at home!
People think my life is incredible. When they see happy pictures and words on Facebook, they simply assume you’re a happy person.
My friends snort and dismiss any possibility of being depressed if I tell them I had a tough week; and when I say I’ve hit rock bottom, they say I should get over it.
People assume you have no problems if you don’t write about any, that you don’t have a care or responsibility in the world if you don’t Tweet it or have pictures to prove it.
How one sided social media can be.
Have you ever felt that way? That sometimes the sunshine is stolen from your day?
I just want to clarify and confess that as much as I can try, I’m not perfect and I indeed have more than my fair share of frequent pressures. The reason why you probably don’t hear about any of them is because I try not to bother my friends with my complaints, and I try to stay away from sharing it on social media. Everytime I’m frustrated, I pick up the phone and call my parents and unto my God, instead of logging onto Facebook.
Social media can be one-sided, but God is on our side.
Prayer solves more than Facebook statuses could, and the weak is made strong in my Saviour’s love.
Everyday I have to remember that I’ve been rescued and set free, and if there’s no other reason to be happy, then the least I have is this – Which is bigger than anything I can ask for.
Feelings change. But situations don’t.
So I sit down, take a deep breath, say a prayer, stand up and carry on. And through this, I’ve learnt to find happiness in my unhappiness.
Try it this week! 🙂 Remember, if u have any problems, go to God and your family – not to Facebook.
LOVE YOU WRONG TIME: My favourite and also the best places to EAT, DRINK and PARTY in ASIA 