Red bombs? Bring it on!

I just came back from a Malay wedding. I knew both bride and groom since we were studying degree together in UKM. Special thanks to Shahrul who was kind enough to give me a ride. A moment of advertisement: Yes, he is still single, you ladies out there better pay attention! :)

I don't know, I always attend friends' weddings with mixed feelings. It's either I know the bride or the groom. And if I know both of them, the feeling is different and stronger. Joy. Excitement. Merry. Appreciation for such lovely couple, knowing that they're getting more stable day by day. And the love that fills the air!

Having said  that, I realise that I'm slightly closer to my Malay coursemates than to my Chinese coursemates. I've attended at least 2 Malay coursemates' weddings after our graduation but I always miss the Chinese coursemates' gatherings. There was one some time during CNY, I missed it because I didn't have transport and it's kinda pricey - it was at Traders Hotel if not mistaken. And the second one is tomorrow afternoon in Fullhouse at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. I am giving it a pass because it's Easter tomorrow and I will be spending my day in church. There's another event with the Chinese coursemates coming up. It's a trip to Batu Caves. I've never been there but again, I shall miss it because it clashes with my Genting trip with my debater friends. And I am especially excited about this trip because I am bringing Szuchen with me to join them! Szuchen is a very dear friend of mine. I'd like her to meet my other friends who mean a lot to me, too :)

Next weekend is Ilaina's wedding. If Shahrul is going and can give me a ride again, I'd really love to attend it, too. I guess it's also a way for us to meet up with some old friends. We had a great time catching up and exchange news. I was told that Abid has delivered her first baby boy on 6th April after an eventful delivery. Phew!

It's a wonderful weekend :)

Names that make you smile when saying it

A few months ago my friend and I were discussing names. It suddenly came to my mind that the name Twink was a name that made you smiled whenever you said it.

But there are also some other words that make you smile whenever you say them. Try these:

1. Wantan Mee
2. Great
3. Cheese
4. Win
5. Wee hours
6. Ai Huey
7. Coffee :D






And also, Jesus :)

Bliss on the couch

Hie Ching and I were watching some random movie on TV last night. We saw a beach wedding scene and I went:

"Oh.. beach, beach wedding! It's such a lovely beach wedding! I've always wanted a beach wedding!"

Hie Ching stared at me silently. A moment later I continued:

"But ok, maybe I need get a groom for that first."

And we both laughed hysterically. Amazing isn't it how friends get to read each others' mind?

There was another time, both of us and Lee Hwa were watching TV on a Saturday afternoon, with next door having their renovation. There came a part of the entertainment programme that was very funny, and the three of us burst out with roaring laughter. It was so loud that even the construction workers next door could hear us over their loud and disturbing knocking-down-wall noise. For a while in that afternoon, the construction noise from next door was put on hold and the air was filled with only laughter. I like Hie Ching's version the best: she was laughing madly and clapping hard on her own lap, too.

The little blessings we have in life :)

Still there

These days work in lab have been so busy and draining that I can barely recognise myself after I come back from work and collapse on the bed. I've come to this new place for almost 6 months now and I can feel that I've changed a little by little gradually.

But today I'm glad to note that a tiny part of me is still preserved well. It's the excitement I still feel when buying gifts for friends. *big grin*

Somehow, it's reassuring to me to note that myself :)

Bookshelves!

It's a madness! =)

This is a brilliant invention! It's a bookshelf which comes with a reading lamp and bookmark.

This is probably the most suitable bookshelf for me - safe space, cut down time to walk to a chair after I've found the book I want to read, and the mobility is best for decidophobe who cannot decide where to read because I can push the chair-cum-bookshelf around.

This makes me jaw-dropped.

This picture makes my Saturday a Saturday :)

Nerve

Yes, I've decided. If one day I manage to buy myself a house, be it a condo or landed house, not only it'll have a reading room, but also another room for kick-boxing. It may not have a boxing ring (Are you kidding? How am I going to fit a boxing ring into a room??) or floor mat. The most important item in it is the cotton punching bag hanging down from the ceiling. If I don't have enough rooms, I shall keep all my books in my bedroom right till next to my bed if that's what it takes, so that I can have that stress release work out room.

Yes, a punching bag. I need it more than I need a swimming pool *gasp* Pretty much now, too.

Banning poco-poco dance

In the effort of protecting Muslims in Malaysia from any non-Islamic elements, other religions are not allowed to publicly share information or propagate teachings of their own faith to Muslims, such as passing around flyers to them, invite them to religious events, among others.

But like I say, I don't believe that this kind of protection from the government is a good thing. An individual may boldly say that he is absolutely not interested in any religious activities other than for his own faith, or even claim to be annoyed by such invitation no matter how well intended these invitations are. That should be the liberty at individual level. In this way, the government not only is allowing freedom of speech for those  mentioned above, it is also empowering the rights of others who would like to know more about other religion to feel free to attend events that increase one's understanding about other religions, even if conversion is not necessarily in the picture. The culture of never stop learning should also include religious matter. In fact, challenges from people of other faiths is the most effective way to encourage one to learn more about his own faith in order to defend it, if he wishes. In this way, he is growing stronger in his own faith and this is essentially the purpose of the protection at the first place.

Having said that, I'd like to clarify that of course I do come across some Muslims who are strong in their own faith even with the protection from the government in place. But many are not. The same goes to Christians as well. There were times I only want to be a Sunday Christian. I felt the comfort of being at church on Sundays, and the comfort of not being challenged about my faith on the rest of the week. Until one day some friends asked me about my faith or threw me statement such as "If you don't sin, Jesus died for nothing!", I began to realise religion is more that just being comfortable and showing up for Sunday services. I do thank God for the peaceful times. But I should also take the initiative to come back to God for answers when challenges arise, and not giving excuses for my own shaky faith in Him. And I am not the only Christians who is guilty of giving excuses at times, too. There are much to improve on as His followers, maybe we can start with facing  the challenges positively.

Even, people (or at least, the leaders) of 1Malaysia should be made compulsory to be educated of faiths widely professed by the majority in this country before they want to ban certain activities from their fellow countrymen due to the "foreign" elements in those activities. Even if one is not interested to ban any religious activity, these leaders should be the role model and take the initiative to understand his community whom he is representing. Because the higher you go as a leader, there are even more reasons for you to bow down and wash the feet for (serve), be humble and be respectful to the people you lead and have influence on.

What is the result of over-protection? Some of our leaders don't even know what is or isn't an element of a particular religion, and worse, don't even care to hide the fact that they don't know about it. Mistaken Santa Clause and poco-poco dance to be of Christianity only brings shame to leaders who made those statement. And who elected those leaders of our nations? We, the citizens, do. At the end, we bear the most shame for the laughable statement they made on media. And yes, I grew tired of the times these leaders simply ban something and say because they are linked to Christianity without proper research.

It is these politicians who are playing the racial/ religious cards. Our country is better off without them.