Writing 2007

Wow time flies like a blink of an eye and we are looking at the end (or rather the beginning of 2008) already. What have we achieved this year? What did we fall short off? What did we make use off? Maybe what we have experienced…

Been trying to blog about things, but somehow, nothing came out. Blank screen, blank mind. Lets see what have I been up to for the past year. I was wondering and praying hard to God for a new job. I sent out almost 50 resumes and applications, none replied. If memory serves me right I think I only got one reply and one interview. I was really hopping that one of the colleges would return my call. I was looking at lecturing or teaching. None did… But from the help of my aunt, I finally got a new job.

The first few months on the job were at a blur, don’t think I really did anything as the field was so new for me. For those of you who dint know I worked for an advertising agency as an Account Executive (NO not real accounts its client servicing). I really learned a lot and my contacts grew tremendously, printers, suppliers, builders, designers, media, etc. I worked from 1st January till about September. Work got a little bored after a while as the company I worked for went through some hard time in terms of business. I had a promise that I would at least work till end of the year (because it was really stale and boring to go to work everyday and have nothing to work on.

I looked to God to provide me with the direction that I painstakingly needed. Advertising – my dream field, I have studies and inspired to work in turned out to be not what I sincerely wanted my life to be. The hours at the office is good, don’t get me wrong, I am not a lazy person. But it’s the backstabbing, lies, and plain unfair competition that really got me. Maybe I am naive, but I do not want to come to a point were I have lost even my simple conscience. In the short time in the field, I saw educated people act like spoilt kids, bad mannered and plain childish. Sometimes I feel that they give a bad name to the “educated”. But hey that’s my two cents.

In one warm August morning (Malaysia is always warm). I got a call from one of the local university. They had an opening for a lecturing job! I want for 4 interviews and finally they accepted me! Wow! I thought to myself, how great is God, I was worried on where would I go if I left my company and He “took” me by hand to this new place. My future (at least for now) is secured. I am enjoying my job tremendously. So yeah I am working now as a LECTURER!!!

That’s all for work for now, next 2007 brought me back to the lessons that God had thought me throughout the years. Relying in Him in all that I do, why? He got me a dream job for starters! Now I am faced with a more complicated situation. As you should know that I am involved with The Boys’ Brigade Ministry and I am attached to 2nd Subang Jaya Company (BB2SJ). Few of my leaders have begun to question their efforts and their role in the ministry. It was truly a hard time for them. They had to carry their burden and also the company’s burden. Sometimes I wonder how they are doing now, spiritually, mentally and physically. I can’t imagine myself in their situation, with family, work, studies, church, friends, and BB, they really do not have anytime to spend alone or just chill.

I think the act of merely taking for granted the people around us is something that most of us do. Nagging of parents, friends, teachers, bosses etc. its like we expect them to be there no matter what until they are gone, we regret. As leaders, we accept the fact that what ever we do, they will hate us and what we are doing is for their own good. We also accept the fact that almost none will say thank you. But the small fantasy of someone walking up to you when you’re old saying thank you for investing in my life drives me on. I see how much burden the world can put upon the youth today, peer pressure to be cool, studies, relationships, friends, class politics, church politics, family problems, finances, the list goes on. The youth today is no more naïve, innocent, cheerful and in peace. The world is slowly robbing their “youth” from them, working them to enter the world of reality earlier and earlier.

That’s 2007 for me. It has been an eventful year for me, had some hard aches, falls, smiles, lessons and peace. But the Christmas play at The Acts Church (my home church). Thought me this:

“We can’t control what God places upon our lives, but we have the control over how we go through them”

“What man intended for evil, God intended for good”

God will place some stones, waves or even holes in our path, but how we get through them is our choice. When we see others placing evil upon our lives, in God’s plan it is good. As we seek God more, we see His plan more. What we can’t see does not mean its not there. Life will always bring upon to you challenges after challenges, and at times you feel like giving up, remember its not in God’s nature to temp or be evil, it’s Man that is temps and is evil.

If He is for us, who can be against us?

Be Sure Be Stedfast
Lieutenant Timothy Chan
BB2SJ

Crushed and Shattered

Sometimes I wonder how would like be if I was to have had another life. Recently, or rather yesterday I saw a perfect life shatter and crushed into millions of pieces in a single second. How could this happen you might ask?

Simple...... a lie, an action, a decision, a word, a feeling, a temptation or maybe a thought. Sometimes we never thought our actions could be hurting to others, but sadly... everything has its consequences. We all know the story of Humpty Dumpty.

Sitting on the wall, tell us the story that in life we walk in a very narrow road, if we are not careful, we will fall off it. If you're lucky, you will end up on gardens of grass or flowers, breaking your fall. However, in life there is not always flowers, sometimes rock and hard ground would test the hardness that we have within us.

I saw a fall yesterday, I do not know how bad the fall is for Mr Humpty Dumpty. All the King's knights and men (friends) came rushing to him. At this point, they are merely in the beginning of putting him back together. Success? Failure? No one knows for sure...

I tried, I really tried to hold up Mr Humpty Dumpty, but I just could not hold him up. In the end, even the knight had to fall and break. Sleepless nights, lost of hope and shattering of what ever foundations I have left.

How could this be? How could a knight fail and shatter like that? Maybe he is not worth being called "Sir" maybe he should be brought down to a mere slave... A slave of circumstances...

Are we Knights or Slaves?
Are we Sure or Uncertain?
Are we Stedfast or Shattered?

You Decide...

Lieutenant Timothy Chan or Unnamed Slave?
Boys' Brigade 2nd Subang Jaya

Caution or Conscience

This is a dilemma that I have been thinking about for the whole night. Here is a story…

My friend was travelling home on Sunday night and a man was lying in the middle of the road with a motorbike by his side. It seemed that he had an accident and he is injured. My friend stepped down from his car to see if he could help. As he was walking towards the man on the ground, he suddenly jumped up.

My friend then ran towards his car, it was then when a whole group of bikers suddenly came from behind. They pushed him into the car and held a knife to him. Two of the men went up the car with him and asked him to drive. They took him through a wild goose chase around Kuala Lumpur. From Dataran Merdeka to Sungai Wang then finally to Chow Kit. During the entire journey one was busy searching his car upside down. They finally stopped in a wide field and asked my friend to get out. They drive off with his car.

Then one guy came and told my friend that if wanted his hand phone back, he was to get another RM300 to him to exchange it. After walking around aimlessly, he managed to call his girlfriend and later more friends. (tried to call me but I was zzzzzz……) With my friend still somewhere around Chow Kit and Pudu, his girl friend went looking for him, while the others want to Brickfields Police Station to report. To everyone’s amazement, the police asked them to go over to Dangwangi as it was under their jurisdiction. Even after my friends told them “Bang, Kawan saya di tahan oleh orang!!” Can you believe it?

As time was at the essence, they went straight to Pudu and finally found my friend. Its definitely God’s hand of protection upon him. He was totally unharmed. The climax of the story does not end there! They then went back to the open field and sure enough the guy was still there waiting for the RM300 for the phone. He exchanged it and asked them to leave while giving him the car keys as well.

After a sincerely long drive around, they found his car intact and unharmed. After collecting the car they went home. Total loss: RM400 in wallet and additional RM300 for the phone.

End of story.

Now when I heard this last night it gave me chills to the bone. I was thinking that that person could have been me, holding a first aid kit, coming down from my car. After this incident, will I still lend a hand? What if its false? What if its real? Where do we stand as first aid personnel?

After a long nights considerations, I have come to a conclusion, this conclusion is mine and mine alone, you should make your own conclusion from this incident. I will still stop if I saw a situation like this. I would rather risk losing my personal possessions than losing a life. I believe that God’s hand will be upon me as I carry out my duties. Of course I would be cautious of my surroundings before stopping!!! (what you think I am crazy?!?!?!) Anyways, please do put your own safety a a primary objective. Remember the first rule of First Aid, make sure you are safe. We are not heroes, no one is, we are merely people in a situation of inflicting change. You decide.

Be Sure Be Stedfast
Lieutenant Timothy Chan
BB2SJ

What Defines Us?

To topic explains it all, when or if you’re asked the question, what would your answer be? What defines you? Simply means what are you made of? Your feelings, character, perceptions, views, family, priorities, religion, relationships, friends, action, school, institution, work, company, car, short… you name it its there.

Now here is the tricky part. If you were to identify one picture that defines you right now what would it be? Your Nike shoes? Your credit cards? Your name? Your car? Think carefully about this and be truthful… Only you will know the answer.

Now after you have the picture in hand/mind, look deeper into the small prints. What is in the background? How was the picture taken? Where was it taken? How was it taken? Who was in it? Got that? Okey, now…

Evaluate the main item… how was it made? When was it made? Were was it made? Where has it been? Immerse yourself into the item and imagine your birth to the final location where the picture was taken… not clear eh? Ok let me explain, if it was a rock, imagine how did you come about, breaking away from the mountain and moved by tractors to lorries and being pilled up, under rain and sun rolled over by cars people, get peed on by animals, kicked around etc etc….

Then now evaluate again your life, your character, your feelings, your experiences, and your relationship with the item… does this item really resemble you? If you and if you have a lil more time, re do this exercise and see if you can truly find you true mirror image…

Have fun and think with your heart…

God Bless!
Lt Timothy Chan
BB2SJ

Our Character Defines Our Actions…

Maybe it’s just a bad night’s sleep or maybe it’s me. Anyways, was reading Reader’s Digest again last night and I cam across this article about a research done by Reader’s Digest reporters all across the world. From Mexico, to Paris, to Hong Kong and Malaysia, I can’t remember how many countries there were, but basically they covered almost the whole world.

The research basically tries to seek out how honest people are. Middle ranged mobile phones were left on busy areas to see if the people who picked them up would return them. Basically, more than 60% of the world’s population had returned the phones, but there were people who did not.

They documented that many people who returned explained that they had lost their hand phones once before and went through a very tough time retrieving all the information stored and did not want others to go through the same “pain” and frustration. The second group were parents that wanted to “do the right thing” in front of their children.

One particular person caught my eye, he was a homeless man that picked up the phone and returned the phone. In the interview he said “we lose some things and we find some, but you should never lose your honesty and dignity”. Wow! I can’t say that I could have said such a thing. People argued that poverty or need would push someone to go against their morals and dignity. But in this case, I think honour and moral is still “available”. Let us all think what we would do in a situation like this.

I guess the article had a harder impact on me than I thought. I had a dream that woke me up this morning feeling worried and sad. I had a dream that I and my friend went base jumping off a building. When it was my turn to jump, I over shot the targeted landing site and thus I flew into a road and caused an accident. I pretended that it was not my fault and kept waking back and when confronted, I ran! Yes I ran! I ran as fast as I could back to the building. Then I woke up (for work la….!)

Anyways, while brushing my teeth, I recalled the article in Reader’s Digest and it struck me! Would I have run away if I was not “caught”? Would I have the guts to take responsibility of my actions? In a perfect world or in a perfect person, they will no doubt acknowledge that it was their fault. But would I have the guts? I hope for my sake, I will have the guts to stand up and face my mistakes head on with the shield of God by my hand and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and with the Sward of Honesty by my hand (hehe… made those up… but hey! It my article and my blog).

Ask your self today, who would you be? The poor with honour? Or the rich but fallen? Don’t give textbook answer, only you will know… sometimes it maybe that only God knows…

Be Sure Be Stedfast!
Lieutenant Timothy Chan
BB2SJ

Be Ever Grateful Of Where You Are & Where You Came From

Well, it all started last night when I was “doing business” in my “throne room”. Sounds disgusting? Hang in there man! Well, I was reading this article that was talking about a mother due to financial difficulties had to use a bicycle, to bring her two daughters to school. Her daughters complained throughout the entire journey as they were ashamed of the old bicycle they were riding.

The family was living in the verge or poverty. Just so you know this happened somewhere in Selangor in the early days of our independence. The father had to work 2 jobs and still did not make enough money to feed the family. He then had to get a third job, going deep into the jungle to get bamboo and resell it to the rattan furniture makers. That was why they were unable to go to school with the family motorbike.

Back to story… they reached the school after 25 minutes and when they got off they continued to complain over the extremely uncomfortable ride. As they kissed their mother’s hands, the older child tasted salt and when she looked up, she saw that her mother was drenched in sweat.

The writer noted that how privileged we are to have cars, busses, work, food on the table and even the school that we dread to wake up for. The author mentioned that the last words muttered by their mother before they stepped into the school gates was, I don’t want you to end up like me without a proper education.

I was just reminded of how great God is upon my life. Having food on the table, family that loves me, schools to go to with teachers take the time to ensure you get a proper education. We drive around. But poor people around the world walk for hours to get to school.

How Could This Be?

Cherish all that you have!

Be Sure Be Stedfast
Lieutenant Timothy Chan

Dreaming of Dreams....

Its finally here!! my past has finally cought up to me. I had a dream last night that had both a little fear and fun. curious to know? Read on.

Just so you know, one of my greatest regret was that I did not continue my studies to get my honours. The main reason that I thought I has was that in terms of finances I could not. It was another year of studies and another RM50k. I always thought it would be a good decision as with my degree, I could have easily gotten a job and started working and paying off the money that I loaned from the bank.

But little did I know that without my honours, I was unable to get a job in any educational institution. I could not be a lecturer, tutor nor would I even apply as I did not even fulfill the minimum requirement. How sad... I have a Distinction average, but still it did not count.

Well, I had a funny dream last night. It started as me driving to my old primary school. I knew I was on the way there to further my studies. I met old teachers and seemed as if I was the oldest student there. Anyways, I walked up to the headmaster's office to get my class palcement. Guess what? There was to be an entrance exam. I also knew I would be taking up commers and economics. But when I walked into the interview room, they had test tubes and boiling colourful stuff (like from a mad scientist show). A man walked up to me and ask me for my documents.

He collected some extra materials, and then proceeded to ask me to make some formular. The thing is that I did not know how to do it. The man (possibly teacher) asked me why was I so stupid and why dint I take my honours. If I went to do my honours. I would have knew how to do it. right before I answered, all those regreats came back to me.

Why?!?!? Why dint I finish my studies with honours?!?!?! sigh.... I guess thats how life is, one wrong decision would affect your whole life. Anyways, back to the story, before I could answer him. I heard a song and I woke up. It was the sound of my phone alarm ringing.

Was thinking of it while driving to word today. What would life had been if I did complete with an honours. Well, its over and I cant take anymore, Lets see What God wants to do with me...

Thats all for today....