Front Porch

The plants at the Front Porch are blooming this Christmas.

Chiropractic

Before 8 Dec 2005, I have never heard of the term "Chiropractic". No apology for the ignorance for I am not in the medical line.

This term was introduced to me by my niece, Ah Min when I was in KL recently. She told me to look for a chiropractic to fix my spinal pain problem. In fact, she made numerous calls to try to fix an appointment with a chiropractic for me. Somehow, it didn't work out.

By the time I was back to KK, we discovered in the local newspaper ad of the service of an orthopedic cum chiropractic. At last, we finally found a chiropractic in Sabah!

My first encounter with a chiro was his special bed that I was asked to lie on. A lot of pressings over my neck and back areas. But his twisting of my neck was most scary. I could hear the clicking sound of my neck bones when he twisted my neck. Somehow, the twisting of the neck seemed to do some tricks. Whether psychological or not, the pain in my back and hand did subside after this encounter with the chiro.

Still, the chiro told me that a more permanent solution to this spinal problem is to do an operation at the affected spinal chord area. To him, this is a fairly simple "procedure". He indicated that he has been successful in all the cases he has handled so far. I am now considering this procedure if the spinal problem persists.

At the moment, spinal pain is subsiding. Praise the Lord!

Still, I must say to Ah Min: Thanks for bringing me into the world of chiropractic!"

Passing of a Friend - Yogeswaran

When I was scanning my digital photo album, I came across this old university photo which was taken way back in 1973. It reminded me of the passing of a uni friend, a senior and a Christian brother in the 5th Residential College Christian Fellowship.

On 7 Dec 2005, I received an sms from another ex uni-mate from Sarawak, Sun Nan Ping (the chap sitting at my left in the photo). It reads "Sad news, Yoges passed away last night". He died of a blood disorder. He was scheduled to undergo some kind of bone marrow transplant scheduled in February 2006, but God chose to take him earlier.

Being a Malaysian of  Indian ethnicity, his uniqueness was that he had a pair of very neat white teeth over a dark skin background and curly long hair. He was a joker and a caring person. In the photo, I could still remember him sitting on the floor leaning on my feet. There was also a joke about him - When you have a power failure at night, just take him along and he would light up the area with his teeth!

Though he lived a fairly short life, about 56 I think, he did have a great impact on people he came into contact with.

After his funeral on 9 Dec 2005, I received another sms, "The funeral just ended. Beautiful time of celebrating Yoges' life and his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. About 200 people attended".

Christmas 2005

We hosted a small open house after the Christmas Day Service, and it was a lovely gathering filled with laughter and good company. Among our guests were Thomas Chin and his family, accompanied by Joan Chin, who was back from Australia for the holidays.

The Chan Kok Woh family joined us as well and brought along Winnie's aunt and her husband, a former diplomat who once served in Australia. Winnie also brought her sister and brother-in-law, who were home for the holidays from Brisbane, Australia too - her brother-in-law lectures at Southern Cross University.

Just as we were about to wrap up the open house, two carloads of youths unexpectedly arrived. Thankfully, there was still a bit of food left - just enough to welcome them properly. They brought a burst of energy and laughter to the tail end of the gathering and, quite literally, polished off whatever remained on the table!

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree at the cosy corner of the house.

Another Mini Reunion of Former Uni-mates

Our former uni-mates Wai Suet and Ling King Ngeo visited KK. We had a chance to have a simple breakfast in a coffee shop in Damai Plaza Phase 4 on 17 December 2005 joined by Pastor Lam Kee Hing.

God's Gift to You and Me

This is the picture of the scene of Nativity used in the illusion for the Praise Kids Christmas Party 2005.

Christmas 2005 is Coming

Wow, it's been a long time since I last blogged.

This December has been unusually hectic. With so many outstation assignments and looming deadlines, many would be quick to congratulate us on what appears to be a season of good business fortune - and indeed, we thank God for that.

But beneath the surface, I’ve been quietly battling something else: persistent spinal pain that’s been driving me to the brink. At times, the agony in my back, shoulder, and right arm becomes so intense, I find myself wishing for some magical device that could simply cut the pain away, once and for all.

Thankfully, today has been much better. The pain has subsided significantly, and I know it's no coincidence. I'm deeply grateful for the prayers of loved ones, a high-quality health supplement a friend introduced me to (which I’ve recently started taking), and my wife’s devoted physiotherapy sessions. Together, these have been instrumental in my slow but steady path to recovery.

Just a few days ago, on 15 December, I was stranded at KLIA for six and a half hours - from 3:30pm to 10:00pm - hoping to catch an earlier flight home. The wait was long and exhausting, and the pain made it all the more unbearable. In that moment of struggle, I received a call from Serene. Her timely conversation truly helped lift my spirits and eased the pain, if only for a while. Thank you again, Serene - your kindness made a real difference.

Tomorrow, Praise Kids Church will be celebrating Christmas, and I’ve been roped in to perform an illusion as part of the program. I haven’t done one all year, so this is both a challenge and an opportunity to dust off those skills. I’m still fine-tuning the performance, but by God’s grace, I pray it will make a meaningful impact on the children - more than just entertainment, but a message they can take to heart.

By the way, since 5 December, Paul has been undergoing his industrial training at our firm’s condominium project site located just off Jalan Damai, conveniently close to our office. From what I can see, he seems to be enjoying the experience and is steadily getting a hands-on feel for the nitty-gritty of civil and structural engineering. It’s one thing to study the theories in a classroom - but quite another to witness and participate in the real-world challenges and practicalities of a construction site. I believe this exposure will serve him well in the journey ahead.

The Wise Sage

While I was driving to work this afternoon, I heard a good illustration from the radio talk show by a lady in the radio station.

There was this couple who has been arguing and quarrelling until they decided to seek advice from one Chinese Sage. The husband went first and told his side of the story to the Sage and emphasizing that he was right and the wife was wrong. After listening, the Sage finally said, "You are right!".

The next day, it was the wife's turn. She told her side of the story and of course telling the Sage that she was right and the husband was wrong. At the end, the Sage too said, "You are right!".

When she went back and discussed the outcome of their consultation, they were surprised to discover that the Sage told each the same answer : "You are right!".

They decided to confront the Sage and said, "How can it be possible that each one of us is right at the same time. There must be one of us who is in the wrong. The Sage said, "You are right!".

I think that this is a good story for premarital counselling.

PM lost his Beloved Wife

Our PM's wife Endon passed away unexpectedly on 20 Oct 2005. Most Malaysians thought that she was on her way to recovery after her recent treatment in USA. Somehow, her relapse of breast cancer was worse than most of us thought.

The perception of most Malaysians towards Badawi and Endon was that they were very loving couple. It was said that whenever the PM went to work every morning, he would give the wife a peck on the cheek or yell to the wife if she was upstairs telling her that he was leaving for work. Truly a loving couple! A good leadership by example as far as demonstration of a loving couple was concerned.

After she was buried, he went to her grave everyday non-stop for three days. I was a bit worried that he would be too distraught or heart-broken to continue ruling the nation. I remember one Israelite PM by the name of Menachem Begin who totally lost the will to rule and to live after the wife died. In fact, he died not long after the wife passed away. Hopefully, Abdullah could survive this crisis and persevere on.

Talking about cancer, I remember this friend of mine who is in his early 40's who told me around late July this year of his persistent discomfort in his stomach. At that time, he also told me of the lady who had her stomach removed because of cancer. She didn't survived long and passed away in August. I blogged about her story in my August 6 blog (Read here). Then two week ago, I heard from my sister that another friend of mine had just got his colon removed because of colon cancer. That was shocking news. It did come to him as a great shock. The wife is now expecting their 2nd child. They have 2 more kids with the older one only aged 4.

This cancer thing has caused untold sorrow and distress to many many families. In this case, I offer my prayer that God would be merciful to him and his family and that he would prevail over this predicament.

David & Goliath

This afternoon, my cousin from Kota Belud came to my office to deliver a giant ostrich egg to me. He had earlier known that I have an interest to acquire an ostrich egg. He took the trouble to go to the Kota Belud Ostrich Farm to get this egg for me. What a nice cousin!

Just look at the sheer size! I was told that an ostrich egg is equivalent to 30 chicken eggs! A case of Goliath v David.

Now, we are left with the dilemma of what to do with this giant egg. Imagine you crack one is like cracking 30 chicken eggs. Probably, we will have an ostrich egg bonanza. A cake made with ostrich egg; scrambled ostrich egg; omelette ostrich egg: custard ostrich egg..... and the list is still being added on.

In fact, I was thinking of waiting for Paul to come back and join us to feast this ostrich egg bonaza. My cousin however said that the egg may not be able to wait that long. Too bad Paul!

The other thing I have to worry now is how to get the content out and yet keep the giant shell intact. My cousin told me to chisel a little hole at one end. That might not be easy for a first timer. Well, we will keep you informed after the feast.

Romantic Quotable Quotes

I’ve always been fascinated by people who have a way with words - those who can effortlessly craft inspiring phrases or memorable quotes that strike a chord deep within.

One such line that has always stuck with me is from the rather quirky character played by Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets: “You make me want to be a better man.”

Simple, heartfelt, and unforgettable. It’s amazing how a single sentence can carry so much emotional weight and linger in our minds for years.

The other night, while watching a Korean drama, I came across another gem of a quote that really stood out. Just after a beautiful wedding scene, the bride turned to her new husband and asked, “Will you still love me just as much when I’m an old granny with a head full of white hair?”

His reply was both unexpected and touching: “My love for you now is at its minimum, but by the time you’re a grand old granny, it will be at its maximum.”

Now, that’s a romantic quote worth remembering - don’t you think?

These past three nights, my wife has been away at a seminar in Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai. Despite her packed schedule, she still came home in between to prepare special dinners for me. I was honestly lost for words. But I did manage to say, from the bottom of my heart, “You make me want to be a better husband.”

That, I suppose, is my own little quotable quote.

Shanghai Experience

I was in Shanghai for three days, though in reality, I only managed to squeeze in about five hours of sightseeing - all at night. Still, I made the most of it by visiting two of the city’s most iconic attractions: Nanjing Pedestrian Walk and the famous Shanghai Bund.

Despite the short stay, I thoroughly enjoyed the culinary experiences my friends in Shanghai treated me to. From the legendary Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) to Shanghai-style dumpling noodles, each meal was a delight. One memorable highlight was during our farewell lunch, when I got to savour the so-called "Tian Xia Di Yi Bao" ("The World's No. 1 Bun") at the second-largest restaurant in Shanghai. I must have enjoyed it a little too much - my friend noticed and generously ordered a dozen for me to bring home to Sabah, so my wife could have a taste of authentic Shanghai cuisine too.

Speaking of the restaurant - it was massive by any standard, especially compared to what we’re used to in Sabah. It could accommodate up to 4,000 diners and boasted an additional 120 VIP rooms!

As my friend and I strolled along Nanjing Pedestrian Walk that evening, something unexpected happened. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see two girls, probably around 17 or 18, claiming they hadn’t eaten in a while and asking for money. But it quickly became apparent that they weren’t beggars - they were sex workers. Further down the same walkway, a schoolboy-looking lad bumped into my friend and casually asked, “Do you want massage?” I couldn’t help but think he might have been a young pimp trying to promote his "classmates" or someone else in his circle. That, too, is part of the reality of modern Shanghai - vibrant and dazzling on the surface, but with shadows just beneath.

On my way back to Pudong Airport, I made it a point to experience the famous Shanghai Maglev Train. Traveling at a top speed of 400 km/h, it was a thrilling, smooth, and futuristic ride. For just RMB 40, it was absolutely worth every cent - a perfect high-speed ending to my whirlwind Shanghai trip.

Weren't We Young Then

Back then in 1973. Weren't we young then! Recognize any of us?

From left: Joseph Loy Wei Choo, Peter Lai Kui Len, Me, Joyce Ding (Mrs. Lai), Rita, Lim Heng Seng. Photo taken at the steps by the quadrangle just outside the dining hall of the 5th Residential College of University of Malaya.

Cheers to 32 Years Friendship

Cheers to 32 years of friendship.

From left: Penny Lim, Joyce Ding (Mrs. Lai), Peter Lai, Jenny Wee, Teoh Guek Yean, Mary Ooi. Photo taken at the residence of Peter Lai.

32 Years Friendship

They are some of our uni-mates whom we got to know when I first entered MU in 1973. The strong bond of friendship developed because of the 5th College Christian Fellowship which we all joined back then. This is how we look some 32 years later.

Spaghetti for Dinner

Spaghetti for dinner. Wished you could join us. Doesn't it look yummy !

Little Chair Big Elephant

Funny pic I'll use for my Praise Kids object lesson.

A Person of Immense Faith

Thursday, 4 August, I attended the funeral service of a church friend whom I knew since the late 60’s during the youth days. She died of stomach cancer. At the time of her death, she had undergone two operations to have her stomach totally removed.

In the eulogy delivered by her sister, she was quoted to have said at her final moment of her life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day”. She was also quoted to have said, “Whatever path the Lord wants me to take, I would take it faithfully”. She also planned her funeral before she died.

This is truly a person of immense faith.

Fulfilling Unfulfilled Dream

Last Sunday, we said farewell to Oliver Chew. He would be leaving the next day to KL for a 5-year course in Medicine in IMU. His determination to go through another 5 years of study in a university is unbelievable. He had earlier completed a 4-year course in UMS for a BSc in Chemistry and then worked for more than a year. By the time he finished medical school, he will be at least thirty years old.

His reason for doing this is that he has always wanted to be a doctor. He is doing it to fulfil an unfulfilled dream!