Prayer Answered...

Praise God! This morning when I received an sms informing me that little Samuel is on the road to recovery, I am so much relieved and happy. However, the little guy is still under observation and should recover nicely in the next couple of days. I was also informed that in the wee hours of the morning at about 1.30am on Wednesday, 27/5/2009, the high fever was broken and little Samuel was healed. Now, little Samuel is still under observation and should make full recovery in the following days. However, please continue to pray for his further recovery as it is important for us to further affirmed him with prayers of protection and speak healing onto his life.

Yunno, in circumstances like this, there is no greater love than the love of parents and siblings. From my personal experience, I am sure that they would have been exhausted from the long hours of being awake , physically & mentally drained as anxiety, hope and prayers surrounds them. Spare a thought for them and pray for God's strength be upon their lives. The other thing is give encouragement rather than old folks tales on medicinal remedies or even ask "sensitive" questions at the hour of need. Just pray, continually stand in the gap and intercede - God will do the rest. This I can assure you because I know it! Like I said, I am a nobody but I believe and have great confidence in God!

I am looking forward to see ever smiling, witty and cute Samuel again. Thank you, everyone for praying for this little guy's recovery. Your prayers are greatly appreciated and I know, God do hear the voices and prayers of his earthly angels! Thank you once again for responding to the need! God bless you!~

Spare a prayer...

Today, I want to stand in the gap and pray for God's healing upon one special small friend which I have come to like very much. Though I may not spend time with this small friend or know him that well but he's kinda cute, courteous and really adorable. This small friend is Samuel Teoh. For about 2 days now since I came to know about this, he's battling high fever and it is indeed a time for prayers for him and his parents. I can understand the difficulties and the anxiety the parents & siblings would have to go through and so, thereby, I wish to request each and everyone of you to spare a moment in your quiet times to pray for the speedy recovery of this little fella named Samuel.

Oh! BTW, being Malaysians, please ask questions later. The more pressing need is the prayer part. I do hope you'll understand the urgency of the matter. No offence intended.
I continually pray that God would bless each and everyone of you as you spare your time to pray for him and his family. Yunno, as you fall on your bended knees and open your heart to petition to the Lord for the recovery of Samuel, pray too that the Lord would transform you to be more prayerful in your life. After all, God's miracles are true and a step of faith to Him! BTW, please forward this request to your family members and friends to stand in the gap and pray for healing & good health to this awesome boy!

God bless you, angels!~

Total Absurd..

For years, I've heard many preachers, lay leaders , deacons, ministry leaders and even friends preached, talked , discussed and even argued over the ever popular line " Don't Touch The Lord's Annointed ". Now, before you go branding me with whatever "beautiful" names you're gonna let people know about it, let us for once put on our thinking caps! It is really obvious that some people are just as blinded as a bat or a follower of blind allegiance! Now, your can start sharpening your machetes, parangs, knives, blades or whatever you want to sharpen so that you can used it later to cut the coconut to cool down your burning anger towards me though. Oh! BTW, I do not need any leaders to call me to offer me "words of wisdom" when you have only talked to me not more than 2 times in my last 14 years as a Christian. Sheezh! That the type of leaders we have nowadays! I also don't need any "holier- than-thou" type of leaders too ; be it a woman or even a man. I've seen lots of such leaders in my cut-throat marketplace anyway. Also, I want to say that I am not writing this to win a popularity contest or be an attention seeking maniac. I have had enough attention from my wife if that's what you want to know! NO, I am NOT arrogant nor rude but just a fed up practical Christian. You see, we don't like people who "rocks the boat" of establishment and we are afraid of people who voices out things because they say unpleasant things, right? Well, I've got news for you. I am that type and I will stand to death if I have to defend what I want to say. This time I make no apology nor accept any apology. I am accountable to my Father in Heaven. You may call me whatever names you want . [ "Sinner" would be nice , actually! ] You may like it or you may not like it ~ that's entirely up to you!
Now, step away from your "comfort" zone for a while and think. I ask of you to think deeply. If you are a good leader or even a good man/woman of God, do you really need to preach this message? Again, if you are a well-liked , down-to-earth, humble and gracious leader/deacon/preacher who does the will of God , aren't you gonna be respected and adored? Do you need this message to be preached to you or your people? You see, I have learnt one thing over the years in my life, when God is in the centre of your life, you fear not for your own life. You would rather lose your life for God than being sucked up in praises, taken in by sweeteners and sweet lies from the lips of humans. I have not planned to hit out at any specific group of people. I am planning to hit out at every level of people. BTW, as leaders we are judged more harshly than anything else. So, might as well include everybody, right? When I say leaders, I mean from the very top of the food chain to the very bottom! That includes elders, pastor, deacons, lay minister, ministry leaders and even leaders in general. Of course, I am starting a revolution! It is the revolution in the mind, heart and soul that I am more interested than the physical revolution you might be thinking!

I've got news for people who like to preach this type of message. You are fearful for your position or your status in leadership role. You are scaring the daylights out of yourself for things that would not have happened if you are good and accountable leader. You are an insecure person and leader who is afraid that others are better than you or in better words, you're envious of other people achievements. Plus, you are building your own family dynasty in the place we call sanctuary!

Read the following article and tell me that I am wrong. Yeah! It's gonna be a long day indeed!

Touch NOT the Lord's Anointed! [ Berita NECF - Nov-Dec, 2008 ]
The phrase, “Touch not the Lord’s Anointed”, is often tossed around when there is a leadership crisis in a church. Challengers of the leadership would be reminded to keep their hands off the ‘anointed’ or else... (face the consequences of God’s judgment?). How did this phrase arise and how does it square with the rest of God’s Word?
Berita NECF invites LOW CHAI HOK to touch on this thorny issue.
Because the ministry of the church calls for the fulfillment of an infinite mission by the painfully finite means of broken people who seem always short on resources and shorter still on the time and commitment, church leadership is tough.
It is inevitable, therefore, that differences of opinion often arise. Caught in such laboriously difficult situations, church leaders have often been tempted to shout down 'the opposition' with the demand to "touch not the Lord's anointed!"
What are we to think of this "Do not touch the Lord's anointed management approach" (let's call it Dontlama, for short)?
Firstly, Dontlama reads Scriptures the wrong way round. The foundational text for the idea of not 'touching the Lord's anointed' is the Saul-David narrative (1 Sam 24-26). In this text, it expresses David's free and voluntary decision not to kill Saul. Motivated by his personal sense of right and wrong, he saw Saul - despite his bloodthirsty advances - as the Lord's anointed.
Dontlama turns a free and voluntary decision into an injunction motivated either by the leader's need for recognition as the Lord's anointed, or by the presumption that he is the Lord's anointed. Instead of reading the Scriptures, Dontlama reads the Scriptures to others.
Secondly, Dontlama draws a parallel between two conflicts: the leader-vs-his dissenting member and Saul-vs-David. Since the demand is made upon the dissenting member to act like David, that leaves the leader paralleled by Saul.
Yes, Saul was the Lord's anointed. He was also wrong. Rejected. And, in the end, decapitated. Now, why would any leader want to be so equated?
Thirdly, and fundamentally, Dontlama is spiritual ransom, falsely holding the threat of divine punishment over the heads of the dissenting members as the price for compliance.
True leadership envisions, enables, and persuades. It does not manipulate. Nothing demonstrates our lack of true leadership and the absence of the Holy Spirit and grace in our life and ministry more than our descent into machination and coercion.
Finally, Dontlama is hubris (excessive pride, arrogance and ambition), and a demonstration of our lack of faith. Dontlama says, in effect, "Look, I am the Lord's anointed."
If we are, truly, the Lord's anointed, will not others recognise it, and will not the Lord open the way for us, without our egging for it? And is not our Lord Jesus Christ our only "the Lord's anointed," and the rest of us mere servants? Where is the servanthood if we lord it over our brethren with such presumption of being the Lord's anointed?
Effective church leadership is an act of grace, plus a lot of miracles. "You, you shall not touch me, me - the Lord's anointed, OK?" is not one of them. Quite definitely so.
Formerly a pastor, Low Chai Hok is now an itinerant preacher and expositor of God’s Word. Presently, he and his wife, Lilian, are building a home for Christians who need a place of quiet to find healing for a wounded heart, to reflect, to be alone with God or to write.

Hmmmm...... I guess, I stepped on a lot of people's toes, ain't I ? Well, before you take a pop shot at me again..... [ It is not that I've not been branded already with so many "beautiful" names! ] Give it a thought, ok? I didn't write the above commentary [ You can check it out at the NECF website! ] and I find it to be refreshing when you actually get to the actual meaning of the phrase. I am very sure, it will rock the socks off you and see things in a different perspective. Now, do you see things in a different light? That's all I asked of you. You can get a lot of expounding of that phrase meaning when you search for it with your whole heart either by books or the electronic media or learnt it from the best teacher - God, himself. We need to rid ourselves of this "kampung" mentality and stand accounted for Him. Don't hide and take cheap pop shots at people while hiding behind the skirts of so-call religion , self -righteousness and the thick wall of fear. This place we live in call Earth needs the truth because the lies and intricate web of deceits are so thick even the mosquitoes are suffering from lack of oxygen!

Changes starts with you and me. We need not take up firearms nor machineries for our revolution in life. It starts with the power of knowing the right from the wrong. The good from the bad; the truth from the lies. There is power in seeking the true word of the Lord. I must confess that when it comes to God's Word, I have not stopped learning, probing and rejoicing. It is an on-going process to renew our minds. Stop instilling fear in our lives by such nonsensical twisting of God's word for one's favour! Get out into the sunshine and let the rays from the sun brighten up your clouded lives or better still, let the rays of sunshine bring light to the darkness of your life. It'll do you a whole lot of good in your spiritual walk with HIM!

Me? I am just a stupid and naive blogger...................it seems....................What do you think?

Stumped of words...

I want to say that I've always been able to say words of encouragement to friends, colleagues or family that are in need of them. I must confessed that the words or sentences I use may sound harsh or even downright on the verge of degrading but it is never my intention to belittle anyone. BTW, I will stand by what I say - no matter what. Honestly, I really meant well, it is just that my presentation of words may be a little difficult to digest because I don't mince my words or try to be patronisingly nice or warm. I'm just not that type of person. BTW, if you are looking for this type of patronising person, you'll never find it in me. I am a very direct person with black is black while white is white. That pretty sums up how I grew up.
That's why I was really stumped of words when I had to console a friend who was in grieve. For once in my life, I just didn't know what to say. Yes, surprise it may be, the "ever reliable" Ivan who always have some words of comfort or encouragement had nothing to say. I really wish I had but I simply don't know what to say or how to say it. For once I was really tongued-tied or is it that God wants me to listen much more intently before responding? Seriously, I really don't know. It made me question myself too in a way. What type of friend am I ? How could I have nothing to say? Have I lost my marbles or worst, have I lost my feel to care ? That were the questions that popped in my head! But one thing I know, it hurts me inside so much that it is just a pain that I simply can't describe. The only thing I remembered I did was to get on my knees and prayed for my friend and the situation my friend was in. In a certain way, I just wish I could do more. I really really wish I could do more.

I guess, sometimes, as a friend or a family , a meaningful silent is probably the best remedy for a tough situation at times. Yes, I am learning. I truly am learning!~

Ah! The Date & Movies...

Rummaging from the tons of toys the other day, I found two very interesting plastic figurines in Snow White and Doc , one of the seven dwarfs. Like it or not, I am reminiscing a time long-long ago. Again , you would probably called me a romantic fool but yunno, I really enjoyed looking back in the yesteryears when things are much simpler in life.

BTW, those figurines brought good memories because that was the first movie I saw on a first date with SLing. Can you imagine, me ~ lean and mean, watching "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs" ? Yeah, I DID watch this movie with SLing and it's her favourite movie, actually! I guess, in many ways, SWN7D did bring us together in a good way and that's why I am enjoying the memories. Did you know that this is a 1937 movie which was given a whole new lease of colors and what not from Disney studios? It is really just fantastic the way they did the spectrum of colors in the movie and I was very impressed. Fulamak! The colors were alive and really diverse. BTW, I took Art as my second elective during college over Physical Education because I really like Art. So, to see SWN7D in their new technicolor after all these years was truly amazing. Anyway, one thing I still couldn't get it after all these years is why is it has to be an apple that caused the downfall of a woman? Why couldn't it be a pomelo, grapes, orange, pear, plum, banana or even watermelon? Why it has to be an apple? This drives me bonkers!

If you ask me, I would rather watch " Mad Max II " or even some other action movie over this but when I see the movie together with SLing, it was different. Yes, I must confess that I did catch forty winks at certain part of the movie as I was too tired after a hockey game practise but overall, I actually enjoyed this movie. BTW, I also watch "Annie" and "Oliver Twist" but that's a different story altogether though!

Hey, I know that it's the "guy" thing to watch action packed movies and so on but sometimes, you need to see some really good movies. Few of my all time favourites are "Schindler's List", "Gandhi" [ I love this movie very much! ], "Lorenzo's Oil ", " Forest Gump", " A Few Good Men" , the list goes on and more recently, " Passion of Christ". These are meaningful movies. Movies you can relate to and movies that actually warmed your heart. Yes, I kinda like Jack Neo movies too ~ light hearted, filled with laughter and anecdotes plus plenty of life lessons to be learnt though the spoken Hokkien language vocabulary can be greatly expanded!

I guess, over the years, animation movies and techniques have gone leaps and bounds. Thus, more lively characters, heroes and villians alike are made alive by colors and life-like expressions! Hey! It's a megabucks business anyway. So, have a good time at the movies with your wife or even your girlfriend or even someone special in your life!

Afterall, all we ever have of our special ones will always be the times that we spent with them!~

Can Delight...

Later that fateful evening after the day had unwind into a crawl of activity, SLing, SYuen and myself went out to the nearby shop to "ta pau" our dinner. [ It's Sunday and it's No Kitchen Day! ]. We had to get bread for tomorrow's breakfast and we happily got Gardenia bread. Then something caught my eye. I think, I must have moved along that area for about three times before I actually plucked up my courage to remove that special can of drink from the refrigerator of the mini market. Viola! It's Yeo Hiap Seng's Coconut Juice in a can!
I popped open the can ring and slurped the drink. It is more to gulping it down to clear the arteries! Yunno what, it tasted ...... good, actually.

What will they think of next? Pulut Hitam in a can or maybe Sweet Potato Drink in a can? You never can tell, do you?~

Weekend...

Last weekend, my favourite nephew, Ryan and the family from Seremban dropped in for a weekend of fun. You see, Wei & Jade was invited to attend a wedding dinner and so, it was a good weekend break for them. To SLing and me plus our two children, we are happy to host them over the weekend as it has been quite a while since they dropped by in Melaka. They were also joined by mom-in-law and Kenneth, a young budding lawyer [ mom-in-law used to babysit him and now, he has grown up! Still single, though. Any takers? Contact SLing for further arrangement. Deposit of cash is appreciated and encouraged but non-returnable! ] It was really good to see all of them. Most important of all, we all wanted to know if my nephew, Master Ryan can adapt himself outside his safe home in Seremban. Thank God! He looked suspiciously at everything in the house for a while and then the smiles came back and everything is all and well! Hooray! As usual, I prepared some baked potato with garlic, thyme and rosemary herbs topped with streaky bacon! Everyone seemed to wolf it down and so, I presume that it should taste okay for some starters or is it because they are hungry! Hmmmn.... I wonder, though! Anyway, it was really fun to be able to prepare somethingnice for the family though! Well, it is actually fun for me to churn out whatever food I could because I really enjoyed feeding my family with good food. Then, it's off to Jusco for special time with Ryan at the playground area and some light shopping. By the time we went back, Wei & Jade were off for their wedding function. We had a sumptuous dinner and then, we just enjoyed ourselves with Ryan's antics and be mesmerised by his smiles, laughs and more gibberish words. Yup, he did cry....sorry..... 'screamed' is the word for about 35 minutes later in the night. Surpisingly, I was quite used to it by now and it didn't bother me, actually. It was good to see everyone trying their best to cajoule him down and eventually, he slept with us in the master bedroom amongst the spread mattress and bodies of JWee, SYuen and mom-in-law. He's really cute expecially with his own set of pillows and blanket! Gosh! Pity Wei & Jade who would have to lugged a large baggage when they go out on holidays with Ryan!
Anyway, after a hearty breakfast the next day, we had a special toys session. SLing carted out 4 containers and one cardbox of toys from the store room for Ryan to pick out to play when he goes back! Phew! Even I didn't expect that there was so much toys around!Gosh! we really spend that much for our children. Yeah! We kinda spoil them, actually! Tsk!Tsk!Tsk! Anyway, it was fun seeing Ryan enjoying the toys together with JWee and SYuen. Before they headed for home, we decided to have a good sumptuous meal at the nearly opened Bei Zhan Restaurant. The meals were fantastic while the service was astoundingly fast & efficient. We were realy impressed by it and the guests never seemed to stop flowing into the restaurant. This reataurant is making big bucks while spending big bucks too on the decor and so on. Really nice, chic, trendy, cosy and soft touch family restaurant. I would most definitely recommend this place to anyone who is game for some really good food and fantastic ambience. The pricing on the food is surprisingly reasonable and affordable.

Kinda miss the tiny tot, Ryan after they headed home. That's the best part about missing Ryan. We get to go back in Seremban soon, over the weekend, to spend time some more time with him. Tickle him pink, yellow and red while we have a great physical workout in running after him! That's how we spend this weekend.~ With great family members and a whole lot of fun together!

Perak Fiasco..Back to Square One

For once when the right thing seemed to happen, the Perak situation is back to its shameful backward state. It is not only 1Black Malaysia, it is really a real embarrassment to our beloved nation, our government and even our sovereignty as a democratic country. It is a situation where the people's voice is being pushed further back while almost puppetry and dubious government takes over the state. Nothing moves forward - it's back to static! I am also fairly surprised at the speed of the court convening and deliberating on their decision. I am sure if this continues, a lot of backlog of cases in our courts would be cleared most indefinitely!
From circus acts in the State Assembly to ridiculous lies on pepper spray [ the picture on the right doesn't lie! ] to the removal of the Speaker like a sack of potatoes being carted by "kuli keng" and "pasar malam" atmosphere, one can only see where this is all leading to ~ further down the wormy drain! All this while , the rakyat is suffering further with " no chenghu" in sight and hardcore criminals - whether the legal or the illegal ones are having a field day in our states and country. No progress, no stability and uncertainty hanging over the state, it can only be a frustrating time for the people in this state.

If there is anything to be done, it is this : DISSOLVE THE STATE ASSEMBLY & GO BACK TO THE PEOPLE! That's the only way to get the clear mandate. I really can't understand why our so-call BIG BULLY, the government of BN just won't let it happen. Is it because they are "afraid" that they might lose this silver state or their pride & ego is so big that they can hardly swallow it now. BTW, by what they have been doing over the last few months, they are already losing the support of the people. By holding on by the teetering hooks for power, their support will plummet further and the coming GE will not be a pretty sight. It will be a slaughter and a massacre of voters casting their votes to PR for a great change. Already, the sentiment of disgust, mistrust and even resentment is growing strong towards the BN government. Yunno, in my twisted simple mind, I just find that the fight is solely about power and more power. The deceit of the human heart, actually. I quote John Maxwell, " Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Will the leaders of this state go back to the people for the mandate with the support/blessings of the respected and revered Sultan Perak or do they continue to hold on to the power they never possess in the first place continuing the endless saga of days at the blistering courts? No matter what it will be, the rakyat's interest had already been compromised, trampled and abused!

So, YB's & gentlemen/ladies of the Perak State Assembly, do the RIGHT thing!

Oh! BTW, I do support Datuk Mohammad Nizar. God bless you, sir and Good Luck, you'll need it!~

Cooking - The RR Way...

Just a few hours ago, I have just completed a cooking lesson with the RR boys and girls - Adventure & Discovery Rangers group. Yunno, it is not easy trying to teach these children something worthwhile in the lives week in and week out. BTW, each week, I try my level best to teach the children some basic survival tips in life together with some Bible lessons. It is important to equip the body, mind and soul - physically, mentally and socially. So, in order not to get my children to cascade into boredom, I decided to teach them some cooking tip and preparation of simple meals even when their parents are not around. I decided to teach the children on eating raw vegetables with a slight twist, toasted food and even a simple chicken dish. There was nothing fried today; meaning happy & balanced meal, I hope. Initially, I wanted to teach the children on how to cook a rabbit and some quail stew, however, as I couldn't get my hands on these items, I decided to go green where possible and prepare for a hearty meal instead. So, I went shopping yesterday afternoon with SLing at Tesco and get my all stuff ready for today's event. It was fun getting all the things ready when at that time, I don't have a clue to what I want to do with the children. Anyway, I just trusted myself and pray that I would come up with a good set of recipes to do. After all the shopping and raking the brains to know what to do, I decided to teach the children my childhood favourite dish and also, improvised on some of the recipes for toasting and coming up with salad opener.
I decided to teach them to prepare a mixed salad with apple cider tang, roasted potato with fresh rosemary, garlic and olive oil while the last dish is the Chinese classic, chicken with mushroom and oyster sauce. To get everyone on the right footing, I took the younger Discovery Rangers and made them dice and cut raw carrots, celery sticks and tomatoes. I demonstrated to them on how to do it once and then I got each and every one of them to do it. It was fun seeing the younger ones handling the vegetables and dicing up the vegetables. Yes! They cleaned their hands before doing any cutting and dicing. I explained to them cleanliness in our work station, attitude and our food is our priority. Then I get my own AR boys and girls to peel potatoes, chopped up some garlic and some shallots. Then I got another group of AR boys to prepare the chicken, chopped up some mushrooms and get the stove running. It was like running a small Gordon Ramsey kitchen in the mid-blistering hot sun at the Atrium area. I was sweating but the children were gleefully chopping away.
When the children are done cutting up and dicing the vegetables, I taught them to do the dressing. It was one tea spoon of apple cider, two tea spoon of sugar, a pinch of salt , some water, sprinkled of black pepper. These were added to the chopped and diced vegetables and viola! the first dish is ready! Then it's to the roasted potato whereby the potato were either halved or whole, pricked and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then, a mixture of garlic and bruised Rosemary herbs [ to bring out the great flavour and aroma ] entwined with olive oil were spread on the potatoes wrapped in tin foil. Then it is off to the simple oven toaster which I had brought from home. 22 minutes later, the dish is ready and the smell is really good.
For the third dish , I got the boys and girls to heat up the large Vision pot with some olive oil, saute some garlic & onions and waited for the rise of the sweet aroma. After getting some fragrant from the garlic and onions, the cut chicken pieces went in next. This was followed by the various combination of dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, oyster sauce and half cup of water. It was then left to simmer for a few minutes before the button mushroom & other mushroom were put into the terribly nice looking dish. Soon, a sprinkle of pepper here and there, a dash of salt here and there, soon, the dish was ready. We then got all the children to come out to share a little sampling of our children's culinary skills. It was fun seeing the children munching down the food especially the salad dish [ BTW, they picked up eating the celery and tomato! ] and the mushroom chicken. It was fun seeing the children enjoying the meal. The laughter and the smiles says it all, actually. The amazing part of the entire experience was that it was the children who did the cooking. Me? I was just supervising them on how to do it. I am really proud that the children did a great job in getting the food ready. I guess, it has always been my hope that I could help the children cook a meal for themselves and for their family. In that way, they would be more independent , able to take care of themselves in absence of their parents and even cook a meal for themselves in a healthy manner. In a small way, I have shown these children that cooking is fun, good and nutricious too. So, the next time you are in the kitchen, don't be surprise if you see your own children preparing a meal for you. They may not be Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, David Aggie, Lynn Crawford or even Daniel Boulud but hey, they can cook! That , to me, is sheer pure joy to my heart!

Yunno what ? I am already blessed seeing the children taking part and wanting to learn to cook. One thing is for sure, these children have bottomless pit in their stomach. They really can eat,man!

I am just glad that they have learnt something new today. I have been blessed by their lives!

A Farce Democracy...

My God! The Perak Assembly drama has truly unfolded to be the grandest circus act of all time by politicians from all sides. What a ruckus and what ugly side of learned people driving themselves mad over power! There were trainers and even ring side helpers who turned out to be clowns today!

Frankly, this is the first time I've seen so much turmoil, shameful acts of rowdiness and we continue to blame the youths of today where they have inherited their barbaric acts by bashing up fellow students or causing hurt to their piers. This is like the pot calling the kettle black syndrome-lor! We've seen plenty of this is our society of late! The other drama is seeing plainclothes policemen [ they seems to be plentifully around to do this job rather than concentrating on apprehending snatch theft criminals or even hardcore criminals in our streets today! ] dragging out the PR Speaker! For crying out loud, go and help apprehend the actual criminals-lar and let these so-called learned elected representative bash themselves up. At least, that will bring in some revenue for the hospitals , clinics, undertakers and also the police stations as they make their police reports. Afterall, we've got to generate income and business for our downtrend economic situation today, right?

Boy, I am truly and deeply fascinated by the sudden large area that had been cordoned off from the Perak State Assembly Building. Probably with their readiness for action to arrest every Tom, Dick and Harry at these sites, why stop at arresting politicians and the general public - might as well arrest the cats, dogs, mosquitoes, rats and even flies that loiters or goes by these areas. This doesn't augurs well with the public. Already the reputation of the police force have been mercilessly butchered & tainted and now, they are defending a bunch of goons with their show of great numbers in presence. I personally think that the public or better known as 'rakyat' money could be put to better use!

Hey, I am all for safety and public order but I guess, the rakyat is a whole lot smarter these days. Moreover what the policemen did were simply ridiculous. The public is not stupid and they do remember, my friends. How can there ever be integrity and respect for the men in blue? To some of my good friends who are people in the blue uniform, no offence intended, ok? BTW, who will ever forget the assemblymen and assemblywoman who defected and started the grand turmoil in the first place. Yunno what? It is indeed timely that there seemed to be an advertisement in Astro over the title of "Anak Wayang" whereby the best aspirants will battle it out for the ultimate title of "Anak Wayang"! Afterall, they are part of the budding people trying to claim victory for the title. It is indeed a 'wayang' today for democracy.

As a citizen of my beloved country, I've completely lost all confidence and respect for this new government leadership and the learned statemens or women who acted like a bunch of retards for the entire world to see and we call this democracy progress. What a letdown! The best solution to end all these farce democracy is to called for fresh polls! I am all for fresh polls in our nation's silver state called PERAK! Incidentally, I have only this to say - "Perakians, Enough Ruckus And Kutus!"

Let's get down to business, get fresh new polls and start governing the state! Assemblymen and assemblywomen, wake up! The people are suffering in these difficult economic times!~

Cob of Corns..

I was travelling back from Segamat along Selandar road when I saw a small stall selling cobs of corn. Knowing that corn is SLing's favourite food, I decided to stop by the stall to get some cobs of corn. The corn looked freshly picked from the nearby rows of corn plants. I was excited and I hoped that they would be good corns. As I arrived at the stall, I was attended by two young sisters probably 12 and 13 years old respectively. I then enquired about the price. One of the girls immediately informed me that it is RM 4 per pile of 5 cobs of corn. I was taken aback as I checked the cobs and they felt thin. I thought it was a little steep to pay RM 4 for 5 pieces of corn. Then I asked the girl again on the pricing of the corn. This time I received an explanation from her that she meant RM 4 for two pile of corns after some insistence from the other girl. Now that seems more justified, actually.

Honestly, I knew from feeling the corns, they were quite lean while there were some which were quite full though but they are fresh. I wouldn't mind paying that amount for the corns because the sisters looked that they needed the sale very much. So, I just checked on the corns, exchanged one for a better piece as another elder sister came by with a basketful of fresh corns. After ensuring that the corns were packed, I paid for the corns without asking any other questions. I could see from their faces that they were happy that they had made a sale. Yunno, RM 4 meant so much to them. As I pondered on their expressions, I realised that somehow some lives are blessed. I guess, I must say that it isn't easy to make a living nowadays what more when you are selling corns by the road that was very much less travelled. The elder sister profusely thanked me for buying their corns in which I smiled to her. As I was about to go to my car, another m/lorry driver stopped near my car and asked me if the corns were good. Looking at the sisters and then back to the lorry driver, I told him it's the freshest in town!

Hey, the sisters needed all the help they could and this is one way I could play my role. Hopefully , they'll be blessed today. As for the corns, they tasted sweet and good.~

Healthy Living...

Today, I came back from work at 5.30pm sharp as my mind was set on doing some exercise. I've never been so determined in my life to start exercising and not get all the wiring system and the pump system in my body to go haywire. Somehow, today, I was determined to live a life I used to know and a life that I should have been living a long long time ago. I guess, I should say that though I have tried so many times to start exercising, I never really got the momentum for it. I blame no one except my own self. So, today I was determined to get the ball rolling and start healthy living. Over the last few months, I've been looking into a lot of food stuff and changed my eating habit though Friday Indian rice is not to be missed! Yunno, I used to weigh in at 95-97kg and today, I tipped the scale at 85kg as of Sunday, 3/5/2009. No! I am, not doing it for anyone else but for myself. I owe this weight loss to myself. I just wanted a change in lifestyle as I've been munching down a lot of food into my body and eventually bloat myself to where I am today. It is embarrassing for me as I used to be a sports person and it hurts to see me not being able to even complete one lap of run. Anyway, I am trying my best especially starting with some clever choice of food and then exercise. Eating right doesn't mean that you don't get to eat the things you like but more to eating proportionately or do not over-indulge.

Today, I made 10 rounds of brisk walking [ 4,650 steps which is equivalent to 4,650 feet ] around the playground area of my taman . I completed my exercise and it makes me really proud of my own achievement. Then it's off to some push-ups and some squats plus some toning down exercise. Sure it was tiring but I felt really good sweating it out at the taman playground. It also helps me to feel the cool beeze and also to ensure that my heart is pumping right! Yes, I don't want to come to the time whereby the doctor would have to jumpstart my heart one day. So, today's workout was good. I hope to increase the brisk walk round to 12 round tomorrow. For those of you who has been procrastinating over wanting to do some exercise, well , stop and start your workout. Afterall, it may just save your life one day!~

Doing our bit....

The other day, SLing's good friend, SBee came by our house, raved and ranted about some Pendidikan Seni work for her son. I was at the livingroom enjoying my time at the TV watching some cooking programme and I could see that she was really stressed up. SLing and SBee were at the dining table discussing the "problem" SBee was facing. It seemed that SBee's son art teacher in school had given an assignment for the children in the form of cloth collage/mosaic work which was to be handed in by Monday.

I could see that SBee was completely at lost and was slightly disillusioned about not being able to draw and do the artwork. Poor lady was completely stressed out by this. So, SLing asked me to help her out and I gladly did. I spoke to her regarding the art work requirement and also, get an idea of what the teacher wanted. After calming her down, I got down to sketch out the Toucan bird from one of the art books which belonged to SYuen. After getting the outline done, snipping of cloth pieces to do the art was carried out. I guess, in a way, I was in my element - art work. Like I said in my earlier blog article, I like art a lot though I am not really good at it. I learned some art techniques from my patient lecturer and managed to get a lot of good books on art for a bargain.

I soon gave out instructions on how to get the art work done and the ladies, SLing, SBee and SYuen labored in work immediately. There was plenty of laughter and fun along the way while we did the mix and match on cloth colours for the artwork. Hands were sticky with glue and cloth fabric while hairs started to get disheveled! What a sight! Soon and painstakingly, the bird started to shape out and after a few hours, the artwork was done. I did the finishing touches the best I could especially with the use of the plastic handle of the scissors and I do hope it turned out okay. When it's done, the entire dining table was covered with cut cloth pieces, glue and fabric strings everywhere. It's like Rio Carnival had hit our house! Anyway, we really had fun and that was important. I guess, for SLing and me, we just wanted to help out SBee who really looked really stressed out indeed and also, because it was within our means and talents to help her out. I guess, in a way, we are indeed blessed with the talents we each possessed. We give thanks to the Lord for all these talents and we are mighty glad that they do come in handy at times.

Incidentally, both SLing and I were exhausted after that art piece. When SLing hit the sack at about 8.30pm that night, she was flat out. Me? I watched with joy and pleasure as my favourite football team, Arsenal beat Portsmouth 3-0 that night!~

2nd May, 2006...

Exactly 3 years ago on this day, 2nd May, 2006, I was in Penang together with my bestest of buddies, Vive & Sathy. I still remember that day well enough. I guess, it was a day of change for both Vive & Sathy. All I could remember was that we really had a few hectic days earlier especially with the packing of their belongings and also, pre-packing it for their movers. I remember too that Vive & Sathy had to take care of the Family Day event that year. It was tiring enough planning for the event but it was even more tiring packing your stuff, uproot where you have been planted and moved to a brand new place as God leads.
I had the honour of travelling with Vive & Sathy to their new place in Penang. After completing the Family Day event, we had a few hours sleep before beginning our journey to Penang. Prior to this I had taken 3 days leave from work to accompany Vive & Sathy to Penang. It's the least I could do for very good friends of mine whom I have come to accept as my own family members. We started out quite early that day and by the time, we arrived at Penang. It was already at mid-day. It was also the first time, Vive & Sathy met up with Pastor Geoffrey Yee at Tabernacle of Praise ( TOP) Penang. It was also the first time we met Sis.Felicia, the other half of Pastor Geoffrey who was at the church at that time. It was a marvelous meeting and I could really see that Vive & Sathy are in good hands of the Lord.

I could sense the warmth and the hospitality of Pastor Geoffrey and Sis.Felicia. There is genuine expression of warmth, sincerity and honesty. Uptill today, even though I've met up with Pastor Geoffrey and the family whenever I am in Penang, I must say that this is a humble and really caring man of God. I am very comfortable with such a person. Anyway, after meeting up with Pastor Geofrrey, I joked with Vive & Sathy that finally, they are out from the sweltering & parched desert and has found the Promised Land indeed! We laughed and deep in my heart, I thank God that He has provided a great place of worship and discipleship for Vive & Sathy. I was so happy for the both of them. Yunno, when you genuinely care for good family friend like Vive & Sathy, you feel good when good things come their way. God really take good care of those who honors Him and Vive & Sathy are no exception. BTW, it was a frustrating wait for their things/belongings to arrive in Penang. What a wait it was indeed! It seemed the movers had lost their way while travelling to Penang and when they finally arrived, it was late. Anyway, we had a lot of fun unpacking the stuff and it was again very tiring. We compensated that with some great Penang food for supper and then rested. Earlier, we had travelled along the road leading to Vive & Sathy new working place. The place they were staying were not far from their working place and that's good, actually.

What I couldn't get used to was their apartment. It was small compared to their new home in Melaka but I guess, it'll do for the time being. It was a two room apartment with a great view of the pool. Cosy but small indeed with not much space to hang their washed clothes and so on. Somehow, I felt so fortunate to own a house back home in Melaka. I remembered kissing my house floor when I arrived home. It was more of a sigh of relief that at least I have a spacious home while Penangites live in apartments,man. No! I didn't mean it in a bad way. It is just that they have so much less space and they make do with what they have while we complained like mad seeking more space when we have more than enough space, actually!

Oh!Yes! I get to meet up with my sister in Penang and I get to bring back a lot of goodies from Penang. My sister bought a lot of stuff for me to bring home like " tau sa peah", pickled mango, sambal belacan and a whole load of goodies. Anyway, when I left for home that day, I really missed my two family members, Vive & Sathy. These are people who are very very dear to my heart and I really missed them a lot. It wasn't that much for the physical being but for their honesty, sincerity and their kind hearts. I missed their solid and sound advice, their genuine friendship and their caring ways. That's why they are a blessing to many no matter where they are. That, to me, is true Christian living.

Three years have passed and I have visited them many times in Penang since then. It is always a delight and a joy meeting up with them and their new found friends in Penang. That's the beauty of friendship. It reaches out no matter where you are when your heart is true & honest. Thanks for the memories, Vive & Sathy!

This one is dedicated to the both of you! Cheers to you!~

Family Day..

Today is a holiday all around the world. Instead of lazing and slobbering off the day, my family and I spent our time at a carnival-like event held in our church. It's the Family Day 2009 event. It is a day whereby church members, family, friends and even visitors could sample arrays of food and take part in games & fun.

The yearly event has been carried out for some time time and each year brings new and exciting things. While the cell groups took care of the food and drinks, the various ministries like Youth, Royal Rangers, Young Adults and Working Adults took care of the games & fun. All in all , it was a great event of fun and fellowship.

Our day started as early as 7.00am and we had to get everyone awake so that we would not be late fo rthe event. It is also because that we are on duty to help out our cell group stall and the Royal Rangers fun & games stalls. It was not difficult for us to wake up this early because we're sorta used to this - just as any other day. Soon, we're out of our house and hitting at our "wan tan mee" spread at Ipoh Coffee Shop at Ayer Keroh.

Then it's off to the church to prepare the drinks large containers which needed to filled with ice and drinks. As the containers were dirty, SLing and I took the liberty to wash the containers before filling them up with ice and drinks consisting of mineral water , soya bean packet drinks, milk products [ natural, strawberry and chocolate ] and yogurt. By this time, our cell group leader, Sis Rosemary and Bro. Daniel, Irene, Lee JK , Dorin, Alvin , Danny and Bee Ling had arrived at our stall. A quick check, chat, smiles and laughter, they were at the table slicing and dicing the water melon, papaya, guava and honey dew! As for me, Danny and Alvin, we were busy stuffing drinks into the drinks container to chill them as the weather gets hotter by the hour. It was really good and fun having everyone joined in the festivities mood.

To me, there is nothing more enjoyable than being able to help out one another at the stalls and having great fun doing it. The food stalls were filled with people who where there to get some really good food stuff. From Vietnamese beef noddles to Indian tosai, we've had it all. Simply marvelous and delicious! As I watched the cell group members from other groups started to gather together to set up their stalls, aromatics herbs and spices permeates and penetrates the early morning air. Great stuff was in store for all the visitors to the carnival. Once the ball gets going, there was fun everywhere. Game stalls were a great hit among the children and adult alike. Food was free flow and all in all , it was a fun day.

I guess, I had a lot of fun teasing the children as they step up to our drink stall. There are many cute children around and I kinda feel kinda old a bit-lar. Anyway, it was a fun being with the children and be a blessing to the to the adults.

I am just so blessed to be able to work hand -in-hand with my cell group members in this event. It is really fun when you have great people working together and enjoying what we were doing. Yunno, everyone of us at the cell group was tired to our bones at the end of the fruitful day especially the ladies who had to cut the fruits, packed them and even cleaned up after the event. The one thing that amazes me was that we continually shared good laughter and fellowship even in the midst of of busy work. I guess, that's far more important than anything else. Our hearts were at the right places and we certainly worked well like a well-oiled machinery at the end of the day. Everything went on fine, no one got cut or hurt and our fruits & drinks were sold out! We managed to bring in a total of RM 1,021.00 in the form of ticket coupons from our stall. Not too bad, actually. At the end of the time, it was really a tiring day but a cool slurp of Coca-cola drives the tireness away indeed!~