DP | @ekhoophotography

The anatomy of a house move. Not many photos but I guess some will suffice. And here's a freebie I cooked up last Monday. I didn't have any photos since I was experimenting.

Bacardi Chicken
- Chicken breast, approximately 300gm.
- Bacardi rum obviously
- Herbs: oregano, marjoram, black pepper, garlic salt, paprika
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic and one medium size onion, coarsely chopped.
- 2 tablespoons corn flour

Cut chicken into small pieces and marinade with 1/4 cup Bacardi, and herbs. Add 1 table spoon olive oil.
Heat pan on medium heat, add olive oil to coat, add garlic and onions. Saute lightly.
Toss in chicken only (no marinade). Brown chicken with high heat, let rum catch fire if possible.
Mix 1/2 cup Bacardi, 1/4 cup water, corn flour mixture. Pour into hot pan, stirring till sauce thickens.
Serve with rice or potatoes

New Home switches!

Thurs 5:30PM
Rushed back in heavy traffic to condo to get essential cleaning stuff.
Contractor workers came to touch up paint job, adjust wrong dimension kitchen stove top hole.
TNB connected electrical supply at 3pm so went to test all lights.
8:00PM
Cleaned up after the workers left.
9:00PM
Had quick dinner, went to in-laws place to borrow more samsonite bags for clothes
10PM
Packed a bit and then collapse into bed.

Good Fri 8:30AM
Go to house to meet contractor to fix leak in roof and finish touching up grills, etc Begin cleaning outside Massive whole house cleaning begins.
10:30am
Water filter guy arrives, can't reposition water mains right away so shift to 3pm.
Clean up grills, windows, doors, bathrooms.
Autogate installation begins.
Wipe down kitchen.
2:00PM
Fried rice for lunch
Moved several non-essential boxes from condo 3:00PM Water filter guy arrives, starts work.
5:00pm
ML goes to pick up friend from Melbourne to the house.
House cleaning continues.
5:30pm
Water filter done, flush water system.
Sort keys, wax timber flooring
8:00pm
Go for dinner with friend without showering 10:00pm Back at condo, shower and see photos for a bit.
11:00pm
Drop friend back to Bangsar
Begin packing like mad
I dismantle sofa set, two beds, wrap spare mattress, dining table in bubble wrap.
Move mattress to living room.

Saturday, April 11
1:00AM:
Continue packing stuff,put clothes into bag, dismantle Ikea Effektiv/Aneboda/etc
2:30AM:
Collapse into bed
7:00AM:
Duck quacking (alarm clock), wrap mattress in plastic wrap, finish packing essential boxes.
8:00AM:
Bread breakfast & coffee while packing kitchen stuff.
8:30AM:
Mover arrives along with AK & JV (bro-in-law) Park truck in lobby with two SUVs and a one-tonne lorry Mover begins to move things down to lobby including single bed, fridge, washer
10:00AM:
Mover loads up lorry, truck and two SUVs.
10:30AM:
Me and AK depart in two vehicles to house.
Lorry and ML & bro-in-law depart condo 10 minutes later and meet dad at house.
11:00am:
Movers begin to unload. Labeled boxes go to specific rooms.
Big furniture gets dumped into dining/living Auto-gate guy arrives to touch up paint job on gate.
11:20am:
Mover goes for drinks, four vehicles head back to Condo.
11:45AM:
AK brings 7-11 big gulp. Need sugar badly. Continue packing and moving boxes down to lobby
12:00pm:
Mover arrives at Condo again. Begin moving closets, queen bed and effektiv storage down to lobby. More kitchen stuff moved down along with 300kg of books.
12:45PM:
Movers load up lorry for the second trip. CRV is full of hanging clothes (too lazy to iron again), boxes go into truck bed, glassware into AK's X-trail. Pillows and bedding go into JV's car
1:30PM:
Arrive back at house. Dad leaves for home. Unload begins
2:00PM:
Unload finishes, movers depart after being paid. Clean-up and a bit of stuff moved to correct place. AK and us go for lunch.
3:00PM:
Most important thing: assemble the bed and change sheets Sweep and mop the dusty house. Put back closet, chest drawers, etc.
4:00PM:
Inspector #1 arrives: Mom & Dad.
Sit for the first time all day and rest. Just plain water for drinks. Unwrap dining table and chairs in the process since they need to sit somewhere.
Restart fridge, move things from icebox to fridge.
5:00PM:
Take a quick cold shower (no water heater yet). Go back to Condo to get more stuff like hangers, electrical stuff and appliances. Mops, detergent, pails and toiletries. Make 4 trips down to car. Rain pours with unabated fury.
7:00PM
Arrive back home, unload.
7:45PM
AK arrives with SC & JT (Inspector #2) 8:00PM Hokkien mee dinner with ikan bakar, and more lard laden food.
10:00PM
Finish dinner, go home.
Continue unpacking, clean up cups, and unwrap essentials 10:30pm KW arrives with ladder (inspector #3) 11:00pm collapse into bed again

Easter Sunday
7:00AM:
Wake up, boil water for shower
Continue to unpack kitchen.
8:40AM: No coffee, no breakfast, go to church
10:40AM:
Coffee at last!
Go to ACE to pick up new locks, new mop, some light bulbs, etc.
11:40AM:
Go to in-laws place for lunch. Get bamboo poles for laundry line 1:00PM Rush back due to heavy rain.
Do Laundry, mop house again, unpack clothes and put into closet 3:00PM Put in external light bulbs, set-up master bed room, Clean-up kitchen, put in food stuff and arrange back glassware 5:00PM Back to Condo to get more things, collect laundry from condo clothesline, microwave, water filter, mirror and laptop, shoes, etc.
6:00PM
Back to house, unpack
7:00PM
Go to Mom's place for dinner, get puppy home 9:00PM Arrive home, prepare place for puppy. Put up bedsheets for curtains!
Unpack more stuff.
11:30PM
Fall unconscious into bed!

Last minute packing!

Next morning, everything looks much cleaner!

Finally arriving at destination!

But this is just the beginning -- the unpacking has to start!

As I drove out this morning, my trusty iPod mini hooked up to my Alpine CDE-9873 played Somewhere in the Middle by Casting Crowns The Altar and the Door CD. As is my habit nowadays, due to the lack of time and workload, I begin my morning with Worship in traffic. It calms my heart, and helps me re-focus the start of each new day on our Lord, God and Creator. The days feel much more bearable and I find strength to carry-on when I do this compared to a few days where I did not.

Of course today was a bit different as I was heading to the KWSP or EPF to withdraw some much needed cash for my new house & studio! This particular song caught on to me and I replayed it a couple of times. It really made me think and somehow I think it accurately describes me and where I am right now. It's trying to decide if I should plan and calculate all probabilities or to trust in God's supreme providence and faithfulness. To rely on my steady income or jump into my passion for photography. To pursue my personal goals and ambitions or who God wants me to be. To having everything to giving everything. No easy answers and not something one can decide or even do overnight or over a year.

Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle

Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves

Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control

Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
© Casting Crowns

A twenty-six-word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions. If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. If you know everything in the Bible, return here. We all need the reminder. The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human. And God�s treatment is prescribed in John 3:16.
He loves.
He gave.
We believe.
We live.

For God
so loved
the world
that he
gave his
O N E   A N D   O N L Y   S O N
that
whoever
believes
in him
shall not
perish
but have
eternal
LIFE.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your Forgiveness
and to seek your Direction and Guidance.

We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good, but that is
exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual Equilibrium and
Reversed our Values.

We have Exploited the Poor and called it the Lottery.

We have Rewarded Laziness and called it Welfare.

We have Killed our Unborn and called it Choice.

We have Shot Abortionists and called it Justifiable.

We have Neglected to Discipline our Children and called it Building
Self Esteem.

We have Abused Power and called it Politics.

We have Coveted our Neighbor's Possessions and called it Ambition.

We have Polluted the Air with Profanity and Pornography and called it
Freedom of Speech and Expression.

We have Ridiculed the Time Honored Values of our Forefathers and
called it Enlightenment.

Search us, Oh God, and know our Hearts today; Cleanse Us from Every
Sin and Set us Free. Amen!