Some Christmas Cheering...

Christmas is most often a time of giving and receiving. Have you ever bought a Christmas present? A present that that person wanted all along? Something as simple as just a few pairs of.....socks? Read on for a heartwarmer...

December 23, 2009 

Operation Shoebox

Mary Southerland Today's Truth
James 1:17 (NIV) "Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows."

Friend To Friend
Before you hit the malls and plunge into the last days of shopping frenzy, set aside some time to pray, asking God to direct your shopping trip and give you insight as you purchase each gift.  Interesting thought, isn't it?  I have to admit that I tend to plan, think and worry about Christmas gifts more than I pray about them. However, I recently heard a true story that has changed my perspective on Christmas giving.

Each Christmas, Operation Shoebox collects and sends over eight million shoeboxes stuffed with small gifts such as candy, school supplies, small toys, toothbrushes, soap, and shampoo to children across the world.  In Mexico, hundreds of boys and girls gathered at the church in a small village, excitedly anticipating the arrival of their precious shoeboxes. 

Delightful chaos erupted as bulging shoeboxes, wrapped in brightly colored paper and ribbon were passed into the small, eager hands of each child. Wrapping paper was hurriedly ripped into pieces and tossed aside, a smile spreading across the face of each child as their long awaited Christmas treasures were revealed. 

However, one little boy dissolved into tears as he lifted the lid of his box and peered inside to see what he had received for Christmas this year. One of the Operation Shoebox volunteers spotted the little boy and hurriedly made his way across the church to see what the problem could possibly be. With the help of an interpreter, the volunteer asked the now sobbing little boy, "What is wrong?  What is in your box?" With tears streaming down his face, the little boy said, "Socks!" The worker instantly understood and assured the little boy that he could trade his box of socks for another box that might have crayons or a piece of candy in it. Alarm spread across the face of the child as he vigorously shook his head and quickly jerked the box away from the now somewhat confused worker. 

Clutching the shoebox to his chest, the boy began sobbing out an explanation to the interpreter who listened for a few moments and then, with tears spilling out of his own eyes, turned to the volunteer and said, "You won't believe this!" Taking a deep, steadying breath, the interpreter explained, "This little boy has a rare skin condition with which he was born. It seems to affect his feet more than any other part of his body. The doctors have tried various medications and treatments but finally told the little boy that nothing will work and his feet will never heal unless he begins wearing cotton socks. His parents cannot even afford food for this boy; much less provide socks for their son. So, all year long, he has been praying for socks." 

Have you ever considered the idea that your Christmas gift may very well be an answer to someone's prayer?  I have to admit that I have rarely, if ever, made a Christmas gift list with that criterion in mind. Always in a hurry, my first thought is usually how to find the greatest deal at the lowest price in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort and hassle at the first store I enter - and hope the person likes it - because that is what he or she is going to get. Ah, yes. That is certainly the heart of God, isn't it?

Join me in making this Christmas season different. Do not allow television ads, catalogues or shopping fliers dictate the gifts you give this year. Turn your Christmas list into a prayer list and you may very well end up giving an "operation shoebox" gift to someone you love. 

The BTN and TNB Wordplay.

The BTN and TNB Wordplay.BTN, Malaysia’s “pride and joy” set up during Mahathir’s time to promote “further understanding” among those select few who “needed” to understand the dynamics of society.

Yeah. RIGHT.

BTN is UMNO’s brainwashing machine to bring more division. Apparently they truly understood and embrace our colonists’ concept of divide and rule.

In December 16, 2009 New Strait Times, page 6, Anwar said that his speech was leaked out and revealed that he was once a racist bigot and that was in his “UMNO days”. Advice to you, sir, you should have admitted that you were once a bigot but now you no long are one because you have seen with your own eyes how much more nation-building integrity non-UMNO members have compared to those UMNO members you know. Just say your eyes had been opened and mind enlightened. Otherwise, you’d just be open to another slew of slanderous talk.

Najib, of course, had to agree BTN’s “contribution to the country”, because otherwise, he might’ve been thrown to the UMNO slaughterhouse. But since Nazri, I believe, is in-charge of BTN’s revamp, my suggestion to him is that he doesn’t just revamp the whole thing, but make it’s modules available for the public’s scrutiny. After all, if the government wants to show the rakyat their sincere interest in progressing the country, they should not treat the rakyat as fools.

That is, of course, if they still want our votes, and loyalty to the country. As we already know, we have a serious case of brain drain not only because the opportunities available overseas, but also because the rakyat’s faith in the country has dwindled to the extent it encouraged them to get out of the country.  Best part is many of the migrants are Malays.

Another point to UMNO, if you guys think that your “ketuanan Melayu” is so great, and the rest of us are just a bunch of “pendatangs”, then I think it would only be fair that you stop using the rakyat of other ethnic backgrounds to represent Malaysia in sporting events. After all, we are just “pendatangs”.

Moving on to TNB (NST, Dec 16,2009, page 19). You need to review the pacts HONESTLY. Stop jacking up prices as your mother likes it (English equivalent to “suka mak hang”). Sure you people get all the profits now, but it will bite you back at the end of the day. No, most probably not in your day, but in your children’s or grandchildren’s time. Then again, you guys probably don’t care about the ugly legacy you’re leaving behind, no?

And if you hadn't realised it already, if you shift the "B" in BTN to the back, you'll get TNB.

Coincidence? Or is it Malaysia's next conspiracy theory?

Language Problem or Racist Problem?

Commenting on:

Prisoners Barred from Using Mother Tongue

Malaysiakini, 10 Dec 2009

What the HECK?!

Seriously, "Malaysians" are so proud of their "multi-ethnic and multi-racial" background. The government is also so damn proud that they had the Tourism Board saying "Malaysia: Truly Asia" all around the world.

So, why can't the inmates speak in their mother tongue?

The officials cite "security reasons", but I say "racist reasons". It clearly violates the basic human right of speech! Sure, we don't want another charismatic, glamorous leader such as Hitler to rise from the ranks of prison inmates, and that's why every phone call is monitored.

However, to cite that the wardens can't understand the language of other ethnic groups and therefore forcing the inmates to speak in either English or Malay, just shows how narrow-minded, bigoted and inflexible these people are. It's no wonder since this undoubtedly had spawned from the idiots who STILL spew out the "Ketuanan Melayu" bullshit.

Fact of life, you wardens and other bigots out there: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language says that estimates of total living languages in the world vary from 3,000 to 10,000. Take a good look of yourselves in the mirror, and realize that in this world, the languages available to humans are too numerous for a normal human brain to digest, much less to master all of them. If this makes you think that this warrants your despicable behavior, then please DISCONTINUE your hiring of translators when you use taxpayers money for your overseas "official" visits.

To Zaini Hassan and his bigoted colleagues,

We know you jokers are giving Malaysians a daily dose of the BTN bullcrap, telling those of "other" ethnicity groups that we are "immigrants" even though some of us have been around since your oh-so-glorified days of the Malaccan Sultanate. To tell you the truth, we are more Malaysian than the whole lot of you, simply because we are more worried for the future of Malaysia than you.

To Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad,

Kudos to your book, "Moving Forward"/"Mendepani Zaman". Malaysia is in need of sincere, forward-looking leaders like you. I sincerely hope that you would not deviate in the future for higher gains or get shot down politically as your many sincere predecessors had experienced.

Racism is UNWARRANTED.

Compliments of TED Talks:


Nina Jablonski breaks the illusion of skin color | Video on TED.com

Arthritis: boon or bane?

Myra was a woman battered and scarred from severe arthritis. Her legs were held captive in a wheelchair, but her soul was forever free.  With one pencil in each crippled hand, she used the erasers to type words on her typewriter.  The joy of her efforts in typing the words outweighed the pain of creating them.
One day, when a friend was leaving Myra's home, she patted her wheelchair and said, "And I thank God for this!"  Prior to her wheelchair days, Myra's talent had been hidden like a treasure in the sand.  But after the crippling affect of arthritis confined her, the talent locked away freed her.  God used one of her most precious poems to show me our incredible worth.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

It was battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
Hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people," he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three."
But, No,
From the room far back a grey haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow.
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet,
As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet low,
Said, "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone," said he.
The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?
Swift came the reply
"The Touch of the Master's Hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
All battered with bourbon and gin,
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine
A game and he travels on.
He is gong once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Master's Hand
-Myra Brooks Welch