"Most" The Movie (The Bridge) Music Trailer Video*

A very inspiring short foreign film from Czech Republic. Enjoy!

Don't get personal..

With regards to my previous blog entry, I make no apologies of expressing my response towards the entry which I chose in the first place not to name the individual, neither will I publish the person's comment about my previous entry.

The entry was meant for everyone regarding the issue of unity in the nation. And I want point out that point No. 7 of my entry is to all those who have nothing better to do but to bicker and cause unnescessary dissension in an already chaotic nation. The use of twitter, facebook and blogs became their channel to spread harmful comments that poison the mind of people... A disclaimer here is I was referring to a general point, and not specific individuals. And if certain individuals felt I am personally attacking them, my apologies.

I'm more concerned that people laugh and tease those who have less than them, or might not have the abundant blessings as they have, no matter how harmless it seems like. Yet, I'm not referring to any specific person. I was once a person who didn't know how to be happy/excited for another person's blessings in their lives but to always think I deserve more than them. Hey, I'm not perfect! But the lesson I learned from the past few years is it's happier to say something positive about someone, or to think positively about one. If I continue choosing to see the negative sides of individuals, I will not see that they have a good heart in them. And counting blessings with others made me see how good God is.

So I'm ending this entry by saying that I was not attacking specific individuals on blog but to remind ALL others that the harmless comments on sensitive issues of a multiracial country like Malaysia can cause more problems in unity.

A Respond to Happy Birthday, Malaysia

As a non-bumi in the land of Malaysia, I find that the most important and cherished culture of Malaysians is the ability to live among all other cultures, not only surviving, but living well together.

This is an excerpt of what I find offensive about:

Therefore, I dedicate this post as a tribute to the things I disfavor in my fellow countrymen:

1. They believe that there are more odds of getting lucky through a lottery ticket than through getting off one’s ass

2. They think good things can come easy, cheap, and quick

3. They say, “sure”, “yeah” and “of course” without meaning it

4. They talk more than they could ever walk

5. If something bad happens to them, it’s always the other person’s fault

6. They think the government owes them a big bungalow and a Ferrari

7. If someone else is successful, it’s because they’re lucky / robbed a bank / fucked their boss

8. They wonder why they haven’t become rich—while spending all day on their butt cracks

9. If they don’t do well in school, it’s the teacher’s fault

10. If they’re fat, it’s genetics

11. If they’re poor, it’s because of something their grandma did in her past life

12. If they marry an asshole, it’s jodoh

13. If they stumble once, it’s not meant to be—tak ada rezeki

14. If they’re asked to walk 3 miles, they’d be pleased to have walked 2

15. If they get something they worked hard for, they won’t let you forget

THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM HERE: SOME HUMAN BEINGS DECIDED THAT WRITING ON A BLOG DON'T REQUIRE ANY RESPONSIBILITY!

I feel very distasteful towards people who write on their so-called personal "public" blog without using their brain (I wonder they have any leftover after tonnes of waxes poured onto their skin).

Solutions which I am proposing in order to take precautionary measures over this type of SERIOUS problem are:

1. Be content with what we have, and work for the glory of God.
2. Stop looking at what others have done unto you, and start looking at the way you behave towards others more than ever.
3. Take responsibility of what you release on social media.
4. We live in a multiracial country, we have to learn to give and take with other races. This country should NOT have different treatments for different races, but since it has been like this, the Malaysians (especially younger generation) should be aware that above all things is peace and harmony in the nation.
5. No name-callings, and start living as civilized human beings.
6. Go through the moral values you learn in school. If you think you can't live that up, no worries, nobody is perfect. But strive to live out the moral values, because it is impossible to live with a person who pretend to live out the moral values but talk bad about other races/religions etc.
7. Stop bitching on twitter, facebook and blogs PLEASE.

Thoughts to ponder.

GOD BLESS.

Two Weeks of Holidays..

It's the first Tuesday of the mid term + Raya break, and it feels like I've been having holiday forever. I'm currently blogging from my bro's old Dopod 818 Pro which I brought back with me to KK. A totally fabulous hand-me-down item I'd say, something comparative to a mini netbook, minus the keypad. It comes with wifi, and bluetooth, and infra red devices. Definitely something rare back in the year this phone was produced. Without a simcard, i can still access to internet on the newly installed opera mini. Kinda like it, but there are some errors in this system which requires some aid. High chance the phone has to undergo major brain surgery to get its Windows Mobile reformatted. Now that's tricky..

I'm supposed to be volunteering for the Archdiocesan Youth Festival (PBK) but I realize that things aren't right in my own life. I'm not going to bore you with details of what has gone wrong though. Let's see put it in simple format: God, work, relationships with others. The only thing that's alright and stable is family. Just got back from a weekend in Kluang for my dad's 1st death anniversary (25-29 August), things are ok at home, mom has the company of my relatives, especially my aunty, whose late husband was my mom's brother. So she's doing alright there. My bro's alright too, has a daytime job and some side business in collecting collector's shirts...
So what's with my relationship with God? I need Him more these days, but I sorta become mute after a meetup with a dear friend on National Day. I am put to test when he said I don't know what is real Christianity, and the truth of Salvation. So now I'm on the quest of truth and love as per Jesus' teachings. The 'self' is weak, often tempting me to care for 'self' instead of others. But my deliberate isolation from the previous group of people I used to hang out with is for the sake that I may see clearer of things in life without being judgemental and overly harsh on myself. My previous group of friends are certified good people, but I was crushed by their opinionated suggestions on how I should lead my life and what decisions I should make. So I take leave of the circle but still loving them all the same.
In this new phase of work, I've been tested all the time! From a simple complaint of a teenager leading to the mom's wrath upon me and the head of the school doing nothing but allowing his own staff be humiliated in front of him, to the shock of finding out how much certain individuals are trying to make me leave my workplace. It's no longer a place of joy. Yet ministering to the teens is such joy! Complicated and mixed I have here about my job, really. I do wonder why adults are so complicated! If only we all have the simple faith of a child of 3 years old, completely trusting our Father for protection. Instead, we tend to rely on our ownselves (self-reliance) and enjoy gossiping away our days. Backstabbing too. We do all these out of fear of losing our earthly treasures - position, money, etc. But what do we gain? A sure place of condemnation in hell if we don't repent.
God is love and all about placing us in His plan of salvation. Yet that doesn't mean He will not punish us for our wrongdoings. He sent Jesus to die for our sins, and by His resurrection we are saved. Yet again, our sins committed daily drag us away from Him who saves the world! So daily repentance is required. Our hearts are hardened by sins so sometimes it's hard for us to comprehend His love and the need for repentance plus discipline from God as we are His children. It's all for love...

So this is where I am at.

Pax vobiscum.

P/S: JOANNE, I miss your presence here. I'm glad you update your blog always. Have a great time in Melaka. God bless!

ROOT CAUSE

I wrote this story for a beloved friend of mine, a friend who has walked with me at the point of my dad's death a year ago. He has proved that a friend in need is a friend indeed. I hope he is well there, whatever that keeps him busy at the moment...

ROOT CAUSE

One day, as Snail crawled along the trail he takes daily to the Old Tree, he saw a tiny worm by the side, resting. Wormie, the tiny worm, looked exhausted, so Snail asked: "What have you been up to all night that you look as though you had worked so hard in the mine?"

Wormie smiled quietly and answered, "Oh, nothing special, just doing what I can do best."

Snail continued his journey towards the Old Tree, where his friends and him gather daily. When he arrived his destination, he saw his friend, Torita, the tortoise, weeping woefully. Not knowing what to do, Snail sat next to Torita until she stopped weeping. In between the sobs, Snail gathered that something seems to be wrong with Old Tree, and nothing could be done. Snail was perplexed but there was nothing he could do at that moment, but to wait.

Robbie the rabbit came hopping, and in tears, exclaimed, "OH NO! OLD TREE IS DYING!! WHAT SHALL WE DO?? OH NO!"

Now, Snail finally got the whole picture. Their beloved Old Tree, the gentle giant in their community, is dying. He is the stronghold of this whole community of animals. Snail was worried about his friends, but he had to get to the Old Tree as soon as he could. Many others were weeping together to mourn for the still-standing-tall Old Tree, and nobody was doing anything. Snail was in a confusion, but he went away to the side, and remained silent, occupied with his thoughts.

"Old Tree looks fine to me. There is no browning of leaves, no branches falling off. How could he be dying? What is happening?"

Snail went to the back of Old Tree where it was quieter to listen. In quietness, he heard a gentle shh... shh... shh... sound. He searched for the sound but he could not find the source. Torita and Robbie joined Snail, and when they started talking, the shh-shh sound disappeared. So Snail brushed it off his mind, as he thought he was thinking too much.

"So what shall we do now?" asked the still-sobbing Torita.

"We need to find a new place for our daily gathering. Old Tree would have to be abandoned," Robbie said decisively. But Snail would not agree to the idea of abandoning their Old Tree.

Morning came. Evening came. Time to return home to rest. All the animals dispersed and went back to their respective homes. Snail was the last one to leave. Taking one last look at Old Tree, he muttered quietly, "Tell me what happened, my friend."

Wormie was crawling towards Old Tree when Snail left. Although Snail was curious, but he was too tired to ask.

The next morning, Snail found Wormie sleeping under the rose tree by the side of the trail. As exhausted as the previous day. Snail couldn't help but to ask, "Wormie, what have you been up to the whole night?"

Wormie, with a gentle smile on his tired, said, "Nothing much. Just doing what I can do best, as usual."

Snail continued his journey to Old Tree, where lesser animals gathered. Some had left for the expedition to find another place of gathering led by Robbie. Torita was serving coffee to those who gathered around when Snail arrived. As what he usually did, he went to the back where he heard the sound yesterday. Sitting quietly, he heard the sound again, somewhere under his feeler. And he could feel vibration. Calling out to Torita, he asked, "Who told you that Old Tree is dying?"

Torita answered, "Wormie."

Rushing towards Wormie, Snail asked in urgency, "How did you know Old Tree is dying?"

"There is a group of nasty termites refusing to leave his roots for they need food for the Queen. I tried to persuade them by bringing them food every night, but they feast and make merry with the food I brought. Still they refuse to leave every morning. Oh... I don't know what else I can do! I am so exhausted!"

Wormie burst into tears after telling Snail.

"Wormie, you have to tell others about this, maybe somebody will have a way to chase them away!" exclaimed Snail.

"But... I'm afraid they will not believe in me," answered Wormie.

"Don't worry, I am with you. Trust me." Snail comforted Wormie.

Together, they crawled back to the Old Tree, and spoke to the animals who were gathered there about the root cause of Old Tree's foretold death. Polly, the Porcupine has a distant cousin, a giant pangolin, Giga, who worked as a bug controller. Polly went off immediately to invite her cousin over to assist them.

After a series of negotiations, the termites still insisted that Old Tree belonged to them. So Giga had no choice but to exterminate them with his special tool.

All the animals cheered and celebrated when Old Tree was fully restored to health, and thanked Giga for his kind assistance.



Sometimes, our lives are like Old Tree, we fall sick, get hurt, and unable to function as who we are called to be. God gave us people around us, to minister to our hurts. God wants to heal us so He sent us His Spirit as our Guide. And as we find the root cause of our pain, we will be healed if we allow God to go deep enough to touch the part which hurts us the most. It is painful, but in His time, our mourning will turn into dancing, our sorrow into joy.

Many times, we keep silent, thinking that we will be able to solve the problem eventually, just that it will take us a longer time (Wormie). Sometimes, we wail and cry and hope that something will happen (Torita). Sometimes we run away, moving forward from one place to another, thinking time will help us to heal (Robbie). Yet, as we move forward, or so we think we are moving forward, we are taking three more steps backward. Into our comfortable nutshell of darkness. Healing comes when we sit quietly, and we bring the hidden part of our hurting self to God, reach out to the people around us for help (Snail).

Nobody is perfect, and though we're called to be perfect for God is perfect, our perfection comes when we finally see God face to face. Being a child of God, totally loved and cherished by Him, to the point He willingly sacrificed His Son for us, we have to look beyond and celebrate the hurts we go through. For in all these, He will be made known, He will be glorified. Yes, we are afraid, we are weak, but Jesus promised that He will be with us until the end of time. He promised that His grace is sufficient for us. So, be not afraid.

All glory and honour and praise be to Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Are You Suffering Too?

Here's what Prophet Jeremiah said in the book of Jeremiah (Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22) about suffering and God's response...

The word was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord: The Lord, the God of Israel says this: Write all the words I have spoken to you in a book.

Yes, the Lord says this:

Your wound is incurable,

your injury past healing.

There is no one to care for your sore,

no medicine to make you well again.

All your lovers have forgotten you,

they look for you no more.

Yes, I have struck you as an enemy strikes,

with harsh punishment

(so great is your guilt, so many your sins).

Why bother to complain about your wound?

Your pain is incurable.

So great is your guilt, so many your sins,

that I have done all this to you.

The Lord says this:

Now I will restore the tents of Jacob,

and take pity on his dwellings:

the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins,

the citadel restored on its site.

From them will come thanksgiving

and shouts of joy.

I will make them increase and not diminish them,

make them honoured, and not disdained.

Their sons shall be as once they were,

their community fixed firm in my presence,

and I will punish all their oppressors.

Their prince will be one of their own,

their ruler come from their own people.

I will let him come freely into my presence and he can come close to me;

who else, indeed, would risk his life

by coming close to me? - it is the Lord who speaks.

And you shall be my people and I will be your God.

When the Rain Comes, Will Sunshine Trails Behind Too?

A child holds an umbrella under the heavy rain looking towards the long road he has traveled to find his father in the farm. His father was no where seen, but he knows his father is around. All he has to do is to continue walking, and maybe he will find his father somewhere down the road working to shoo the cattle into their shed. The heavy rain makes the road muddy and difficult to tread, and yes, there seems to be lightning and thunder too. There is fear in the child's eyes, there is a heart pumping way too fast. Tears stream down his tiny cheek onto his already soaked shirt. And then comes his father, running in the rain for his little child. He picks the child up and gives him a warm embrace. And the child feels safe and comforted once again.