A Treasure Chest

Yesterday I was given a treasure chest.

What do I have in this treasure chest? Let me count my treasures:

I have a very very great and special family of very exciting and loving personalities which I started 35 years ago.

I have two loving and warm hearted sons-in-law.

I have four sisters and a brother and a superb mother.

I have uncles and aunties and grand aunts and grand uncles who are still around to lend a helping hand as any extended family would.

I have cousins and nieces and nephews and in laws and my children's in laws who are God sent.

I have school mates and class mates and later varsity mates who made my pursuit of education a wonderful and long lasting experience; who paved my life's journey with extraordinary blessings .

I have good friends who come from different countries of the world and have adopted Sarawak as their home. They have special places in their hearts for me as I have for them.

I have teachers and missionaries who shaped my character.

I have a very large number of colleagues who helped me along the way to enable to become more mature academically and the kind of person I am today.

I have a churchful of brothers and sisters who are always praying for and blessing one another.

And I have students who call me "teacher" whenever I meet them at the most remote schools where they are teaching or in so many different places in Sarawak where they work. Whether they are VIP or UP (it is UP UP UP - one told me that he was Unimportant People) they are all people with good hearts. They have made all my classrooms very exciting and memorable. Our shared paths of learning have been rewarding.

Now I am counting on seven girl friends who are like a constellation of stars in my universe in Miri. They are like the rainbow in the sky...adding cheers after a rain and providing hope in time of need. (one is not in the photo last night). I am happy in the thought that there are other constellations in my universe so I am not ruling out my other friends....

They contribute laughter and quick witted banter. They are more than just makan friends. They make me feel like a celebrity all the time and enjoy my presence( without fear or favour). Like the vinegar and the sweet and sour sauce and the salt and pepper (AND CHILLI) we all come together to form something which can tintillate the taste buds of all those around us.....They can be counted on when I have a puncture in a lonely road or I have to rush to the hospital for an emergency.


There are other special friends too elsewhere (cyberspace too) who have helped me in more ways than I can think of or thank them enough.....

And there are
strangers who offered a parking lot when I had a sick child in the car and was desperately circulating the car park in the hospital
neighbours who brought lemang and curry;neighbours who feed my dogs and water my plants when I am away
acquaintances who cheered me on when I took part in joggerthons or helped with a campaign to raise funds for the needy..who lent a helping hand....
ordinary citizens who give way in difficult traffic
angels unaware who have said kind words to me and to one another to make our circle a better one.....

My treasure chest is filled with people's good deeds and kind thoughts. It is also filled with good thinking and saving grace. I want to think that it is full to brim and overflowing with God's love.

My cup runneth over today and every day of my life.


And here are some photos of our getogether last night.....and my treasure chest...

No you cannot find gold and silver in my treasure chest....you can hear laughter and you can feel love and good will....you can feel the warmth of relationship...you can smell that sourish sweat of hardwork that people have put in to make our lives better.......

At this round table we are all equal partners in sharing our opinions and thoughts...

I like to think that this candle light is God's light shining on our earth...and giving us life.

These are layers and layers of goodness contributed by friends and loved ones and glued together by faith and hope and love....I could taste the bitterness of chocolate and at the same time the sweetness of the sugar...Yes we can take what life gives us with courage....

This is the tou hoo....the greatness of the tou hoo depends on the ingredients which are used to bring out a good flavour....we need the collective efforts of friends and relatives..to bring out the best in us.

This is the lotus root...from the depth of the pond a chef can bring the best taste of a simple root vegetable out and help nourish the body....like the lotus root we too can help nourish each other in spite of the lowly muddy pond bottom.

Many of us are like the deer running sometimes directionless in the wilderness. Our sinews are tough and yet when we well marinated we can become a very charming and presentable dish. Definitely our Creator knows what we can do and what can be done for us.

This is deep fried soft shell crabs....there is greatness in softness and gentleness.

An inspiring friend.

A thoughtful friend who chose the meaningful longevity noodles....

A friend who has a heart of gold...she is worth a million carat....

A friend who is practical and hardworking - a role model (she can do everything all by herself and remains a beauty).

A friend who is appreciative and sympathetic with good judgement.

The lady in pink is a friend who stands by you. She is a good teacher and counsellor.

And I would like to make a toast to good friends....cheers....and thanks ...

And every now and then I would to take a peep at my treasure chest and say " the world is good and God is great!" and I thank a friend for sending me a message yesterday first thing in the morning...."there are still good things out there...."