The second greatest love story ever told...

There is no doubt...the greatest love story ever told was the love of Christ for mankind...no love is greater than the man who lay down his life for his friend.

We all know about the show 'Love Story', starring Ryan O Neal and Ali Macgraw. The famous line "love means never having to say you are sorry" , we all know so well. But the fact remained, although it was a great love story, it wasn't real, it was just reel. The second greatest love story (true-life) ever told, must be the story of Christopher Reeve (Superman?) and his wife, Dana Reeve.

From the media, we knew that Reeve had a bad fall from his horse and became paralyzed. A freak accident by all account but it happened. Life is such. But through it, we came to realise that true love still exist. Unconditional love which the Bible talks about is still taking place in a world we often call, cruel.

Reeve not only broke his neck but he was kept alive by a respirator and his wife stood by him till the day he died. While lying on the hospital bed, suggestions have been made to pull out the machine but his wife insisted that he should be kept alive and we all know that he was indeed kept alive till the age of 54 when he passed away.

Standing by your spouse who will be spending most of his life on bed, went beyond the marraige vows as Reeve told his wife. This brings the world hope in the midst of a high divorce rate. Does changing a partner means a better lifestyle...secret relationships are exciting but ultimately, the routine and mundane will set in...better to be faithful and appreciative to one.

With that kind of injury, no one would expect any recovery but Reeve did manage to move his fingers. Literary agent, Dan Strone wrote " I would never even hear any tension in her voice...Dana never panicked...she was unflappable. I never saw her crack - not once...There was a balance in their relationship that kept them both grounded. They lived for each other -"

Reeve had briefly entertained the idea of ending it but also admitted that it was his wife's love that pulled him back. Such was the power of their love!

Dana has been constantly praised and looked upon with admirations by many but she humbly said "I am just a woman whose husband fell off a horse, and I'm going to take care of him. That's what you do." This is the very reason what the marriage vow is about "for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health..till death do us part." If you have a healthy spouse, thank God for them.

Even Reeve's surgeon said that "without Dana, I doubt if Chris would have lasted more than a few days." It shows the power of love.

Not sure if this would be considered sad or happy...17 months after the death of Reeve, Dana passed away due to lung cancer. Perhaps, their love was made in heaven. They left behind a 13 year old son who have learned much about love and courage from his parents. They left behind a legacy of bravery and grace.

I am never into lovey, dovey books but in this land where English books are hard to come by, when I saw this at a bookshop, I just bought it and it was really a good and inspiring read. It made you think about what is really important in life. Recently, a fellow blogger had just lost her dad and she realised that her dad and mom shared a deeply rooted love relationship. Their 57 years together as husband and wife came to an end and it hurt her mom deeply. But the cycle of life is such...birth, childhood, adulthood, mid-life, old age, death. We all go through it, whether you are the king or the millionaire, a commoner or a beggar, no one will be spared.

While still alive, treasure what you have. There are no wrong marriages only stagnant ones.

I have an ex-colleague, she and her husband are still doing what they used to do during their courtship days and that is...Tuesdays are movie days. Yes, even after their marriage and having kids, he still pick her up from her office and both will go for movies every Tuesday...and we are talking about...for the last ten years, this hasn't changed.

Go on and do something for the one you love because time will slip by so quickly and before you know it, one will soon be gone.

For this Christmas, maybe this will be a perfect gift for all couples...

Somewhere in heaven - The remarkable love story of Dana and Christopher Reeve
By Christopher Andersen

Look out for my next post as I open my door to my first group of visitors. Yahooo.......

This special bao...

This is called a "shen zian bao". It originated from Shanghai and I believed it is only here that you can see such bao. Very similar to your potstickers but the dough is a bread dough.




The base is deliberately fried till slightly burnt, then half a cup of water is poured into the pan and covered, cooked till the rest of the buns are well done. The taste? Need I say more?

The double R lamb...

The weather is turning freezing cold, I must say, it is as cold as Macungie, minus the snow. The locals are expecting some snowfall (yes, Shanghai does snow). Usually, at this time of the year, the Chinese will buy lamb to eat. It is a meat which they believe will keep their body warm.

I did the same too. I bought this boneless leg of lamb and grilled it. Simple recipe - rosemary and red wine, marinated the lamb overnight. But I had one concern, will the alcohol content caused an explosion when I grilled it in the oven. My dear son said that alcohol is combustible and it might just blow up. It got me worried and I sms a foodie friend in Singapore and he confirmed that it won't. So here it is...the double R lamb. Simple and delicious. Once again, it is proven, the simple things in life are the most enjoyable.


Yum...mo!

The upside down truth...

I found this from my US pastor's blog. The cleverest thing I have ever seen, read and listened.

I am sure you will be fascinated by it.