About Marriage

Many are getting married toward the end of the year. So, I dedicate this to those who are married and those would take the important marriage vow....

A man shall... be joined to his wife...
Genesis 2:24 NKJV
'And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper… ' (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). God gave Eve one basic responsibility - to help Adam. As a husband, you bear the primary responsibility for the home. When Eve ate the forbidden fruit, 'God called to Adam… "Where are you?"' (Genesis 3:9 NKJV) Adam was held responsible for the breakdown.

Here's another thought. Before God gave Adam a wife he gave him a job, and specific instructions to obey 'the LORD God took the man and put him in… Eden to tend… it… God commanded… "you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat… "' (Genesis 2:15-17NKJV). Don't mess with a guy who doesn't want to work for a living, or obey God. Furthermore, if he tells you, 'I don't need you,' run! The whole idea of creating Eve was that Adam needed her. Until someone can say, 'I'm incomplete without you,' they're not ready for marriage. Marriage is a big decision, so allow God to help you make the right one. 'the LORD God… brought her to the man.' (Genesis 2:22 NKJV). As a single person your options are: live an immoral lifestyle, marry a non-believer, or wait for God to give you the right mate.

And one final thought: 'a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.' Genesis 2:24 (NKJV). This verse is read at almost every wedding. The problem is, most of us don't think about what we're promising. It means breaking all other ties and giving yourself totally to your mate. Rather than working them into your life, it's building your life around them. The word 'cleave' means to stick like glue through bad times and good, and to commit to loving and caring for each other.

Accident at Miri-Pujut Road

A long traffic jam all the way to Pujut flyover ...
Normally there is no jam at 6:30AM. But this morning, the jam reached the Pujut flyover and many early morning traffic escape the jam by going through Petronas Gas Station.
2 KM down the road... it was an accident between a 21 ton (10 wheeler) lorry and a tree.
A 10 inch diameter tree snap like a match stick...
... broken down (or perhaps run down) by this 21 ton lorry...
See the damage to the lorry. But thanks God that the driver is ok. He is now being treated in hospital. I speculate that the lorry driver could have "jumped" over to the passenger seat.
The front part of the bonnet almost reach the front seat and the roof was folded down and touched the driver's seat. There is no sign of blood.

Subsidised Rice No More

From the beginning of this month, government subsidised rice is no longer available. That means that the usual price of RM18 for 10 Kg is now off the shelf!
I did a quick survey yesterday and found that the cheapest is RM23 for 10 KG. I remember seeing RM22 for 10 KG. So, if you are poor and eat a lot of rice, you now have to fork out more $$! Anyway, I was told that if you are poor, you can still get subsidised rice.

Anyone knows where to buy cheaper rice?

2009 PBC Triathlon

The PBC (Piasau Boat Club) Triathlon got off a fantastic start this morning at 6:30AM sharp. It is a race of the fittest. Having said this, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the participants! They may look gentle in the office but they participated in this 1Km swim-29Km cycle-7km run race!
The participants all lined up and ready to go!
Everyone raced to the beach couldn't wait to jump into the warm early morning water!
The winner made it in just over two hours.
(Note: To all those looking for photos, I just want to let you know that the photos are not yet ready to be posted in my face book. If you are interested to buy a copy of all (about 350 photos) the high resolution photos, please let me know. It will cost you RM25 inclusive of postage. Send me an e-mail to williamting@hotmail.com. When posted, I will announce it in this blog entry.)

He is up to something again!

Alright, it is about our rabbit again. This time, he is starting on a big project! You see, we let him out of the cage which is placed in the bathroom, then migrating from the bathroom he is now allowed to wander around the house! He is toilet trained. So, he won't simply do his business!
Ok, looking at his face, the meek look tell me that he is up to something! He seems to be challenging me to something...
Oh... his freedom also means that he can search for food without restrain. And see what he found this time. He has sank his teeth into the huge winter melon in the dinning room.
Within an hour, he made a huge hole in the melon. Looks like his eating project will be over soon. It also means that I am the loser in this eating game but fortunately, I got another one hidden away somewhere else. Cannot let him know or else he will finish it off for me as well!

Let God's Word Settle It!

You say, 'It's impossible.' God says, '"What is impossible with men is possible with God." ' (Luke 18:27 NIV).
You say, 'I'm exhausted.' He says, '"But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength… "' (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).
You say, 'Nobody loves me.' He says, '… "I have loved you with an everlasting love"… ' (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).
You say, 'I can't go on.' He says, '… "My grace is sufficient for you"… ' (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).
You say, 'I don't know what to do.' He says, '… "And He shall direct your paths."' (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV).
You say, 'I can't do it.' He says, '"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."' (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).
You say, 'It's not worth it.' He says, 'we will reap a harvest if we do not give up' (Galatians 6:9 NIV).
You say, 'I can't forgive myself.' He says, 'in Christ God forgave you' (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).
You say, 'I can't make ends meet.' He says, 'God shall supply all your need… ' (Philippians 4:19 NKJV).
You say, 'I'm afraid.' He says, 'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power… ' (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
You say, 'I can't handle this.' He says, 'Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you… ' (Psalm 55:22 NIV).
You say, 'I'm not smart enough.' He says, 'if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it… ' (James 1:5 NCV).
You say, 'I'm all alone.' He says, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you' (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).

Longhouse, tradition and environment

So far, the longhouses I visited literally have no middle age people around.
This is by far the longest longhouse we visited ... almost 40 doors.
Only older folks are around...
It seems that they pass their time by looking after grandchildren, cleaning and cooking!
Traditional pounding of tapioca leaves!
Everything is handmade ...
Our ministers are trying to convince us that the logging in Sarawak is well controlled and there is hardly any logging. In recent newspaper, the finding was that Sarawak forest management is the poorest. Sad and sad.... the fact is that oil palm plantation literally flatten everything for hundreds of miles which can be seen clearly from the airplane. And look at the river! This is very serious. The erosion will soon fill the river up with silt and the whole land will be flooded.

Ah Jon 3rd Medical Review

We were in Sime Darby Medical Centre (Subang Jaya) on Monday for Ah Jon 3rd medical review. Thanks God that his overall blood test results have improved. So, he went through another round of bone marrow test. As usual, he was sedated and he did not remember anything on the whole the procedure. He slept for 1.5 hours and when we woke him up, ...
... he was in a daze! His first question was "Is it done?".
... and "I don't remember anything!"
He was very tired. By the time we came out of the centre, it was 6:30PM. We arrived at the center at 9:30AM, and went straight for a blood test. The result was out in 2 hours.
So far, there was no HLA match amongst the siblings and the doctor think that it is not good to go for transplant as the complication from the transplant can be far worse. Please pray for miracle now!
We just arrive home an hour ago.

Communal veranda - Ruai

The communal veranda - Ruai, is a place where everyone in the longhouse meets. It is a place where gathering or meeting happens. This is also a place to promote "togetherness". It has been a place for 1Malaysia years before our PM even dreams about it. Perhaps, the next initiative is for housing estate to be built in this manner!
The Ruai is a huge veranda joining all the families who stay in their own unit, each having their own access door.
It is a place for play or dance ...
... a place for lots of fun!
Also a place to sleep for visitors when the rooms inside is full. The host also stay outside with us! So, technically, a long house like this can accommodate hundreds of "sleepers".
It is also a place for singing in small group... led by Daslin here.
A place to celebrate and share meals...
... and they automatically group themselves, ie, ladies with ladies, kids with kids ...
When it comes to food, everyone helps... age does not matter anymore!
I am sure this is a good place for romance... but in this case singing praises to God!
It is also a perfect place to play game as proven by Grace! The children were so obedient and followed instruction quickly.
Oh... a perfect place for the elderly to play with their grandchildren and to chat with other longhouse folks.

(Note: To my Iban readers, please do correct me for any inaccuracies or anything you would like to add)