Occasional Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

It was a really hot afternoon though we braved the UV and IR rays and stood out of the canopy to cheer our department's players on. Our volleyball team did very well, I should say, finishing second after being unceremoniously thrashed by another department with a national player in it. Way to go, Teh O! 

I am glad to report that our sore throats and lost voices did not go to waste. BPsych's Basketball team managed to battle all the way up to the finals, securing a silver. Football also managed to score us a bronze. I'm not too sure about the other events.

Then came the event my friends and I came to watch: Tug of War.

We did very well for the first three pulls, dragging the opposition on their faces. Unfortunately, by the fourth pull, JM hurt his back and consequently could not participate. He was substituted, but a few more other players hurt themselves including the team captain. At the eleventh hour, many people who did not plan on doing anything other than cheering found themselves tugging at a rope with eight people on the other end who were tugging as hard. I can say with pride that I was one of those people joining in the effort to stop us from losing our last hope of a medal. I really thank the Lord for His strength when we were all exhausted, allowing us to climb back up again for a bronze. 

With that, our department managed to tie with HMC, making us the champions for the day. However, due to the stubborn fact that there could only be one champion, we were knocked down to runner ups since we didn't have a single gold medal. Still, I'm glad we tied. This means we still get out celebration meal!

Quick! We have but a second, 

Fill round the cup while you may:

For Time, the churl, hath beckon'd,

And we must away, away!

Grasp the pleasure that's flying, 

For Oh!

Not Orpheus' strain could keep sweet hours from dying,

Or charm them to life again.

Then quick! We have but a second,

Fill round the cup while you may,

For Time, the churl, hath beckon'd,

And we must away, away! 

See the glass how it flushes,

Like some young Hebe's lip,

And half meets thine, and blushes

That thou should delay to sip.

Shame, Oh Shame unto thee,

If e'er thou see that day

When a cup or lip shall woo thee,

and turn untouched away.

Many a time I have been guilty of speaking with out thinking. Often, I have said words which sting unintentionally. Those around me bear the brunt of my folly, and watch as I head for ruin.

It pains me to see the damage I have caused as I stop and look back. KC, KM, HR and all the other friends out there who have tasted my acid, I'd like to apologise if I have hurt your feelings. I still do love you guys. I will do my very best from now on the be very careful of what I say, and if I do regress, please be patient with me. 

On a lighter note, the HELP Sports Carnival is commencing this Saturday. JM, MJ, AT, and JC will be out there doing their best for our dept. Who's up for a trip to UM to cheer for them?

I joined my mom and one of her colleague today for a baking class at Datin Ingrid's place, who so happens to be  my mom's  employer's wife. 

We started at around 1030 with a rye levain dough which she had already prepared for us in advance. Those we moulded, scored and chucked in the oven. Since rye is naturally low in gluten, it has to be added to normal wheat flour. Liquid levain, on the other hand, being extremely difficult to make, was substituted for solid levain which could be purchased...in Switzerland. Hehe. What's levain, you say? Levain's...fermented dough which is used in place of yeast, kind of like the seed to make the dough rise.

We then moved on to learning how to prepare a wholemeal dough. While letting that sit for an hour or so, Datin Ingrid proceeded on to demonstrate how to make one of her favourite breads: Zopft. This braided bread is really soft and sweet, making a really good snack with marmalade or jam. We also tried our hands at white bread which we topped with rock salt, cumin, poppy seeds, or sesame. These little baguettes make really good aperitifs at parties since they can be made real small.

Once the Zopft were ready, we uncovered the wholemeal dough and halved it. After shaping it into loaves, we scored it and left it to sit for a while longer before baking it in the oven. While waiting for the wholemeal loaves to be done, Datin treated us to her homemade mango sorbet in her backyard. Once the loaves were ready, she brushed them with water to give the crust a nice silvery sheen.

Here are some pictures of what we made today. Not bad, huh?

You know why clowns paint a smile on their faces? No? Let me tell you why. 

They spend their life making people smile, and they're good at it. They like it whey they see people smile, that crack with the light of dawn shimmering behind. So much so that they would do anything to see people smile, even when they are tired, battered, or empty inside.

And just because the clowns don't want to see anybody else cry though they themselves feel like doing so, they paint a smile on their faces. 

So they next time you see a clown, smile back (^_^) It'll last them a long way.

Life is waaay too short to waste time wallowing in self pity. (^_^) What better way to keep one's mind off the troubles of life than to keep busy. And boy, does baking make you busy! 

I spent a good part of my day helping Ken in the kitchen marinating chicken and trimming lamb shanks for tomorrow's party. Later on, I thought it would be nice to resume baking after such a long hiatus, so I took a hike to Giant and bought some flour, yeast, and a scale. 

Since I was already dirtying the counter top with flour, I thought I'd make dumplings at the same time for dinner... not a very good idea seeing how none of us had any idea how to make them. Now praying very hard none of us fall sick.

Buckwheat loaf was what I intended to make, but since there was so much meat left from the dumplings, I thought it would be a good idea to wrap it in the dough. Again, one of my not too entirely bright ideas...

The dough, being low in gluten due to the buckwheat flour's chemical constituency, couldn't hold the meat and burst. To remedy the problem, I just kneaded everything together. Held fine after resting, so I dusted it and scored it. Slam into the oven and tadaaa!

Would be nicer if we had some olives... We'll just have to wait till tomorrow to see how it tastes like.

This was the theme for this revamped YAF retreat, 2009. Over the weekend, we explored the biblical take on pursuing a relationship with a member of the opposite sex with the guidance of Pastor Kek.