Sydney 22nd Feb 08

I had a wonderful dinner tonight. Sushi rice with sashimi, fresh oysters and unagi (eel) served with pickled ginger and wasabi complimented with white wine. It was superbly delicious and satisfying. I wish Leslie was around to experience it since oysters are one of his favorites. The 3 of us started to eat at 7pm but only completed our meal after 10pm. Why? Because we shared and talked and took our own sweet time to eat and drink. It was Bob’s treat to celebrate my arrival at Sydney. Yes, I’m being loved and I appreciate it.

(my sister preparing dinner)

(Our Dinner)

Having landed in a Western nation for the first time was a pretty much interesting. It was new for me to see Caucasians working as cleaners. Having lived in Malaysia all these while, I’ve been used to seeing either foreign Asian laborers or locals working as such while the “Mat Salleh’s held white collar jobs. It actually took me a few minutes to process that I was actually on a foreign land.

The architecture of the old houses in Sydney are actually pretty much similar to the colonial buildings that we have in Malaysia, the only difference is that, their buildings have been well maintained whilst many of our old buildings have been very much neglected or modified. Of course there were other kind of buildings too which I loved and felt as beautiful. I am actually impressed that many of the old buildings here have been retained and well maintained and are still being used as what it used to be.

We went to the Sydney Fish Market. This fish market is the second largest in the world, a great variety of fresh seafood can be found here at a simply irresistible prices. Lobsters, super big crabs, oysters, prawns, sashimis…..you name it…..I could not help but drool over the variety of seafood. There are many cafes that serve sumptuous seafood meals in this market and they are very much affordable. Guess who runs most of the business here? Yes, I was amused to discover that most of the stalls were run by Chinese and they did it professionally.

(Lobsters at 25 dollars each) (Bob buying some fish) (Guess what, Malaysian Octopus)

(Happy Chinese New Year) (Fresh Seafood)

After the market, we dropped by at New South Wales University to collect some documents and we drove past the most beautiful seaside I ever saw in my whole entire life (as for now). At 2pm, the breeze was superb and the view was captivating. I’ll make sure that I’ll spend some time at these beaches.

(Beautiful Hor?)

It’s summer here in Sydney and the temperature today is 28 degree Celsius. Though it is sunny but the breeze is cool, causing me to forget that the sun is actually shining very brightly up there in the sky. The air is very dry and yes people here have been actually advised to use sun blocks and hats as preventive measures for skin illnesses especially here in Australia.

It’s late now, and I should call it a day, need to catch up with the sleep I lost last night.



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Greetings from Sydney

I touched down at Sydney this morning at 9.30am (6.30am Malaysian time). The journey was unpleasent as I was squeezed between two ladies who took up alot of space as they slept. I did not manage to catch any sleep. I was dissapointed not to get a seat by the window and the lady who sat next to me chose to keep our window shut. Nevertheless, I did manage to peep through other windows and managed to get a glimpst or two of South East Austrialia which is of course so much more bigger compared to Malaysia. Yes it was facinating though I was very frustrated on the plane.

I'm very groggy at the moment due to my lack of sleep but i have to say that I love Sydney already. Kensington is where I live and it is surrounded by a very beautiful park. Today, i understood why people here shoot ducks, they are like crows, they mess up swimming pools and leave their droppings everywhere.

Shall update more soon when i'm more settled, shall be having dinner now, Sushi rice with sashimi's and fresh oysters, yummy.

Today is 21st Feb 08, so many things have happened for the past few days. Highlights includes loosing my wisdom tooth and babysitting Shawn for 1 full day.

I never expected my last four day to pass by so quickly but it was a good 4 days. I'm now waiting at the Airport for my flight, I'm abit anxious, it's my first flight out of South East Asia and I don't know what to expect.

Shall update more on my trip to Sydney. Adios as for now, apologies to all of whom I could not or forgot to meet up with, see you all again after April 21st 08.


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11 Feb 08

When you do something that you don’t really like and yet you force yourself to do it because you know you should do it, you struggle through. Sometimes you don’t enjoy what you do because you are not capable enough, you don’t have the right wisdom to handle situations so much so that you become discouraged easily because you don’t see the fruits of your efforts.

What hurts the most is when people who do not see what you are going through simply walks into your life and criticizes with comments that reminds you that you have failed. Discouraging and judgmental stares are already bad enough, what makes it worst is when they make remarks that pierce you through. They say things which they know that are hurtful and negative. They don’t even care about your feelings, what is important to them is that they have sent their message across that they don’t think highly of you.

Such people are the worst ever mentor anyone could ask for. Of course fairytale stories tell us that it is through such remarks that people become motivated to be successful and is what they are today because they wanted so much to prove those negative people wrong. No doubt, some people’s success were driven by such remarks but very often, these unhelpful remarks actually left negative impact in the lives of many. They leave scars and pulls down people’s self –esteem, reminding them that they are useless and good for nothing.

We are gifted beings but negative comments cause us to forget that we are capable of making changes. Comments help us to improve and be better, but when comments are too strong and is overly negative, it discourages.

I don’t mind comments or criticisms, though it hurts but it helps and I recover easily and become motivated to do something about it if it was like this…..
“ Erm….I think it is…….why don’t you consider…….”
“….it is not bad, but…………”
“I disagree with you, I believe……..”

But when people use words like these, I rebel. I become hurt and I wish I would never ever have to meet the person ever again……
“You are just like……useless and good for nothing”
“Such simple things also don’t know how to do, hopeless”
“…….are you stupid or what….”

Someone criticized me with today with the most unhelpful words. I disliked it terribly. Actually I’ve been used to such comments from this particular person, perhaps it also explains why my relationship with this person has never improved all this while. Many times I have tried to change my mindset towards this person, to learn to love and accept this person, but each time I’m bombarded with such remarks, I go back to square one, loosing all the good feelings I had of the person.

Juat another day

10 Feb 08

Today, I attended my class reunion. It was the first time I gathered for Lunar New Year with my Form 6 mates. Thanks to Chee Keong our monitor, this gathering was possible.
When Chee Keong invited me to his house, I had no idea that this was our class gathering, I thought it was just a normal open house where his other friends would also be there, much to my surprise, there was no one at his place when we arrived.

We had steamboat together with some other dishes prepared by Chee Keong himself. Since we graduated, I have met up a few times with this group of friends but I guess today was most enjoyable. Perhaps the main reason is because we were not gathering in a restaurant. We had the freedom of space and we could joke and laugh freely like how we used to at school.

After our simple steamboat, our pious brother Chee Seong surprised us with 4 bottles of beer, we shared the beer among the 12 of us followed by 2 hours of Jim Rummy. Yes we gambled but of course in small scale, just for the fun of it. All of us went home as winners except for our banker brothers, our host himself and Choon Ming the lawyer. Nothing great happened today, but I enjoyed myself, I was glad to be in the company of some good friends.

All we did was to spend time together and that was what bonded us. Yes, simple things makes me happy!

Ghee.....

5th Feb 08

Sensing that I have added on some weight, I decided to do some exercise at Bukit Dumbar. It was around 5.30pm, so there were not many young people at the park as most young people were still at work. Other than myself, there was another Malay chap who was around my age. I ran round the tracks and I noticed that he was observing me though not in a lustful manner. Like me, his stamina was not very good though he was not fat like me. Perhaps he used me as a benchmark on how many rounds he should run. Of course I felt awkward to have someone observing me do my exercise, I was shy but to be honest, I used him as a benchmark too.

I could not take the awkwardness and I left the track to elsewhere for my exercise. 5 minutes later, I bumped into him again, I was shocked to see him, and he was shocked too. He stared at me out of shock and suddenly laughed. I felt so awkward that I just left straight for home; I did not want to bump into him again. It felt so weird.

Just for fun

Keep smiling =)

Another Thought

"Living in the past denies me from appreciating the present, how can the future even exist under such circumstances?"

Here I go again!

29 January 08

I am going to see the world again. Having collected my flight tickets from the MAS ticketing office this afternoon, I am confirmed to fly off to Sydney on the 21st of February at 10pm at night.

There is no denying that I am excited about this trip, but this excitement comes with anxiousness. I am looking forward to experience what Down Under has to offer but at the same time the low self esteem me has some fear too. The ghost of Hong Kong still haunts me. It was not traumatic neither was it pleasant. My other concern is actually about leaving my parents again for 2 months. Having adapted them with my presence for these few weeks, they will have to readapt themselves again with my absence. Though it’s kindda painful, I just could not waste this trip.

I’m taking this opportunity to visit Sydney whilst my sister and bro-in-law are there. Sydney is the universal food paradise, renowned for its splendid variety of food. I’ve been constantly urged by my sister to go and see and I shall see what good food is all about.

I’ve been to Hong Kong and Thailand but I’ve never been to the other side of the world where the western culture is dominant. It’s going to be a whole new experience and I should not miss it. With two months in hand and limited funds, I wonder how I can maximize this trip. I shall be spending some time surveying on some possibilities. Keep me in prayer that I may make the most out of this trip and not only benefit myself but also for others too.

My hope from this trip is that I shall return positively renewed.

Simple Thoughts...

29 January 08

Simple things in life make me happy, and I’m glad to share it with you…..


“To feel the joy that leaps within another person and to later discover that the seed of happiness was planted by you.”

~Yours Truly~

A letter

27 January 08

To my dear friend,

Of late you have been very unkind towards one of your very good friend. You have ignored her presence and have diverted all the attention that you used to shower her with towards another friend.

I guess there has to be a reason to why you are ignoring her. Perhaps she made you angry, perhaps she is just being unlucky because she reminds you of something that you do not wish to remember.

Your friend has no guts to tell you this but she is very hurt by your coldness towards her. She cannot understand why your friendship has been abandoned for unknown reasons. As she craves for you to return, she begins to be frustrated as she sees you spending more time with the other friend. Jealousy you may call it, but each time she sees both of you together, her heart aches more. She finds it difficult to face your new found best friend.

It saddens me to see what has happened to such a beautiful friendship. Such a shame to see someone so cheerful suddenly become depressed. I am far away but I hope you will be kind enough to be compassionate towards your friend. I am not asking you to abandon your new found friend but I hope you will not just dump your old friend and leave her such great pain……I wish not to suffer such similar fate in our relationship.


Yours Truly
A friend to both of you

My friend

26th January 08

Since coming back to Penang, everyday has been eventful.
Errrrmmmm….on second thoughts, I think I should say that something new is being experienced each day. Life has been dull actually. For the past 6 years of my life, my everyday life is being surrounded by people. I'm so used to having people around me so much so that sometimes, I used to crave for some privacy. Since coming back to Penang, I find myself feeling lonely most of the time.

It's not that I don't have friends. I do have friends but everyone has their own personal life to live, some even have children already, therefore their social life has also been reduced, it’s time to focus more on the serious things in life. I spend most of my time at home with my parents but our topics are very limited, more towards family issues, nothing much related to personal sharings of experiences or modern living or even faith talk.

Today, I met up with my good and faithful buddy. Oy Leng has been one of my closest friend for more than 15 years already. We come from two different worlds but it’s amazing how Hokey brought us together to become the best of friends. We spent the whole afternoon together and I found it most enjoyable just hanging out with her, doing nothing. Hah. !

There are many friends, some come and some go, not many are going to stay and remain faithful. This is a reality in today's society. If I am going to be stubborn and believe that all the people whom I call friends today are going to keep me close to their heart then I guess I should expect myself to be disappointed in time to come.

I once had a dear friend, we were close, I shared my innermost feelings with her and even revealed some of my secrets. She shared a lot about herself too. During our convocation, we cried and hugged each other because we had to go separate ways. I thought we would still be friends after that. We had handphones and emails to stay in touch but this friend of mine chose to put an end to our friendship. She never replied all my emails and smses, she never answered my phone calls too. I was hurt, I was angry, I told Leslie I did not care for her anymore but the truth is that if she would be in trouble today, my heart would bleed for her. I cannot pretend that I do not know her and just ignore her though I am definitely sure that I would not be that attached towards her anymore.

As I grow older, I learned to accept disappointment in friendships. When friends choose not to be friends anymore, I accept it though it hurts and go on with life. As for friends who remain as friends, I cherish them and include them my life's journey. Friends like Oy Leng are like precious jewels; unique and hard to find. I guess I'm very fortunate that I can't say Oy Leng is my best friend because besides Oy Leng, I have many more friends who remain as precious jewels in my life and I really thank God for each and everyone of them.

Fr. Matthew Bun's Ordination

25th January 08



For the 1st time in my whole entire life, I attended an ordination of priesthood. This morning, Deacon Matthew Bun was ordained as a priest. I cannot really identify why I was so excited about this whole event but I was really happy to be there.
There were a few reasons to why I had to be there. 1stly, Deacon Matthew is my friend's brother, a reason for me to show my support. Secondly, for the very first time, someone from our parish was ordained as a priest; another reason for me to show my support. Thirdly, I have never seen a priestly ordination before therefore; I should at least attend one to understand how special the sacrament of Holy Order was.

My mum commented on how well dressed Deacon Matthew's parents were. Well, they should, it's their son's special day, he was to be married to the church, why should they not be dressed for it? I was deeply touched by the whole rite of ordination, when the litany of the saints were sung, I nearly shed tears (again, I can't explain why, the tears just nearly flowed). I looked around and realized that many ladies were touched too, many were wiping off the tears. I was also touched when the entire priest present laid their hands on the deacon followed by the kiss of peace. A sign of unity and brotherly acceptance of Deacon Matthew into the brotherhood of priests.

During the ordination, I wished my students were there with me to observe this auspicious event. I had also wished that my non- Catholic Christian friends were there to see the whole ordination process. Perhaps they might appreciate the role of our priest better just as I learned today?

Through this ordination, I realized how sacred and special the holy order was. Now I understand what great big responsibility a priest had and how holy he was. Now as his journey as a priest begins, I pray that Fr. Matthew will be a good priest, blessed with God’s graces as he serves God and his people.

(Source of photo is from the internet)

It's about Sex!

24th January 08

Journeying with students for 3 years, I have tolerated with many things. Like what Fr. Chris said in his blog, I never had the heart to scold the students even though there were moments when they deserved a good scolding. I hardly scold people actually except for family members and someone else of whom I shall not mention.

I never expected myself to scold anyone even after I left the Campus Ministry but today, I had to do it. Somebody of whom I've been helping asked me to have sex with him. Though I was shocked, I was sad. I was sad because he did not know how to think.

Where was his self-respect I wondered? I was shocked at how simple his mind was. Was he being naïve? Did he know what sex was all about? To strip oneself naked in front of a person you hardly knew and let the person touch your most precious body, I could never do that.
I was partially angry actually; I failed to teach him how to respect me. I saw myself as a failure because he saw me as a sex object instead of a guide. I tried to be understanding but deep inside, I felt like killing his most inspiring friends.

My 3 years experience as a campus minister was not enough to teach me to handle this situation well. To make things worst, I was the one who was involved. I tried to explain to him why I would never have sex with him but still he could not understand. I had no choice but to cut contacts with him. I am grateful that I now live in Penang and not in KL where he could come and disturb me.

This guy is not uneducated; he is well educated and will be a professional some day. Yet, his approach showed how immature he was. I could not help but wonder what kind of background he came from.

I don't 100% blame him for being what he is. I blame his surrounding, I blame his inspiring friends, I blame the system and the society for having failed to teach people basic human values. As for now, I'm still in shock and am confused.

Thaipusam

23 January 08


Today is Thaipusam. Thaipusam is a very big event here in Penang. I remember the chariot passing by my school on the eve and on the day after Thaipusam. Devotees would follow along the procession whilst others waited along the roadside waiting to pay homage to the Hindu God.

As a kid, I loved Thaipusam. I always found the processions fascinating and had always wished that my parents would bring me to the temple where the Kavadi bearers were pierced. Of course it never happened as my mum said it’ll be silly to be caught in the congestion and squeeze through the crowds.

When I moved to KL, I was surprised that people were not excited at Thaipusam as the Penangites. Nobody seemed to be bothered about it. Of course there’s the big celebration at Batu Caves but none of my KL friends were excited enough to check it out.

I had things to do today so I did not go and observe Thaipusam at the Waterfall Road but I wish to go the next year. I hope Leslie will be around by then to join me. I want to understand why it does not hurt when the Kavadi bearers are pierced, I understand the faith of the Hindus, to appreciate what others believe in.

Yes I am a curious cat.

(Ever wondered why all these piercing never left wounds?)

Happy Birthday Mummy

22nd January 08

Today, mum turns 72. Mum was 45 when I was born. I believe it must have been pretty challenging to carry a child at that age.

Today at 72, mum is papa’s best friend, his precious jewel, so precious that he cannot afford to loose her. Mum has gone through a lot actually. Today, her weak legs can’t carry her far, she has diabetes, high blood pressure, back problems…… despite all these, and she has persevered and tried her best to make sure that papa remains well.

Some interesting facts about mummy

• She never learned English at school but her vocabulary and grammar is grade A. Her only problem is her pronunciation.


• Mummy cannot quote the bible at all, but she can tell you about how much faith she has in God for everything that happens in life. She hardly uses the word luckily, she replaces it with “ with God’s blessings”


• Mummy never uses the recipe book, she just dumps everything in. She does that to cakes too.


• With only RM 600 per month, Mummy still managed to make sure that all her daughters finished school and received higher education.

I don’t really know what makes mummy happy but I cooked birthday mee for her. She requested for it yesterday so I went to the market this morning to get the ingredients. I can’t remember You Moh’s birthday mee ingredients but I tried to make it as similar as it was. Honestly, I was pretty much happy with its outcome, I think mummy was happy too.

I don't know what makes mummy happy but what makes me happy is to see her smile with satisfaction each time I do something right.

(Mummy and her birthday mee)

It's about CIKU

21st January 08

I love fruits. As usual, I’m always different from others and yes things that I usually go gaga over are not easily available. This is one of my favorite fruit. It’s called Ciku not Cikgu. (yeah when we were in school, we used to call our teachers Ciku whenever we felt naughty)

Ciku is a seasonal fruit and is not loved by everyone. Why? Because it has a sandy texture and sometimes the fruit produces latex that leaves your mouth sticky and sometimes the centre of the fruit may be bitter.

Despite all these, I still love ciku. It’s sweetness is indescribable and the satisfaction that I get each time I feast myself with this fruit is addictive, I crave for it whenever I think of Ciku.
My sister is fond of Ciku too and my neighbor is aware of it. That’s why she gave us one bag full of Cikus. My neighbor’s ciku tree produces one of the best cikus in town. Look at its size, it’s big and juicy and yummy.

About Ciku

• eat the fruit only when it’s ripe. It’s not like mango or papaya. Don’t expect it to taste like a jeruk when it’s raw, raw ciku taste horrible, trust me.
• A ciku is ripe when it’s a little bit soft. If the fruit is hard, leave it. Resist, patience will pay off. To help ciku ripen sooner, put it in the rice bucket. It helps.
• A ripe ciku is brown on the inside, if it’s greenish or creamy looking, that means the fruit is not ripe yet.
  
  

Attractive food.....yummy?

20 Jan 08

My sister had been away from Shawn and his dad for a week and she wanted to get them a gift. Walking up and down “Queensbay Mall” we had no idea of what to get Shawn. My sister had no plans to spoil her son with some expensive toy, all she wanted was to get him something simple, just enough to make the curious little boy happy.
Suddenly, we saw this rat.

“Do you think it’s plastic or is it a sweet?” I asked my sister.
“Don’t know lah, it looks like it can be eaten”
“I wonder how much is it? If I’m Shawn, I think I’ll be delighted to have a sweet like this”
My sister agreed.

There were three rats. The single rat costs RM 5, a bigger but more complicated looking rat cost RM 10 while a double rat cost RM 15. My sister asked for the RM 5 rat. And the man started to make the rat. Honestly, both of us were fascinated by the rat ourselves and we were curious how it was made, never in our life had we seen a sweet as interesting as this.

And so, our candy seller scooped some sticky candy from the box with a little stick, then, HE PUT THE CANDY IN HIS HAND, AND USED HIS BARE HANDS TO ROLL THE CANDY INTO A BALL. I stared at him, I was shocked. Did he even wash his hands I wonder? I looked at my sister; honestly, I didn’t think it would be a good idea for Shawn to even put the candy into his mouth.

It was not over yet. After he had formed the little candy ball, he pulled the candy, pulled the tip of the candy and PUT THE TIP INTO HIS MOUTH AND STARTED TO BLOW THE CANDY! Yes that was how that little RAT was formed. My jaw dropped open; I could see clearly that my sister was shocked to. We grinned at each other.

I guess our reaction made the candy maker loose his concentration, the crowed around his stall was getting bigger and he just wanted to get rid of both of us, he took the RM 15 candy on display and gave it to my sister, taking only RM 5 from her. We left as fast as we could, we could not hold our laugher anymore.

So, next time you see an attractive food, it’s good to imagine or at least know how it was made. I for sure would be a bit skeptical towards food that came from certain regions but I shan’t reveal what I think because I might be wrong and it will be unfair towards some people.
Anyway, one of the little rats did not survive the journey, it melted. Maybe because my sister pinched it hahaahahahaha.

In His Time

19 Jan 08

After spending yesterday evening with Shawn and his dad I headed back for Penang. I was actually scared. I had never driven alone all the way back from KL to Penang. I have driven long distance but had never done it alone; my longest journey alone was from Ipoh to KL.
I selected my favorite CD, tuned to my favorite station and headed to Penang. As I drove, many things came into my mind, “Jenn, how can you leave this place without solving things?” flashed into my mind again. I just could not get rid of it.
Suddenly, tears flowed from my eyes. I had no control over it. I did not know why either. Yes, I actually cried all the way from KL to Penang. As I approached Juru, the tears stopped. The radio played John Denver’s Annie’s Song. Suddenly, I felt joy, I felt peace, I could not describe the feeling. I could not understand why I cried neither can I explain my feelings but I guess it was an act of God. A healing process perhaps?
Of late, I’ve been troubled by many things, particularly in a friendship. I could not comprehend what was happening between us and it hurt me badly. I sense that I was loosing this friend of whom I loved so much. What hurt the most was that I could not reason out what went wrong. I became bitter and angry towards this friend. Interestingly enough, after those tears, my anger towards this friend just left. All the stress and tension just disappeared.
God really works in mysterious ways indeed and I began to hum the song “In His Time”

IN HIS TIME, IN HIS TIME
HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL IN HIS TIME
LORD, PLEASE SHOW ME EVERYDAY
AS YOU’RE TEACHING ME YOUR WAY
THAT YOU DO JUST WHAT YOU SAY
IN YOUR TIME

IN YOUR TIME, IN YOUR TIME
YOU MAKE ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL
IN YOUR TIME
LORD, MY LIFE TO YOU I BRING
MAY EACH SONG I HAVE TO SING
BE TO YOU A LOVELY THING
IN YOUR TIME

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

18 Jan 08



Today, I shifted out of Xavier Hall. I cannot deny that I dreaded for this day to come. I had loved Xavier Hall. It was my home for the past nine months. I felt so much at home in this place. Xavier Hall, a place with so much potential with so much to be experienced.

Slowly as I placed my very last box in the car, “Jenn, how can you leave this place without solving things?”

That question, or more of a comment pierced into my heart. I wished there was a perfect farewell for me at Xavier Hall but something had happened recently and that perfect farewell never took place. Definitely I was sad, I was hurt, I was bitter. Yet, I’m not giving up, I shall continue to try and solve what I left unfinished.

I bade my little brothers and sisters farewell, took their cutest shot, gave everyone a hug including my boss and waved them goodbye.

Finally, John Denver’s song became a reality; the only difference was that I left in WCN 2708 and not a jet plane. Room number 44 is vacant again.

(my little family at XHRC)

No charge for love

For my little sister......

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups. And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.
"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies"
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment.Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer."I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"
"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle."Here, Dolly!" he called.Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said,"You see sir, I don't run too well myself,and he will need someone who understands"

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.Holding it carefully handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love." The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

That's It! I'm Done!

That's it, I have cleared my things in the office and I'll be passing my office keys to Christina. 3 years in Campus Ministry. It has indeed been memorable for me. I have to thank Fr. Chris especially for being a caring boss throughout this 3 years and of course Christina for being so kind to me during my 3 years stay in ASAYO. I'm grateful to have worked with lovely colleugues namely Christina, Alvin, Laura,James, Sr. Retta, Sr. Evon, Theresa Moo, Jacky, Thomas and of course Kamala and have journeyed with very kind priests namely Frs Michael, George, Julian and Frederick.
It's been a pleasent 3 years indeed and to all the students I've journeyed with, thank you all for adding colors into my life. May our friendship continue to bloom and I sure hope that we shall be the Branches that Bears More Fruits!

Expressing myself

Expression has always been my major weakness. I fail to convey my feelings well. When I fail to hold my emotions, I end up being sacrastic in order to protect myself. Very often, I regret my actions but most of the time, I end up doing it again and again.

Jenn's current mood: Bittersweet

My apologies for my wicked remarks.

I feel loved

My phone rings.......

"Hello?"

"Hi Jenn! I'm at the student mass, thought I'll call you to ask how are you doing...."

"Haiyo, it takes a student mass for you to remember me ah?"

"No lah, suddenly just felt like calling you. So hows life? What are you doing now?"

"Surfing the net, going to mass later, so i guess you will be meeting me..."

"WHAT???? I thought you are in Penang!"

"I'm back here for the mass."

"Ghee...why did i bother to call? Waste my credit only...."

"Grin...hehehhehee..."

I was amused by the call. Actually I was happy to recieve the call. Happy to be remembered.

HAVE A NICE SUNDAY!

My papa

Papa retired from serving the government when I was only three years old. As a kid, I got to spend a lot of time with papa. Everywhere papa went, I tagged along. I was very much attached to him; he was actually my companion at home because mummy was too busy with the housework. Mummy was also fierce while papa was always easygoing so I usually opted to cling on to papa.

One of my daily routine with papa was to comb his hair. I loved it each time he finished his bath or woke up from his afternoon naps. Papa would sit at the edge of the bed in front of the mirror while I climbed on the bed to comb his hair, he was my doll. I took pride in decorating him. I took my own sweet time to play and comb his hair according to my choice of style and he would let me be (of course he would privately re-comb his hair if I did a bad job).

Years went by and I grew up. I stopped combing his hair. Yesterday afternoon, papa came out from his room. He looked frustrated. He had difficulty shaving. I looked at my aged papa. I wanted to be the little Jenny who used to comb his hair again but of course, my eighty year old papa did not have much hair on his head for me to comb anymore.

This morning, I offered to shave papa. He did not hesitate. I found his shaver, sat him down and shaved him. It was not easy actually, I tried my very best to be gentle, I did not want to cut him. After shaving him, I offered to trim his hair and he agreed. I gave papa a new look within half and hour. Once again, I took pride for the new look I gave my papa. He was satisfied, so was mummy. The satisfaction I had was pretty much similar to how I felt 20 ++ years ago, the only difference would be that little Jenny was no more that little and this time, I did not need papa to carry me down from the bed after I was done with his head.

(papa then when I was 3, papa and myself 2 days before his 80th Birthday)

I will look after you

10 Jan 08

I was leaving for Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon. While having breakfast, Papa asked me when I was coming back to Penang.

“Next week” I said.
His eyes opened wide “So fast?”
“Yes papa, I am coming back to stay with you”
“Oh that’s good. You should, I’ll be looking forward to that” He looked serious when he said that.
“How long will you be here?”
“Papa, I’m going to come back permanently to stay with you!”
“You mean you got transferred to come back?”
“No papa, I’m no more working in KL.”
“Oh, so you are no more working for the Church?”
“No papa, I have stopped working for the Church.”
“It’s ok, don’t worry about that.

I did not know what to respond. I was not worried about not working for the Church actually; I was more worried that I did not have a job and income.

“So have you found a job?”
“I don’t know papa, we’ll see when I come back”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

I looked at papa, I was confused actually.

“Don’t worry about getting a job. Take your time. I have enough money to support you. I am very happy that you are coming back to stay, I look forward to that.”

Papa has Alzheimer but I think he was serious with his words this time. My papa has always been a man of few words. Rarely expressing himself, though he has his own wishes and expectations, he usually kept it to himself.

Since he had Alzheimer, he has aged a lot. He has expressed two things which have touched me deeply. The first thing would be how precious mummy is to him, he has always mentioned that he would have been buried by now if it was not for mummy and that he is grateful that mummy has been with him all this while. The second thing is his desire to see us visit him more often. “Come more often” he would say each time we bade him goodbye.

Sometimes I wished papa had expressed himself more. I rarely put in much effort when it came to papa because I thought he never cared butI guess he did care, he only never mentioned.

Foolish me

I sit
I wait
I wish
I hope
I dream

I want
I crave
I desire
I yearn
I long

Foolish me

Why

I am hurt and sad

You are afraid,
You are avoiding me.

Why are you doing this?
To me
To yourself
I cannot understand.

You are running away
You think you are happier that way
I see your mask
I see your fear

I can’t do much but only pray
I pray you’d stop running
I hope to see your true happy face again

Will you be my friend?
Will you just let me be your friend?

I miss you dear friend.

I'll be home for Christmas

22nd Dec 07

Today, I’m leaving for Penang. I’m shifting the majority of my things today. Though I’ll be back soon, many have started to give me farewell gifts. Some big, some small but all are precious to me.

I’ve been working for three years with the students. They come, they go. Some bid farewell before they leave while others don’t. For those three years, I was the one who bade farewell to them. This time, it was different. It was them who bade farewell to me and indeed I’m touched by their gestures. Some have given me really lovely cards while others have sent me very touching smses. Reading those lovely messages, I strongly believe that my three years with the ministry was worth it.

Today, I received four very touching gifts. The first gift was a little goodie bag filled with a Christmas tree, a little keychain and finally toothpaste and toothbrush. Yes it was a gift from one of the dental students. The second gift was handed by the dental students of XHRC and Pris. It was a Jamie Oliver recipe book. Tears almost flowed out when I opened the gift. It was the prefect gift. I had always wanted to buy it but could not afford it. Little did I expect it to be eventually a gift from these students. My third gift of the day was also a recipe book on Indian Cuisine from my boss. I also loved that book and my final gift came from my lil monster. She gave me a little note book with bible quotations, for me to write my recipes in. Though my stay in XHRC was only half a year, I guess memories of this place will be carried along with me for many more years to come.

I leave this place with fond memories yet there is one regret. My departure has actually damaged my relationship with someone who is very dear to me. As the day of my departure drew nearer, this person avoids me more and the cut in my heart becomes deeper. What has happened between this person and myself hurts me a lot. I wished to spend more time with her before I leave but it has instead turned otherwise. I wish my journey over here did not have to end this way. I wish I knew too why she behaved this way. If it was a mode of self protection then I wonder why she had to do that. Would it not be better to cherish the present, to live the very best out of it?

Nevertheless, I’m grateful to all those who have made a difference in my life, for those beautiful and kind words written and said to me……I appreciate them all.

Expecting a Surprise

Expecting a Surprise

Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect it can we see, hear, or feel it when it comes to us. Let's not be afraid to receive each day's surprise, whether it comes to us as sorrow or as joy. It will open a new place in our hearts, a place where we can welcome new friends and celebrate more fully our shared humanity.

Henri Nouwen

I'm home in Penang, am abit handicap without my computer. Inspirations came but did not have the computer with me, so have not been writing much for this blog. Neverthless....

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Christmas five days away......

Give Love on Christmas Day

People making lists, buying special gifts,

It's a time to be kind to one and all

It's that time of year when good friends are dear

And you wish you could give more

Than just presents from a store

Why don't you give love on Christmas day [on Christmas day]

Oh even the man who has everything

Would be so happy if you would bring

Him love on Christmas day [on Christmas day]

No greater gift is there than love

People you don't know smiling out hello

Everywhere there's an air of Christmas joy

It's that once a year, when the world's sincere

And you'd like to find a way

To show the things that words can't say

Why don't you give love on Christmas day [on Christmas day]

The man on the street and the couple upstairs

All need to know that there's one cares

Give love on Christmas day [Christmas day]

No greater gift is there than love

What the world needs is love

Yes the world needs your love

Why don't you give love on Christmas day [on Christmas Day]

Oh every little child on Santa's knee

Has room for your love underneath his tree

Give love on Christmas day [Christmas day]

No greater gift is there than love

What the world needs is love

Yes the world needs your love

Give love on Christmas day [Christmas day] ...

Her confirmation name is Ann, today she celebrates her 23rd Birthday. This girl, I got to know since I moved into Xavier Hall. She is a very nice and sweet girl to have as a friend. No doubt, there are certain things in her that I can’t stand but I guess the positive attitude that she has towards others overpowers her negative points.

I like her yet words can’t describe why. It just feels so comfortable to be with her. I feel secure and cared for every time I’m with her. Thank you Ms. Yap for being such a lovely friend, thank you for sharing your bayam soups with me and of course for loaning me your bike. May our friendship continue to bloom in our little glutton’s paradise where the pearl of the orient is.

Happy Birthday my dear Ms Yap, may God bless you abundantly with many more happy years to come.

(Ms Yap with all the nice people in XHRC)

Angry me

If you like to menumpang only,
You are not invited into my life
I don’t mind doing you favors
But it has to be because I want to.

If you are my friend
Only because you see me useful,
Don’t come near me.
I am not user friendly

I am your friend because I really want to
I help you because I love you
I stand by you because I am willing to
And I’d go out of the way because you are my friend.

But if you think I’m instant,
Convenient, easy to use and economical,
Bug off then you parasite.
I’m not strong enough to be gracious……

I needed space, I had to let it out or it would be eating into me. So, I wrote this. I felt used. I thought it was friendship but suddenly I realized that I was a friend because I could provide all the benefits that that person needed. I’m exhausted from being a superwoman. The simple and easygoing Jenn who would tolerate with any kind of nonsense.

I wished I had.....

I was abit moody a few days ago, some things had been eating into me. I snapped. All I could think of that particular person was negative. I did not know how to respond to the person. I felt that I was being taken for granted. I had expectations which was not met. And so, I snapped and reacted, I was harsh and I guess I cut the person deep with my words. Each time I sent a harsh message to the other person, I felt good, I felt satisfied and the person did not argue back.

I woke up the very next day, feeling lousy and ashamed. Ashamed of my behaviour, ashamed of my actions. I wish I had not used those hurtful words, I wish I had not been so direct. I'm in pain right now. I have not seen the person since I sent those nasty smses. I tried to apologize but the responses I got has been pretty polite ones. I've done it again. I should not have done it but I did it.

Am I going to be forgiven? I don't know. The point that I've hurt someone's feelings hurt me and the point that I'm not forgiven hurts me deeply too.

(Penang)

Why Celebrate Birthdays?

Today we had a mini celebration for the December born babies in the house. Some people opted not to come. One resident messaged me saying that she was not joining the rest and she does not care of what others will think of her. She is just worried that I will get mad if she did not come.

Why do we celebrate people’s birthday? Why do we go for people’s birthday party? Personally for me, whenever I go for a birthday celebration, it is because I love that particular friend and I want to celebrate his / her birthday. And I will put in effort to give that person my birthday wishes, may it be in a form of gift, cake or card. I will buy the best gift, the best cake or the best card for the person. I will not get things for my friend because it is convenient or just because I have to because I do not want to disappoint my friend, or because I have a reputation to maintain.

If I have no feelings towards that person, I don’t see the reason why I should celebrate their birthday. For me, celebrating one’s birthday is an expression of our love and concern towards that person, a birthday celebration is not for show. It would be hypocritical if a birthday celebration is organized because there was an expectation for it to be organized and not because we ourselves wanted to do it.

Was I mad with those who did not join in the celebration? Perhaps they did not know their housemates well enough to want to care, to share and to celebrate. ….indeed, it is such a shame, but it is also a personal choice, we can’t change it, we can only influence. I was not mad, I was disappointed, yes. I was sad.

Who is saved?

I was having a conversation with somebody. She shared that she was glad to be a Christian, being a Christian has thought her to see more in life. As a Christian, she realizes that there’s so much more to do in life. Our conversation continued and somehow we came to this topic of whether non believers were saved.

If you do not believe in Christ, will you still be saved? To me, God created the world and loved everything that He created. When the world was in darkness and beyond redemption, He sent Christ to be with us, to change the world and to bring us salvation and hope. Christ came for all, He died on the cross for every man may it be believer or non believer. All man was called to one and the same destiny, of which is divine.

My understanding of God is that He is ever forgiving and because of that, He would not forsake any creature that He created. I believe that every person who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance to their understanding of it will be saved. To me, the sin is greater when a person claims to be a believer of Christ and yet behave unruly and ruins the peace, hope and love within society. If only those who believe in Christ are saved, then what happens to unbaptized children and infants who die before they are baptized? It would be very cruel for God to not accept them into His kingdom right?

Even though I believe that salvation is for non believers too, I think baptism and conversion is still very much necessary. Baptism is God’s grace and it is through baptism that we are renewed. Baptism brings us closer to God. As believers, we are thought to live in accordance to the scriptures, through our practice of faith plus regular prayers, we are brought closer to God......so will non believers be saved? In my opinion, yes and I am happy to be a Christian because my faith has brought me closer to Him, to be aware of His presence in my life.

(Ever wondered what happens to us when we die?)

A little western Christmas Joke to share..........western because no snow here in Malaysia mah....

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Dabai anyone?

The Fruit
The Seed
Within the seed

This is Dabai, I first tasted dabai this Chinese New Year when I was in Sarawak. I did not really appreciate it initially but as I took more of it, I acquired a liking towards it. Dabai is only found in Sarawak, particularly in Sibu. According to an article, the dabai tree is planted mostly along the Rejang River. Some people describe Dabai as the Sarawakian Olive. I can’t really commend on that as I have yet to taste the real fresh olive but I do believe that there is some truth in it.

Dabai has a unique taste, like durian, you either love it or hate it. The flesh is lemak (creamy) and yes I think it is fattening. For most people, the best part of the fruit lies in the seed. The seed is like a nut, you need to crack it to eat it’s content and it’s simply delicious. The only setback is that the seed is pretty hard to crack, therefore patience is needed.

Like nuts, every mouth of dabai is precious to me. Firstly, it’s only found in Sarawak therefore it’s very rare for us here in Peninsular and secondly, it’s seasonal, therefore I will only get to eat the fruit if I go to Sarawak at the right time of the year.

Thanks to Siaw Wee, I got to taste dabai again hahaha

Anger Management Needed....

Somebody was angry at me, and she refused to talk to me. I was unaware that she was angry at me, I only felt that she was behaving weirdly, never had I suspected that the culprit was me.

Her friend told me why she was angry at me; I was shock to know the reason. I thought only primary school girls had such tempers. I could not believe my ears. I had no reason to feel sorry or guilty for making her angry as I did not see myself doing anything wrong. Even her clique of friends laugh at her reason yet she stays firm with her decision to be angry.

Her anger towards me has grown to be stronger. She rebels against me and it hurts. I don’t know how to respond. I love her, but I’m hurt. Her rebellious ways is like a disease, it is eating into others and I have to put a stop to it. How am I going to do it? I really don’t know…..pride and stubbornness, one of the most challenging characteristics to deal with.

When two or three are gathered.....

I have mixed feelings over tonight’s dinner. I roasted a chicken tonight together with the usual potato and green peas with salad. My main dish, the chicken was not as tasty as I expected it to be. Perhaps I did not put enough “kayu manis” that’s why it was not good enough.

Nevertheless, I found today’s dinner pretty much significant. My guests were students from different cliques and they came together as one to enjoy this meal. There was Isaac, a student whom I got to know better when Cibol was the KLCC President, then there was Raphael, the backbone behind CSS Uniten, a very old friend of mine since CSS days, there was Fiona, the present KLCC president, Dora my ex-housemate and CSSUPM member, Siaw Wee XHRC resident and of course Marcos also XHRC resident from Myanmar. Though everyone did not know everyone too well, we managed to enjoy each other’s company and our meal lasted for 1 ½ hours.

Food was not great but company was wonderful, and I was a happy girl alright. I guess these are the things I’m gonna miss when I go back to Penang.

(My guests for dinner and the menu)

Lets Bake It!

I am still coughing, I don’t like it, it hurts my throat and it’s definitely very irritating to cough a lot. My consolation is that I got an oven. Leslie took it from home for me to use. So yesterday Isaac (my baking partner) and I decided to bake cakes. He baked a Chocolate Cake of which we named “Shitty Shit” and I baked “Sugee Suzy”. It was actually a pretty tiring evening for both of us as we had a long day with the CSS MSU+PTPL students.

Isaac’s “Shitty Shit” was not too difficult to bake as he bought the instant cake mix from the supermarket. It was so easy to prepare. All he had to do was to add eggs into the cake mix and mix it well. He did it so quickly that I did not even get to see him do it.

While we waited for his cake to bake in the oven, I did “Sugee Suzy”. Sugee Suzy needed a lot more effort. 1stly, we had to weigh the ingredients, then to cream the butter, sugar and sugee before we left it to stand for one hour. While waiting, I got Fiona to beat the egg whites till it was stiff (it was definitely not easy so much so that I think Fiona will think twice before she tries to bake). After that, we added the egg whites, with egg yolks, brandy (yes the essential ingredient), flour and vanilla.

We finished baking at nearly 12 midnight. Isaac’s “shitty shit” tasted not too bad. I have yet to taste Sugee Suzy but I suspect it’s a little bit too sweet. Anyway, Sugee Suzy has been given to Suzy (yes I named the cake after her), Isaac and Carol as Christmas present I hope they like it.

(Isaac drooling over his invention and "Sugee Suzy")

Tip..tap..tay

It’s been raining all day
I sit and listen to the raindrops fall
Tip…tap…tay…tip…tap…tay
I wondered if you’d call.

I miss you
I miss your presence
I miss your voice
I miss you being here

It’s still raining
Raindrops still falling
Tip…tap…tay…tip…tap…tay
Will you call?
I hope you will

Going nuts

I go crazy over nuts and only those who know me well will know it. If you want me to like a fruit cake, it must have nuts, chocolates with nuts makes me happy, cakes with lots of almonds satisfy me and oh yes, ice creams with nutty toppings delights me.

My only problem is that, this nut business is a little bit expensive to maintain. The average price for a packet of 120gram mixed nuts is around RM 7.50. And because of this, I need to abstain from eating it. Every bite that I get on a nut becomes so precious.

Leslie knows that I love nuts though he might not understand why. Each time we do grocery shopping, I’ll go to the nut section to check out the price, hoping for some special promotion to take place.

This morning, when he came over, he handed me a very unattractive plastic bag. I asked him what it was and he said it was food lorr. When I opened it, I could not believe my eyes, 2 packets of mixed nuts, just for me. HE BOUGHT ME NUTS! Leslie bought me nuts! Unbelievable, ghee…I feel loved…….I am still sick, but I could not resist it, I’ve opened one packet already and yes, I’m rationing my intake of these nuts, so that I won’t finish them too soon. Hahahaha!

Now how do I like my nuts? Well….firstly, I like it pure, unsalted and FRESH! I also like nuts that are still unopened, still in it’s shell. Cracking nuts and eating it with some good company is definitely a great way to pastime.

(Just for me hehehehehe)

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Eeeeyeeerrrrrr

I am sick, was the BBQ the culprit? Well I doubt it. It all started with sore throat on Tuesday, followed by a slight hint of fever on Wednesday. I did not really bother to do anything about it as I thought it was not serious. On Thursday, I realized that I was really getting sick; I felt dizzy on my way to work and did not have the appetite to eat anything. In the evenings around 6pm, I’ll have some rashes on my arms and legs and I found it simply disturbing, especially to have the rashes. So this morning, I decided to go to the doctor, reasons were simple, I was very much disturbed by the rashes and I did not want to spend the last few weeks in KL sick.
The doctor gave me the usual medication and I went back home. She told me that the rash I had was due to heat, nothing to worry about. I tried to rest but could not, so I decided to settle some unfinished paperwork, much to my horror, red spots (not so little this time) begin to appear on my arms. Red spots all over my body …… eyeeerrrr …….. geli …….. wild thoughts rushed into my head, what the hell is this? Am I getting Chicken pox? Measles? ....Monster used to tease me that I had the rashes because I was dirty and or because I’m having STD and it irritates me, to think that I’m dirty.

I rushed myself to the clinic, went to the doctor to show her my rashes. She smiled and gave me assurance that it’s just a common rash, probably because I was exposed to something that I was allergic to. I’m still having that rash and I find it so irritating….lets pray that it disappears by this evening. Other then the rashes, I feel perfectly normal except for the flu that I’m having. Please let me get well fast, there’s so much I want to do before 20th December!

(my disgusting rash)

Neighbours

Fleeeng....fleeeing.....fleeeeg.......the sound of blades hitting the concrete woke me up this morning. I looked out my window and I saw our neighbour sharpening her chopper in the garden.

Though I was a bit annoyed that the noise she made woke me up, I felt at home. The lady reminded me of my mom. Like that lady, my mom used to sharpen her kitchen knifes in the garden, and yes she did make those annoying noise. I have never communicated with this neighbour across the street but I am happy that they are my neighbour. They remind me of my family and yes the aroma that comes from their kitchen really makes me think of home

All of a sudden, I miss home......I miss my neighbourhood.......

(our lady neighbour in action)

Leaving KL

Br. Sebastian had insisted that he should take me out for a meal before I leave. So last night, we went out for a meal together, just the two of us. We went to "South Pacific" a chinese shop in PJ New Town. Brother told me to order whatever I wanted but I opted for their signature dish which was the "Seafood Yee Mee" and it was muy rica, Brother himself was surprised that it tasted so good. His appetite was good and we ordered another plate of noodle, "fried glass noodle" which was also tasty. After dinner, Brother insisted that we go for dessert, so we ended up having A & W Float.

It was a pretty pleasant outing for me and I thought it was a very sweet gesture for him to bring me out. I feel being loved and I thank Brother for making my evening delightful in the most simplest way.

I'll be leaving KL soon in 2 weeks time. I'm going home for Christmas and won't be coming back to stay in KL anymore. I am looking forward to going back home though i cannot deny that I am going to miss many things in KL especially friends.

Having stayed in KL since 2001, KL has become my home. Most of my close friends live in KL and i really wonder if I'm going to be bored when i go back to Penang. I cannot deny that I'm scared of what lies ahead for me in Penang. I'm uncertain about my future and my career, dreaming is easy but making my dream come true is going to be pretty much challenging. I'm hoping for the best when I return to my family and I really do need change my ways if I want to have a bright future. Pray that I will do the right things in life.

(my farewell cake at ASAYO)

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Pain

A very dear friend of mine was in town tonight. It has been sometime since I last saw this friend whom I miss very much. I had looked forward to meeting this friend, but timing was just not right. I was occupied with something else, helping another friend out.

I don’t know if my friend was expecting to see me, neither would I know if this friend was disappointed as much as I was for not meeting up. I’m just feeling sad tonight because I missed meeting this friend. I could have met this friend if I had put in a little extra effort to manage my time but I did not. I assumed that time would wait and that I could steal an opportunity or two to catch up with this dear friend. My assumption failed me and I did not manage to meet my friend and I am disappointed. I am frustrated with myself that I did not appreciate the opportunities that I had. I never learn from my past mistakes and I always take things for granted. I procrastinate, confident that time and opportunities will always wait for me. I do care very much for my friend, but my bad habits overwhelm me. I succumb to procrastination just because I don’t feel like doing it at this moment and at this hour because I am not in the mood, sometimes because the task is challenging and I want to avoid it, sometimes its because I need to protect my pride therefore I choose to procrastinate.

Today, I missed the boat and I’m sad. My time is limited, every hour is precious and yet I wasted an opportunity tonight. My heart aches.

Happy Birthday

Today my friend celebrates her 22nd Birthday. I’ve only known her for like seven months and yet she is like a little sister to me. I am happy when she is around and dearly misses her in her absence.

It’s amusing how we can get along when our personalities are different. She likes those noisy praise and worship and boy band songs but I can’t seem to appreciate it. She has the ability to buy the whole Mid Valley back home but I can’t. I appreciate literature but she has no patience with it, I love oldies and sentimental songs but those things bore her terribly, I like meat but she likes vegetables more.

Even so, ironically, when we are together, we talk about almost everything that is under the sun. I guess I enjoy her company because of her honesty. She complains when she wants to. Nobody tells me that I’m long winded but she does, nobody tells me that my choice of music is dull but she does, nobody tells me that I’m boring but she does. And I appreciate her for her honesty because she helps me to see life in a different perspective. She helps me to understand her (though it’s really not easy).

Dear Ms Hong, thank you so much for your friendship, thank you for touching my life, thank you for the breakfasts (lovely sandwiches) and dinners (especially pastas) you shared with me, thank you for listening to me even though sometimes you don’t understand what I’m going through, thank you for being yourself when you are with me, and most of all, thank you for visiting in the evenings, for being a brat, a pests and a little sister.

Some people come into our lives for a reason and some for a season, I wonder which one are you.

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship.
It is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when she discovers that someone else believes in her and is willing to trust her with her friendship

~Emerson~

(Miss Hong, Isaac and myself having a funny time)