#tamakpahala

When I was still in uni, I remember vaguely that I had something in mind. Something kind. A plan to help the needy. I can't remember what prompted me at that time. I remember fantasizing about preparing meals and distributing them to all the homeless folks. This seems rather surreal now, it could have been only a dream. I don't know. But a post I read on Fb yesterday triggered this memory.

This guy by the name of Syed Azmi. You probably would have heard of him, he's pretty well known for his kind acts. I only got to know about him about a week back, and I started following his posts closely. This man, he is really special. He is inspiring. He inspires me, a lot.

So, what's the deal with this guy? He carries out many projects to help the needy. Needy, not necessarily poor. According to him, a rich man is a needy man if he forgets his wallet on that day. Well, makes sense, doesn't it? His ideas are very refreshing. He wants to instill kindness in people. He aims at painting smiles over faces, regardless of their background. He is non-judgmental, the quality above all that I respect.

Yesterday, he carried out a project called "Suspended Bazaar Ramadhan". Basically, what he did was that he picked a stall at the bazaar, paid for all the food but left them there for the vendor to give away for FREE. A notice was placed over the stall stating:

" Kuih Percuma! Jemput ambil buat keluarga. Ambil lebih sikit buat jiran, boleh? "

People who cannot afford would not go to a Bazaar Ramadhan. So, by allowing the public to take extra, they could potentially pass the food to their needy neighbors.

I was instantly enticed by the idea. I actually planned in my head of carrying out a similar deed myself, but it wasn't long before I dropped it. Just a couple of hours before that, I had an inane conversation with my staffs about opening a stall at the bazaar, selling drinks as it requires the least effort but brings big profits. My staffs told me that Muslims will not purchase from a non-Muslim vendor even if it is certified halal. They just wouldn't. I protested that we non-Muslims always frequent Malay stalls, they should probably do the same (provided it's halal). She said it's just the way they are here. They just won't.

I was excited, thinking about how it would cheer people up by giving away free food at the bazaar. I then went on imagining myself being the person handing them the free food, and how they would not have visited my stall if it wasn't for free because of my race. I desisted. My emotions changed. By this time, I was a little annoyed. The frivolous remark made by my staffs had ruined a potential good deed.

Perhaps Syed Azmi could once again instill some virtue in me. As always, I look forward to his stories.

Do check his page out, if you haven't already.

Cheers.

When you think you have it all...

I know a story of a young lady who died of cancer. A true story. She was my age when she was first diagnosed with cancer, which was around this time last year. Like any other cancer patient, she was devastated. Afraid. Crushed. So many questions went through her head. A myriad of emotions rushed through her veins. Despite all the physical and emotional torture she was put through, she managed to pull through. She underwent a series of diagnostic tests, 2 surgeries, 12 weeks of chemotherapy and 3 weeks of radiotherapy within 6 months. When I heard about the story of this brave girl, she was recovering from her illness. She had announced it on Facebook, the whole ordeal.

Just a couple of days back, news came that she had passed away. I don't know her personally, she was just a girl in the story I heard. But I wanted to get to know her, so I went on her Fb page, scanned through her posts and pictures. She looked sweet, and from what I gathered, she seemed opinionated and sophisticated. I also realized that she was the girlfriend of my ex-classmate. This suddenly seemed so much more real. The gf of my friend just died of cancer. This fatal disease took her life in exactly 1 year. I don't know which type it was, but it must have been an aggressive one. I was trying to put myself in her shoes. In his shoes. In her parents' shoes. I wanted to view this in every possible perspective. Because, this could be ME. This could be YOU. Or anyone you LOVE.

Life could take turns in any direction. At any time. And we can never be ready for it.

Honestly, I don't think many people these days would make it till old age. You hear news of planes going missing, terrorist attacks, natural disasters. On top of the regular health issues and motor vehicle accidents that normally grab lives, weird things are happening. Some say the world is coming to an end. I don't think much about it, but I suppose deep down, I believe it is.

Life is so precious and fragile.

Appreciate every moment and treasure every relationship. You never know which day is your last.

A changing moment

There was one morning, probably about a month back, like on any other working morning, I came out of the house ready to head to work. I'm normally rather oblivious and ignorant, but not on that particular morning. I heard 2 women giggling away, and I extended my neck a little to see 2 aunties happily plucking the mangoes outside my house. Those mangoes aren't mine, they belong to my landlord, but I guess I didn't like the fact that people could be so shameless to continue taking what's not theirs despite my presence.

I walked towards the fence where they were,"Aunty.....", I called out politely. I hadn't figured out what I wanted to say. I just wanted them to know that I saw them. Now, this isn't something I'd easily do, I don't fancy the idea of approaching people or initiating anything, really. But I did, that one extraordinary morning.

They replied in Mandarin. Basically what they said was that my landlord had told them to help themselves with the mangoes, before they were stolen by the passersby. I nodded and smiled approvingly. They then introduced themselves as my neighbors, pointing to their respective houses right across the street. One of them mentioned that she was going to make pickled mangoes and offered to give me some. I declined politely, but she insisted. And she really did deliver those mangoes later that day.

Nothing much happened after that day.

I had a little extra time in the morning yesterday, so I brought some garbage out for disposal before heading to work. My 72 year old Chinese neighbor startled me by calling out for me from across the street. She was saying something and was about to cross the road. I wanted to save her the trouble, so I walked over instead. She asked if I was the dentist she spoke to the other day. I told her it was me. She looked so happy, and offered to cook something nice for me. She said she would deliver it over when I get back from work. I didn't really want her food, but I didn't want to reject her either. So i nodded in dilemma, and offered to come over instead.

After work yesterday, I went over to her place with some homemade dumplings. I was a little nervous, but I had a promise to uphold. She welcomed me in her sarong, which made me a little awkward somehow. With much excitement, she started showing me what she had cooked, which wasn't a lot. There were a small plate of vegetables, a plate of fried fishes and some sambal on a saucer. With so much kindness in her voice, she offered to give me half of the vegetables, but i quickly rejected. My heart broke. There wasn't a lot of food on the table, but she wanted to share. I couldn't comprehend the situation. I insisted that she keeps the food for herself, but as usual, she won and off I went with half her vegetables and sambal. She lives with her daughter and 2 grandchildren who she introduced to me. By the end of the visit, she had gotten my phone number so that she could call me up whenever she cooks something nice. She invited me to drop by to eat whenever I have time, and asked me to bring her along to the market whenever I go. I'm not sure where the enthusiasm came from. She does have a family, so it can't be loneliness. Maybe she wanted me to have some family love knowing that I come from another state. Whatever it is, I'm really touched by her hospitality, however, uncomfortable at the same time.


Is it just me, or is this whole situation really weird? I don't know, I guess some people are naturally and genuinely warm and giving.