NEw...

It's the first day of the Lunar New Year and I've already seen two things that I've never seen before in my lifetime.

ONE: A petrol station running out of petrol. Due to the large influx of vehicles making their way outstation, the ProJet just before the East-West Expressway was empty before noon!

TWO: Someone telling the mamak that the teh tarik is not sweet enough! Unbelievable, but it happened. It's always a joke amongst us that you will never hear anyone asking the mamak to sweeten the teh tarik. Even when you ask for 'kurang manis' {less sweet}, it's still so very sweet. It finally happened, and I saw it with my very own eyes. Hurray for my grandma! We couldn't believe it so my cousins, my brother, and I took turns to taste it... and my grandma was not losing her taste, it really wasn't sweet enough!

I've also been doing something I've never done before. For the past two nights, I've been walking my dogs. I know these tiny creatures run all around my garden already, but I thought it'd be nice if they could see the great outdoors... legally! Instead of sneaking out on me all the time! Plus, the nights are beautiful and great for walking. It's good for them and for me. I'll keep this up as a new routine.

I also haven't been taking photographs for my own pleasure for a little while now. So tonight I set forth with a mission; to capture the old blue truck at the construction site on film. That I did.

I'm pleased.

Chinese New Year...

Chinese New Year is here once again. The Chinese and their Lunar Calanders never seem to go wrong. Each year it's the same... bright sun, hot weather, high temperatures, mixed with strong winds here and there. Not once has the Chinese New Year been a rainy affair, nor a cloudy one. For that matter, it hasn't even been comfortably warm.

Someone from Australia asked me if I enjoyed Chinese New Year. I said, "Of course. It's always a good excuse to celebrate. A good excuse to meet up with friends and family. A good excuse to exchange gifts."

Celebrative seasons are sprinkled throughout the year. They come, they go. They make life more exciting. People seem more alive. People seem happier. Families get together, even if they may not get along. Friends remember to greet each other, even when many times they forget to call. We smile and laugh, even when some of us have forgotten how to.

Then I thought to myself...

Wouldn't it be nice if we all lived like it was Chinese New Year, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, Hari Raya, Thaipusam, Deepavali, our birthday, Mother's Day, Merdeka Day, and Thanksgiving every day?

Job's Friends...

Reading the book of Job from The Message by Eugene Peterson, I'm intrigued by the fact that reading this book at this stage of my life bears a different meaning from my teenage years.

The advice given by Job's friends sound all too familiar.

"You must have sinned to be going through what you're going through now... go and repent."

"Bad things only happen to those who don't love God."

"How could you question God in such a manner?"

I realize now, the friends of Job are meant to be examples of fellow believers... and how their lack of depth in the understanding of God and faith lead to the unbiblical judgements that they hold.

The truth is... sometimes good people go through shit as well. And the most faithful of God's followers may not have a perfect life. Well, life in the fallen world is like that.

Questioning God the way Job questioned God is part of a healthy spiritual life. It's not healthy or more noble when you don't ask God questions. He was being honest... questioning the logic behind his suffering and why God would allow it.

When there is a sense of injustice, there will be questions, there will be pain, and there will be doubt. Keeping these emotions hidden, pretending that it's all alright, and that you are deeply in love with God every second of every day will only lead to a path of thorns.

We can all be honest with God. He can take it. He can take our doubts and our interrogation. He really can. Isn't that what a real relationship is about? Working through uncomfortable situations, and having uncomfortable conversations... all this so that you can both grow closer together.

Stories that make me feel sad...

I am overcome by emotion... not because of my own experiences, but by the life of a close friend and a programme on MTV called, 'Flipped'.

I'm quite pleased with MTV. MTV to me all this time was pure fluff. Nothing but an instigator of boring, soulless, pop culture. But with this programme, they have redeemed themselves. At least they're doing something worthwhile with the popularity that they own.

I've watched other episodes before. Young kids are put into situations the opposite of their current lives. On a previous episode, 2 school bullies, one male, another female, were dressed up as nerds and sent to new schools. They experienced first-hand how it felt like to be made fun of and teased by everyone. The experience changed their lives. They realized how their behaviour strongly affects the emotions and well-being of the marginalized. Now they stand up for those being bullied.

In today's episode, they exposed a boy and a girl, both addicted to tobacco, to a life ruined by it. Oral cancer. Emphysema. Tobacco related problems have never really pinched my heart. But the stories told and the tears shed made me cry from within. The closing scene of the Major League hopeful hugging his mother and both of them crying together moved me. More painful was the tearful sharing from a patient of emphysema:

"I have trouble breathing. And I don't sleep well every night because the machine that helps me breathe is so noisy. People think that this disease only affects those 60 or 70. I'm only 41. Emphysema isn't a disease that kills you. It's the effects of emphysema that kill you."

Before the show, I was listening to stories about a close friend. In recent months, his life has collapsed around him. I'm not talking about being dumped. Not talking about a failed business venture. Not talking about betrayal. Not talking about family-related issues. Not talking about misforture. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about all the above, rolled into one flaming ball, hitting you hard where it hurts.

It's odd that I was reading the book of Job just last night. Suffering is the keyword. A good life... flipped. My heart ached for him. Everything just falls in unison. A domino effect. A series of bad choices made, followed by a series of misfortunes. Business venture fails. A run-in with loan sharks. Redemption from friends and family. Lies and deceit. Financial breakdown. Marital stress. Divorce. Mother faces health problems. Loses money that doesn't belong. Accused of stealing. Gossip spreads. Integrity questioned. Image tarnished. Mother-in-law doesn't want to take care of the baby anymore.

Where does one go from here?