The replacement car.

Sunday I was in a certain church in somewhere out of Kuala Lumpur.Since my car had already some scars over here and there- the workshop guy- from the same church came to look the car over for the patch up job. The car would be ready in 2 days- which means I would get my car back on Wednesday. In the meantime he was kind enough to loan me another car- a car which I believe was used during the days when the dinosaurs roamed our planet.

When I started the car- I thought somebody was sneezing behind me but it turned out to be the sounds were coming from the car. The sounds it made reminded me of a tuberculosis patient, coughing, sneezing and just breathing its last dying breath. Anyway the car moved, each time I shifted gear, the car would jerk 4 or 5 times. The violent jerks all came from the 1st gear. The 2nd gear sent vibrations up the spinal column.

I prayed hard on the journey back to Kuala Lumpur. Then came the unthinkable- the car suddenly stopped in the middle of the Federal Highway after emitting a violent cough. There were loud hoots and horns blaring from behind. Further is was drizzling all day. One car overtook me and I saw a young lady showing me the middle finger. Anyway I managed to start the car again miraculously arrived safely home after a few more insults on the highway.I do hope that I can survive until Wednesday- thats the day i will get my car back.

26 August 2008

The Day I Saw a Ghost!!!

I was born in Penang at 127 Malacca Street. Later my family moved to Hong Seng Hooi-a vast Chinese cemetary area. You may not believe this, but there was 1 cemetary on each side of the house. As I grew up- the cemetary was our playground. Then later I got involved with a church group and started going to church.

One Saturday night after our usual prayer meeting I cycled back to my home. You see, the church I got involved in was a noisy boisterous group, with loud singing, clapping hands, stomping our foot with even more noisier tamborines, guitars and a whole lot of other musical instruments. And we were taught that our main number one enemy was Satan who was out to get us.

That nights prayer meeting laid special emphasis on the devil and his big plans to get us. So you can imagine that we were all fired up. As I cycled back alone along the cemetary path, it was already about 12.00 midnight, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this white figure under a tree staring at me!!! I gasped and really hit the pedal and cycled away at maximum speed. I hit a bump on the dirt road and came crashing on the ground. I immmediately got up with bruises all over, and ran puffing and panting real fast alongside my bicycle. O God!! It is TRUE!! The devil is really out to get me!!!

When I got home, I fell sick with a burning fever. That night I was really traumatised. Next morning I had to go and see a doctor. When the Christian brethren came to know of my encounter with the devil from the other world, they immediately held another shouting session of prayer hurling all kinds of insults and abuses against the enemy number one- Satan. The groups prayer warrior, an old Hokkien lady straight from the 1920's with a brown scarf which looked like sackcloth, suggested that we must go to the very spot where the devil had dared to try and frighten us.

So the next afternoon, the group, about 20 of us, all fasted (except me, I was still sick) for spiritual victory and went to the place singing and rebuking the enemy. There was tambourines and guitars and loud prayers sent to Heaven. Then we finally arrived at the place where I had seen the ghost-A strange silence fell on the group. O My God ! The ghost was still there. It was actually a huge jackfruit- somebody had covered it with a white T- Shirt. ( I quietly slipped away from that scene before I got hammered with guitars and tambourines.)

Vijay

25 Aug 2008

A visit to Sungai Buloh Prison

On the 16th of August 2008, I visited Sungai Buloh Prison with two friends. I have visited the Penang Prison but this was my first time to Sungai Buloh. The security was so tight that not even David Copperfield could have squeezed through those heavy metal doors. We had to go through one heavy iron door after another escorted by a prison warden. It was a totally different world in there. Then we were ushered into an office where another officer went through our papers again. But I must commend the prison officers for they were courteous and very professional. After clearance, we were taken to another room where about 50 or so prisoners had gathered.

The first song the crowd sang was "Set my spirit free, that I might worship thee, Let all bondage go that deliverance might flow!". And they were singing on top of their voices. Some were worshipping but I suspect several were just mocking the jail wardens by screaming on top of their voices!! After the singing my 2 friends shared some devotional thoughts from the Bible. Then it was my turn to speak. I stood up and asked each one of them what crime they had committed. The first one was a Chinese gentleman with a shiny clean shaven head. So what are you in here for, I asked ? With his hand he showed me the sign of a gun pointing towards me. Next? Lorry hijacking Sir! Next? criminal intimidation! Next? I slashed my neighbour with a parang!! There were also several Africans. So what are you in here for? Currency scam! Next? chopped my own passport! There were at least 5 S39B drug trafficking cases all facing the possibility of death sentences.

What do you say to those who are caught in such situations? That God is love and God is good all the time? Assuming you were there, what would you have said. I told the story of the prodigal son- where the younger son of a rich man, really messed up his life and found himself in a foreign country in a pig sty.The whole process of recovery only began when he realized his foolish lifestyle- : Accrording to the story ".. he came to himself". Looked like all the crowd in there that day had realized the error of their ways. There were also many faces of regret and sadness. One particular person put sadness in my heart- he was approaching 60's, never married in life and felt all alone in life. What was his life story?

I came away from that prison meeting with many thoughts flooding my mind. There is only one life to live and like everybodys life- it will end someday in a cemetary. There is no escaping from that destination. But in the meanwhile-we have to travel the journey with reason, caution and faith.

I will be returning to the prison again in due time - to see them and to encourage them. The mistakes have been made -I tell them that it is not the end of their lives- because God allows U -turns- I know several ex-prisoners but today they have returned to their families and some have gone back into professional lives. And if you come across any of them- don't frown on them-because they are also on God's Attention List.

25 Aug 2008

A Note From Genesis

CURTAINS DOWN ON THE OLD LIFE


Now the Lord said to Abraham “Go from your country and your kindred and your fathers house to the land I will show you…and Lot went with him… Abraham was seventy five years old when he departed from Haran.” Genesis 12: 1-4

It must have been a very nostalgic moment for Abraham when he started packing his bags to begin his journey into the unknown wilderness. Looking around his living room for one last time, the kitchen where he had shared many wonderful meals, going upstairs to see his bedroom, the table at his window with the morning sunlight streaming in. One last look through his window to see the familiar neighbourhood and the vast wilderness in the distance. Everything seemed so silent that day and there was a sinking feeling in his heart.

To leave the place where he had grown up and never to return. That must have been a very tough decision. Until today I have not seen a single individual who have forgotten their hometown. The last funeral I attended was in New York City, my hosts father an elderly Chinese gentleman who had succumbed to old age. His last instruction was to take his ashes back to his little hometown back in China.

We have all had the experiences of packing our bags to go on journeys here and there. But we always found our way back home. But Abraham would have to go on a journey and not return. He would be seeing his hometown and his kindred for the very last time. Painful though it must have been, the divine voice had to be heeded. The curtain had to be brought down on the past life. God had called him from a life of routines, monotony and certainty to a life of faith in Him!!

It seems whenever God appears on the scene in the Bible –its curtains down on the old life. Exodus is a classic example. And they left their nets and followed him was said of the early apostles.

If Abraham had said, “God, I am not going anywhere!! Why can’t you bless me here in my own hometown?” If Abraham had said we would never have heard about Abraham.

Perhaps life has taken a twist for you too. Suddenly the signboards pointed to a new and different direction and the roads do not look familiar at all. Nevertheless, the road must be travelled and the journey must be accepted. Somebody has once said, the will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. And that’s a profound truth in that statement. Simon Peter the apostle stated, “For you were going astray like sheep, but now have returned to the Shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Now that’s a promise to every believer. No matter where the journey leads, God is the Shepherd and Guardian of every believer’s soul.

So take heart, it may be the end of the old life of routines, the merry go round and the familiar And God brings you into a new life where nothing seems to be certain or a merry go around where we get off at the very place we got on! No- the life of faith leads you further and further in your trust in Him- as you move from one trial to the next and to the next level of God dealing with you. And the life of faith matures you as a believer. It is when the storms hit that the roots strike deep. And when the storm has passed, we hear the divine voice again, “Behold I make all things new!”

Are you feeling nostalgic and yearning for the old relationships and comforts with its predictable routine? When we felt secure in the knowledge that everything was under our control? To bring you forward God has to change the times and the seasons. Now is not the time for regrets. It’s the dawn of a new season for you. Take courage and move on. You will be glad you heeded the divine voice. Because it’s the only voice that does not deceive. Although He hides in the shadows and does not show His face, yet He is your Eternal lover. Discard your uncertainty and do not grieve at the memories of yesterday! It’s the beginning of a new season.

Hello there Everyone.

It may surprise some Malaysians- only yesterday I came to know that you could create a blogsite for free! But then, I am a true Malaysian, born on Malaysian soil and therefore very BLUR on some issues. Thanks to my dear friend Dr. Nasir from Sudan- it is all his help and work that this site is finally taking off!! I used to believe that Sudanese was filled with Muslim extremists, but I have since flushed those beliefs down the toilet after meeting him.

On the homefront, there are so many issues that are happening out here in this country called Malaysia that one can easily spend hours writing about them. I guess the latest issues are the Pulau Batu Putih issue(never mind that we lost Pulau Batu Putih, at least they gave us the kacang putih, said someone) , and now the by-election in Pematang Pauh. Not to mention the land scam issues in Penang just surfacing. One must be reminded that one of election promises of the previous CM was to root out all corruption(sic).




But my interests are not in election promises because ALL Malaysians know that election promises disappear like the morning clouds.I am also not interested in the conviction of those who ripped off the country while occupying their offices while portraying innocent faces- because probably new sharks, vultures and other predators will replace them.



But my concerns are those who are forgotten humanity living in Malaysia- those who try to scratch out a living , who have stopped fighting for their rights because they have accepted the fact that nobody listen to them. We hope that whoever takes the office will have some morals- and just a little commitment to fulfill the promises to the rakyat who voted for them. Thats all for now, folks, we will meet again. Vijay 20-8-2008