25th Reunion by Tai Kim Teng

Introduction

This is the first time I am blogging here. Thanks for the opportunity. I just came back from my class reunion in Kuching a couple of weeks ago. It was a very refreshing and nostalgic moment for all who came(35 classmates). This is my personal experience and observation. Oon Keong who is in the same class of 1976/1981 University Malaya was unable to come. So I have volunteered to organise the next reunion in Ipoh in 2 years from now. In this way, Oon Keong will have no reason not to come.

Class of 76/81............
There were 128 students in my class. We studied together for 5 years from 1976 to 1981 in MU, KL. Those were the happy and carefree days. Life was good. Since graduation, most of us have gone our saperate ways and have been busy with our own lives. Most of us have never met each other for the last 25 long years! There was no time even for the occasional letters. By now, we are all half a century old or young whichever way you like to look at it. Some comments I gleaned from the intense discussions going round the tables that night, were:

Observation of life........

1.High IQ

The studious, hard working and intelligent ones complained that they are doing less well overall in life than those who are more "playful and carefree" classmates who "seldom study and fall alseep" during lectures. There was a particular bunch of outstanding classmates(4 of them which I cannot forget) who go to nightclub almost everynight and rarely revise their work. Surprise of surprises, today there are "successful" O&G specialist. All of them! They are more relax and less uptight with their lives. Their attitude is be happy and enjoy life to the fullest. You can see now that their family are very pleased with their father. They are now good family man and enjoy a balanced lifestyle.

IQ....EQ.....SQ......

From this event, it would seem that IQ (Intelligence Quotient) does not gurantee a "successful" outcome in later life. Sometimes it can a hindrance if the IQ "thing" goes too much into the head and puffs one up (pride and not teachable).
Goldman invented the theory of EQ ( Emotional Quotient) two decades ago. IQ assess your ability to analyse, understand, absorb and present knowledge correctly. EQ on the other hand assess you ability to network, relate, foster and establish relationship with others. No wonder my 4 "happy go lucky" classmates are doing better today. What they lack in IQ has actually been compensated by higher EQ. I believe the old adage that "style without substance is useless" still holds true. However, a nutritious food without excellent presentation would also not sell well. Therefore, by reasoning, substance and style are both important in life. John White says that it should start with inside out, not outside in. Both is required, IQ and EQ.

But, by not mentioning SQ (Spiritual Quotient), we have left the most vital part of our life on earth. Some of us are "wired" to seek God from an early age. There is a perennial hunger in our soul after things eternal and spiritual. These people spent a lot of their time on earth seeking the "peace which transcends all understanding and higher calling" in life which are not visible. They are more reflective and calm in their demeanor. Sometimes, we call them the "spiritual" types.
As we approach the second century of our lives, SQ will become more and more important. With one leg already in the coffin, as the saying goes, one need to ponder the "afterlife' seriously. Things visible which were very important before seems to occupy less space in our life nowadays. Wisdom, good health, peace, God which are not visible to our naked eyes are much more sought after commodity.

2. Life is a marathon and not a 100m dash

The famous tale of the "Hare and the Tortoise" which we listen during childhood is too often forgotten in later life. The person who starts with a great roar and superb confidence in life may not necessary finish strong. During one of the reunion night, I had the opportunity to have a long chat with one of my classmates. She was top of the class and had a nice boyfriend who love her very much since schooldays. Everyone knows that they were the perfect couple. Unfortunately, things have changed so much after 25 years. They have gone saperate ways and each have migrated far away from each other. Surprisingly, both came for the reunion from overseas. The boy told me that he took 30 hours to reach Kuching from his city!!It must have be a very long time since they have last met. I can sense it as they they were totally absorb in their own world of intense and passionate discussions during dinner. Next morning, I saw them together again in the hotel lounge. So much not said have to be said and so much more to be forgiven. Life have changed so drastically. Opportunities have been missed. Trivial things may have been misunderstood and left to fester. Things could have turn out better if just.........
In life it is true that "To err is human and to forgive is divine" Most things in life are small things which we make it out to be a big deal. The other day I came across this saying, "If one want to go far in life, one have to throw away the baggage of unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness.
A good start is desirable but it is the ending that counts for everything, the coveted prize of eternal life with Jesus.

Got to run and bathe now. Bye.

A reunion at Ipoh Swimming Club. We were so happy to meet Wai Hoong after all these years. So much to talk about. We left only after the waiters started switching off the lights at the other end of the hall. Just in case you cannot figure out who is who in this picture. Yau Ngan Sing, Kwoon Wai Hoong, Teh Moon Chong, Leong Oon Keong.

At the launching of my first book - Fun With Phonics, at the Menteri Besar's house in Jan. 2006. On my right is DatinSeri Diraja Dato' Kamariah, MB's wife who is Chairman of BAIDURI which sponsored my book for all Year One pupils in the whole of Perak as a special project. Nothing to shout about really. Just got a lucky break , doing the right thing at the right time for the right people!

SFYau

Life by Mother Teresa

LIFE
By Mother Teresa

Something that M Teresa said before her death. Very thought provoking and inspiring.

----------
When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread. But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out of society - that spiritual poverty is much harder to overcome. Those who are materially poor can be very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the Sisters: "You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worse."

So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my
hand, as she said one word only: "Thank you" - and she died.

I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked: "What would I say if I were in her place?" And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said: "I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain," or something. But she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.

Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half eaten by worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said, "I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for." Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body, all he said, with a big smile, was: "Sister, I am going home to God" - and he died. It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that without blaming anybody, without
comparing anything. Like an angel - this is
the greatness of people who are spiritually rich even when they are materially poor....

Life

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is costly, care for it.
Life is wealth, keep it.
Life is love, enjoy it.
Life is mystery, know it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

- Mother Teresa

4 frens & steamboat

Rock Garden Steamboat, Robson Heights Kuala Lumpur 19 August 06

Four Frens - Nyat Keong, KeeKuang, Wai Hoong & Keng Loon aka Alvin

We met, we ate and we chatted. It was a good evening of food & wine.

Interview with Rick Warren

I have just received this email from my good friend Simon Tan regarding an interview with Rick Warren. I wish to share this with you because the content is most inspiring.

This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life" author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. These are new 'insights' that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and his having "wealth" from the book sales.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity.

We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This
is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go in to another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was
not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to
deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15
million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God
gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no
major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches,
equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? ...Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.

God loves you!

Guppies and Sword tails

Hawker's night is on again this Saturday, 22nd July. Children may win prize guppies and sword tails gathered from my pond at home.

Guppies and sword tails are live brearers i.e. they give birth to live baby fishes that swim about from day 1 itself. They are hardy and easy to keep. They are considered community fishes and are not aggressive to other fishes living in the same fish tank.

Feeding is easy. They will eat almost any commercial fish food of a suitable size. They will even pick on algae.

Please be gentle with these fishes and have lots of fun.