It came and gone.

It is 22nd May 2011. We are still here, continuing our lives as usual. Doomsday predictor Harold Camping said that there is 'No plan B' on the destruction of Earth on the 21st. Well, Mr. Camping, not to be offensive, we are still here, the world still exist as it does. Yes, the end of the world came for some orphans at Hulu Langat but that was very unfortunate. May they rest in peace. But for the rest of us, our lives still needs to go on; we can't do anything because the isn't here yet. So much, for the destruction. Next up, we will have to wait for 2012.

Moving to a more close-to-home issue, given 3 times for the engine to die, is already considered sympathetic but given 9 times is saint-like; and even that you are still able to fail, what chance is there to get your driver's license. Yes, I have failed, or lets put it, didn't pass my driving test. It's a shame and now, just have to lessen up on the feet. At least no road accidents caused.

A takeover?

Christianity is to become the official religion in Malaysia.

Before you start getting all excited and jittery, read again. And again. Does anyone in their right mind think that the Christians would want to make Christianity as the official religion in Malaysia? Why did such an issue ever rise in the very first place? We Christians understand and tolerate* every other race and religion in Malaysia, we wouldn't be as ignorant as to come up with the idea of making Christian as the official religion. Furthermore, it has been stated in black and white that Islam is the official religion in this country, who would dare challenge that? The Federal Constitution (by right) cannot be challenged or questioned, so why would we want to that in a country governed by constitutional and federal law?

No one can deny the Islam and Christianity is an Abrahamic religion. This makes us brothers in a way; and in both religion we are taught to respect and look after our brother, if this so then we would look after each other's back. This issue has become racial because of some people's opinion that having a global prayer event would be planning a mass takeover of a country. Critically speaking, we Christians wouldn't want to take over the country, we don't have the power to do so.

So, I ask my Muslim brethren, do you really think that we are that mad to rebel against our own brothers, you?

Being a student, the youth of Malaysia and being a Faithful of Christ; it sometimes makes me wonder, why would the authorities, to whom we trust, bringing up such sensitive issues? Everyone should be mature enough to think that Malaysia strives as a multi-racial country, and this is one of our prides; if we destroy this aspect then what else do we have?

Insensitive people and radicals should not be involved in this issue, let some intellectuals and wise-men in. What happens if we have extremists in this issue? A group of them would think to the extreme that the opposing force is all-out to get them, then they go mad and attack the opposing force who didn't even plan anything in the first place. And the price to pay: the fall of unity in Malaysia.

I am praying that we can get a mutual understanding among each other. To my Muslim brothers and sisters, we both know that our religion is about peace and harmony, for a greater future in the after life; quarrels between us are inevitable but lets work harder to lessen the friction. The pastors and priests in the event were just having a prayer, a unity between God and man, this is where everyone is invited to speak to Him; discussions of this sort would be futile and contradict what we are praying for. Besides that, the government allows anyone in Malaysia to spread their faith in anyway providing that they do not disrupt the harmony of others. For all that we know, the people who (initially) started this issue a) misinterpreted the true purpose of this prayer b) wanted to (purposely) get at some one and\or c) never understood the true meaning of faith.

http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/articles/Agendapertemuanpaderiserius/Article/

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=584728

*Tolerance= the ability, willingness, or capacity to allow the existence or occurrence of a matter without interference. Maybe others should to learn this because this is what 1Malaysia is all about, and those who are officially dealing with this issue should look at it and learn as they are promoting it.

Easter Vigil.

This pictures were taken during Easter Vigil mass, 2011.

The candidates; who are about to believe in the faith, stand in front of the congregation while the priest prays over them.

The path to the Altar.

From left to right, The altar boy holds the microphone for the priest, Deacon Martin overlooks the procession and Fr. Rajoo blesses the Candle of Easter in Holy Water.

A Eurasian Affair 2.

Meeting a family member after a long time can be exciting. Some feel terrified and there are times when people are reluctant to do so, no matter how long they haven't met their family member. At first I myself was a little nervous in seeing Lt. Col (or uncle) Ed after many years and his wife (my aunty); the chills ran through me, what am I going to say when I see them, can I offer my hospitality and not hostility to them as guests at my home? Petty worries, in the end it all turned out to be a joyous time together with my mom's elder brother.

You see, being a Eurasian has its own unique way of life, we have always the fusion of the Western and Eastern culture in our everyday lives. Some of our homes are a typical arrangement of an English man's house and the other room is just as messy as any kindergarten. In addition, some of us are too one-cultured favoured till we lose the opposite culture's way of life. The combination of the multi-culture in our bloods make us proud to be called Malaysians.

Anyway, having the uncle and aunt around excites the nature of my home. Having them (or having any extended family members) creates the atmosphere of story-telling, hobby tips, old-to-young advises and of course a pinch of gossip. We sit in the living room for hours and share stories that sometimes have no relation to one another, example: the Chinese boy in the neighbourhood used to be cycling around selling 'roti', and remember Aunty X who married that man from UK who's cat your grand-uncle looks after. Talking about your granduncle, how is your sister-in-law who converted last year. I just love this, takes some time getting used to though. Furthermore, when we get together, the elder will always give wise advice to the young ones, and the men of course will give their advices: treat a girl well, then she'll cook for you, even if she can't don't bother or else you'll never get to eat again.

When guests come over, we chiak (Hokkien word meaning 'to eat'), no matter what, food and drinks becomes the axis of interaction in a gathering. We take them out for an Indian lunch, a Chinese dinner and Eurasian-Malay-Indian lunch the next day. See, we're a fusion of culture. A few drinks maybe at night, and goes again the sharing of time with each other.

The family is always being the centre of concern for us and God being the foundation of everyday life. Also, there is the learning curve in which we the young ones learn from the old and the old learn a little from the young. We never bore of each other, and another thing is, we quarrel occasionally but which family do not? The witty jokes always brighten a solemn mood where a solemn mood always calms the overjoyed moments. Call us mix, we enjoy life as hard as we can, and we strive hard to make it in a country where our race was born.

Forgive me for the unorganized flow of the essay and the minor grammar mistakes here and there. This is just a mere insight on how this minority race in Malaysia go about our lives.