Today I had the honor of being invited to my friends’ joint birthday celebration tonight. Birthday parties are joyous occasions and every body had a happy time. It is a celebration of a friend’s life. It reminds me how time moves on and waits for no one. 
The thing is to look ahead and not look back too often
I arrived home at about 1.30 this morning from a trip outstation. Then early this morning Benghui woke me up. He had food poisoning. 
Another scare there for me. I suspect it is due to the food I bought for him yesterday. It was impossible to cook with the renovation going on.
This morning I bumped into a crowd of people at the Methodist Children’s Home. Upon inquiry they told me they were there to present some bicycles to the residents there.
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We went to Bintangor or Binatang as it was once called. Due to the negative nature of its name it was then changed to Bintangor. It is about an hour drive away from Sibu
The local lions club had organized an eye-glasses recycling campaign. The public were encouraged to donate their used eye glasses.
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The launching
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I was invited to the Leo Clubs of Sibu Installation Night. It was a night of glamor for these young men and ladies who had groomed themselves for the night.
Leo Club of Catholic High School having fun Ah..the exuberance and energy of youth.
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The lions of Sibu had the opportunity to meet PCC Dr Mario Yoong, International Director candidate 2008-2010 when he hosted a dinner at Tanahmas Hotel tonight. His message was simple. He told those present why he was standing for the post and his vision. He told the audience to dare to dream. To make dreams come true. No fancy words were used and he spoke in a mixture of Mandarin and English.
It was a long speech and divided into two segments. But to the surprise of mylongkang, there was little interruption or handphones ringing. He had a rapt audience. He came as a candidate but when he had finished speaking, he had a room full of friends.
His lists of achievements are impressive as are his long tenure of service. But that wasn’t important to the audience. To them, in mylongkang’s opinion what was important was that they believed in him.
The race for International Director candidate is hotting up as the lions convention draws near. There are two other equally impressive candidates, Lion PCC Hong Khay Chai and PCC Hajjah Ellis Suriyati.
Relevant reads:
PCC Hjh Ellis Suriyati
PCC Hong Khay Chai
Dr Mario Yoong
Last night I attended an association dinner. It was a joyous occasion as there were crying babes (the real stuff-babies),rebellious teens, adults, and the elderly and almost infirm. It was a great occasion for the clan to gather together and have fellowship. The young or young at heart were especially glad because they were all given an ang pow each. Kudos too to Blue Splendour Restaurant for its good food.
The only sad moment for the night was when a senior person I was playing chauffeur to found the distance from the main entrance of Wisma Sanyan to the restaurant (via lift) almost more than she could bear. I had to drive with the windows open too because the other senior was afraid of getting giddy due to car-motion sickness.
This is the way life is, as we advance in age. The body that has served us so well in the past starts to act up. The mind wants to do this and that but the body just won’t obey or is unable to obey at maximum efficiency.
This afternoon I was invited to follow along to help with a visit to the Sibu Old Folks Home. This sign cheery sign welcomed us as we went in the entrance.
There was a sign reminding visitors to respect the old folks.
It was quite a big complex with more than 70 inmates when we were there. This figure included those who were mentally ill, beggars undergoing rehabilitation and old folks. In the past, young ladies facing problems were also placed here on a temporary basis while awaiting rehabilitation.
The first person I noticed was this man sleeping. He was a little aggressive when we handed out food. It was as if he couldn’t believe his good luck.
This man had tales to grind and a sad tale to tell. We listened sympathetically but honestly, there wasn’t much we could do except listen to them, hear them out, and just be a friend. For most of them. it was all that really mattered. Attention….that’s what some of them needed most.
We rushed as we were late. But to the sedate old folks there, time was not of the essence. They slowly filtered into the dining hall where a simple service was held. We came armed with nothing except some chicken and apple pies, a bible, lots of faith and a group of untrained volunteers. The message was simple. No extraordinary message or talent.
I was stunned when five souls opened their hearts and asked God to enter their hearts and lives. It was eerie, the message was in foochow, and some crude last minute translation in the Malay language and songs in English because of the potpourri that makes up the inmates. But, it worked. They were ready. The volunteers were awed. I was very moved by the sight of the inmates ready acceptance of the short message we had brought.
After the service, the group went to deliver the food to the inmates who were unable to attend the service. There was a lady who asked the group to pray for her leg. Her faith would put most church-goers to shame. There was a locked section where some inmates were set aside from the others. This was the beggars undergoing rehab section. Some were not mentally sound. It was a little scary here…well just a little.
All in all, it has been a good day. I am glad to have been a part of the team. We were glad to have made a difference to at least some people if not for a long time, at least for the day.
This morning the lions were in ‘exercise mode’ waiting to take part in a ‘ walk for sight’ charity walkathon. Spirits were high as they all came in sports attire some dressed even to climb Mount Kinabalu
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We all paid a visit to the Sibu Benevolent Society Nursing Home. I was impressed. It was very clean. There were flowers and fruiting trees. But when I wanted to enter the premises I found my way blocked by an aluminium grill door. It was to keep them in rather than to keep visitors out.
