"Mak Cik, nak tolong ke?" I blurted out as I saw this old lady with a tudung got off the bus slowly.
I din even know whether she spoke a word of BM but somehow the words just came out. I saw her got on the bus with much difficulty with a shopping trolley all alone. She did the same thing when the bus reached Carousel shopping centre.
A bit shocked she looked at me and asked me where I was from.
"Malaysia - Sarawak." was my reply.
It turned out that she was from Seremban.
The car in front cleared out. I could have crossed the road if I rushed past, but in the end decided to stay on to make sure the Mak Cik was safe.
"Kamu tinggal ngan family?" I asked.
"Tidak, saya tak ada anak dan suami saya dah meningal 16 tahun"
"Mak Cik kuat"
"Tidak, saya bikin kuat. Sebenarnya, saya ada kanser, sakit"
"Tapi mak cik berani ni."
She implied that life was like that, daring to be brave was something crucial to survive, esp in another country. She was all alone, 78 yrs old, living in the government shelter, with no family at all.
"Tapi orang sini friendly kan?" I manage to say with my broken BM.
"Ada yang baik, ada yang jahat. Saya kena pukul 5 kali. Bukan pukul la, mereka ambil duit aku."
I din know wat to say, but all I could do was just help her put her bag in a trolley so she could push it easier. Decided to teman her for a while since I wasnt in a rush to get back to school. As we walked towards Woolies in da da food court, she said she wanted to rest a while and asked me to go buy my things.
I nodded and we parted ways.
Her passion of living. The humility I saw in her eyes. The strength she had to endure pain. The bravery to go around alone even though it was hard - all left me in awe.
I have no idea whether I'll meet her again, but her life sure touched mine. Sometimes, you just never know what a lil bit of kindness would bring. :)
Signin off: Hope everything goes well mak cik!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Emo emo
Just landed in da land of Ozi and i sooo sooo miss my family, fiends and Miri. This time here is like worse than the first time i came man. Been cryin buckets so far. I miss my mama, amu, papa, rocky, skul frens, church frens, food, shopping and being able to drive. Dunno la, it's like suddenly everything is just gone and all i have is a small quiet room, make dat eerily quiet room all alone. I wanna be back with mummy wher i can just watch Tv anytime, have amu in the same room and Rocky outside scratchin da door. *sobs*
Dunno wats up with me and I hope it'll go away soon. At least I can meet up with Mandy and Ivan tomolo. I dun wanna start skul!!
Somebody help! Send me back to Miri now n I'll be as good as new :)
Okay, lets just look at the brighter side a bit. An Ipoh guy was sitting beside me and he was pretty nice. Nathan was his name and at least I had someone to tok to during my 5 hour flight. :) Plays piano and guitar. Cool eh? Si Ying and another guy was on da same flight too but da flight was too ful for us to sit together. Oh yeah, Yang Sheng was ther also. Hmmm,and da declaration officer let me off easy this time which was great. She just opened da bag with food and let me pass without even scanning the others :)
Wanna know something cooler? It was as if it was snowing outside my window during my flight. And tiny lil delicate ice flakes were decorating da window I was sitting beside, which reminded me of how great our God is and His lovely creation.
Dunno wats up with me and I hope it'll go away soon. At least I can meet up with Mandy and Ivan tomolo. I dun wanna start skul!!
Somebody help! Send me back to Miri now n I'll be as good as new :)
Okay, lets just look at the brighter side a bit. An Ipoh guy was sitting beside me and he was pretty nice. Nathan was his name and at least I had someone to tok to during my 5 hour flight. :) Plays piano and guitar. Cool eh? Si Ying and another guy was on da same flight too but da flight was too ful for us to sit together. Oh yeah, Yang Sheng was ther also. Hmmm,and da declaration officer let me off easy this time which was great. She just opened da bag with food and let me pass without even scanning the others :)
Wanna know something cooler? It was as if it was snowing outside my window during my flight. And tiny lil delicate ice flakes were decorating da window I was sitting beside, which reminded me of how great our God is and His lovely creation.
Signin off: Gladly using my box of tissues
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Happee Chinese New Year people!!
It's great to be in da festive mood again :) Esp when i get to spend time with my family and to see my frens again. Too bad this holiday of mine is ending. One last day for me tomorrow. Gonna start missing the people i missed again, gonna miss church and mua family!!
Oh wells, most of wad i wanna do here is done :) some i seriously tried but yaps, guess i shud give thanks for wad i have :P Thank u God for a wonderful holiday!! Wheee!!
Gonna go bai nian (visiting) tomorrow with frens :P Pray for safety journey mercy as I will be driving. Hiaks. Yes, I shall drive slowly mum!! :)
Visited my granduncle's place tooday. It's quite funny to see one of my young uncles giving us Ang Pao as he just got married a few years back. It's usually him receiving and now its the other way round :) Time just flies man!! Everyone's walking da aisle and stuff! Heheee
Gonna go snooze soon. Havta wake up early tomolo :P
Signin off: Missy miss
Oh wells, most of wad i wanna do here is done :) some i seriously tried but yaps, guess i shud give thanks for wad i have :P Thank u God for a wonderful holiday!! Wheee!!
Gonna go bai nian (visiting) tomorrow with frens :P Pray for safety journey mercy as I will be driving. Hiaks. Yes, I shall drive slowly mum!! :)
Visited my granduncle's place tooday. It's quite funny to see one of my young uncles giving us Ang Pao as he just got married a few years back. It's usually him receiving and now its the other way round :) Time just flies man!! Everyone's walking da aisle and stuff! Heheee
Gonna go snooze soon. Havta wake up early tomolo :P
Gong Xi Fa Choi!!!!
May u have a blessed year ahead!
Signin off: Missy miss
Monday, February 04, 2008
*smiles*
Kor kor's getting married
Da da n a few more are planning to
Leslie is paktoin
And I am.... :)
Da da has the record of being my first passenger alone!! :P Oh yeah, and dat was without getting into car accidents, schreeching stops and engines dying tsk tsk. Dare to be my passenger?? :P Wahahaa I provide free heart attacks. :)
Signin off: Moooo I can drive!!! Can u believe it?!?
Da da n a few more are planning to
Leslie is paktoin
And I am.... :)
reading this! :P A gift for helping out in choir from teacher. Sweet of her and i love da book!! It's even decorated with lil cartoons.
STUDIES - speaking of which I forgot to mention. I start skul today and lets see wat I've done so far.
- Sleepover at Ai's place
- Brekky with Da Da
- Learn to colour
- Lunch with group
- Shopping with Da Da
- Dinner with Kor n Angeline
Not bad? :) Gonna do some more skipping skul business till this Sunday! *evil grin*
Da da was back and it was nice to be able to spent a day with her :) Went shopping with her and we ended up buying the same dress and lookin the same :P Heheee
Da da has the record of being my first passenger alone!! :P Oh yeah, and dat was without getting into car accidents, schreeching stops and engines dying tsk tsk. Dare to be my passenger?? :P Wahahaa I provide free heart attacks. :) Signin off: Moooo I can drive!!! Can u believe it?!?
Friday, February 01, 2008
A story...
The blood. The screams. Sirens wailing as she slipped in and out of consciousness.
It has been almost a year since the horrific accident had happened, but haunting images from the scene were still as clear as daylight to Nina, who had lost both her parents and sister. With no one else to stay with or turn to, the young Kayan girl moved in with her aunt Julia, who could not care less of her presence. With the lack of attention and affection, depression settled in and eventually became part of her life. Often, she would lock herself in her room and lie on her bed for hours , letting her thoughts drive her insane.
Today was like any other day.
“How wonderful and perfect my life was before; a life full of friends and fame, filled with laughter and joy. Why this accident? Why does it have to ruin my life and take everything away? Why… why…my family??!! ”
Nina’s eyes rimmed with wetness and her lips trembled as the sweet memories of her beloved family flashed through her mind. The good times they had, the bad times they had endured together, had all vanished. Nina blinked, grabbed a photo album nearby and squinted at it through her tears.
The accident cost Nina more than just her family. Nina’s beautiful face was no longer what it used to be. Shrapnel had left permanent scars on her once beautifully sculptured and defined features, and people now looked at her in disgust. Going to school had become a dreaded nightmare.
“Hey Nina! What’s that hideous adornment you’ve got on your face? The latest trend?”
Cheryl, whom Nina had regarded as one of her closer friends, howled with laughter at her own remark. People closed by started to snicker at the insult. The hurt was just too much to bear. Nina fled towards the toilet with cruel laughter of her schoolmates still echoing in her ears. She slammed the door of a cubicle, trying hard to ignore what Cheryl had said. She bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop herself from bursting into tears, but to no avail. Depression and self-pity overwhelmed.
“Everyone loved me before… I guess looks was all that mattered to those who are supposedly my ‘friends’. I’m not wanted for who I am. They never knew the real me. And I guess they never will.”
Day after day, she tried to keep her dignity as she continued to be hurled with seemingly endless hurtful insults and questioning faces with looks of undisguised disgust. Her self-confidence plummeted. Self-esteem and popularity were things of the past. She was no longer the Nina she used to be. The once bubbly, energetic social-butterfly was now replaced by a lonely, disfigured girl.
Time seemed to pass by slowly, painfully for Nina. Valentine’s Day was just round the corner. Every year, Nina received bunches of roses and all sorts of cards and chocolates from admires everywhere. She knew it was going to be different this year.
“True friends are indeed hard to find,” she thought, sadly, during one recess break in school. She glanced enviously at some of her schoolmates who were bustling around, busy with Valentine’s Day sales for various organizations.
The bell rang, and Nina hurried back to class with an armful of books she had loaned from the school library. In her haste, she collided with a Chinese boy and dropped all her books. Profuse words of apology poured out from Nina in embarrassment as she immediately dropped to her knees to gather her books, expecting the boy to respond in hurtful words. She would bear with it. She was used to it anyway.
“Are you alright?”
The boy quickly knelt down and pick up Nina’s books. She was so stunned that she froze and just allowed herself to be helped. It had been such a long time since she had received such kindness from anybody. She glanced up shyly and their eyes met.
She knew for sure she had never seen him around before.
“I’m alright,” Nina managed to reply after taking a while to recover.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. My name’s John.”
Nina smiled back sheepishly and introduced herself.
“Uhm… Care to hang out after school?”
John and Nina met up after school and chatted for hours on end. Nina felt that John was very different from others. For once, she felt as if she was being accepted for who she really is and not for what she looked like. Nina poured her heart out to John, telling him what had happened on that horrible day which took away everything from her.
Through John, Nina realized that there was actually hope. She realized that a book can never be judged by its cover – not everyone was how she thought they were. Someone out there actually cared about her.
“A true friend does not walk ahead of you or behind you; they walk beside you and stay by your side. A true friend is there to share all your passions and sorrows.” It was a proverb Nina had refuse to believe in, until John came along.
John and Nina were there for each other whenever one was in need of the other; they helped each other out with schoolwork, other problems, and practically everything else. The friendship bond that they shared was purely indescribable. They even discovered their interest in helping the needy and doing voluntary work. Both were determined to help out in whatever ways they can.
The morning of Valentine’s Day arrived. Nina walked to school as usual, reminiscing the same day of previous years, trying not to feel too blue. All the same, the last thing she expected was to receive anything from anyone. She made her way to her class, thinking back on how her family used to celebrate this day of love by making cards, expressing their love for each other. She missed them dearly.
Putting her bag down, Nina settled down in her seat and caught a whiff of a familiar floral scent. Something shiny inside her drawer caught her eyes.
She lifted an eyebrow in surprise and reached for the glittering object. Her heart beat skipped a beat as she saw a single red rose, beautifully wrapped in silvery metallic paper secured with a pink satin ribbon. Not quite believing her eyes, she opened up the note that was attatched to it.
Dearest Nina
You are beautiful
No matter what they say
You are beautiful
In every single way
In my heart you will always be
Life is not about looks,
But the way you look at life.
Love, John
A hot tear rolled down Nina’s cheek.
Since Valentine's Day is approaching, decided to post this up for fun. It's something I wrote in form 4 for some essay writing competition. :) Lost da soft copy and typed da whole thing so you'd better like it!! Haha
Signing off: I've got mua lappie back! :P
It has been almost a year since the horrific accident had happened, but haunting images from the scene were still as clear as daylight to Nina, who had lost both her parents and sister. With no one else to stay with or turn to, the young Kayan girl moved in with her aunt Julia, who could not care less of her presence. With the lack of attention and affection, depression settled in and eventually became part of her life. Often, she would lock herself in her room and lie on her bed for hours , letting her thoughts drive her insane.
Today was like any other day.
“How wonderful and perfect my life was before; a life full of friends and fame, filled with laughter and joy. Why this accident? Why does it have to ruin my life and take everything away? Why… why…my family??!! ”
Nina’s eyes rimmed with wetness and her lips trembled as the sweet memories of her beloved family flashed through her mind. The good times they had, the bad times they had endured together, had all vanished. Nina blinked, grabbed a photo album nearby and squinted at it through her tears.
The accident cost Nina more than just her family. Nina’s beautiful face was no longer what it used to be. Shrapnel had left permanent scars on her once beautifully sculptured and defined features, and people now looked at her in disgust. Going to school had become a dreaded nightmare.
“Hey Nina! What’s that hideous adornment you’ve got on your face? The latest trend?”
Cheryl, whom Nina had regarded as one of her closer friends, howled with laughter at her own remark. People closed by started to snicker at the insult. The hurt was just too much to bear. Nina fled towards the toilet with cruel laughter of her schoolmates still echoing in her ears. She slammed the door of a cubicle, trying hard to ignore what Cheryl had said. She bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop herself from bursting into tears, but to no avail. Depression and self-pity overwhelmed.
“Everyone loved me before… I guess looks was all that mattered to those who are supposedly my ‘friends’. I’m not wanted for who I am. They never knew the real me. And I guess they never will.”
Day after day, she tried to keep her dignity as she continued to be hurled with seemingly endless hurtful insults and questioning faces with looks of undisguised disgust. Her self-confidence plummeted. Self-esteem and popularity were things of the past. She was no longer the Nina she used to be. The once bubbly, energetic social-butterfly was now replaced by a lonely, disfigured girl.
Time seemed to pass by slowly, painfully for Nina. Valentine’s Day was just round the corner. Every year, Nina received bunches of roses and all sorts of cards and chocolates from admires everywhere. She knew it was going to be different this year.
“True friends are indeed hard to find,” she thought, sadly, during one recess break in school. She glanced enviously at some of her schoolmates who were bustling around, busy with Valentine’s Day sales for various organizations.
The bell rang, and Nina hurried back to class with an armful of books she had loaned from the school library. In her haste, she collided with a Chinese boy and dropped all her books. Profuse words of apology poured out from Nina in embarrassment as she immediately dropped to her knees to gather her books, expecting the boy to respond in hurtful words. She would bear with it. She was used to it anyway.
“Are you alright?”
The boy quickly knelt down and pick up Nina’s books. She was so stunned that she froze and just allowed herself to be helped. It had been such a long time since she had received such kindness from anybody. She glanced up shyly and their eyes met.
She knew for sure she had never seen him around before.
“I’m alright,” Nina managed to reply after taking a while to recover.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. My name’s John.”
Nina smiled back sheepishly and introduced herself.
“Uhm… Care to hang out after school?”
John and Nina met up after school and chatted for hours on end. Nina felt that John was very different from others. For once, she felt as if she was being accepted for who she really is and not for what she looked like. Nina poured her heart out to John, telling him what had happened on that horrible day which took away everything from her.
Through John, Nina realized that there was actually hope. She realized that a book can never be judged by its cover – not everyone was how she thought they were. Someone out there actually cared about her.
“A true friend does not walk ahead of you or behind you; they walk beside you and stay by your side. A true friend is there to share all your passions and sorrows.” It was a proverb Nina had refuse to believe in, until John came along.
John and Nina were there for each other whenever one was in need of the other; they helped each other out with schoolwork, other problems, and practically everything else. The friendship bond that they shared was purely indescribable. They even discovered their interest in helping the needy and doing voluntary work. Both were determined to help out in whatever ways they can.
The morning of Valentine’s Day arrived. Nina walked to school as usual, reminiscing the same day of previous years, trying not to feel too blue. All the same, the last thing she expected was to receive anything from anyone. She made her way to her class, thinking back on how her family used to celebrate this day of love by making cards, expressing their love for each other. She missed them dearly.
Putting her bag down, Nina settled down in her seat and caught a whiff of a familiar floral scent. Something shiny inside her drawer caught her eyes.
She lifted an eyebrow in surprise and reached for the glittering object. Her heart beat skipped a beat as she saw a single red rose, beautifully wrapped in silvery metallic paper secured with a pink satin ribbon. Not quite believing her eyes, she opened up the note that was attatched to it.
Dearest Nina
You are beautiful
No matter what they say
You are beautiful
In every single way
In my heart you will always be
Life is not about looks,
But the way you look at life.
Love, John
A hot tear rolled down Nina’s cheek.
Since Valentine's Day is approaching, decided to post this up for fun. It's something I wrote in form 4 for some essay writing competition. :) Lost da soft copy and typed da whole thing so you'd better like it!! Haha
Signing off: I've got mua lappie back! :P
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