My friend Nicolaus Teoh emailed me the above today and I posted it on my facebook page to share it with my friends. It was such a hit with them that I think I want to blog it here.

Such wisdom from a man so long ago!!! No wonder USA has progress so much and is still such a great nation despite having their own set of problems; but mind you though they have problems they also have great men of great leadership and wisdoms. God bless them and may God have mercies on us.

Indifferent Attitude of Kulim Water Department Staff

This afternoon, after my lunch, I went out to run some errant. On my way out (going down hill) I saw water gushing out from the ground at the junction of Jalan Cengal 9. It was obvious that an underground water pipe has been broken. I decided to be a good citizen and report to the authorities. I have to call three different numbers to finally get connected to the correct place but there was no one in the office to pick up my call. Then I realised that it is lunch time so I waited untill after 2.30pm to call again. This time a lady picked up the phone and I promptly made to the report. She coolly answered that she will send the repair team tomorrow. Tomorrow???? Why tomorrow? Why not immediately? Thinking that she might not know the seriousness of the leak, I told her it is a bad leak. Water is gushing out from the ground and the whole road that goes downhill up to the traffic light (about 350M away) is very wet. She just replied casually that she knows about it because someone had earlier reported it and a man has been sent to assess the damage. Then she continues to say that "semua kontraktor kami sibuk sekarang" (all our contractors are busy now). Oh, what depolarable attitude is this. Here we have thousands of litres of precious water being unneccessarily wasted, and there we have one civil servant who could not give a damm about it.

Just think about the amount of water that will be wasted from this morning until tomorrow when the repair team turns up (if ever they turn up). This is clean, consumable water, not raw water from a nearby river. This also means $$$$ being wasted!!

I think if only all our people in charge of water departments can buck up and do their job properly then there is no need to ask the consumer to save water and there is no need to spend billions of ringgit to build more dams and spend more millions of ringgit to process the raw water into consumable commodity only to throw away at least 25% of it, if not more.

In remembrance of a true Malaysian Hero

Teoh Beng Hock, I salute you as you journey to your final resting place this morning. I may not know you personally but it does not matter. Your sacrifices will not be wasted. Your untimely and cruel death will not be in vain. You paid with your life for your ideals and a better life for all Malaysians and their children and their children's children.

I am too far away to attend your funeral but my heart goes out to your family and all your loved ones. This morning as your family members and friends mourn your departure in Alor Gajah, I mourn at home in Kulim. Thousands, probably millions of Malaysian are doing the same quietly in their own homes. Though I may not know you personally, I shall remember your total sacrifice for a better Malaysia. I have to say again, your untimely death will not be in vain.

I shall pray for your grieving parents, siblings and your wife and not forgetting your unborn child. My heart is with them now as they mourn their loss. When I think of you, I can't help but felt sad and angry. Angry at the cruelty they meted out to you. The way they toutured you mentally is inhumane. Are these people human at all? Don't they have any humanity left in them at all? I have to admit at times I felt hopelessness swept over me due to the state of affairs in the country. But I must not give up. In giving up I have already admit defeat. By admitting defeat, your cruel death will be in vain. I must remember your death must not be in vain and it shall not be so!! Those whom you left behind will ensure that justice be administered and the whole truth be made known!


Once again, Teoh Beng Hock, Farewell........Farewell. May your soul rest in peace!!!!!

You are a true Malaysian Hero.

State of Indecency among our National Leaders

The past week has been a very disturbing week not only for me but, I truly believe, all true peace loving Malaysians. Life seems to be so cheap in our society now. Every now and then we are bombarded with news about custodial death... death of ordinary helpless innocent Malaysiam in the custody of Malaysian Institutions created for the purpose of defending and protecting the civil liberties and human rights of all Malaysians. If death can happen in their custody what hope is there for all ordinary Malaysians? These institutions are suppose to protect the safety of all citizens of this beloved country but what has happened in the past has shown otherwise. They seemed to be only interested in protecting the rights and interests of a few rich a powerful individuals and the ruling party.



What is more tragic is that those in power who are in a position to correct the wrongs are turning a blind eye or shall I add a deaf ear also to all these abuses. Those who stand to lose the most when the truth is exposed begin to spin stories to support these abusive institutions. In the most recent case of custodial death two pro UMNO dailies, namely, Berita Harian and Mingguan Malaysia even declared that the widespread outpouring of anger and griefs over Teoh's death under suspicious circumtances and the subsequent demands for justice is actually an attempt to weaken the Malay controlled institutions. I am really confused at this point. Attempts to weaken the Malay controlled institutions? How did the race issue creep in? Which institution is Malay controlled we are talking about? Is MACC suppose to be Malay controlled? I thought it is a Malaysian intitution. So, suppose it is Malay controlled insitution and the death of a Malaysian Chinese is perfectly alright?. It should be swept under the carpet and all should remain quiet about it. Is that right? Where is the value of human lives. Does it matter what race the deceased belongs to? Do they view Malay lives more valuable than other races? Why are they defending MACC and turning the issue into a racial issue instead of demanding for justice and truth for Teoh's family? Those who demanded justice never talk about race and yet these pro UMNO dailies turned it into a racial issue.

Forgiveness

It is already one week after I came back from my church family camp in Taiping Golf Resorts and I am still thinking about the messages Rev Clement Wong gave during the camp. Rev Clement was an invited speaker at the camp. The theme of the camp was 'Being Faithfull to God" After three sessions on the theme he felt that a change of topic is appropriate as he sensed the group needed it. Hence, on the fourth sessions he dealt on the concept of forgiveness. I couldn't agree with him more. In fact it is such a blessing to have this dealt with at the camp.

I reproduce below the six concepts of forgiveness that he shared.

1. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

2. To forgive sets you free from the past to live for the future.

3. To forgive is an act of the will not emotion.

4. To forgive does not mean to justify the offender.

5. To forgive is choosing to live in the light.

6. To forgive releases a person to change.

I am personally blessed by this message and I am sure many of my church members benefitted too as many of them shared with me how they were ministered at the camp.

Can-nosed bovine

Way before the political crisis in Perak unfolded, I read an artical written by Max Lucado titled "Hard Hearted". As the political situation deteriorate further with all its high dramas, I can't help but keep thinking of the article; particularly about the part on the can-nosed cow. I reproduced below the whole article:


Hard Hearted by Max Lucado

“Hardhearted people are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him, They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.” (Eph. 4:17-19)

A hard heart ruins, no only your life, but the lives of your family members. As an example, Jesus identified the hard heart as the wrecking ball of a marriage. When asked about divorce, Jesus said, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because our hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” (Matt. 19:8) When one or both people in a marriage stop trusting God to save it, they sign its death certificate. They reject the very one who can help them.

My executive assistant, Karen Hill, saw the result of such stubbornness in a pasture. A cow stuck her nose into a paint can and couldn’t shake it off. Can-nosed cows can’t breathe very well, and they can’t drink or eat at all. Both the cow and her calf were in danger. A serious bovine bind.

Karen’s family set out to help. But when the cow saw the rescuers coming, she set out for pasture. They pursued, but the cow escaped. They chased that cow for three days! Each time the posse drew near, the cow ran. Finally, using pickup trucks and ropes, they cornered and de-canned the cow.

Seen any can-nosed people lately? Malnourished souls? Dehydrated hearts? People who can’t take a deep breath? All because they stuck their noses where they shouldn’t, and when God came to help, they ran away.

When billions of us imitate the cow, chaos erupts. Nations of bull-headed people ducking God and bumping into each other. We scamper, starve, and struggle.
Can-nosed craziness. Isn’t this the world we see? This is the world God sees.
Yet, this is the world God loves. For God so loved the world: This hard-hearted, stiff-necked world. We stick our noses where we shouldn’t; still, he pursues us. We run from the very one who can help, but he doesn’t give up. He loves. He pursues. He persists. And, every so often, a heart starts to soften.
Let yours be one of them.

When my daughters were small, they liked to play with Play Doh. They formed figures out of the soft clay. If they forgot to place the lid on the can, the substance hardened. When it did, they brought it to me. My hands were bigger. My fingers stronger. I could mold the stony stuff into putty.

Is your heart hard? Take it to your Father. You’re only a prayer away from tenderness. You live in a hard world, but you don’t have to live with a hard heart.

I think the politicians in Perak is really like the cow that stuck her nose into the empty paint can. They keep on running away when an opportunity came by for them to settle the political impasse. If Najib is smart and far sighted enough, he should dissolve the state assembly and call for fresh mandate from the people in Perak. He may be a skillful politician and finally wriggle his way out of the crisis while still holding on to power in Perak but the people in Perak may not be so forgiving come next election time. In this age of internet, peoples memory are prolonged much longer than before. Just a few clicks on the keyboard will refresh the memories. The patience of the rakyat is really running shorter by the day.

All I can say is that, if the can-nosed Najib and his goons in Perak refused to decan their noses, then they will certainly be starved to death politically.


ALL THE BEST TO ALL OUR CAN-NOSED POLITICIANS!!!!

WIFI on public buses in Penang?

I came across this piece of news in The Star (online) this afternoon and makes me ponder for awhile.




Published: Wednesday May 13, 2009 MYT 1:56:00 PM


Free WiFi on Rapid Penang buses

GEORGE TOWN: Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd will be providing free WiFi access to its passengers, the first bus company in the country to do so, beginning with a three-month trial on two buses.

Its chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad said the company was installing the facility in two buses: The first plies the route between Balik Pulau and the Bayan Lepas International Airport, and the second on the Teluk Bahang-Batu Feringgi-Weld Key route.

He said use of the WiFi facility would be free and that the buses would have special stickers for easy identification by passengers.

“After three months, if response from passengers is good, we’ll have the facility installed in stages in all of our 180 buses, and also the additional 200 buses which will be delivered to us by the end of the year,” he told a press conference here Wednesday.

Azhar said the facility was provided to enable passengers to surf the Internet in the bus before arriving at their destinations. -- Bernama

Wifi on the buses is great but I think the basics must be there before other facilities, no matter how beneficial, can be fully enjoyed by the commuters. Just take a good look at our public transport system in Penang. Can anyone say that it is reliable? The buses often do not keep to schedule. They are all the time overcrowded especially at peak hours. The frequency of trips is not good enough for the public to find it convenient and beneficial to use. Most of the buses are just not clean enough for comfort. And the attitude of the bus drivers?....a lot of room for improvement.

Oh, come on, En Azhar, improve the basic facilities first before going into things like WIFI on the buses. I think the commuter will be very much more appreciative if the basics are improved rather that providing something that cannot be enjoyed. Do you seriously think the commuters will really make use of the WIFI facilities? Maybe some will if the ride is more reliable and comfortable. But for now, lets improve the basics first.

Absurd Story?

I was browsing the May issue of Astro View and the article "The Mozart of Madras" caught my attention. It is about A.R. Rahman who was actually born A.S. Dileep Kumar in 1966 and converted to Sufism after his critically ill sister was miraculously healed with prayer from a Sufi dervish saint. A.R. Rahman is a very talented composer. His works have been featured in more than 100 movies. One of the latest is Slumdog Millionaire.




Curious to know more about Sufism I did a Google search and found it on Wikipedia. After going through the article I click on the link to one of the Sufi saint Nasrudin (or Nasreddin). As I was browsing the write-up about this saint, the artice "Whom Do You Trust" caught my eye.




Whom do you trust
A neighbour comes to the gate of Mulla Nasreddin's yard. The Mulla goes out to meet him outside.
"Would you mind, Mulla," the neighbour asks, "lending me your donkey today? I have some goods to transport to the next town."
The Mulla doesn't feel inclined to lend out the animal to that particular man, however; so, not to seem rude, he answers:
"I'm sorry, but I've already lent him to somebody else."
Suddenly the donkey can be heard braying loudly behind the wall of the yard.
"You lied to me, Mulla!" the neighbour exclaims. "There it is behind that wall!"
"What do you mean?" the Mulla replies indignantly. "Whom would you rather believe, a donkey or your Mulla?"




After reading the story I was thinking how absurd the story is and wondering about the moral of it. I still do not know the real moral or intention or spiritual truth of this story in the context of Sufism but then it dawn on me that the situation described in the story is real. It exist even today in our modern society.




It reminds me of someone I know personally for many years. He is a well respected man in society. He runs a drug rehabilitation center on a voluntarily basis. Many drug addicts have gone through his programme and came out becoming someone who is contributing to the betterment of society. But sad to say, success and self ego has got the better of him. He slowly began to get involved in questionable activities. Everytime a former resident of the center revealed something about him that is not good, some people who are brave enough to question his will get this reply: "Who do you want to believe? A former drug addict or your trusted spiritual leader?" He never gave a strait answer to the question posed to him. When you query him further, he would say "Why are you so stupid as to listen to the drug addict?"



After some thinking, the story is not so absurd anymore.

I am a millionaire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received an email recently and I reproduced below which is self explanatory.

Well, looks like I should be jumping for joy. I am a millionaire!!!!

Should I cry or laugh or jump and roll crazily on the ground????

Or maybe I should start booking my favourite BMW.

Well which pretty lass out there wants to marry me? (Be warned I am already married to a wonderful women and having 3 wonderful kids).

It just blow my mind that such emails are still circulating around. Are there people who are really so gullible as to believe this sort email or it is just that the sender/creator of such emails is treating fellow human beings as fools?

Which fools who believe in such emails please stand up and raise your hands up high..........



"siyabonga.t.zwane@accenture.com"

We are pleased to notify you that your email addresswon the sum of £850,000 GBP from our monthly UK National Online Promotion held on 16Th November 2008 and released 19Th November 2008. You have therefore been approvedto claim a total sum of £850,000 (Eight Hundred And Fifty Thousand Pounds ).Ticket No. 5647 5600 545 188Contact agent for your claims.

***************************************

1.Agent Name: Mr. Edward Connor

2.Agent Email: notificating-department@live.com

3.Agent Tel : +44 7035 954 072

***************************************

Claims Requirements:

1.Full name:

2.Home Address:

3.Age:

4.Sex:

5.Tel:

6.Occupation:

7.Country Of Residence:

8.Nationality:

9.Amount Won:

***************************************

Send all details to notificating-department@live.com only.

Yours Sincerely,

Zwane T Siyabonga.

(Web-Email Information Manager)

Unforgettable Incidences in Yunan, China

When I was in Yunan recently two incidences happened that I will remember for a long time to come. One I witness personally and the other is told to me by my friend who was directly involved in the incident.



Incident No 1

I was in Dali, cruising in a five-storey high ship in Erhai lake. The lake is about 42 km from one end to the other. The view is fantastic with the seagulls following along side. Naturally at one point of time I have to visit the toilet. It was always crowded with people especially the ladies. On that particular day we had about more than 500 people on our ship.

Side view of the ship that I cruised in.

Nearing the end of the cruise I went to the toilet for the last time. I was surprise to find it quite empty with the cleaner in sight. This man actually looked very stern and graff. While I was at the urinal, I heard the cleaner talking to someone in one of the cubicles. With my limited knowledge of spoken Mandarin I could make out that he was asking the man in the cubicle to hurry up. I look around and then it dawn on me that the cleaner was waiting to clean that particular cubicle. Probably he was waiting to change the container as there was a clean and empty one on the floor next to him.

I heard the man in the cubicle answered back. There was a brief exchange of words that sounds like they were arguing. Suddenly the cleaner pushed open the door and stood in front of the cubicle and started shouting at the man inside. From the corner of my eye I could make out the man in the cubicle was actually in the midst of doing is business as he was squatting down over the potty with his pants down. They continued to shout at each other. Of course I could not understand them as they were shouting in an accent that is typical of a China national. Not wanting to be caught in an ugly scene in a foreign land I quickly zipped up my trousers and make a dash for the narrow door, not even looking back at them.

Whew! What an experience!

Incidence No 2

One of my friends was queuing in the ladies. She was next in line. When the door of the cubicle in front of her opened a lady appeared from nowhere and dash into it, leaving my friend stunted. Almost immediately a younger lady appeared in front of her and announce loudly that she is next in line. Our tour leader who happened to be in there saw what happened and being very experienced told the two ladies off for jumping queue. The younger lady responded immediately that if she needed to queue up then she will go into the cubicle with the older lady at the same time. They both sounded like China nationals. With that remark they went in together. My friend was left standing speechless.

Cultural shock??????????

Good student-teacher relationship

A good student-teacher relationship can indeed inspire alot of creativity among both the students and teachers themselves. Indeed a healthty relationship while they are in school can last a long time beyond school life. I have heard countless stories of how a good teacher can draw out the best in a student and propel him/her to much greater things in life than you can imagine. In return, many teachers have told stories of how they were touched and blessed by the simple and sincere nature of a young child in school.


I believe my daugther, who is in Form One, has quite a good relationship with one of her teachers. When she found out that one of her lady teacher needed a cushion for her back, she quietly went about getting one for her. When she was done with her mission, she showed it to me. I am impressed with her handiwork. I was a little "jealous" of what she is doing for her teacher. But I am absolutely proud of her capability and special friendship with her teacher.






The pillow case.

The pillow case complete with the pillow nicely tucked in.

She took quite a few months to complete it. I think it is really wonderful. Don't you think so?

Christmas time is here again!

Christmas time is here again. Every year, come the month of December, every shopping complexes will be decorated and lit up. I just came back from a trip to the province of Yunan in China. When I travel from Kunming to Dali and then to Lijiang I could not find a single church building along the way. There are numerous temples and some buildings that look like mosque to me. But when I reached the cities all the modern complexes that I went to were decorated with a christmas tree and some lights.

It makes me wonder. Do the local residents know what is Christmas? Do they know the real meaning of Christmas? Back home in Malaysia all major and medium size shopping complexes are also decorated for Christmas. I noticed that this year the decorations are not so lavish. They are quite subdued. Probably it is due to the economic downturn in progress. Does Christmas depends on the economic health of the nations? It looks like the answer is both "Yes" and "No" depending on who you are. It really actually goes down to what you believe in.

If you think of Christmas as the time of the year for merriment and getting drunk occasionally and it is also the time of the year that is alright to throw away your good jugdement and embrace insanity for a while; if you think it is the time of the year that you must buy something for someone just like the advertisement is drumming into you or if you think that it is when you can make an extra bundle of money because you are selling something that is in demand during this season then your joy will very much depends on the economic health of the nations.

But to me Christmas means a very different thing to me. Oh yes! I do believe in merriment and celebration and buying gifts for someone you love. To me Christmas means much more than commercial values or even superficial personal enjoyment for a few days. It means a new hope for all mankind. It was at the first Christmas about two thousands years ago that a new hope was born to mankind. That hope does not last only for one day. It last for eternity. It was on that day that God in His wisdom became man in order that man can have the hope of being reconciled to Him. On that day Jesus was born so that He can bear all our sins in order that we can eventually be reconciled to God. And Jesus achieved this thirty three and a half years later by dying on the cross on Good Friday. He then conquered death by rising again after three days on Easter Sunday so that whosoever believe in Him and invite Him into his heart to be his/her personal saviour shall have everlasting life with God!

This is why Christmas means a new hope for me. Yes, it is a joyous occasion. We should celebrate. There should be merriment. There should be singing and dancing and praising God. Please do not get drunk and make a fool of youself. Let me wish you a blessed Christmas. When you are blessed there is certainly merriment and celebration around. I do not know how you can be blessed and go around with long 'papaya' face and be a grouchy guy all the time.

Yes it is a time of giving because you are blessed. But please give to the needy and give sensibly. Do not waste your money on things that is of little value to anyone except the sellers. It is a time to remember the less fortunate than us and continue remembering them throughout the year; not just on Christmas day itself.

To me Christmas does not depend on your financial health. If you have Jesus in your heart there is joy all year round. I do not mean you will have no problems. Everyone has problems. The difference is that there is joy in the midst of the problems. Inflation or recession may come but joy shall fill my heart because of the new hope that Jesus came to give.



Once again blessed Christmas to you!!!!!!!

A bad, bad weather in the north

It has been raining rather badly in the northern region (Kulim and Bukit Mertajam) the last few days. The weather actually disrupted my plans for my daily jog or hike up Bukit Mertajam hill. This morning when I woke up I had high hope of going for my morning jog in Mengkuang Dam but the weather is so bad that it is still raining as I blog now. I guess today is going to be an exceptionally bad day. Looks like it is going to be raining the whole day.

Bukit Mertajam Hill or also know as Che'ruk Tokun Hill is the ideal place for a good hike to exercise your muscles and your heart. It is only about 4km up to the summit from the carpark at the base if you take the tarmac road up. There are two resting places along the way for those who cannot make it all the way up to the summit.

Besides this tarmac road there are a few other trails up to the summit. I find these trails are much more interesting as they actually meanders through pristine forest reserves. You can actually trek up the hill at anytime of the day provided there is sufficient daylight and is not raining heavily. There are actually quite a good percentage of people going up the hill armed with umbrellas. They will continue up the hill even if it is raining. In the heat of the afternoon, the trails are good refuge for those seeking a cool place.

Someone went ga-ga over my blog!

Yesterday I received an sms from my son in Melbourne. Before I read it my mind was already in overdrive wondering what is the emergency. It is not normal to receive sms from him while he is in Australia. To my relief it was not an emergency. My son has discovered my new blog and he was really excited over it. I thought that was it but this morning when I visited his blog I was rather amused that he actually when ga-ga over my blog! He blogged about my new blog! He could not believe that I actually started blogging! Well my son "look-me-no-up". He thinks a 50 year old guy cannot blog. So here comes your father in the blogspheres, Titus.

Thanks for introducing me to your fanatical followers!

First time blogger

I have been thinking about blogging for a long time since I started surfing the net many years ago. Never got to do it. Many of my friends have their own blogs. Some even maintain more than one blog. My son has been blogging for years.

Finally I pick up enough courage to start one. A lot more to learn but I am determined to make this blog interesting. What make me do it? Well, many events happened the last one year in my life that changed me very positively. Events ranging from my personal life to family and church and even what is happening in the country. Hope to update my blog frequently.