Saviour King 2010 ....the youth way

After a hectic last night, today, it is another night of music. The only difference is that it is the young people music tonight. So, it is going to loud, unpretentious and full of musical goodness. Surprisingly though, I was feeling crabby, moody and not myself, actually. I guess, every once in a while, you'll get one of these type of down trodden feeling. Anyway, I have made a promise to my son, JWee and daughter, SYuen, that I'll be there at the concert. I mean, to me, making up to that promise is very important. Supporting the children's talent and being there for them are equally important too.
Incidentally, this event is the initiative and great collaboration between the youths of Wesley Methodist Church and Calvary Life Assembly Melaka youths. Firstly, I must say that this is really a commendable effort. The dedication, the hardwork put in and the effort to get a united youth assembly put in by youths like Radiance, Shawn, Garret, Matthew, JWee and others are really applaudable. I see their hearts and their passion in uniting the youths but I really am disappointed with the responses they received from the youths. What was disappointing for me was that parents don't seem to see the significance of getting youths together for a good time of praising God and listening to a good sermon from the man of God for the night. It is even more saddening that others things takes precedent over having a time of fellowship with people of their age, making new friends and being in a fellowship.

BTW, I hate this "Malaysian time" thingy where people just strut into the hall whatever time they like and never punctual for any event. It is downright and absolutely rubbish to be not on time for such an event when you are on the dot at work, at tuition, at swimming lessons, at piano lessons, at ballet class, at football practises and the list goes on. So, did I touch a sensitive nerve? GOOD, it is MEANT to be hitting at that nerve! Think about it, will ya? To me, this is purely rubbish and I don't hold back because I have seen how this can ruin a function or even an event which are planned much earlier. At least , have the courtesy to respect the event that had been planned. That's the problem with parents and adults who find this kind of event to be a social event but when some "famous/well-known" "Ang moh" preacher or "Ang moh" singer/band comes, they'll send their youths as early as possible to get the best seats in the house and they rush to "par wai" for their friends some more! Tsk!Tsk!Tsk! Anyway, for this event , there was no seating available and the cold parquet flooring suits me real fine because once in a while, we need to get our behinds to hit the reality of cold flooring!
Anyway, the event started out with ice-breaker game and I thought to myself, " Aiyoo....here we go again !", rolling my eyes and started to question my attendance. There wasn't much confidence in me for the event by the way it started. But I must say to you that I was proven wrong by these wonderful youths. Yup, folks, you hear me right - they proved me WRONG, man! The praise and worship was truly awesome as the crowd slowly trickled in. It isn't just be awesome because JWee is singing in that group. It was their heart and soul belting out the numbers and the presence of God that moved me. Though the numbers were few but God's defining presence is there. This is what I felt and I know His presence is really so wonderful. Yeah, the music is loud but that's youth music and I like it. What I like most about the praise & worship team is that they sang from the depths of their hearts and just let God take over.

From here on, it went from good to best when Pastor Jit Pang from Kluang took over the mike to share the Word for the night. What a man of God! His connectivity, easy going ways and no holds bar speech livened up the event indeed. Even I was encouraged by his sharing on the true meaning of Worship. This man of God brought the message to a pinpoint accuracy of what worship is all about that is obedience unto God. It is not about singing, dancing, prancing, showing off your talents and so on but a simple gesture of obedience upon the Lord by doing our best for Him. It is not only a simple message lined & laced with anecdote of humour but virtually littered with tatters of laughter, fun but very profound meaningful sharing. I like his challenge to the youths that night . I could understand that what Pastor Jit Pang shared was truly from the experiences he has seen, been through and experienced. His pointing out of the things that hinders youths from coming to God and seeking God were pinpoint accurate. I was truly encouraged by what he shared and I must say that this is the best sermon I've heard whole week and I told him this personally as we shook hands.

That night, as JWee walked up the stairs as he bid good night to me, I told him that he sang well. I also told him that I am very proud of him and God would honour him for what he has done. Yeah, I want to affirm my son that it is God that matters and not some man-made praises & sweeteners. I believe he understood what I meant as he smiled and walked up the stairs.

This is my prayer and a prayer from a father's heart tonight : God, I pray that you would be pleased with JWee! ~

An AABC breeze...

Not too long ago, someone asked me if I would like to buy tickets to the All American Boys Chorus Concert which would be held in our church, I hesitated as I really could not afford the price of it though I really love music. Simple maths showed that RM 160.00 for a family of four is big money for our family and that's why I declined politely at the requests. Somehow, my two children would like to attend the concert and so, I finally parted with my monthly budget and bought two tickets for the children. I believed that it would be okay if I give this one a miss this time. I must say that when someone blessed us with another two tickets for the show to enable all four of us to attend this concert, I was overjoyed and deep down in my heart I am really very thankful for the blesser(s) of our tickets. Like I said, I don't pretend to be who I am not and neither do I want to be reckless in my spendings as I do have a family to feed and some things aren't on the list of importance. So, there you go, that's how I got the tickets to attend to this wonderful evening show.
Well, let's get back to the show, shall we? Well, from the onset of the first song " Be Our Guest", I must say that it was an absolute spectacular arrangement of vocals and what beautiful harmony! Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this rendition and the repertoire of songs that followed were beautifully sung. I could have sworn I was transported to a time of childhood innocence and a time of free winds hitting the open fields. Look, these are young children with solid range of vocals and the innocence of youth. There is something very special about their voices and harmony that bring a sense a peace and calmness. It was really a synchronicity of powerful notes and wonderfully crafted tones of vocals that makes this evening a memorable evening. The All American Boys Chorus had the crowds' admiration and ovation when they sang a number by the late Teresa Teng. Probably, the pronunciation of the Chinese words may not be that accurate but it was really a good attempt by the boys to give the crowd a good account of themselves and what they can do. To me, I really liked their rendition of "Elderweiss" from the "Sound of Music" spread.
Anyway, I must confess that I was really sore and irritated by this young boy who was seated behind me who kept hitting me with his jacket ever now and then. I know, I know, I shouldn't be mean to this boy but I couldn't help it. Parents were telling him not to do that and so on. He was sorta rude to his parents and he seemed to be getting away with it. Anyway, not wanting to alert his parents, I managed to get hold of the end of the jacket and pulled him near me slowly. Then smilingly, I whispered in his ears, " If you ever hit my back again, I'll break your legs, ok? You hear me? " He seemed to keep quiet and not too long after the interval, no one sat at the back, no kicking , no hitting anymore! Phew! Spoiled brat moved on! Look, I am absolutely incensed with children who does mischief and gets away with murder when they are with their parents in public places. I am still very much a firm believer that "spare the rod and spoil the child" indefinitely!

The second half of the show started with the boys in their beachware costume. Really nice.....They belted some Beach boys songs, "Circle of Life" and some good old American -Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn type of songs. They ended with a salutation and the crowd were rapturous in the clappings and held a standing ovation for the boys. As the boys came down from the stage and went round to shake the hands of the people who had attended the concert, I believed that their voices had been a tremendous blessings to the crowd this night. God had given these children the beautiful gift of voices and they had delighted us with the God-given talent. They had entwined their talents and got together to present what good talent and voices can do to bless the hearers and to soothe the hearts. SLing and I enjoyed it very much while SYuen thought some of the boys are cute! As for JWee, well, he is into a different kind of music but we told him that music is universal and should be appreciated in whatever forms they may be.
He finally got the idea and as I photographed the boys from the All American Boys Chorus, these boys really did well. They are in a different land with different food, culture and people. They gave a great performance. It was a full house. It was a benefit event in aid of Wings Melaka. It was simply marvelous. Best of all, I get to go to bed with a silly smile on my face!~

BTW, the two boys with me - Dave & Caleb, they are the real deal, man - definitely, The All Malaccan Boys Duet! Get your tickets in advance!

Life Pointers...

You are at the top when.......

~ You've made friend with the past, are focused on the present, and optimistic about your future.

~ You have made friends with your adversaries and have gained the love and respect of those who know you best.

~ You are filled with faith, hope and love and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy or thoughts of revenge.

~ You know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.

~ You are mature enough to delay gratification and shift your focus from your rights to your responsibilities.

~ You loved the unlovable and give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless and encouragement to the discouraged.

~ You know that success doesn't make you, and failure doesn't break you.

~ You are at peace with God and man.

~ You clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night , and today is your brand new day.

~ You know that "he who would be the greatest among you must become servant of all."

~ You are pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the needy because you know long term benefits of receiving.

~ You recognize, confess, develop and use your God-given physical , mental and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.

~ You stand in front of the Creator of the universe, and He says to you , " Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Be blessed, everyone ~

Billy Who?

Leighton Ford, the brother-in-law of Billy Graham was in one of the long flights when he had hoped that the seat beside him was empty so that he could have some comfort and catch some sleep on the long flight home. As he was getting comfortable, the air stewardess brought a large black woman with her hands tucked in and seated her beside Leighton. She then said to Leighton, " Sir, this woman is 96 years old and please take good care of her." Leighton mumbled to himself," I can't even take care of myself and now, I have to take care of this woman!" Not wanting to be rude, Leighton thought that small talk would help to ease the situation and make it a pleasant trip home. So, he asked, " So, you are 96, are you?". The woman answered, " Yup!" Then Leighton asked, " So, you have been travelling around, right?" Again, she answered , " Yup!". Wanting to invoke a good conversation, Leighton asked, " So, in all your 96 years, what is the best thing that you have ever done? " Leighton thought, " Now, that will surely invoke a response from her!" The woman looked at him and said, " Son, the best thing I ever made in me life is knowing Jesus." Playing the devil's advocate, Leighton answered, "Huh! What's so great about knowing Jesus?". By then , the woman unfolded her hands, told Leighton that He made the sun, the moon and went on enthusiastically about Jesus life and each time, the passion ignited, emotions charged and the voice volume increased. Not wanting to iritate the other passengers, Leighton quickly took the woman's hand and said, " I am so sorry, ma'am. Listen, listen, I was just kidding with you. I am an evangelist and my name is Leighton Ford. I am the brother-in-law of the evangelist, Billy Graham." Without missing a beat, the woman said, " Uhuh!" and folded her arms. Leighton asked, " Don't you know who Billy Graham is?" She answered," Nope!" Leighton was perplexed and said, " You mean, you don't know who Billy Graham is? He is on the TV most of the time."
The woman looked at Leighton and said, " Nope! Look here, son. I dunno who Billy Graham is. Maybe I was out when he was on TV! " Leighton bowled over and laughed his head off thinking it was indeed a funny scenario. Upon arrival home after a long fight, Leighton went to see Billy Graham and said, " Hey, Billy, during my flight home I met this sweet angel and I told her about you." Leighton then narrated to Billy Graham what she said and soon, Billy bend over in laughter.

When the laughter had subsided, Billy Graham had this to say, " Yunno, Leighton, isn't it amazing that there are people out there who do not know who we are but they know who Jesus is!"

~* Thank you, Bro.Kuna, TOP Penang for this inspirational story*~

Pain & Relief...

For almost two weeks now, I must say that I've been going through a whirlwind of emotions and I thanked the Lord for retaining my sanity at times. As I looked back into those days, I often wondered how I have managed to squeeze through those times. I can only turn my eyes to look up , lift up my frail hands to thank the One above and also for the wonderful support & encouragement I had received from beautiful friends and family. I am suddenly stunted for words in thanking all of you for helping us through the ordeal of anxiety and countless sleepless nights.
For those who are unfamiliar with our situation, suffice to say that it was a medical concern and as a family, the ordeal we had to go through was very real to us. Yes, it jolted us as a family but it also helped us grow stronger to one another. I have learned that in our adversity, strenuous and difficult times, help and words of encouragement are not far away especially from family and good friends. I must confess that I have spent a lot of time awake, cried my heart out in the wee hours of the morning, prayed and kept all these away from the prying eyes of the family. I must say too working conditions and work environment weren't really rosy either and the turbulence was far more savage than usual. Anyway, I have stayed strong and at times postured to look strong on the exterior when in the very inside of me, I am battling every possible human reaction & emotions. I constantly reminded myself that I am the head of my family and I should radiant that strength to my family. I guess, that's all that matters to me - keeping my family together and I did just that, with His Grace!

The merry-go-round of medical advices from the medical practitioners were another menace to me and my family. Why can't they just give you straight answers rather than beating around the bush? We had to seek second and third opinions on the matter and it irked me a lot when these specialists/doctors just won't understand what difficult times the family has to go through. I believe, the anxiety itself could break the family if it is not handled properly. You may say that I am a different breed of human being but I like the answers straight and to the point. Cut the fat and give me the meat, anytime! I guess, we still live in a sugar-coated environment even in our adversity , right? Anyway, I must record my gratefulness to two doctors, namely Dr. Udu & Dr.Jas for giving me apt, direct and sound advice for our situation. That's professionalism and not some Ah Long staffs sitting at the private hospital counter asking for a RM3,000 deposit if you want medical attention/expertise for your loved ones or some medical practitioners writing some ambiguous diagnosis and splashing a hefty medical bill for it ! That, to me, is purely and utter absurdity at its highest level! Bah! It's no more about saving lives now but how much money you can put on the Ah Long counter call private hospitals! Well, some tell me, live with it -that's life but I say, it's utter rubbish!

Like I always say, for every pain that you have to go through, the relief is just around the corner. My relief comes from the prayers , encouragement and the help from family and friends. I am truly blessed that a word of comfort is never far away from these wonderful friends. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your love and concern. My family and I are indeed very blessed!

My relief and gladness comes when I received the news of the results of the second test today. No money in the world nor anything else is going to beat that joy which I received today. God in all His Glory, Splendour and Mightiness has shown His mercy and grace to my life and my family. As I came out from the room, I sat myself on a chair and I felt the burden came off my shoulders. I am so blessed that my Master has once again put His smile on my family.

Thank you, Lord!~

Doing the right thing....

The Asian culture of taking care of our older folks when they grow old have always been embedded in our lives ever since we were young and I must say, it is a good tradition. There are times, however, that these older folks can be very "difficult" to handle or somewhat incapable of taking care of themselves physically at times. I guess, the next best option is a care home or a nursing home when handling these older folks gets very difficult. I sympathized greatly and feel a lot for those who just had to put our older parents in these homes as many may not able to take care of them or simply struck down by disease or physical incapabilities. I do understand what many had to go through as I had the same experience with my late father who struck down with stroke and colon cancer. It wasn't easy for my mom and the family but mom chose to take care of dad. I felt very blessed though I feel a lot for mom who was very tired at times. I am thankful that dad, in his incapabilities , did not give us a hard time.

Guess, mom will always have a very special place in my heart. However, there are some ungrateful ones who just abandoned their parents in a nursing home or care home just to get rid of the older folks or even swindled their old folks wealth or simply because they are old and of no use anymore. That, to me, is a despicable act of inhumanity and cruelty.

Anyway, my family & I have always wanted to visit our good friend's mother who was not feeling well ever since we came to know about her condition. Somehow, day after day, this trip gets delayed and postponed but SLing and I decided to do it today. When we arrived at the home, we were greeted by the caretaker, an Indonesian woman and the Home owner himself. We shook hands introduced ourselves and told them we want to visit our friend's mother. Yunno, the place is clean, absolutely fabulously cleaned and no smell at all. That's truly amazing. Upon arrival, my good friend was already there accompanying his mother who was bedridden. For her age, Aunty looked healthy, her complexion looks good and her bedspread is clean. I tell you, there is a very special bond between son and mother. I must say that I am glad to see my friend doing his best for his mother. This can only come from a very special gift inside this friend of mine. I pay tribute to him, his wife and his children for all the care and concern they undertook together. Such care and concern are eroding in our society today. I guess, the old school of piety, honour and respect for elders is strong in his heart. What an honorable man! What an honorable family! I was moved to say a prayer for Aunty and with my friend's permission, we prayed for Aunty. As I gripped Aunty's right hand in mine, I prayed for healing and for love to flow to Aunty's heart. I pray that she will be blessed.

I was informed that there were 15 women staying in the facility called home. Some are mobile while some are immobile. Directly, across Aunty's bed was a woman who had a left leg stump resultant of an amputation. She is a chatty lady and we greeted her warmly. She spoke in English and we had a great time talking to her. Then, she spoke of the one who is a Hainanese and none of her children had come to see her since she was put in the home. Now, being a full blooded Hainanese, I couldn't help resisting the need to exercise my Hainanese speaking skills and so, I pulled up a chair and started speaking to this aunty. I guess, her hearing was not so good in one ear. So, I had to speak a little louder and that started the conversation. I asked her many things and soon, a historical chronology of events unfolded. There was so much hopelessness expressed in her but I will not have such talks. Slowly, I spoke to her on being thankful to be alive in the home and to just savour her life at the moment. From her sleeping position, she soon sat upright and we talked. As soon as I saw the crinkle of smile across her fully line face as I spoke to her, I know in my heart that she enjoyed the time we spoke. To me, it is a real joy for me to bring some cheer to this old lady's heart.

As we left the home, I wondered where would I be when I grow old like them one day. It is a question I know nor have I any answer until I hit that bridge. Seriously, until then, I guess, it would good to bring some conversation to these folks as they desperately needed someone to talk to. So, do spare your precious time and organise trips to these homes & bring some cheer to these folks. They are not after your money or want anything from you except your listening ear, your heart of compassion and you talking their lingo. I know I am blessed today and it made a big difference in my life. Remember, if you are going to bless anyone today, start blessing the older folks. The etching/twitch of a smile across the face and their blessings upon your life is truly rewarding for your soul!~

Tonto wisdom....

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep. Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says " Kemo Sabe, look towards the sky, what you see?"

The Lone Ranger replies, " I see millions of stars."

"What that tell you?" asked Tonto.

The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says , " Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What's it tell you, Tonto?"

"You dumber than buffalo. It means someone stole our tent."

~ Thank you to my friend, Eddy Law for sharing this lovely piece of humourous message.~

Ah Seng, the painter....

There are days in your life that you would want to forget as fast as possible while there are days in which you just want to dissect each momentous hour in the crazy 24 hours of a day. Today was just one of those days I would rather skin a rabbit somewhere in a forest or probably hike up some mountain for some breath of fresh air. But like any other day in my life, my Creator always has something in store for me to ponder upon.

Today, I had coffee with Ah Seng, the painter. This is no ordinary man. He is almost 60 plus years old and the lines on his face will probably grate coconut flesh to bits and no SK II pitera lotion or whatever whitening lotion is going to smoothen that sand paper face of his. BTW, I have told him this before and he laughed to bits. But in a weird and almost loony way, one of my colleagues and I are his good friends. Sorta the ones he would talk to without hesitation and with free flow expressions. He would have coffee with us and shared a joke or two or just talk about everything under the sun. Garbed in his "batik" shirt [ due to paint falling onto his shirt and making it "batik" multi-color splatter and all that! He has a few distinctive ones! ] , he would go around carrying out painting works all over Melaka town. Incredibly, he is quite sought after for his good painting works. Small in built -frame, thin and bespectacled, I was told that he does his work efficiently and he can be quite choosy with his customers. He is usually well paid and he doesn't believe in keeping his money in bank. Yup! He keeps his money in his pillows! Yes, hear ye, such people still exists. When I asked him about this, he curtly answered, " Boh Thak Cheak! No need bank. Bank is the pillow! Better!".

Self-confessed bachelor but young at heart ( That's what he says!), he is really a nice person. He lives in a rented room in the older side of the town, he doesn't give a crap about politics and he walks to every place he needs to go because he doesn't know how to ride a bicycle. motorcyle lest the car. Always with cheap cigarettes in his pocket and puffing away like some chimney of London houses, he talks loud but always in a careful manner so that his false teeth would not fall out! For the talking loud matter, I have always suspected that he is "deaf" in his ears and that's why he needs to talk loud! BTW, he doesn't stink nor look dirty at all. On the contrary , he is very clean but he is always in his "batik". He is pleasant, mild-mannered and an old man with a good heart. For his goodness, he is always been taken advantage of and sometimes, it irked me a lot but Ah Seng would always tell me that it is okay. He had seen all sorts of people in his life and so, nothing is new to him. Afterall, they can only cheat him once and he learns faster. That's what I liked about him - the positive outlook plus concrete jungle survival skills.

I remembered that when I was down one day and was having my usual coffee break, he came over to join me for a cup of coffee and he cheered me up even though he didn't know what I was going through. He just said that if he was to take life that seriously, he would have been dead by now! I laughed my head off then. I still remember the time he gave me a Parker ball point pen and told me that it would be useful for me than for him. That's his big heart. I have lost count the number of times he treated me for drinks together with my colleague. One thing is for sure, we always have good conversations and laughs.

So, to Ah Seng, the painter, God bless your life always and may more lives be blessed by you, my friend!