9:30 am - 3:00 pm

Community Event for Kidz

The tickets for 31 Aug Kidz Fun Attack will be on sale starting next weekend services (12th Aug onwards), both sat & sun service, for a couple of weeks.

We need some help to man the ticket sales counter. Would appreciate if you can help get 2 - 3 cell members from each of your cell to help out.

Do let me know by next Wed, 9 Aug so that I can arrange the timetable. So far, this is the only help we need. We’ll keep you posted of any others when they pop out.

Terdahulu, marilah kita sama-sama menghayati senikata lagu ilham Allahyarham Sudirman Haji Arshad sempena Hari Merdeka ke-49 ini.
 
Tanggal tiga puluh satu
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Merdeka ! Merdeka !
Tetaplah Merdeka
Ia pasti menjadi sejarah
 
Tanggal tiga puluh satu
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari yang mulia
Hari bahagia
Sambut dengan jiwa yang Merdeka
 
Mari kita seluruh warga negara
Ramai-ramai menyambut Hari Merdeka
Merdeka !
 
Tiga satu bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh
Hari mulia
Negaraku Merdeka
 
 
Masih saya ingat lagi ketika di Tingkatan Enam, guru Sejarah saya bertanyakan seluruh kelas apakah yang kami akan lakukan pada Hari Kebangsaan. Lantak saya menjawabnya, “Tidur sepanjang hari sebab hari cuti.”
 
Barangkali bukan saya seorang yang mempunyai tanggapan sebegitu. Sudah pasti ramai antara kita yang kurang minat (atau langsung tidak minat) akan subjek Sejarah, apatah lagi menghayati erti sebenar perjuangan negara ke arah mencapai kemerdekaan. Justeru itu, bagi kita, 31 Ogos cumalah satu lagi hari cuti umum.
 
Setiap tahun ketika menjelang bulan Ogos, orang ramai mula mengibarkan bendera Malaysia di serata tempat. Masing-masing mula sibuk dekorate di luar pagar rumah, depan kedai, dekat gerai/ stor, dan cermin tepi kenderaan. Bahkan, kita boleh lihat bendera mini yang terpacak di tepi jalan ketika dalam perjalanan pulang ke kampung halaman.
 
Bukan sekadar bendera Malaysia yang dikibarkan semata-mata. Panji sepanduk (banner) mula dinaikkan. Kuiz Merdeka mula mendapat sambutan. Lagu patriotik mula dimuat turunkan (download) ke dalam telefon selular. Stesen-stesen radio dan televisyen tempatan mula memainkan lagu-lagu patriotik. Iklan Hari Kebangsaan mula mendapat tempat di muka akhbar dan siaran di kaca televisyen. Pelbagai aktiviti dan event anjuran kerajaan tempatan dan pihak swasta giat diadakan bersempena Hari Kebangsaan.
 
Persoalannya, sejauh manakah kita, selaku warganegara bangga akan kejayaan demi kejayaan yang diperolehi semenjak Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaannya?

 
Tanggal 31 Ogos 1957, Malaysia (dikenali Tanah Melayu ketika itu) akhirnya bebas dari jajahan pihak British apabila Perdana Menteri pertama kita, Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj melaungkan “Merdeka” sebanyak tujuh kali di khalayak orang ramai di Dataran Merdeka.
 
Satu langkah demi satu langkah Malaysia menjejak kakinya di ambang dunia sebagai sebuah negara yang merdeka. Namun, Malaysia turut mengharungi  pelbagai rintangan dan cabaran, antaranya termasuklah Konfrontasi Malaysia-Indonesia, keputusan Singapura keluar dari pembentukan Malaysia, Peristiwa 13 Mei, dan sebagainya. Pun begitu, Malaysia masih berupaya bangkit semula, malahan merentasi setiap langkah dengan penuh determinasi dan berobjektif positif.
 
Dalam pada itu, kita berpeluang melihat progres Malaysia yang menakjubkan seluruh pelosok dunia. Dari pemupukan masyarakat majmuk yang terdiri daripada pelbagai bilang dan kaum hidup harmoni lagi aman damai kepada pembinaan menara ketiga tertinggi di dunia, Malaysia kini semakin dekat ke arah merealisasikan matlamat Wawasan 2020.
 
“Keranamu Malaysia 2006 – Misi Nasional Penjana Wawasan” merupakan tema Hari Kebangsaan pada tahun ini. Sambutan patriotik Hari Kebangsaan 2006 kali ini akan berlangsung di Kuching, Sarawak - Bumi Kenyalang.

Bersempena dengan Hari Kebangsaan Malaysia yang ke-49, saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Hari Merdeka kepada anda semua. Saya bangga menjadi warganegara Malaysia, anda pula bagaimana?

KIBARKANLAH JALUR GEMILANG!
 

Early this month, my Lady Boss asked me a rather weirdo question, out of the blue.

“Michelle, what if I get a girl who is 4x your size to replace Sharol?”

I was stunned to hear that (4x, arr…), but rather quick to respond her, “Before you get her in, I suppose we got to measure and see if the chair could fit her in. No point getting someone in when there is no proper facility for her.”

Ok, I may have sounded sarcastic, but then again, it does make sense…

My Lady Boss, dissatisfied with my response, queried me again, “So what do you think of getting someone obese to join the Company? Ok or not Ok?”

Well, seems to be a real tough question and I do not know how to answer this time. An obese person, what’s wrong? They are humans too, right. My Late Cousin Brother is also an obese, but had slimmed down much while studying in the States back then. So what’s the big deal here, I wonder.

And so my answer goes like this, “Ok, mah. Her admin job is not complicated. She need not move around much like me – just sit facing the PC whole day, of course got to go for lunch break plus answer to nature’s call. So, she should have no problem with this new task. Why, you ‘kah yi’ for the reason that she is obese, is it?”

“No.” My Lady Boss denied. “I am afraid you people will have negative perception towards her and may just isolate her, making her feels rejected. Some may be wondering why I would take-in such person this time. How would others be treating her if I were to get her in? How would you all feel?”

I took a deeper breath before I start off my so-called debate with my Lady Boss. “But, some colleagues here are of odd-sizes too – some being overweight, over-sized, over height, etc. I mean, we humans are not perfect, right. I am sure this girl has been working someplace before this, and certainly she knows and well-aware… for sure, some would be gossiping about her, so she must be able to get used to it and take it easy-lorr. People like her is always cheerful looking and could easily mix along with others.”

My Lady Boss asked again, “What about your Department? She’s going to sit close to Import, so will you all be talking to her or make her feels rejected?”

“Ok, rest assured. Import will be welcoming her with great pleasure. She’s Chinese, so it would be even much easier….” I replied.

Well, curious to know, I probed another question to my Lady Boss, “So, how big is big?” “She’s 1 ½ more than the size of your biggest colleague here.” [Oops, guess I should have pulled back this query of mine]

Deep down, I know my Lady Boss ‘kah yi’ what others think of her. To the rest of us, including the warehouse and other branches, she is like the Lioness of the Company, while her husband, a.k.a. the Director is the Lion King of the Company. No one dares to question Lady Boss, what’s more to approach and talk to her. So, I do not understand why this could bother her… for days.

Hence, I was well prepared to meet this new colleague of mine. Yeap, a mouse deer vs. an elephant – that’s what my Import colleagues imagine when I related them the whole story.

And finally, the post was filled up a week later, by another candidate. The girl who got selected, however, was held back by her present Company. And me will not have the chance to meet her in-person, nor work together with her.

Just this month itself, we have four new colleagues who had joined our Big Family. There is one who sits in front of me, another across me, but both hardly talk to me throughout the day. Phew! Not even a simple “Morning” or “Bye”…

I did try breaking the ice, but somehow I find it rather hard to approach them. (They’re not from Import Department, ‘though….) I wish I could smile at them but they always come to work with a serious expression – a professional appearance, I should say. I even offered them to join my Import colleagues and me for lunch, but they rather sit at their own place while having lunch – [bizarre]

Maybe I do not look professional enough while at work – always dress casually to work, running here and there, and mixing around with everyone in the office, including the receptionist and Tea Lady. (I do not draw the line and mix with just those of my level; else, I may have to be with those aunties/ uncles all time)

Or maybe it could be because I am the right wing of my Lady Boss and that is why everybody is keeping a distance away  not to mix much with me, for fear I could be the Company’s undercover agent, and because of that, I am highly respected and others, being extra tactful when talking to me.

Well, I have been all this time, being humble when approaching young adult colleagues and treat them as my friends, so that I would not be bored to death while working. Moreover, I could get to know them even better, as we work in a family, sharing our ups and downs, and on top of that, impacting them in Christ, whilst at work.

For those who have been working here for some time, and knows me well by now, I am glad and thank God that many did not take me as an alien from the outer space, but accept me for who I am.

It’s not easy, ‘though being in the between – myself vs. my Lady Boss and me vs. other colleagues, but I have faith in God that he would be with me all the time.

P/S: Sincere apologies to those who got offended reading this article.

Water Baptism 3

So, we call ourselves Malaysians …. yeap, a patriotic Malaysian, it seems….

But are we Malaysians enough? So, are we or are we not?

Do take a look at the following Q ‘n A I recently came across … to see if we could proudly declare ourselves as Malaysians.

1)You wake up in the morning, go through the morning ritual, and get ready to chow down your ’sarapan pagi’ which consists of …
a) nasi lemak or roti (as in canai, telur, sardine etc), and Milo panas or kopi ‘O’
b) scrambled/poached/coddled eggs, toast, turkey ham and coffee
c) roti bakar and half boiled eggs, and fresh orange juice.
d) char kway teow or some kind of fried noodles, and sky juice

2) You prepare to go to work. Your mode of transportation:
a) A Proton or Perodua
b) Public
c) A Japanese make
d) A Continental car

3) You get caught in a traffic jam caused by two men arguing over the seriously-dented Proton Iswara that’s sitting right in the middle of the road. You…
a) zip past without even a glance
b) slow down, y’know, just to enjoy the scenery
c) slow down to take note of the car registration number
d) curse repeatedly at the line of cars slowing down to do one or all of the above

4) You do your best impression of Maiker Shumakker, but an annoyingly slow driver in the right lane (he’s only going 65 in a 60kph zone) forces you to slow down. You…
a) cut him on the left
b) flash your lights at him until he moves to the left
c) honk at him and make splendid gestures with your free hand
d) follow patiently until either of you has to turn off

5) Getting past the slow coach, you get pulled over by a traffic policeman, who approaches your car. You wind down your windows. He says, “Lesen?”. You say:
a) “Sorry bos, tak perasan. Sumpah tak buat lagi!” (Sorry sir, didn’t notice the speed limit. I swear I won’t do it again!)
b) “Camna? Boleh settle ah?” (Anyway we can settle this?)
c) Nothing of consequence. You quietly take the summons with every intention to pay.
d) Nothing of consequence. You quietly take the summons, keep it in your glove compartment, and leave it there. For good. Or until you’re forced to dig it out again.

6) You arrive at your workplace. Before you can commence work, your superior hands you an invitation to a very important client’s wedding. The dinner ceremony as stated in the card, starts at 6.20p.m. Which actually means,
a) 7.00pm
b) 6.20pm
c) 6.25pm
d) 6.10pm

7) You head for the special lunch function, a buffet, organised by one of your company’s clients. The grill can only turn out six slices of salmon at a time. You’re first in line and there are many others behind you. You…
a) grab all six. Hey, you were first in line after all
b) grab all six and stay in line for the next batch; you’ve got many mouths to feed
c) take one slice and share it with the others at your table
d) decide to help yourself to the piles of pickled jellyfish instead

8) Driving home, you decide to pay your friendly neighbourhood VCD/DVD seller a visit; it has been awhile. You’re on a first-name basis with the dude manning the counter, but you, like everybody else, prefer to call him…
a) Bos
b) Macha
c) Brader
d) Sir

9) You find nothing “new” at the VCD/DVD spot, so you decide to go to the movies. The ad playing on the big screen is reminding folks to turn off their mobile phones, which prompts an immediate response from you. The response?
a) A big, loud bwahhahhah laugh because the ad is really hilarious.
b) You switch off your mobile phone.
c) You don’t do anything. You don’t quite understand what the ad is trying to say.
d) You set your mobile phone on silent mode.

10) After the show, you decide to meet up with your kaki. Arriving at the stall you spot the perfect parking space. Problem is, a lady driver on the opposite side, has signalled that that spot is hers. You…
a) let her have the parking space, but it comes with a price. On her part. (A scratch here, a deflated tyre there, etc).
b) quickly turn into the parking space before she does.
c) look for another spot because she was there first.
d) grab your baseball bat, and make sure she sees it.

11) Your friend calls for Nescafe kau-kau. What is he asking for?
a) coffee with some cow parts
b) coffee with extra sugar
c) coffee, extra thick
d) Nescafe on a plate

12) You start talking, and the conversation veers to that about the Dec 15 deadline set by the government for registering prepaid phones. Of course, as far as you’re concerned, you will:
a) register your prepaid phone by Dec 15?
b) wait till the deadline is extended, and then register?
c) wait till the extension to the deadline is extended, then register?
d) wait till the authorities give up and registration becomes voluntary, then go around telling everyone “I told you so?”

13) Home. You switch on the idiot box on. You see this hugely popular Malaysian pop star onscreen. After picking your brain for his name, you come upon one that sounds right. That would be…
a) Juwie
b) Mawi
c) Sawi
d) Marvin

14) You decide to start surfing channels when suddenly transmission is disrupted. You immediately know that it’s…
a) raining outside
b) cloudy outside
c) snowing outside
d) because of the rats

15) With the TV not working, you start flipping through the newspaper. You come across an article about a worldwide survey on “rudeness”. Malaysians are ranked third in the world. Your reaction?
a) Funny but we really do deserve the ranking. Perhaps, it’s time to change. (Acceptance)
b) Who do I sue? (Smug)
c) We’re third rudest? Really? (Denial)
d) Who do I beat up? (Angry) 

Well, to validate that claim of yours – log in to http://www.malaysian.info/merdeka49/quiz  for this 15-minute multiple-choice quiz. 

Hymnsmen: These guys are quite fun to listen to! Really! I bought their CD for 20 bucks and was quite surprise at how good the arrangement was (I admit, being so Malaysian, I am too used to Proton-like quality from Malaysian talent). I mean, the songs are not exactly Mary J Blige material, but get it for your parents if you don’t dig Elvis, Simon & Garfunkel type. I assured Uncle Daniel Foon I’ll advertise this to my cell…but I really think they are pretty good! For 20 bucks, you support our homegrown boys, listen to golden oldies remade with slight jazz, blues and Hawaiian style and before you know it, you’ll be yodelling like our own Bernard ‘Elvis’ Ee. Worth it!!

Let me know if you want to order and I’ll place it for you. You can also order online!
Go to http://www.hymnsmen.com and drop a line of encouragement for them!

In just another 9 days to go, we, Malaysians would be celebrating our 49^th National Day. Saluting the spirit of Merdeka as we celebrate our 49^th Year of Independence, herewith two patriotic songs that we often hear in TV/ radio.

[Well, we miss the chance to sing along during our school assembly as we left school years long before the lyrics were written]

Jalur Gemilang

Merah membara semangat waja
Putihmu bersih budi pekerti
Bumi berdaulat
Payung negara
 
Biru perpaduan kami semua
Puncak dunia telah kau tawan
Lautan luas telah kau redah
Membawa semangat jiwa merdeka
Semarak jaya kami warganya
 
Empat belas melintang jalurnya
Semua negeri dalam Malaysia
Satu suara satu semangat
Itu sumpah warga berdaulat
 
Jalur Gemilang di bawah naunganmu
Jalur Gemilang kami semua bersatu
Perpaduan ketaatan
Amalan murni rakyat Malaysia
 
Jalur Gemilang megah kami kuasa
Jalur Gemilang kibarkanlah wawasan
Merah, putih, biru, kuning
Jalur semangat kami semua
 
Berkibarlah, Berkibarlah, Berkibarlah
Jalur Gemilang
 

Keranamu Malaysia

Buruh, nelayan dan juga petani
Gaya hidup kini dah berubah
Anak-anak terasuh mindanya
Lahir generasi bijak pandai
 
Pakar-pakar ekonomi, jaguh sukan dan juga jutawan
Berkereta jenama negara
Megah menyusur di jalan raya
Alam cyber teknologi terkini
 
Kejayaan semakin dihampiri
Biar di kota atau pun desa
Kita semua
Pasti merasa bangga
 
Keranamu – kini mendapat tuah
Keranamu – kami bangsa berjaya
Keranamu – kami hidup selesa
Limpah budi kemakmuran negara
 
Keranamu – kami bebas merdeka
Keranamu – nyawa dipertaruhkan
Keranamu – rela kami berjuang
Demi bangsa kedaulatan negara
 
Keranamu negara Malaysia
Malaysia,
Terima kasih Malaysia!
  

Mirror of the Soul - Ravi Zacharias 16/08/2006

Ravi Zacharias is one the world’s most renowned apologetic and Christian philosopher, so I won’t bother about addressing thing like essentialism and existensialism or the expansion of the universe or the theory of relativity…I’m sure these are things we all know about and learn in kindergarten so I’m gonna bybass them completely, OK?

There is a story of two Australian sailors who docked in London. They went to a pub, drank a lot and in the wee hours of the morning, they staggered outside, tipsy and more than a little drunk, into a dense London fog. Disoriented, they looked around in dismay, unable to find the correct way back to their hotel. As they were wondering, a man walked past them to get into the pub. Unknown to the sailor, this man was a highly decorated naval officer, and highly respected in the maritime circle. They accosted this man and slurred, “Say, bloke, do you how do we get to Hotel So-and-so?”

Offended at being addressed so, the officer straightened and said sternly, “Do you have any idea who I am??”

At this point, one of the sailors said to his friend, “We’re in a fine pickle now. We don’t know where we are and this man doesn’t know who he is!”

What it means to be ‘you’?

Or, what are we fashioned for?

The shortest route is not usually the best. You can bypass life’s most important lessons.

Ravi talks about the story of Andre Stamos:

“Let me briefly relate Andre Stamos’ story. In 1945, at the age of 20, he was captured by the Soviets and incarcerated. After some years of imprisonment, he was believed to have gone insane and, therefore, was transferred to a psychiatric ward in solitary confinement, 300 miles outside of Moscow. In 2000, when the Russians were trying to empty out their prisons and psychiatric wards, they brought a Hungarian psychiatrist to examine this man. The psychiatrist examined Stamos for a few hours and concluded, “This man is not insane. In fact, it is you who are driving him insane. He is not talking nonsense. Rather, he is speaking a rare dialect of Hungarian.” As soon as he was released, the first thing Stamos asked to see was a mirror. He had not seen himself for 55 years; he had been 20 years old when he last saw his face. Now at 75, he looked at the mirror, put his face in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably like a little baby, because of what had happened to him. To go through most of life without knowing what you look like is nearly unimaginable to us Americans.”

As Christians, what are we fashioned to be? There are 3 ‘Nuggets’:

1) Humility

The trek from Egypt to the ‘promise land’ takes only a couple of months but Israel was made to wander 40 years and lose an entire generation because they fail to humble themselves before God. In Deut 8, it talks about Israel being humbled. In a culture where they have daily proof of the existence of God, it’s truly amazing how presumptuous Israel become, instead of humbling themselves before God, they gladly live divergent to His laws and later grovel in fear before going through the same cycle again. In Phil 2:5:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

2) Spirituality with Truth

Harvard’s original motto was Veritas Christo et ecclesiae, Truth for Christ in Church but has recently changed it to Veritas giving truth without base, a hanging truth, without a basic premise to stand on. Truth without base is dangerous, as many assumptions can be carved to become truth if the basis of truth can be realigned to accommodate that truth.

In the University of Texas, engraved on the famous Tower is The truth shall set you free.

The question of truth is fundamental to all religion.

Truth is so valuable, it’s often protected by a bodyguard of lies.

The story of Thomas Kwok, Hong Kong billionaire, has it that while searching for the meaning of life, he and his wife decided to go to a church opposite a building owned by them in Hong Kong, because they needn’t pay for parking. He joined the alpha course and supposedly went on to say:

“Alpha is more exciting than watching the Hang Seng Index going up!”

Thomas Kwok joins the alpha course found in this article:

www.alpha.org.hk/PDF/alphanews/alphanews_Jun04_P2&15.pdf

In John 8, Jesus addresses the questions of truth, and the power of knowing Jesus to have the truth.

3) Faith

The final Nugget is Faith. There’s an illustration by John Pokinghorn:

In the early expansion of the universe there has to be a close balance between the expansive energy (driving things apart) and the force of gravity (pulling things together). If the expansion dominated then matter would fly apart too rapidly for condensation into galaxies and stars to take place. Nothing interesting could happen in so thinly spread a world. On the other hand, if gravity dominated the world would collapse in on itself again before there was time for the processes of life to get going. For us to be possible requires a balance between the effects of expansion and contraction which at a very early epoch in the universe’s history (the Planck time) has to differ from equality by not more than 1 in 10⁶⁰. The numerate will marvel at such a degree of accuracy. For the non-numerate I will borrow an illustration from Paul Davis of what that accuracy means: He points out that it is the same as aiming at a target an inch wide on the other side of the observable universe, twenty thousand million light years away, and hitting the mark!

In the face of such chances, isn’t it a fair supposition that something other than this great chance is at force here?

Faith as described in Hebrews 11:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Have we come to a time where we argue against the term “absence of evidence is NOT evidence of absence”, and in the age of self glorified knowledge, we seek to see what our faith is based on. Would that not mean the that faith is no longer existent, when the thing that we have faith on has taken a visual evidence, that entirely contradict the fundamentals of what Hebrews 11 talks about: that FAITH is being certain of what we do not see! A chair is before me, I can still say I have faith that the chair will not break the moment I sit on it. Once I am seated, can I still say the same thing, or has the premise been concluded, so therefore, to say, “I have faith that the chair will not break when I sit on it” when I am already seated is a fallacy, because what I have done is to state a fact of what is past, and not faith in what is to come.

Therefore as Christians, faith is something we look forward to in the future. What we hope, and will come to pass, but one that we do not see yet.

In conclusion, the final illustration given by Ravi Zacharias is found in the article entitled Hien Pham: A Man Set Apart.

King George IV, the british monarch during Britian’s darkest days in the Second World War, delivered this famous quote on Christmas with Britian in the brink of war:

“I asked the man at the gate of the year, give me a light, that I may walk safely into the unknown; but he said to me stretch out your hand, and place it into the hand of God, and it will be to you better than the light, and safer than the known.”

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Membership Intake 2

Well, had just come home after getting some new stationery for my cousin, Eric. We had gone to Popular Bookstore and I got him everything he needs – Pilot Rex Grip Medium Ballpoint Pen (2), Stabilo 2B pencils a box, a short ruler, a long ruler as well, a must to have for school children these days (I guess so) – Exam Grade Eraser (I got him 2), a brand new correction tape, a PCL Bag (a.k.a. pencil case), a blue Mechanical Shaker (wow, this cost me RM8.90 just for a … pencil), Eraser Refills, Buncho leads, and… the bill came up to near RM50. Well, guess all these would be sufficient for my Cousin Eric to utilize when he sits for his very first major exams come early September.

Eric Foong, (err, I gave him a nick-name – E-ri-Fan = Elephant) is 12 this year, and in less than two weeks’ time, he would be sitting for his UPSR exams. Eric is my late (favourite) cousin’s stepbrother. And from the time when my late cousin left me, I had been treating Eric like my very own brother. I would just get him whatsoever he desires all these years.

When Eric is in kindergarten, I would get him those playthings from pasar malam (coz I was still studying at that time). And once I started working, I took him to places like ToyCity and Toys ‘R Us every first Saturday of the month, and he would get himself just anything he long for (with a 2-figure budget set for him, of course) And now, as he grows up (he is 12 now), we had less frequent to toy shops, and instead, I would take him to MPH Bookstores whenever I am available.

I remember I had an incident when my patience is really being tested by Eric. It was near to Eric’s birthday and as usual, I took him to get his birthday present. We were at Subang Parade and as he could not get anything there, he requested me to take him to Summit USJ. Well, I did; after all, it was just a distance away. And to my surprise, he could not made up his mind and in the end; he got something for himself at MidValley. Yeap, me having to travel to three shopping malls in just one afternoon, and that’s real fantastic!

From then on, I set Eric a birthday rule – just let me know the three criteria I want and I would go get the present myself, and wrap up before passing to him on his birthday. The three criteria – simple: 1) what the item is, 2) how much the item cost (preferable less than RM100), and 3) where could I get the item. In this way, it is (definitely) much easier, less hassle and timesaving….

Just early this year, I got Eric a mobile phone. Yeap, a real gadget this time. I took him to few mobile shops to choose what sort of phones he wish to get (with a budget of RM350 and below) And he got himself a Nokia 1600 – colour screen phone. We also chose a DiGi Sim Pack (I know it’s kind of weirdo – Eric’s parents (both professional) is using –012 and –013, and ok, thinking I could transfer balance to and fro from my mobile phone, I had got him a –016 number) Since then, I have oblige myself to reload RM30 into his phone every 1st day of the month.

OK, a 12-year old kid possessing a mobile phone of his own? Kids these days are real lucky, aren’t they? But on the other hand, Grandma was against me of getting a mobile phone for Eric. Maybe he is still young, kua. Somehow, I managed to convince Grandma on the importance having a mobile phone – trouble-free communication and handy. Besides, I had gotten the consent from Eric’s parents prior to getting a mobile phone for Eric.

Perhaps I had been showering too much to Eric in terms of materialism – I would just get him whatever he wishes for. But deep down, I really miss my late cousin brother very much. I really, really wish, he is still alive today as I just have a lot, yeap, lots to tell him … on what happened to me all these years – be it my relationship, my job, my family and relatives, my acquaintances, or just anything…. I have, in fact lost someone whom I cherished, someone whom I could have a shoulder to lean on when I am unhappy, someone who I could proudly share my joy with….

Nevertheless, Eric has been a great cousin to me. He taught me Chinese poetry and sometimes would chat with me in Mandarin. He had even taught me a (used to be) popular Chinese Song - Xiao Wei, but I took some time to memorize the lyrics, as I am a Chinese illiterate. Though Eric is still little, he always encourages me to be hard working while at work – “Michelle Jie-jie, you must be hardworking, you know. No work, then no money. No money, then how to buy toys for me? So, you must listen to your Boss and do your work good-good, ok.”

And as his UPSR exams are approaching, Eric had been attending intensive classes and guess by now, he should be well prepared. Well, Eric is an average student and his parents do not look forward much, and hence, do not give much pressure to their only son.

I pray to God that Eric would be well prepared and would do his very best in his UPSR exams. I pray that God would take away his fear, prepare him fully, guiding him all way thru’ as he answers his exam papers confidently, and that he would outshine in his studies becoming a useful person when he grows up – Amen.

P/S: I had a deal with Eric recently – If he could get the results I required – 4As 3Bs (ok, my expectation IS high) I would trade-in his Nokia 1600 and get him a brand new Sony Ericsson K750i.