Prolific observation...

People used to say that in adversity you'll see the real face behind the people's mask. Well, over the week, I must agree wholly with the statement. Not only will you see the mask, you'll tend to see the wickedness of the human heart. I am not going to be pleasant when it comes to assault like this. I just want to highlight the graveness of the situation today.

I have to be honest and say that I can't digest lies, vulgarities,threats , strong words and I most certainly will not let greed be part of all this either. People in the predicament of nature disasters can be very greedy without them knowing. So what if you get a little more and milk the entire situation- they say. Afterall, it is not your money and you're not in our shoes and so on. That's the common 'greetings' I get for the past week. It is not so much of "what is right" anymore. It is about getting more, more, more and more. It is like they get hooked on the "money drug" syndrome. I am not challenging their legality in getting compensation for their losses but I am dead against them making a tidy sum out of it and grinning happily all the way to the bank. To me, this is pure greed. Again, some may say that I am wrong on this matter but I don't give a two hoots, anyway! Greed is greed! Period!

I really wish I could describe to you some of the ballyhoo, drama and the ruckus some of these people created just to get what they wanted - this includes the rich, the average and the poor. Their theatrical acts would probably be best sellers in TVB channel soap operas or even lend up in Thangatirai channel. From executives , working individuals right down to the housewives, greed is written all over their faces. From local leaders, heads to politicians, everyone is out for some "name making" mileage and popularity standing. It's just disgraceful and a great distaste anyway as far as I am concerned. BTW, in the countless number of places and houses I've been to over the week, only two families actually offered me some water to drink. That's the hospitality we have cultivated in our society today!

I guess, the worst of the lot are the rich ones. Again I am not saying that all the rich ones are like that but virtually every class of the society are also like that. But this trait is particularly pertinent in the rich ones. In most cases, it is like their right to get more. I am not against the rich but I do find some of their characters and manners - a real stinker! It is like the Hokkien saying '" U lui tek see lang" or literally/loosely translated as " when you have the dough, you step over people all over! " Well, if you ask the rich, they'll say that they are not like that and they are just fighting for their rights and so on. What? Rights to get more from others? Rights to belittle others? Well, I've seen them all - rich or poor! Like I said, it's greed all the way- from the rich to the poor!

If you ask me if I want to get rich financially, my direct answer to you would be - I really don't know. Honestly, if I am rich financially, I wouldn't know what to do with it. Afterall, I have been where I am for such a long time - it would have been a big culture shock to me. Nope! I am not being a hypocrite. I just wouldn't know what I'll do with it. [ But the first thing I'll do is to go to Tibet and climb Mount Everest! ] I would rather have just enough but then again, you'll probably questioned me - What is enough in my context, right? Hey, like it or not, money is essential today in our lives. I would be a living idiot if I say money is not important. Again, how much do you want and what is your cap? That's the question. A lot of us started out with this in our mind, " OK, I just want to have enough and I'll be happy" but somehow, it is never enough, isn't it? Don't forget that everything is about money and it is important to have money to pay this and pay that. The only problem comes when you crave for more and greed takes over. The action of craving and greed tends to lead to lies and more creative lies. If I am not mistaken, a lie is a lie - whether it is a big lie, small lie, white lie or colourful lie. This applies not only to monetary matters but virtually every section of our lives if we are not careful to guard our lives. It is a snaking disease that plague our lives if we allow it to manifest under our noses.

Well, welcome to our wonderful world where everything is about the rich getting richer while the poor getting poorer and the ailing world is getting more wicked! Now, you don't like hearing this , right? Well, it is a fact! Digest it!

So, what do we do about it? Absolutely NOTHING! [ Gotcha! You think I'll preach on the change the world bit , right? ]

Yeah! Sit tight, do your job, collect your salary, mind your own business, take care of your family, get your life and family right with God, wait for your turn to be in the 6'X 4' plot and pray & hope that you'll have a great time explaining about your life to God!~ What do you think?

A Living Nightmare....Flood!

Well, Monday blues comes with a big reputation and it definitely lived up to its billing indeed! It was not only raining cats and dogs but several blitzkrieg of lightning together with booming clap of thunder brought a whole new wave of meaning to flood and natural disaster. I was at work when it started raining heavily and when the loud clap of thunder kept hammering on, the memories of sleepless night and terrifying work ahead kept playing in my mind. Not only is it tiring but it's really heartbreaking at times seeing the devastation of one of the vilest nature disaster called the flood. Anyway, I kept telling myself, " Oh Gosh! Not again. Please not again!". You see, working during the 2006 flood cases were really tiresome. I still remember the regimented zombie-like waking hours and relentless work in the field. Hunger, tiredness and ungratefulness greeted my colleagues and I during those times and not forgetting, a few threats on our lives too. So, it wasn't pleasant memories in those earlier days. Trust me, if there is a word for it, I would call it BRUTAL days!
Coming back to reality, my good friend, Teo and I prayed that the rain would stop. Yeah! Like I said, we've had enough of the floods, actually. Anyway, the rain didn't stop but poured on mercilessly for 6 hours and a disaster was unavoidable. I wish I could sing, " I am singing in the rain, Singing in the rain....." instead all I could mutter was " Here we go again !"

True enough, the calls started coming in and file folders flew & grew. Soon, there was a pile and counting. I just got myself ready and all the while muttering" Why? Why? Why? ". Honestly, I dragged my feet as I prepare for the "assault" one more time. It's like Britney Spears " Baby, Hit me one more time! " I moved from one corner to another while colleagues also went on the same mission. Before long, calls came in - some downright rude, demeaning and laced with a huge dose of vulgarities started to sting my ears. All in all, I had 25 missed calls and 32 sms unanswered! Smiling to myself, aaaahhh! some peace and quiet at last for me to do my work peacefully. Yeah, I do not mind the drizzle and the calls though but I can't stand vulgarities. The general public is so full of it - as though it is a natural thing to do - handing out vulgarities and bad word swearing. As I don't condone such acts, I just tell it straight that I will not take vulgarities in my rounds. Most of the time, it helps while there still some hard core ones. I don't really understand the need for vulgarities and what not in such situations. I just do my job and I am out of there!

Say what you want, I got back home at 8.30pm that night - tired and really drained. I really love the rain but not this time!~

Sand mines

Last Saturday, I had to travel to a sand mining site for work. Though the travel was not that long but the road was certainly winding and undulating terrain. I kinda like the adventure but it wasn't that good for my old pal, the trusty Proton car! Anyway, I arrived at the site safely but what greeted me was a big and deep crater of land. The sand mining are is so wide, big and deep,man. It is really scarrier when I saw a huge pond next to it. Yup, you've guessed it - it was another sand mining site which had been mined and now used a water holding area.
Anyway, these are really soft grounds and I had to tread down carefully along the slopes and terrain. Luckily, my outdoor skills especially going down slopes and uneven terrain do come in handy in times like this. I was then brought right to the very belly of the sand mining work site. It was wet, soft and really sticky. It kinda reminded of of tin ore mining in those early years especially with the use of the water pump jet. while heavy machineries worked on the sand mining site.

As I was near one of the heavy machineries at that time, suddenly, there was a loud crash sound followed by an avalanche of red earth, sand, pebbles and stomes. Luckily, I reacted quickly and lurched to safety at the nearby wet grounds. Oops! Wife would have to do a lot of washing this time! Thank God, the crash happened to be quite a few feet away from me and the best part was that the right side slope was loosen but it didn't crash down. If it had, I would have been drowned by the sudden rush of red earth, sand, pebbles and stones. By the look of things, I would have been seriously injured by the sheer weight of the earth avalanche. As I looked up at the slope, I could only thank theLord for His protection upon my life. I am not being proud or arrogant to say that I really trust the Lord with my life. While the Supervisor and the operator looked stunned for a while and asked me if I was okay, I replied that I was okay and I was calm. I went on working as usual and having no after effects of the slope crash while the Supervisor looked shaken a bit. I then told the other workers at the site to be careful while working especially those working at the belly part of the sand pit. You can never know what would have happened, right?

Anyway, it was ardous climb up for me- panting, draining the air out of my lungs, huffing and puffing. Yeah! Did all the exercise I could but I guess, spare parts ain't that well-oiled and new as before! As I made it to the top, I sucked in the air like a patient almost out of breath! Wow! It was nice to have air in the lungs. As I looked down the sand mining pit, I have no doubt in my mind that a slope failure is bound to happen sometime later. At this time, I am just glad to be out from it. I said a prayer for the workers down there and I prayed that God would watch over them. Afterall, they have families too and when someone losses their family members, the shrill of agony and flowing tears are merciless. It would break hearts and souls but I believe God is merciful, indeed.

A Sight....

Yesterday, I was leaning against the road guardrail along Jalan Yong Peng infront of Maybank, Yong Peng branch waiting for the arrival of a couple whom I have made an appointment for some work. The weather was sweltering hot but there was a good cool breeze. I must say that waiting at the road side can be an uncomfortable feeling when cars just zipped and whizzed past you in the speed of lightning. Well, not that fast but fast enough to scare the daylights out of you. Anyway, here I was, enjoying myself and waiting when I heard the sound of the Chinese traditional trumpet blaring. It wasn't bad sounds but very "kesian" type of music. It wasn't so evident at first but later on, the music became louder and more "sayu", I guess.

In all honesty I thought it was a funeral procession because normally such music would be blown or orchestrated. Somehow, in the midst of fidgeting and waiting I was intrigued by the song. Really, really, sad sounding and the type that would wrenched your heart adn bring tears to your eyes. Anyway, it didn't take long for the music to be really loud and somehow, I just looked across the road and instantly, I was taken back by the sight I saw.

There was this man who was holding a walking stick blowing the trumpet and making the music while on a wide flatcart lies an individual with stumps as his feet moving the cart with his padded hands. You could see that they were sweating under the hot sun and they looked dirty. Occassionally, the trumpet blower would stop blowing the trumpet, rummaged the sleeve of his t-shirt over his eyes, brow and forehead to wipe off the streaming trickling of sweat. I then ran across the street to have a first hand view of the two individuals. What I saw shocked me, actually. I was almost moved to tears but I held back. This trumpet blower is partially blind while it is the man of the flat cart that is moving them both in the right direction. As they trudged along the road in front of Econsave building, I saw people of all walks of life putting in coins and ringgit notes into the biscuit tin located at the front the cart. I did not miss out in giving what I could afford. The man on the cart kept thanking the generous public for their kind contribution. What moved me the most was that people from all races came to drop a few coins and ringgits into their tin. They didn't care if these two individual were Chinese or whatever, they gave from their hearts and that gave me a glimmer of hope on our society today. I was warmed in my heart when I saw a very young Malay girl put in some ringgit in the tin. Then she turned and smile to her parents who also let go of a few ringgits into the tin. Then a passing Indian man on his motorcyle stopped at the sides and dropped in some ringgits while supermarket staff of all races came out to do the same. It was a wonderful sight indeed.

For once, I cried out in my heart " Thank you, Lord for humbling me and restoring faith, hope and compassion. " I have learnt what it meant to able to be part of a caring society though in a very small way. I have learnt too that we are so blessed to have so much and yet we complained that we never have enough. Just look at the two individuals who have nothing and yet they do all they can to garner a fistful of ringgit to survive each day. It is not everyday that you'll see such scene in your life but when you do get the opportunity, it would change your perspective of life a tiny bit.

Have a great day ahead! Know that He is always by your side!!!~

Justice must be served...

Our country today lies in a tatters of fear and plummeting confidence lately. This is even made worst by close to moronic statements and what not from our so-called ministers. I am ashamed that people actually vote for these people to be in office today. There is so much racism in their statements in the first place. The death of the political secretary is not a racial or a political thing. The statements from these so-called ministers and politicians are so full of it. So, to the Ministers, I would say you people are the greatest invoker of racial overtones! It is no wonder that we bred such racial overtones in our daily lives and we dare call ourselves defenders of our country by standing in office and jostling for positions in the ruling government seat. Your statements doesn't befits the seat you sit, the accountability and the responsibility you bear to the people. The people put you to office and the people has got the right to know the truth. Stop dragging your feet and sidelining the real issue at hand.
I get very tired each day seeing nothing but fear and more fear being instilled into the mind stream of the general public. Please stop playing and fanning such dangerous games. I dare say this because there is just so much crap in our dailies today that would make Playboy magazine the No.1 choice of our public today! Look, the public is a much smarter public nowadays but spindoctors selling their "racial ubat" can be quite a nuisance. The fact of the matter is still this : Someone died in the custody of a so-call supposedly neutral instrument/arm of the ruling government. Get to the bottom of it! This is NOT EVEN a racial or political theme! This is about justice and finding out the truth of the matter. This is NOT about covering up one's mess or the mess of others. It is like never ending piles of cowdung everywhere in a cowdung filled field except cleaning up the cowdungs and discarding them at the proper place. Somebody has got to be responsible for this man's death! That's the bottom line. It is not about a Chinese man's death either. Even if the deceased is a Malay, Indian, Chinese, Iban, Sikh, Kadazan or others, the whole citizen of this country would all be as angry, agitated and hopping mad as well. Look at the young Malay girl's death, the whole country mourns and grieved for her family but none were caught. Look at Kugan's death - we mourn and grieved at the horrific injuries sustained but no further developments until today. Do we really need anymore examples? So, Mr.Ministers, it is not about the color of the skin of the person who died that matters. It is all about uncovering the truth and get the job done without fear, without prejudice and without interference of invicible hands of corrupt officials. My Bible says the truth shall set you free and the last time I check with other religious friends of mine from other races, they say the same thing too.

So, Mr. Ministers and politicians, stop the theatrical act of concern when you are not and just get to the bottom of the matter. We,Malaysians really need to change our mindset. We are so used to bentangkan kertas kerja, then have meetings, drink some tea , munched on curry puffs and hardly get things done and we call it progress. We call for the next meeting , do the same thing as mentioned and proudly issue statement : We are still discussing/addressing the matter and an answer will be out soon when in actual fact, no answer is even at sight! Tell me about it for I've been to meetings before and it's a merry-go-round each time while the food contractor that supplies tea & curry puff makes a tidy sum! Hey, cut the fat, the chase and get to the bottom of things! If heads must roll , then so be it! There must be responsibility and accountability in our government today. We cannot be blaming Ali, Ah Kau or Ramasamy for not understanding our justice system and our country predicament. How to if the country keep doing magic shows to cover up acts after acts of such atrocity.

This is what I believe : You , the Ministers and the politicians stir so much unrest and when it actually explodes, you will be on the next plane out of this country while the citizens [ hardworking , concern and the working class people like us ] languish behind to put up/put out such fire of hatred and presecution. If we are lucky enough we might spot you in the Mardi Gras or Carnivale procession in the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Discovery Travel and Adventure! Yeah! That's what you'll probably do!

So, STOP the talking, the bickering and do the walking, man! Do the right thing. Justice must be served!~

Who's Next?

Just as in every detailed of our lives, there are the good, the bad and the ugly. The truth of the matter is that of late the ugly and the bad often arises. Maybe someone has been flushing out the giant toilet and finally, some waste material and scums are bound to come up. The problem is not with the waste material but the stench that it brings. It is so much harder to clear the stench than cleaning the actual material.
It is so tragic that people in authority and the so-called neutral instrument of our country are again in the spotlight. First, you get the police force [ no pun intended for my good friends in the police force! ] charade and now you get the MACC comedy of errors. The only problem with this comedy is that no one is laughing. A life is lost! There should not be any speculation involved says some of the big shots in the country including the culprits, the MACC. What a laughable statement! It is downright cronic and heartless! I am not even getting to the so-called ’plunging to death ‘ bit yet. Tell this statement when it is your own brother sprawled and lie dead on that roof! What a joke, indeed!
Kindly explained why a person who is asked to helped out in investigations being subjected to such long hours of questioning , mental abuse, deprivation of sleep and so on? What kind of urgent case in the country that needed such an attention? I never see the rush/urgent investigation in some of the scandals that rock our country thus far. I am not arguing about the “ bad cop-good cop” techniques and various ways of extracting information. Go ahead. Do your job but do it with integrity and honour. Would you like it if I subject your brothers, sisters, mother or even your father for such an abuse? Yeah! You get angry when people speak out like this, right but the actual fact is that this guy is someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s friend or even someone’s support. This guy is not even a suspect. He is helping out in the investigations as explained by the so-called crime busters or corruption busters. If he is helping out, why subject to such an abuse? For goodness sakes, you are investigating PKR assemblymen fundings activities when you can’t even checked on the rest of the abuse that has been happening in our country today? The public's wait on some of the pending cases the MACC are investigating are real a test of human endurance, atrocious and unbearable. Walk down the street and you’ll see corruption everywhere, every nook and corner or have you forgotten the familiar line: “ Takda apa-apa –kah?” with the familiar twists of the palm. Transparency, you say… Hmmmnnnnn…. In my mind , it simply doesn’t exist as far as you people are concerned!
Even a fool would understand that one would not plunge to death on the eve of one’s marriage registration. Think of the joy's of marriage, you nitwits! Ah! People do crazy thing under duress you may say but then again, how does someone gets into duress/stress situation? It is tragic that the truth would not be known because it simply would not be made known for the implication of such truth would hurt the country’s integrity and cover some “big shot” big behind. BTW, I can’t distinguished the true truth or the cover version nowadays. Well, like Agent Mulder of the X-Files used to say, “ The truth is out there somewhere!” but it’s not in MACC building, though!
We have had enough of unexplained and tragic deaths. The devastation to victim’s families lies deep within and the hurts are somewhat everlasting. We will never know how that family will ever feel but their lives will never be the same again. That’s what mistakes/lack of judgement/racism/blatant corruption of power/cover-ups and even sadism does to lives! I say it again, what good does a Royal Commission do in situation like this? Waste of public funds -only to have the Commission’s views be taken lightly and NFA [ No further Action! ] We’ve seen it all - We’ve heard it all! Same story-same recommendation –same cover-up! It is sad that even the finest of people in the fabric of our society can’t lift a single finger to get to the very bottom of matters. After all, the spiral staircase of corruption is entwined and intricately weaved involving every level of the authority. You bring one down, it will be a domino effect! Everyone for their own behind at this stage!
So, yeah! Talk about impartiality and all the rest, just answer me this : Who pays the MACC officers salary? Yeah! You’ve guessed it right – so much for impartiality and what not! The sad part is when officers cannot differentiate between doing the right thing and taking orders. Remember, the movie, “ A Few Good Men”, you’ll understand perfectly what I mean.
How many more must die in such circumstances? How many more must suffer such abuse? How many more must endure and stomach all this with greater silence? The public’s trust in these so-called impartial, neutral and authorities are rapidly eroding to a nought. The silent majority is never silent all the time. The power bullying has to stop. Check the rot at the top of the food chain and you’ll see the same rot at the bottom of the food chain. It is a saddening state.
Come on , now. WHO WILL DIE NEXT ? NEXT VICTIM, please!

Traditional Games Day...photos

Gasing spinning...Wow!

Ah...Today, I get the opportunity to re-live some of the games we used to play way back in our younger days. Sad to say, these games are slowly eroding/diminishing from the face of this earth and replaced with two fingers lazy people monsters games called computer games!! Gone are the days when a good break of sweat and fun were the order of the nature. I really miss those times. I remember playing tops or better known as gasing, kite flying, spider hunting, flying slippers, hantu galah, batu seremban, teng-teng, ketak-ketuk, police & thief, guli or marbles, congkak, skipping the rope and long list of all those long forgotten games. So, the commanders got together, discussed and came up with some ideas and viola! today was the day we are going to introduce back some of our traditional games. We chose gasing spinning, marbles and feather shuttlecock. These are simple games that were close to all of our hearts when we were younger. So, when Errol informed me that he had found an expert on top spinning, I was excited. Not only were these family top spinners, they are also gasing makers which is a dying art in this country.
Historically, I know by nature that Kelantanese and Trengganu folks were the expert on top spining. So, to know that we have an expert and champion in our own backyard in Melaka is indeed fascinating and an honour for us to host him. I was told that En.Abd.Karim or better known as Pak Karim is one of the well known top spinners and tops maker in the country and in the world. My conversation with this man brings a lot of joy to my heart because not only was he humble but truly a sportsman at heart. Together with his son Rimy Azizi Abd. Karim and his two other children [ a teenager and a 8 year old boy ] , they spin their tops with ease and with so much gracefulness that it is simply like a well tuned orchestra playing. They make top spinning looked effortless and with such beautiful moves.

We started off the session with some explanation on the history of top spinning or gasing. Then he moved on to the type of gasing available. Mind you, these gasings are really antique gasing with some spanning about 50-100 year old. You see, Pak Karim is an avid collector of traditional gasing and he explains to you fondly about them. Such was the passion of this man! Names like gasing labu, gasing berembang, gasing toyol, gasing talam dua muka [ double side tops - intriguing indeed! ], gasing jantung, gasing botol, gasing telur, gasing piring, gasing berembang pangkah, gasing bawang, gasing Johor and the list goes on. As I inspected the gasings , you could tell that they are old but still hardy gasings. Pak Karim explained at length as questions are poured on him by the younger ones. He told me that he didn't mind having the children questioning him beause he felt in that way the chidlren are interested and that is far more important to him than anything else. He also confided in me that it is not the lure of money that made him passionate about this game. It is the unity it could bring to all the races in this country that made him engrossed in ensuring this dying art of top making and spinning the tops continues. He further informed me that he was saddened by the departure of another top maker in Johor who is really one of the elite top makers in the country. Pak Karim wants the game to be enjoyed throughtout the country and to propel unity. He asked me to re-collect some of the finest times of playing traditional games with friends from all race. He then looked straight into my face and said, " There, wasn't that fun? You have people from all races playing games and enjoying themselves, right? That is what I am trying to do here today. Teaching the skills and re-living the harmonious times."

I am truly amazed with the level of passion shown by Rimy and Pak Karim in supporting this game. They then did their demonstration of gasing spinning and you could see why they are good at what they do. What I ike about them is their encouragement to chidlren and adult alike during the demonstration and teaching time. They really took the trouble to teach the chidlren adn adult the correct method of spinning the tops. What looked like a simple task is much much harder, actually! Hey, once you get the hang of it - you're good to go! I see then patiently teaching the younger boys and girls to spin the gasing while the adult gets tips on techniques. One minute you get the gasings flying everywhere but the next minute, the gasing spins beautifully on the plywood board.

Some parents namely Steven, Din, Benny and a few others got the rare chance to spin the gasing. Yup, you get hooked on it once you've got it spinning. It was really fun indeed. Smiles and burst of laughter were everywhere. Rimy and Pak Karim also told us of non-Malays competing in gasing competitions held around the country. Rimy further informed us of a 70 year old Chinese man is still competing in gasing competition throughout Malaysia. Pak Karim informed us that it wasn't so much of the competition but keeping the sport alive is more important. Like all good traditional games, top spinning is a dying sport and to revive top spinning, we have to enjoy and promote the game as it is. That's why people like Rimy and Pak Karim are even willing to come to our Rangers meeting and show us the art of top spinning - all in the love for the traditional game! We appreciate them from taking the opportunity to promote top spinning and to teach our children a game from the depths of cultural richness of our country! To Pak Karim and Rimy Azizi, terima kasih~

Blatant Disrespect!

I have often have great respect for fair and truthful journalists but I will not stand for bias, prejudice and racist journalists like the two nitwits who posed as a "church-goers" in a Catholic church recently. Hey, to me , this is blatant discrimination , a blatant disregard to the right to worship and worst of all, they defile our sanctuary by doing what they did. Sure, this is one truly sensitive issue and I believe that this should be addressed. The very problem with Christians today is that we let everyone to step all over us, we cried foul for a while and then we let things slide as it always is. We get kicked , battered, twisted and bruised and we don't stand up. We continue to lie down, writhing in pain, complaining in pain, cry aloud, do all the painful stuff but STANDING UP TO BE HEARD! I am not asking for a revolution, mass campaign on the streets or even pick up arms. All I am asking is these people should acknowledge that what they did is not only immoral, downright wrong, morally corrupt and inaccurate reporting. You bet I am mad! There is not even a strip of human decency nor remorse in these people when they come into the sanctuary and smear ugly truth in their magazines [ just to sell some magazine! ] just to instil fear, more fear and unwanted prejudice. It is no wonder that we are still struggling in racial , religious harmony and tolerance after so many years of Merdeka. I have so many good Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Kadazan, Ibans friends and others but none act like these goons.
You bet I am mad! Though I am not a Catholic but I am still a Christian. Being able to worship freely and with liberty are the most important things in a religious understanding country like ours. I likened the situation as having people from all walks of life into our sanctuary, treat them well and they then repay your kindness by saying that you mistreated, abused and cornered them. It is not only blatant disrespect but truly lies. If I remember correctly, telling lies in all religions is sin, am I not correct here? I am also more appalled by our so-called Christian associations [ BTW, we have one hundred and one organisations but none have the right marbles, I mean , real marbles, to stand up and voice a protest of such grotesque action ] who has been in existence far longer than this magazine and they are keeping mum over this. There has got to be a united voice from our organisations to protest unitedly and to put these people to realise that we are forgiving people but we are also firm in our ways of freedom to worship. It is no wonder you don't see real revival in Malaysia because of our disunity, pride and egoness. When churches are not even united in their own state; what more for the organisations in the country. It is no wonder that people in our country don't even know the difference between actual Christian living and religion! Ah Yes! What can we say about our disunity when all that is concern is " How big is your congregation?" or " What is the standing of your building fund?" Hmmmnnnn....it's hot, isn't it? There has got to be firm steps to counter such blatant disrespect! To me, this is an outright blatant disrespect. No excuse, no beatingaround the bush or cover-up! To be honest, I would define or likened this as an act of rape of our religious establishment. Yes, these are harsh words but I have learnt from the Bible that the truth shall set you free, is it not? Wake up, so-called religious leaders in all our establishment! Don't you have any shred of dignity at all? Or is it because it is different Christian denominations and that's why we do the about turn and do the " mind your own business " thing?

I am really deeply saddened by all this while Mr.Lim Kit Siang has more fiery words for our two nitwits spies, I would call them! Sigh! It is degrading enough to have so much restrictions and corruption in our country, now, we have to deal with religious rape! Yes, we believe in our Lord and we are to turn the other cheeks and get what is coming. However, my perspective is this : Turn the other cheek, catch that hands that was raised and look at the person in the eye and say "Enough of abusing our hospitality and silence!" We simply cannot be treated this way. All religion teaches good and evil. To me, these men knew what they were doing and they purposedly do it for the sake of disrupting a religious harmony where many had died before us defending it and for the sake of a fistful of ringgit in magazine revenue.

Tell me what happens if anyone of us posed as spies into other religion place of worship? There will probably be a major mayhem and a huge public outcry over this. To me, these people are the ones who should have faced the Sedition Act and be put to Kamunting for their spying & insulting roles! No offence to the Special Branch officers, Intelligence units and what not special forces & units - where were you people when you people were most wanted?

To my brothers and sisters in Christ , wherever you may be, pray for God's mercy & grace upon our country and our leaders.Pray that God would grant His wrath on those who pour scorn unto His name and His House. But first, we have to put our House [ Christian governing body/bodies ] right first, right?~Tsk!Tsk!Tsk!..... Oh! Yes! It may happen at the church on the other side of the street and it may not happen in our church surely! Now, that's a mighty sure comfort, isn't it? Yeah! We shouldn't be scaring ourselves-lah , we haven't been doing mission trips nor evangelism for such a long time already-mah! So we are safe-lor!

My Bahasa Melayu...

Baru-baru ini, seorang rakan karib saya menanya saya samada bolehkah saya menulis dalam Bahasa Melayu sebaik saya bertulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Soalan sedemikian membuat saya tersungkur sebentar di denak fikiran saya namun saya menjawab dengan yakin, " Ya, Saya boleh! ". Memang betul dan amat tepat sekali bahawa saya lebih yakin menulis rencana maupun nukilan/luahan hati saya dengan menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris daripada Bahasa Melayu tetapi ini tidak menghalang saya daripada mencubanya.

Saya ingin membuktikan bahawa seseorang yang bukannya berbangsa Melayu tetapi rakyat Malaysia sejati sememangnya boleh fasih membaca, menulis dan bertutur dalam Bahasa Melayu dengan baik. Saya juga ingin mengesahkan bahawa saya yakin saya fasih berbahasa Melayu. Saya yakin dan pasti juga bahawa kemajuan saya dalam menguasai Bahasa Melayu adalah kerana didikan awal yang baik, pergaulan baik dengan kawan-kawan berbangsa Melayu, Cina, Indian, Sikh dan lain-lain serta inisiatif sendiri untuk mendalami bahasa ini. Saya masih ingat semasa di bangku sekolah lagi, tidak timbul masalah "perkauman" malah rakan-rakan saya di sekolah amat mesra dan mempunyai perasaan hormat-menghormati. Sehingga kehari ini, berpuluh tahun selepas melangkah keluar dari pintu sekolah, kami masih mempunyai hubungan erat, membuat perjumpaan spontan dan saling hormat-menghormati. Walaupun saiz badan berbeza malah rambut dikepala mula gugur dan berputik putih tetapi hubungan baik dan erat dapat dirasai. Kemana perginya kesemuanya ini? Kemana perginya kemesraan bergaul dengan baik diantara satu sama lain? Ini adalah laungan serta keluhan hati kecil ini.

Seingat saya, walaupun bahasa pengantaran di negara ini adalah Bahasa Melayu tetapi ramai di antara kita masih berkomunikasi dalam Bahasa Inggeris serta menggunakan bahasa ibunda kita setiap hari. Oleh itu, sekiranya saya, seorang warganegara Malaysia yang berbangsa Cina boleh menguasai Bahasa Melayu , mengapa pulak bangsa-bangsa yang lain enggan atau ingkar mempelajari bahasa lain? Kita hantar perpuluh ribu pelajar kita, para cerdik-pandai serta para cendiakawan ke luar negara untuk belajar serta menghalusi Bahasa Inggeris, Bahasa Peranchis, Bahasa German, Bahasa Arab dan lain-lain tetapi kita bersuara lantang dan kuat apabila Bahasa Inggeris digunakan keatas mata pelajaran Matematik dan Sains. Ini amat mengecewakan. Saya percaya bahawa memperolehi ilmu pengetahuan merupakan khazanah diri yang amat penting. Kita akur bahawa kebanyakan khazanah pengetahuan, kertas penyelidikan serta buku rujukan ilmiah ditulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Tidakkah kita sebagai bangsa Malaysia akan ketinggalan sekiranya generasi kita yang akan datang tidak pandai ataupun tidak fasih dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Biarpun apa saja, janganlah kita abaikan Bahasa Inggeris yang merupakan alat komunikasi serta penjana kepada evolusi pengetahuan dan saluran pembangunan insan. Kita perlu berfikiran terbuka, waras dan akur bahawa dunia teknologi maklumat sentiasa berkembang pesat dan kita perlu memahami keperluan hakikat dunia pada masa kini. Sekiranya kita berfikiran sempit dan cuba hanya memperjuangkan bahasa kita sendiri sahaja, kita akan tersungkur di masa hadapan kerana hakikatnya, anak-anak kita akan ketinggalan jauh di belakang apabila mereka mencuba nasib diseberang dunia atau di rantau lain kelak.

Saya tidak mempertikaikan kepentingan serta kedudukan Bahasa Melayu tetapi cuma ingin memberi inspirasi serta dorongan agar generasi muda kita akan lebih berjaya dengan penguasaan kedua-dua bahasa. Saya juga berpendirian bahawa mana-mana lapisan masyarakat maupun kononnya pejuang bahasa yang hanya mementingkan bahasa ibunda sendiri sememangnya golongan berfikiran sempit , takut kepada perubahan dan berbau politik perkauman. Saya berani menulis ini kerana saya percaya sipejuang-pejuang bahasa semacam ini merupakan pejuang prejudis yang tidak mementingkan kehormatan serta keamanan yang dikecapi . Mereka ini akan meniup dan membara sentiment yang tidak sihat dan apabila mereka tidak dapat mengawal lagi "kerosakan" yang mereka bawa atau perjuangkan, mereka akan angkat kaki dan lari dari negara ini serta hidup mewah dinegara lain. Ini adalah hakikat. Terdapat terlalu banyak contoh kepada perjuangan seperti ini diserata dunia. Tepuklah dada dan tanya selera-lah! Kata orang tua-tua , ini bagaikan bak pepatah " Baling batu, sembunyikan tangan." Yang menyedihkan ialah kita ini, insan bertulang empat kerat yang bertungkus-lumus setiap hari untuk mencari sesuap nasi untuk keluarga kita ketinggalan menghadapi bencana serta ancaman kebencian yang meluap yang akhirnya membinasakan generasi kita hari ini. Janganlah kita ini diperalatkan serta diperbodohkan oleh orang-orang sedemikian.

Saya percaya bahasa ibunda setiap bangsa amat penting dikekalkan untuk generasi yang akan datang. Kita tetap Melayu, Cina, India, Sikh, Kadazan, Portugis dan lain-lain. Kita tidak boleh tukar bangsa kita sesuka hati ataupun bahasa kita. Bahasa itu bangsa kita - saya pernah diberitahu sedemikian. Yang pentingnya ialah bahasa merupakan jalinan hidup diantara semua kaum di negara ini. Janganlah kita perjudikan masa depan kita serta berbalah berterusan mengenai benda-benda yang tidak mendatangkan faedah kepada generasi kita ataupun siapa lebih penting! Lebih baik kita berjuang membenteras masalah rasuah yang semakin berleluasa, tamak kuasa, ketidakseimbangan dalam masyarakat kita hari ini serta ahli-ahli politik yang talam dua muka serta jahil dalam intipati erti keharmonian.

Ya, saya amat bosan terhadap ketidakseimbangan hidup dan sikap lantang prejudis terhadap semua kaum di negara ini. Kepada golongan majoriti yang senyap tetapi berisi, bangunlah dan sedari bahawa kita boleh merubah corak hidup seharian kita dengan perubahan yang dibawa dalam diri kita. Titik perubahan bermula dari kita. Perjuangan bahasa ini hanyalah merupakan isu kecil dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Usahlah ianya dijadikan isu utama perjuangan ini dan itu kerana pada pandangan saya, isu ini hanyalah merupakan alasan untuk kepentingan sendiri. Bahasa Inggeris tetap merupakan bahasa yang paling kerap digunakan diserata dunia selain daripada Bahasa Peranchis. Ini adalah hakikatnya. Harungilah hakikat ini dengan hati terbuka!~

Nota tambahan : Saya juga sokong kempen " Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia! "

SuperDad!

Today, I want to speak up about being a father. In my years of being a father to my children, I have gone through a roller coaster of emotions – joys and pain, gut-wrenching good/bad decisions and sometimes downright unpopular decisions, so help me God!
All I want to say is that we are all first time fathers. We have no training nor seminar nor conferences to attend to at those early years. We depended a lot on God and our own instincts along the way . Through many trial & error methodologies, we are where we are today. It is a hands on job/responsibility for us as fathers. We are often thrust or even entrusted into the job of parenting [ father/mother] and more than often we have to deal with a lot of good and bad decisions in our lives. But being a father for the first time is a thrilling and wonderful feeling. In fact, being a father to your children can both be rewarding and satisfying feeling but it also comes with a lot of challenges ahead of you. I must say that I am still learning to be a father.
Being Asian and being a Chinese, it makes our job as fathers doubly hard and intense. We are looked upon as providers both in the financial field and also, the family emotional support. As fathers, we are expected to know what to say, how to say and when to say - where it fits. It’s a responsibility which I cherished and learnt along the way. Fathers often play the role of a protector and a rationale individual. Mothers – well, they are financial providers too and their level of love for the children is so much deeper than you’ll ever know. God bless mothers, though!
Please allow me to be the ‘test subject’ for this article or ridicule – whichever way you want to look at it! I am often being looked upon as a very harsh and no-nonsense father by my children. The fact is that I am also moody and grouchy at times. That I have to admit, really but I am a no-nonsense dad. The actual fact of the matter is that I love my teenage son and daughter very much. There has NEVER been a day where I am not proud of them even in their success, failures or short- comings. It is just that at times, being teenagers, they get on your nerves by doing things that irritates you, test your mental patience to the brink of insanity and stretches the limit of your frailty when it comes to decisions and simple logical equations of life! Then, they do the same thing to their mother, stir the hornets’ nest and the rest is history! It is a chain effect whether you like it or not – irritate or get the mother and the mother will get the father…. You’ll see what I mean! Hey, I am not going to lie or pretend that I am the greatest loving father in the world because I am not. But the least I can do is die trying, right? Like I have always said, I am also made of human flesh and blood with emotions, temperament and so on. Yeah! There are times I would like to kick the butt of my teenage son & daughter and give them a great tongue lashing, though! But there are times I reached out to them in my own way. As hair goes whiter and gets thin by the passing days, I understand that my life as a father goes beyond the call of a father but rather be a superdad! Yes, virtually in today’s society , you are to be a superdad! There is so much to do and so much to catch up in your children’s lives. I remembered that my two children were still in primary school and within a blink of an eye, they have grown up right before my eyes. Different age gap, different perspective of life and different needs altogether. But then again, think of this, if the children can’t rely on you , who else can they rely on – other than God? I have learnt the hard way that sometimes, our dreams, aspirations, our likes, our hobbies and our “ourness” has to give way or take a back seat when it comes to raising our children and providing for the family. I guess, some of you may throw bricks, shovel or even cement packs at me but it’s the truth. It is not about what you want anymore. It is about “we” as a family. How we can maintain that “we” feeling in our family. Sure, you can still continue to have the things in your life but now, you will have to do a lot of sacrifice for the children and the family as a whole. After all, we brought the children into our world and it is our filial duty to provide them with the best of our ability, right? Yes, we are not to spoil them while idiotic tantrums must be met by the ever-reliable ROTAN! Parents, please do NOT spare the rod or you'll really gonna spoil your children. I don't really care what this or that preacher says about bringing and speaking positives of this and that [ the soft approaches and mental pyscho of the children ] to the children and so on. Bah! Believe me, they need the ROTAN and what ever positives will prevail & learnt rather quickly!
I also remembered [ stil doing it! ] pouring over , tuition fees, utilities bills, insurance payments, allowances, groceries bills, car payments, house installment payments, more bills and so on. It is like a never ending mountaineous pile of bills! Those things give me a depressing and headache time but it has to be done. A little concentration here and there, cutting down expenses here and there, I was able to balance the books with only a little to spare for the month. It isn’t easy, I must say but I have managed the household as a father with integrity and honesty. I do not lie about my predicament and my short comings while I am utterly most thankful to friends and colleagues who give me a meal or two due my lean financial period. I am extremely thankful to them who had taken the opportunity to bless me so much. I have learnt from my late dad of one very important rule and I have always kept that very close to my heart : Feed the family and put food on the table always even if it means you have nothing to eat as a father! That principle kept me going for years now and probably for years to come before I closed my eyes and lay down in the 6 by 4 plot!
So to fathers out there, it is okay to express your disappointments and joys. There is a need for us, as fathers to realize too that we are the head of the family and our children’s earthly spiritual father as well. We need to play our role as effective as possible and give our children good insights of our Creator. A good buddy once told me that the world is an ever willing father to our children if we are not careful to educate our children on the enticement of the worldly pursuits.
So, yeah, superdad or not, you are looked upon as the strong pillar in your family. To be that strong pillar, you would have to really play your role as fathers should. Don’t slack nor neglect this duty. It is our responsibility to continue to be an inspiration, encouragement and the support for the family as a whole. It is a domino effect if you want to know when it comes to family ties. So, all the best to all the new, young, not-so-young, older dads out there. Your journey begins today – chart it well and moved with the light. Never cut corners or take short cuts for the thicket torns and bushes are aplenty away from the path while danger lurks at every corner. Stay with the lighted paths, guide your family in that path too and fight for their lives because every battle won is a battle won for your family. God bless!~

An inspiring message...

"Outwardly wasting away, inwardly renewed day by day" - This was today's church service message brought by Pst. Lawrence Seow from Singapore. I would call this message to be a refreshing and most sane message I've heard for a long time. I guess, it is mainly due to the presentation of the message. Today, I am inspired, really.
Honestly, as usual, I just slid quietly into my seat after performing my duties as usher today but some how God had other plans today. It is as though God had intended me to hear something which is going to lift up my spirits today. Have been feeling kinda down this week due to a lot of happenings but I guess, gotta rough it out. So, today was kinda a release from all that I've gone through.

I kinda like what Pst.Lawrence said in the start of his sermon. He said this : "We're here not because we are good but because God is good." It looked like a simple sentence to anyone but that's mighty meaningful. In these times today, the people have forgotten about God's position completely. The people have bloated up and hid behind the pretext that God has made all this happened when in their dark secret curtains, they are so full of themselves and praising themselves for their successes when He should have all the praises. Yup, I may court controversy again but I shall leave it to you to digest and digress all you want, ok? Like Pst.Lawrence said, which part of the "I surrender all" that we did not understand? I particularly like his explanation on how we baptised our whole being during baptism except our wallets. Sure is true!

I guess, I also like the sermon today simply because the message was simple [ two points given - right focus and right attitude ] yet deep in meaning. He had us all in stitches of laughter with his presentation of the message which was laced with a lot of songs, quick quips and I especially like the 13 year old story [ Yeah! You reap what you sow policy! ]. It's the "down to earth" message that kept the congregation in eagerness today. Like I said earlier, it's a good Sunday today.~

The car breakdown story....

Today I was with my colleague, GCK for some work in Segamat. It was kinda a good day at work and we did our work the very best we could. We then left Segamat-Kuantan road and headed towards Tangkak town to catch our lunch. It was humidly hot, dusty and dry while we were hungry. The last meal we had was at about 10.00am and we were really cruising for a date with Nasi Briyani or chicken rice at Tong Seng coffeeshop in Tangkak.
BTW, GCK was driving the car as though there is no tomorrow. He was weaving through cars after cars with ease. Me? I am strapped to the safety belt seat,holding on to my life and hoping that I would not be part of the statistics! Well, an empty stomach can do wonders to some people , right?

Anyway, we were cruising and reaching Jementah town when the car sounded funny. We pulled over to the road verge and noted that loud sound. Then the car spurted to a halt. We were stuck at the road verge in burning hot sun! At first, we were both stressed out but later on, we burst into laughter. The first thing GCK did was to calll for a tow truck and this was carried out smoothly. We then decided to get some escape from the sun and went to sit at the metal bus stop. I tell you this, that's not a bus stop,man. That's a human grill shed - Robert Rainford from Licence to Grill would be happy to have that as his new BBQ pit! Honestly, who in their sound mind would come up with such a design like this? I really find it truly ridiculous to come up with such a design. I just wish the designer would go through what I had to go through. First of all, it is only made of two row of round hollow tube kinda thing which is probably about 6" in width. Hey, I certainly can't rest my bum on the so-called seat,man. I can't imagine seeing a wide or a laterally challenged man or woman sitting on the seat. It would look kinda weird and most definitely uncomfortable indeed. The worst part of all, it is a hot day and most definitely the metal seats were hot. When I was sitting there, I felt as though my nuts were trapped between two bamboo sticks ; getting fried by the heat,man! It is really uncomfortable. My colleague and I were practically shifting from one place to another because our nuts were really discomforted because of the heat emitted from the metal seats. It's pretty embarassing but it's the only shade we could find. We both laughed whenever we had to shift along the long pipes.

Luckily, under the sweltering sun , we still managed to use our thinking caps and proceeded from the bus stop towards a cendol stall nearby. Now, that's called brilliance! The funny part is that the Indian cendol seller [ a guy ] had a squeeky girlish voice which tickled the both of us to bits as we shook our heads while his dad speaks fluent Mandarin and Hokkien! What is coming next, right?

Well, when the tow truck finally arrived, there was another woman customer at the front. So, my colleague and I had to sit in our car and towed all the way to Tangkak. We laughed so hard because it was really funny being towed and we travelled faster. Kinda dizzy but with the air gitting your face , it was kinda fun with free sample of foundation from the air. Then just when you think that everything is going to be okay, it started to drizzle and then rain along Sagil-Tangkak road! It was back to hot and stuffy car. When the woman was sent to her home in Tangkak, we took over to sit at the front seat of the tow truck. Ah! Finally, some cool fresh blast of air-cond! We chatted away with the tow truck driver and we had a good time. Anyway, it worked out good eventhough it was pretty chaotic for the both of us.

When I got home with my trusty old car, I am thankful that at least I got back in one piece, right? I think, being alive and sane are more important than anything else, don't you think so? So, cheers to life!~

Fruit Farm- more photos

Rambutans, rambutans, everywhere! Rambutans.....rambutans.........

Next please! Durians , here we come! Trail to durian fest!

Mangosteen / Cocoa

Durians / Langsat

Dave - It's all mine!All mine! Ashley - I love durians!

Donovan - The durians are good! Gotta have them before Comdr. Steven finished them!
Claudia - Finger licking good durians!

Fruit Farm trip...

Today, I brought the RR boys and girls to a fruit farm.It was actually a surprise trip planned for them. You see, one of my colleague, TSP's family owned a fruit farm in Tehel. Though it has been there for quite some time, TSP rarely mentioned about it until recently when he asked me to take him to the farm to get some durians for the office staff. Happily, I went to the farm and it was really a fun farm. Though the durian yield wasn't that many that day but we had quite some quality ones. While I was at the farm, I helped myself with the rambutans, the mangosteen [ not ripe yet at that time], durians and limes.I then asked TSP if he would allow me to bring in the RR children to visit the farm and have a go at the fruit trees. He confirmed that it was okay for me to bring the commanders and children to the fruit farm. I was very glad at that time and I had made plan for a great visit to the farm.
Waiting in anticipation for about a week, it all came to pass just a couple of hours ago. I had made plans and arrangements with my colleague that we would arrived at about 1.45pm to 2.00pm deadline. - 8 adults and about 30children made it slightly on time. From the word 'go', the children were on their way scouting out the new farm environment. Upon arrival at th efruit farm, my colleague, TSP and his nother was at hand to receive us. Immediately the children went into a feeding frenzy of rambutans. It seems, earlier, my colleague had cut down some of the yellow skinned and red skinnned rambutans. He knew the children are coming and they would want to sample a lot of food at this time. So, he pre-prepared the fruits by cutting them from the branches earlier and ensure that everyone had their fills. He then tells the children about the mangosteen tree, the rambutan trees, the pulasan tree and many other types of fruit tree. Then it was off for a walk around the fruit farm whereby explanation on the cocoa tree and cocoa fruit took place. The farm hand, Kadir cut opened two pcs of ripe cocoa fruit and everyone had a taste of how cocoa taste in it's pre-processed state. I then explained to the children that the cocoa seed would have to be cleaned, sunned and later pulverised into powder form.Viola! With some blending and so on, at th eend of it, we will have raw chocolate.

It was the durian trees that fascinated the children. I could see that some of the children were truly very happy while some were practically clapping the hands to squash some noisy mosquitoes. When Kadir cut opened a few freshly dropped durians, hands of assorted sizes and shapes attack the fruit. It was kinda fun seeing the children and adult sampling the durian fruits. We went from one tree to another to sample some durians. At the end of it, you could see that the children were truly satisfied with what they had had. For me, it was an educational outing to show the city children what a rambutan, mangosteen, lime, cocoa, langsat and even durian trees looked like. I am very sure they have not seen nor know the fruit trees and this was a good trip for them. For me, I have been fortunate to be able to see these fruit trees during my younger days. I hope they would cherish the memory of events that had happened today. Hopefully too that they would able to tell their parents and siblings that they have seen what fruit trees are all about.

For most city dwellers and children, they have no clue of what these trees looked like while the fruits are usually at their reach with ringgits being flashed to the sellers/middle men. As we were about to leave the farm, I thanked my colleague, TSP and his mother for allowing us to visit and sample the produce from their land. It was indeed a great learning experience for me and we were treated free samplings of the fruits. I have been blessed and I know the children are equally blessed!~

As for the commanders, it was a gentle reminder to them that 40 days fasting & prayers are just a stone throw away. So, it's feasting time before the fasting time! Cheers , everyone!