Which would I choose to do?

"My Lord, where's my bag?"....I stared hard at the laundry bag and the other clean clothes which I just received from the laundry man. My brown Padini sling bag was missing, nowhere to be found. I could suddenly feel my fury fast arising. This is not the first time that I have lost my things after sending to the Millenium Court's laundry service. The first month I stayed in this residence, I lost my other black sock...their reason is because the little sock was too little for the staff to notice. It must have made its way into the next person's laundry bag who used the washing machine after me. I took their explanation and bought a little laundry bag to accomodate my little washable items. On the second month, my friend's new big towel (inside my laundry bag) went missing. That time I sent three towels (two old ones and one newly bought towel). The funny thing is, why is it that, the new one got misplaced? Or maybe the new big towel was also left in the washing machine because it was 'TOO LITTLE' for the staff to notice? The third month I stayed here in this Millenium Court, I lost my worn-out but very lovable Padini sling bag. Now, what's their reason? The 'BIG' bag must have made its way to another person's laundry bag. Imagine if I stay here in Millenium Court for 36 months...that means if I am to lose an item every month, I will end up losing 36 items for the every month that I stay in Millenium Court! I do not think I can afford this!
I do not have the intention to blame anyone but I believe that God is in control of this incident. I am not angry or in rage but I am very much disappointed of such lacking in responsibility of handling the residents' laundry. After some discussion with in-charge of the laundry service, it sounded that they have an organized way of doing the laundry, from the receiving of the laundry bag to the washing to the drying up of clothes to the folding of clothes and lastly, on returning the laundry bag with clean clothes to the residents. And now, if their method of laundry is organized, how come the clothes still get misplaced or the new and nice items go missing? The in-charge was defending his staff and asking me "so, are you saying that one of my staff stole your bag?" Well, God knows who took my bag...
People will say, oh..it's just a bag, don't make a big fuss of it...Yes, it's only a bag but if people live in ignorance here and have this attitude of 'takpe la' or 'tidak apalah', then, I can assure myself that I will, and so will the other residents. lose their items, if not every month, maybe for every week that they send their laundry! This is about responsibility on the part of the staff and also the residents! Now, I have a choice to either forget the lost bag, accept the in-charge's offer to settle this dispute at their level (money compensastion, of course), go on with my life and just be ignorant of what had happened to me. This way, the laundry staff will not be in trouble with my complaint about the missing items and my life will be peaceful here in Millenium Court. On the other hand, I can make a change, give a wake up call to everyone and file a complaint to the Millenium Court Management (which the laundry in-charge told me NOT TO DO), sending the laundry staff into hot soup. Which one would I choose?

Prior to my knowledge of my missing bag...

Last Sunday, I went shopping with my sister at Sg. Wang Plaza and Lot 10. That time, as I entered Parkson, I had a strong prompting to have a look at the ladies sling bags and handbags (That day, my Padini bag was still in the laundry). I told my sister that I wanted to get a bag, I do not why, but I needed to get a bag, but thinking that I have the Padini bag for me to use on my vacations later, I buried my prompting. In other words, I choose not to follow my prompting. Leaving Sg. Wang and Lot 10, then suddenly, both of us decided to return to Parkson to survey through the bags again. We went to Parkson twice to check on the bags and at last, we did not buy any bag :( ...instead we decided to buy our mother a perfume. (Sigh) The Holy Spirit must have tugged my heart but I choose not to listen to it.

Blessings in Disguise from God

What I wanted to proclaim here is that God is at work in this incident. Simple and common incident it may sound, I believe that my God who is the Living God, will take control of this incident. Yes, when I call, when I pray to Him, He will listen (see Jer 29:12). No other God is like my God. God who is full of Love and Mercy. "God please make way for my bag to return to me again, but above all, O Lord, let Your will be done unto me." This incident has also taught me to stand up on me two feet, to speak out my mind, for I was very much a timid girl before. Well, of course, I did not go amok, start a quarrel with them and start banging at the counter or tearing other people's clothes. Of course, reverse psychology is being applied here too :P
I learned to speak up in a diplomatic way, for I was very much an impulsive and abrupt person before, in timid way that is! Now, I think with my head, not following the impulsivity of my heart.
Praise God! This incident has also introduced me to St Anthony of Padua, the Patron of Lost Things and Missing Persons. St. Anthony, I have lost a bag, please intercede for me so that my bag will be found again. Thank you, St. Anthony! ;D

This is a beautiful prayer to St. Anthony of Padua, a prayer of asking his intercession for us. Pray it and believe that St. Anthony listens to your prayer and that he will most certainly offer up your prayer requests to our Beloved Jesus who is so near to him in heaven ;)

Unfailing Prayer to Saint Anthony
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Miracles waited on your word, which you were ever ready to speak for those in trouble or anxiety. Encouraged by this thought, I implore of you to obtain for me (request). The answer to my prayer may require a miracle. Even so, you are the saint of Miracles.
O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the Sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms, and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours.

Amen. (Say 13 Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

God, My Friend…the Lord of All Things…

I remembered these sayings from my favourite book, the Bible; ‘…when you call me (God), when you go to pray to me (God), I (God) will listen to you’ (Jer 29: 12)… ‘Jesus said ask and you shall receive…for everyone who asks, receives…your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him’ (Lk 9:9, 10, Mt 7:7, 11).

I have always made my prayers communicated to God is such a prayer-like way. To give one example, with the elements inclusive of adoration, thanksgiving, atonement and petitions…

(Adoration) Heavenly Father,
(Thanksgiving) I want to thank You for this gift of life and everything that You have done for me.
(Atonement) And I’m sorry for the many things that I have failed you, in loving You and loving others. But Lord, You have called me again, unworthy as I am, You have held me up again, never turning You face against me. And thank you again for making time listening to this unworthy child of Yours.
(Petition(s)) Today Lord, please make way for…

This goes on and on as I make my prayers requests known to Him, even though I know well that He knows beforehand the desires of my heart. From praying with the four elements, I have chosen to talk to God is a very humane way…just like my daily conversations with people. Just like my conversations with my friends and family! Some may say, ‘oh yeah, she has plenty of time to do this unlike us busy bees over here’ but I did not start talking to God like this only recently. I have had such ‘informal and friendly’ way of talking to God since I went down from the silence and solitude retreat few years ago. And now, I felt compelled to share few of God’s little surprises which He has showered upon me during and after our little conversations. The surprises become more evident as I become closer to Him. Hhmm…What say u? Prayers answered by God? Well, He listens when we tell Him and He’ll give us accordingly to His will…and you know what? He knows what’s best for us! Even though what is best for us may seem to be contrary to what He thinks what is best for us! :)

Hhmm…I wish I have a mooncake to eat…

Mooncake Festival was just around the corner and I have just realised that I haven’t had a taste of mooncake this year! That morning, I made a plan to get a mooncake after training later today. It was a few days before the big Mooncake Festival so I planned to take a bus to Midvalley and go to Carrefour to get a little mooncake. I prayed for protection on my journey from UH to Midvalley and then back to my room. That afternoon, I was in the neurology lab when a sales rep from a drug company came with a box of Thai Thong mooncakes (yum, yum). Knowing that I was still a new student under training in the neurology lab, I did not bother to even have a look inside the beautiful red box. I continued reading the EEG book when suddenly I felt a tap at my shoulder. Letchumy, holding a packet of mooncake on my shoulder, told me to have the mooncake. Reluctant to take the mooncake as those are for the Neuro Lab staff, I shook my head, told Letchumy that I will not take it and please give the mooncake to all the staff. But Letchumy insisted and nudged me to take the mooncake and savour it in my room. I thanked her and told her of my mooncake plan today. And she said with a grin, “Hehe...God must have sent this young man & me to give you this mooncake!” And me too, grinning away thinking that God was provided me a mooncake without me having to carry out my trip to Midvalley. My Lord, this is truly a surprise from you…:) thanks!

Protect me on the way to the post-office, please?

I was complaining to God and telling Him that I need His protection when I walk to the nearest post office in UM to post the money (RMXXXX) into my ASB account on Friday long lunch break. Carrying the cash money in the bag while walking alone to the post office is not very advisable since the occurrence of few attempted robberies in SS2 and UH area. I was reassuring God the reason I needed to bank in money as soon as possible and that I know He will provide me in this intention of mine. And on that Friday itself, God has actually sent someone, a very unlikely person to help me in this task. She just said that she was prompted to help me during this Ramadan month, and she gladly drove and even accompanied me to the UM post office and kindly waited for me until I have completed my task. I kept on thanking her and apologizing if this task takes so much of her lunch time but she said it was alright and she was happy to help me. My Lord…Thanks for this visible angel! :)

It would be nice if there are two or three gathered in my room…

Hhmm…how nice would it be if I have company (besides the ones in the hospital, of course) during my stay here in this metropolis? This was what I had been whispering to God every time I enter into my conversations with Him. Of course, I would have Him to talk to, my family and friends whom I can call, talk with my acquaintances from the Lab during my training days, but sometimes I feel deprived of human presence. Every time I come home to my little room after training, I feel very much alone especially during the weekends. But of course, I have my conversations with Him J Then one day, I received a call saying that I will have a friend to accompany me in my room for about month, and also a friend who will accompany me during the weekends!. I received these friends with open arms and looking back now, I realised that He has made my intention of getting friends into my room to come alive! Hhmmm…Thank you for sending them to me, Lord, thank you!

Mirina!

I was just sharing with a friend the other day about a friend of mine named Mirina, how I have not been talking to for a very long time and that I have a feeling that I missed her. Then the next two days, I received a call from Mirina! She was coming down to KL for training so she was thinking whether I would like to meet up with her. Well, people will usually say, “Panjang umur oh you, Mirina” when people are talking (not gossip, ah) about a particular person and then the person suddenly appear into their midst or give them a call. Well, in my case, she gave me a call two days after me saying that I missed her! The meet-up was to be on Saturday night after Lifemass and I am to go to Midvalley (this is the most convenient place for us to meet up, I reckon, considering the proximity and availability of transportation from my residence). I was a little scared though especially on travelling at night in this metropolis, alone in a public transportation but I was determined to meet her up. Hhmm…people may call this coincidence but I believe that God has paved a way for both of us to have a fruitful and enjoyable fellowship dinner together. Though I was overcharged by the taxi driver for the trip from Midvalley to my residence, the fellowship was worth it. Thank you God for the gift of Mirina in my life, thank you for answering my intention even before I ask You :)


Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stardust…
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Sadly thrown down from the sky

Glowing, Glowing Little Stardust
How I wonder when you glow
That is when I came to know
Glow is when you found your love

Brightly Shining Little Stardust
This is when you feel at highest
Purity, love, in your wiles
Unconditional love is in your ways

Glow and Shine Little Stardust
With Tristan, dearest of your heart
Come little ones of Yvaine and Tristan
Give more shine to this dimming sphere

Twinkle Shine Oh Little Stardust
Now I know, Oh, what are you :)



Stardust…this name has always been in my mind, even though I have never been actually made any attempt to browse in the Net to satisfy my faint curiosity about this movie. And I am not a movie-goer here in KL. I just cannot bear the long queues and going to movies alone. Well, in short, I do not go to cinema here in KL. But I remembered that a friend of mine back in KK was saying that she will watch this movie soon. I never bother anything about this movie but I have a hunch that I would want to get a DVD of this Stardust. Then on 30th Oct, a staff from the Lab asked me whether I wanted to join her in the premier show of the movie Stardust. And you can just imagine the joy of having to watch a movie for free! And the movie is Stardust! But seriously, at that moment, I do not even have the faintest notion of what Stardust is all about. All I know is that Claire Danes is one of the actors and Danes is very much selective with the movies that she acts in. Well, all in all, I enjoyed this movie very much, and I especially love the essence of this movie. A movie worth watching! I will not give a summary of this movie in this sharing but I think I have purged out the essence of this movie in the modified Twinkle, twinkle Little Star in which I have turned into Twinkle Twinkle Little Stardust :) Again….thank you God for Your surprise on this!

It is not that I wanted to brag about the good things and the not-so-good-things that has happened to me since I have start my solitary life here in this metropolis but I just wanted to affirmed myself and you, reading this, that God realises our intentions in the most ordinary ways, and in some instances, He will make extraordinary things in our life to come alive! Sometimes, we look hard and terribly hard at our lives for the many miracles or extraordinary things in our life but we have overlook and forgotten the many simple gifts and miracles that are happening around us. And there are times that we have in our mindset of the list of things that are supposed to be ‘good things’ and ‘not-so-good-things’ classified into columns. And in some instances, it is very sad because we only see the things that we wanted to see and refuse to see things the way God wanted to show to us. Sometimes, we even close our eyes to the many things that are happening around us. Just like the Pharisees, they just refuse to try to look at the things in another perspective as Jesus tried to show and tell them. Consequently, many negative emotions will start blooming in our mind and heart; feeling of sadness, frustrations, disappointments, loneliness, envy, jealousy, loneliness and even anger towards God. I used to overlook the many blessings that I have received from Him. The gift of an imperfect family to help me to learn to love unconditionally, gift of Church for sense of belonging and learning to love others, gift of ministry to mould me into all the Jesus-like characters that He wanted me to develop, the gift of such a career to burn me into an integration of Him and on how i should treat others around me. I have also learned that total dependence with God can actually bring me to soar like an eagle. I do not know how exactly how to explain this, but it have started off with trust and surrender upon Him. When we open up everything with God, being totally ‘naked’ in front of Him, in another word, giving him in totality, our body, soul and spirit, you will experience Him so much that you will not need heaven, because God is enough for you. Maybe some people cannot fathom what I am trying to convey here, but I hope you will have an experience with God when the time comes.
My God is not just my King and Lord up there in heaven, He is not just a genie who provides me with my ‘wishes’, He is more than that. He is my best friend, a listener, a provider, a protector, a friend full of surprises, a friend who will warn me of any danger, a friend especially when I am at my lowliest. The closer I am with Him, the more time I long to spend with Him. And my Lord is a Lord who listens and keeps His words even if the His words are due for a very, very long time.