.... 0f 2012

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) and his better half spent their 2011 Christmas with their elder daughter and her husband in Auckland, New Zealand, and the 2012 new year eve hassling with the airport officers over over-weight cabin luggage. Somehow with God's grace, Y S managed to get all his luggage home safely. It was a holiday of a life time - picturesque places, exciting events and activities, sumptuous food of chef's standard, comfortable accommodation, fine weather ( after a few days of rain and cold wind ) and being with your loved ones is just indescribable !

When Y S touched down at Changi, Singapore, it was already 6.30 am, 1st of January, 2012. With jag lag buzzing, and nostalgia hovering over YS, the new year simply zoomed in unushered. Y S simply had no time to take stock for 2011 or make resolutions for 2012. It was just like when YS was getting use to yesterday along came today.

Anyway, the years have slowly become unimportant to Y S as a retiree at the threshold of his 60 s ( sigh !!!), now the seconds, minutes and hours count more ! " Don't let yesterday use up too much of today." Will Rogers Yesterday is a cancelled cheque. Tomorrow is a promised note. Today is ready cash, use it ! Let us live in the sunshine of today and not the shadow of yesterday which is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision ..... But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Let's us have not only the usual happy new year but a happier bordering happiest new year !

Your Sincerely ( Y S ) could not help noticing a new phenomena in his small town of Alor Setar. It is the 1Malaysia shop located strategically as one takes the only-and-soon to be removed-roundabout into town. As with all other new happenings in a small town, they never fail to attract lots of attention. Each time Y S goes to town, he notices huge crowds at this new outlet.

Ever since the Prime Minister whipped out this acronym " 1 Malaysia " to prove that there is unity in our beloved multi-racial nation and to promote greater unity among the races in the country, an assortment of " 1 Malaysia " establishments have been birthed. 1 Malaysia Clinics. 1 Malaysia Restaurants. Not to mention an array of 1 Malaysia shops all over the nation. of late, Y S even spotted one 1 Malaysia "Koay teow" stall. ( Fried flate noodles.) It is the case of monkeys see, and monkey do.

It goes beyond the little bit of gray matter in Y S' head that such effort can portray and promote national unity.

How does a I Malaysia shop bring together people of various races? You may say " Oh, they shop together and brush shoulders and greet each other and become friends." Well, this has been happening for decades at our supermarkets, hypermarkets, malls etc etc etc and nothing happens !

You may say, " Oh, they sit and eat together and become better acquainted in a 1 malaysia restaurant." Well, there was better unity those days when fellow Muslim colleagues could sit and eat "Curry noodles" with you prepared by a Chinese "Ah E " (Aunty) in the school canteen 40 years ago . But not now!

You may say, " Oh, going to the 1Malaysia Clinic they could interact while waiting their turns." Well, it is fat hope.

The main crux of the problem, among other things, is that a certain race and religion in this glorious nation has for the past 40 years evolved away from a multi-racial nation building by being unnecessarily overt about their religious practices and observances to the point of being unreasonably dogmatic and ritualistic while their outlook blind spotted other races and their presence, needs and sensitivity.

Until the day, we meet at mid field and work on universal and common values, and not emphasizing our differences and uniqueness, " 1 Malaysia" will flicker and flicker, and die out. And Malaysians will be kept busy with another acronym.

"Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be set right." - Carl Schurz

.... of meaningful sayings.

Some sayings to share with you which Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) received from his email. Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter rain. Just pray for a better umbrella. - That is attitude. When flood comes, fish eat ants and when flood recedes, ants eat fish. - Only time matters. Just hold on, God gives opportunity to everyone! Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship, it's not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end. Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them. A Wall or a Bridge? - Remember you are the architect of your life. Search for a beautiful heart, but don't search for a beautiful face. Coz beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful. It’s not important to hold all the good cards in life. But it’s important how well you play with the cards you hold. Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, 'relax dear it’s just a bend, not the end.' - Have faith and have a successful life. One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives and forgives. But the human gets, gets, gets and forgets. Be thankful in life....

........ of People, People and more People

According to the United States Census Bureau, the world's population has touched 6.974 billion whereas the United Nations Census says that it has exceeded 7 million. Whatever the figure is, the world's population has grown by leaps and bounds. There are people, people and people wherever.

How many have come into our lives and stay ? How many have left our lives? How many have left footprints on our lives? How many have pissed us off? How many have we chosen not to remember? How many have we remembered fondly?
Some say that people can be divided into four classes: 1) Those who always do less than they are told, 2) Those who will do what they are told, but nothing more, 3) Those will do things without being told, and 4) Those who will inspire others to do things. - William J H Boetcker

Indira Ghandi said that her grandfather once told her that there are two kinds of people; those who work and those who take the credit. He told her to try to be in the first group since there is less competition there.

It has also been noticed that there are five types of people" those who make things happen; those who think they make things happen; those who watch things happen; those who wonder what happen; those that did not know that anything had happened.

Buddha has this to say. There are three kinds of people in the world. The first are like letters carved in the rock: they easily give way to anger and retain their angry thoughts for a long time. The second are like letters written in the sand: they give way to anger also, but their angry thought quietly pass away. The third are like letters written in running water; they do not retain their passing thoughts; they let abuse and uncomfortable gossips pass by unnoticed; their minds are always pure and undisturbed.

To think that we are one of the 7 billion is very daunting. To count how many friends we have out of the 7 billion is even more daunting ! Yours Sincerely ( Y s ) is regretful that in his 35 years of career, he had had hardly made three friends in the true sense of the word " friend.' Even his very own colleagues, some had had worked with him for 30 years did not turn out to be his friends. In fact, Y S has made more friends in his two years of retirement than during 35 years of his career. Pathetic when you think that the world's population has touched 7 billion. There is no secret as to why, but the simple truth that " if you go out looking for friends, you are going to find they are scare. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere."

..... of 11-11-11

There are people who believe in numbers and think that certain numbers are good for luck, wealth, health etc etc etc. Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) has friends who would pay thousands of ringgit for sets of numbers for their vehicles, of course, the favorite of all favourites is " 8 8 8 8 " which in Cantonese sounds like " wealth, wealth , wealth." There are also those who go for and are willing to pay hefty sums for single digit or double digits number for their vehicles. A friend with a double digit black and heavily tinted SUV claimed that his vehicle gets lots of respect from road blocks and sped traps. While we are talking about numbers, there are punters who would go for a certain sets of numbers draw after draw, and end up poorer and poorer.

Today, the 11th day of the 11 month of November of the year 2011, or 11-11-11, seems to be auspicious for many wedding couples. Y S observed many bridal cars zooming here and there in town, and there is also one wedding a few doors away from Y S' house.




Y S overheard that some very pregnant mothers are also planning Caesarian or birth induction today so that the babies can have a memorable birth date : 11-11-11.

Many more move into their new homes. So many activities go on today in the good hope of the blessings or luck the numbers, 11 -11-11 bring.

Y S remembers the same happened on 8-8-88 years ago. And that the year 1988 which also happened to be the Chinese Dragon Lunar year, had a baby boom, that includes Y S' younger daughter but that was a flute shot and nothing planned.

To couples getting married today, marriages are made in heaven and so are thunders and lightnings, and the maintainance work is done right here, on earth !!! It has nothing to do with the numbers but the continuous hard work and effort of the couples.

How evil triumphs ?

Y S feels dejected like this dog in his own church.


" Throughout History, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." -

Haile Selassie.

" The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

Yours Sincerely's ( Y S ) posting about the " Con Man In Church " ( Read previous posting ) received a mixed reaction. While a good number rang up to thank Y S for alerting them, and one in particular felt indebted to Y S because he was timely approached by the con man after reading Y S' posting. A good number also frowned on the posting saying that it should not be done although it was done in good faith. Moreover, no name was mentioned but only the modus operandi of the con man. "Churchy " people feel that we have to be patient, understanding and pray for the con man ( While he takes more preys.)

The Assistant Parish Priest , in particular, phoned up and pleaded with Y S to remove the posting. He acknowledged that he is now counseling this con man who has been conning people for 30 years in the church premise !!! He claimed that he had heard different versions of the situation from the con man. ( Perhaps, the con man went for confession. Y S got the feeling that the Rev was conned at the confession. How much lies have been confessed at the penitentiary rite, Y S wonders ! ) Evil is sooner and readily believed than good. The Rev believed the con man more than Y S !!!!!!!

So, following the act of Pontius Pilate, Y S washed his hands clean of this case and let the "blood" of the next victim ( s) of this con man be on the hands of the Rev. Y S prays that the Rev's counselling works good and fast enough on this 30 years plus hard core, if it really works. LOL

Life is strange. The one who who shouts and alerts " Thief !!!!!! " suddenly becomes the culprit while the thief gets away Scot free. This is the way of the world now. No wonder, some people prefer to " See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Do No evil." Y S ' 2nd sister often comments on Y S social works. " Why do so much ? Do less good and no evil. ! " That seems to set the equilibrium for her between evil and good.

This can be a controversial world !!!

.... of heavenly minded and no earthly value

Yours Sincerely ( Y S ) observes that the best place for Confidence Trickers and, con men and women to operate is in the church and, of course, among the circles of "well meaning, church-going people." The place where you regard as your sanctuary can sometimes be your "battle field" full of bobby traps and mines. It is a place where you have to be drowned in your own suffering and miseries because no "well meaning church- going people" are going to side with you in any issue that call for taking side. At the most, you will be advised , " Oh, don't hate the sinner but the sin."

There is this Catholic con man, now in his forties, who operates in Y S' church for many years. He takes a prey on and off and then disappears for some time, feeds on his ill gotten gains, and resurfaces for another unsuspecting " well meaning and church going" victim. Well, memories are short, especially for " well meaning church- going people." This Catholic con man has quiet eyes and a boyish face that keeps on pleading innocence that even Hitler would have spared him in the Holocaust.

His modus operandi is to tell tear jerking sob stories of his chronic diabetic, kidney, liver, stomach, heart, intestines and what other organs have you complications that call for emergency treatment or operation. Then he pleads with his quiet eyes for a loan from you while invoking heaven and earth with promises of repayment. Of course, you kiss the loan good- bye.

Many " well meaning church going people" in Y S church have fallen for his ploys all these years BUT NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING TO PROTECT OTHER " well meaning church -going people" from been cheated. Many were cheated and kept quiet about it, perhaps they felt ashamed for doing "blind charity." Others would tell you about being cheated but made you promise not to tell out !!! A few more are so good hearted that they blessed him " for he knew not what he was doing" Grrrrrrrr !!!! All because "well meaning church going people" are not supposed to talk bad of others. "Oh, hate the sin, not the sinner."


This Catholic Con man targets members of the Parish Council, "well meaning church- going people" with ministry and new "well meaning church- going people." He is still on the prowl. The latest victim was Y S' friends. A "well meaning church- going" lady who draws a small salary but has a big heart. She wanted to help, not knowing that she was taken for a ride. RM6,500, a few months of her salary, vanished.

Sometimes Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly value. Too many evil things are happening because good men are just looking on.