A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

Wishing my readers, my families, my friends, my foes and to those who happen to pass through here - A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year filled with Joy, Peace, Good Health, Wealth and strength to face the challenges for 2008 and the years to come.






"It Is Better To Light A Candle Than To Curse The Darkness"

20 Years Too Long

Yesterday I was reminded how time flies. It seem it was like only yesterday I came to live in this wonderful country.
Under the wet, windy and humid weather I drove with my sister, my BIL and my wife into the city for a rendezvous. My cousin sister came over with the family to attend her eldest daughter graduation and she bought a surprise along with her. A Christmas surprise actually. When we walked into the restaurant I saw my Aunty. I was surprised to see her. She still look good for her age - 80 years old I think.
I greeted her " Sar Chim" (3rd Aunty) and she was quite surprise. She asked " Lu si Cui Cui.?" (That is in hokkien "Who are you"). I told her who I was and she was surprised it was me. She could not recognised me. I guess as I grow older, I am more handsomer. Ha, ha, ha. Then she remarked, "You look like your Dad". Ouch! My dad is handsomer, lah!
20 years + ago, seven days before I departed for Down Under, at my Eldest brother wedding, was the last time I saw her. At the wedding, I told her I will be leaving for Australia.
Yesterday she told me she thought at that time I was joking because she knows I love to joke and did not take me seriously. It was good to catch up with her even though it was for a short time. She was one of the few Aunties that I can communicate with.
Yes, 20 years passed so quickly and way to long. I guess it is a timely reminder to catch up with all the aging uncles and aunties before they are call home to be with the Lord. Amen.

Flooded Out

Today the sky opened up. The rain came with a vengeance bringing hail stones with it.


Traffic almost came to a stop and it took me over one and a half hour , what normally takes about 20 to 25 minutes, to get home , having to detour round flooded roads.
When I reached home, the road in front of my home was flooded out. Both my opposite neighbours home were flooded. I have to park my car up the street, take my shoes and socks off, rolled up my pants and walk through the flood water to get home.



Eighteen years ago, it rained heavily and flooded the street and my opposite neighbours home. My car parked in the street was flooded up to the seat. We were ready to leave that New Year Eve evening for a party in Geelong and we have to cancel the trip.
More bad weather were predicted for tomorrow and it looks like we will have a wet Christmas.

Saved By Grace

My cousin sister has finally committed her life to Jesus on the 9th of December. I am sure there are many happy people especially those who have been praying for her. I am sure the angels in heaven rejoiced on this happy occasion, too. My cousin sister did not have a happy childhood and a happy life.


Her father passed away when she was young. My Dad and uncles have the responsibilities of bringing her up together with her brother. Later, She left with her Mum for Ipoh and work for my Aunty as house maids.
One day she left home and never came home. We never saw her for a very long to time. No one knew where she was. All the years we wondered where she was and how she was. It was torturous years not knowing what happened to her. It was not a few years ago she reappeared. We were surprised to see her. We have moved from our old place and yet she managed to trace us and her brother. Her brother was gracious to received her back and let her stay with him. It was a good arrangement because my Aunty was getting old and she was partially blind and deaf. My Aunty was so happy to get her daughter back. I guess I will never know the extend of heartache my Aunty carried over all the years.
When she came back, she remembered me because she cared for me when I was a little wee boy.


I am happy for her, now she that she had made peace with God and accepted Jesus as her personal saviour. Praise the Lord.
As she moved forward this life onward, I pray God will heap blessing upon blessing on her that her joy will be bountiful and overflowing.

Christmas Breakup Parties

December is a very busy month. Restaurants are packed every night until Christmas because almost all companies are having breakup parties for their staffs. At the same time, the police will be busy, setting up booze bus to catch drivers who drinks and over the limit of.05. Fine are stiff and driving licenses can be revoked for repetitive offenders. But still we do get some people who never learn.
The company, I worked for organised one for last Saturday but we did not attend. It is because the same evening we had a Bible Study group break up party. We decided to attend the Bible Study Group party. The last 2 years we attended the company's party, it was mundane and boring so this year we decided to opt out.

Pastor On The Piano As the Group Belt Out Carols

One Hot Summer Night

A good friend of ours flew into Melbourne for a short business trip. We manage to get together yesterday on a hot summer night and decided we go Italian in Lygon Street. After the sumptous dinner, we went down to the Crown Casino for a walk by the Yarra River and see the Christmas decoration in Crown Casino. It was about midnight before we call it for a day.

The Silly Season

Like every weekend we would venture into the shopping mall to browse around and pick up some groceries along the way. If there is a bargain or a sale that catches our fancies, we might buy something. As age catches up and the house is full of stuff, we no longer have the stamina to clean everything around the house thus we resist buying any more stuff other than that is necessary. Actually we are slowly removing, throwing or giving away some stuff we neither used nor seldom used.

This weekend the shopping mall was packed. There were throng of people in the mall doing their Christmas shopping, drinking coffee and soaking in the beautiful warm day. They packed up the shops and their shopping carts were full to the brim. Everything, they see seems to be a bargain to them and buying almost everything, spending their money without a care as if there is no tomorrow.

My wife and I shook our head in amazement before we realised “the silly season” has began. This annual season make people silly. They just buy and buy without thinking and the consequences that were to follow. It was easy to spend, just pull out the plastic card and pay for the purchases. Buy now, pay later.

Just before the federal election, the central bank raised interest rate by a ¼ per cent. Majority of the people complained about the hardship they have to face paying off their housing mortgage and other loans. Cost of living will go up and off course the drought did not help at all. Fresh vegetables, meat, milk, bread etc faces an increase in price. We have very unhappy people and the government lost the election partly because of the interest rate increase.

The state government last week announced next year there will be a rate increase for water, electric, gas and public transport. The price of oil has soared up, so it will add more pressure to increase the prices of staple food. Now, now, any right minded person would control their spending, making sure they can afford to pay for the purchases without debts and saving every cents to pay off their mortgages and loans. What I see seem to be difference and against conventional wisdom. Spend, spend and worry about it later. It is better to owe the bank money than the bank owed us money. Who knows, we will not be here tomorrow. Live and enjoy for today and worry about the consequences later. Are they silly or they smarter than we thought?

Oh, another thing, the real meaning of Christmas somehow is lost in "this silly season"!