When I was growing up in Malaysia 50 odd years ago, life was simple and straightforward. To me, one was either a Man or Woman, a male or female. I could easily differentiate one from the other just by the way the toilet each one went to in school. I learnt in school that men …
International Women’s Day 2023. Happy?! ….Or Confused? Read More »
It’s Chinese New Year (“CNY”) and we hear shouts of “Gong Xi Fa Cai!” which means “Wishing you Prosperity and Good Fortune!” We hear “Niannian You Yu!” which means “Surplus and Abundance Year after Year!” We hear “Ji Xiang Ru Yi!” which means “Good luck, Good fortune!” We greet each other with greetings of good …
Q1: What does Chinese New Year (“CNY”) mean to you? Q2: Do you enjoy CNY? Why? Q3: What are your hopes for CNY? These were the questions posed to a number of friends who celebrated Chinese New Year, (19 people of Chinese descent (3 living overseas), 1 Korean and 1 Japanese). Surprisingly, the …
1st of January 2023 has come. We’ve bid goodbye to 2022. It’s a new year. How is it that I feel nothing has really changed, yet I also feel that 2022 has come and gone too quickly. Who is the person who determined that the 1st of January is a new year in the first …
“I was once expelled from the hostel I stayed in while attending English College in Johor Bahru because I sneaked out with two friends to eat see ham (cockles) on Lido Beach!” R shared with a bashful smile and a twinkle in his eye. “You didn’t!” I laughed, “Why did you do it?” “The food …
In Lutheran churches, on each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas, an Advent candle is lit. The four candles have names: hope, love, joy, and peace[1]. But where is the Candle of Faith, I wonder? What is faith, I ask? Hebrews 11:1 comes to mind, and it reads: “Now faith is being sure of what we …
The Father of Faith threw his wife under the bus. Twice. Read More »
I sent these three questions to many friends and relatives. Question 1: Are you looking forward to Christmas? Question 2: Can you explain why? Question 3: What do you wish for this Christmas? I got 44 responses. The answers were interesting! Here’s what I learned. Question 1: Are you looking forward to Christmas? 25 persons …
I asked, you answered: Christmas is magic, panic, romantic … Read More »
I have a confession to make. When I awake, I immediately reach out for my mobile phone. I start by reading the WhatsApp chats and Google news feeds. Throughout the day I scroll up and down looking at the chats, the reactions, videos, YouTube, social media. The stuff I receive ranges from the newsworthy, banal, …
The Bible, in 2 Samuel 11, records a sordid incident which happened during the height of King David’s reign. What is this sordid incident? Was it a war? Was it an act of treason? No, actually it started off involving 2 individuals. And then it escalated into a national catastrophe. It was springtime and King …
A night of revelry turned into a nightmare in Itaewon, Seoul on Halloween 2022. The cause of death was asphyxiation, from the crowd crush. Simply put, the victims just couldn’t breathe. A normal adult breathes 12 to 20 times per minute[1]. Breathing is an activity which we do naturally, automatically, mostly without thinking. Yet in …
