Under The HDB - 17 Sep 2008

Hari ini pas lewat daerah HDBnya Wolfie, lihat something interesting.

Altar persembahan digelar lagi. Kaya waktu Hungry Ghost Festival kemarin ini.

Banyak pasang bangku n meja merah. Kaya mau kawinan aja....

Gile... meja altarnya ada 3!! Buat nyembah dewa apa ya? Wolfie juga ngga tau :(

Ya ampun... di luar masih ada 1 altar lagi! Gile...

Ada meja altar didepan gambar para dewa, dan 1 meter dari sana udah ada 1 meja lagi. Ck ck ck... buat apaan ya? Jadi penasaran...

Ini untuk pertunjukkan panggung boneka. Tuh boneka-bonekanya... Si auntie saking so good-nya nelepon ampe saya potret pake flash juga dia ngga kerasa... hihihi... bagus'lah :P

Pasang dupa ampe 6!!! Duuh... perayaan apaan sih ampe gedean gini?? Penasaran...

Sampe sepanjang jalan juga dihias ama bendera!

Bagi yang tau, tolong kasih tau saya ^^ Penasaran... :P

Persecution In Orissa - PLEASE PRAY!!

Dapat sms kalau terjadi Christian persecution in Orissa (India).

Ini saya dapat dari Gospel For Asia

Message from Orissa: "God is in Control"

Juria Bardhan, Gospel for Asia's state leader in Orissa, India, knows what it's like to be hunted by anti-Christian extremists bent on killing him. During the past two weeks, he has seen dozens of churches burned to the ground. He has seen missionaries and Christians beaten and killed. But during all these horrific attacks, Juria has had one thought.

"We know the Lord is in control," Juria said in an interview Thursday.

Juria's comments may sound naïve to Western ears, but to Christians in volatile parts of Asia, they ring true. They expect persecution rather than peace. They know that to follow Christ means choosing to bring more trouble into their lives. They also know that Christians standing strong in the face of such trials encourages others to follow Christ.

"The encouraging thing is that the attackers themselves acknowledge that Orissa used to be only 2 percent Christian, and now it's 28 percent Christian," Juria said. "They don't understand that by doing this, the church will grow by leaps and bounds, and this will cause thousands to come to Christ."

Juria said his pastors are not complaining about the abuse heaped upon them. Instead they are glorifying God for the opportunity to share in His sufferings.

"Many of our pastors have said, ‘Even if they kill us, no problem. This will cause thousands to come to Christ,' " he reported.

Juria said that things are improving somewhat in the cities, but the persecution continues unabated in more remote areas. Orissan Christians are accustomed to harassment, but Juria noted that this wave of attacks, which began August 22 after the murder of a popular Hindu leader, is different.

"Last time, the persecution was restricted to only one district. During the last six months, they planned this out, and now nine districts are under attack," he noted.

Juria reports that six people have been killed, and 27 GFA-related churches and more than 800 homes of Christians have been ransacked and destroyed since the violence began. At least 24 Gospel for Asia missionaries have been attacked, some joining the thousands of Christians who are seeking refuge in the forests, where they remain without adequate food or shelter.

Juria said that the Hindu extremists have made a list of demands, including:
* Stop conversions ... They accuse Christian missionaries of forcing people to convert to Christianity or using false allurements, such as money or jobs, to get them to follow Christ.
* No more slaughtering of cows ... Cows are considered holy in the Hindu religion.
* All church buildings should be verified ... The extremists want to place additional restrictions on Christian churches that do no exist for Hindu temples.
* Christian churches and related non-governmental (charitable) organizations should be banned ... This would prevent any Christian work that helps the poor.
* Anyone occupying tribal land must vacate it ... Most Orissan Christians are from low castes and live on tribal land that was settled generations ago. This would essentially force all Christians to move out of the area.

The extremists are also on a campaign to "reconvert" Christians back to Hinduism. They are threatening people at knifepoint, saying they will die if they do not agree to offer pujas (prayers and ceremonial acts) to Hindu gods and goddesses.

One missionary was attacked and threatened unless he performed a puja. He refused to turn his back on Christ, so they beat him again and told him to stay away from the village where he had been working, but he would not agree to do this. "Even if you kill me, I will not make a vow that I will never come back; that depends not on me but on the Lord. If he wants to send me here, then I will come," he told his attackers.

He was discouraged when he saw some of the same people he had prayed for and helped in the past now ready to kill him. But his life was spared when an elderly villager, seeing his strong commitment, convinced the mob to let him go.

One Christian who attends a GFA-related church gave his life rather than turn his back on Christ. The extremists were trying to get him to participate in a Hindu ceremony that involved shaving his head, putting cow dung on it and then sacrificing a goat. When he refused, he was killed and his body hacked into pieces.

Juria reports that the extremists are now using women to lead the Hindu mobs. They believe that if a woman is in front, the government will not take action against them. Several of these mobs of women have even caused disruptions in some of the relief camps.

Juria does not expect the volatile situation in Orissa to change anytime soon. He theorizes that the extremists will continue the campaign of terror and religious emotion until the next general election. There are several powerful Hindu political parties in the country. Juria says they may be trying to exploit the fear of the people to get into power. There is also a rumor that the extremists are planning to carry the ashes of the murdered leader, along with his photo, to villages throughout the country. They hope that the emotional response will cause another round of unrest.

He asks that Christians would continue praying for Orissa. Here are some of the specific requests.
* Pray for peace and harmony in Orissa and that families will be able to return to their villages.
* Pray for relief work to go on unhindered.
* Pray for the health, safety and security of the people living in the forests.
* Ask the Lord for mercy in providing new homes for the people who have lost theirs.
* Continue to lift up the missionaries who are obvious targets of the persecutors. The extremists are looking for what they consider to be a high-ranking Christian leader to kill in revenge for the death of their leader.
* Pray that the Christians will remain firm in their faith and that their commitment to Jesus will remain stronger than any fear they have.

Untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang apa saja yang terjadi disana, bisa klik link ini http://www.gfa.org/orissa-attacks-described

dan ini kalau mau lihat foto-foto setelah kejadian
http://www.gfa.org/orissa-update?cm_mmc=GFA-_-Email-_-377991-_-080912

Mid Autumn Festival ^^ - 13 Sep 2008

Pulang ke rumah udah jam 11.30 pm.

Hari ini sebenarnya saya ama housemates udah rencana mau makan mooncake untuk ngerayain Mid Autumn Festival.

Mid Autumn Festival-nya sendiri sih harusnya besok. Tadinya udah rencana mau makan mooncakenya besok, dibawah HDB, pas malam-malam, sambil melihat bulan yang bulat terang, ditemani dengan 1 gelas teh hangat. Wiiiiiiihh.........asyiiiknyaaaa..... :D

Cuma, karena saya baru sadar kalau besok ada undangan pesta tunangan (dan ada 1 housemate laen yang juga ada ondangan)... jadi rencana itu dibatalkan -_-!!

Jadinya dimajuin ke hari ini. Siapa sangka kalau hari ini tiba-tiba anak CG mo pada ke Sentosa! Well... rencananya sih udah dari kemarin-kemarin, cuma mereka confirmnya hari ini langsung -___-! Oh well... terpaksa bilang ke housemates silakan mereka makan mooncake without me. Saya juga udah mempersilakan mereka makan mooncake saya.

Tapi pas pulang.... Saya kira semua dah pada tidur. Eeee... JN datang sambil bilang, "Wah, San udah pulang? Yuk makan mooncake"

Saya yang bengong saking shocknya bilang," Lho.. belum pada makan? Ini udah jam 11.30 pm!" Dan JN bilang, "Ga apa.. bentar doank. Gua udah bikin teh panas nih. Tadi W bilang mau makan mooncake. Lagian besok loe ama ci V 'kan ga bisa..."

Dan.. akhirnya kita bertiga (kecuali ci V, soalnya dia udah sikat gigi :P) berpesta mooncake.

Kita emang udah ngerencanain makan mooncake bareng-bareng sejak lama.. Waktu itu kita sepakat mau beli mooncake yang beda-beda ntar saling cicip hehehe...

Karena para housemates bilang kalau mooncake yang enak itu dari 'Mandarin Hotel', saya jadi penasaran. Housemates saya pada mau beli cuma ga sempat. Dan katanya, mooncake yang enak emang ada 2 yang terkenal: Mandarin Hotel n Goodwood. Dua ini waktu tahun lalu pada habis pas deket-deket Mid Autumn Festival-nya. Wah.. harus buru-buru beli.

Selama ini saya sih ngga tau mana yang enak. Dan kayanya yang namanya mooncake ya.. gitu-gitu aja. Ngga bisa dibedain yang satu ama yang lainnya. Tapi W bisa lho!! Dia emang suka banget sih. Jadi pas dia bilang enak, ya saya percaya aja :P

Dimana-mana pastinya pada jualan mooncake, cuma khusus yang Mandarin Hotel-nya sendiri ya harus ke Orchard loo..

Kalo mau ke Orchard, tentunya harus ngajak cici saya hehehe..

Di Taka emang lagi rame, banyak yang jualan mooncake. Goodwood jualan juga disini, tapi yang Mandarin Hotel harus pergi ke tempatnya langsung :(.

Untungnya tempatnya ngga jauh. Dan tempat jualannya pas disebelah Mandarin Hotelnya (bukan didalamnya). Housemates saya udah pada titip mooncake. Mereka mau yang Snow White Skin (yang kulitnya kaya mochi) n dalamnya white lotus with Macadamia Nuts. Sayangnya... habis!

Disini enaknya bisa beli satuan :) Jadi bisa milih gituh ^^. Saya sendiri, beli White Lotus With Egg Yolk.

Saya emang suka ini karena tengahnya ada telur asinnya hehehe... Cuma pas nyoba err... saya tetap prefer mooncake yang Teocheow punya. Soalnya telur asin yang Teocheow lebih kerasa asin! Kalau yang ini agak hambar :(

Dan White Lotus With Macadamia Nuts. Katanya sih without sugar. Soalnya yang with sugar-nya udah abis. Ya uda.. saya tetep beli lo :P. Lumayan sih :) Enak juga

Kemasannya sederhana. Maklum... cuma beli 2 biji doank

Waktu itu JN ama W beli yang Bee Cheng Hiang punya. Enak juga. Bingkisannya bagus :)



Walaupun ci V ngga ikut makan, tapi dia tetep berpartisipasi dengan membiarkan kita mencicipi mooncake durian dia yang dibeli dari Home's Favourite.

Mooncakenya ditaro di freezer, jadi membeku.

Dan tempatnya lucu..

Dari stereofoam bentuk bulat.

Rasanya? Mmmmm........ Kaya es krim durian asli!! Kerasa banget duriannya!!! :D

Yang ini punya W. Lupa beli dimana..

Dalamnya durian campur.. white lotus gituh ya? Lumayan sih. Cuma kalo dibanding ama yang ci V tadi, tentunya yang ini ngga gitu kerasa duriannya.

Ini punya JN. Beli di Four Seasons. Baru nyadar pas liat foto ini.. Kalau dilihat dari tulisan dibawah merk-nya, itu err.. diambil dari Pengkhotbah ya? Mungkin ownernya orang Kristen kali ya?

Bentuknya mirip ama yang punya W tapi pas dimasukkin ke kulkas, punya JN lebih keluar bau duriannya!!

Dalamnya?? Wiiiiiih... Durian asli looo!!! Bner-bner kerasa kaya makan durian aja! Enaaak!!! Cuma ya agak lembek. Mungkin harus dimasukkin ke freezer kaya yang punya ci V. Ini enuakk buanget!!!

Saya sih prefer mooncake yang tradisional. Ngga gitu suka yang Snow White Skin, soalnya kaya makan mochi :P. Tapi yang punya ci V n JN bner-bner ngga kerasa kulitnya! Malah kerasa kaya makan durian asli.. Mantap dheee!!

Dan ngga lupa minum teh. Tehnya sih Chrysanthemum Tea. Agak ngga nyambung :P Harusnya sih Chinese Tea / Jasmine Tea. But ok la.. as long as it's tea hahaha!

Kita makan sambil chit chat ampe jam 12.30!! Weleh.. besok harus bangun pagi lagih! -__-!!

Uhuhuhu T___T thanks ya guys.. Terharu saya... Ampe ditungguin buat bisa makan bareng.. Huhuhuhuhuhuhu........ Benar-benar beruntung punya housemates kaya kalian T__T