Sunrise of Your Smile

Reject the worldly lie that says,
That life lies always up ahead,
Let power go before control becomes a crust around your soul,
Escape the hunger to possess,
And soul-diminishing success,
This world is full of narrow lives,
I pray by grace your smile survives.

For I would wander weary miles,
Would welcome ridicule, my child,
To simply see the sunrise of your smile,
To see the light behind your eyes,
The happy thought that makes you fly,
Yes, I would wander weary miles,
To simply see the sunrise of your smile.

Now close your eyes so you can see,
Your own unfinished memories,
Now open them, for time is brief,
And you'll be blest beyond belief,
Now glance above you at the sky,
There's beauty there to blind the eye,
I ask all this then wait awhile,
To see the dawning of your smile.

"Spring" Time in Malaysia

I'm not sure if you notice, there are plenty of trees blooming since 2 weeks ago =)

This is one of the very rare period, I will find driving a pleasant thing to do, because of the lovely sight of the greens and flowers along the road.

I often enjoy the last mile to my workplace, I'll get to see the canopy of trees as I turn into the main road where my client's office located, somehow it will just brighten my day.
And now, the trees around both church and my workplace, are blooming with pink, white & yellow flowers!
You know, it's hard to see flowers blooming in Malaysian city, it only comes twice a year! At times like this...

Of all the trees, my favorite definitely would be the Angsana tree!
The Angsana tree produces bright yellow flowers, and often provide very good shade with its large crown. The yellow flowers will fall to the ground during windy or rainy day, leaving the yellow carpet behind... =)
Gentle breeze + Angsana flowers >> Such a lovely sight! And it never fail to make me smile!

I guess, flowers and greens, are God's channel to colour our lives in a world that isn’t kind =)

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Simply like the title...
And the journey of Alice searching for the possibility of new life.

The farewell story told by the Alchemist

A story/excerpt from the book I read recently:

In ancient Rome, at the time of Emperor Tiberius, there lived a good man who had two sons. One was in the military, and had been sent to the most distant regions of the empire. The other son was a poet, and delighted all of Rome with his beautiful verses.

One night, the father had a dream. An angel appeared to him, and told him that the words of one of his sons would be learned and repeated throughout the world for all generations to come. The father woke from his dream grateful and crying, because life was generous, and had revealed to him something any father would be proud to know.

Shortly thereafter, the father died as he tried to save a child who was about to be crushed by the wheels of a chariot. He then met the angel that had appeared in his dream in the Heaven.

"You were always a good man," the angel said to him. "You lived your life in a loving way, and died with dignity. I can now grant you any wish you desire."

"Life was good to me", the man said. "When you appeared in my dream, I felt that all my efforts had been rewarded, because my son's poems will be read by men for generations to come. I don't want anything for myself. But any father would be proud of the fame achieved by one whom he had cared for as a child, and educated as he grew up. Sometime in the distant future, I would like to see my son's words."

The angel touched the man's shoulder, and they were both projected far into the future. They were in an immense setting, surrounded by thousands of people speaking a strange language.

The man wept with happiness.

"I know that my son's poems were immortal," he said to the angel through his tears. "Can you tell me which of my son's poems these people are repeating?"

The angel came closer to the man, and, with tenderness, led him to a bench nearby, where they sat down.

"The verses of your son who was the poet were very popular in Rome," the angel said. "Everyone loved them and enjoyed them. But when the reign of Tiberius ended, his poems were forgotten. The words you're hearing now are those of your son in the military."

The man looked at the angel in surprise.

"Your son went to serve at a distant place, and became a centurion. He was just and good. One afternoon, one of his servants fell ill, and it appeared that he would die. Your son had heard of a rabbi who was able to cure illnesses, and he rode out for days and days in search of this man. Along the way, he learned that the man he was seeking was the Son of God. He met others who had been cured by him, and they instructed your son in the man's teachings. And so, despite the fact that he was a Roman centurion, he converted to their faith. Shortly thereafter, he reached the place where the man he was looking for was visiting."

"He told the man that one of his servants was gravely ill, and the rabbi made ready to go to his house with him. But the centurion was a man of faith, and looking into the eye of the rabbi, he knew that he was surely in the presence of the Son of God."

"And this is what your son said," the angel told the man. "These are the words he said to the rabbi at that point, and they have never been forgotten: 'My Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word and my servant will be healed.' "

No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it.

The story above is fictional, but it does has some truth in it... =)

* Matt 8:5-13 *
* Acts 16:26-28a *

Happy Sad Song

A colleague of mine sent me a link after reading my FB status.

It was a picture of clouds and sky, followed by a song lyrics.
Lemon Tree.
I never like that song, the reason is because of the suckish Mandarin version by a female Taiwanese singer... And the song was played so often during then - on the school bus radio, tv, pasar malam... basically everywhere... Ish!

But now, when I read the lyrics, I start to understand what the song writer trying to express.
It was a happy sad song, just like the Pearl Jam's Last Kiss...

The two powerful opposed metaphors. Irony of life.

All and All

Give God your all. He doesn't ask us to give Him only what we would consider perfect. Give Him everything, every scrap, every part of us, everything you've kept hidden on the back shelf of your heart. Give him those things that you judge as not good enough. Hand over those areas of your life that appear to be too broken to be used. God can and will transform the good, the bad, what you deem the ugly. Let Him sift and sort things through. You'll be amazed at what the Master Creator can make out of what you might consider the shambles of your heart.

~ Katherine Walden ~

Pick Yourself Up

Nothings impossible I have found
For when my chin is on the ground
I pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again

Don't lose your confidence if you slip
Be grateful for a pleasant trip
And pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again

Work like a soul inspired till the battle of the day is won
You may be sick and tired but you'll be a man my son
Don't you remember the famous man who had to fall to rise again?
They picked themselves up, dust themselves off and started all over again

The best thing about pain?

Urgayle: Pain is your friend, your ally, it will tell you when you are seriously injured, it will keep you awake and angry, and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain?
O'Neil: Don't know!
Urgayle: It lets you know you're not dead yet

I like this quote =)

Mystery • God

The presence of mystery does not mean the absence of God.

Greetings from Kuwait

So, I am in Kuwait now...
Very sudden for lots of people, and in fact myself too.

My first impression of Kuwait - It is very BROWN...
Not only because of the sand patches everywhere, but for some reason, the buildings here all in brownish tone... Trying to camouflage perhaps???

Had a not-so-good experience at Kuwait initially, cos of the communication problem & language barrier...
I was outside the airport alone, trying to get to my company's hostel, but I could not communicate to the taxi driver, they speak Arabic language and I have no clue what they were saying, and as more of them coming in trying to help, some even started speaking to each other loudly, it truly freak me out a little...

Anyway, I still managed to reach my hostel safely, but that's also when I became emo... Being alone at a foreign land - is something I find it so hard to deal with, mainly because I felt there is no sense of security...

I have decided that after I let it out, I must do something to stop the emo-ness.
It's never wrong to show your emotion, it would be inhumane to be without emotion, but we must never dwell too long in it. Because it will consume and destroy you!

And I am thankful for the reminder that Morrie gave me, it's like a energy booster at your time of need.
I am even more thankful for the person who bought me the book, it helps alot =)
I feel like there is a friend encouraging me when I feel most helpless - in fact, Morrie & Mitch, remind me alot about Raymond & I... =)

So I kick myself out from the gloomy apartment, heading to the Marina nearby for lunch & walk around, ignoring those scary warning I heard - lady should never roam around alone... And I am so GALD I did!
Sun, sea and sand - always my remedy for sadness. Took a super long lunch at the restaurant next to the Marina, savouring the food, enjoying the scenery, and reading the book =)

After that, I took off my shoes, and went for a stroll at the beach.
I never thought I could walk on the shore at the Arabian Gulf like what I was doing, I began to feel very thankful for the experience, despite of the tough time I am going thru now...

Feeling extremely sleepy right now @ 9pm Kuwait time... I shall log off soon.
Remember me in your prayer, I long to see all of you again, especially you =)

Photos, maybe tomorrow... Cheers!

Thank You on this Special Day

This song always remind me of you...

Thank You (for giving to the Lord)
by Ray Boltz

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me;
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea.
We heard the angels singing
Then someone called your name.
We turned and saw a young man running
And he was smiling as he came.

And he said, "Friend you may not know me now."
And then he said, "But wait,
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight.
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start.
And one day when you said that prayer,
I asked Jesus in my heart."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

Then another man stood before you
And said, "Remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry.
You didn't have much money,
But you gave it anyway.
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I'm here today."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

One by one they came
Far as the eye could see.
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity.
Little things that you had done,
Sacrifices made,
Unnoticed on the earth
In heaven, now proclaimed.

And I know up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes.
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord.
He said, "My child, look around you.
Great is your reward."

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.

Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord.
I am so glad you gave.


How are you? I miss you dearly =)

Dirty Car

Finally, I am thankful for being a Malaysian car owner after I read this from Wiki:

Believe it or not, but it's actually illegal to drive around in a dirty car in Oman. You may get stopped by the police who can fine you OMR5, although they are more likely to just tell you to wash your ride.

I will really get fine weekly if I own a car at Oman...