This is just for those who knows me, trust me and wish to donate to the Myanmar Cyclone Nagris (more details on the Nagris destruction on my previous post) victims. My church is making a collection and the money will be sent direct to Thailand where they can reach the victims without going through the red tapes of the Junta.

So, if you wish to ask me to help pass your money to them, you can pay me by PayPal or bank in to my local bank. I will collect the total amount, give you guys the list of collection and then, I will pay the lump sum by cheque to the Penang Office for Human Development. All will be accounted for, with receipt. Paypal rate will be USD1 for RM3.17. (average rate I cash out from Al Rajhi)

The website of the POHD is over here.

Below is the notice I copy from our church bulletin. Please note that this is strictly a friend-to-friend basis. There is no obligations and it is made on the basis of trust.

MYANMAR CYCLONE COLLECTION
Bishop Antony Selvanayagam has requested all the parishes in this diocese to make a collection (in cash) to assist the relief work in Myanmar. The diocese has already sent RM50,000.00 through the Apostolic Delegate (Archbishop Salvatore Pinnacchio) in Bangkok. The monies are sent directly to the Bishops in the affected area. In this way the church avoids the red-tape of the Junta government and reach out to the victims directly.
In our parish we will give the whole collection taken on 24th & 25th May. There will be no second collection (cemetery fund) on that day. Next weekend is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).
Cheques made in favour of Penang Office for Human Development (POHD). On the reverse side note “Myanmar Cyclone”.

Email me at the5xmom at gmail.com for details of my PayPal or local bank. CIMB, Al Rajhi, UOB or Maybank for your convenience. (Yayaya, I internet businesswoman, got darn lot of banks.)

Again, do so only if you trust me. Let’s put a closing date to 24th May, 2008 at 3 pm?

UPDATED AMOUNT

My pledge amount : Whatever I earn from Nuffnang this week.

1. Ray - RM29.15 (yay!!! First to give)

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This is a personal ramblings from topic to topic. Jotting down what I did, all in a day’s life will probably put things in better perspective.

1) It is easy to express things in English sentences. It is hard to say them in Hokkien. Today, I told him, “I hope you understand, both of us are telling you to walk, sit and move is not because we are being cruel (boh leong sim) but we want the best for you. I know it is very hard for you and I know you are afraid of getting the tubes dislodged. But you cannot lie in one position because you are getting bed sores. Your leg muscles will waste away if you don’t apply pressure on it. In no time, you may not be able to walk. So, please try your best. We are talking from our friends’ experiences. When your muscles are weak, you will have a hard time to be strong again. So, remember to do it. Don’t be afraid the catheter can dislodge. Ask the nurse to put more plasters and hold it and walk, please.”

2) After that we asked the wife to massage his legs and also to tell him to kick the bed end and apply pressures on the leg. It is darn hard to see him in depression and yet, we cannot allow him to remain there because it will make the situation worse. I feel so bad telling him about the guy in a wheelchair who can insert his own catheter (the tube to release urine). I feel so guilty telling him that he can totally become not be able to walk if he keeps in that position. If he won’t listen to the doctors and nurses, how is he going to listen to me? (We are unable to get support groups to visit as well, not know at least) Will he know that I had gone through that depth of despair, totally no hope, no strength and that abyss where death is the most welcoming thought? Does he know that a mother’s pain of seeing her own son dying is as painful as his own pain? I hope the Divine Being will pull him back and show him that we mean well.

3) The positive thing is he is now much more open to eating other than fish and mee suah. My heart leap with joy when his wife told me he asked for a second helping today when I made potatoes and spinach. For the second meal, I asked him if it is ok with the spaghetti? He said he like it. Praise God. I cut the spaghetti into tiny pieces like the size of a grain of rice because he cannot chew. I thank God that I have the patience and the dedication to prepare just a few strands of pasta just so he will get some nourishment. I even cut the brocolli florets into tiny speckle. Tomorrow, I am going to blend some vegetable soups.

4) Thank God that my husband has the courage to be not working just so that he can spend more time with the family and thank God that he is around for his sister. We are fine without his income, praise God again because of some blessings. Otherwise, both of us won’t be able to provide help when help is needed. This experience is more than enough to enrich our lives, albeit less $$.

(long corridor of Penang GH)

5) Going to the hospital at odd hours mean both hubby and I had to find the back alleys and corridors to avoid being stopped by the guards. I have walked through paediatric wards, paediatric chemo and so many other wards. I have seen so many sick people. It is more than what I was exposed to during my seven months of taking care of my sick son. Private hospital is very discreet. Public hospitals mean you see all the agonies, deaths, dying and etc. Nothing faze me. This is a blessing because not many people has the same courage as my hubby and I.

6) I always remember how welcoming a smile is, an encouraging nod or a short chat is when you are there, in the lonely corridors taking of someone you loved. Whether it is a mom, pushing her child who is probably undergoing cancer treat or the wife looking forlon at her husband or lonely man with no visitors. I hope God will never let me forget this because that’s the purpose of our lives. Feeling the pain of another.

(a little jar of longan and red date tea, I make it like the real deal of a wedding tea)

7) My nephew and his wife gave tea to their grandpa just now. (accounts of them on my faith blog) Note that the points I made on 1-6 above is not for the grandpa but my in-law. They are two different patients in two separate wards. My niece even took a video of the whole tea ceremony. She has rushed off to KL because her boyfriend’s father passed away today at 2pm. My prayers and condolences to Jerry.

As I went to wash the cup, I told the Malay woman sitting by the window. I told her, “Kami buat adat perkhawinan. Takut nanti ahpek tak sempat tunggu cucu kahwin bulan depan. Kami bagi dia minum teh kira dah kahwin, bagi orang tua gembira.” She find it so interesting and came by to chat.

Point 7 above - It means that when you are in a situation where despair, fears, worries and pain manifest, we do not see our colour, creed, faith. We are one and we are there for each other. As I passed through one of the female wards earlier, four women, an Indian, two Chinese and one Malay were sitting in a group chatting so animatedly. They are sick but they have spirits. It makes us all kind of stupid why we go all the way to put each other down at other times when we are feeling good.

9) I have always been the spoilt one with RM350 allocation from health insurance for hospital stay/per night. My kids have grown up with first class, private room in private hospitals. We have always been the demanding patients. But now, looking at the Government hospital, I think I can endure it. You know, our Government hospital is not so bad after all? People are much more friendlier and kinder when they are poorer.

10) Lastly, what I did today? I resolve to start on a new journey. I am reading the Al-Kitab which is the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia. It is big decision and I pray I have the wisdom to discern the Word of God in Bahasa Malaysia. It is not some child’s play and I know it is a huge responsibility but I choose to do it. I asked for the priest’s blessing and he gave me a copy. Thank you, Father.

“Apa yang tersembunyi akan dinyatakan, dan apa yang dirahsiakan akan didedahkan. Jika kamu bertelinga, dengarlah baik-baik.”

(Markus)

The above long ramblings is just to get everything out of my head so that I can continue doing what is needed in the following days to come. Otherwise, all the images can be overwhelming.

Phew….now off to writing paid posts…..Thanks to all who read up till the end.

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I got some emails from a friend who received the mails from David Townsend, a friend of his. David Townsend works in Chiang Mai, Thailand and David has access to the cyclone hit areas in Burma. David has been there and is working with whatever resources he has to help the victims. David’s mail describe the pain, sufferings, hardships, horror, anguish faced by the victims and the situation in Burma .

It is a rather long mail, so I have bolded the paras of some of the parts that touched me most. I have also captured a screenshot of David’s profile as below :

David is a Jesuit priest and you can access his sites at :

http://7fountains.wordpress.com
http://www.jesuitmissions.org.uk

Dear Friends,

Thanks for all the inquiries of support and sympathy.
People of Burma need you and your sympathy.

I am deeply sucked into the work now, as after the day I went to
the national caritas office and brought them for a meeting with the
Archbishop. We had an urgent meeting and a committee on Myanmar
disaster relief is formed. I am helping in training the volunteers,
working on projects, assessments and also in the write of the
appeals. Last eight days I was on the move, today I returned. I do
hope I will have time to write a longer report. Today we had meeting
with supporters, tomorrow I will be training another 40 volunteers.
Church responds, since they do not have experience in meeting
disasters of this magnitude, even my little experience is useful to
them. So I am very often out with them. Planning, training and
visiting sites.

Suffice to say, Burma weeps today and the tears of the innocents
wounds our sensibilities. I have seen the suffering of these
graceful people. When nature colludes in compounding their agony,
heart gets mutilated with despair.

I just returned from one of the most affected areas. nearly 30000
people met a watery grave. In Kyalatt, Phaypon and Bogala and the
villages around, thousands perished.

I was far off in Phyapon, down the Irrawady river, with the bodies
of human beings and cattle floating along the boat ride, we reached
a destroyed village.

We were the first outsiders to reach them. Cyclone Nargis bombed
them, flattened them and left them rattled with their spirit rattled.

In a sadistic show of ’shock and awe’ nature attacked the hapless
men and women at night, attacking them from the seas, river and from
the air. Menacingly howling winds, at a blistering pace tore
through settlement, as fighter bombs would have bombed.

It is a sad sight. To my eyes which have seen Tsunami, kashmir
earthquake, this is really overwhelming. Nature unleashed an orgy
of death and mayhem, wounding an already suffering population.

Yesterday, with tears in their eyes, women explained how the waves
snatched their babes from their bosoms. A mighty tidal wave
ensured that tears stayed on as the children embraced watery
graves.

As our boat moved along, a body of a five old boy driffed across,
child of a mourning mother somewhere, the boy drifting in an unknown
waters, waiting for a burial, unwept and unsung.

People do not have drinking water. As their settlments were crushed
into pieces, the decaying debris, in the water logged terrain
emanates deep smell. Food is not there. children were biting at
the coconut shells as we went in. Dead animals are spread out near
those debris. The people neither have the energy nor the will to
bury them. There were many refugees, living in roofless churches and
monasteries. Help has not reached them.

We are doing what is possible in Burma. Last two days we are
reaching out to the starving people. With disel prices skyrocketing
and not available, transport is still a problem.

There is still no electricity and water even in Yangon.

Burma is in deep mourning. The count as crossed 80000 and still
counting. The majestic Irrawady was the mother to these people.
It gave them food, was the transport water way, serpenting
majesticallly through some of the most beautiful rice fields in
the world. The delta was an alluring beauty before Irrawady fell to
the evil charms of Nargis. The mother became the monster, the
beauty became a beast.

The lands and fields were ravished on that night. The people
will take ages to come to normalcy. That needs great fellowship,
not only in material needs.

I will keep updated as and when internet is available. Be assured
the people of Burma are grateful to every simple good deed.

In a remote corner, wading through slush mud, we reached a small
broken church, where famished refugees were waiting for outsiders.
When we reached there, they welcomed with gratitude and served a
cup of burmese tea, the only thing they could have.

For more photos please go to Free Burma Rangers (be warned that it contains graphics that may be overwhelming to some people)

God bless selfless souls like Father David and all those people racing against time to save the survivors. Father David has described that this Burma tragedy is worse than the Tsunami. Therefore, I hope bloggers will be compelled to highlight the needs of the survivors so that each of us can render some form of help.

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I got a confession to make. When I was very small, my mader always tell me story about Hansel and Gretel. But her version is damn scary wei. You know, the mader of the 5xmom, sure double kerng. She told me the old witch fatten up the kids and then, kreaaakkk, kreakk…kreakkkk…she chews off the finger bones. Finger by finger. Each day, she ate parts by parts. Toes, then the flesh….

My mom is not English literate and I am not Mandarin literate so there is no bed-time stories book but her own cerita. So, night after night, this mader of mine told me the same old crunchy fingers story. We don’t get Disney Channel, RTM pun tarak, TV pun tarak. So, I don’t know how many years my mom poisoned my mind with the same crispy, crunchy fingers, story.

Then, I got two neighbours’ grandmas who are super weird. One is a strict Nyonya who must have her baju Nyonya starched and ironed and the other is a super thin, sanggol grandma. Very much like my mom’s description lah. Those witches story? (God bless their souls)

After that, when my father was ailing, I wasn’t allowed to visit him at the hospital. So, all I remember about my father was a sick, ailing old man and a dead body. Some distance memory that old people die and they are scary. I have no father figure, sort of.

Next in my list of scary old folk is my father in-law. He got cancer of the stomach, was very sick and we fast-forward our wedding before he died. That time, I not yet ‘kam cheng’ with my father-in-law. So, again, scary old, sick man.

But you know what happened to the story teller? My mader lah. She sendiri diam-diam passed away while she was in good health. So, she was a picture of health to me. No scary old lady munching on little kids fingers. Pandai hor? Take a supersonic jetplane to heaven with no baggages. (actually it was very sad lah) Never even say goodbye, one night here, next few hours gone.

Then, it is my mother-in-law’s moment. I also not very ‘kam cheng’ with my MIL. Cannot help it cos feelings must come naturally. She got a stroke, in coma and was in the old folks home for a long time. Physically, I never take care of her when she was very, very ill. Scary, right? What if she opened her eyes and suddenly, bite my fingers?

And I have always been afraid of old people. Whether alive or sick or deceased ones. I have put four of them into the coffin, Taoist style, wearing clothes, feeding them etc (the corpses I mean). Taoist funerals are very freaky one.

Please pardon my way of describing the above. But today, I have passed that hurdle. I just visited my sister’s father-in-law. They almost arranged his funeral yesterday but today, he is rather alert. He is very old and very sick. But being a big boss of a dimsum restaurant, his will is still very strong and not giving up, just yet.

I don’t know what prompted me. But I walked over to him, spoke in Cantonese, which I have the vocab of a 3 years old. I told him, “Charn-kah-lou-yeh….Ngo hai Amy’s mui. Lei hou dik mei?”

He nodded. I held his warm and strong palms. I carried on speaking to him. He is wearing an oxygen mask but he is not cooperative and had pulled out every other tubes. Feeding tube, IV line, everything attached to him. He insisted to feed by mouth. Notty uncle.

I continue, “Lei oi teng yi sang wa…..moi kum kwai kah. Kwai kwai teng yi sang wa…..fai dit hou lor. Chi mm chi…”

Chewah…I can speak so well. All his children have visited him. He basically has no more baggage. He has the blessings of his children to do ‘what’ is best. Tomorrow they will need to give him dialysis because his kidneys are failing. His lungs are failing. His heart is not strong.

So, I silently laid my hands on his chest, discreetly say a long prayer for him. And I asked, “Lord Jesus, please send Your comfort on him and strengthen him and shelter him from any pain. Have mercy on him and all the patients here and Just Do It!”

Then, I told him, “Ngo kiu san pou yau lei, kwai kwai teng yi sang wa…” (I asked san = god to protect and bless you, be good and listen to the doctor)

Yesterday, they already arranged everything to bring him back to Ipoh. They have also called the Buddist monk to say the final rites. But well….uncle probably have something to wait for.

My nephew, his eldest grandson is getting married on June 14. Maybe he wants to drink that sam pou cha.

So, Chow KW, get your wife-to-be back home ASAP, get her to give yeh-yeh a cup of tea and tell your yeh-yeh he now has an additional grand daughter-in-law. Leave the rest to the Lord’s Will. (Btw, my nephew has embraced Christ recently. Praise the Lord) Tell your mom to prepare an angpow on his behalf and make it like a wedding tea ceremony. I am sure that’s why your yeh-yeh is still waiting. He is in much discomfort and he shouldn’t be in this situation. Call me if you want me to be the tai kham por. LOL.

Ah yee-yee did this on my wedding too. My father-in-law was also dying and I gave him tea before I had the wedding ceremony. But he held on until after my wedding ceremony which is a few days later. I wanted to tell your mom but your koo-cheh, sok-sok and the uncles are there so I dare not say. Later they take broom and chase me. Moreover, it is more dramatic if you read this slowly and digest it with Jane. (hope I get the name right?) Your grandpa is very Chinaman, so I guess he wants to see the eldest grandson get married first. June 14 for an ailing old man like him is full of agonies. And your parents and uncles and aunties all so old already, cannot live with these stresses and false alarms so often) Do what Jesus prompts you, ok?

So, yeah, I am so thankful that I don’t have fear of the aged and sick people. Thank you, Lord.

LOL, I just warned my old man (hubby lah). I told him, “Next time ha….you better fast-fast go. Or else, you wait I go first, then you stay behind.”

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It is Pentecost today which is also my church’s feastday. I think feastday means the birthdate/anniversary of the church. (correct ah?)

So, we have a big makan, inviting our friends from the neighbourhood to join us for nasi bryiani.

The hall, classrooms and even the corridors were packed with people. Fuyoh, I wonder how many they cater to? Must have at least 600-800 people.

Even our parish priest have to turun padang to serve drinks. Hehehe. The above is Father Fabian Dicom. I asked him, “Eh, Father, can change the orange juice to wine?”

He said, “Can. All I need is just a little more faith.” (re the wedding at Cana where Jesus turned the water to wine.)

We have a lucky draw, with prizes donated by Pensonic and all proceeds from ticket sales go to the new church building in Sungai Ara, Penang. Seen above on the right side, the lady in black blouse holding lucky draw box, is our world champion squash player, Nicol David’s mom, Anne Marie. She is the most wonderful woman. Friendly, humble, devoted to the church, taking care of the children’s cathecism classes, help to take care of our youths and practically does everything in her free time. God bless moms like her. There is no magic formula for bringing up world champion like Nicol David. Anne Marie told me just let the children grow, pray for them and everything will turn out fine. Once we give them a solid faith foundation, they will be alright.

My little boy with the other children having fun with balloons on the stage. The future of the church. My boy was so excited about the lucky draw as I have 6 tickets (sold to me under duress LOL). He keep mumbling the numbers, 8118, 8118, 5836…….. The first number called was 8116. So, he said,
“Hah, 8116 then, 8117, then 8118, then we win lor”.

LOL, too bad darling, the world doesn’t work this way. So, I didn’t win. Not even the lollipops with roses which are consolation prizes. Poor darling.

So cute…..He was so disappointed he didn’t get the stand fan, he was almost in tears.

Next episode, the red shirt housewife and the red shirt housewife-labeller….Fuyoh, I got the pics (taken by Charles’s camera). So niceeeeeeeeeeeee. Guess who am I talking about?

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I am always the notty-notty one because if I feel strongly for something, I will have the balls to do it. Many, many years ago, I drafted a list of things to pray for and emailed it to my church priest (Father S * I even have the email here in 2004) and told him to pray for these group of mothers because if anything, they are the ones who need it most than us all, the happy mothers. He told me he would. What I did can be seen as cutting through hierarchy. But who cares…

I forgot about this until today and I thought I can squeeze it at the last minute. So, I wrote a list :

Can we pray for these mothers?

1) Mothers who are abandoned by their children;
2) Women who are longing for children;
3) Mothers whose children have returned to the Lord; (I have friends who dreaded this day because they are parents but no longer have their kid. My prayers for you, Dr. D)
4) and mothers who are battling illness and are rendered helpless in taking care of their kids (when I see someone in her wheelchair with her four kids, it always break my heart)

But unfortunately, I was too late. It wasn’t part of the ’schedule’ because there is already a prayer for all mothers. I am a little disappointed. I am totally, absolutely, geram-ly disappointed. To me, what good is all the pomp and pageantry and joy and roses and gifts and all the smoke and all the ‘imports’ when we cannot fit in to think of these mothers and remember them for the pain, sufferings and loneliness they feel on this so-called Happy Mothers’ Day?

So, yeah, big deal it is a happy mothers day. Sad mothers, lonely mothers, suffering mothers, disappointed mothers and any other women who are infertile, you shall have to wait. Tomorrow is our happy mothers special day.

**OK, end of rants. No one is to comment on the above personal rant, ok?**

Now, regular post, ok?

So, my church has a fund-raising event, selling overpriced roses and teddy bears.

Usual lah, get into the compound, kena from left, right and center, “Lilian, come and get your roses.”

Me : Never mind lah…later *grins fakely*

My #2 and I went in first and were seated. Aiyoyo, sweat…..all the other women have bunches of it worrr….

Then, my #3 son came and asked me if he can go and buy a sandwich (after his cathecism class). I gave him fifty bucks and told him,

“Nah, go get your sandwich and then, buy one rose. Get some small changes or else I have no money to give for offerings.”

And my #2 lectured me….

“Hah….peer pressure lah. Submit to materialism. Why need roses to show the love? We never show love any other day, issit?”

I retorted, “HOI! I am your mother or you are my mother ah? You see, they got flowers mah. I don’t have, mana mau taruh ini muka? If not, people later say I kedekut never support their funds raising mah…Cilaka lu”

(two priceless joys and two overpriced teddy bears)

My #2 son somemore rub it in….”Chey…..you so kiasu lah. What people have, you also must have.” Last last, kena 2 x RM15 teddy bears and 1 stalk of rose ‘cos my two kids fought over one teddy bear.

Anyway…I took damn cun photos today. My #2 is assigned to be the Youth Group orrrhhh-si-fail photographer. But he needs to take video and photos. So, I pun help him lah. The 100 photos I took all dem cun. You know why? Because my cilaka sensor in my brain caused all the photos to senget sebelah. The right side is higher than the left side. Hahaha, cos Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father mah….(CHS photos over here)

HAPPY NIAMAH’S DAY LAH!

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This post is for my church folks. Thanks, Carmel and all the others for reading my blog. ( I hope I got your name right?)

And thanks to the special person who told me :

I enjoy reading your blog and it is interesting, passionate (about the
things you believe in), funny and real. you are good. i like the
diverse issues you talk about. and wouldn’t worry about the language
at all…you probably say it the way many would like to but may not
have the guts to do so. being ‘christiany’ ( a lilian c’s terminology)
is being real, being truthful…calling a spade a spade…styles may
vary…so what?? message more important!!

(Clay Aiken “Mary, Did you know?” with clips from The Passion of the Christ)

Back to my title, I wonder where is John? I asked our church’s clerk and she notices that he has not been around too. Anyway, I have three posts dated back to 2004/2005 which I hope to share with you and maybe you can share with others. (pardon some of the languages because back in 2004, no one reads my blog or know who I am so I have a freehand )

Who is John? (that’s my very old, original blog)

How some of us treat John. (back then, it was Monsignor Father S.L.)

Alone on his birthday

I hope these very frank and very ‘raw’ thoughts from me when I was just a year-old converted Catholic, having the eyes of a child will give insight to others in our interactions with the differently-abled persons.

So, hello, welcome and please don’t ever talk to me about embarassing stuffs I wrote when you see me in church. *runs and hides*

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