PASSION

Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes and I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

CNY 2012


2012, January.
The Dragon came down to earth.
And all Chinese in the world,
cried out cheerfully to each other...
Happy Chinese New Year!
It's finally another CNY.
And for me, CNY means...
Eat! Eat! Eat!
Every day, 
friends and family
will spent time together,
at a round table,
with delicious food.
I was very privileged
to enjoy luncheon and dinner 
with them in many restaurants.
And of course, the food there was
simply delicious!
Pork! Chicken! Duck!
Vege! Mushroom! Soup!
Fish! Shark Fins! Prawn!
YUMMY!!! <3
So.... let's dig in people!
Hahaha! Grab your chopsticks 
and get digging!
No scraps for late people!
Hahahah!

***
This CNY, I have an exception
from the NS camp,
around 6 days,
to celebrate CNY.
And within this CNY,
I have tried my best to enjoy
to the fullest,
asked my friends out
and had a great time.
We spent the whole morning in
Jusco Bukit Tinggi.
We had an early luncheon in 
Pastamania.
Hahahaha! They finally surrendered
to me as I finished up all their last bits
of cheese dishes!!!
I just love Cheese!!!
Before we say Good-bye,
we finally say 'Cheese!' in front
of a cute dragon! 
Oh right, it's the Dragon Year!
Happy CNY guys!

Along the way, we brought birthday presents 
to my friend and my sister.
Supposed my birthday present
should be given to me,
(my birthday is in January,
during 2012 CNY)
But since I'll be off to 
NS camp some time later,
I rather choose my birthday gift,
after my NS.
So... my friends,
YOU OWE ME A GIFT!
Hahahaha!
But first, I'll wish my friend
a happy birthday!
FYI, he got his first birthday gift 
from his friends, that's us!
And we should celebrate it!!!
Look at him, he looks so happy!!! XD

***
Look at me!!
I was like a star!
Everyone wanted to take a photo!
All because I cut away my hair!
Ya... this is called the army-hairstyle.
Yeap, my NS camp requires this hairstyle.
I am not so sure if this hairstyle suits me.
What do you think?
But first, do make sure you know
which is me. I'm the middle one.
Haha!
Anyway, these two beside me 
are one of my best friends
since young!
By the way, that's us in a house.
Guess what, we went to wish happy CNY.
We Chinese call it bai nian. (拜年)
Of course, we received many 
many many ang pau!
You know what I love about CNY?
You get free money in a red packet,
just by simply telling wishes of CNY!
Great isn't?
Why, I would love to suggest,
to find a Chinese friend,
and celebrate CNY together,
so you can not only eat delicious feast,
have fun time together with friends,
but you can have free money! $$
Enjoy the celebration!
Happy CNY to all people!
Ciao!







(To all readers, note that I'll be off to National Service Camp
for 2 more months. So, there will be no stories shared. Thanks for reading.)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Chinese New Year, The Pride of the Dragon People!


给我世界的华人朋友们,
春节快乐!
一瞬间,兔年已过去了。
龙年的今年,夹道!
在我写部落格这么久,
我很少写华文的故事。
我都不知道是否我的华文
是及格,过关还是幼稚呢?
各位,如果你认为我的华语
配不上你的标准,那我要抱歉哦!
*
身为华人的我,
我觉得是个必须来为各位
华族 拜个年!

新年快乐!
 恭喜发财!
万事如意!
身体健康!
心想事成!
龙年行大运!

坦白说,我对华人新年的传统习俗
很陌生。
我认为,对新世纪的华人,
这些传统的习俗是个挑战。
在追随世界的进步,
我们的脚步不得不快。
因此,有一些华人就宁愿
少做这些习俗。
比如,华人常常会
捞生。
信不信由你,
但在我活了十八年内,
今天还是我第一次 捞生 呢!
哈哈! 明白了吗?
*
很多人会问我,
“咦? 你不是基督徒吗?
你有庆祝华人新年?”
我就会回答说
“我虽是个基督徒,
但我是个华人啊!
我仍然是龙的传人啊!”
我为我自己骄傲!
我为华人骄傲!
我为我的根骄傲!
*
各位华人,虽然我不是孔子,
也不是什么孟子,
不会写诗,
也不会朗诵,
但我要说出我的心声。
让我们在这庆典之中,
不时地提醒自己,
别忘了自己的根,
要常常记得我门是华人,
是龙的传人。
我们,黄皮肤,黑头发,
应为我们自己感到骄傲,
感到荣耀。
华族! 再次祝贺各位
新年快乐!
谢谢! 



****
(Translation)

To all my Chinese friends 
throughout the globe,
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
In the blink of an eye, the year of Rabbit 
had left us with now, the year of the Dragon.
All these while, in my blogging history,
I have rarely written any story of mine
in Chinese language.
And for that, I would not know
if my Chinese language got a Pass
of a Fail.
I here by sincerely apologize if my 
Chinese language is not as good as you expected.
*
As Chinese, I had in mind,
that it is a must for me, 
to wish all Chinese people,
a very Happy Chinese New Year!
May you have a blessed year,
a great prosperity,
a smooth journey,
a sound health,
and good luck in this dragon year!

Honestly, I have little knowledge 
about the Chinese tradition of 
Chinese New Year.
To me, it is a challenge to catch up
all tradition of the Chinese New Year.
As the world grows exceedingly fast towards modern,
we cannot lose our footsteps with it.
And for the reason of being too busy in this race,
many of us Chinese have decided to cut down
on much of the tradition of this celebration.
For example, lao sheng.
Believe it or not, 
in my eighteen years,
this year had been my first time
to lao sheng!


 (an example of my friends and family and I doing 'lao sheng'
**I'm the one with the super short hair at the right side XD)
*
Friends of mine usually ask me,
"hey man, you're a Christian,
and you're celebrating 
Chinese New Year?"
And my answer would be the same every year.
"Friends, I may be a Christian,
but do not forget, 
I am Chinese too!"
And Chinese celebrates Chinese New Year.
There is nothing wrong with that, right?
For that, I am proud of myself,
proud of the Chinese
and proud of my root as a Chinese!
*
Lastly, to all Chinese people out there,
I may not be those famous Chinese poets,
and I don't write famous Chinese poems,
but let me tell you something.
Take this celebration,
as a reminder for every one of us,
that we should not forget our roots,
and that is we are all Chinese,
the descendants of the Dragon.
Yellow skin, black hair,
and as Chinese as we are,
we should be proud of ourselves.
Dear all Chinese, 
Happy Chinese New Year!
Thank you!












Chinese New Year Eve: Simple but Warm


A little pinch of salt,
add with some seasoning,
a kiss of love
and a punch of care,
have given us the food,
the strength and the energy,
to continue our life,
with health and a sound mind.
That's my Mum,
who have worked hard for us,
in the past decade.
*
2012 is no exception.
The Chinese New Year Eve dinner
is nothing but a must in 
the Chinese tradition.
The ''coming home'' concept
of CNY eve's dinner
is still not in a great impact to our family,
as we have our dinner together 
almost everytime.
Many Chinese tried to prepare this dinner
as big as possible,
as costly as it can be,
and as delicious it is.
But the quality of the food is not our purpose 
of this CNY eve dinner,
but the REASON we have this 
very dinner in the CNY eve's evening.
Mum had nicely prepared a simple dinner.
Nothing fancy, she admitted.
But to us, it was more than satisfying.
It had been supplying us the need we have,
throughout our entire life 'till now,
and it have given us good health.
What more can we ask?
*
Simple but Warm.
I hope for a simple life.
Yet, a life full with the love of family,
the warm relationship with my friends,
and the good way I will be going on this year.
The dragon is a year, that will bring happiness to all.
But, no matter how lucky we are, 
there's still room for us 
to work for our successes.
There's nothing free in this world.
I want a simple life,
with a simple dream.
Sometimes, simple is nice.
Warm in heart, 
in health and 
in the things we do.
*
As we eat our simple but warm food,
I thank the good Lord who have preserve us
in the last year, and I hope for the best
in the year to come.
Although we have a simple life,
but make sure, 
it is as warm as the fire
in our hearts.
Happy Chinese New Year 
to all my Chinese friends in the world!
新春快乐!






Sunday, January 22, 2012

PLKN DAYS #4; 2 Weeks, 2 Lessons

PLKN DAYS #4;
This is the story of me, 
learning two big things,
within these 2 weeks of NS camp.
**
The day I stepped into NS camp Paya Indah,
it had been two whole weeks.
Yes, in these 14 days, there had been many 
many challenges, emotions changes and feelings.
Complicated yet inspiring,
I realized that all these times at home,
I was nothing more but like a king.
And now, I am learning to be a human.
A human that can survive in the outside world.

APPRECIATE EVEN THE SMALLEST THINGS

That's my first lesson.
Yes, so many rules and regulations 
that are entangling us in the camp.
So, when you were given
even a tiny bitsy of mercy,
seconds of grace period,
loosen the punishment a little,
letting go a strand of stress off,
makes you breath... less stress.
And that's what I thank God for.
For example, 
our practice of the marching.
Under the hottest sun in the afternoon,
even a 5-minutes break 
will give us a break to smile.
As comparison to my life back there,
I think I took for granted of ...
well, almost everything.
At home, I did not need to queue for meals.
Instead, my mother was the one who,
would eventually keep on calling us to enjoy our 
lovely and warm dinner.
But in NS camp, no way man.
You don't get call for dinner;
you got to get to the canteen on time,
or you'll go hungry!
You don't get to sit down straight away 
with your delicious food on your table,
all well served.
You have to make a bee line 
just to have that miserable dinner.
Needless to say, the food there will never
I mean NEVER 
can match the feast I had at home.

HOME IS ALWAYS THE BEST

So, what's keeping me all the way?
Well, I'll tell you.
And that's the God's word that are
upholding me all the way,
giving me strength to overcome 
all these... challenges.

In Romans 8:28,
''And we know that all things work together for good 
to them that love God, 
to them who are the called according to his purpose.''

That's why, I see this as my Lord's purpose for me.
And I know all things will work well, eventually.
And that's when I can properly... smile.

*

WITH CHRIST IN THE VESSEL
WE CAN SMILE IN THE STORM

 PLKN, or NS, is likely,
a storm in my life.
 I'm the vessel, and 
hallelujah, Jesus Christ is with me!
Jesus is with me, always
because His name is Immanuel. 
And because of that,
I can smile in the vessel in the storm.
I had learned to slowly enjoy
and see the bright side of everything.
Just like in reality,
there will always be ups and downs.
And at every trials and difficulties,
we must inclined our trust to the One
who created the Heavens and the Earth,
and once died for us for our salvation.
Yes, the Lord is my strength,
and the Lord is my refuge.
With Him, all things are possible.
Thus, as fragile as humans could be,
we should always cast all our worries to him.
1 Peter 5:7,
''Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

And with that, Lord Jesus Christ leave us
with a promise to all mankind.
That whoever needs Him, 
and desire to cast their care upon Him,
they can do it whenever and where ever.
That's because Jesus never leave us.
Matthew 28:20,
''... I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen''

Thus, I am never alone.
Never.
And so are you, my friend.

=D









 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

PLKN DAYS #3; My First Dream In Camp



PLKN DAYS #3
For two weeks, I have no dream.
At the fourteenth day in camp, 
I finally... dream.
**
Since day one, I haven't been able to dream.
NS camp was very tiring.
Only 5 words to describe me;
Confuse
Unease
Depress
Fear
Unacceptable

See? I was constantly in turmoil.
Trying so hard to find the balance point
of peace and happiness.
As lonely as I was,
I kept on reading the Bible,
finding peace and comfort from my Jesus.

Then, came along the news of Chinese New Year Break
for all trainees of PLKN.
Only five days!
That's because, we were forced to return by the third day of CNY.
That's not even close to satisfaction!
And all these while, what's keeping me going on,
is the plan I made with my brother,
to have a sleep over at his place
this holidays.
And that's what dream was about.
* dream *
I was in a mansion. 500 housekeepers and maids greeted me.
I could not see their faces clearly, just figures of them.
Then, I went up stairs. The fleet of huge stairs was beautifully adorned.
As I walked up to the first floor, I turned around and looked around. 
Desperately, I was searching for my brother. "where's he?" 
He's the one who invited me, and he should be here to greet me.
But were was he? He was no where to be found among the crowds.
I stopped my footsteps in front of a huge door leading to somewhere.
I pushed open with both of my hands. Gosh, they were heavy!
Made of metal, steel and gold lining, the door lead me to a large room.
Still thinking that my brother will be among the crowds, I looked back.
As I walked backwards into the room, I hit something; or someone.
Quickly, I saw an angry looking woman as I looked behind. 
Her face contorted to a weird looking, scary expression that indicates
that she was extremely fed up and angry. Oh my God!
Is that his mother? What's this place? Is my brother the family of the mafia?
Since I haven't meet his family, I just made a wild guess.
She snared at me, and I fell down the stairs, and WOOP!
 *I woke up. It was 7.30am. *
My first dream, of my going to my brother's house for sleep over.
Awesome! But wait!
Why was my dream... a negative side? 
Shouldn't it be a happy ending?
Is this some kind of ... vision 
to tell me that,
my holidays will not be as good
as I had planned???







PLKN DAYS #2; Help Me, O Lord

PLKN DAYS #2
This was what my heart says
in the first few days in NS camp.
*
Help me, O Lord.
Save me, O God.
My heart is in pain,
and my soul is in turmoil.
I'm in this dessert.
Admist strangers.
Among the people of the world.

There's no peace, at all.
There's no room for joy.
There isn't a trace of love.
Only sounds of rules,
regulations,
rules
and regulations.
Then come fear,
scolding, yelling.
It's hot, it's stressful, 
and it's tough.
All these, made me stand
on the edge of cliff.
I am so near
of giving up.
It is insane in here.
A total turn about from my life.

Every time I think of this,
I cry.
Tears flow in my heart.
Scream heard within me.
O God, you're the only one 
that can hear me, you know that?
Jesus Christ, my Lord, 
where are you?
***
Mummy called, comforted and calmed.
Through her, Jesus called, comforted and calmed me.
He told me,
And we know that all things work together for good 
to them that love God, 
to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

I sucked it in. 
But still, I feel nothing more
like a prison.
I'm like a prisoner.
Not physically,
but mentally.
I am still,
spiritually and mentally,
not accepting the fact
that I was chosen to NS,
although my flesh is here in camp.
My mind,
is locked in a cage,
stuck in a bog.
I could not escape.
My hands are cuffed,
and my legs are chained.

My God, my God,
please, do not leave me,
nor forsake me.
Be with me always,
and that I will obey your call.
For all things work together for good,
to those who obey you, my Lord.
Amen.






PLKN DAYS #1; My First Feeling


PLKN DAYS #1
This is how I felt when I first got in.
*
I thought it'll be okay;
but I was wrong.
So very very wrong.
I smile to keep my sadness away,
I laugh to hide my disappointment.
I cannot, once, comprehend;
WHY ON EARTH AM I HERE?
What sin have I done
to make me wonder in this place?
What had I done
that I deserve all these sufferings?
Is there, really,
any good in here, in PLKN?
Is this what they all called
THE BLESSING IN DISGUISE?

Positive I am for all reasons,
pushing myself to the limit,
making me stand in the crossroads;
What shall I do?
How should I feel?

Loneliness is all I can feel
in here.
I extremely miss my life
back there
in my very own comfort zone.
I miss all my friends,
my family members,
my dogs,
my life,
my bed,
my time...
and my lifestyle back there.

Will I ever, ever ,ever,
fit in into this?
Will I ever really enjoy 
myself in this camp?
Will I ever be able
to smile again?

I look to the sky,
where is peace,
where is joy,
where are you,
O Lord?

Friday, January 20, 2012

PLKN, National Service Malaysia Version

Tthis is PLKN.
Program Latihan Khidmat Negara,
National Service Malaysia Version.

Yes, for two whole weeks,
I was blog-free,
because of this.
Yeap, my name,
was so lucky,
that I was shortlisted to 
undergo this program.

Although it's know as NS,
but it is named Program,
because it's only 77 days.
That's about 2 and a half months.
Not bad, for somebody
namely me,
who still doesn't know 
what to do 
where to go
which route to choose
for my future.
This 77 days,
may be my grace period,
to think carefully,
to decide wisely,
and to confirm affirmly,
of my future.

Indeed, I do not wish to choose the wrong path
to walk the dead route
to a destructive future.
But, within this 77 days,
I can grow
and grow
and grow.
**
For this PLKN,
I have so so so 
many things to write about.
So many stories to tell you guys.
FYI, I was computer-free
for two weeks.
But now, I'm back home.
HOME SWEET HOME.
So true, that the old adage say,

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Glad to be back.
Yes, I am back home for Chinese New Year.
It's Chinese New Year Holidays.
Hahah, why, 
am I not a Chinese?
So, we have the rights to 
celebrate our new year.
*
Anyway, to all my friends out there,
thanks for reading and being patience with me.
I'll try my very best to compensate you guys
with all my stories 
about me 
during these 2 weeks in NS.
Thanks for reading and supporting me
in all my stories.
Without wasting any time,
I'll began my NS-DAYS series 
right away!


Ciao~!


 

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012, Jesus With Me


A Rock that stands for ever
Is Christ my righteousness
And there I stand unfearing 
In everlasting bliss;
No earthly thing is needful
To this my life from heaven,
And nought of love is worthy
Save that which Christ has given.

For me there is no sentence,
For me death has no sting,
Because the Lord who loves me
Shall shield me with His wing:
His spirit to my spirit
Sweet words of comfort saith,
How God the weak one strengthens,
Who leans on Him in faith.

My heart in joy upleapeth,
Grief cannot linger there,
While singing high in glory,
Amidst the sunshine fair:
The source of all my singing,
Is high in heaven above,
The Sun that shines upon me
is Jesus and His love.
**

Though it seems I'm oft unnoticed,
and lost in time and space,
God above is watching over me,
though I cannot see His face.

So I face an unknown future,
full of faith and unafraid, 
and the peace I have through trusting,
for the world I would not trade.

Higher hands are leading me,
I'm not alone, I know,
as I walk this world below,
for higher hands are leading me.




Thank You God for 2011
Bless Us for 2012