Over the years, I have observed church-goers both in Malaysia & Australia without any clear line of demarcation. People are the same, to say the least, the world over, whether they are Christians or otherwise.
Generally, they fall into one or two categories as below:
1. Those who go largely to socialise – to be seen & see.
2. They have preference only to be associated with a church where the rich & famous worship.
3. They seek out & clamour for personal recognition & awards.
4. The young are mainly looking for excitement.
The truth is, going to church every Sunday does not make one a Christian. It’s the heart that matters. As a good Christian, you are seen to be practising every aspect of Christianity . . . be Christ personified. Grace within grace without. Inward grace outward grace . . . inward disgrace outward disgrace. Nothing can ever be concealed.
The whole crux of the matter is your attitude & how you perceive about things. To elucidate this vital point, here’s a little illustration:
A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a container of alcohol. The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:
The first worm in alcohol – Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke – Dead.
Third worm in chocolate syrup – Dead.
Fourth worm in good clean soil – Alive.
So the Minister asked the congregation – What did you learn from this demonstration?
Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said, ‘As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms!’
Get real.
As long as you DO Not drink, smoke or eat chocolate, you will be much healthier and possibly live much longer.
Whatever you may possess, you are but a custodian . . . for nothing really ever belong to anybody in terms of time & space . . . eternity! We are but passing ships that sail through the night. With each dawn, there’s the new port of call . . . everything is in transition – nothing of permanence.
But the land will be there for all times & throughout eternity. Many a great general in historical past, or like the Trojans or the Romans, ALL have come & gone. What’s sense is there to fight & dare . . . to invade & dominate ?
Let’s co-operate & share with one another for the benefits of all!
With Grandson Matti Cutting A Specially Baked “Durian” Cake
Father’s Day in Canada, the U.K. and the United States is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In Australia, Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in September. Why Australia chooses to be different, I have no clue. This year it falls on 5 September.
To me, Father’s Day is simple & pleasurable just to have family members getting together at home & have a day of eats, Karaoke singing, fun & laughter & fellowship. It’s generally a chance for families to get together and celebrate in similar way to Mother’s Day. Dads are spoilt and made to feel special & pampered.
Our two grandsons in Perth, Mattheson (7) & Nathanael (2), are wonderful to be around – for they sure make you want to live life all over again! Our other two grandchildren, Daniel (7 plus) and Stephanie (2 plus), live in Hong Kong. If only they could be around as well . . . but an army of four might bring the roof down!
It is a day for people to show their appreciation for fathers and father figures. Father figures may include stepfathers, fathers-in-law, guardians (e.g. foster parents), and family friends.
Cousins Catching Up with Old Times
I don’t expect presents but I sure appreciate our siblings’ presence. To other fathers, it may be a day out in the park, at the movies, at a zoo, or another place of interest . . . or getting handmade or Hallmark cards, food baskets, chocolates, clothing, gift vouchers etc.
This Father’s Day is very special indeed! We happen to have our relatives visiting from abroad . . . sister-in-law Beng from Singapore with her daughter-in-law Dawn & daughter Rachel, sister-in-law Hwa from Taiping, Malaysia. Others in the merry crowd include our cousins in Perth . . . Marie with her spouse Nigel and Joseph with his darling wife Mabel. Of course, our daughter Agnes & hubby Darren, our youngest son Andrew with Fiona – still very much the newly-wed on their honeymoon!
To me, home gathering is best. Each participating family member bringing along a dish of goodies to share in what I would call a “Potbless Fellowship” and with Karaoke singing . . . food galore . . . nothing seems more memorable!
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Father’s day is not a holiday in Australia, since it’s a Sunday.
There are some suggestions that the idea of Father’s Day may have its origin in pagan sun worship. Some branches of paganism see the sun as the father of the universe.
As Christians we should remain very wary
Lest we be led astray!
Son-in-law Darren & Nathanael Andrew Chatting Up with Nigel (Cousin-in-law)
Long-Lost Sis-in-law Christine in Canada Being Chatted & Introduced over SKYPE
By Paul Chong Sunday, 29 November 2009 A Chinese By Descent, An Australian By Consent
President Hu Expounds China’s Views On Development
China can boast of its silk and tea culture long before any other country in the world. Even the technological plough was first discovered in China. By and large, all discoveries were directed towards peaceful use and the enrichment of life and culture, as with the gun powder. Now the world is witnessing an unprecedented quantum growth in China – all within one generation!
China Foreign Reserve World No. 1
China Oil Consumption World No. 2
China Trade Value World No. 3
China Economic Output World No. 4
Latest: China is the richest nation in the world.
‘Xiang Qian Zou’ – The Road To Riches
The Road To Riches – A Nation of Bicycles To Motor Vehicles
Of the nations in the world today, China stands out progressively tall and strong. It is as though a sleeping dragon is finally awakened. This appears to be the fear of the West. Though an economically strong China is good commercially for all the trading nations in the West, politically China poses a great threat. It is feared that “once China stands up, it won’t topple or be toppled.” That was why precisely Napoleon in his wisdom decided to let China be and not to rouse her.
In retrospect, China is undoubtedly the world’s greatest civilised nation over a continuous period of thousands of years – a civilisation undiminished and unbroken, unlike past civilisations like Egypt, Greece, or the Romans. By any reckoning, China should have by now be far more superior than the rest of the world. Why not?
Map of the “Middle Kingdom”
Of the many reasons why China did not progress beyond its initial lead in technology and discovery, the main cause of which can largely be attributed to its inward looking policy . . . viewing all territories outside the Great Wall of China and its boundaries as barbaric in nature. This nationalistic pride and closed door policy led to its seclusion, totally depriving itself from the inter-change of ideas and exposure to new scientific developments and industrial growth. While China lavished in its culture, philosophy and essentially non-materialistic form of development, it began to lag behind the West in terms of economic industrial growth. In preserving its civilisation from being tainted by corruption, disruption and deterioration, it never knew new growth, development and discoveries elsewhere in the whole wide world. The “Middle Kingdom” realised too late the encroachment of other nations upon its shores and territories. Countries like Britain, Portugal, Japan were making inroads into China through modern superior arms of war instead of its age-old “kung-fu”.
Zhejiang – Economic Zone
To grow, to progress is to change. Sentiment must give way to progress. There is no room for inhibition to changes. Change needs to take place before growth and progress can be attained. It’s attitude more than aptitude that scales the altitude. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the great former prime minister of Singapore, is credited for the great strides achieved by the City State. His visionary ideas have no room for inhibition or sentiment to change or any hindrance.
Now, what a change has come about as a result of Deng Xiao Ping’s visionary concept of “Xiang Qian Zou”. In Mandarin, it means “Forward Move”, but by replacing the middle word with the similar pronunciation, it becomes “Moving Forward With Money”. This started a great frenzy for the Chinese striving for monetary progress in all spheres of work and life. China has made a quantum leap – a country virtually with no phone to the modern technology of mobile phones! But capitalistic way of life does have its price. A single generation can witness the most remarkable change & progress. Transformation just sweeps aside all inhibition, resistance and sentiment.
Greed always breed a profound loss of goodness in mankind. Simple honesty, truth, kindness and compassion are lost in the process. The dollar sign is etched prominently on the foreheads of goal-getters. It is evident to an outside observer that the whole civilisation is transformed overnight. China, in its forward economic stride, has done away with its traditional large families, and its door is wide open to the corrupt western way of life. There is a price to be paid, for consequential results cannot be avoided.
Like most economies in the world, the road to riches often affect those who are involved, largely the urban folks, leaving behind a vast majority of the rural peasants. Even then great disparity may result among the urbanites. Encouraged by the concept of “Xiang Qian Zou” and ‘you’ve got to be in it to benefit it’, waves and tides of migrating movement are emptying the youth from the rural and pastoral areas. China is vast country where hundreds of millions of the peasant still labour and toil and are poor by comparison with the urban rich. No doubt, this is creating a set of social chaos unknown before.
Hong Kong, for instance, is a magnetic attraction for mainland Chinese. Tens of thousands cross the border which still has the immigration formality with number restrictions. In 2002 this number has been lifted and the hours of opening has even extended to 12 mid-night. This is largely due to the fact that the constant stream of exchange of people movement just keep on going growing bigger and bigger. The benefits work both ways. The affluent mainland Chinese pour money into Hong Kong, and the Hongkees likewise do the same in respect of investing in cheaper and more attractive housing in Mainland China.
On the more positive & human well being aspects, China has done itself proud by alleviating poverty for the great mass of the population. Consider this report by World Bank: “China has maintained a high growth rate for more than 30 years since the beginning of economic reform in 1978 and this growth has generated a huge increase in average living standards.
China’s sustained growth fueled historically unprecedented poverty reduction. Based on household surveys by the World Bank, the poverty rate in China in 1981 was 63% of the population. This rate declined to 10% in 2004, indicating that about 500 million people have climbed out of poverty during this period.’
Update & in a lighter vein:
China, now second largest economy in the world, has 19% of the world’s population, but consumes
. . . 53% of the world’s cement
. . . 48% of the world’s iron ore
. . . 47% of the world’s coal
. . . and the majority of just about every major commodity.
In 2010, China produced 11 times more steel than the United States.
New World Record: China made and sold 18 million vehicles in 2010.
China currently has the world’s fastest train and the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
China is currently the number one producer in the world of wind and solar power.
China currently controls more than 90% of the total global supply of rare earth elements.
In the past 15 years, China has moved from 14th place to 2nd place in the world in published scientific research articles.
China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire globe.
As at the end of March 2011, China has accumulated US$3.04 trillion in foreign currency reserves- the largest stockpile on the entire globe.
Chinese consume 50,000 cigarettes every second …Not an enviable record though …
And here is the secret to the Chinese miracle: There are more pigs in China than in the next 43 pork producing nations combined.
So it is PORK that is driving China !! ENJOY YOUR PORK !
Now . . . you know why we eat “bak kut the” to be one in spirit with our China cousins.
Comments
Your comments are invited.
What problems do you envisage for China in this economic crisis?
How would the rest of the world, particularly US, react or act towards China?
What role do you think that China is likely to play on the world stage?
Do you think that China would follow the path of US & change its basic peaceful co-existence policy?
Spring is the elegance & fragrance of life, unlike Summer which often
brings on the heat setting you on fire, while Autumn days tend to fall short of
green with dwindling light before the onset of the cold Winter.
Wildflowers Galore in Spring
It’s the exuberance of Spring
That brings on the zing!
With Spring everything leaps & bounces, jumps, vaults & hops. The atmosphere is one of life – exhilarating, rejuvenating, refreshing, proliferating, stimulating & exciting. These aspects of nature are noticeably transcending in its wake onto the human sphere. You take in your first breath of air on the first day of Spring and you’ll find yourself beginning to sing.
You sing of the flowers in their many colours, of the birds in the air or trees in the garden in tune with the joy in your heart & love in the air . . . young & old, hand in hand, strolling in the parks or tracking in the hills. The streams flow to the cascading waterfall, gurgling here & splashing there. The sun shines with the blue in the sky.
Colourful Spring Blooms
Yes, Spring is seen as a time of growth & renewal of life – a time for better things to come. There’s cause for celebration with the brightening of the day after the dullness of winter.
Geographically speaking, in Spring the axis of the earth is increasing its tilt toward the sun, thereby lengthening the daylight, which in turn warms up the atmosphere causing new plants to “spring forth”. Hence, the significance in the name of “Spring”.
Red Tulips & Everlasting
Lest you should be confused, Australia is that great continental mass that lies in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, everything runs counter to life in the Northern Hemisphere. While you often & always associate snow or cold with Christmas celebration, the Australian will be sweating over the BBQ stove or having their fun in the sun on the beach. In Australia, the Southern Hemisphere, Spring runs from September into November.
Having lived the greater part of my matured life in Malaysia with two good years of sojourn in the United Kingdom, life “Down Under” is truly & appreciatively wonderful. Because of its conducive & exhilarating weather, virtually throughout the year, everyday is like a holiday. Like the advertisement they run on TV: “Beautiful Today. Perfect Tomorrow”. What more can you ask for. You can have your day in the sun or golf for fun. We are indeed so lucky – that’s why it’s called the “Lucky Country”.
We are living in a time when the question of being personally attended to seems such a rare treat. The old adage of consumer being king is no longer fashionably true. Gone are the days when your pint of milk was delivered to your doorstep or your personal physician making house calls. The worst is being attended to by electronic recording over the phone. Everything is so impersonal. In time we are likely to be replaced by machines. As it is, the computers and calculating machines are functioning in our place.
In retrospect, the corner store is fast disappearing, engulfed by giant supermarkets. Onto the stage of marketing, online buying and selling is evolving to be part of our daily lives. The most prominent and frustrating aspects of the Internet era will be a world devoid of humans. In highlighting the automated age, its scenario will evidently be:
the phobia of dealing with ghostly machine
the absolute challenge of making contact with the human face or voice
big bucks are channelled towards the objective of making sales rather than helping solving your shopping problem
speaking to a machine programmed to understand human speech
to access information you’ll face the daunting task of punching or typing in a sequence of numbers
the exasperating experience of wearing out your human patience
the frequent endless waiting of being served by a human.
Last Time When – wind screen wiped, water & oil checked, tyre pressure pumped?
As a starter, try calling up your neighbours or friends, and increasingly you’ll get the answering machine. Taking a step further, with large commercial establishments or departments, you’ll be confronted with the labyrinthine menus that accompany most phone-based systems. The maze and impersonal instruction will infuriate your patience and load you with frustration.
Increasingly, it is the phone and the Internet that engender the frustration. Everything is digitised. Sales items are bar-coded. The human brain is increasingly functioning less and less and no doubt robots will replace humans. You and I must be prepared to be bar-coded or fitted with “smart card” and be treated as mere digitals in this fast changing world.
Last but not least, there is nothing you can label in terms of qualitative & quantitative service with the like of such tradesmen as the electrician, plumber & carpenter. Even the smallest job is measured out by the hour. They’re just minting gold much more than would any professional. Discounting good will & customer relationship, it’s a one-off kill!
Don’t look back to the good old days . . . brave yourself to the GREED of this corrupted world.
Wildflowers Galore in Spring
Colourful Spring Blooms
Red Tulips & Everlasting
A Typical Self-Service Store
Last Time When – 
Paul Chong's Blog 