Discovering the Joys of Piano-Playing

During my younger days, learning to play the piano was like learning other subjects in school. I studied hard and practised hard so as to pass the ABRSM exams. Get distinctions, if possible.

My piano teacher put me to work on scales and Czerny's exercises so as to acquire "agility, independence, strength and perfect evenness in the fingers as well as suppleness of the wrist." My wrist must be kept high, my forearm stiff and the back of my hand flat enough to rest a coin on.

Oh yes, I possessed dexterity and technical skill. Sadly, because I was young, I lacked the power to interpret the music that I played.

After retirement, I have discovered the joys of piano-playing. I now have a greater capacity for working at details. I also have the time to practise.

Nowadays, I enjoy taking a difficult passage apart and playing it over and over until I get it right. There is so much pleasure in creating "a beautiful sound".

Hehe... I hope my neighbours feel the same as I do, and not complain of headaches because of the noise I am constantly making. :)

A Sixty/Forty Proposition

When I was in college, one of the professors said to us, his students, “The secret of a successful marriage is this: Marriage is not a 50/50 proposition. A 50/50 proposition is one where nobody is giving anything.”

“Rather, the secret of a happy marriage is 60/40. The husband gives in sixty percent of the time and expects his wife to give in forty percent of the time. The wife gives in sixty percent of the time and expects her husband to give in forty percent of the time. In a 60/40 proposition, you don’t clash in the middle and say, ‘Now, it’s your turn.’ Instead, you intersect and overlap, because you’re each giving sixty percent.”

“Give and it will be given to you.”

It’s the secret in business ; it’s the secret in interpersonal relationships.
[from Be An Extraordinary Person In An Ordinary World by Robert H. Schuller]

My son, Matthew and his fiancée, Michelle registered their marriage at the ROM in Putrajaya on Sunday, 10.10.2010.

I thank God for bringing them together.

May they be blessed with happiness and may they feel His presence and peace in their home.

The above wisdom by Dr. Schuller will certainly be of use to them in their married life.

Church Outing

My good friend, Anna, and I organized a trip to Malacca last Saturday for the parishioners of our church. The participants were a good mixture of East Malaysians (students from UTHM and ADTEC), Filipinos, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians.

Our Parish Priest allowed us to collect only RM20.00 from each participant (because quite a number of those going were young children, students and migrant workers). The amount that we collected was not enough to cover even the cost of the bus!!! Fr Lawrence told us that the church will come out with the rest of the money.

Anyway, Anna and I tried to raise some funds. God certainly worked His way into the hearts of many people. Donations were aplenty. More than enough, actually. There’s something in the Bible that goes like this: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." -Matthew 7:7

Our first stop was the Air Keroh Botanical Gardens. We had our breakfast of epok-epok, bananas, nasi lemak and mee siam over there - under the trees and observed by a lot of hungry monkeys. Next on the itinerary was the Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary. We then proceeded to Melaka Raya for lunch at Restaurant Ole Sayang (Peranakan Cuisine). The afternoon was spent exploring St Paul ’s Hill, The Stadhuys and shopping along Jonker Street . I bought the famous Madam Goh Nyonya pineapple tarts and Nyonya bachang and then headed for a shop selling Nyonya laksa and iced cendol. Aah… simply delicious. I wanted to eat chicken rice balls, too – but the queue was just too long.

In the evening, we went to St Peter’s Church for sunset mass. There was tea waiting for us when we arrived. After mass, the Parish Priest and parishioners of St Peter’s gave us a delicious buffet dinner. Such hospitality.

I am very sure the participants enjoyed themselves. More importantly, after spending one whole day together, we became closer to each other. And that was the primary objective of organizing the trip.

So, what’s my next agenda?
Australia….. here I come !!!

Memories...

MEMORIES

As we go through life,
we generate memories for ourselves of people
and events that have positively influenced us. These
memories are powerful
and can bring us comfort and happiness
when we think of them.

They serve us very well as situations change
or people are no longer in our lives.

Wouldn’t it be nice to think
that other people’s memories of us
are also positive, and give pleasure
when we are not around?

(Soul Food - Recipes for a Happier Life)

I was invited to a gathering of old SDBL students on 7th August 2010 (which coincidentally happened to be my 1st year retirement anniversary). I was their Form Six Chemistry teacher 16 years ago. Below are some photographs which my son took.

All of them are now about 46 years of age. Most of them married, with children. Quite a number of them have put on some weight. One or two are starting to have receding hairline...

Time really flies. But I can still remember very clearly the times I spent with them as their Chemistry teacher. They were hardworking and disciplined, ever willing to attend extra classes. I enjoyed teaching them. Classes were fun, full of laughter. But there were a few scary moments – an accident in the laboratory, when a broken pipette went into a girl’s face; a few times when frogs went hopping happily around the class and I screamed. Hehe...

To be invited to their gathering, I guess I must have created some positive memories for them. I know that some of them follow my blog and so I take this opportunity to say, “Thank you for remembering me. And thank you for the beautiful memories that you have given me. God Bless.”

Growing Old

The whole of last week my church friends and I were helping an old lady shift house. She is 92 years old and stays alone in a big bungalow with an enormous compound. Her husband is dead. Her children are residing overseas. Since December 2009, her house has been burgled 3 times. The third time, which happened 2 weeks ago, was bad. Two men forced her into her house. She sat and watched as they ransacked her home. They even took away her car! Time for her to move to a smaller and safer place.

While helping her pack her personal belongings, we came across many photo albums. Pictures of old times spent together with her late husband and children.

“I don’t want them!” she said. She only took photographs of her late husband with her.

I looked at her and wondered, “What thoughts are running through her mind?”

Suddenly, I remembered an article which I had read in The Star. It was about a man who found and read his mother’s dairy after she had passed away. One of her entries was addressed to her grandchild...

“To my beloved grandchild, Rahul.”

“Rahul, I love you very much. We all love you very much, especially your parents. And my child, don’t ever do anything that will hurt them.”

“Rahul, I hope that you grow up to be like your father. However, do not make the mistakes your father made. I know, Rahul, that your father is a very good man. He just forgot to do something that was important to me.”

“Rahul, after some time, a person experiences emptiness in her or his life. As parents grow old, a certain fear comes into their mind. Are they a burden to their children?”

“Rahul, if ever your mother or father have no one else to turn to, make sure you are there. Make sure you have time for them.

Go to their bedroom and talk to them. Look at old albums and talk about old times spent together. They will feel good and wanted. Sometimes hug them as they hugged you when you were young. Call out your mother’s name just like you did when you were young.

“God will always take care of you. Those who take care of their parents will always be taken care of. Your mother and father have always taken care of me. You too must take care of them and remember the things I have written to you.”

“My child, when someone grows old, their biggest enemy is loneliness. In their old age, make your parents feel wanted. Take extra care of them. Every day, make them feel their presence in the house. Each day say ‘mum’ or ‘dad’ six or seven times because they love to hear that...”

I then thought of my late father. He lived in Penang while I settled down in Johore. Yes... I am also guilty. “Pa,” I called out to my father. But it is too late.

A Good Book for Contemplation - The Prayer Of The Frog

Education

The family settled down for dinner at the restaurant. The waitress first took the order of the adults, then, turned to the seven-year –old.

“What will you have?” she asked.

The boy looked around the table timidly and said, “I would like to have a hot dog.”

Before the waitress could write down the order the mother interrupted. “No hot dogs,” she said. “Get him a steak with mashed potatoes and carrots.”

The waitress ignored her. “Do you want ketchup or mustard on your hot dog?” she asked the boy.

“Ketchup”

“Coming up in a minute,” said the waitress as she started for the kitchen.

There was a stunned silence when she left. Finally the boy looked at everyone present and said, “Know what? She thinks I’m real.”


Service

A beggar saw a banker coming out of his office and said, “Could you give me a dime, sir, for a cup of coffee?”

The banker felt sorry for this man who looked bedraggled and distraught. He said, “ Here’ s a dollar. Take it and have ten cups of coffee.”

The next day the beggar was there again at the steps of the banker’s office and as the banker came out, the beggar punched him.

“Hey,” said the banker. “What are you doing?”

“You and your lousy ten cups of coffee. They kept me awake the whole of last night!”


Authority

A centipede consulted the wise owl about the pain it felt in its legs.

Said the wise owl, “You have far too many legs! If you become a mouse you would have only four legs – and one-twenty-fourth the amount of pain.”

“That’s a very good idea,” said the centipede.

“Now show me how to become a mouse.”

“Don’t bother me with details of implementation,” said the owl. “I only make the policy in this place.”


The above tales are taken from the book “The Prayer of the Frog” written by Anthony de Mello, S.J. There is much wisdom in this book - silent teachings that awaken and transform us.

The Father's Eyes

This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. His father never missed a game. This young man was the smallest in his class when he entered high school. His father continued to encourage him, but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice. Perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.

All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game, but remained a bench warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team. Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept the young man on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time provided the other members with the enthusiasm and spirit they badly needed.

His father was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young man never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game.

It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and became silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around the young man’s shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. You don’t have to come for the game on Saturday.”

Saturday arrived and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful teammate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close play-off game. But the young man persisted.

Finally, feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “You can go in.” Before long, the coach, the players, and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right.

The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His classmates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you’ve never heard.

Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed the young man sitting quietly in the corner, all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?” He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?”

The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

I must confess that I got a bit teary-eyed when I read the above short story.

I pray that parents will stand by their children, cheering them on and inspiring them to do their best. And I pray that children will appreciate all the sacrifices their parents have made to give them the best in life. Amen.