Underpainting. Just Too Technical

I hated this "Underpainting" technique so much that my oil painting teacher could feel it and he told me "Don't get frustrated".



An initial layer of Burnt Sienna was painted dark to the whole canvas, after a thin layer of linseed oil, to serve as a base. We were then told to remove the paint where necessary by using a brush or a rag, in order to show the light and tone. First time hearing about it, I was so not able to grasp the technique and it was annoyingly difficult. I was thinking "Why should I have to paint it on since it eventually has to be removed?".

That was a week ago. I then tried to google a bit on Underpainting; eventually, it could be quite functional, meaningful and interesting.



Today, the underpainting had been thoroughly dry. We were applying some colours with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna over it! "Yeah! That's more like it!". Definitely very glad that things started to work out quite okay. I am a very slow painter. This was just very preliminary and looked a bit funny. I may still need another week or two to get it done.



Indeed a mind-relaxing time...

聖週星期一. 默想

馬可福音10: 32 - 34     
32   他們行路上耶路撒冷去。耶穌在前頭走，門徒就希奇，跟從的人也害怕。耶穌又叫過十二個門徒來，把自己將要遭遇的事告訴他們說：
33   看哪，我們上耶路撒冷去，人子將要被交給祭司長和文士，他們要定他死罪，交給外邦人。
34   他們要戲弄他，吐唾沫在他臉上，鞭打他，殺害他。過了三天，他要復活。

耶穌基督已經知道前方進入耶路撒冷，是一條苦難的路。並非沒有顫抖，但憑著一顆順服上帝和彰顯救贖與愛的心， 救世主沒有躊躇……

苏立忠牧師帶領我們一起靜心默想……

--- 耶穌基督雖已知前方的苦難與受死，爲何仍定意進入耶路撒冷？

（我們知道前方的路也許充滿荊棘與顛簸時，是否願意順服？）

--- 耶穌進入耶路撒冷時情況如何？群衆如何迎接他？但這以後， 同一群人又是如何向比拉多呐喊“釘他十架！釘他十架！”。這對你有什麽啓發？

（我們是否已經深度經歷了上帝？是否經得起風雨和考驗？）

--- 如果你就是坐在驢子上的耶穌，你的感受如何？大家都在歡迎你，但沒人知道你正預備進入受苦。這樣的你感覺孤單嗎？還願意走下去嗎？

（我們是否能堅定地說：是的，不好走，但我仍要跟你走。）

摘自dst-corp.com

我們一起回應……

--- 主啊！我不要在乎人的讚賞與譭謗。

--- 主啊！我願意為你走苦難的道路，勝過自己與罪惡的掙扎。

--- 主啊！我要在孤單中完全仰望神，絕不厭棄。

--- 耶穌是和平君王。他為人類的和平付出生命，使人與神、人與自己、人與人和好。我也要在這事上付出代價。

感恩。Amen

大齋節期. 一個簡單的整理

今天是復活節前的大齋節期，Lent的第32天；再倒數9天就是復活節。

羅馬書5:8     “惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死，神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。”

Romans5:8     "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

摘自lowerworshiper.com

從沒好好了解過大齋節。但再過幾天就是聖週（受難週）Holy Week的開始，突然想簡單整理一下關於大齋節。32天過去了，沒有好好沉澱；接下來9天更是該好好靜心吧。

復活節前的一共40天，不計主日，是大齋節期。英文Lent，源自古英語Lencten，意為春天。而拉丁文Quadragesima，則意指40天，即四旬。這是一個在春天裏的40個晝夜，一個默想耶穌受難受死，思想、懺悔、禱告、靜修的40個晝夜。



《聖經》裏，摩西在西奈山上禁食40天，領受上帝的誡命；耶穌開始傳教前在曠野禁食40天，其間三退魔鬼的試探。

出埃及記34:28     “摩西在耶和華那裏四十晝夜，也不吃飯也不喝水。耶和華將這約的話，就是十條誡，寫在兩塊板上。”

路加福音4:1-2     “耶穌被聖靈充滿，從約旦河回來，聖靈將他引到曠野，四十天受魔鬼的試探。那些日子沒有吃什麽……”

公元325年，尼西亞大公會議把大齋節定位40天。這40天紀念耶穌在曠野的禁食禱告，亦提醒我們去經歷。對現代教會的我們，大齋節期是一個靈性的歷程。再再靜心思想耶穌基督爲什麽受死時，我們重新學習自省懺悔、重新深化禱告默想、重新思想愛與奉獻、重新認識謙卑順服。

摘自lowerworshiper.com

今天我們有意識地去認知“聖誕節”多過去經歷“大齋節”和“受難節”。我們高舉為一己喜樂，但忘了為愛哀傷。陳元昌牧師《大齋節》一文裏提到，“近年來，一些教會裏形成了一種‘富裕福音’（Gospel of Prosperity）的信息……‘富裕福音’過度地強調信主的人大大蒙福，卻鮮少談論做上帝兒女的受苦信息”。但是，令人振奮、興喜、充滿盼望的主的復活，從來就離不開主的受難和死亡。

讓我們因主的同在而平安、而喜樂的同時，同樣警醒，清晰地思想：耶穌在人的罪中死，我們才在恩典中獲新生。讓我們懺悔、謙卑、感恩。

新山. Choy Kee安邦釀豆腐. 某個周末的早餐

又一個從新加坡囘居鑾的可愛周末。這樣的路途每每經過新山；若想念新山的食物了，會稍稍流連，隨性找找。周末的早餐總要來點膩的、爽的。

這天，三人想起了釀豆腐……如果我在新加坡一般食閣找釀豆腐，大概是因爲我需要綠色蔬菜，想要點清淡、健康的。但若我在新山想起釀豆腐，我老實想念的是厚實的肉餡、油炸的香脆和多元選擇的超滿足。

起了個早，到皇后花園的“Choy Kee吉隆坡安邦釀豆腐”時，還是早餐時分。畢竟是早，我們放棄了平時必點的客家炸肉。最愛的豆腐、茄子、苦瓜、蒸長豆，都是要的；更愛的是，在這可以吃到水餃。雖然喝了會渴的湯，不是什么首選，但一件件大塊大塊的，搭著吃慣的黑醬油撈面——周末的家鄉口味，“爽”字言盡。

一個不起眼巷子裏的店鋪、也許不最道地的安邦釀豆腐——給的純粹滿足很是實在。

Olive Oil Cake. Happy Birthday to Shin

It was a lovely Sunday. I invaded my Meimei (my younger sister)’s house, or more specifically, her kitchen with a shopping bag of baking ingredients. It’s the day before her birthday. Since I had chanced upon an interesting yet simple cake recipe online, I was thinking why not trying it for my Meimei’s birthday? Olive oil cake. It did sound like a healthier sort of option; at least a wee bit healthier than a richly buttery one, I presumed.

Why at my Meimei’s house? She has a lovely built-in oven in her kitchen which is a luxury that I with a rented room cannot have. Nevertheless, I am good at invading.

I got the recipe from a blog. It was the Abraço recipe. I googled a bit on Abraço. Obviously, it’s a nice little espresso bar in Manhatten New York. The first picture that I got from their website was the Olive Oil Cake. It definitely sparked off my interest to try making one myself.



I wished I could follow the recipe thoroughly, but I did not have a kosher salt and any mild-flavoured olive oil. So I used what we had at hand --- fine salt and Borges Extra Light Olive Oil, and I also changed the sugar to my preferred brown sugar. To be very frank, these could have been the factors that failed me. *LOL. An extra light olive oil might be just too light for this.



I followed the instructions to bake the cake until the tester inserted into centre coming out clean. It was just about 45 minutes and the colours, the appearance all looked nicely done. It was really quite palatable, but it didn’t turn out to be perfect; I thought the texture was a bit different from what I had expected. It wasn’t as moist and dense as described around. I’ll definitely have to give it a try again.



I know a plain-looking cake like this may not work well for a birthday, but yet, with a little stupid-looking hand-made decorations on it, I suppose the sincerity counts! Happy Birthday, Shin.

Anke Uke. 居鑾的小樂器+小食堂

Anke Uke是我老哥現在常去的午餐之地。不知道他哪位朋友和那有點淵源；或者就是喜歡那裏寫意的氛圍吧。



小樂器，小樂趣；小食堂，小時光。我的第一感覺是，恬逸。




主角小樂器不是這台老鋼琴，而是一踏店中，挂滿小墻的Ukulele [oo-koo-le-le(夏) 或 yoo-ka-lay-lee(英)] 烏克麗麗——夏威夷四弦琴，簡稱Uke。基本上，在這之前，我不知道Uke的存在。它活生生像個小吉他——可愛。抱它在手中，有種悠游自在的幻覺。



玥瑤玩著Uke，我們和老板聊著。說說，說到唱歌，老闆問我平時多唱誰的歌……我老哥脫口：“ 梁靜茹……勇氣！” 老闆接話説：“ 那很久了！是2000年寫的。” 我說：“ 對啊！就是我初戀時唱的歌咯。”

老闆就是馬來西亞的填詞人洪瑞業。《勇氣》、《愛笑的眼睛》、《你不知道的事》，都出自他。老闆是玻璃市人，老闆娘是居鑾人——都是醉心音樂的，三年前回到居鑾。

我問老闆：“ 你喜歡居鑾嗎？” 老闆說：“ 超愛。”  愛音樂、 愛居鑾，老闆、老闆娘上個月開了Anke Uke：把烏克麗麗介紹給居鑾，把音樂在這個小市上推染開去，再在一個小食堂裏煮著自己喜歡的食物。

早午餐的時間，老闆娘會端出招牌烤雞和家常的肉醬飯。小食堂每天的菜單不盡相同，一天提供一兩樣供選擇：親切、簡單、直接，就是個小食堂。我貼著老哥，第一次到Anke Uke。吃著Paprik肉醬飯，喝著冬瓜龍眼水，我主要還是好奇著環境和烏克麗麗的。食物的分享，就留待下次吧。





Anke Uke
26 Jalan Tasik 1, Pusat Perniagaan Tasik, 86000 Kluang, Johor Malaysia.   |   (60) 7 708 2270
Brunch 9:30am - 1:30pm, Tea 3pm - 5:30pm   |   週三休息

Good Morning with my Starbucks Cold Cup

I have a 16 Oz. (473ml) Starbucks Cold Cup. A sturdy, clear, BPA-free plastic cold cup with double wall construction and reusable straw :) It was a gift, and I love it. 



Wanting it to be versatile, I bring it with me wherever I go as much as I can. It holds almost any take-away cold beverage for me so that I try to use less disposables. The everyday routine task? I carry my fruity smoothie breakfast in it every morning as I travel to office.



Starting a whole new day with a cup of fresh fruit blend is refreshingly divine! Just a brainless effort of throwing any favourite fruits or greens and yoghurt into the blender makes a real good start of the day. Good Morning!

張伯笠牧師. 飛鳥和小草

幾天前，教會迎來了張伯笠牧師的佈道。幽默生動、深入淺出，兩個小時的分享，我沒有分秒恍神。



89年六四事件的學生副總指揮、“解放軍”武力清場后的通緝犯、政治庇護的流亡者、美國普林斯頓大學的訪問學者、癌症病患——牧師、佈道家：扣住人心的不僅是上帝整個破碎再造就的過程，更是那份來自天父的喜樂與平安的渲染。（張伯笠牧師回憶錄《逃亡者》）

印象深刻牧師分享了三個中文字：忙、盲、茫。三個字造得有些奧義——形容生活不同的步履，又都帶著“亡”的印記。生活令我們或忙碌、或盲目、或茫然；但無論我們怎樣在世界旅居過一段，死亡總是終點站。

我們啊，在人生中矜誇、執著的，總是一些轉眼成空的勞苦愁煩。我固執地就要這樣、你縱慾著也要這樣、他傻傻還是這樣。管他是不是基督徒；都是人。生活的熬煉，人人都能道自己的故事，豁達又談何容易。但天父的孩子總是說一份平安和喜樂。並非沒有那宿的傷感哭泣，而是早晨我們還要抱著上帝的慈愛感恩、再感恩。當上帝大能的安慰和聖靈的澆灌在我們當中，那雖流淚的喜樂、絲澀的稱謝又怎還會是難事？

願我任何時候都要警醒、坦然地擁抱這種智慧。

“你們看那天上的飛鳥，也不种，也不收，也不積蓄在倉裏，你們的天父尚且養活它。你們不比飛鳥貴重得多嗎？你們哪一個能用思慮使壽數多加一刻呢？何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想，野地裏的百合花怎麽長起來。它也不勞苦，也不紡綫。然而我告訴你們：就是所儸門極榮華的時候，他所穿戴的還不如這花一朵呢！”（馬太福音6：26-29）

不要憂慮。牧師說不要憂慮。上帝說不要憂慮。生活中，縂要擡頭、縂要思想。擡頭看看天上的飛鳥、靜心想想野地的小花、小草。不要憂慮，去建築喜樂。今天這功課，就盡心盡性盡力填上合神心意的顔色；明天的輪廓，黑白或繽紛，我們輕輕留在上帝的手中。

Arbite. Hearty Dining for an Honest Day's Work

I always have dinner outside. Renting a room in Singapore, staying with the landlord family, it’s not that convenient or appropriate to use or occupy the kitchen for cooking. The most I do is blending a fruity smoothie for breakfast. Light cooking like doing instant noodle is allowed, but I seldom like that. Food courts and hawker centres are always my usual place. But every now and then, I will explore little dining places or cafes nearby, just to have a different tint in taste and life.



It’s a vacant evening after work, and we went to Arbite [ahr-bahyt], a café at Serangoon Garden Way, which was not too far away from my work place. It’s one of my favourites for a hearty meal after an honest day of work :) The main courses served range from about S$16 to S$29. Breakfast, what they’re quite famous for --- about S$14 to S$15. (Here for their menu.) To me, they aren’t cheap at all, but it’s the food and ambience that appeal to me. I also like the fact that they are on the first floor, with a big glass window. It gives a meal time of getaway.



I’ve never been there in the morning, but Arbite’s breakfasts are available all day. So I had this breakfast for dinner: Sea Salt Caramel Banana Pan Cakes. Loved it caramelised but not too sweet. The touch of sea salt was perfect for me!



And there’s this “Today Special” --- Pork Rack With Mushroom Risotto Infused with Apple Red Wine Sauce. Pork Rack was just ordinary, but we liked the mushroom risotto (Italian rice).



That’s all we ordered for the day. A savoury dish plus a main-course dessert, along with two glasses of water were so much enough for the two of us. I don’t like over-ordering, covering the whole table, over-stuffing myself and wasting food. I used to be addicted to bingeing. Now, being able to eat the right amount that’s just nice for myself is so blessed :)

Arbite
66A Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555962   |   (65) 6287 0430
Tue to Fri 11:30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10:30pm   |   Sat to Sun 11am - 10:30pm   | Closed on Mons