NGV - A Day Out At Monet's Garden Exhibit

Claude Monet the artist is in town. Well, his work actually. The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is holding an exhibit of Monet's work till the 8th September 2013.

If you are into art and particular his art work, you do not have much time left. As of the 23th July, over 200,000 visitors have viewed the exhibit.

Monet was one of several founders of the Impressionism movement, though some do say that he is the ‘father of French Impressionism’. The exhibit show works from his early life where the colours of his work are bright, more towards blue and green to his later life, where he paint works viewed from his cataract affect eyes.

Seems his earlier works did not sell, but it was his later impressionist work, especially those of his garden at Giverny that he built, sold well. The story of his life with his family, his determination to be an artist and to paint as he sees the world was interesting.

One of Monet style was working on "series" paintings, in which a subject was depicted in varying light and weather conditions. He focuses on a subject matter painted from different points of view and at different times of the day.

Because it is an exhibition, photo taking was not permitted. Hence I am unable to post any here. However, above is picture of Monet outside his house at Giverny.

On entry into the NGV, the first exhibit seen is a 2000-year-old statue, PixCell-Red Deer by Kohei Nawa, from its collection. There is also a water exhibit at the Federation Court.

Below photo show the world's largest stained glass ceiling in the NGV's Great Hall. You'll see in the hall, people queuing up to the Monet's Garden Exhibition ticket booth.

The following are some views of the Grimwade Garden, located at the back of the NGV building. It is a good place to get away from the crowd and to take in the peace of the place.

Photos of an interactive activity room, on the right of the water exhibit at the Federation Court. You get to actually draw and colour on the walls.

Warrandyte Market - One Saturday Morning

Looking for something different to do during the weekend? Well, we did one weekend.

It's either finding something exciting to do or stay home and do house chores. House chores! How exciting can that be? OK then. We decided to check out the Warrandyte Market.

We heard about the market from friends in the area. It has around 120+ stalls of homemade, home grown goods ranging from fruits, vegetables, gourmet food like pies and all kinds of bread, gifts and plants to some hand spun knitted jumpers. Look out for the traditional Turkish mouth-watering handmade pastry with your choice of filling. Hot and delicious.

It's an outdoor market set along the banks of the Yarra River, held on the Stiggants Reserve in Warrandyte. It is held on the first Saturday of the month, from 9.00 am - 1.00 pm except for the month of January.

Well, this Saturday morning was a good sunny day to enjoy the delights of the market. I was pleasantly surprise at the size of the crowd and the stalls were a treat for Margaret who loves to browse every one of them.

Get a cuppa of your favourite coffee to kick-start the day. If not coffee, maybe a take-away glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Seep at your drinks as you work your way down the stalls along the path.

Do you have a green-thumb? If so, there are plants that may interest you ranging from native shrubs to citrus trees. There are a couple of honey stalls for those who are sweet and locally grown fruit and vegetables for those looking for fresh produces.

All stallholders are friendly and willing to help or answer any questions you have about their products, even if it's just out of your curiosity. You are not obliged to buy anything though I'm sure they will be most happy if you do.

The following are some of the entertainers; musicians and singers, as you wind your way among the stalls along the path of the market.

The market is also animal friendly but to be more accurate; dog friendly as they are the only ones seen apart from the wildlife birds that fly around the market. The photos shown here are only three of the many breed of dogs I've seen, large and small. This observation is reinforced by the fact that there was a dog food stall, a dog accessory stall and a dog bed stall in the market.

The view of the Yarra River that runs along the market are enjoyed by some people much more so than the market itself. Sitting at its bank, it felt very peaceful indeed. I think the true beauty of the Warrandyte Market is the fact that it is set in such beautiful surrounds. Look out for the cockatoos.

Victors Crown - Darlene Zschech - Lyrics

Matthew 27:28-29 (NLT)
²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹They made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery, yelling, "Hail! King of the Jews!"

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT)
⁷I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.

James 1:12 (NLT)
¹²God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.



Video by Freda Yoder

God's Spirit Will Help You Overcome Sin

Romans 8:9-14 (NLT)
⁹But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) ¹⁰Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. ¹¹The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.

¹²So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

This powerful passageof scripture contains some critical truths we need to know about letting the Holy Spirit lead our lives. Remember, once you became a Christian, God gave you his Holy Spirit to help you live out your faith, guide your steps, empower your witness and as this passage attests, overcome sin. Look at four key points the apostle Paule make here:

You Are Controlled By a New Nature
Your old, sinful nature will still try to get a hand on the steering wheel. But now your new nature is in the driver's seat, and your old nature has become like an annoying backseat driver. You can either give in to your old nature's nagging and bad directions or you can ignore it and let the Holy Spirit direct your path.

Even Though You Will Face Physical Death, You Will Not Face Spiritual Death
As a believer, physical death is simply a transition to eternal life in heaven. You have been spared from spiritual death, which leads to everlasting toment and hell (see Revelation 21:8) This important fact should reassure you whn the devil tries to throw doubts your way.

The Same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the Dead Resides in You
Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit, who had the power to raise Jesus from the dead, now lives in you! If that is indeed true - and God's Word says it is - just think of the supernatural power you now have in your life to resist sin!

We Do Not Have to Give In to Our Sinful Nature and Urges
Paul wasn't talking about New Year's resolution here. If we try to live a morally upright, godly life in our own strength, we will fail - and fail miserably. But, if we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us, we will be overcomers.

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie

Cornerstone - Hillsong Live (New 2012 Ablurm Cornerstone) Lyrics

Psalm 118:22-23 (NLT)
²²The stone rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone.
²²This is the LORD's doing,
and it is marvelous to see.

Matthew 21:42 (NLT)
⁴²Then Jesus asked them, "Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures?

The stone rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous to see.

Acts 4:11-12 (NLT)
¹¹For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

`The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.'

¹²There is salvation in no one else!
There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."

God's Spirit Will Empower Your Witness

Acts 1:8 (NLT)
⁸But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

One of the greatest things the Holy Spirit wants to do in the life of the believer is empower his or her witness. The word for power in this verse comes from the Greek word dunamis, from which we get the words dynamite, dynamic and dynamo.  God didn't give us the power of the Holy Spirit to feel something, but to accomplish something.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit's power acts like dynamite in our lives, blasting us with zeal, jolting us out of complancency, and motivating us to greater spiritual growth. At other times God's Spirit is like a dynamic, generating power that will help us live from day to day at a level we could not achieve on our own. We need to remember the encouraging words the apostle Paul gave to young Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.

Are you timid in your witness for Christ? Is it hard for you to speak up for what you believe? Then you need to tap in to that power he has made available to you through his Spirit. God's Holy Spirit will give you an added dimension of boldness, power and persuasiveness in your witness that you have never experienced before.

New Believer's Bible
Ps Greg Laurie

Crown - Chinese New Year Hawker's Bazaar

A Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year, to the readers who celebrate the Chinese New Year, which officially start on the 10th February for 2013 and the celebration goes on for 15 days. 2013 is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Chinese New Year is not a holiday here in Australia, though it is celebrated among the Chinese and Vietnamese communities and enjoyed by the others in the community. The usual lion dance can be found happening at Melbourne's Chinatown and restaurants to usher in good fortunes.

This year we went to the Crown's Riverwalk to celebrate the New Year at their annual Hawkers' Bazaar, featuring traditional Asian food and merchandise stalls, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment. Also featured are the firework displays at night but we gave them the miss. The Crown's Hawker's Bazaar start on the 8th February - 10th February.

When we got to the Riverwalk, it was the food stalls that drawn our attention first on account of the aromatic smell that flowed from the many food stalls cooking. One in particular is the Lao Tuo Jia Restaurant stall serving lamb skewer. The stall itself was smoky, has two cooks one with a sweat towel around his neck, fanning and turning the skewers over the fire. Judging from the long line of people queuing up (that's a Melburnian thing to do) to buy some, it must be yummy! What's interesting also was the truck parked behind the stall that advertised ".... Cool Room Hire". I wonder.

A few stalls further is Little Nyonya, that not only serves Malaysian food but do so with a smile. All of them. They must be emphasising something about their food.

Fortunately it was not a very hot evening and as we were early, there wasn't a hugh crowd but I can see the crowd building up as the day goes by; the young, the old, casual and colourfully dressed, multi-cultural aspect of the city begin to show. Some were already sampling the food they got and I spy some feeding each other.

There were live entertainment on two stages and buskers along the river walk to keep the people happy and entertained. Some in the crowd unsuspectedly or voluntarily became part of the busker entertainers for the crowd.

At the time, the live stage entertainment was six ladies playing a traditional Chinese stringed instruments; a Guqin. From the looks of the instrument it is a difficult instrument to learn and play. My view only. It seems perfectly natural to the ladies playing.

Most stalls on display along the Riverwalk were colourful and have something of the traditional Chinese arts and crafts on display, though not all stalls. Those that may interest you as it did for us, are the Chinese New Year decorations, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese tea making, Chinese cooking and noodle making. There is even a stall for those interested in Feng Shui and fortune telling.

If you are looking for something to do tonight or for tomorrow, this is one place to be. Better decide soon, for the bazaar finishes tomorrow.

For other Chinese New Year happenings around the city, click here.

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