Gleanings from “40 days of community”

We finally finished reading the “40 days of community” by Rick Warren.  What have I learnt?

I think  the Holy Spirit has pricked my conscience in the whole area of service.  Not many people can fault my service, but deep inside, I know that I am not satisfied with the level of willingness in my service for our great God.  I know that I really enjoy the youth work of our church and I really enjoy spending time with the youth, but there are areas where I don’t enjoy so much, outside of the youth ministry and for these, I realise that I am not willing enough when I serve. 

Oh, I know that there is a saying “don’t serve if you’re not joyful or if you’re doing it out of duty” but really, that’s not entirely true too.  It’ll be great if we can all choose to serve where we want to and are happy to and of course we should access our spiritual gifts to help us find the right place to serve.  But then, there are areas of service where not many people want to have the “gift” to serve in but which should not be neglected.  For example, we may not think we have and not want to have the gift of sweeping the floor, but it still needs to be done!

I don’t think I have the gift of counselling as I am not patient enough and I am afraid of saying the wrong thing or giving the wrong advise, but that’s where I will have to learn so that I can still be of help to anyone who may need help and turns to me. I guess that’s where the willingness factor comes in.

So each time you think of me, pray for me, that I may learn each day, to be more and more willing to give each and every part of my life to Him, to be of service to Him totally.

So who spent the most money in Bandung?

Sorry, nobody guessed correctly……….

…………….. Andy Yong spent the most …………. and he says that shopping is boring??!!!

Our family day….

(All pics by Anna Yong)

What a greeeaaaat day!

I think EVERYBODY enjoyed the food and fun fair, expecially those watching Pang get dunked!

I just want to say “Thanks, Pang for being so sporting. I think you helped to earn so much for the fair!”

Superman was there to save the day …..

Pretty girls everywhere…….

Our own burger team….

Julius lost to Su Ann and gamely sat on the dunk machine!

So what did we learn from this charity fund raiser?

Well, we learnt that our church can work well together, we learnt that we can enjoy working together and we definitely grew closer together through this.

Lastly, I want to thank God for all the people who showed they love God through this. I’m particularly proud of the young people who made a lot of effort to do their part.  I know the older people also worked very hard…. most of all, I want to thank God for all my colleagues at Allan & Friends’ who really did so much. In fact, some of them decided not to take any entertainment jobs that day in order to help at the fun fair. Bearing in mind if they do not work, they do not get paid, I am very encouraged by their sacrifice.

AGC Fun & Food Carnival 2007….

Hey, our church is having a fund raising carnival this saturday for charity purposes.  Do come…..

Date: Saturday, 16 June 2007

Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm

Venue: Ulu Klang Recreation Club (UKRC), Kuala Ampang

Contact Person: Allan Yong 012 3988 433

Funds raised will be pooled in a community fund which will be solely used to help needy cases.  For this first project, we have identified

1)  The Special Children’s Society of Ampang (SCSOA); and

2)  Loganathan, a 13 year old boy who has never gone to school after kindergarten.

We will have …..

……………. food

……………..entertainment

……………..game stalls

……………..bazaar selling new and second hand items

……………..free blood pressure and blood glucose test

 So come over and bring everybody!!!!! Do something for somebody else whilst enjoying yourself!!!

So who spent the most money in Bandung?

Take a guess and 2 winners get an ice milo at the mamak,……………. Su Ann is disqualified cos she knows who spent the least! And no one is supposed to ask her.

Bandung 5 – Finale

This is not an ordinary waterfall, firstly because there are numerous waterfalls along this “river” but mostly because this is a HOT waterfall! This is the Hot Spring in Lembang. Cost us IDR60,000 per person (RM24) to enter, then I had to pay another IDR17,500 (RM7) to enter the private hot water swimming pool. Why pay more to enter a swimming pool when I can get it free from the stream? Well, the swimming pool is next to the hot spring source and is therefore the cleanest water.  Its also the 2nd hottest.  To get the hottest, you’ll have to pay IDR35000 to get into the “first class” swimming pool, with higher class furniture and atmosphere!

The two girls went horse riding again, a twenty minute ride costs IDR35,000 (RM15)

 

Last place was a strawberry farm where you picked your own strawberries…

 

This girl, Salmah, is the daughter of the farm caretaker.  She was just sitting quietly..

The cutest girl I’ve seen throughout my whole trip…..

 

Bandung airport has no chairs – we figured out why…. they will approach you and offer you to use the VIP lounge with free flowing food and drinks….. for a price of course…. then they will emphasize that you still have another 2 hours to wait!!!

Bandung 4 – Places of interest

There is a beautiful pine forest just before reachiing Lembang, the highlands that we were going towards

Tangkuban Parahu, the name of this mountain.  It literally means “turnover boat”.  Legend links it with an unfaithful wife.  The mountain really does look like a turned over boat.

This volcano is still active but controlled by injections. The guide told us “bukan hanya manusia yang sakit, gunung juga boleh sakit, kena suntik” – humans aren’t the only ones who get sick, mountains too and they need injections.  The smoke you see in this picture are poisonous.  You’d get a strong sulfuric whiff once you get out of the car.

The weather is like that of Cameron Highlands – nice and cool

This downhill lane lies next to the crater and its shopping time again!

In the office.  You can see the shape of the mountain in the picture on the right.  There is a live geyser nearby.  You’ll have to trek about 30 mins downhill to reach it, but I heard it is worth the walk, except the children were too lazy to walk. The water can boil an egg and its good for healing skin problems.

Our children are not the best behaved, nor the best looking nor the most intelligent, but we thank God for the joy they bring us (together with the heartaches!) These family times together are precious.

I think the whole area is called Wisita Alam, but the peak is called Tangkuban Parahu.  Can’t remember the entrance price but foreigners pay more than locals!

Andy enjoying his ride.

Anna and Andy

Angie, Andrea and Allan in the background.  Angie loves riding and this was her dream come true!

Cost per ride IDR10,000 per circle. (RM4.00)

Bandung 3 – Shopping

Great shopping areas are Jl Cihampelas (medium end), Pasar Baru (low end) and Jl Setiabudi factory outlets (high end at medium to high prices).

There is a great place called Ci Walk at Jl Cihampelas.  Security is high, toilets are clean, sales staff are polite, movies are cheap (IDR4000 per show!) and food is aplenty.  There is also one outlet here known as LA Clothing Co. They sell original stuff which are seconds.  In the mall, there is a place called Elizabeth which has some interesting stuff.  Oh, and I went to Johnny Andrean Salon for a hair wash and blow for IDR20,000 (RM8) and a back massage for IDR21,000. 

The open air area at Ci Walk.  There is an open stage here where they have programs on.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this 50+ lady wearing the most “la-la” clothes I’ve ever seen on someone her age! The 3 of them were kinda la-la but she won hands down! (The one on the left)

Inside LA CLothing Co. – The guys claimed that shopping was too tiring and boring, but when we were done looking and woke them up, they started shopping and we had to sit and wait!

At another shop along Cihampelas.  We asked what going upstairs had to do with our health, they replied that it was because walking up the stairs is good for health!!!!

At the Rumah Mode, one of the factory outlets…..

The entrance of Rumah Mode.

 

Bandung 2 – Accomodation

In Chiangmai, you can get a good rate just by walking in to the hotel, then ask for the best discounted price, but I think in Bandung, you can get a better rate at the airport, except they will only deal with better hotels, ie, at least one star.

We wanted to stay at Jl Cihampelas, which is the Orchard Road of Bandung, its like Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman with individual shops, roadside stalls and also one big complex called CiWalk.  There are only 3 hotels on this road, Hotel Nalendra, the most expensive, comes with ok rooms, a swimming pool and coffee house. We stayed here a night, then moved to Hotel Cihampelas 1 (the signboard says Cihampelas Melati 3).  That’s because Cihampelas 2 was fully booked.  The 2 Cihampelas’ are like our YMCA style, much smaller, old but since we only go back to sleep, it was ok with us.  Price for Nallendra IDR416,500 for standard room per night after discount. Rack rate is IDR490k.  At Cihampelas 1, we took the best room, which was big enough for our 4 children.  The price? IDR200,000 per night.   

The “swimming pool” at the Nalendra.  Don’t try to swim laps. With a good kick start and a further 3 strokes, you’ll bang your head at the other end!

 The hotel that is nearest to CiWalk is Cihampelas 2.  They also have a convenience store and an internet shop next to it. 

There are other very good hotels at other places.  I’d recommend hotels on Jl Setiabudi, they are more expensive, but its a good place to stay.  This place is just one bus away from CiWalk. You pay IDR1000 per head for the Angkutan Kota – the mini buses there.  Look for the one that says “Kalapa-Ledang”. 

Jl Setiabudi is famous for its shopping outlets, ie, places that sell branded stuff, the original, but note that they are seconds or export excess. Still, the prices are good. 

 

Bandung 1 – Food

A couple of months ago, Air Asia had another round of free tickets and so we managed to get tickets for Chiengmai, Bandung and Bali for this year. We enjoyed ourselves in Chiengmai and we definitely enjoyed ourselves in Bandung this week. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

The Bakso Man – He carts his stall upon his shoulders and walks all over town with it.

Our first meal in Bandung …. cost IDR4000 = RM1.60

His noodles are kept in an aluminium lined drawer.

And the soup on the other side.  There’s enough here for between 100 – 150 bowls of noodles.  He told me he can sell up to about 100 bowls a day = IDR400000 = RM160 which means he can earn up to RM80 a day? That’s a lot, but we saw him later that night, pass 8pm.  That’s a lot of work too, walking around with his stall. A hairdresser told me her pay does not exceed IDR500,00 (RM200) a month.  She works from 10 am till 9pm!

And this is the final product…. you know what? I think this was one of the best dishes we had throughout our trip… I mean te other mee bakso didn’t seem to taste so good and this was so cheap! Only problem …. I asked “where do you wash your bowls?” and he pointed to a small little pail of water under his noodle drawer!!!!

Banana split at an ice cream shop, LG floor at Ci Walk.  The ice cream was delicious, cost us IDR24500=RM9.80

Food court at Ci Walk – This rice was delicious.  Can’t remember the cost, maybe about IDR12,000=RM4.80

This desert was not!  It is a concoction of fermented stuff, tastes and smells terrible!

Sometimes we find hair in our food at home, when our indonesian house help cooks…. Andy looked up from his food and said “My conclusion is….. all Indonesians drop their hair when cooking…” and he pulled out this loooonnnnng strand of hair from his mee bakso and then moments later, Angie pulled another 2 short strands from her beef teriyaki! Yikes!

Nasi lewet at another food court. This was one of the more expensive places to eat, definitely more that IDR12,000!

Ok, more on Bandung tomorrow………………..