Tuesday 30 September 2008

Let's do something

I do not care to find out what the government might be doing for the African society. So far I have heard of none...

But what I'm going to do is to pray and ask God for wisdom on how to create awareness of tolerance to all races in our country. That's the least I could do.

I can't stop a gang of metal-rod, switchblade wielding youths... but I can do my part as an educated citizen to stir up awareness in the general public. To advocate the respect for a basic human life.

I am planning to the following:

i. Street survey of the incident that happened that day.
ii. Taking a poll of the general public's opinions towards the growing African community in our area
iii. Interviewing taxi drivers and getting their feedback

I have other plans in mind, but I'm keeping them in view first. If anyone wants to contribute any ideas... please to leave a comment with your e-mail and I'll get in touch with you :)

Lastly, I leave you with a comment in my previous post on this incident from someone who echoes perhaps a general sentiment of African students in Malaysia:

"...i`m staying near where the accident happened, we have been attacked more than 3 times in Taman Melati and we have made more than 2 reports and nothing yet change, what even worse we caught one of them and we took him to the police station, of course we had proves and witnesses and still nothing change ! the same guy was released in less than a week and he still practicing his hustling !! strange isn't it !??

...last week a group of youth attacked 2 girls, and when the police came the gang were stand still and there were no moves from the 2 police cars !! this week we have a dead man, married with 8 month daughter, a result of extremely discrimination and full of hate towards us, and still nothing change..

...we have one life and there is absolutely nothing to do here except counting days left to be in Malaysia.."

Great job, Malaysia. Now can we start doing some real work on building a caring society please?

The Wind of Change

I feel like as if I'm entering a new phase of life. I'm being challenged daily to reconsider my options, my perspectives and my choices.

No, I am not being emo-tional. So stop trying to figure me out if you are.

At this point, I'm kind of through being caught up with your emotional instabilities. Your need to attract attention and your cravings to be understood, accepted and pampered. Somehow, the longer I am around you... I think I like you lesser and lesser.

Yeap... I'm talking about you - Ms. Catherine Ong Mei Ling.

Enough of whining about how the world is spinning out of control. You do not know everything that is going on in this universe... For goodness sake, can you even create the stones you kick in frustration? Can you make leaves that you just ripped apart to materialise out of thin air? Can you?

Are you able to predict the future without any spiritual help? Are you capable of running the whole world and know what goes on at the other end of the globe and still rush back in time to manage your own daily challenges?

Who ever gave you the right to call the shots? Who told you that you could throw your tantrums and demand your right 100% all the time? Are you that important until you disregard the things that really matter around you?

Do you actually believe that when things spin out of control it gives you the ultimate right to whine, kick and scream in frustration?

Seriously... wake up!

You're not the one in charge of the cosmos, you're not the run who holds the wheel and drives.

I am. The great I AM.

God's in control. So chill okay? It's time to let go and just admit that you've failed miserably and you can't do anything about it.

Can you let Me, be Me? Just this once?

Saturday 27 September 2008

i am ashamed

I haven't been reading the news lately, so it took me by surprise and I was shocked to find out that someone was murdered in cold blood in Wangsa Maju, the very area which is just like 5 minutes walk away downhill from my apartment
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Here are excerpts from news articles concerning this matter:
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This one is from an African online news report:
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"...Let me give you a recent case in Wangsa Maju that has led to the untimely death of an African student from Chad. African undergraduate, HELP University College, Abdel Aziz Hassan Abdraman, 22, (his picture shown above) was brutally murdered just because of his color.
On Saturday, there was a mob attack by some 20 youths wielding metal rods, sticks and knives on 10 African undergraduates in Wangsa Maju which resulted in his death and injured the rest. They were unjustly harassed and mocked by the youths for four consecutive days before the attack. The youths even went up to their Tar Villa apartment and demanded money and cigarettes.
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According to the students and as reported by the Malaysian Newspaper “Malay Mail” the drama unfolded when three undergraduates were on their way to board the LRT to perform “terawih” prayers (long prayers by the Muslims after they have broken their fasting) at a nearby mosque at 8.30pm. They were confronted by some 20 youths who were believed to have hurled abuses at them (they called them Negros) and demanded money. When the trio ignored them and walked away, the youths, carrying switch blades, pursued them and struck one of them on the head.
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The students took refuge at the LRT (Train Station) and sought assistance from their African friends living nearby. Seven of their friends, including Abdel Aziz, went to their aid and together they went back to where the trio was attacked. Abdel Aziz's cousin, Abdraman Moussa Mohamat, 23, said: “We asked the youths who were seated at the stalls why they had attacked our friends but they came for us suddenly without saying a word. “We ran for our lives when they began swinging metal rods, sticks and knives at us. In the fracas, Abdel Aziz was stabbed from the back.”
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Abdel Aziz has a 19-year old wife and 8-month old baby. Did anyone bother to consider that before stabbing him?
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This is from the Malay Mail:
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"...To add salt to injury, taxi drivers waiting to pick up commuters at the LRT station had refused to take him to the hospital despite desperate pleading from his friends. He later died in the ambulance on the way to Kuala Lumpur Hospital."
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Yeah, because Malaysian cab drivers don't want to get involved and they generally refuse Africans entering their cabs because they think they're "misfits and dangerous".
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You know what, I feel disgusted at what happened. It happened in the late evening with obviously members of the public there around the LRT station! Do you really mean to say that no one could have bothered to at least call the police, stop a car and threaten the youths who were fighting that the authorities would be coming to help the Africans who were being harassed?
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For those who passed by, did you pass by and said, "i can't possibly get involved. Not me" ?
If you did... please don't call yourself a Christian, muslim or buddhist or whatever religion you profess... because if you call yourself a believer of God and have a sense of morality... you would not have walked by and ignored it.
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You could have stopped a murder from happening.
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To the taxi drivers... you could helped someone stay alive.
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I don't know if any African students are reading this, but I just want to say I'm so sorry that my countrymen have behaved in such a fashion. I wished I could have driven by that hour and helped. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to prevent a ruthless crime from happening. Please forgive Malaysia for not responding promptly.
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Dear Malaysia and all its citizens, we've claimed our independence 57 years ago... and yet our mentalities are still not changed. Have we looked beyond the race card that we so like to play? Have we opened our minds and attitudes to true independence?
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The blunt answer is no. Not when we have someone just killed off because of his colour.
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The answer is a outright no. Because someone who was wounded was denied help from another fellow human being.
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It is still no. When someone can take another life into his hands and decide to end that life without consideration that the person is someone's son, someone's father, someone's husband.
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No, Mr. Prime Minister... Malaysia still has a long way to go.
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Can we stand and watch things go like this? I cannot. I have to do something.
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You have ONE LIFE, DO SOMETHING.

Wednesday 24 September 2008

updates

It's not that I didn't want to update because of a busy schedule... but thanks to good ol' Streamyx, the internet service at home has not been functioning since Sept 12th, so yeah *rolls eyes*
Some updates:

It's Day of Excellence for Wednesday and Thursday. Today was an excellent wrap up of the pulpit and platform events and also piano solos. Loved Philip's Obama speech. Tomorrow will be the vocals which I will be judging, yay =)

I got a...
new haircut!!! Kudos to Amy my churchmate who's a hair stylist. She visited my apartment and gave as all nice haircuts :) So now I have a side parting and a fringe... not to mention shorter and thinned hair so that I don't feel like a lion all day long
Haha... the funniest thing happened today. Paul Mae was match making me with someone in her church!
Sorry for such a lousy update. I'm real busy with work so I don't do so many updates yet. PLUS STREAMYX IS LOUSY AT THE MOMENT!!!
peace out.

Friday 5 September 2008

I Wanna Love You

I wonder if God gets lonely?
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You know, when we get so busy doing things for Him instead of doing things with Him?
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There's a major difference there already. Those of us who do believe Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord, we know fundamentally that we are saved by grace. I'm pretty sure everyone's first encounter with God was genuine and the fire or passion that burned in our hearts for the Lord was sincere and passionate.
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Definition of passionate according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, it is defined as,
"...capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feeling..."
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When we say we're passionate for God... are we actually only passionate towards the good works that we do because we're Christian? It's so much easier to organise another Youth Rally, or another adult outreach, or another prayer meeting... but are we passionate at the beginning of the day when we wake up?
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I asked a question today... "Are we really truly desperate for God until the point when we open our eyes, all we want is God?"
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God, am I so desperate for you that if I don't get to talk to You I will feel like dying? That if I don't find You around me, I will feel lost and desperate?
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Sadly, even I myself... I have yet to reach that stage. Somehow, it's so much easier to hide behind the curtain and do all the safe "Christian activities". It's so much easier to tell the young people that God is love, and that they should love God more. What about myself? Countless times its just so much easier to get busy with work than to just sit there and drink in Jesus.
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God, am I doing so many things because I'm told to do them, not because I want to?
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How long have I been doing things for God? Have I forgotten that He doesn't exactly need my help in carrying out His work for Him? Am I doing it in His name and forgotten that He created me so that I could worship Him first?
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God, do I wake up desperate for You? Do I feel so hungry for YOU that without You I can't function properly?
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Deeply In Love (Youth Alive)
In my life, You've heard me say I love You
How do I show You it's true?
Hear my heart, it longs for more of You
I've fallen deeply in love with You
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You and I, together forever
Nothing can stand in the way
My love for You grows stronger each new day
I've fallen deeply in love with You
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You have stolen my heart
I'm captivated by You
Never will You and I part
I've fallen deeply in love with You
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Jesus, You've stolen my heart
I'm captivated by You
Never will You and I part
I've fallen deeply in love with You