Two More Days to January 2010

Wow.... time flies when one is having fun and I haven't written a single word this whole month.

What have I been doing the whole of December?

Well, I was in China the first two weeks. This year I toured Guilin and its surrounding areas (Nanning, Yang Shuo and Xing An). Beautiful scenery, lots of things to do and lots of things to buy. I just loved the cold weather but a number of toilets I was forced to visit were nightmares!! Here are some of the photographs that I took while in China (Remind me to take some photographs of those horrendous toilets next time I go to China again, hehe...):

GUILIN PHOTOS (CLICK HERE)

Come to think of it, I was in Xiamen exactly one year ago. Some photos that I took way back in December 2008:

XIAMEN PHOTOS (CLICK HERE)

Upon reaching home, it was time to get ready for Christmas. And lots of wedding luncheons and dinners to attend. And the Winter Solstice Festival. Busy time indeed! New clothes to be bought, new hairdo (but I always come out looking the same!!), the much-needed facial at the beauty salon, the fruit cakes and gingerbread cookies to be baked, etc....

Well, Christmas is over and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I was in Kuala Lumpur with my children for the countdown to 2008. It was a bit too hectic for my liking. So I stayed in Batu Pahat to welcome in 2009. I will be in Batu Pahat to usher in 2010.

As usual, I shall attend the Year-End Thanksgiving Mass in Church, celebrated at night - to thank God for all the blessings He has given me this year. It will be followed by fellowship and light refreshment. I am sure there'll be the usual fireworks at midnight.

The New Year, 2010.
Still an unspoiled page in my book of time.
An opportunity for me to practise what I have learnt about life during the last 12 months.

I found this in a magazine. 5 simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

These are Dharma Master Cheng Yen's New Year's Resolutions (Dharma Master Cheng Yen is a Taiwanese Buddhist Nun and the founder of Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation):

1. I will not seek to have everything go as I want. I only wish for enough courage to face reality.
2. I will not pray for health. I only hope to have a spirit filled with wisdom and a love that will never fade.
3. I will not look for fewer responsibilities. I only ask for even greater strength to do all the things that must be done in this world.

Pretty awesome, huh ?

WISHING ALL OF YOU A HAPPY AND BLESSED 2010.

A Beautiful Story

I came across this short story while waiting for my turn at the dental clinic. (Sorry, but I forgot the name of the small booklet):

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

The father told his daughter,"Hold my hand so that you won't fall into the river." The little girl replied, "No, papa. You hold my hand."

"What's the difference?" asked the puzzled father. "There's a big difference," replied the little girl.

"If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let go of your hand. But if you hold my hand, I am very sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go."

Beautiful, huh?

And so it is with God, we need to allow Him to hold on to our hand as we journey along this world. On reflection, I remember the many times I let go of His hand .....

• when my husband passed away and my heart was in anguish,
• when I was tired and discouraged from fruitless efforts,
• when I've tried everything and nothing seemed to work,
• when nothing made sense and I felt frustrated, etc.

Now that I have retired, I am trying my best to reach out and let God hold my hand. Through reading the Bible and prayer.

After being a Sunday Catholic for so many years (ie. praying in Church only on Sundays), setting aside some time - everyday - for reading and prayer requires a lot of effort and discipline...

Then I think of my Muslim friends who pray 5 times a day. They show such good examples.

And so I tell myself, "God willing, I can."

Cheers! :)

Stories From My Childhood Days

Aesop's Fables, Grimm's Fairy Tales and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales were all part of the stories of my childhood. In her desire to pass on her love of reading to my brothers and me, my mother read to us classic tales every night. It worked!! As time went by, my brothers and I graduated from being eager listeners to being avid readers.

Looking back, I realized that my mother's bedtime stories also helped to shape my character because a lot of her stories showed consequences of actions. I can still remember her story on "Selfishness". The story goes like this...

A bad old woman died. In her whole life she had not done one good deed. So Satan grabbed her and threw her into the sea of flames. But her guardian angel did not give up. "Can't I recall a single good thing that she had done?" he thought hard and long. Then he brightened up and said to God, "I distinctly remember one time that she dug a small potato out of her garden and gave it to a beggar."

"All right," said God. "Take that same small potato and hold it down to her in the sea of fire and try to lift her up with it. If you succeed, she will go to heaven."

So the angel began to pull her up very carefully. But when the others saw what was happening and she began to go up, they all began to hang onto her. The woman started kicking them off, shouting, "I'm the only one supposed to be rescued by this little potato. It belongs to me alone; it's not yours."

At that, the potato tore apart and she fell right back down into the sea of fire, where she still is. The angel wept.

When adults want to impart important things - like faith, belief, values - to children, it's often best related in the form of stories. Stories are more easily understood and enjoyed.

The character of your children tomorrow depends on what you put into their hearts today. So, tell them bedtime stories!! :)

I Am A Water Snake

I am at present reading a book on Chinese Astrology.

Chinese astrology uses twelve zodiacal signs with which to try to define basic human characteristics. Unlike Western astrology, the signs are all animals. And while each Western zodiacal sign governs a month (and thus the month of birth), each Chinese animal sign rules a year ( and consequently the year of birth).

This cycle of animals governs a twelve-year period, starting with Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and ending with Pig. I was born in the year 1953 and that makes me a Snake.

So, what did the book have to say about Snakes??? Hehe... I quote, " The Snake is associated with beauty and wisdom. In China, the Snake is believed to be the guardian of buried treasure, and is therefore a symbol of good luck." :) :) :) I am still grinning...

Do you know, there are different kinds of Snakes???

• Wood Snake - born in the year 1905 or 1965
• Fire Snake - 1917 or 1977
• Earth Snake - 1929 or 1989
• Metal Snake - 1941 or 2001
• Water Snake - 1953

Guess that makes me a Water Snake, together with people like Thomas Jefferson, Mao Tse-Tung and Oprah Winfrey, "who slink through the corridors of power." Me? Power? Nah, no way!

According to this book, I am supposed to be astute, intelligent and practical, but with a creative view of the world. I am also supposed to be gifted with great powers of concentration and can block out all distractions. Having studied until university, I guess I must have a reasonable amount of intelligence and concentration power.

Like other Water Snakes, I am supposed to be ambitious, elegant, charming and very lucky. The book goes on to say that "Snakes are unmatched in physical beauty: they are the original femmes (and hommes) fatales!" Omigosh, was I a femme fatale during my younger years? And that Snakes want everything to be perfect. Yup, that's absolutely correct - I am a perfectionist!

Not everything about the Snake is good. There are also negative things - like Snake is not very sociable, but makes sure she is at the right place at the right time, and with the right people. Snakes are masters of timing! That's me; I don't like to socialize unless it is necessary.

The book also says, beware of the Snake whose anger is aroused, for she can be venomous. Furthermore, Snake will wait patiently until the time is right for her to strike at her enemies. Me? Waiting patiently to strike back?? Those of you who have worked with me will know - when I get angry, I voice it out immediately (very direct, no pretence) and then I put everything behind me.

I read about Monkey (my son), Pig (my daughter), Rabbit (my late husband), Horse (my brother), Ox (a very good friend), Rat (another good friend), etc.... and my conclusion is that the book is interesting, but whatever is written inside - hmmmm, take it with a pinch of salt!

Cheers! (^_^)

My Sister's Keeper

A beautifully written novel by Jodi Picoult. It was given to me by the students of Lower Six Science.

The story revolves around the Fitzgerald family. Sara Fitzgerald's daughter Kate is just two years old when she is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Kate has to undergo a bone marrow transplant in the hope of getting well but no one in her family is a suitable donor.

To save Kate, Sara has another baby - a baby genetically engineered to match Kate. Anna Fitzgerald is an allogeneic donor - a perfect sibling match - specifically designed to save her sister Kate.

When Kate needs leukocytes or stem cells or bone marrow, Anna provides them. Nearly everytime Kate is hospitalized, Anna winds up there, too.

Sara wants Anna to donate one of her kidneys to Kate. Anna, now aged thirteen, decides that she does not want to help Kate live anymore. She hires a lawyer to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

How does the story end ? Actually the ending of My Sister's Keeper is surprising and terribly sad.

Read the book!!! :)

Anyway, after finishing the novel, I did something that I have always wanted to do but kept on postponing. Yes, I signed up as an organ and tissue donor.

Have you signed up as a donor ? You can download the National Organ Donor Registration Form at http://rayma.com.my/giftoflife/signup.html and post the completed form to :

National Transplant Resource Centre,
Main Lobby, Hospital Kuala Lumpur,
Jalan Pahang,
50586 Kuala Lumpur.

Remember, "Organ Donation is a Gift of Life".

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Only 4 more days to Hari Raya. I went to school this afternoon and found the office all nicely decorated to reflect the festive spirit.

I was just thinking . During the puasa month, Muslim teachers in Munshi must be having a harder time than those in other secondary schools. Especially those teaching in the afternoon session. I can imagine.....towards the end of the day - already hungry, thirsty and tired - and having to go inside those classes where the students are noisy, unruly and who do not want to study!!! Luckily school starts and ends earlier. :)

Speaking of fasting, I am a Catholic. In my religion (as with all religions), there are three things that need to be done - prayer, fasting and almsgiving. To me, almsgiving is the easiest and fasting the hardest - anyone noticed that I normally take leave on those days that I have to fast?? Like Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?? (^_^) (that's only 2 days in the year, mind you... compared to the entire month of Ramadhan...)

So here's wishing all my Muslim friends "Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri".
I am sure everyone is looking forward to a nice, long break.....
To students who are going to sit for the PMR, SPM, and STPM....study hard!!!!

I'm back! :)

Hi there everyone. I am back. :)

When I retired on 8 August, I expected to have more time and write more things in my blog. But it's been one month and I have not written anything!

What did I do the entire month ? Well, I went to KL to view properties, then I returned to BP. I then flew to Penang and stayed there for a week - by the way, the food in Penang was heavenly. Then I flew to KL, and viewed more properties!!

While looking at the residential properties, I made good use of something which I learned during my working days to help me make decisions. So I armed myself with a notebook, and for every property I visited, I jotted down the Plus, Minus and Interesting points. After much consideration, I decided to buy a condominium at Riana Green, in Tropicana.

My point is, whatever we learn when we go out for courses can be applied to everyday life. And that's the reason why I continued to attend courses even though I was about to retire. Strategic Planning, Blue Ocean Strategy, Coaching and Mentoring, Data Driven Decision Making, etc... They call it "Lifelong Learning".

Once I have settled down in KL, I will definitely register for some courses - the first will be at the Centre of Modern Languages, Open University Malaysia.

I went to school last Thursday to sign some documents and a few teachers asked why I had stopped writing. Thanks guys for visiting my page - I was touched when you asked me that question. And I thought - out of sight, out of mind ?? (grin....)

Ciao.

Self imposed quarantine...

Received sms from Pn Hjh Salbiah, Pengetua SMK Penghulu Saad last night: How are you? Kita nak raikan puan di Terengganu ni, malangnya puan tak hadir. Sedih pulak rasanya. Jom makan!

He..he.. what happened ? Well on Thursday, I developed sore throat. On Friday morning it became worse and I was shivering - so I went to the doctor (who immediately gave me a mask to wear!!). I came out from the clinic with a handful of medication. Being a responsible citizen, I phoned up the Pengerusi of PKPSM Batu Pahat and told him that I will be putting myself under self-quarantine and social distancing - i.e. I won't be following them to the East Coast, even though the trip was planned specially for me !!

So, at this very moment, I am staying home, getting lots of rest, drinking plenty of fluids and doing things that I like to do - i.e. listening to music, solving crossword and sudoku puzzles and reading.

Talk about reading, I came across something interesting called the "ripple effect". It goes like this....

Your behavior influences others through a ripple effect. A ripple effect works because everyone influences everyone else. For example:

You influence your family,
Your family influences your community,
Your community influences your nation,
Your nation influences your world,
The ripple effect spreads throughout the cosmos.

Remember that your influence begins with you and ripples outward. So be sure that your influence is both potent and wholesome.

As I was reading the book, I received message from Ms Siew:

"Hello Pn Lim . Good news from SMS. 2nd Rocket Competition in UTHM. Karnival Tg 6 - Johan Pidato B.I., Bowling Lelaki and Petanque 4th."

I replied, "Congratulations to the teachers and students. Gambate! "

Going back to the "ripple effect", all growth spreads outward from a fertile and potent nucleus. So teachers and students, you are the nucleus! Let the ripples begin.....

Another beginning...

After much pondering - 4 days and 4 nights, he..he.. - I have decided to rename my blog "Genesis".

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "genesis" means "beginning" or "starting point". Retirement, as I see it, is not a slow decline into old age. It is a fresh start, a liberating jump into new beginnings.

This is a wonderful time to reflect on all that I have, all that I have accomplished and to get closer to God. This is also the perfect time to take up hobbies I never had time for, to travel, to learn new things (Mandarin is a must!), to travel, to do some volunteer work and to spend time with family and friends.

I won't be bored, and that's for sure . Cheers!