Bella, the Movie

Join us for our MOVIE REVIEW...
featuring the 2006 hit

"BELLA"


April 18 (Saturday)
5:00 - 7:30 pm,
Fee: MOP20 (with dinner)

Let's analyze, discuss and have fun!

Give us a call (2853 0054) !

ANGOLA International Night

Angola, a country rich in natural resources right in the southwestern coast of the African continent.

The national flag of Angola (left)

It was a delight learning dishes from Angola like Pipis, Moamba, Canja, tapioca dessert and much more. Our guest speaker and cook, Mercedes, taught us how to make these dishes. For some of us, it was our first time to see ingredients like tapioca flour and canned sauces from palm fruit. The cooking experience was one of a kind! Dessert! Mixing tapioca flour

Moamba



Light moments during Dayenne's powerpoint presentation

During the get-together, Mercedes told us how it was like growing up in Angola and having to leave it when unrest and civil war broke out. Although she is Portuguese, leaving Angola to go back to Portugal was like leaving one's home and entering a totally new world. In telling us about the people of Angola, among other things, she explained that for them, movements of the body are part of expressing oneself. Even children who are learning to walk already begin dancing!

Thanks Mercedes for sharing your time, your memories and your wonderful cooking! And thanks to you we know more about Angola and its people.

Meaningful discussions on LOVE

It was wonderful to see many smiling faces leaving the get-together we had last February 21 (Saturday). We had talked about an issue very close to everyone's heart: love. And it was nice to have come out from that talk reassured about the importance of holding on to the good principles that we have learned, learning from the mistakes of the others and coming out stronger and more resolved to be mature women with our heads over our hearts.

Our speaker, Gloria Ma, started the talk by asking the participants how they spent the past Valentine's Day. The participants shared their experiences, not only on how they spent Valentine's Day, but also how they manage dating with school work. One girl commented how she and her boyfriend try to encourage one another to study harder, often competing with one another who will get the better grades. After this warming up moment, the talk on Love and Relationships commenced. The following is a summary of the contents of the talk:

True love and chastity 真愛與貞潔

Real love between a man and a woman should be expressed through endless genuine care, mutual respect and concern for the other's well being over and above one's own selfishness. Often, we think that love is the quantity or quality of material or sense satisfaction that the other person is able to give us. The person loves me more if he gives me more things or makes me always feel good. Unknowingly, we are thinking more of ourselves ("what can I get from the other person?") more than thinking of the other person ("what can I give to the other person?").

There are many manifestations of love, according to the type of relationship (family, friends, etc.), the proximity or closeness (acquaintance, close friends, boyfriends, husband). With all those we truly love, the requirement that real love demands of giving oneself selflessly always holds. Yet, the way we show our love matters a lot. There is the suitable way for every occasion and circumstance. In the relationship between girlfriend and boyfriend, there should be mutual respect. Saving the gift of sex until marriage brings freedom, joy and true romance without regret. Quoting a illustration from a renowned author on chastity, the speaker told us how illogical it would be to use one's wedding gown (all white and clean) to mop up spilled coffee. This is how it is when we don't preserve our chastity for marriage. True love teaches us to wait and true love is made strong by patience, sacrifice and self control.