Remember Zelda? she went through a few months of testing. Funds dried up. Deals just came in when bills were almost overdue. The car broke down. She had to borrow money to pay for her son's college tuition. Some days she was so low in funds that she literally survived on the odds and ends left in her fridge. Since she did not mind eating left overs, I was able to supply her with a meal or two when she was really in need. But I want to emphasize that she never went hungry. Seeing and praying with her very often, I can testify that she had to depend on God. Throughout the past few months, she did not have anything more than six hundred dollars cash at any one day after her one-month mission trip to London. Anyone may become insecure with these circumstances but she chooses to count herself fortunate enough to be sifted like wheat flour. If she cannot learn to depend solely on God at home, how can she survive by faith in a foreign land?
On Sunday, she received a cheque ear-marked for her proposed six month stint.( Even though she planned on 3 months, the mission organisation strongly advised one year, so they compromised on six months.) The cheque brought not a big amount, but enough to be seed money for part of the air-ticket she asked God about. She remembered I prayed for her last week about the release of funds from her contacts, friends, clients or church members. I thought about it and nailed it down to last Thursday night. I actually asked specifically that the holy spirit will speak to these people of means. On Friday, the kind donor was finalising her accounts and decided to give the amount she set aside to Zelda. Zelda and I knew that this was a direct answer to our prayers. It means the second trip is on. We praise God for the prompt confirmation.
Just a note of update for those readers who are wondering about the foreign student Zelda and friend brought to Life Group and Church. He proved to be a consistent hard worker. His boss is very happy to schedule his working hours around his classes. He went to meetings faithfully and is grateful to God for enabling him to study here on limited means. I personally think that it is no shame that he is ambitious enough to want to better his future away from his war torn country. Of course those who would rather see him go back to his home country could pray about that. It is not unusual to find some nationalists feeling threaten by potential immigrants whom others term as economic refugees.
Read also (749), (361), (383), (487), (520), (994), and (9).
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
(400) Who are we?
One elderly lady told me that she does not refer to herself as a Christian. She much rather calls herself a follower of Christ. Immediately I saw what she meant. Many people have something against Christians in general because of what one Christian in particular did. For those who were hurt or taken advantage of, the word "Christian" rankles. They see all Christians as hypocrites.
From experience, there are two types of churches. One is the traditional, well established church that holds millions of dollars in Fix Deposits. The other is a church that clears all money collected at Dec 31. Surplus funds is given away to worthy causes. While the latter type acts in a more biblical manner, there is still some short comings. I have spent more than ten years worshiping in the former type of church. Now I worship in the latter type. I sense that while I was in the former church, the leadership was always on the look out for people willing to serve. The church does not lack funds. Now, money seems paramount. Earlier, the fact that I was a homemaker did not seem to count against me. Now, I sense those who earn good money, thus able to tithe more, definitely possess better standing in church. I know that in Jesus' eyes, he sees me as equal to all others. But, I can't expect the same from pastors and leaders.
Another thought is: the church in China (they do not spend money on church buildings) ought to be able to do mighty things. For I see the shop lot churches in newer areas continually scrounge around to raise fund to buy more shop lots to expand. And the sad part is that such expensive buildings were only used at most three times a week: Sunday Celebrations, Saturday Youth meetings and week night prayer meetings (each lasting no more than 4 hours).
From experience, there are two types of churches. One is the traditional, well established church that holds millions of dollars in Fix Deposits. The other is a church that clears all money collected at Dec 31. Surplus funds is given away to worthy causes. While the latter type acts in a more biblical manner, there is still some short comings. I have spent more than ten years worshiping in the former type of church. Now I worship in the latter type. I sense that while I was in the former church, the leadership was always on the look out for people willing to serve. The church does not lack funds. Now, money seems paramount. Earlier, the fact that I was a homemaker did not seem to count against me. Now, I sense those who earn good money, thus able to tithe more, definitely possess better standing in church. I know that in Jesus' eyes, he sees me as equal to all others. But, I can't expect the same from pastors and leaders.
Another thought is: the church in China (they do not spend money on church buildings) ought to be able to do mighty things. For I see the shop lot churches in newer areas continually scrounge around to raise fund to buy more shop lots to expand. And the sad part is that such expensive buildings were only used at most three times a week: Sunday Celebrations, Saturday Youth meetings and week night prayer meetings (each lasting no more than 4 hours).
(399) Good deeds?
A speaker in church happened to mention about symptoms people displayed before disappearing from church. One of them is not coming to Sunday Celebration. As my buddy missed two Celebrations, I took the trouble to find out why. Normally I would take it that anyone could be unwell for one Sunday and went away out of town the following Sunday.
Apparently he was "flying below the radar". A few months ago, he met a family walking in his housing area to the bus stop. Since he recognised them as members of our church, he stopped to pick them up. After finding that they did not own a car, he offered to take them home as well. And he regularly provided transportation for this family.
All went well until the man of the family borrowed a hundred dollars from the kind driver. The way my friend saw it, a hundred is a small amount. Yet he was becoming wary. After all, he has a job and he has his commitments. So does the man of this family. It is not how much we earn but how we learn to live within our means. In a way, my friend does not even expect repayment. But he is concerned about possible future requests.
I view the whole thing differently. If someone approaches me for even fifty dollars, I would point out nicely that I only have about sixty dollars in my wallet on a weekly basis. If I were to loan it to anyone, my family would end up eating white rice and tuna fish every day. (I happen to have more than ten cans of tuna fish in my larder.) That is why I would not loan money to anyone. Not because I am unwilling, but because I don't have extra. Moreover, what I fear most are those who borrow small amounts and return them promptly. After building up a good and steady track record of borrowing and returning, one fine day that person may ask for a big amount and then disappear. The best course of action would be to refer such requests to the church committee. Should the reason for such a request be valid, then the church would be able to help.
It is sad that an attempt to be helpful backfires.
Apparently he was "flying below the radar". A few months ago, he met a family walking in his housing area to the bus stop. Since he recognised them as members of our church, he stopped to pick them up. After finding that they did not own a car, he offered to take them home as well. And he regularly provided transportation for this family.
All went well until the man of the family borrowed a hundred dollars from the kind driver. The way my friend saw it, a hundred is a small amount. Yet he was becoming wary. After all, he has a job and he has his commitments. So does the man of this family. It is not how much we earn but how we learn to live within our means. In a way, my friend does not even expect repayment. But he is concerned about possible future requests.
I view the whole thing differently. If someone approaches me for even fifty dollars, I would point out nicely that I only have about sixty dollars in my wallet on a weekly basis. If I were to loan it to anyone, my family would end up eating white rice and tuna fish every day. (I happen to have more than ten cans of tuna fish in my larder.) That is why I would not loan money to anyone. Not because I am unwilling, but because I don't have extra. Moreover, what I fear most are those who borrow small amounts and return them promptly. After building up a good and steady track record of borrowing and returning, one fine day that person may ask for a big amount and then disappear. The best course of action would be to refer such requests to the church committee. Should the reason for such a request be valid, then the church would be able to help.
It is sad that an attempt to be helpful backfires.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
(397) Recycling 6
After I moved into my current house, I acquired a few new neighbours. One of them is a single mother. After her son shifted out to live on campus, she wanted to get rid of a chest of drawers. I took a look and told her not to leave it out exposed to the weather. I gathered our sons to move it to my house. Just around that time someone gave Elizabeth a whole bunch of winter clothing. I cleaned up the chest of drawers, let it dry and then stored those extra clothes.
About two months ago, Elizabeth received an acceptance from an American university. I took a big suitcase from another neighbour and transferred all those clothes into it. Actually we still had not raised the funds for enrolling her yet, but by faith we are getting ready for her to go.
When I was sending a returning missionary home, she mentioned she needed to look for furniture to move into a bigger room. My antennae came out and I asked her what she was looking for. She was deciding between a wardrobe or a chest of drawers. Straight away I offered my chest of drawers. Two weeks later she came to take a look. It was made of good quality wood. Not like those in the furniture shop that was made of ply wood. Since she did not mind the chipped black paint, she decided to take it rather than shell out $150 for the modern flimsy item.
Now we await a volunteer van driver so that we can transport the drawers to its new home. It felt good to be able to rescue a good piece of furniture from being thrown away. I have enjoyed using it for almost three years now. If our missionary friend is a handy woman, she may even repaint it and give it a new appearance as well as a new lease of life.
About two months ago, Elizabeth received an acceptance from an American university. I took a big suitcase from another neighbour and transferred all those clothes into it. Actually we still had not raised the funds for enrolling her yet, but by faith we are getting ready for her to go.
When I was sending a returning missionary home, she mentioned she needed to look for furniture to move into a bigger room. My antennae came out and I asked her what she was looking for. She was deciding between a wardrobe or a chest of drawers. Straight away I offered my chest of drawers. Two weeks later she came to take a look. It was made of good quality wood. Not like those in the furniture shop that was made of ply wood. Since she did not mind the chipped black paint, she decided to take it rather than shell out $150 for the modern flimsy item.
Now we await a volunteer van driver so that we can transport the drawers to its new home. It felt good to be able to rescue a good piece of furniture from being thrown away. I have enjoyed using it for almost three years now. If our missionary friend is a handy woman, she may even repaint it and give it a new appearance as well as a new lease of life.
Friday, May 6, 2011
(396) Hurtful comments
A friend was relating how she was hurt by discriminating comments by her professor throughout her five years of college. While she had dealt with it, had talked with the prof before graduation and forgiven him. I could still see the lines of hurt on her face throughout the time she was relating the experience. Normally she is a sweet, joyful and cheerful person.
You see, she came from a minority tribe in northern Borneo. She was probably the very first person from her tribe to venture to the capital city to further her studies. Of course her English speaking ability at the point of college entrance was much lower than those city denizens who have far more opportunities to listen, speak and use English. While she came from a rural area with no running water and electricity, she did not live in tree houses. To say so in a sarcastic manner in front of all the students in a lecture hall would hurt a young girl's feelings. She may be disadvantaged by her origin and back ground, but she was not part of a savage, man-eating stone-age tribe.
Looking back, I was caught in that kind of situation within the first few weeks of arriving in USA. A snooty poor little rich girl asked me pointedly in front a crowd in a Dormitory Social if I lived on top of trees in my home country. I was extremely blessed that my mature student friend from Africa came to my defence. Together we painted an exotic, admirable picture of living in a jungle. It was an adventure, a good life that they would never have the opportunity to experience. Until my graduation, one of the girls who heard that creative exposition still was amazed that a former jungle girl like me could be elected to become a Phi Beta Kappa. By then, I have accepted the fact that most Americans I met have little geographical knowledge outside of North America and Europe. Since we were friends and enjoyed each others' company, and she never asked me about my home country, I saw no reason to educate her about the Far East.
You see, she came from a minority tribe in northern Borneo. She was probably the very first person from her tribe to venture to the capital city to further her studies. Of course her English speaking ability at the point of college entrance was much lower than those city denizens who have far more opportunities to listen, speak and use English. While she came from a rural area with no running water and electricity, she did not live in tree houses. To say so in a sarcastic manner in front of all the students in a lecture hall would hurt a young girl's feelings. She may be disadvantaged by her origin and back ground, but she was not part of a savage, man-eating stone-age tribe.
Looking back, I was caught in that kind of situation within the first few weeks of arriving in USA. A snooty poor little rich girl asked me pointedly in front a crowd in a Dormitory Social if I lived on top of trees in my home country. I was extremely blessed that my mature student friend from Africa came to my defence. Together we painted an exotic, admirable picture of living in a jungle. It was an adventure, a good life that they would never have the opportunity to experience. Until my graduation, one of the girls who heard that creative exposition still was amazed that a former jungle girl like me could be elected to become a Phi Beta Kappa. By then, I have accepted the fact that most Americans I met have little geographical knowledge outside of North America and Europe. Since we were friends and enjoyed each others' company, and she never asked me about my home country, I saw no reason to educate her about the Far East.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
(395) Hearts of gold
My friends and I got together. As our conversation drifted from one topic to another, someone asked if the rest of us know the most highly priced residence in Singapore? No one did. We could not even begin to guess how much it costs!
Apparently it was a staggering S$ 240,000,000. It was the top floor of a building on Orchard Road. Now who would live in this golden house? The answer is a rich Hong Kong businessman. The richest person present commented that he should have bought a modest property which costs S$40 millions and give away the S$200 millions to the victims of the Tsunami in Sendai.
That sets me thinking: why should he? After all, the money rightfully belongs to him. He probably worked very hard and long to accumulate serious wealth like that. And perhaps he lost his parents to the massacre in the rape of Nanking. So why should he care if the Japanese suffer or are destitute?
It was interesting that this morning I read an article that featured a financial consultant called Ming Wong from Hong Kong who has a high net worth client who inherited her wealth from her father (who was a successful HK real estate tycoon). This lady desires to create a portfolio that would generate both financial returns and achieve social and/or environmental impact. She also determined to establish the best way to give away her wealth rather than just leave it all for her children.
In the same article, I read about a social enterprise in HK called Social Investors' Club. The panel of ten founding members include: 5 bankers and investment managers, three social entrepreneurs, a university professor and a retiring engineer from the government.
The above-mentioned club's first investment of HK$200,000 is in Dr. Grooming Pet Services. The latter is founded by a former drug offender with the aim to improve the recidivism rate for rehabilitated drug offenders by providing job training and empowering them with responsibilities.
We need more people like my rich friend, the rich lady in Hong Kong who cares, and folks who do not just talk but start doing something like the members of the Social Investors' Club. Since I do not have wealth, neither do I have the know how to start social enterprise; I use my writing to convey such inspiring ideas to everyone who reads my blog. Thank you for reading.
Apparently it was a staggering S$ 240,000,000. It was the top floor of a building on Orchard Road. Now who would live in this golden house? The answer is a rich Hong Kong businessman. The richest person present commented that he should have bought a modest property which costs S$40 millions and give away the S$200 millions to the victims of the Tsunami in Sendai.
That sets me thinking: why should he? After all, the money rightfully belongs to him. He probably worked very hard and long to accumulate serious wealth like that. And perhaps he lost his parents to the massacre in the rape of Nanking. So why should he care if the Japanese suffer or are destitute?
It was interesting that this morning I read an article that featured a financial consultant called Ming Wong from Hong Kong who has a high net worth client who inherited her wealth from her father (who was a successful HK real estate tycoon). This lady desires to create a portfolio that would generate both financial returns and achieve social and/or environmental impact. She also determined to establish the best way to give away her wealth rather than just leave it all for her children.
In the same article, I read about a social enterprise in HK called Social Investors' Club. The panel of ten founding members include: 5 bankers and investment managers, three social entrepreneurs, a university professor and a retiring engineer from the government.
The above-mentioned club's first investment of HK$200,000 is in Dr. Grooming Pet Services. The latter is founded by a former drug offender with the aim to improve the recidivism rate for rehabilitated drug offenders by providing job training and empowering them with responsibilities.
We need more people like my rich friend, the rich lady in Hong Kong who cares, and folks who do not just talk but start doing something like the members of the Social Investors' Club. Since I do not have wealth, neither do I have the know how to start social enterprise; I use my writing to convey such inspiring ideas to everyone who reads my blog. Thank you for reading.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
(393) Learning Difficulties 17
If you have been following my upbringing series, you would know that Elizabeth, my daughter, is a dyslexic who has accepted all that the good Lord had programmed into her wiring. She is confident, joyous, energetic and ready to take on the world.
Just the other day, she created a certain "difficult situation" in her office. At the end of listening to the long and short of it, I realise the root cause is how she classified time. Well, sit tight, relax and let me give you a small glimpse of the land of the learning disabled.
One client, let us call him Mr. Lee, made an appointment to see Elizabeth at 4:00pm. She located his file, place it near her working space. Four o'clock came and went. Since it was not an urgent case, it would be quite alright for him to come the next day.
At five o'clock, Mr. Tee (another client, totally unrelated to Mr. Lee) called and requested that Elizabeth not leave yet. He proposes to come in fifteen minutes' time to settle his payment. Elizabeth took out Mr. Tee's file and placed it on top of Mr. Lee's file, then she went on with her administrative tasks.
At five fifteen or thereabouts, a male customer came to present a cheque for the accounts staff to frame. It was Elizabeth's fault for assuming him to be Mr. Tee. The cheque was imprinted with the amount Mr. Tee owed, let's say it was $4,000. There the mistake arose, the amount should be $40,000 as it turned out that the cheque bearer was Mr. Lee.
Here, you may be laughing that it was a twist of fate over the family names that sounded almost the same. But the crux of the matter was that Elizabeth did not even consider the possibility of Mr. Lee turning up. For whatever reason, she consider afternoon to be 2pm - 5 pm. By five o'clock she mentally clicked in that Mr. Lee would come the next morning, since he did not call. The fact that he would turn up late never occur to her.
By the mercy of God, Mr. Lee was very gracious about the whole matter. He regretted that he only brought one cheque. So it was arranged that the office boy would go to his house to collect the cheque the following day.
Mr. Tee did not come. Not at 5:15pm or the following day. But he sure threw a spanner into the works and gave Elizabeth a tough time. I suppose these things are sent to to test us. From this experience, Elizabeth learns quite a few lessons.
Well, you may ask me: why is it that I could understand Elizabeth? No, I did not have this difficulty myself. But I have seen it more than once in my college dorm. Let us wind back time to my early twenties when I found my floor mate weeping on her bed at six o'clock around dinner time. Since I care for her, I sat down with a growling stomach to find out the head and tail of this crisis.
It was her birthday. Her boy friend promised to call her in the afternoon. She had been waiting for the call in her room since after lunch. She even kept the room door open so she could hear the hall telephone. (This was long before the e-mail and the hand phone.) That explained why I could see and hear her sobbing her heart out. To me, six pm is still afternoon. But to her it was classified as evening. As we were talking about how the time of the day was segmented, the phone rang. All was well. Her beloved kept his promise after all, albeit a little late. So the little busy body foreigner went for her dinner.
Just the other day, she created a certain "difficult situation" in her office. At the end of listening to the long and short of it, I realise the root cause is how she classified time. Well, sit tight, relax and let me give you a small glimpse of the land of the learning disabled.
One client, let us call him Mr. Lee, made an appointment to see Elizabeth at 4:00pm. She located his file, place it near her working space. Four o'clock came and went. Since it was not an urgent case, it would be quite alright for him to come the next day.
At five o'clock, Mr. Tee (another client, totally unrelated to Mr. Lee) called and requested that Elizabeth not leave yet. He proposes to come in fifteen minutes' time to settle his payment. Elizabeth took out Mr. Tee's file and placed it on top of Mr. Lee's file, then she went on with her administrative tasks.
At five fifteen or thereabouts, a male customer came to present a cheque for the accounts staff to frame. It was Elizabeth's fault for assuming him to be Mr. Tee. The cheque was imprinted with the amount Mr. Tee owed, let's say it was $4,000. There the mistake arose, the amount should be $40,000 as it turned out that the cheque bearer was Mr. Lee.
Here, you may be laughing that it was a twist of fate over the family names that sounded almost the same. But the crux of the matter was that Elizabeth did not even consider the possibility of Mr. Lee turning up. For whatever reason, she consider afternoon to be 2pm - 5 pm. By five o'clock she mentally clicked in that Mr. Lee would come the next morning, since he did not call. The fact that he would turn up late never occur to her.
By the mercy of God, Mr. Lee was very gracious about the whole matter. He regretted that he only brought one cheque. So it was arranged that the office boy would go to his house to collect the cheque the following day.
Mr. Tee did not come. Not at 5:15pm or the following day. But he sure threw a spanner into the works and gave Elizabeth a tough time. I suppose these things are sent to to test us. From this experience, Elizabeth learns quite a few lessons.
Well, you may ask me: why is it that I could understand Elizabeth? No, I did not have this difficulty myself. But I have seen it more than once in my college dorm. Let us wind back time to my early twenties when I found my floor mate weeping on her bed at six o'clock around dinner time. Since I care for her, I sat down with a growling stomach to find out the head and tail of this crisis.
It was her birthday. Her boy friend promised to call her in the afternoon. She had been waiting for the call in her room since after lunch. She even kept the room door open so she could hear the hall telephone. (This was long before the e-mail and the hand phone.) That explained why I could see and hear her sobbing her heart out. To me, six pm is still afternoon. But to her it was classified as evening. As we were talking about how the time of the day was segmented, the phone rang. All was well. Her beloved kept his promise after all, albeit a little late. So the little busy body foreigner went for her dinner.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
(392) Time capsule
While going through some papers from my shelves, I came across a letter I wrote but did not send six years ago. That was around the time I had to pack up the entire house to relocate back to my home town. No, no one expected to receive that letter. One night I was reading some prayer update from missionaries from a small island in Indonesia, I presume the next morning I wrote the letter at the spur of the moment. Some how it was packed and escaped detection for almost eighty months. The same missionaries have moved on to the island of Borneo by now. It would not make any sense to send the letter now.
Somewhere in the letter I was relating my experience in recycling for mission. That particular night a well-to-do couple brought 45 beer cans and seven engine oil containers as well as a few huge collapsed carton boxes. Andy went to service his vintage Mercedes in the morning. As he remembered to collect his own empty engine oil container, he asked the mechanic if he could collect those containers he saw thrown right out side of the workshop. The mechanic replied in the affirmative. After he left the workshop he took his wife Dottie shopping. This time Dottie spotted a few carton boxes that looked clean. In order to fit those boxes into his boot, Andrew collapsed and folded them. After a light lunch, they went for a seven mile up and down hill run with the Harriers. Then the big group gathered to eat a well-earned dinner at the club. As usual, the President brought out cartons of beer. Andy and Dottie collected many beer cans.
In the letter I recorded that I started to collect recyclable materials in my neighbourhood starting from April 18 that year. I would walk with my children in the evening and pick up aluminium cans and mineral water bottles. After that I tell everyone who would listen what I was doing. Then quite a few families would collect stuff and deliver to my door step. Looking back, it was amazing that from April 18 to Dec 31 we managed to raise more than a thousand dollars for mission in a South East Asian country.
The next thought was : a few are called to go spread the good news in a foreign country, most are called to pray and to support financially those who went. Since I was a home-maker and did not have any monthly pay cheque, for that period of my life I found a creative way to raise fund. Now I could no longer do that as I live in a pigeon hole. Six years ago I lived in a five bedroom house with more land than build up area.
For a long time I haven't thought about the fellow recyclers I met in the recycling shop. Some of them are homeless. Others were retired and poor. A few went round on motor-cycles with two big bags precariously balanced on front and back. Many were on bicycles. A few walked and dragged bags behind them. According to the owner of the shop, most of the old men depend on the money they scavenged for their daily meals. That was why the recycling shop opened seven days a week. The only day they closed is on Chinese New Year first day. The Indonesian maid told me that her boss would hand out "Ang Pows" (Red packets with a small sum of cash inside) to those who come on the eve. That way, the really poor ones would not go hungry the next day.
These men were of all three races - Malay, Chinese and Indians. They are definitely an unreached group. The Malays and the Indians were surprisingly jovial and did not resent me going to recycle in my tiny borrowed car. The Chinese men would not even look me in the eyes, let alone to joke and laugh with me. That place was not a rural and poor area. It was just 200 Km from the nation's capitol. Until I frequent that shop to sell my collected stuff, I did not know there was such a big band of the aged that live on the rim of hunger. Jesus loves them, yes, each one of them, as much as you and me. Yet who can bridge the socio-economic gap to go and tell them that?
Somewhere in the letter I was relating my experience in recycling for mission. That particular night a well-to-do couple brought 45 beer cans and seven engine oil containers as well as a few huge collapsed carton boxes. Andy went to service his vintage Mercedes in the morning. As he remembered to collect his own empty engine oil container, he asked the mechanic if he could collect those containers he saw thrown right out side of the workshop. The mechanic replied in the affirmative. After he left the workshop he took his wife Dottie shopping. This time Dottie spotted a few carton boxes that looked clean. In order to fit those boxes into his boot, Andrew collapsed and folded them. After a light lunch, they went for a seven mile up and down hill run with the Harriers. Then the big group gathered to eat a well-earned dinner at the club. As usual, the President brought out cartons of beer. Andy and Dottie collected many beer cans.
In the letter I recorded that I started to collect recyclable materials in my neighbourhood starting from April 18 that year. I would walk with my children in the evening and pick up aluminium cans and mineral water bottles. After that I tell everyone who would listen what I was doing. Then quite a few families would collect stuff and deliver to my door step. Looking back, it was amazing that from April 18 to Dec 31 we managed to raise more than a thousand dollars for mission in a South East Asian country.
The next thought was : a few are called to go spread the good news in a foreign country, most are called to pray and to support financially those who went. Since I was a home-maker and did not have any monthly pay cheque, for that period of my life I found a creative way to raise fund. Now I could no longer do that as I live in a pigeon hole. Six years ago I lived in a five bedroom house with more land than build up area.
For a long time I haven't thought about the fellow recyclers I met in the recycling shop. Some of them are homeless. Others were retired and poor. A few went round on motor-cycles with two big bags precariously balanced on front and back. Many were on bicycles. A few walked and dragged bags behind them. According to the owner of the shop, most of the old men depend on the money they scavenged for their daily meals. That was why the recycling shop opened seven days a week. The only day they closed is on Chinese New Year first day. The Indonesian maid told me that her boss would hand out "Ang Pows" (Red packets with a small sum of cash inside) to those who come on the eve. That way, the really poor ones would not go hungry the next day.
These men were of all three races - Malay, Chinese and Indians. They are definitely an unreached group. The Malays and the Indians were surprisingly jovial and did not resent me going to recycle in my tiny borrowed car. The Chinese men would not even look me in the eyes, let alone to joke and laugh with me. That place was not a rural and poor area. It was just 200 Km from the nation's capitol. Until I frequent that shop to sell my collected stuff, I did not know there was such a big band of the aged that live on the rim of hunger. Jesus loves them, yes, each one of them, as much as you and me. Yet who can bridge the socio-economic gap to go and tell them that?
Monday, April 25, 2011
(391) Agony
In the beginning of the year, I prayed for a temporary job. In my heart, I thought Elizabeth and I would get temporary posts at an advertising company. She applied for data entry and I was thinking of consumer interviewing. It was interesting, the timing was out. When she was available, there was no vacancy. Just 28 days after that, an offer came. By then she had settled in her new job, quite reluctant to leave. Even though there was one more vacancy in her current firm, I did not dare to get involve in form pushing and administration. From past experience, I know that this is my weakest area.
About a month after Elizabeth started at her stressful job, I went for my blood test before my medical appointment. After the blood test, I decided to visit a non-denominational mission organization. As soon as I rang the bell and the door was opened, I could see the surprise on the Director's face. Apparently, he was on the phone leaving a message with my daughter for me to call him. And I just materialized in front of him a few moments later. Sure, I thought, it was more than chance that ordained my turning up out of the blue. Since the project was within my capability, I agreed without much hesitation.
Less than a month later, the above-mentioned project has not started yet. A book came into my hands, the author was looking for a translator. I was surprised, few people knew I could translate. Since I have never translated professionally, I did not have any track record. After asking a few questions, I realized why it was difficult for the author to find a translator. First the translator has to be a Christian, next he/she has to believe in end time prophecy.That combination of requirements obviously reduced the number of candidates in the playing fields drastically.
Here comes the difficulty: Should I take it? How much should I charge? How long should I ask for? Shouldn't I just turn it down and save myself lots of headache?
Then I thought, such an opportunity comes perhaps only once in a life time. I decided to commit it to God, ask for a longer period and promise that if I could do the job within a shorter period, I would hand in earlier. And prayerfully I would submit a higher price, if it is not mine, then the job would go to another person.
About a month after Elizabeth started at her stressful job, I went for my blood test before my medical appointment. After the blood test, I decided to visit a non-denominational mission organization. As soon as I rang the bell and the door was opened, I could see the surprise on the Director's face. Apparently, he was on the phone leaving a message with my daughter for me to call him. And I just materialized in front of him a few moments later. Sure, I thought, it was more than chance that ordained my turning up out of the blue. Since the project was within my capability, I agreed without much hesitation.
Less than a month later, the above-mentioned project has not started yet. A book came into my hands, the author was looking for a translator. I was surprised, few people knew I could translate. Since I have never translated professionally, I did not have any track record. After asking a few questions, I realized why it was difficult for the author to find a translator. First the translator has to be a Christian, next he/she has to believe in end time prophecy.That combination of requirements obviously reduced the number of candidates in the playing fields drastically.
Here comes the difficulty: Should I take it? How much should I charge? How long should I ask for? Shouldn't I just turn it down and save myself lots of headache?
Then I thought, such an opportunity comes perhaps only once in a life time. I decided to commit it to God, ask for a longer period and promise that if I could do the job within a shorter period, I would hand in earlier. And prayerfully I would submit a higher price, if it is not mine, then the job would go to another person.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
(390) Pain 17
It was a gathering for old friends. Some of us have been in the same class at different years practically since seven years old. There was an air of ease, not much need for sieving our thoughts, checking our words before any could escape out of our mouths. If anyone gets too frank and says something down right tactless,someone would rap her hard, we would laugh and all would be forgotten in the atmosphere of "Well! She has been like that all these years, what else do you expect?".
Most of us have college going children, one even has a grandson. The late bloomer who got married just celebrated her tenth anniversary. While listening to her talk about how grateful she was that her husband has a solid job, and whine that he is too inflexible to change job after forty five; we chuckled and concluded that the honeymoon is finally over. Each of us look at another with sheepish eyes, we all know our spouses' shortcomings and must have said something at sometime or other. Then all eyes rested on our "sweetie", who still has smiles that melt hearts and retains her even temper. Not a word we can wrestle out of her. She had come, sat and listened, but never said anything negative about her marriage or spouse or children. None of us are deceived that everything is picture perfect. Yet we respect her choice to keep things in her heart.
This past meal, our usual facilitator looked haggard and even a little unkempt. My honorary chauffeur mentioned that she had never seen her like that. Well, off and on, I have caught her looking not herself. Usually it would not last long, a few weeks at the maximum. I have attributed the lack of grooming to feeling down, not in top physical form, depression, and lately, being reclusive to have time and space to think through whatever that bothers her.
This time, my theory is like this: both "sweetie" and our de facto facilitator married their very first date as well as boy friend. Looking back, I don't think either of them had ever dated another chap. Perhaps, as a result, they could not visualize lives without their important men. Their great love for their special men dictates that they give and give. While their men succeed and made lots of money and became men of status, they were busy both at house-keeping and keeping up with the changes in their spouses. Now, that is not easy for them if they happened to have married men with roving eyes.
In comparison, my beautiful chauffeur and I had experienced broken relationships. We married relatively later in life. We were no longer starry-eyed as brides. Here is where earlier set backs in our youth work to our advantage in later years. We are perhaps more realistic, more skilled at gentle negotiation. Maybe have a better gut feel in when to give in and when to persist to make our stand in things that really matter to us. No, we don't have model marriages, but are glad to note that our husbands do not hold all the cards in their hands.
Most of us have college going children, one even has a grandson. The late bloomer who got married just celebrated her tenth anniversary. While listening to her talk about how grateful she was that her husband has a solid job, and whine that he is too inflexible to change job after forty five; we chuckled and concluded that the honeymoon is finally over. Each of us look at another with sheepish eyes, we all know our spouses' shortcomings and must have said something at sometime or other. Then all eyes rested on our "sweetie", who still has smiles that melt hearts and retains her even temper. Not a word we can wrestle out of her. She had come, sat and listened, but never said anything negative about her marriage or spouse or children. None of us are deceived that everything is picture perfect. Yet we respect her choice to keep things in her heart.
This past meal, our usual facilitator looked haggard and even a little unkempt. My honorary chauffeur mentioned that she had never seen her like that. Well, off and on, I have caught her looking not herself. Usually it would not last long, a few weeks at the maximum. I have attributed the lack of grooming to feeling down, not in top physical form, depression, and lately, being reclusive to have time and space to think through whatever that bothers her.
This time, my theory is like this: both "sweetie" and our de facto facilitator married their very first date as well as boy friend. Looking back, I don't think either of them had ever dated another chap. Perhaps, as a result, they could not visualize lives without their important men. Their great love for their special men dictates that they give and give. While their men succeed and made lots of money and became men of status, they were busy both at house-keeping and keeping up with the changes in their spouses. Now, that is not easy for them if they happened to have married men with roving eyes.
In comparison, my beautiful chauffeur and I had experienced broken relationships. We married relatively later in life. We were no longer starry-eyed as brides. Here is where earlier set backs in our youth work to our advantage in later years. We are perhaps more realistic, more skilled at gentle negotiation. Maybe have a better gut feel in when to give in and when to persist to make our stand in things that really matter to us. No, we don't have model marriages, but are glad to note that our husbands do not hold all the cards in their hands.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
(388) High demand children
Yesterday afternoon Elizabeth and I went visiting. Our hostess' only child was very wide awake and active throughout the afternoon. Someone asked if the child still takes afternoon naps. The answer, interestingly, turned out to be yes for weekdays, and no for weekends.
My thoughts straight away ran to a scene: there I was after a marathon three day weekend entertaining my son. We had been everywhere and done everything he liked to do. He was still running on high octane fuel and was tickling me at eleven pm. I just nod off while tucking him in. Thank God I could send him to his nanny at seven the next morning and I could choose to run home to nap for two hours. First class wasn't on until eleven am on Monday mornings.
That energy draining son of mine would proceed to his nanny's and sleep throughout the day except for meals and bath time. That kind of thing would definitely happen on Mondays. Perhaps for Tuesdays if Friday was a public holiday. On Monday night he would come home bright and ready to play. Praise God that children do eventually grow up. It was difficult to have such a child to care for at nights even for a part-time teacher like me. I was extremely fortunate that none of my other children were like my eldest son.
My thoughts straight away ran to a scene: there I was after a marathon three day weekend entertaining my son. We had been everywhere and done everything he liked to do. He was still running on high octane fuel and was tickling me at eleven pm. I just nod off while tucking him in. Thank God I could send him to his nanny at seven the next morning and I could choose to run home to nap for two hours. First class wasn't on until eleven am on Monday mornings.
That energy draining son of mine would proceed to his nanny's and sleep throughout the day except for meals and bath time. That kind of thing would definitely happen on Mondays. Perhaps for Tuesdays if Friday was a public holiday. On Monday night he would come home bright and ready to play. Praise God that children do eventually grow up. It was difficult to have such a child to care for at nights even for a part-time teacher like me. I was extremely fortunate that none of my other children were like my eldest son.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
(387) Neighbourhood food providers
Very near where I reside, there are four sellers of coconut rice. When I first moved here six years ago, there was only one stall set up opposite the school. This one is run by a middle-age couple of Malay descent. Whenever I got tired of eating bread, I would choose to eat a packet of coconut rice. Of course it contains, among many things one can choose to add, two pieces of cucumber, a few fried peanuts, some fried anchovies, a tablespoonful of hot chilly paste and a quarter of a hard boiled egg.
Then an Indonesian lady opened a tiny eating shop and offered coconut rice, fried rice, fried bee hoon (rice noodle) and fried mee(wheat yellow noodle). Without thinking, I tried buying food from the new stall and found that I quite like the way she fried her bee hoon. I guess I made the mistake of first buying the bee hoon and then walked to the original stall to get coconut rice for my children. Lo and behold, the Malay couple gave me a no nonsense talking to for buying from the "dirty" and "unworthy" Indon. I was shocked! Even though I did not argue with any of their recriminations, there and then I resolved never to buy from them again.
So you can imagine my glee when another Malay lady set up a new stall at the end of the block! Once again I have the option of choosing to buy from either stall that I decided to patronize. Imagine my surprise when this new seller told me that she believe in free enterprise. She said that it is God who provides her daily needs. She welcome other sellers, whether Malay, Indonesian, Bangladeshy, or Indian to set up stalls, after all, a congregation of stalls would attract customers from far and wide. Only those who consistently provide tasty and clean food at reasonable prices can survive long term. Oh my, how refreshing a thought!
Then recently the struggling Indian restaurant was sold and the new owner decided to join in the melee and become the fourth supplier of coconut rice. Now my joy is complete! Some days I choose to buy a packet from the Malay lady because I like the spicy chilly paste. Other times when I am in a hurry to send my offspring to work I quickly grabbed a pre-packed coconut rice from the Indian restaurant and run. And the wonderful thing is that in these days of soaring food prices, I can still get such delicious breakfast for one dollar at three of the four stalls. (the grumpy couple sells at one twenty, I heard.)
Then an Indonesian lady opened a tiny eating shop and offered coconut rice, fried rice, fried bee hoon (rice noodle) and fried mee(wheat yellow noodle). Without thinking, I tried buying food from the new stall and found that I quite like the way she fried her bee hoon. I guess I made the mistake of first buying the bee hoon and then walked to the original stall to get coconut rice for my children. Lo and behold, the Malay couple gave me a no nonsense talking to for buying from the "dirty" and "unworthy" Indon. I was shocked! Even though I did not argue with any of their recriminations, there and then I resolved never to buy from them again.
So you can imagine my glee when another Malay lady set up a new stall at the end of the block! Once again I have the option of choosing to buy from either stall that I decided to patronize. Imagine my surprise when this new seller told me that she believe in free enterprise. She said that it is God who provides her daily needs. She welcome other sellers, whether Malay, Indonesian, Bangladeshy, or Indian to set up stalls, after all, a congregation of stalls would attract customers from far and wide. Only those who consistently provide tasty and clean food at reasonable prices can survive long term. Oh my, how refreshing a thought!
Then recently the struggling Indian restaurant was sold and the new owner decided to join in the melee and become the fourth supplier of coconut rice. Now my joy is complete! Some days I choose to buy a packet from the Malay lady because I like the spicy chilly paste. Other times when I am in a hurry to send my offspring to work I quickly grabbed a pre-packed coconut rice from the Indian restaurant and run. And the wonderful thing is that in these days of soaring food prices, I can still get such delicious breakfast for one dollar at three of the four stalls. (the grumpy couple sells at one twenty, I heard.)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
(386) Upbringing 47
It didn't seem like a long time but I have been away for more than a month.
Today Elizabeth went to a city school and sat for a personality test. That test is supposed to tell admission officials whether the options she applied for suit her. Out of all the government universities, this island university is the only one which requires her to sit for a test.
From early February I was both happy and sad over her offer of a place in a university in USA. I was happy that she was accepted. It was a wonderful feeling to look at the grant offered. After converting to our currency, it is a whopping seventy odd thousand dollars. After a few days of following the exchange rates, I realize there is no way we could send her unless God send some more aid or cash. And the sadness leads to feeling down ...
Hence we are in the midst of applying to yet another university. This time we are applying to one in China. Since Elizabeth is busy clerking at a law firm, her father and I chipped in to help her. I would gather all the information and fill in the forms. Elizabeth would vet through all the entries, then her father would key in the online application pending her final check before sending. Meanwhile, our daughter is learning how to talk to clients, both on the phone as well as by email. She is also picking up the legal speak in terms of selling and buying properties. It is a very responsible position, highly pressured but very lowly paid. It is a temporary position, her boss told her the monthly pay is five hundred dollars. Miracle of miracles, when the pay cheque came, it was six hundred. As long as she is able to learn new skills, the pay does not matter. Yet how are we going to find the money we are short of ? Perhaps this new university would really offer her a full scholarship, that would be a wonderful solution.
Today Elizabeth went to a city school and sat for a personality test. That test is supposed to tell admission officials whether the options she applied for suit her. Out of all the government universities, this island university is the only one which requires her to sit for a test.
From early February I was both happy and sad over her offer of a place in a university in USA. I was happy that she was accepted. It was a wonderful feeling to look at the grant offered. After converting to our currency, it is a whopping seventy odd thousand dollars. After a few days of following the exchange rates, I realize there is no way we could send her unless God send some more aid or cash. And the sadness leads to feeling down ...
Hence we are in the midst of applying to yet another university. This time we are applying to one in China. Since Elizabeth is busy clerking at a law firm, her father and I chipped in to help her. I would gather all the information and fill in the forms. Elizabeth would vet through all the entries, then her father would key in the online application pending her final check before sending. Meanwhile, our daughter is learning how to talk to clients, both on the phone as well as by email. She is also picking up the legal speak in terms of selling and buying properties. It is a very responsible position, highly pressured but very lowly paid. It is a temporary position, her boss told her the monthly pay is five hundred dollars. Miracle of miracles, when the pay cheque came, it was six hundred. As long as she is able to learn new skills, the pay does not matter. Yet how are we going to find the money we are short of ? Perhaps this new university would really offer her a full scholarship, that would be a wonderful solution.
Friday, February 11, 2011
(385) The Righteous Men by Sam Bourne
This is my first time reading a book by Sam Bourne. It is in a similar genre like Da Vinci Code. It is obviously fiction. Yet it was written in a believable prose.
I know very little about Jewish culture. Perhaps that is why it is interesting for me to read about the orthodox Jews in Crown Heights, New York city in the book. Many years ago I visited a Mennonite family in Virginia. It was eye opening to see a small community who were not dependent on any council, not for water supply, nor for electricity, nor for education. The men were dressed in an old fashion way. The women were conservative and pious. Both groups are religious. Both are in the world but not of the world.
For those who attend Sunday School or read the Bible, the story of destruction of Sodom would not be new. For want of ten righteous men, the city was covered in volcanic ash. It is therefore not totally far fetched to imagine that our world is kept alive because at any one time, there are at least 36 righteous men living somewhere in the world. Should any fanatics locate the 36 and kill them off withing a short span of time, perhaps it would bring about the end of the world!
Like Da Vinci Code, a guy (journalist) and a girl (former resident of Crown Heights) run around, had their lives threaten many times and ultimately saved the day. Many lives were sacrificed but then millions were saved at the end. The book was given to me. I enjoyed reading it. There is no point in keeping it as I probably will not read it a second time.
I know very little about Jewish culture. Perhaps that is why it is interesting for me to read about the orthodox Jews in Crown Heights, New York city in the book. Many years ago I visited a Mennonite family in Virginia. It was eye opening to see a small community who were not dependent on any council, not for water supply, nor for electricity, nor for education. The men were dressed in an old fashion way. The women were conservative and pious. Both groups are religious. Both are in the world but not of the world.
For those who attend Sunday School or read the Bible, the story of destruction of Sodom would not be new. For want of ten righteous men, the city was covered in volcanic ash. It is therefore not totally far fetched to imagine that our world is kept alive because at any one time, there are at least 36 righteous men living somewhere in the world. Should any fanatics locate the 36 and kill them off withing a short span of time, perhaps it would bring about the end of the world!
Like Da Vinci Code, a guy (journalist) and a girl (former resident of Crown Heights) run around, had their lives threaten many times and ultimately saved the day. Many lives were sacrificed but then millions were saved at the end. The book was given to me. I enjoyed reading it. There is no point in keeping it as I probably will not read it a second time.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
(383) Zelda's evangelistic effort
Zelda came back, reported verbally to her church. Pick up her profession and started to work again. But she is putting solid hours into door to door evangelism in her off time. She partnered her sharing buddy, two women above thirty five, they would talk to men, women and teens who would give them the time of the day. One Saturday she told me she and her buddy talked to five parties.
While I applaud the fire and the dedication, I pray that they are protected by angels. After two weeks, they jointly led a man from a different continent to their care group. That led to a heated discussion on the internet on week nights. The leader said one thing. The hostess said another. The Assistant Pastor expressed a third view. Meanwhile, the visitor came for two care group gatherings in two house holds, and he attended two Sunday celebrations.
In all my twenty two years of attending church, I had not encountered any similar event in the three churches I attended. The closest I came to is hosting a girl under psychiatric treatment. There were three families hosting the meetings then, we all agree to open our homes to enable this girl to hear the good news in a small group setting. I took due precautions and sweep all downstairs rooms and remove all sharp objects from sight before every meeting in my house. I sent the younger ones to bed behind locked doors. All we achieved was that we showed love and concern, we presented the gospel in a simple and unthreatening manner. She was with us for one and a half years. A hospitalization of this young girl interrupted her visits, as she was recovering her friend retired and relocated out of town. My husband and I visited her and her family, at that point of time she was not comfortable with going out of her home. Shortly after that, we returned to our home town.
Here I have to bring in a background factor. As there are many colleges and institutes in our neighbourhood, there are many international students in our midst. We have students of all colours and faiths. Just two nights ago police cars came to break up a noisy fight down the street. Seven medium sized police men were literally pushed around by three tall and burly men who were loud and abusive. Now, that visitor Zelda and buddy befriended was from the same country. No wonder the hosts and hostesses in Zelda's care group were nervous about strangers being brought to their homes.
Another week passed. Zelda and buddy went to their new friend's college and managed to sort out his major problem. It seemed that this young man paid full fee to his agent in his country for a year's English training, he arrived late in my country. The course that he paid for has started. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been sent home on the next plane. However, there was a foreign advisor there to receive him. This college official was able to grease certain palms and brought him in. The poor guy either did not have the cash or refused to pay for the item that bears no receipt, as a result, his passports was with held. Without his passport, it was difficult to prove his identity to claim remittances from banks.
It looked possible such as described above could have indeed happened. But if there are to be continued episodes of sob story, I would personally begin to wonder if Zelda and buddy had been swindled. I would like to believe that the young man, due to whatever circumstances, was indeed stranded in my home city. It was wonderful that two good samaritans came along to bail him out. It would be good that from this point on, he walks in the straight and narrow.
Read also (749), (361), (401), (487), (520), (994), (9)
While I applaud the fire and the dedication, I pray that they are protected by angels. After two weeks, they jointly led a man from a different continent to their care group. That led to a heated discussion on the internet on week nights. The leader said one thing. The hostess said another. The Assistant Pastor expressed a third view. Meanwhile, the visitor came for two care group gatherings in two house holds, and he attended two Sunday celebrations.
In all my twenty two years of attending church, I had not encountered any similar event in the three churches I attended. The closest I came to is hosting a girl under psychiatric treatment. There were three families hosting the meetings then, we all agree to open our homes to enable this girl to hear the good news in a small group setting. I took due precautions and sweep all downstairs rooms and remove all sharp objects from sight before every meeting in my house. I sent the younger ones to bed behind locked doors. All we achieved was that we showed love and concern, we presented the gospel in a simple and unthreatening manner. She was with us for one and a half years. A hospitalization of this young girl interrupted her visits, as she was recovering her friend retired and relocated out of town. My husband and I visited her and her family, at that point of time she was not comfortable with going out of her home. Shortly after that, we returned to our home town.
Here I have to bring in a background factor. As there are many colleges and institutes in our neighbourhood, there are many international students in our midst. We have students of all colours and faiths. Just two nights ago police cars came to break up a noisy fight down the street. Seven medium sized police men were literally pushed around by three tall and burly men who were loud and abusive. Now, that visitor Zelda and buddy befriended was from the same country. No wonder the hosts and hostesses in Zelda's care group were nervous about strangers being brought to their homes.
Another week passed. Zelda and buddy went to their new friend's college and managed to sort out his major problem. It seemed that this young man paid full fee to his agent in his country for a year's English training, he arrived late in my country. The course that he paid for has started. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been sent home on the next plane. However, there was a foreign advisor there to receive him. This college official was able to grease certain palms and brought him in. The poor guy either did not have the cash or refused to pay for the item that bears no receipt, as a result, his passports was with held. Without his passport, it was difficult to prove his identity to claim remittances from banks.
It looked possible such as described above could have indeed happened. But if there are to be continued episodes of sob story, I would personally begin to wonder if Zelda and buddy had been swindled. I would like to believe that the young man, due to whatever circumstances, was indeed stranded in my home city. It was wonderful that two good samaritans came along to bail him out. It would be good that from this point on, he walks in the straight and narrow.
Read also (749), (361), (401), (487), (520), (994), (9)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
( 382) Self acceptance/ Upbringing 45
Keziah's friend came to visit. Half listening to their animated conversation, it sounded like examination blues. When Keziah asked me to really listen and comment, I realized it was not the usual letting off steam.
This is almost the middle of the academic year. She put in her best effort but didn't seem to improve. It seemed a little late to switch from science to arts stream for a Grade 10 student. Yet she couldn't sleep at night for worries about her studies. She was losing her appetite. She stayed up to odd hours studying but she was not catching up. Would exchanging Physics and Chemistry for Economics and Accounting be wise? Missing half a year's work would mean a lot of catching up... Would that be like exchanging the frying pan for the fire?
Basically, the real problem is that she cannot accept her performance even though she had tried her very best.
* iris-flower.jpg from mccullagh.org
This is almost the middle of the academic year. She put in her best effort but didn't seem to improve. It seemed a little late to switch from science to arts stream for a Grade 10 student. Yet she couldn't sleep at night for worries about her studies. She was losing her appetite. She stayed up to odd hours studying but she was not catching up. Would exchanging Physics and Chemistry for Economics and Accounting be wise? Missing half a year's work would mean a lot of catching up... Would that be like exchanging the frying pan for the fire?
Basically, the real problem is that she cannot accept her performance even though she had tried her very best.
* iris-flower.jpg from mccullagh.org
(381) Hearing problem/ Upbringing 44
At that point one of her aunts turned up for a visit. This particular lady used to live near Sue's family and knew them well. A few years of living out of town did not take away the love and concern grown over the earlier years. This aunt could not believe her own eyes, on the surface it seemed like Sue became another child. Yet how could it be? Children do not change that much over two short years! Ah! As Mum scolded Sue for not listening or obeying her, the sharp aunt noted that at each instance Mum was not in the line of sight of Sue. Whenever Sue could see Mum's face, she was attentive and obedient. Could it be that Sue's hearing was compromised? A little far out, perhaps, but definitely worth checking! Near the end of the day visit, the visitor tactfully suggested an evaluation of Sue's hearing, she quoted each situation she observed and used her influence to make Mum promise she would do something soon.
Shall I say the rest was history? Sue's mum took her to consult a specialist and found that Sue's allergy was so bad that her tubes were blocked and that in turn reduced her percentage of hearing in both ears. Many strong courses of anti-histamine and regular check-ups improved her hearing to the extent that it showed in higher grades in Sue's report card.
* flow12.jpg from allindiaflorist.com
(380) The vital role of the caregiver/ Upbringing 43
Children, like young mammals, need a caregiver to nurse and nurture, discipline and train them. Without this vital caregiver, they will most probably turn delinquent.
This caregiver can be the natural mother, an adoptive mother, a widowed loving father, a divorced single father, a grandma, an aunt, a stepmother etc. However, neither a maid nor a babysitter can take the place of the caregiver.
I know someone who is a successful professional. She works in a demanding position. Although the family lives in a lovely building, with a foreign maid, the children run wild with hardly any discipline. A string of maids could not provide the stability of a non-working mother. A visiting grandma could not or would not discipline the children. A loving aunt could not set boundaries for the children in this case. The father simply had no patience to train and oversee them.
There are obviously many families with working mothers whose children turn out well. If we sit down and analyze them, we will probably find supportive grandparents who live in or who live nearby, perhaps we find fathers who play their role actively to support the working wives. Where children grow up with a void in the nurturing, disciplining and training area, we are bound to find children
going awry.
flower-3-canvas-print-8349-619 from transformyourimages.co.uk
( 379) Sons vs daughters/ Upbringing 42
And so I grew up telling myself that the more daughters my parents have, the more blessings they receive. It is hard luck that they have only one girl. A few days ago I met up with my old neighbours. She looked tired, defeated and generally the worse for wear. How can it be? Her husband's many enterprises are going well and she has good health. Moreover, I can't say she is unhappy.
Her eldest daughter is twenty seven years old while the second one is twenty three. Both possess reputable degrees and hold good jobs. Both have boy friends courting them. One to each,of course. What I have just related would have made any parent glow with pride. Yet there is a little hitch: both suitors spend every available weekends, holidays and nights in my friend's house. What this amounts to is more mouths to feed, more consumables are used; which adds to the workload of the mistress.
She happens to have quite a few more daughters growing up. I dare not even think of what life would be like for her when her youngest girl starts bringing her boy wonder home to add to the household. What if by then all the other sisters still decide to stay put and not get married! At this point I have to agree that there is something in what my grandma said. After all it comes from five thousand years of accumulated folk wisdom of ancient China.
* bigstockphoto Happy Children 13757 from greenvalleypediatrics.org
(378) Following fashion/ Upbringing 41
One day I was chatting with my friend Kay around her dining table, her son popped in to ask for her car keys. While handing the keys over, Kay specified when she needed the car back. Then she glanced at him and asked whose shirt he had on.
"I bought it the other day" was the terse reply.
"You are not a singer or a male model, this is not suitable wear for going round town." Kay commented softly.
I turned around and took a close look. It was one of those Taiwanese shirts that almost looked feminine. It was made of translucent material, figure-hugging tight with a collar that opened nearly down to the sternum.
"But everyone wears clothes like this."
"Following the crowd would not bring you to where you want to go in life."
The teenager pretended he did not hear and left.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Few months later, Kay mentioned that her son somehow never wore that offensive shirt again. We have a good laugh over teenagers' fad.
* blue-to-purple-perennial-flowers-1.j from home.howstuffworks.com
(377) Upbringing 40
My husband paid a visit to his client. Since I have met her before, I tagged along. Her elder child, a Grade Four girl, was sitting in the lounge doing her homework
Barely three feet away was her younger brother watching ‘The Terminator’. The amazing part was she did not even look up once during the half hour we were there.
When the girl went into the kitchen, I asked a few questions. From what the mother said, I gathered they attended the primary school nearby. Mum sat with them at least for two years nightly to do homework. The girl didn’t need tutoring but mum sends the boy for extra classes.
What determines a child’s ability to concentrate? Training? Food? Heredity? Intelligence?
One thing this girl has in her favor is: her mum, who is a Divisional Manager in a Fortune 500 company, views her as important enough to spend two to three hours on every school night to make sure she builds a good foundation.
* red and yellow flower.preview.jpg
(376) Upbringing 39
I was in Ikea the other day. Since it was during school vacation, there were many families. After hours of walking and admiring furniture, my companion and I sat near the snack bar to rest. We enjoyed ice-cream cones while watching the antics of children.
There was a family of five : father, mum and three boys who are all under the age of five. It was like a promenade, people streamed this way and that. First they walked from the check out counters towards the rest rooms. Then the father walked back past me to the snack bar with the eldest in tow. Then we saw them standing in queue. Five minutes later, the mum was holding the youngest, walking as fast as she could to catch up with the middle child. Finally, another ten minutes later, they passed in front of me again. This time the father was holding the two boys' hands, one on each side of him.
Out of the melee, we picked out this family to observe. Somehow they reminded us of a family we know. The mum was in her own world. She allowed her son to run ahead of her in the crowd. When she caught up with him, she merely wagged her forefinger at him. He ignored her mild rebuke completely. The eldest was totally not co-operative with the father. He was dragging the father on the way to the ice-cream queue. After having the snack, he was unwilling to leave. We can see the poor father was forcibly dragging him towards the exit door. The eldest acted up by bending his body backwards. He was looking at the ceiling and resisting the father's effort. The second child immediately copied his elder brother. It was amazing that they were holding up the crowd, yet neither parent uttered a single word. Let us fast forward ten years, what will the parents do when those two become taller than them?
The other family who are our friends is in the second stage now. Dad is retired. Mum is busy bringing home the bacon. The eldest boy is in high school and working part-time. The second girl is rebelling and the youngest boy is down right spoiled. All three defied the father as he is a mild-mannered man. Most of the time the mum leaves them alone as she sees no evil and hears no evil. When she gets frustrated enough she yells for a short spell. After an absence of about a year, we are shocked to see how thin she has become -- she must have lost twenty pounds. She claimed she did not purposely diet to lose weight. It was work pressure and stress at home that brought her a sprightly frame. We are just happy that her health is still good.
* istockphoto 5818814-seamles from istockphoto.com
(375) Interesting buildings 63
Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 The 4:18
StoneCottage-1.jpg fridaycreek.com
(374) Beauty/ Interesting buildings 62
Yet I look at this garden, it is lovely in its own way. Not only beauty is in the eye of the beholder, beauty is everywhere. It just took the photographer to capture this picture in this angle to present its beauty to me.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Gen 1:31
cottage-garden-design-.jpg from gardening-tips-perennials.com
(372) Upbringing 38
He visits his family once a fortnight. What really impressed me was not his well-renovated house, not his swanky new car…it was his obedient son.
Sam sat with us and his son served us drinks. Later, Sam called him to get his diary, medical cards, insurance policies, brochures, quotation to renovation, name cards…The poor boy must have been interrupted at last ten times during our visit of one and a half hours, yet he was prompt in answering his father’s summons. There wasn’t any sign of irritation and I saw patience and respect.
Seldom do I see such obedience in this modern generation. I take off my hat to this special young man and his father who had taught him so well.
* flower bulb fundraiser lg.jpg from ilovefundraising.co
Friday, January 21, 2011
(370) upbringing 37
Private school education
Recently in our life group, it was mentioned that Cyrus' son switched to a private school at Grade nine. Titus' son is there too. Apparently they play futsal together weekly. Sebastian's daughter is there too. All these are present or past Life group members. It does seem that private school education is quite a norm now.
All these parents, Cyrus, Titus and Sebastian are in their mid or late forties. When they were in High School, all of them went to Government schools. Only those who failed Public examinations went to private schools then. In a short thirty year time span, the trend has reversed. Granted now that the economy has grown by leaps and bounds. Most folks in the city who have good jobs possess high disposable income. Perhaps the government school system is no longer as good as thirty years ago.
Thirty years ago many ethnic Chinese children were sent to English and National language Government schools. Now most ethnic Chinese children are sent to Chinese language semi Government schools. After primary education, most parents feel that six years of education in Chinese is enough. These children then transfer to English and National language Government Secondary schools. Here is where a lot of them find the adjustment difficult. Titus' son and Sebastian's daughter fall neatly into this category. At Grade eight or nine parents look at the problems they face and decided to dole out thousands of dollars yearly to give them a chance to study for the O levels in English.
At this point, let us look at another point of view. We all agree that in the twenty first century China is the dynamo that drives world economics. So it will be advantageous to speak and read Mandarin. But would it be possible for a graduate with a first degree to spend one year in Beijing to study Mandarin? The answer is yes, we have seen on satelite TV that both Whites and Blacks could speak fluent Mandarin after intensive language study in China. Personally, I would prefer that my children learn English and our national language in Primary and Secondary Schools, perhaps work on learning Mandarin as an adult if the need arises. But I see my friends' children suffer through six years of Chinese education, scoring strings of distinctions but as soon as they walk out of the Chinese schools, they hate all things Chinese (that includes language, culture, custom, history, literature ...). Sad, isn't it?
Recently in our life group, it was mentioned that Cyrus' son switched to a private school at Grade nine. Titus' son is there too. Apparently they play futsal together weekly. Sebastian's daughter is there too. All these are present or past Life group members. It does seem that private school education is quite a norm now.
All these parents, Cyrus, Titus and Sebastian are in their mid or late forties. When they were in High School, all of them went to Government schools. Only those who failed Public examinations went to private schools then. In a short thirty year time span, the trend has reversed. Granted now that the economy has grown by leaps and bounds. Most folks in the city who have good jobs possess high disposable income. Perhaps the government school system is no longer as good as thirty years ago.
Thirty years ago many ethnic Chinese children were sent to English and National language Government schools. Now most ethnic Chinese children are sent to Chinese language semi Government schools. After primary education, most parents feel that six years of education in Chinese is enough. These children then transfer to English and National language Government Secondary schools. Here is where a lot of them find the adjustment difficult. Titus' son and Sebastian's daughter fall neatly into this category. At Grade eight or nine parents look at the problems they face and decided to dole out thousands of dollars yearly to give them a chance to study for the O levels in English.
At this point, let us look at another point of view. We all agree that in the twenty first century China is the dynamo that drives world economics. So it will be advantageous to speak and read Mandarin. But would it be possible for a graduate with a first degree to spend one year in Beijing to study Mandarin? The answer is yes, we have seen on satelite TV that both Whites and Blacks could speak fluent Mandarin after intensive language study in China. Personally, I would prefer that my children learn English and our national language in Primary and Secondary Schools, perhaps work on learning Mandarin as an adult if the need arises. But I see my friends' children suffer through six years of Chinese education, scoring strings of distinctions but as soon as they walk out of the Chinese schools, they hate all things Chinese (that includes language, culture, custom, history, literature ...). Sad, isn't it?
(369) Cat tales 33
Her father is a very wise man. He did not say no, but he actually sat her down and laid down quite a few ground rules. The animal they are going to adopt will be Veron's very own pet. She alone is responsible for her upkeep. She is to feed the cat daily and keep a stock of cat food. If the cat needs any medical attention, Veron will either pay for the bills out of her savings in the bank or work to earn the money needed. Should she have any difficulty earning money outside the house, mum and dad will give her paid tasks at home. Before the cat comes in, Veron will have to learn about toilet training either from books or from an experienced cat owner like their neighbour Mrs. Rozario.
As her father sets the conditions, Veron goes about preparing for the new addition to the family. When everything is ready, she picked a black cat with four white feet and called her Socks. To earn the money needed to keep the cat, she took over many of her parents' responsibilities. She sweeps the entire house every morning. Then she empties the dish drainer. She reads the list of daily tasks her mum left on the fridge door. Accordingly she prepares whatever that is specified and keeps them in containers in the fridge. After all that is done, the washing is ready to be hung in the porch ... Her days are full and interesting. She has a great sense of accomplishment when all the tasks are done and she can play with her pet.
Without knowing it, Veron has chosen to grow up when she asked for a pet. For once in her life, she is responsible for another life. She is no longer that spoilt princess that depends on others to entertain her any hour in the day or night.
-To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness-
CatFeralOne EyedHammy.JPG from dogbreedinfo.com
(367) Dog n cat / Cat tales 31
Well, the puppy is grown now. The interesting part is that no one has heard it bark! It is a silent and tiny house dog. The character of most house dogs is a high pitch yelping. No one knows if the dog is mute or if it just decided to mimic the cat. The master and mistress just accepted it as a blessing that no neighbours will complain about their pet.
Cats are very fond of jumping to a high place and sitting there for long periods of time. Our dog can't jump, but it will beg the humans to pick it up and place it on a high cupboard. More than once, the person that placed it on the perch went out. The poor dog could not jump down, or rather dared not. So it just sat quietly up there waiting to be rescued. Isn't that fascinating? A dog that thinks it is a cat!
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Ps 104:24
dog cat.jpg ci.berkeley.ca.us
(366) Prison/ Interesting buildings 60
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Mat 25:36
AU33-W7481-EX1.jpg from ploonycottage.co.uk
(365) Fort/ Interesting buildings 59
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. Psa 18:2
heritage cottage8.jpg from the heritagegarden.com.au
(364) Farm house/ Interesting buildings 58
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land Deu 34:1
heathwaite-cottage-exterior.jpg from lakeland-cottage-company.co.uk
(363) Two Hotels in Hong Kong
Two years ago Elizabeth and I visited Hong Kong. We stayed in Dorset Sea View. While it was satisfactory in every way, the price tag was quite high. Therefore we decided that if we visit again, we would trawl the net for something more affordable.
This round we found another hotel which is way lower in room rate. A few days before we left, I actually wondered what would be the reason for such low rates in such an expensive place. Later I found out. All around and behind the hotel we find shops selling wreaths, cremation urns, joss sticks, paper clothes, paper handphones ... and yes, in the back streets: coffins of every shape and style.
I personally don't mind all these shops, in fact I enjoyed all the fragrant flowers: big and small and of all colours. But my mother has a pathological fear of coffins. So I took care to by pass that short street as soon as I fixed it in my mind. Funny thing I saw four coffin shops but neither my mum nor my daughter noticed them.
We counted six Red Bridal Teashops in one area. While it offers every necessity for weary travelers, it was pathetically small. I suppose it was my fault for not persuading another soul, whether friend or relative, to make up a group of four. I tried, honestly I did. Once the air tickets were purchased, the die was cast. My aged mum and underage daughter refused to entertain the thought that I might be given a room on another floor. They agreed to make do and crowd three to one room.
You should see and hear us laugh each time we enter our room. I would slot in the card and hold the door open as widely as it would go, my mum who is seventy eight would walk in side way with her huge hold all with her tumbler of water, warm clothing and umbrella .. Then she would sit on the toilet seat leaving the narrow passage way for my daughter to bring in the many shopping bags. Elizabeth would walk to the head of the bed, take off her shoes and crawl up the bed. Then I would go in, lock the door, bring out the first suitcase from the window recess to take out clothing for my shower ... At any one time two people must sit down, one on the bed and the second on the chair before a third can pack or unpack.
But you can't beat the low room rate. The bed is solid and comfortable. The toilet is clean. Everything from TV to air con to tea kettle are new and in working order. For one person, or for a loving couple on honeymoon, you cannot get a better hotel room for the asking price.
This round we found another hotel which is way lower in room rate. A few days before we left, I actually wondered what would be the reason for such low rates in such an expensive place. Later I found out. All around and behind the hotel we find shops selling wreaths, cremation urns, joss sticks, paper clothes, paper handphones ... and yes, in the back streets: coffins of every shape and style.
I personally don't mind all these shops, in fact I enjoyed all the fragrant flowers: big and small and of all colours. But my mother has a pathological fear of coffins. So I took care to by pass that short street as soon as I fixed it in my mind. Funny thing I saw four coffin shops but neither my mum nor my daughter noticed them.
We counted six Red Bridal Teashops in one area. While it offers every necessity for weary travelers, it was pathetically small. I suppose it was my fault for not persuading another soul, whether friend or relative, to make up a group of four. I tried, honestly I did. Once the air tickets were purchased, the die was cast. My aged mum and underage daughter refused to entertain the thought that I might be given a room on another floor. They agreed to make do and crowd three to one room.
You should see and hear us laugh each time we enter our room. I would slot in the card and hold the door open as widely as it would go, my mum who is seventy eight would walk in side way with her huge hold all with her tumbler of water, warm clothing and umbrella .. Then she would sit on the toilet seat leaving the narrow passage way for my daughter to bring in the many shopping bags. Elizabeth would walk to the head of the bed, take off her shoes and crawl up the bed. Then I would go in, lock the door, bring out the first suitcase from the window recess to take out clothing for my shower ... At any one time two people must sit down, one on the bed and the second on the chair before a third can pack or unpack.
But you can't beat the low room rate. The bed is solid and comfortable. The toilet is clean. Everything from TV to air con to tea kettle are new and in working order. For one person, or for a loving couple on honeymoon, you cannot get a better hotel room for the asking price.
(362) Safety rules for college/Upbringing 13a
A good friend's daughter finished high school, just obtained her driving license and started college all within two months. We'll call her Fay.
Since she chose to study law in a not so nice part of town, I gave her a few tips on how to avoid trouble. The first thing I drum in is not to hang around fools. To define what a fool is to a seventeen-year-old, I have to borrow one incident involving Elizabeth. I acted as driver in transporting Elizabeth and three other friends to a nearby shopping mall. Two of the friends I have met and I find them respectful and sensible. The new one, however, was another kettle of fish. From the time she got into the car, apart from greeting me, she talked non-stop. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually like listening to another person who can give me interesting and informative facts. What this girl talked about, is something she did not know very well. Worse than that, she revealed a lot of things about herself and the person she was addressing in a loud voice.
As I pointed out to Elizabeth when she came back from that outing, I pointed out to Fay how loud and indiscriminate talk at the wrong place can endanger the talker or the girls she was with. All it takes is ten minutes of such loose talk, unknowingly offending a suspicious character while they were waiting for pick up. A potential stalker would have sufficient information to look the target up in face book and create havoc. It does not matter that we are comfortable or happy, a cafe, a subway station, walking area of a shopping mall are not appropriate places to loudly talk about personal information such as name, college, places we live in, or any other info that others can use to find out more about us.
A second tip is to place her hold all under the passenger seat. If we place our handbag on the passenger seat, a criminal can break the passenger window with a heavy object and snatch it within seconds, even in front of a traffic light. If we put our back-pack on the back seat, it means we have to spend a minute more to retrieve it. While we bend down to pick it up, we would be standing inside the door. If a bad person block us right behind us, we may be molested by that person and we cannot run away as the car door blocked us. Therefore, we should do everything while the doors are locked. Pick up our bag, our keys or whatever, only when we have got everything ready then only unlock and walk out immediately. Lock the car as soon as we can and leave the parking area without undue lingering.
As a young person grows older, freedom comes with responsibilities. As parents cannot continue to escort or send young adults everywhere, it is up to the youth to learn and practice a few safety rules that really is common sense in moving around a city.
Since she chose to study law in a not so nice part of town, I gave her a few tips on how to avoid trouble. The first thing I drum in is not to hang around fools. To define what a fool is to a seventeen-year-old, I have to borrow one incident involving Elizabeth. I acted as driver in transporting Elizabeth and three other friends to a nearby shopping mall. Two of the friends I have met and I find them respectful and sensible. The new one, however, was another kettle of fish. From the time she got into the car, apart from greeting me, she talked non-stop. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually like listening to another person who can give me interesting and informative facts. What this girl talked about, is something she did not know very well. Worse than that, she revealed a lot of things about herself and the person she was addressing in a loud voice.
As I pointed out to Elizabeth when she came back from that outing, I pointed out to Fay how loud and indiscriminate talk at the wrong place can endanger the talker or the girls she was with. All it takes is ten minutes of such loose talk, unknowingly offending a suspicious character while they were waiting for pick up. A potential stalker would have sufficient information to look the target up in face book and create havoc. It does not matter that we are comfortable or happy, a cafe, a subway station, walking area of a shopping mall are not appropriate places to loudly talk about personal information such as name, college, places we live in, or any other info that others can use to find out more about us.
A second tip is to place her hold all under the passenger seat. If we place our handbag on the passenger seat, a criminal can break the passenger window with a heavy object and snatch it within seconds, even in front of a traffic light. If we put our back-pack on the back seat, it means we have to spend a minute more to retrieve it. While we bend down to pick it up, we would be standing inside the door. If a bad person block us right behind us, we may be molested by that person and we cannot run away as the car door blocked us. Therefore, we should do everything while the doors are locked. Pick up our bag, our keys or whatever, only when we have got everything ready then only unlock and walk out immediately. Lock the car as soon as we can and leave the parking area without undue lingering.
As a young person grows older, freedom comes with responsibilities. As parents cannot continue to escort or send young adults everywhere, it is up to the youth to learn and practice a few safety rules that really is common sense in moving around a city.
Monday, January 10, 2011
(361) Zelda's decides on 6 month mission
My friend Zelda came back from her one month in London. Her face was glowing when she shared about how she had confirmation after confirmation about her evangelistic call. To me, it was nothing new. She had had that gifting since the first day I met her four years ago. It might have been a little rough and over enthusiastic, now her inner burning is a little more tempered and controlled.
Now she is exploring the possibility of another three-month attachment. This round she is asking the Lord to release funding to discharge her bank debts before she leaves. If God wants her to go to UK to talk to the unreached about Him, I am certain the money would come into her hands in a timely manner.
According to her, we can learn all we can about methods like the four spiritual laws or evangelistic explosion, but if we are not personally burdened about the person we are facing, any sharing may be in vain. Since she was a hundred percent sure that knowing and accepting Jesus' love would do her target a world of good, people do listen to her more than her team mates. On the spot, she received wisdom in overcoming objections in ways her personal intellect would not come up with in a thousand years. Thank God that the holy spirit is our helper.
Accordingly she continues to give away her possessions, I have been her agent of disposal. Books, furniture, clothes,stationery, kitchen utensils, ... all that she owns can fit into one small room now. Still, she wants to minimise further because once she leaves for the field, she wants her room to be of use to her niece.
I admire her guts in street evangelism. Here I am, hiding behind a Canadian goose photo, writing what I should proudly proclaim to the world from the roof top. I often have difficulties telling what is closest to my heart to close friends, let alone talking to people in door-to-door witnessing. I thank God that the internet is available to me, if not, would I really write all these in log books and hide them in my book shelves?
Zelda's trip to London (749), read also (383), (401) and (487), (520), (994), and (9)
Now she is exploring the possibility of another three-month attachment. This round she is asking the Lord to release funding to discharge her bank debts before she leaves. If God wants her to go to UK to talk to the unreached about Him, I am certain the money would come into her hands in a timely manner.
According to her, we can learn all we can about methods like the four spiritual laws or evangelistic explosion, but if we are not personally burdened about the person we are facing, any sharing may be in vain. Since she was a hundred percent sure that knowing and accepting Jesus' love would do her target a world of good, people do listen to her more than her team mates. On the spot, she received wisdom in overcoming objections in ways her personal intellect would not come up with in a thousand years. Thank God that the holy spirit is our helper.
Accordingly she continues to give away her possessions, I have been her agent of disposal. Books, furniture, clothes,stationery, kitchen utensils, ... all that she owns can fit into one small room now. Still, she wants to minimise further because once she leaves for the field, she wants her room to be of use to her niece.
I admire her guts in street evangelism. Here I am, hiding behind a Canadian goose photo, writing what I should proudly proclaim to the world from the roof top. I often have difficulties telling what is closest to my heart to close friends, let alone talking to people in door-to-door witnessing. I thank God that the internet is available to me, if not, would I really write all these in log books and hide them in my book shelves?
Zelda's trip to London (749), read also (383), (401) and (487), (520), (994), and (9)
(360) Snow White/ Interesting buildings 57
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11
Make a Wish Cottage.jpg from nonprints.com
(359)A well tended Garden/ Interesting buildings 56
But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. And his name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 1 Ch 22:9
snape cottage garden 600x.jpg from garden visit.com
(358)A Hunting Lodge/ Interesting buildings 55
There is something old and rustic about the wooden cabin. And yet the reflective glass panels are modern.
Our God is the Lord of Moses and also the Lord of the internet age.
For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Pro 2:6
cottage plans classic cottage count from the cottage key.com
Monday, January 3, 2011
(356) The high light of travelling - talking to a local person
It was rather cold in Hong Kong. Since I have a seventy-eight-year-old in my care, we did not go sight seeing. We went on one sub-way journey and it was enough to frighten my mother who had never seen people rushing around in such a manner. Thereafter we "sight see" from the bus.
We found neighbourhood shopping centres to have our meals in. We particularly enjoyed the low rise and scattered shop lots in Yow Onn. There we had to share a table with a local man. He proved to be friendly and interesting to talk to.
According to him, Hong Kong changed a lot the last thirteen to fourteen years. That many years ago, one who was prepared to work hard could find a job, by working hard at it would earn enough to live on. Now, there are many positions available all over the street, but the pay is actually less than the rates twelve years ago in real terms.
He has three children. The eldest just graduated in Canada. He went for her graduation and found that food was so costly that if he converts everything into Hong Kong dollars he could not swallow a bite. His eldest girl is looking for a job now. Failing that, she plans to marry her sweet heart and stays on. His two other children are studying in Hong Kong. He would consider migrating should the daughter decides to apply for the family later on. He said that of course he prefers Hong Kong over Canada. But at the rate things are moving, he fears for his family's future.
This man looks like he is in his late thirties. We were surprised that he has a daughter at least twenty one years old. He has gentle eyes and talks in a very quiet and unassuming manner. He works for a company that helps people move, they renovate apartments and refurbish old buildings. Now I realise why a lot of Hongkies migrated before China took over, it was probably because of precisely this reason.
We found neighbourhood shopping centres to have our meals in. We particularly enjoyed the low rise and scattered shop lots in Yow Onn. There we had to share a table with a local man. He proved to be friendly and interesting to talk to.
According to him, Hong Kong changed a lot the last thirteen to fourteen years. That many years ago, one who was prepared to work hard could find a job, by working hard at it would earn enough to live on. Now, there are many positions available all over the street, but the pay is actually less than the rates twelve years ago in real terms.
He has three children. The eldest just graduated in Canada. He went for her graduation and found that food was so costly that if he converts everything into Hong Kong dollars he could not swallow a bite. His eldest girl is looking for a job now. Failing that, she plans to marry her sweet heart and stays on. His two other children are studying in Hong Kong. He would consider migrating should the daughter decides to apply for the family later on. He said that of course he prefers Hong Kong over Canada. But at the rate things are moving, he fears for his family's future.
This man looks like he is in his late thirties. We were surprised that he has a daughter at least twenty one years old. He has gentle eyes and talks in a very quiet and unassuming manner. He works for a company that helps people move, they renovate apartments and refurbish old buildings. Now I realise why a lot of Hongkies migrated before China took over, it was probably because of precisely this reason.
(355) Injustice
While I was in Hong Kong, I caught a brief glimpse of the notable events of 2010 on TV. The most memorable was the strike of a group of cafe workers. Why did they demonstrate? It was because the hourly paid workers who worked the full eight-hour day was not given a paid lunch or dinner hour.
One face in particular, I find that it was engraved on my mind. I can close my eyes right now and recall how emphatic she was, what she said and how she held up her work-worn hands to the cameras. She worked in the cafe washing dishes to bring up her two children. She told the audience that it was not true that if she worked hard, her family would be provided for. She worked many hours every day and her hands that cracked and the skin that was worn thin by manual labour as well as the strong detergent testified to her diligence. Yet month by month she was barely making ends meet. She said that the system sucked blood out of simple folks like her. And she cannot imagine what will happen to people like her with no savings when she grows older and cannot put in as many hours.
Looking at that somewhat overweight and short woman, I can see that she had not spent any extra money on herself. Her graying hair was not dyed. Her hair was badly cut. She probably did not use any face cream on a daily basis. Here is one responsible citizen who was working hard at giving her children a better future. It is sad that rich and fashionable Hong Kong could not or would not pay their workers equitable rewards that would enable them to earn a reasonable living.
One face in particular, I find that it was engraved on my mind. I can close my eyes right now and recall how emphatic she was, what she said and how she held up her work-worn hands to the cameras. She worked in the cafe washing dishes to bring up her two children. She told the audience that it was not true that if she worked hard, her family would be provided for. She worked many hours every day and her hands that cracked and the skin that was worn thin by manual labour as well as the strong detergent testified to her diligence. Yet month by month she was barely making ends meet. She said that the system sucked blood out of simple folks like her. And she cannot imagine what will happen to people like her with no savings when she grows older and cannot put in as many hours.
Looking at that somewhat overweight and short woman, I can see that she had not spent any extra money on herself. Her graying hair was not dyed. Her hair was badly cut. She probably did not use any face cream on a daily basis. Here is one responsible citizen who was working hard at giving her children a better future. It is sad that rich and fashionable Hong Kong could not or would not pay their workers equitable rewards that would enable them to earn a reasonable living.
(354)Music Training/ Upbringing 36
Today I visited an old church friend whom I have not met for at least six years. She has three children. Her eldest, a girl, is now a doctor in a neighbouring country. Her second, a son, is now married living across the sea. The youngest, a girl, is in the final year in a psychology program locally.
I remember that when my children were toddlers and babies, she was already driving her elder two to the next town twice a week for violin and piano lessons. Each way was a good one and a half hours during normal traffic situations. Her youngest displayed no interest in her early years, therefore my friend was too lazy to bother as the third is quite many years younger compared to the other two. But interestingly when the youngest reached her teenage years, she started to play the piano by ear with no formal training. This time, the mother just found a teacher in the nearest music school and enrolled her for informal lessons.
The doctor is active in missions. She would save up her hard-earned money to volunteer her expertise in poor countries. The married son is serving in worship leading. It is the psychology student who does not sit for a single music examination that is playing the keyboard in the music team. Our children sometimes surprise us in what they do, don't they?
I remember that when my children were toddlers and babies, she was already driving her elder two to the next town twice a week for violin and piano lessons. Each way was a good one and a half hours during normal traffic situations. Her youngest displayed no interest in her early years, therefore my friend was too lazy to bother as the third is quite many years younger compared to the other two. But interestingly when the youngest reached her teenage years, she started to play the piano by ear with no formal training. This time, the mother just found a teacher in the nearest music school and enrolled her for informal lessons.
The doctor is active in missions. She would save up her hard-earned money to volunteer her expertise in poor countries. The married son is serving in worship leading. It is the psychology student who does not sit for a single music examination that is playing the keyboard in the music team. Our children sometimes surprise us in what they do, don't they?
(351)All that Glitter/ Interesting buildings 53
"The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the Lord Almighty. Hag 2:8
Cottage and mill.JPG from kemblemill.com
(350)A Romantic View/ Interesting buildings 52
eastgrove garden worcs 60 from gardenvisit.com
- To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven. Karen Sunde-
Saturday, January 1, 2011
(348)Life saver/ Cat tales 29
Ellen's sister decided to leave her cat behind to keep Mrs Johnson company. Each day after that, Ellen would call before leaving her dorm room to make sure her mum was alright. Ellen's sister would call during lunch break and the brother would call when he got home. The first few days, with neighbours coming in to help her, they would bring food and sat with her. After the first week, each sibling would take turn to spend the week-end with the grieving one. Mrs Johnson admitted that she had to drag herself up from bed to give the cat her saucer of milk every morning.
In the kitchen, she would pick up Ellen's call to coax her to eat. The cat was like a silent nurse, unless Mrs Johnson take some food or drink a glass of milk, it would keep walking round and round her feet preventing her from leaving the kitchen. After some token breakfast, human and cat would go to sit in the den and turned on the TV. By the time the lunch call came, Kitty would demand a biscuit and once again looked at Mrs Johnson and expected her to heat up something to eat. With something in her stomach, she would adjourn to the study to force herself to do some paper work like writing cheques to pay bills. Then came the cat's supper hour at six. Mistress and cat would eat their respective supper. The phone call would come from California, the son and daughter-in-law would tell Mrs Johnson something funny that happened at work. Often Ellen would call again to say good night.
And day by day, Mrs Johnson had to take care of the cat, she had to buy cat food and milk. She shopped for TV dinners when food from neighbours run out. She needed to run out to replenish cat biscuit and cat litter when what her eldest daughter brought run out. Slowly, she began to function and focus again. For the aged and the berieved who live alone, it is often the dependent pet that gives the human meaning and purpose to live on.
- Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. -
cat-facts.jpg from catfacts.org
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