Saturday In Design Singapore x Olympus Trip 35

A happy afternoon perusing wares at Saturday In Design Singapore, the first of what's slated to be an annual trade event for the design community. Quite a bit of the exhibits were not new, but it was fun to see them all at one shot, observe tropes and discuss the concept of cross-fertilisation of ideas in a "globalised world".

Grateful that God has given us the ability to find beauty in inanimate manmade objects - the Mattiazzi Branca, especially (a Vimeo on its manufacture).

Explained the cost of following Christ from Mark 8 and 10 during this week's Christianity Explored course. Good questions at the end - people not so concerned about the cost or about historicity, but about different ways of interpreting the Bible and hypocrisy of Christians.

Was interesting to hear Dick Lucas (or was it Jonathan Fletcher?) observe, during a sermon on Isaiah, that the challenge to the preacher is always to convince non-believers that God is not for them, and to convince believers that God is for them. A soundbite that is as inaccurate/vague as some contemporary Christian music?

Sometimes, maudlin CCM lyrics encapsulate the riches of a Puritan sermon. Case in point, "you're altogether lovely" from Here I Am To Worship. Says my homeboy, John Flavel in Christ Altogether Lovely:

1. Is Jesus Christ altogether lovely? Then I beseech you set your souls upon this lovely Jesus. I am sure such an object as has been here represented, would compel love from the coldest breast and hardest heart. Away with those empty nothings, away with this vain deceitful world, which deserves not the thousandth part of the love you give it. Let all stand aside and give way to Christ. O if only you knew his worth and excellency, what he is in himself, what he has done for you, and deserved from you, you would need no arguments of mine to persuade you to love him!

2. Esteem nothing lovely except as it is enjoyed in Christ, or used for the sake of Christ. Love nothing for itself, love nothing separate from Jesus Christ. In two things we all sin in love of created things. We sin in the excess of our affections, loving them above the proper value of mere created things. We also sin in the inordinacy of our affections, that is to say we give our love for created things a priority it should never have.

3. Let us all be humbled for the corruption of our hearts that are so eager in their affections for vanities and trifles and so hard to be persuaded to the love of Christ, who is altogether lovely. O how many pour out streams of love and delight upon the vain and empty created thing; while no arguments can draw forth one drop of love from their stubborn and unbelieving hearts to Jesus Christ! I have read of one Joannes Mollius, who was observed to go often alone, and weep bitterly; and being pressed by a friend to know the cause of his troubles, said "O! it grieves me that I cannot bring this heart of mine to love Jesus Christ more fervently."

4. Represent Christ to the world as he is, by your behaviour towards him. Is he altogether lovely? Let all the world see and know that he is so, by your delights in him and communion with him; zeal for him, and readiness to part with any other lovely thing upon his account. Proclaim his excellencies to the world, as the spouse did in these verses. Persuade them how much your beloved is better than any other beloved. Show his glorious excellencies as you speak of him; hold him forth to others, as he is in himself: altogether lovely. See that you "walk worthy of him unto all well pleasing," Col. 1:10. "Show forth the praises of Christ," 1 Pet. 2:19. Let not that "worthy name be blasphemed through you," James 2:7. He is glorious in himself, and he is sure to put glory upon you; take heed that you do not put shame and dishonours upon him; he has committed his honour to you, do not betray that trust.

5. Never be ashamed to be counted as a Christian: he is altogether lovely; he can never be a shame to you; it will be your great sin to be ashamed of him. Some men glory in their shame; do not let yourself be ashamed of your glory. If you will be ashamed of Christ now, he will be ashamed of you when he shall appear in his own glory, and the glory of all his holy angels. Be ashamed of nothing but sin; and among other sins, be ashamed especially for this sin, that you have no more love for him who is altogether lovely.

6. Be willing to leave every thing that is lovely upon earth, in order that you may be with the altogether lovely Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. Lift up your voices with the bride, Rev. 20:20 "Come Lord Jesus, come quickly." It is true, you must pass through the pangs of death into his intimacy and enjoyment; but surely it is worth suffering much more than that to be with this lovely Jesus. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and the patient waiting for Jesus Christ," 2 Thes.3:5.

7. Let the loveliness of Christ draw all men to him. Is loveliness in the creature so attractive? And can the transcendent loveliness of Christ draw none? O the blindness of man! If you see no beauty in Christ that causes you to desire him, it is because the god of this world has blinded your minds.

8. Strive to be Christ-like, if ever you would be lovely in the eyes of God and man. Certainly, my brethren, it is only the Spirit of Christ within you, and the beauty of Christ upon you, which can make you lovely persons. The more you resemble him in holiness, the more will you show of true excellence and loveliness; and the more frequent and spiritual your communication and communion with Christ is, the more of the beauty and loveliness of Christ will be stamped upon your spirits, changing you into the same image, from glory to glory. Amen.


Photos thanks to Olympus Trip 35 x Fujifilm 400 x baking in hot sun x Triple D Minilab at Burlington Square (via Peek!)

I Shall Wear the Bottom of My Trousers Rolled

Fun times at The Steeping Room, a pop-up shop with a lifespan of only 3 months, from the same folk who brought us Papa Palheta and Loysel's Toy. Reminiscent of Square Mile Coffee Roasters' Penny University. Fantastic initiative and, to use politico-speak, where the ground is heading. (Or is the ground being led there?)


Like much art and theory, the methodology isn't new - the nonchalant Kenyan AA in a syphon has hung around The Coffee Connoiseur for some time and the Hario Buono Kettle, V60 drip filters and Skerton and Slim Mill grinders have been offered by Japanese department stores for ages.

But this is now gathering enough support (and coolness?) to be termed "a movement", with attendant evangelistic guerilla shop set up on the second floor of the 261 Waterloo Street HDB block, two floors down from farm.sg and a stone's throw from Food For Thought, with wooden pallets as wall decor and Pyrex Iwaki beakers as beverage vessels.

Despite oozing such coolness that even ah-peks think I'm far less hip than them (plus the uncle from the "Famous Waterloo Street" chicken rice downstairs was so pained by my lousy Mandarin, he felt it necessary to hold up the queue to correct it), I've managed to acquire almost half the equipment on display during the continuing quest for the most decent cup of homebrew (early and late March, April*).

The current menu for May was interesting enough: Papua New Guinea Sigri Peaberry served in the Hario V60 or Hario Woodneck cloth drip, Ibero El Salvador Pacamara in the Aerobie Aeropress, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe in the Hario Syphon and for The Steeping Series, the PNG Sigri Peaberry and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe paired with dark and milk Royce nama chocolates. Lovely. No espresso-based drinks or milk additives here - just coffee in its glory.

Still, the highlight of the visit was to be able to lean over and have a grand old yabber with the baristas about failed home experiments, 13g-14g for the Aerobie Aeropress) vs 23g (! aiyoh!), "circular pour with agitation", Geishas, etc without so much as a puzzled blink from across the counter.

It seemed to me, as we were debating the historicity of Jesus' resurrection at Christianity Explored today, that there are great similarities between coffeegeekery and Christian evangelism - you've discovered something great and it's so marvellous that you want to share the good news with everyone! Yet, being obsessed about coffee makes one an interesting person but being passionate about the God who made this wonderful world makes you a scary fundamentalist; gabbing on about beans and showing people that "coffee can be sweet, floral, fruity and nutty" is very exciting but talking about Jesus who died in our place for the sins we committed and showing people the goodness of God's laws just results in complaints that we are infringing on the rights of others.

Yet exploring the coffee bean is so much much less important than exploring the meaning to life, the reason we have been put on earth, who made the entire universe, who rules it, and where we will go when we die.


*

My most recent experiments involving Has Bean's Malawi Mzimba Geisha 2011 + Hario V60 have been fantastic for the princely sum of £4.30. It's not that geisha from Hacienda La Esmerelda in Panama, but the fallout radius was still at least 10m from the epicenter of the mid-afternoon brew in the office pantry. Much less swooning with Has Bean's Malawi Viphya Geisha 2011 though.

Here's Stephen Leighton's write-up:

Grown in the Viphya North Hills on the grassland plateau overlooking Lake Malawi, this micro lot is of the Geisha varietal. Geisha is an ancient and very rare coffee variety that has gained a lot of favour of late. The agronomic yield of Geisha is extremely low, which is why it is so difficult to find commercial plantations of this variety. One of the reasons for its new found popularity is an auction lot that fetched a huge premium. In fact it was the most expensive coffee ever, which in some areas led to a huge rush to rip out perfectly good plant stock and replace it with a varietal that tends only to work at a higher altitude and in perfect growing conditions.

The good news about the Mzimba Geisha Micro Lot is that it has been growing in this location for a very long time at an altitude of 1600m above sea level upwards, and it's great tasting. This coffee is so similar to the Mssese I have tried to find out more about why it is so close and if it's a co op name change.

In the cup expect the super creamy mouth-feel and clarity that you would expect from a great washed African coffee. This is then backed up by a delicious tropical fruit that zaps your mouth with pineapple, apricot and all sorts of summer fruits. Great mouth-feel.

May Day! May Day

The destination for this year's May Day pilgrimage was Pulau Besar in Johor, another boat ride from Mersing jetty.

We made full use of the 2-3 hour long queues at Malaysian immigration (they were testing out their new biometric thumbprint scanning systems) to hone our wheeling and dealing skills. Malaysian security spotted us and walkie-talkie-d for back-up, but their SOP didn't provide for action to be taken when faced with Monopoly Deal.

A roller coaster ride along windy roads to Mersing and a speedy boat ride later, we were at the bucolic island of Pulau Besar. In Malaysia, this meant charming wooden huts amidst coconut trees with creaky plywood boards so thin you could hear passing conversations while inside the hut and take full advantage of the resident rooster(s) for your morning alarm, and stained but clean sheets and comfortably soft mattresses at Mirage Island Resort,

hens and chicks just about everywhere - looking for food under the stilted huts, roosting in trees, clucking and cheeping under bushes...

attap huts, bats awake during the day and squabbling amongst coconut palms, hibiscus shrubs (at D'Coconut Island Resort), and

a tree house replete with well-used hammocks and swings at Aseania Resort.

The international flags at Mirage's Pirate Bar and lounging young Frenchmen who alternated between beach volleyball and chain-smoking and drinking beer while swimming in the sea, juxtaposed bucolic with backpacker's haven.

Our bed and board for 3 days and 2 nights included two breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners. We needn't have packed Ramly burgers (beef, special, with cheese please) from Mersing jetty;

the chicken chop at Mirage was fresh (of course) and the lamb at the barbecue was especially excellent; breakfast was decent (bread, toast, pancakes, scrambled egg, sausage on second day, nasi lemak on third day) and lunch was both delicious in a homecooked way and generous (of course, a morning of snorkelling and swimming, and beach frisbee and shell picking does give one a ferocious appetite).

Service was excellent and unstinting - food was served and plates were cleared in due course, slugs of alcohol were generous, bottled water was given freely, as was tutoring in the art of pool (or i suppose, not ripping the velvet off the pool table).

Fishing off the jetty was easy - the turquoise waters were dark with schools of fish. The issue was hooking the fish of one's choice rather than taking all eager comers.

Bobbing about in a red kayak, chatting and drinking potent Long Island Teas was also an option,

as was just lazying about on deck chairs with suntan lotion and a good book.

Sadly, the snorkelling was only so-so compared to Pulau Rawa, and past the mosque, to the left of Mirage Island Resort, sea urchins proliferated below fairly shallow waters and sandflies abounded above*.

If we had been Malaysian, we would have come adequately prepared with paper lanterns to send off in the night wind.

But we were not and made do with hilarious rounds of Phase 10 and Bang!,

accompanied by all manner of snacks and news of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

I had a bit of a wrestle with Micah, and as a consequence inadvertently brought back half the beach, wedged between Jonah and Nahum.

Haven't quite got mind round the book yet, but from the little gleaned so far, whadda chum.

Micah was a contemporary of Hosea (Hosea 1:1) and Isaiah (Isaiah 1:1), roughly in 8th century B.C. He prophesised through the reigns of Judean kings Jotham (about 750–735 B.C.), Ahaz (about 735–715 B.C.) and Hezekiah (about 715–687 B.C.). Possibly spoke God's warnings to both Israel until they went into exile in Assyria, and to Judah. In Jeremiah 26:18, the elders of the land observe the influence of Micah's words on Hezekiah (cf Micah 3:12).

Need quite a few more passes at the prophet, not sure if this book is a compilation of his preaching or a structured whole, but for now:

Micah 1:2-4 The LORD is coming in judgement.
Micah 1:5 God's people have sunk so low that it is as if even God's holy temple has become a high place for the worship of idols.
Micah 1:7 People's infidelity like that of a prostitute.
Micah 1:8-9 Yet God/the prophet mourns over coming judgement.
Micah 1:10-16 Wordplay pronounces imminent disaster on the whole land.

Micah 2:1 The people are so evil, they are even plotting evilness in bed.
Micah 2:2 The powerful covet and seize their neighbour's inheritance (cf. Exodus 20:17).
Micah 2:3-5 Therefore the LORD will take away their inheritance.

Micah 2:6-7 The people reject the prophetic warning, presuming on God's blessing without caring about God's word.

Micah 2:8-9 They deny rest to others and make war with their neighbours.
Micah 2:10 Therefore the LORD will deny them rest.

Micah 2:11 The people are happy to be led by false prophets.
Micah 2:12-13 The LORD/a king will lead the remnant (to battle?).

Micah 3:1-3 Israel's leaders are so cruel to their own people, they are like cannibals.
Micah 3:4 Therefore, the LORD will not allow them any hope of repentance.

Micah 3:5 The profit-driven pronouncements of self-seeking prophets lead the people astray.
Micah 3:6-7 Therefore, the LORD will blind them.
Micah 3:8 But Micah's warnings are divinely-powered and true.

Micah 3:9-11 The leaders, priests and prophets are corrupt yet presume that God will not bring disaster on them.
Micah 3:12 Therefore, because of them, the LORD will bring disaster on Jerusalem.

Micah 4:1-5 But in latter days, the LORD will establish his house in Jerusalem. And in contrast to the corruption that came before, it will be a place where God's law will be taught and there will be rest.
Micah 4:6-8 Hmmm, lame as image of God's people under his judgement? The LORD as shepherd gathers them.
Micah 4:9-5:1 First, exile to Babylon (apparently this wasn't even on their Ministry of Defence's scenario planning axis). This was God's punishment of his people, and not his lack of power over other nations. And this was so that God would then rescue his people and judge the other nations.

Micah 5:2-6 The promised ruler/saviour shall come from Bethlehem Ephrathah, and shall be divine(?). He will be the shepherd and give them rest (all that God has promised so far in Micah). He will rule over all the earth (like God!).
-> no wonder Jesus chided the Jewish teachers in his day for not reading scripture!

Micah 5:7-9 The people may be scattered amongst the nations (due to exile), but there they will destroy the nations.
Micah 5:10-15 At that time, the LORD will destroy their idol crutches.

Micah 6 The people are on trial: the LORD reminds the people of his past faithfulness and their covenantal relationship. The people were told what was expected from them - not to earn God's favour but to respond to his grace by loving him and loving neighbour. But the evidence is brought to show that they violated the covenant. The sentence is pronounced.

Micah 7:1-7 The current situation already shows signs that the sentence is in effect.
Micah 7:8-10 Yet Micah trusts that the LORD will rescue them in their repentance (which from Micah 5:10-15, the LORD himself will bring about?).
Micah 7:11-13 The remnant will come out of the nations to Jerusalem, which shall be the only place of safety on the earth.
Micah 7:14-20 Reprise of Moses & Miriam's Exodic Hit Song - reminder that God had the power and desire to rescue his people, looking forward to the new exodus

*these were particularly nasty despite incessant spraying with insect repellant (both DEET-laden and DEET-free). We washed and Stingose-d them then kept the bites sterile with large plasters from the Pirate Bar. Ultra-kiasu treatment back in Singapore consisted of:
- Enhancin (anti-biotic, co-amoxiclav 625mg)
- Dhasolone (steroid, prednisolone BP 5mg)
- Xyzal (third-generation anti-histamine, levocetrizine dihydrochloride 5mg)
- Gentriderm cream (bactericidal, antifungal, antibiotic, corticosteroid)