FRIENDS ARE QUIET ANGELS...

Well, I am off today for 15-day home break - and my heart is filled with great joy! It is just a wonderful feeling to be back home with my mum and loved ones and to also get a chance to catch up with friends who I really miss.

The older I get, the more I appreciate how blessed I am with so many thoughtful, genuine. down-to-earth friends in my life. I have actually found that even in the most difficult situation, God always sends a couple of friends who suddenly remind me I am not alone. In this past week, I was once again reminded of this great blessing - of four friends who showed they cared in their own special ways. It was a difficult week for me and just these little loving, cheerful notes, smses and skype calls reminded me - life is beautiful and what am I worrying about? They did not really know what was happening but they were just there suddenly this past week for me. To me, they were God-sent.

When I watched this music video, "FRIENDS ARE QUIET ANGELS" below, I thought it is most apt of all the good friends I have in my life - from kindergarten until today. Through Facebook and Internet, I have reconnected with some lovely friends again who bring a lot of sunshine and cheer throughout the year through their emails, calls and the few chances when we get to meet up.  I do not know about how you feel but friends are like rainbows in my life - being there  for me at the most unexpected of times. What more could I ask for? As one of my dearest friends wrote - "Go do what you have to do. We will always support you." To my friend who shall remain nameless - thank you for believing I would choose to do what is right without asking any questions... 

   "But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.”

Oscar Wilde

FOR A GRACE-FILLED WORLD!

This year has started with many natural disasters - floodings in Brazil and Australia; earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan; and  man-made disasters - people fighting for their freedom from oppressive regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Libya where violent clampdowns are taking place. All these made me reflect - "What is happening to our world?"

These past few weeks, a couple of friends overseas asked me the question - "Are these signs our world is coming to an end?  We better get ready for it."  I have been getting emails about the signs of the End Times and prophecies. Well, my answer was that I am not too worried about the world ending - it probably will one day. What I have been very conscious of is to try to live every day as if it is my last. After all, anything can happen to me suddenly and I will not be around anymore! Even if the world does not end, my life on it would have! Am I ready to meet my God?

I shared with my friends my deeply-felt belief - "I cannot live in fear or worry. I have to continue to live with hope and to ensure my life has a "divine" purpose." I cannot do much to reach out to the millions of people suffering. In fact, I do not watch too many of the videos on the Internet on these disasters because I find it numbs my senses - and it becomes unreal. But I read a lot of what is happening online.

The one thing I do is to pray. I pray for the innocent children and families and animals who have faced incredible tragedies and trauma  - people who have lost everything and no one knows when or where they can rebuild their lives. I pray for my fellow brothers and sisters in these countries to have faith and not to despair and give up all hope. May all who can lend a helping hand reach out in love as we are world citizens and we must care. Every little bit helps - in acts of love or in prayers for them every day.

We must look beyond ourselves - it is no point worrying only about what our future is. Frankly, our future is what we human beings make of it. Now is the time for each of us to take a deep, hard look at our lives - "Is my life superficial? Am I just running after material wealth, success and status OR am I doing something tangible to make a DIFFERENCE in this world?"

I believe now is the time for each of us to stop waiting for someone else to make the difference in this world. Why not me? Let us be people who love and respect our fellow men and women of all races and faith. Let us live to do good - by learning not to have prejudices or suspicions of people and cultures we do not fully understand. It is time we look at each person and know we are all childen of God and learn to live in love and harmony. We must also stand up for what is right - every human being has the right to live in freedom.

This is my dream for what our world could be...and I refuse to believe it is impossible to achieve. I will continue to pray for love, peace and understanding. I will pray that God will first and foremost make the 'CHANGE" to begin with me. I cannot expect others to change while I remain the same.

Please do take a few minutes and listen to the music video, "THE PRAYER"  a hauntingly beautiful duet by Celine Dion and Josh Groban.

Let us live in faith, let us pray for each other and may God's Grace be upon the world! 

"Never get tired of praying, and never miss a chance to give to the poor."

(Sirach 7:10)

JOYFUL LIVING!

Life always brings about unexpected surprises. Since December 2010, I have reconnected with 5 friends – 4 of them whom I had lost touch with for over 20 years. It made me think a lot about the friends who had crossed my path of life over the years. In doing so, I truly appreciated all the opportunities  I have had in my life which I took for granted. It was a case of in aiming to be the best, I had actually not realized that there were many times I was having the best moments of my life!

It has taken me a while but there is a huge lesson I have learnt at this stage of my life –  better late than never!  Life is not complicated – it is our attitude to life that makes it complicated. The more successful we are, the more the “wants’ in our lives increase. 

There is nothing wrong at all in enjoying the fruits of our hard labour BUT I have realized that we must not let it overwhelm our life so much that achieving these “wants” become the necessity in our lives. When we put our focus on earning more money, recognition and status instead of nurturing the important relationships in our lives and  being of service to the world we live in, then it is time to STOP and reprioritize what should really matter in our life’s goals.

What is the point of working very long hours to make money and give your spouse and children all the material comforts of the world if you are not there to have family meals, family outings and just “family time” together? What is the point if you are too busy that visiting your elderly parents become just a thought “I should visit them” but not being able to do so?  What is the point of knowing some friends might need a listening ear or just your comforting presence but you just ignore it until it may be too late? What is the point of thinking that “I will one day do more to help the poor when I am retired (I will not have not much to do then !)”  when we do not know how long we will live?

We need to clean the unnecessary clutter in our lives and really focus on what is truly important. Only then will we feel the true joy of our lives and be thankful for all the blessings God has been giving us!

I have learnt that most of what was ‘essential’ to me before are things I have been able to live without in these past 7 years here in India. I enjoy them during my holiday breaks but I do not pine or crave to own or have these things as a “must” in my life now.  In fact, I highly recommend for those of you who can, to do volunteer work for at least a year away from your usual lifestyle – it will truly change your whole perspective to life! What it really does is to fully liberate you to enjoy what you have and to be grateful for all you have in your life. It will help you fully realize like I have what truly matters. 


It is in rediscovering my Catholic faith 13 years ago that I have found true meaning in my life now. It Is not an easy journey – to change a lifestyle is much easier than to transform my heart and mind to live my faith. It is that we love unconditionally, care deeply and give generously of ourselves at all times! Please do take a couple of minutes to watch this inspirational video - "LIFE IS LIKE A CUP OF COFFEE". It is definitely worth reflecting upon....

“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world,

but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.

Then you will be able to know the will of God – 
what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.”

(Romans 12:2)