Making a difference ?

There are people who seem to be filled with compassion. They willingly reach out to help strangers without expecting anything in return. Perhaps God has placed burdens in their hearts, to help the needy, care for the sick or merely, to love the unloved? These people, like angels in disguise, bring light to a world that’s been darkened by violence, calamities and all kinds of evils. They offer a glimpse of hope to those who had given up. These people are a blessing and a precious gift to humanity. Their efforts to make the world a better place should be commended, encouraged and worthy of support. Through them, many believed that there really is a God who cares and that they are not alone in this world.

It would seem that God in His wisdom, places different burdens into the hearts of different individuals; that none will be left unattended. Some have an affinity with children and orphans, others, the elderly or the sick. Yet, there are others whom God has entrusted a deep love for animals. Are these people less noble because animals are of lower specie than mankind? What is so different whether you are on a crusade for man or for beast? The bottom line is, you are aiding the weak and the helpless.

I do not claim to be noble or good. It may sound shocking but I am often unmoved by sights of war torn refugees or victims of catastrophes. With all the tragedies going on day after day we often become inure to cries for help. Call me cruel if you will but I cannot feign an emotion I do not feel.

There is yet another tugging in my heart. One that I cannot ignore. I do not know if it’s a God-given mandate but at least I know my heart is not totally unmoved.

Many fail to understand this particular kind of calling. We are often misunderstood, derided and thought to be eccentric. We seem to have our priorities wrong because we treat animals far better than people. Needless to say, it is often a thankless task. You save a dog from hunger for a day, a week or even a year but one day it disappears and you may never know what’s become of it. And none of the strays rescued will ever be able to repay you. Not in the monetary sense, anyway. But a mere wag of its tail, or a tongue licking your hand is often all the thank you need.

I pray that God will provide enough, such that I may carry on doing what my heart feels so strongly about. Long after I am gone, I know God will continue to plant seeds of compassion into other individuals to care for these hapless creatures, just as He will for man.

"One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”

Ah Kee with the dogs in her care in Kamunting

F

Response to CARE ~ from guest blogger too!

This is a reply to Fong’s last post ~ Care. It was an interesting one and I have way too many things to comment on. It wouldn’t fit in the comment column so I had to do a new post on that.
It’s so typical in Asian culture to not express love and affection. Its felt but not shown. I guess it’s like an act of weakness to be so affectionate. The men are probably the worst offenders!! But Chinese women are just as bad, especially the older generation.
Take my family for instance, I was brought up in a very typical Chinese family where birthdays were hardly celebrated. I don’t think I even had a birthday cake at all until I was 19 when my sis came back from UK and bought me one. We have the usual ang pows handed to us and I hate to say this but my dad would shake my hand and wish me a happy birthday!!! I think I received more outwardly shown affection from my friends than my parents!!
When I had kids of my own I made it a point to be really expressive! It came very naturally to me. I mean I love my babies to pieces so it was not a problem showering them with tons and tons of love!!!! Hugs and kisses, and constant reminders of “I love U” filled the household. Kids learn very quickly and they soon passed that on to their grandparents as well. But even then the old folks only became affectionate towards the kiddies.
It took a major health issue in the family to change that. My dad’s kidney failure was a rude awakening to all of us, mostly on himself. He realized that we do not say how we feel often enough. Thru out the illness he kept going on and on about his love for all of us. And from then on, the older generation was more generous with their show of affection, even with us older children!!!
It’s true we shouldn’t wait for special occasions to let our loved ones know they are appreciated. A simple gesture like a hug, or a pat on the back, an arm around one’s shoulder or a kiss on the cheek or the forehead…. A kind word, a compliment… it can’t be that hard! So start now!
I am so glad I instilled that quality in my kids. Not a day goes by without someone uttering some form of affection. Even the man of the house is an affectionate one, we are so blessed.
But let this not just be confined to one’s family. We have friends we care about as well and they are just as important to us. Our lives intertwine so here’s to all my friends and family ….. MOAHS!!! HUGS! I love u!!!!

Attached is also an excerpt from one of my kids’ emails. She wanted to have her 2 cents worth after reading F’s post too. So here it is from our guest blogger ~ No2!

I read aunty F’s post!! . I understood immediately what you meant bout us being the total opposite of what she mentioned. Our family compared to others is quite different in the sense that we do constantly profess our love to one another. I don't know why but while I was reading the post, I remembered when I was a kid, you made us a little mail box to keep and every once in awhile you would write sweet little notes or letters as you may call it and put it in our mail box and we (your kids) would reply the same way. In a way it helped us with our writing skills and it helped breach any boundaries between us. It’s the little things that mean the most. I always loved that line because it really is what it says. Leaving little notes around the house or just the simplest physical act of love such as a hug or a ruffle of the hair or a pat on the back is enough to make someone's day. I remember you, making cards for all 3 of us (your daughters) for no reason at all. Just to say u love us, you cared and that we mean the world to you. And doing that meant the world to us. The fact that I can still remember that to this very day, that I still keep that card and that I can remember what you wrote in it proves it all, doesn't it? You’re proud of the fact that there's no generation gap between us. I am too. And I know that all this is possible only because of you. You taught us how to share our feelings and emotions, how to open up and love freely. The little things that you do for us, is what brings us closer together.

Thank you mum for everything.
For teaching us how to love.
For all the little thoughtful gifts that you give to us.
For the times together that we laughed and cried.
It brought us closer together each time
thank you for all the things you've done.
And most of all thanks for being my mum.

love u lots =D
hugs and kisses,
~No.2~

E-xpressions of love please!

Care

I contributed the following article to my church’s newsletter years ago. It certainly looks as though I was a better writer then than I am now or perhaps, I was a basically a nicer person then? Still I would like to share it with you and at the same time, remind myself not to be guilty of neglecting my loved ones.

“Someone once said “ We never truly realize how much something means to us until it’s no longer by our side.” How true! All of us have, at one time or another experienced this – taking something or someone for granted, failing to appreciate what we have until it’s taken away. Only then do we begin to realize how precious that something or someone truly was.

You know, there is a saying “A rose to the living is more than sumptuous wreaths to the dead.” Isn’t it a bit late to buy flowers for the dead merely to lay it on their graves? Will the dead ever begin to appreciate flowers, however lovely their fragrances? But to one who is living, a single stalk of rose can mean an awful lot.

Just for a minute, reflect on those around you, your family members, friends and other dear ones. Have you ever told them you love them or how much you care? Don’t you think they deserve to know? Why do we always wait for special occasions like Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, etc. to shower our loved ones with flowers, gifts and cards? Sure it’s nice to receive flowers on those days but it’ll no longer be a surprise then, will it, especially if one is already accustomed to receiving flowers on such occasions. But, what of ordinary days? Don’t we tend to take each other for granted then? Deep down, each and every one of us needs to feel loved and appreciated. No one is isolated in this case. Ordinary days are ordinary days but they can become memorable days when someone makes an effort to turn those ordinary days into special days just by doing something nice. And it doesn’t really require much effort.

Why can’t we learn to show our appreciation for one another? How often do we neglect to show our care even though we may truly care? Oh sure, we Malaysians are an inhibited lot. Still, it is said that the love in your heart is not love till you give it away. How about taking time to care? Give your friends a hug, surprise someone with a small gift; brighten someone’s day with a rose, a smile or even, just a kind word.

Jesus has commanded us to love one another and love is not inactive. It is doing something for someone else unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. That’s love. Matt. 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Let us therefore, be living proofs of God’s existence by spreading His love. How else will people tell us apart except, as the song goes “ .. and they’ll know we are Christians by our love…”

P/S Incidentally, since we’re on the subject of flowers. We have fresh roses for sale on Valentine’s Day. We provide free delivery (Klang valley) for a minimum purchase of ½ dozen stalks. Please call 31686440 to place your order now!

F

What melts a hole in your wallet!???

After such a serious post from F, i had a hard time trying to come up with a good topic for a new post! But i am not such a serious person , so its a bit susah for me la!!! i will stick to what i know and what i am !! And even tho i have said that i will NOT blog about this particular topic again .... for fear that i may be labelled as a PIG, its almost impossible for me. So here is the one with the wiggly piggy tail .... and now , with an equally piggy tummy and butts to match!
Last Saturday we went for a seafood lunch and somehow the topic of ice creams came up. I don't know how it started cuz i was not listening to F and my SIL . Suddenly i heard my SIL say that she was going to take us for desserts. And the magical word Haagen Dazs came up! I have tried Haagen Dazs before but never at the outlet itself. Its the ones in tubs and on sticks.... and once at an ice cream parlour that supposedly uses Haagen Dazs ice cream but sure as hell didn't taste that great!
Anyway we made our way to the Aeon BT mall and headed straight to HD! One look at the menu , i think our eyes went @@!! i am sure my SIL , Pauline was accustomed to the prices there but the rest of us were like ..faint faint!!! F was also busy trying to get the pronunciation of HAAGEN right! I was a bit too bloated with seafood so Diane and i decided to share the ice cream. We ordered a double scoop with brownies and i don't know what Pauline ordered . It had a double scoop too but came with a wafer. F, not being an ice cream person , just ordered a latte. Diane and I asked for water which we found out was FREE! So F had that too LOL and Pauline asked for iced lemon tea.
OK i have to admit that the ice cream at their outlets are way much better than the ones u get from the tubs purchased at supermarkets!!! I suppose it fresher! And OK la , i also have to admit that it tastes better than Baskin Robbins but the scoops are a lot smaller tho! When the bill came , wahhhhhhhhhhhhh pengsan pengsan! let's put it this way , if we had ordered an ice cream each ( meaning 4 sundaes la) the bill would have been more than the seafood one !!!
i think its best we stick to normal ice cream! We know ice cream melts at room temperature, but it sure as hell can melt a hole in your wallet at any temperature!!!
Some info about Haagen Dazs ~ They do have an All-u-can-eat buffet that costs RM39.90++ for adults. But its only for a certain period of time. Last year it was in October i think. And another interesting fact about HD is that even tho it sounds terribly Danish..... its origin is American. They only used the name to tipu Americans i suppose! HAHAHAHAHA! But it did well!
E-xpensive

With these hands we reach out

I'd like to share an article written by Daphne Ling, the same girl who raised funds for the little girl with Fraser Symptom whom I wrote about some months ago.

"Today I want to tell you all the story of 2 ladies my mum and I met while in the hospital…

About 4 years back, at about noon, my late grandfather (he was alive then) had difficulty breathing…My parents and I rushed him to the hospital, and because of his age (he was about 87), the doctors admitted him into the red-tagged ‘Zon Kritikal’ (Critical Zone) to be assessed…

My mother went in with him, while I hovered outside the red-tagged doors…After a few minutes, my mum came out looking a little nauseated, and asked if I could sit with my grandpa instead… She said I could say no… The reason? On either side of my grandpa’s bed, were two other patients, who were seriously injured…On his left was an army officer who had been flung out of his truck and had sustained very severe head injuries…On his right, two beds away, was a baby who was screaming away, who had shrapnels of glass all over her body…(They sedated the baby shortly after)…

My mum cannot stand the smell and sight of the blood…

I went in, and the first thing I thought was ‘Oh God, the smell is terrible!’…And the sight I saw that night is something I will never forget.There was blood all over the floor, and various tubes of different sizes were everywhere, and I swear there was actually bursting from the patient…

When one smells a little bit of blood, it is ok, but to have blood everywhere, the smell is very nauseating and very hanyir (I don’t know how to translate this)…The hospital personnel were all robed up and had masks on, and my grandpa had on an oxygen mask, but I was left with nothing… I ended up breathing through my mouth instead, while looking the other way…They later drew the curtains, but I could still hear them!

After a while, my grandpa was sent for observation in the famous Observation Room…While they were doing some tests on him, my mom and I waited outside…

At one corner was a young Malay lady crying silently, her face ashen…At another corner was an old Malay lady, also crying silently… My mum and I guessed they were family of the 2 patients still in the Critical Zone of the ER…I went to talk to the old lady, while my mum approached the young lady…

I spoke to Opah, and she told me that her grand-daughter (the little baby) was inside the ER…She said that they came from Taiping, and while her son was cleaning the glass windows at home, he had accidentally smashed right through it, and that her grand-daughter had been lying on a little mattress directly underneath…The result was all the glass landing on the baby and cutting her…The old lady was sobbing away, because she was afraid of losing the little girl…

My mum later told me that the young lady was the young wife of the soldier in the ER…The truck he had been traveling in, on the way home from Penang, had met with an accident, and he and 2 other had been injured (he the worse for he was flung out)…The couple had recently got married less than a month ago, and had recently moved to the army camp in Ipoh…

They had no family here (Ipoh) as both of them hailed from the East Coast (I can’t remember exactly which state, but if I remembered correctly, it was Pahang)…So she was completely alone, with a dying husband, and no friends and no family, and completely lost…

My mum lend the young lady her handphone for her to make some phone calls home, and subsequently left her number…She told the young lady to call should she need anything during the night, since we lived nearby…My mum later told me that she was worried the soldier might die in the middle of the night, and the lady would be all alone…

After a while, we left to get my grandpa’s stuff and also to bring my grandma to the hospital to accompany my grandpa…

On the way back to the hospital, my parents stopped at 7-11, and my mum and me went down…I was a little surprised when I saw her pick up stuff like mineral water and biscuits and bread, and even more surprised when she got some nasi lemak bungkus (she said the 7-11 bags showed they were halal)…

When we reached the hospital, after seeing to my grandpa, my mum did some enquiring, and later, took me to the security guard station (this was about 11 pm)…

It turns out, she had bought all those food and water for the two ladies whom we had earlier met in the ER…She herself went to see the soldier’s wife in 1A (or it could have been 2A), while I was sent to find the baby in 5D…She was scheduled for surgery in the morning, but thankfully, the injuries were not permanent…

Mum’s reason? They would be too worried to think about food, but she was sure that somewhere in the night, they would be hungry, and there would be no food…

We then nipped back down to bring my grandpa in to be admitted…

The next morning, on our way to see my grandpa, my mum told me that at about 7 am, the young lady had called to say that her husband had just passed away…She also told my mum that all their relatives (as in, both sides) had arrived in the middle of the night, and all got to say goodbye…

I asked my mum if we should go see them, but she said that we should not intrude on the family’s grief, and moreover they would be too busy seeing to the funeral arrangements…The most important thing was, said mum, the young lady had her family with her, and she wasn’t alone…Mum said that if she was still alone, then we should go…

I honestly can’t believe I actually remember the events of that night, but remember them I do…I guess there are some things you don’t forget…

But a 17 year-old learned one thing that night…And that is: Just because you don’t know a person doesn’t mean you can’t reach out and help them...

year 2008 - what a "bang" way to 2008

Better pen in sometime before kena "kau kau" from E !!!



I started my new year - 2008 with a bang !!! hahaha.. really... huge bang. Well, the story goes like this.



On January 2nd, afternoon, took my kids for their hair cut before school re-open for new term on Jan. 3rd. As usual, me being malaysian always... "berak mau keluar" then only cari "lubang" hehehe..... Reached the hair saloon about lunch time, my usual hairdresser, named Jo - short for JOJO (like clown name, hor).. u ah... if new school term dont start, sure wont see your face here.. alamak !! :-( My kids had their hair cut done within the hour looking like... my son - crew cut (no.2) and my girl like.... china girl hehehehe. On the way out, the co-owner of the saloon walk in and Jo mentioned that he is very good in coloring hair. FYI, he has cut both my children's hair and his work... gooooddddd. So, i asked Jo when would be his next trip to Klang as I thought maybe get my hair done up nearing to chinese new year. But according to Jo, today only cos he will be busy in his own shop in KL until chinese new year. Alamak, that means like it or not i have to make time for him to do my hair TODAY !!! Pasal mau cantik, ok lah.. make appointment that same evening for my hair do. So on the dot, 5 pm, rush to saloon. When reached there, was told he has to rush back to KL.. *&^%$# (excuse me...:-) )Jo says, never mind lah, since u are here, i do for you lah... Dont want to make another trip there, so.. ok. Told Jo how i want my hair cut and she was not sure if i really wanted to cut short. I had my hair length over my shoulders and now i want to cut short - "BoB" style. Before she cut, Jo says.. eh... i going to cut liao..ah... i say cut lah.... Guess Jo wants to be double sure, i wont regret it. Mind you, i used to keep my hair short, very short. The only time my hair was kept long during my younger days - before and during primary school. Mum used to keep my hair long and every chinese new year, got people "book" my hair. Those days very "heng" - wig. Using real hair for wigs. Only when i was in secondary school, i started keeping my hair short. Back to present time - Jan 2nd 2008. By the time, i finished - hair cut and coloring, it was about 8 pm. So i decided to tar pow my dinner but cant decide wat to makan. finally almost reaching home, ting !! buy "lor mai kai" and "siew mai" yum.. yum.... Diverted to the makan stall near my house. After tau pow, i decided to use another route back home... boy... that was a big mistake and bad decision. Once turned in, just a few metres, bang !!!! I screamed and realised a motorist just came out from nowhere and bang the left side on my car. My heart pounding... motorist ok or not ?? then slowly, he stood up.. Phew..... parked my car to the side to check apa rusaklah.... wah.... my side mirror patah.. imagine flower not enough water, they whither, head down. Then i notice the left fender "kemet". *&^%$ (sai lah) aiyooooo..... song song and happy with my new hairdo and this happened ! The motorist has the cheek to say, tiada brake. Tiada brake somemore jalan laju. Lu nasib baik, gua talah laju, kalau laju... "pocit". Sekarang apa macam, cermin patah, ini sudah kemek ? Aiyo, saya tarak wang lah... Huh !??

Next day, checked out the price for replacing the side mirror.... Got another shock of my life ! New replacement - RM700 !! What the &^%$# Wah,,, c lorrrrr.... c lllooooorrrrr..... Another alternative, 2nd hand set. Luckily, my regular mechanic manage to source 2nd hand set for RM310. Now i have to check out the price for the side fender. Easily another RM500++ (sob sob....) Aarrgghhhhhhh......

One week later, on Jan 9, my house was broken into. Thieves came in from the roof via the kitchen. They broke the kitchen ceiling and manage to take most of my jewelleries and some cash from my dressing table drawer. I never ever expected this to happen to me as we have been staying there more than 10 years and nothing of this sort has ever happen in my neighbourhood. My loss was about RM5K. I was heart sick as all these items are my hard earned money (blood money) and some items are way back when i was younger, gifts from my mother. I also lost my schwarski bracelet and pendant which i loved and very proud of when i am wearing them. My girl's set also gone. Those b$#@% are good for nothing doing this. That very night, I couldnt sleep, thinking about the things I have lost. I know those items can be replaced but some of those have sentimental value as those were gifts from my mum way back during my school days (also her long time sweat saving money) and some using my hard earned money !!! sorry to say this but I really curse thieves that took away my things. The only consolation is they did not ransacked the whole house but only the drawer. Guess, the loot from the drawer is good enough for them.

Make a police report and was told by them that they will call and investigate the case. Till now, the call did not come and the broken ceiling have been replaced for the price of RM1400. The contractor "block" whatever entrance from the roof top into the house.

Of course, when these things happen, you will get some feedback like, aiyo... why did you keep your things in the drawer. You should put them away, places where not so easy for them to find. Why you keep some many items in one place ? You should split and keep all over.. Huh ??

Aiyo,, if I know and foresee all these, i wont be keeping them where they were, right ???!

Anyway, items lost maybe replaced (i know). Probably "the one above", has other plans and I take this two events as 'BLESSING IN DISGUISE".

HAPPY NEW YEAR.........

S

Karaoke Fever ..

I totally agree with E regarding Greenbox - food, choice of songs, sound system – all of which are good. They even provide coverlets for the mikes, so that people don’t drool all over them. They look like miniature shower caps. You can take these home and use as socks for your dogs’ paws or use them to cover your ears if someone’s singing gets too horrid! The added advantage is that it is located at the new J.J. and since it’s on this side of the bridge, even I can drive there.

Our birthday treat for E (karaoke + buffet) was scheduled for Monday 14/01. However, on E’s birthday i.e. last Friday, E and Diane made an impromptu decision to go for the karaoke package since the birthday person gets to go for free. E ajak-ed all of us but only I (F for Forever free) could make it. That night the 3 of us sang from 8pm till 2.00 a.m. And I think we left only because they shut our karaoke system down - we couldn’t key in any more songs. It was really worth it because the package was supposed to be for 3 hrs and thereafter if one wanted to stay you had to pay for the next package, i.e. the Supper package that is supposed to cost about RM22.00 per head. The staff even invited us to supper but by then we were too full to eat anything. Since there were only 3 of us, we keyed in all type of rojak songs, tak kisah can sing or not, try-la. At the end of the day we were tired but satisfied that we all got to sing kow-kow!

On Monday as planned, we met at Greenbox shortly after 7.00p.m. Earlier in the day, in the midst of our chat on MSN, E said, “Tonight u all sing. My throat’s a bit sore. You all serenade me.” Tipu one, she sang all right! When asked about it, she replied, “suddenly throat ok-liow!” Anyway, we each had equal opportunity to sing the songs of our own choosing. M was requesting for a few “roses” songs that night eg. Rose Garden and Paper Roses.(Valentine’s Day approaching?) M was Ms. Busy that night as she kept going out of the room to take her calls. To sidetrack - psst .. M has a secret but we are not allowed to reveal it to the masses yet and keeping it in is killing me. Don’t know about the rest but I am dying to blah it out. Of course since she doesn’t read this blog, I can always satisfy my urge and say it out. Hmm…

To get back to Greenbox and karaoke, That night we left at about 1.00 a.m. We didn’t get chased out, it was just that we had to work the next day so we left. The choices of songs are so wide that we can all find ‘new’ songs to sing. New, in the sense that we have never attempted to sing these songs before. When your girls come home for their holidays, E, they will be impressed! The aunties are finally singing different songs from precious years. Yehh…

F