Why Egypt?

Two of my favourite author's books were set in Egypt. One in the 1930's and another in 2000BC. One had a romantic setting onboard a Cruise ship, "Death on the Nile" and the other was set in Ancient Egypt, "Death Comes as the End".

It helped that Agatha Christie's second husband was an archeologist in the Middle East. The flavour of Egypt in both her novels was strong and decidedly delicious. They painted Egypt as a mysterious and dangerous place. Sweltering heat, shifting dust, rolling boulders, scheming tourists, conspiracies, dead concubines.

Which are reasons why I want to go there. ;)

My Favourite Poetries

Here's a selection of my favourite poetries:
(Click on the titles for the full works)
~~~

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?


Tyger, Tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

-The Tyger, William Blake

~~~

And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners' hollo!

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white Moon-shine.'

'God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus!--
Why look'st thou so?'--'With my cross-bow
I shot the Albatross.'


-The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

~~~

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

- The Lady of Shalott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson

~~~

Celebration of Children

When I saw the letter asking for helpers at the National Children Prayer Conference, I immediately decided to go for it. I didn't think about it. I JUST DID IT. Then I paused and thought: what makes me think I am qualified to teach children about prayer? Being a new Christian, I won't be surprised that some of those kids in the NCPC knew more about Christ than yours truly. And there really were a few brilliant kids I met there whom I learnt a lot from. So I guess the role of being a helper was two-fold: to teach and be taught.


Whilst there, an amazingly intelligent boy of about eight started to talk to me about how he tried to tell his friends about Jesus. But they either ignored him or teased him about it. I was lost for words. What do I say to that? Thankfully, a man, who was also a helper, came to our rescue. He said, "Do not be discouraged. You have already planted a seed in their hearts. You may not see a change immediately. But continue to pray for your friends. God will do the rest."


Wow! I think for me, my teachers in Sunday School years ago, planted that seed in me. I grew up always knowing about Jesus, though my family was Buddhist/Taoist. I even ended my childish prayers, which I did every night, with the words, "In Jesus's precious name."


But once I was older, I became cynical and rebellious. Religion, I argued, has became reasons countries declare war on each other. I believed in God wholeheartedly, but I didn't think religion can solve anything. Who have not heard of priests who had been caught for paedophilia? Or pastors who turned out to be false prophets or involved in frauds? And what about those religious teachings that say women are inferior compared to men?


But I have learnt to separate the human factor in religion, and concentrate on GOD instead. We humans are fallible and imperfect. Only God's grace can save us. HE and only HE is perfect. And He loves us even though we are flawed.

The crux of the matter is that Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship with God.


Coming back to the NCPC... It was a real eye-opening experience. I enjoyed playing with the children. It was like being a kid once again. I thought I may have to resort to strangling or even sitting on the more boisterous ones ;-P - but I found myself smiling indulgently at them instead (as they jumped around on their seats, spilling their food all over the place, breaking out in rashes, etc).


Anyway, I thought the name "prayer conference" sounds rather daunting. They ought to rename it "celebration" or something more apt, for it was after all a celebration of God's love for children - and the child within us.

Flush before you eat!

At Queensbay Mall in Penang there is a food outlet with a very interesting concept. The name of the shop is T-Bowl. So one may think it has a bowling theme. Or perhaps all its food come in bowls? Nope. It’s a different kind of bowl altogether. T-Bowl is short for Toilet Bowl. Yup, you got that right. Fancy sitting on a toilet bowl as you tuck into your noodle that comes in a mini toilet bowl replica? Or enjoying your ice cream in a mini bathtub? And while you wait, you can check out the seashells in the washbasin that doubles up as your table.



Seriously the owner of that place has got a really crooked sense of humour. Gives a different meaning to “eating and cr@pping at the same place”, doesn’t it? Good thing their copywriter wasn’t crafty enough to come up with interesting names for their menu. Imagine ordering something called Deep Fried Faeces, or Sputum in Salsa Sauce, or Piss n Peas… How appetizing.



The only questions me and my friends came up with were: “Where did they find all these toilet bowls? Are any of them used before?” We certainly hope not!


(Anyhow, the dessert above was yummy - without any extra "unexpected" ingredients. :-P)

Racial harmony?

It's sad. I'm still having a brain block. I wonder what happened? Could be due to all those rubbish I've been reading in the papers about university students protesting against some new proposal by the Selangor Menteri Besar. Somehow this piece of news was reminiscent of the US historical scene where the people protested against admitting minorities into certain establishments. Surely that can't be happening in peaceful Malaysia where all the races live together in harmony, right? Er, right?


And yet, in a different arena, there's the Olympics. The whole of Malaysia is rooting for Lee Chong Wei as he gets ready for the final showdown against Lin Dan in badminton. (At the time I am writing this, there are still a few more hours before the finals starts.) In this particular scene, it's heartening to see that race has nothing to do with it. I could imagine all those protesters putting down their badly-scrawled banners and angry fists (and pitch forks?) to sit down in front of the telly to cheer for Chong Wei. Wouldn't that be ironic?

Or maybe I'm just wishing. It could be that massive brain block - I'm not thinking straight...

Of Kangkungs, Evolution and Masochism

I have got a writer's block. And when I can't write, I read. Or sing. Or play. Or whatever. Here's a list of things I've been up to. If you should care to know (OK, I'm a bit moody too).

1. The War between the Theory of Evolution and Creationism. Can't Science and Religion go together? (My thoughts: Science is just man's way to figure out God and his works.)

2. Adultery. No, I'm not going through this in real life. But I've been reading this book "Fourplay" by Jane Moore, and I can't help feeling rather depressed. There was not only one, but at least THREE instances where adultery was committed. If this was real life, I'd rather not live. (Didn't I tell you I am moody?) This should teach me to resort to chick lit. Give me murder or sci-fi please...

3. I've been learning to play the keyboard by myself. I found a cool site where I can download those kiddy piano sheet music and have been teaching myself songs like "Silent Night", "Joy to the World", "Fur Elise". Just don't ask me to play for an audience yet unless you've got a masochistic streak in you. You have been forewarned.

4. Phlegmy Flamingo. Ian Phlegming. Nuff said.

5. Punny Pun Pundit. Puny Punner.

6. Nasi kangkang. Kangkung kangkang.

I better end here before my brain walks out in protest. Till next time.

Picture Perfect?

~ Random shots of beauty ~

Colmar

KL Tower


Kudat



Pulau Sapi

Subang


Subang II

Damansara

Disclaimer: I don't have a digital camera. All the shots were taken with a pathetic 1.3 mega pixel phone camera. Amateurish, yes? But the gorgeous skies kinda made up for it...

Thank God for Pokok Pintu

Pokok Pintu = Door Tree = Daughtry.

Geddit? ;-P

They are simply amazing. Both Daughtry and the Power of Prayer. It took me weeks of SMSing and telephoning radio stations (Hitz.fm) and TV stations (8TV) for tickets to watch Daughtry perform live at 1 Utama. There was no other way to get the tickets besides buying a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone or their music accessories. I went like, Whhhhhaaaat?! I would have been willing to BUY a ticket the NORMAL way, thank you very much.

But all my effort was to no avail. So I kept praying. And believe it or not, deep down, a little voice told me I would get the tickets somehow. But it whittled down to only 1 more day and still no signs of the ticket. I was about to give up hope when out of the blue an old old pal called me up and offered me FREE TICKETS to watch Daughtry! (Thanks, Su Sern!)

And they were no ordinary tickets: they were VIP tickets. See, when you ask God for something and when you don't get it immediately, it's because He has got something even better in store! When He gives, He gives abundantly and exceedingly.



To cut the whole story short, Daughtry was simply EXPLOSIVELY amazing! The VIP tickets were Godsent because it drizzled - and the pavillion sheltered us from the rain. And there was free food and drinks. And I was surrounded by wonderful friends. I could not have asked for more.

So this is my testimony to the awesome Power of Prayer.

~Thank you God!~

Speed

I just discovered I was born to be a racecar driver. Just the other day I had to drive a few friends to the Subang airport and they were already late for their flight. I found myself weaving in and out of traffic as I floored the accelerator till my poor 1.1cc Kia Picanto (nicknamed Orange) groaned in protest. I loved the thrill and the adrenaline rush as we zoomed towards our destination, with the clock ticking away. There were also times when certain skills were required to manoeuvre bumps and bends at high speed, and to squeeze in between huge lumbering lorries and I must say I did pretty good.

I lurched into a stop when we arrived at Terminal 3. I could almost hear Orange sigh in relief. Or was it my friends? Speaking of those poor kiddos, they jumped out of the car with their bags and rushed into the airport as if they were in the Amazing Race and it was the last leg. Or maybe they were just in a hurry to get as far away from the car as possible.

They were already 5 min past the closing time for check-ins, but still managed to get through. Phew… I gave my Orange a pat for a job well done and drove home in a much saner speed.

Too bad Keanu didn’t jump in for the ride.

Home

Statement # 1: The Purpose Driven Life is a really insightful book. I believe I grew up a lot spiritually reading that book in the 40 days as was recommended.

Statement # 2: Home by Daughtry is a damn good song. The words keep morphing into different significances since I first heard it last year.

So what do The Purpose Driven Life and Home have in common?

#1
Here is a summary from Chapter 6 of the book: “What on Earth Am I Here For?” We are here on Earth only as ambassadors. This world is not our ultimate home. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

We may experience hardship, sadness, and rejection in this world. Some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. But this is not the end of the story of our life. We are not home yet. At death, we won’t leave home – we’ll go home. Home that is of a heavenly kind, where we can expect God’s promised reward in eternity for those who are faithful to Him.

#2
Which brings us to Daughtry. When Home came out last year, I thought it was such a beautiful song. It was so inspiring that it stuck in my mind as I made my way up Mount Kinabalu, determined to reach the top at all cost. (It must have been the words: “The miles are getting longer it seems, the closer I get to you.”)

And I always sing it whenever I miss my family back in Penang. Then there is also that aspect of a loved one who has strayed too far and coming back home. (“I’ve not always been the best man or friend for you, but your love remains true and I don’t know why, You always seem to give me another try.”)

#1 + #2:
So when I read The Purpose Driven Life a couple of months ago, the lyrics of the song leapt into my mind, but in a slightly different sense. (Home! Our eternal home!)

I’m going to the place where love
And feeling good don’t ever cost a thing,
And the pain you feel’s a different kind of pain.

Chorus: I’m going home, Back to the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me.


Gosh, this sure gives a different meaning to the song, doesn’t it? I'd always thought Daughtry rocks! Now he rocks in a whole different sense as well.

Anyhoo, I've learnt that if life is getting you down, just remember to focus on God. Your time on earth is not the complete story. You must wait until home/heaven for the rest of the chapters. And like another Daughtry single: It’s Not Over!