Happy 53rd Merdeka!

Merdeka! I hear people, greeting each other with "Merdeka"! Now that is a great bonding gesture! Astonishing!!!!First time, this writer hear this greeting so freely lavished upon one another and with such pride and joy!  It so unifying, so touching to the spirit of 1 Malaysia,  the One Malaysian Identity - Sounds very much like  Peace to this writer..and .there is this funny, warm feeling of belonging, rising from the heart. Yes, this is indeed Merdeka, Malaysia! if we, the People of Malaysia, acknowledges our roots in this land of overs  and forge an Identity of Oneness with this Nation we call Home!  We are Malaysians and proud to be Malaysians!  Happy 53rd Merdeka,  People of Malaysia!

Be Humble of Heart

What glorious thanks to the Lord God! Lord, Let your glory flows all over the earth and fill the earth!!And the Voices of praise that filled the church this morning  was  joyous and spontaneous! The good God , He has gifted us, the grace of goodness in His Presence!!!

And the wisdom from Ecclesiastes...gives much room for thoughts.......the higher one goes, the more humble the heart should be, for the Lord God loves  homage that comes from a humble heart. The humble-hearted is humble because he knows his standing, he acknowledges that his good fortune comes from the pleasure of the good Lord  and unceasingly, gives praise and glory to God. Can we be anything without the hand of the Creator leading us???Be humble! .....else, the light dims and takes away our direction.!!!

From the Heart, Malaysia!

Politics! They talk about abuse of letterheads, they pick on petty issues to do the war dance, when there are more important matters of the state and nation to attend to.....Sure, those who make mistakes, must be educated, disciplined ,but keep that internal and then move on to more important and pressing tasks.Have they noticed  how disintegration is  eating into  a nation born of such great promise, causing massive cracks and a weakening of structure ? Fifty three years of independence ...and the nation finds itself embroiled in  racial, religious and political disintegration, uneasy harmony,  lack of respect for fellowmen, indiscipline, among our youths.  etc..etc.......Our own declining values, starting from homes, schools, colleges of higher learning spreading  over the nation....unemployment....dipping reserves, inflation,  the many dumping of babies, the increase in crimes and robberies , etc...etc...and our elects continue their fights over use of letterheads????

A popular radio station has been incessantly reminding us ,"1Malaysia, that is what we were and that is what we will become again!" Will we really be able to recapture the essence of our former status, glory and achievement??? We, the older generation, who had walked every step of the 53 years with this beloved Nation, and had known deep  belonging and a wonderful bond with this land, we call Home, laments the disintegration, sweeping in... We had cultivated and fostered wonderful and long lasting friendships.. where  Ali,  Ah Chong and Muthu were such good friends.. and .race was never an issue......1 Malaysia, can we really re-capture that same spirit again?? For Peace and for all  our  sakes, this writer really hope so..
 

One Malaysian Identity, One Race..One united Malaysian Spirit!! , we call out for the good sense and the determination to cultivate, to build, and preserve the realisation of this vision, a very concrete and strong Home Base, for our future generation. Wake up, People., it is time to be pro-active... reach out to one another, cut across race, religion and social   barriers, start the healing and unity process otherwise our vision of  1Malaysia  may just  remain  a Talking Dream! 53rd Merdeka! May you be the beginning of solidarity, friendship, love & respect, understanding  for one another, Oneness of Spirit and Much Peace! We love you Malaysia!!!

Poor Beggars or rich towkays???

People,  does anyone know how much, one could earn from begging??? One source said RM8,000/-!!! That is a wow figure! Imagine, just sitting in a crowded public area, body hunched, head bent...waiting for generosity to drop into your plastic container placed in front of you! You do nothing, except look pitiful and stretch out your hands and generosity showers upon you!

YT is curious, yes, she is and one of these days, she might just don one of those beggar clothes and  step into the beggar's lair ......eat and drink with the very wealthy towkays of the pavements, shop corridors and street corners, just to taste a little of  that special experience - how it feels like to live off the pockets of your kind hearted fellow men.. well, just for one day..(..)....  for the sheer want of capturing and bagging  that begging experience;  and perhaps even scooping, an opportunity to understand the plight of the poor and homeless who has no means of income except to beg. ???.  Some people even claimed, begging has become a lucrative industry of its own...There is gold in begging! Well what says you???

True or not, the curious in this writer wants to touch the 'how it feels like" to  stretch out one's hands to receive charity and  for free money. What feels- standing on the street stage and tugging at the heart strings of the general public, all day long, day in , day out???. Are those reported big bucks true or  pure nonsense???Does a person feel degraded, does he feel an outcast, ashamed of his condition,,etc...etc...what  whispers  the inner most heart,  feelings that none could ever understand, except those carrying the beggars bowl for survival/??..Or is it just business...all in a day's work and really,  what is there to feel???

Whatever the situation, whatever the true picture, fact still stands out that while foreign beggars are making their fortunes  here, the local people, our unemployed young graduates are crying out for survival and the working class are finding it hard to make a living in our very own land where inflation has set in ......and purchasing power of our hard earned money...begging for the values of our former glory....

Cries of innocent babies

Please do not dump me! I want to live! I want to grow up! I want your love! I am a gift to you, a life God entrusted into your care! Mum, Dad, please  look after me, take good care of me! I am your own flesh and blood! See how helpless and fragile I am!  Please do not throw me away! Please do not abandon me!

There are many who are childless and in desperate want of a child, and though they pray, sometimes, their prayers are not answered and they cry silent tears of longings for  a child. I am already here,gifted to you. Thank God for me!

The Virtues of Discipline- Hebrews 12

Funny, never thought of God disciplining, those whom he loves and receives into His fold.  What values Discipline and what significance its role in life's journey???? The picture of a loving Father correcting and moulding us his children, for our good that we may share in His Holiness! Awesome!

If we could  practice teaching and disciplining our children because we wish the best for them, , how much more the Father of Life, for us,whom  He had accepted as His sons and daughters???. When we love and care enough, for certain people in our lives,  it is natural that we   point out their shortcomings and faults that they may correct themselves, improve, change for the better  and progress well in life. If such attributes are not there, would anyone bother to speak out???  Marie for one, would just zip her lips and look the other way.....perhaps ,  a polite smile and a look of "no comments" , on her face! But if it is people she cares for....you can't stop the ocean of words that rolls off her tongue...Tell Marie if that is not the same with you folks as well!!!

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later  it yields the peaceful fruits of righteousness to those who have been trained by it....Hebrews 12:11

Now people! isn't that truth, in its purest form??? Marie is just amazed how relevant every single word and text which comes out of the Bible ....Those who had  received discipline and learnt from them, emerged from the narrow and crooked into the wide and straight roads....where they continue their journey in peace and contentment, and there is great promise of reaching home safely- to be with the Lord.  Those not blessed, with discipline and chastening , and allowed to grow in their crookedness.....cries in bitterness when no good came of their unlightened ways and suffer they, the consequences of darkness and pain.

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This brought to mind, a story, told by Marie's mum  when she was young... A real story...and the scene - a prison somewhere in Taiping. A mother visited her only son for the last time in prison- before he was sent to the gallows.... He was her only son and she loved him so much that she gave in to his every whims and fancies. She had such high hopes for him.....As she  lovingly fed him his last meal, he pushed the food away, wept inconsolably  and asked her, " Why didn't you disciplined me when I was bad Mother?? Why didn't you punished me when you should???If you had scolded and canned me. then mother,..I would not be here today!"   The mother was utterly heart broken!  She was struck by a grief beyond words, with the  Realisation that  She was the one who sent her only son to the gallows.....and story has it that she lost her mind and wondered around the village, ..until mercifully death claimed her.....

Discipline! you are the virtue that  spells goodness nurtured !

Sleep vs exercise

Which  is more important, getting enough sleep of at least 7 hours per night, which means enough rest for your body to self heal from within  or exercise yourself to the lean and mean? Say, you lead a very successful but stressful life, and manages with 3-4 hours of sleep per night. Will exercise make up for the lack of rest ...pump you up with  health  and increase your life span???

Recently,  media attention were drawn on people, who exercise a lot, appears healthy  and fit externally,  successful....mostly the "have it all"... but dying of heart attacks at a relatively young age..and at the prime of their life and career-early forties to be exact. A few days ago, a radio talk show, discussed this topic in depth.   Appears that an overdose of exercise could be actually bad for the body....you may be injuring yourself, hurting  your bones  etc.. with  wrong types of exercise, wearing wrong shoes etc..and that could  lead to osteoporosis, later on in life. Athletes and sportsman are known to suffer from   health problems , knee, ankle, back problems, muscular pains etc......quite possibly caused by over strenuous exercise;  pushing themselves above their limits etc..

Marie for one thinks too much exercise is bad. Infact anything in access is BAD news! Further more, once a person enters into an exercise regime, that person has to stick to it for as long as goodness know how long....maybe forever.... otherwise...for some reason, weight bounces up and fat accumulates...some people like Yours Truly,  double their size once they stop exercising. She remembered wearing size 29 jeans up till  her daughter was 10 years old. Unfortunately, she though she was overweight  and starting  jogging and exercising. Then, work put a stop to all the exercising AND.....she just ballooned up..up and up........Never could slip  into a size 29  jeans ever again....maybe one leg....Now with all the weight gained, her knees suffered...and her bones creaked....not to mention, the granny feeling.

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And sleep?? YT is a great believer and a great fan of sleep. Even with 7 hours sleep, she still feels sleep deprived. Her  friends talk about waking up after 7.00a.m.- seven something they said... that,  dear people, would be a  luxury to madame. Happy are those who  work near the vicinity of their homes. 8.00a.m.,  and there is still plenty of time to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, some toasted bread, with half boiled eggs, and then take a slow drive to work!  Yea, That would be life!
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What do you think?? Which is more important..sleep or exercise-???? Perhaps a little exercise such as walking, yoga, tai chi, swimming and more sleep huh???

Feast of the Assumption

Welcome! This morning, It's Father Timothy from Rome with a rich message on the Blessed Virgin Mary's " Bottle of YES" to God.... . What better time than - the Feast of the Assumption , to be reminded of Mary's YES es which has brought  Christianity  into this world. Indeed without the obedience and YES of the Holy Mother,, the new covenant  and renewed bonds between God and man would not have manifested and LOVE would not have shone into this World, the way, it did.. The  difficult part. is ..imitating the Holy Mother's   acts of obedience...   picking up each of our YESes to God and storing them into a  bottle......as a sign of our love and commitment to the will of God.

Holy Mother Pray for us!

Cahayasuara Communications Centre-Media Skill Workshop

Marie was at the Holy Redeemer  Church  one morning and  something at the church bulletin board caught her eye. A Write Design Media Skill Workshop and at a cost, she could afford! Impulse and Curosity  whispered, "Why Not??"

Finding the place was a muddle,  for Madame Marie, that seems to be the norm, she got lost yet again, rounded the inner roads of Kuala Lumpur no less than three times, before she finally decided to stop and asked for directions and hey Ah Beng! it was just two right turns and a left and there you are, your destination!

Did she find the course useful and interesting??? Perhaps,a little on the basic side..Can't really complain though-RM60/- for a full day's course, two tea breaks and lunch thrown in, that's  value enough there, but hey folks, the bonus was a young and talented Miss A Karen, a main stream media reporter sharing her knowledge and expertise, dishing out some very useful tips and don'ts.   And she did a great job too. The morning session that is,  was of a standard, Marie had not expected, and although Miss Karen lost it there for the afternoon session,- folks,  the big pie was  distributed in the morning itself and  ...overall, that course was worth every single cent and more!

If you are just starting out and wanting to learn how to write..it is definitely a must attend.  There are two more sessions coming up...Saturday 21st (feature writing) and 28th August 2010. (publications)....so would be writers.....those seeking basic writing skills ...,  give it a try. Might pick up a gem or two.

A group of interesting,  experienced and qualified participants and Marie sure enjoyed her day socialising and brushing up on her skills!

9-8-2010 The Convocation

Congratulations! Miss Anne!

You are now a Masters Graduan and Master of your own destiny! As you walk and achieve your dreams, remember it is to God that we owe our gratitude, and it is to God, we owe our thanks. So long as you keep the Light from above radiating in your heart,you shall surely act and walk in the certainty of wisdom , blessings and contentment , any direction asked of you..

In Trust of Faith

Does not the  air of a completely new day, smells fresh and sweet!

Ah! Wondrous the confidence of assured grace  and serene the path of  trust and faith!

Faith

Faith is believing with a certainty in something that is yet unseen..... confident assurance. YT like that definition.  Yes, Sir, she does...Faith is Strong belief in or trust of someone...Absolutely! but it is having the trust with a certainty in the yet unmaterialised, yet  unseen....that is worthy of note. ....Faith gives us that urge and the push to keep on going, to conquer terrains, to climb mountains and  tame challenges. And people! faith give us that strong conviction to keep on living....to achieve, to attain.....to hold on firm to our belief and principles despite opposition and persecution. We visualize, we crystallise and make solid that vision to make that a part of our achieved goals.  The Lord tells us that everything is possible with faith and all things are possible to him who believes...

We know not what tomorrow brings but we trust and believe in a certainty that there will be a fresh new day , ...there will be continuity..... When we place our faith in God, that is divine, we are safe there....but we humans have the habit of cultivating bad faith, trusting the wrong people in our lives, falling into temptations and doing the wrong things. We somehow have the tendency to sway towards nebulosity, we are easily snarled by the seemingly smooth fronts of people, surface beauty and then we fall into the traps of life's failures and hurts and then the  questioning begins...Keep awake and light your lamps, the Lord says, in readiness to open the door when the master of the house comes home and knock on the door...it is a reminder to keep our human weakness in control and keep our spirits in the light of the Lord...

8th of August 2010, Marie greets you! Father Time Peace! Happy You  and happy and  peaceful the days ahead of her!

And the Self love and pampering of the day is... yeh,  sO very gooooooOOOD!!!!

Acts of the Apostles -narrated by Bruce Kuhn

Brillant! and quite a Narrator, that's Bruce Kuhn!  Some Performer too!  It is astonishing how  one man  could hold the attention of an auditorium full of audience for nearly two hours; taking on the different roles of the early Christians effortlessly ..in a journey through the Acts of the Apostles. Interesting, yes, quite interesting indeed!

The Healing Power of Holy Hour

YT was happy as a bumble bee, almost skipping into the church building..that is... if an autumn rose could still skip ...First Fridays, is a time, she looks forward to...but hei, team OLL! Parish Priest!  that hymn when Jesus, says , our tears were the reason he died and that he sees and knows the tears that we cry ...in private...in our hearts...and that guys! that burst the reservoir..OM Gosh! the tap refuses to stop flowing , perhaps...the deep of her heart was pried open..something heavy and painful  surfaced...yes, it certainly felt that way......something suppressed and not released perhaps......thank you Father John...the healing prayer was very powerful, the words used..it does guide a needy person into releasing what should have been released a long time ago..but then healing takes time...because -more often than not, we stubbornly keep our  secret rooms locked away....hidden firmly in a little Hands Off  corner...

A little window has been opened and light is peeping in....slowly but surely, the start of healing..whatever it was....

Folks, if you are going for Holy Hour, go with an expectant heart, do not go for the sake of going.....go with trust and faith...expect the presence of the Lord in your lives....expect healing......and you will definitely feel him .....it is like, there you are kneeling in your need and your need has touched Him.....He comes and reach out and touch you , comforting you, it is an awesome feeling, no words could describe..except in an out flow of emotion....

In a healing and worship session, when healing and rebonding hymns are chosen, they  remind the needy that the Lord is firm  in His love, no matter what our circumstances..no matter our status, no matter anything...He is the reason, why we are journeying......LIFE... ..it is temporary...therefore whatever we go through is also temporary.......one day, we will have to discard our worn out flesh, leave everything behind and  go home to the Father...and that is in itself a comfort.

   

Prayers for a Lady in Autumn

A few more steps and into the gateway of  another year she goes. Hello???? Hey, road ahead!!!Anybody out there???Is there any angel out there to guide and  lead her into a fresh new year???

Kind of scary to see the days  flashing past so fast and suddenly, suddenly, she just wants a humongous hug and the reassurance that the waters will be calm all the way; the road equally smooth. Many wonderful - good, caring and sincere friends by her side. People who understands her and accept her for what she is, the way she is. Don't expect her to  be exciting and interesting all the time. She just cannot...there must be intermittent period of quiet and peace for her...., private moments when she can do her own stuff,  crabby stuff even, plenty of that....that's her.., , write, etc..etc..

Her wish list used to be never ending but for this particular stretch of her journey till the call comes, she just wish for peace, joy, contentment, good health, protection, the grace and love of God, a happy household, and like she says plenty of good and caring people around her and yes, a beautiful and secured garden full of delicious fruits and food to satisy and content her.  Ya, Ya, that is  indeed a pretty long list in itself, but the good Lord......He is Generosity Himself.

But you know what folks, she learnt that Prayers are the best gift for a lady traveller striding into  her autumn days, because if Someone up there, throws his cloak around her, she will always have warmth, if He opens an umbrella, she will have shade, if He  walks with her, she will never be lonely, If He stands with her and smiles down upon her, all will be well..  Thanks and may the goodness of your prayers overflows and their goodness bless you as well!  God Bless one and all!!!!

Discipline the- vital tool for character building

YT simply cannot believe it, some people are saying that if children  were made to stand on chairs and tables as punishment, they  would fall down and hurt themselves. As she remembers  it,  this writer had her fair share of standing on tables and chairs, during her school days. Did her no harm , nobody got hurt ...and there were a couple of times,  the whole class were made to stand on  tables because we were so noisy.  Some could not  stand still and would fidget on the table tops causing the tables to fall either forward or sideways, bringing down the rest of the tables near them...As she remembers it, the girls would simply jump away from the falling tables without suffering a scratch., put the tables back  upright and continue standing  until, the punishment was over..

Of course, we would cover our faces with our books so that friends from other classes would not know, it was us who were  being punished..but that did not take away our confidence...or humiliate us, in such a way, that we felt shamed forever, it was just punishment for some misdeeds, and we took it in our stride and learn from each punishment. Infact, we even build up stronger characters from being punished, we learn right from wrong.

Perhaps, in those days past,  we  had healthier mindsets- ...we exercise more, running-100m, 200m, 400m etc..., basket ball, net ball,high jump..volley ball...long jump...that our limbs had become so strong and sprightly that we could fall without hurting ourselves...  we would just spring up like a rubber ball, and go bouncing away.. We could view everything so positively, and simply learn from our mistakes.

Today, kids hardly exercise...they sit in front of PCs,  the idiot box, or text  their life away. The only parts they exercise were the eyes and fingers...so..what can we expect??? Lazy and soft bones which breaks easily...minds so confined to what they see in computer games, TV shows...that they view things  differently ...parents become ultra-protective where discipline are concerned, sparing the rod..not teaching....not developing or helping  their kids to grow  as they should, some even preventing teachers from doing their jobs. Everything is a legal case, so much so that some kids grew up with the idea that they could get away with blue murder. Remember all the bullying cases, gangsterism, students threatening teachers...drug abuse etc...negativeness and all the truancy in schools....we read about in papers??That  came about because we did not do our parental duties well , we naively thought that was love, BUT.....

  

Perhaps, if we were to encourage more healthy living, more social interactions ,  BLOCK OUT race or creed,.start disciplining our kids like the days past,  teaching and instilling good values, good morals, strong religious beliefs, respect for their parents, elders, teachers etc...CHARACTER BUILDING....we could reverse the deteriorating trend and rebuild a culture of  positiveness, love and respect for one another,  healthy individuals.. , high morals ...  brilliant minds, who could think for themselves, and establish a future for themselves and  for the land they call home....  .

A gift of Great Food

 Contentment! Ah! what satisfaction you give! And as each  plate of sumptuous delight, quickly arrive, temptingly "bagus"; salivary good -restrain and refine behaviour flew out of the window! Chopsticks went click, clack.. quickly chomp ping in, and........a spontaneous chorus of Mmmmmmmm  filled the air. Wow! great stuff! The char siew was deliciously tender, juicy with just the right crisp- a great starter to a perfect afternoon lunch. (what you see here is just half the amount, ..before the camera could click, half the amount already made its way into 'can't wait anymore' tummies)..

Crab rice, the signature dish of Siu Siu Restaurant in Old Klang Road was superb, the taste was just right, the crabs fleshy and cut to the right size, making it easy to dig in...they supply you with clippers, or do you call them crackers??? but  you do not need those very much, because somehow the crabs were marinated and steamed in such a manner, that the shell has become soft and with just a tiny twitch the whole flesh dislodge itself  for  your tongue to roll around it, savouring the goodness...

The river fish prepared in  Nonya style is out of the world! No joking here! Authentic truth! YT was still tearing and poking at the bones, looking for any tiny bits of flesh that may still cling on ...after all had been wolfed down.....that's how good it was. Fresh, real fresh! Extraordinarily good. The best she has eaten for a long, long time!

The kangkong belacan was passable but better than most and..... man oh man! the Salted eggs Prawns (shell-less) were just heavenly! Generous portions for every dish! Service was superb , the atmosphere.... green, cooling.....relaxing , the kind of place, you would like to sit, linger  and just enjoy..... Try it out yourself folks!
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A mother's heart was gladden and yes, this great taste of good food, amongst great atmosphere  will certainly linger on ,  and occupy a permanent place in her heart and memory lane. Thanks K, guys and God Bless!