Adieu 2014

Here we are at the end of another year. 2014 has been a year of ups and downs for me. I'm thankful for the good things and grateful to God for strength when I encountered life's storms. 

Looking forward to better things in the coming year. Am going to church with hubby and kids to spend the last few hours of the year. This year our pastor has scheduled an all night prayer meeting. What better way to end the year and welcome the new year than to be in the presence of God, committing all that's important to us into His loving hands.

Things Happen

It has been a painful month for many people in our nation as well as around the world with the shooting down of our Malaysian Airlines MH17 as well as the Taiwanese and Algerian plane crashes all happening within a week.

I also know of a passing of a wonderful young man, someone whom I didn't know personally, but he had been to our church to conduct free guitar lessons for some of our youths. He had been Leukaemia-free for a few months before experiencing a relapse. He left behind a young wife and a 3 year old daughter.

Some things are beyond our control and we can only pray for peace and comfort for those who are grieving over the loss of their loved ones.

What I've learnt is that life on earth is not always a pleasant journey. Just as rain falls on the good and the bad without discrimination, we are glad when things go well but bad things sometimes happen to good people as well and vice versa. The way we respond to these situations is what makes the difference. We can either retaliate in anger or respond with grace.

A few days ago, a 14 year old motorcyclist riding without a license was speeding on his father's motorbike and crashed into my car behind the passenger-side door as I waiting at the traffic lights. Thankfully he only had minor cuts and bruises. His bike was badly damaged and a part of his bike had cut right through my car tyre causing a puncture. A portion of my back bumper was also dented. My car is only 10 months old.

Damaged tyre rim and a large cut on the left

Of course I was furious at first. But causing a scene (with or without a steering lock...some of you would understand what I mean. *wink*) would not bring about much good result, other than getting my face posted all over Facebook! Hubby had told me earlier over the phone that he was coming home early that day, and guess who was just passing by when I was standing by the side of the road talking to the injured motorcyclist! I was glad to have hubby around as I wasn't sure what to do. The motorcyclist looked quite frightened when I asked for his father's phone number.

The next thing I knew, the 14 year old kid's older brother also passed by on the same road on his way home from work and stopped to see what was going on. Firstly he gave his kid brother a good scolding and then he came over to offer compensation. They aren't very well-to-do people and at one point we just wanted to drop the whole matter and let them off the hook since the damage to my car wasn't too great. But the other guy gave his phone number and said he would compensate us.

We got the repairs done the next day amounting to around RM250 and hubby contacted the kid's brother to ask for half the amount. I'm glad the matter got settled in a calm manner. Sometimes being level-headed and showing a bit of kindness to someone else is just the antidote to selfishness and revenge in this imperfect world that we live in.

Farewell 2013

It's been a very busy month with lots of shopping for Christmas gifts, preparations for the annual Christmas presentation in church and dinner gatherings with family and friends.

So here we are at the sunset of 2013...a year filled with moments of joy as well as moments of sadness. 

The one thing that I've been reminded of this year, something quoted by a young friend, is this:

"Good things don't necessarily happen only to good people and bad things don't necessarily happen only to bad people."

So 2013, I bid you farewell and look forward to a new year filled with exciting opportunities and possibilities.

Gary Leon Robert...Gone Too Soon

In Loving Memory of

Gary Leon Robert 1987-2009

I have just returned from attending a wake service for a young man whose life on earth ended on Sunday 2nd August 2009. He had taken part in the Adidas King of The Road marathon in Shah Alam, collapsed after completing the course, was attended to by the medical officers and released when he regained consciousness. After that he seemingly vanished into thin air as his friends and parents frantically searched for him throughout the day and into the next. The police K-9 squad recovered his body the next day, in the tunnel of the Shah Alam stadium.

This is the first time I have attended a funeral service of a young adult and this is the first time I have seen hundreds of people at a funeral. I think there must be at least 500 people present, and cars were parked all the way from his house till about 2 km away.

I remember Gary well. He served in the Christian Fellowship committee of Uniten (commonly known as Techflow) and he had been to our home quite a number of times for makan and committee meetings.

He was one of the very outstanding young men that I have come across in the years that my husband and I have been involved with Techflow. The first thing I remember about Gary is his lovely smile which he flashes so very often. He was always very polite and helpful, often doing dishes in my kitchen together with Adeline, his girlfriend.

I remember thinking to myself what a great job his parents did in raising this fine young man

and how I hope my son would grow up to be like Gary.

As I sat through the service I found out things I never knew about Gary because he was never one to blow his own trumpet. His achievements, both academic and in sports, filled 2 whole A4-size pages, listed down by his sister. His friends gave touching eulogies of how he always brought out the best in them, how he was always considerate and placed others above himself. In short, he was the best kind of friend anyone could ever have and he was the son that every parent would be proud of.

Everyone also felt that he died too young...that there are too many unanswered questions regarding how he died, but overshadowing that, what I see is a life well-lived for God and for others...that he has run the race of this life so well that he finished the race way before the rest of us. Now I can imagine him in Heaven cheering us on, saying "Come on, you can do it!"

It's never a guarantee that the people we love will be with us throughout our lifetime, but our lives are made richer because they were with us...even if it was only for a short moment.

Gary,you will be sadly missed...fondly remembered!

Tale Of 2 Grannies

The Star newspaper ran an article on Sunday about elderly citizens being abandoned by their children in government hospitals and old folks' homes
(http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/26/starprobe/4395880&sec=starprobe) and since then many people have put forth their opinions regarding this issue.

A parent wrote in to say that he didn't want to be a burden to his children since they have their own family to support. A man wrote in to tell his story of how he let his aged parents stay with him only for them to turn around and bad-mouth him and his wife. Another wrote to say that we should take care of our old and sickly parents no matter how difficult it is because without them we wouldn't be here.

Allow me to share a story about 2 grandmothers (not necessarily mine) who came from China a few decades ago with their husbands to begin a new life in a country known as Malaya...

The first grandma had 8 children. Her husband worked hard at various odd jobs while she stayed at home to care for her little ones. The naughty ones remember her holding the cane and disciplining them. Her husband worked his way up and soon owned a thriving business. He wanted all his children to have a good education, something that he didn't have, and most of them graduated from university.
When her husband passed away, she stayed with one of her many sons. Her children and grandchildren treated her like gold, and whatever she wanted she would get, although she never asked for anything except to have family gatherings on special festivals such as Chinese New Year and Mooncake Festival. Every year her children would take her out for dinner on her birthday although she insisted that they shouldn't celebrate her birthday at all.
She fell ill and was wheelchair-bound towards the end of her life, but her children gave her the best medical attention possible. During the final few days, everyone in her family had come to visit and those who were overseas had called to speak with her.

The other grandma also had 8 children. It was difficult having so many mouths to feed and she had to give up one son for adoption, in hopes that he would have a better life.She was a strict but loving mother, and she worked hard alongside her husband in the government sector. Her children had primary and secondary education, grew up, secured jobs, got married and produced many grandchildren, some of whom she helped take care of while their parents were at work. She lived with one of her sons until she suffered a stroke in her 80's.

She was in hospital for about 3 months and her children came to visit regularly, a few even offered to let her stay with them when she got better. However, when it came time for her to be discharged only her eldest son and daughter-in-law took her into their home to care for her. To be fair, the others were working full-time and her daughter had hired a maid to take care of her mother's needs. To cut a long story short, the visits from her children became fewer and fewer and a few even refused to come at all, harbouring unforgiveness over incidents that had happened way back in the past. The funny thing is that when she was well, they had welcomed her into their homes and everyone was on good terms with each other.

Fast forward to the 1st day of Chinese New Year just a year or two before her passing...the old lady was in her eldest son's home surrounded by his wife and family, sitting in her wheelchair in her finest clothes, waiting for her other children to come and pay respects. The clocked ticked and hours passed by. The old lady had her lunch, then had her afternoon nap. No phone call, not a single visitor. It was soon time for dinner, then supper, still in her finest clothes, waiting and waiting...Don't her children know that what goes around comes around? That their own children might do the same to them one day when they are old and sickly...?

A Great Loss

Every year without fail I have always looked forward to the Petronas TV commercials shown during every major celebration...Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Hari Kemerdekaan. So it was with much sadness that I read about the passing of Yasmin Ahmad who directed these short clips. Her commercials never fail to make me chuckle or go teary-eyed because they are so heart-warming. I have watched the movie Sepet and loved it. The late Yasmin Ahmad was truly a one-in-a million talent and it's sad that we will not be able to enjoy more of her works of art.

Here are some of my favourites:









This one is shown in Singapore, get some tissues ready...


And this one is really sweet:

Chicken a la Carte

A friend sent me the link to this video. When I watched it I thought that it was just another sad story meant to make us feel guilty about not finishing our food, but the words at the end of the video (at 6:02) made me feel grateful that we have food to eat at all.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Synopsis: This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people

Special Furry Friends

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~George Eliot

A couple friend of mine who are in their forties have no children but they had a very beautiful white siamese cat. This cat was treated like their own child and was very affectionate. Everyday when they came home from work, before they could enter their home, the cat would be scratching the door from inside the house in excitement.

Yesterday I was told that their cat which they had for 8 years had died suddenly, probably of a heart attack (it was rather overweight). I could see the grief in their eyes as the husband recounted what had happened on that fateful day. Those who do not have pets or have not formed a special attachment to their pets would not understand their grief over their loss.

As I drove home, I felt so sorry for them. I remember the first puppy I had when I was thirteen. Out of the blue my dad had brought me to the SPCA to adopt a puppy. I chose a brown little mongrel which was full of enthusiasm, jumping up and down and licking everyone who came near him. I named him 'Asher', which means 'happy' (got it from the Bible). He was my pet and I trained him, fed him, played with him, bathed him, rubbed his tummy and spoke to him. We even watched TV together! Asher could sense my feelings... somehow he knew when I was sad or angry and he would snuggle close. He was kept in the house and at times would sleep outside the door of my room. This dog also had a mean temper and I have scars on my hands from being bitten, but I still loved him...he was MY dog. And I remember that I cried when Asher died.

pic from Endless Mountain Labradors

It's hard to explain how a human and an animal can become so attached to one another, but they do. And I understand how my friends feel, having lost more than just a pet. It's more like losing a very close friend...and losing a friend is hard.