Day +635 : Growing Through Grief

I am fine today.

I would like to share with you a very meaningful Our Daily Bread's article dated on February 15, 2008 with the title of "Growing through grief".

I cannot agree more with the phrase "You don't have time for this." After going through the treatment, whenever I am about to be angry, I would remember the numerous days and nights I stay to in the hospital and said to myself, "You should appreciate that you are still alive, don't waste time to be angry at this small matter."

The article (can be accessed here):

A woman who lost her husband of 40 years to a sudden heart attack said that the resulting grief had caused her to value love more. When she heard couples arguing, she sometimes spoke to them, saying, “You don’t have time for this.” She noted that the wasted moments in all our lives become more precious when they cannot be repeated.

Grief changes our perspective on life. It is trite but true that how we deal with sorrow will make us either bitter or better. In a remarkable statement, the psalmist actually thanked God for a difficult experience: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. . . . It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Ps. 119:67,71).

We don’t know the nature of the psalmist’s affliction, but the positive outcome was a longing to obey the Lord and a hunger for His Word. Rarely can we use this truth to comfort those who hurt. Instead, it is the Lord’s word to us from His compassionate heart and the touch from His healing hand.

When we grieve, it feels more like dying than growing. But as God wraps His loving arms around us, we have the assurance of His faithful care. — David C. McCasland

I have been through the valley of weeping,

The valley of sorrow and pain;

But the God of all comfort was with me,

At hand to uphold and sustain. —Anon.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. —Psalm 116:15

See you next post :-)

Day +634 : Domino’s Pizza meal for the second time :-)

I am fine today.

We have Domino’s Pizza for dinner second time for the month. The last time we had it was on last Sunday.

The reason we could have it so frequently is due to the establishment of the Dominos’ Pizza shop near my house as I mentioned earlier.

One thing I found out during last order was that the price for a large pizza was increased from RM29.80 to RM32.80, a RM3.00 price hike :-( With the buy one free one entitlement, we can positively think that RM3.00 is distributed to two pizzas, thus RM1.50 price hike per pizza :-)

Another thing I found out today is that they are retiring the Domino’s Millennium Gold Card, but introducing another card called something like Domino’s Express Card, if I were not mistaken. The card cost RM50, a RM30 more expensive than the Millennium Gold card :-( There is also a limit of 5 pizzas per day per Express card. However, unlike the old card, the new card can be used to order regular pizzas. But this does not bring any difference to me as I need to have two large pizzas for each meal.

The Domino's Shop
See you next post :-)

Day +633 : Please visit my friend

I am fine today.

I was introduced to Wendy Chang by one of the visitors from Hong Kong.

Wendy was diagnosed with liver cancer last year. She went through an operation that removed her gall bladder and most of her liver. She recovered extremely well from the operation :-)

She is now receiving chemotherapy treatment.

She maintained a good blog at http://changwendy.blogspot.com/. Please visit her blog and bless her.

She is a brave girl. “It seems like I never have cancer,” she wrote on her blog.

May the medical treatment coupled with the grace of God bring complete healing to her.

See you next post :-)

Day +632 : Today is Samuel's Day 0

I am fine today.

I asked you to pray for a boy called Samuel Yii in my blog Day +622 : Pray for a boy.

We thank God that his stem cell transplantation was completed successfully this evening. The stem cells were transplanted fresh from his younger. He has now to wait for the stem cells to produce blood cells in his bone marrow. That would take about 2 or 3 weeks time, I guess.

He will be receiving a few doses of Methotrexate (MTX) on the following days. The drug could cause mucositis – inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membrane lining the digestive tract.

Please continue to pray for Samuel Yii. We trust that he will be completely healed through the medical treatment coupled with the grace of God.

See you next post :-)

Day +631 : Back to UPM

I am fine today.

I went to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) to interview final year students for some job positions in my company.

I did my computer engineering and electronics degree in UPM about 19 years ago – session 1989/1993. At that time, the university was still called Universiti Pertanian Malaysia or Agricultural University of Malaysia :-) After that I did a master degree of computer science there in 1999.

The engineering faculty had been shifted into new buildings which were situated quite far away from the old one. It is no longer in the building while I was studying there.

My nephew Heng Chiek was also graduated from the same faculty last year :-)

UPM is surrounded by a green and beautiful environment. It is a good place to study if you appreciate living in such an environment.

A view from the engineering faculty.
Another view
See the aeroplane? It is a real one but I don't know if it can still fly. Most probably not. The faculty now offer studies in aerospace engineering.
See you next post :-)

Day +630 : An Easter Sharing (3)

I am fine today. Continue from yesterday...

『耶稣说，复活在我，生命也在我。信我的人，虽然死了，也必复活。』约11:25。我今生活着固然是个大神迹，但耶稣却给相信他的人一个更大的神迹，就是让他们永远的活着。这就是相信耶稣的人所拥有的永生的盼望。耶稣说信我的人，虽然死了，也必复活。哈利路亚！因为虽然有一天我们的肉体要面对死亡，但神却要我们靠着相信耶稣而复活。所以信耶稣的人是『死不了』的，这样看来，死亡并不是什么可怕的。有人说人生最大的难题就是面对死亡。当一个人懂得面对死亡之后，什么东西再也难不倒他了。

我在病房里认识了一位女病人叫秀莲。还不到三十岁，但患上了淋巴癌。因为肿瘤影响她的神经线以至他不能站立行走，每天要躺卧在病床上。她个子肥大，她的母亲住在病房里形影不离的照顾他。有一段时间她被安排到我的隔壁床位，我们成了好朋友。

因为化疗的缘故，她大部分的头发脱落，非常苍老。起初见到她们母女俩时，我以为她的妈妈是她的女儿，也就是她是她妈妈的妈妈。

她们在医院里信了主。有一天，她的母亲来到我的床边，哭着说医生说她的女儿没得医了，叫她要有心理的准备。我安慰她说，若是神要接秀莲回天家，我们也要接受。她所要去的是一个美丽、喜乐没有痛苦、与耶稣在一起的地方。不只如此，她以后还要在天家与她女儿见面。她听了得到很大的安慰并感谢神让他就机会认识主耶稣和一班基督徒朋友们。

既然医生已经不能做什么了，她们就在不久后回去他们家乡怡保的医院继续接受基本治疗。

再过不久之后，秀莲的母亲打电话来，很兴奋的告诉我她的女儿去世了。秀莲在一首叫「新天新地」的诗歌声中微笑的离开这个世界。「新天新地」的词取自圣经。它述说基督徒的归宿，天堂的情景。秀莲的母亲说她的女儿去世时非常美丽，像天使般，从来没有这么美丽过。她去天堂见耶稣，所以才会这么安详，美丽，容貌像天使般的去世。她的母亲看到如此的情景，没有悲伤，反而非常兴奋。

接下来，请大家听听这首「新天新地」诗歌。

新天新地
（启示录21：1，4）

先前的天地过去了
看哪！一个新天新地
属神的人与他同住
看哪！神要与人同住

擦干一切眼泪
不再有死亡哭泣
神将一切更新了
永远的新天新地

亲爱的朋友们，若你还没有相信耶稣，我呼吁你现在就相信他，接受他成为你生命的主。我保证你接受了耶稣之后将享受一个不一样的人生；一个有意义，有喜乐，充满盼望，连死都不怕的人生。

谢谢！

（超出了很多时间，没有办法，已经拼命讲了，只能这么快。）

See you next post :-)

Day +629 : An Easter Sharing (2)

I am fine today. Continue from yesterday...

那时我的太太正在怀孕五个月，还有三个幼小的孩子，最大只有八岁，最小的还不到一岁半，我想万一我有何不测的话，谁来照顾他们？除此之外，每一轮的化疗，都有生命的危险。更不幸的是，医生说我需要做骨髓移植。这是因为我血液的染色体(chromosome)出了重大的问题，以致我的血癌是属于最危险的那一种。骨髓移植的风险很高，死亡率差不多在20到25巴仙之间，也就是说每四个进行骨髓移植的病人之中，平均就有一个遭遇死亡。坦白说，我真的没有把握自己是否经得起这样激烈的治疗。

我如何面对这样严峻的考验呢？当我抬起头来仰望上帝时，我所有的顾虑一扫而空。我从上帝那里看到盼望，一个超越黑暗和死亡的永恒盼望。这个盼望就是主耶稣在圣经上所应许的，信他的人有永生。我对我自己说，我若离开这个世界，美丽的天堂就是我永恒的家园，在那里“没有眼泪，也不再有死亡，悲哀、哭号、疼痛”。有了这个思想之后，我心就安定了。

我在九个月之中，接受了四轮的化疗及一次的骨髓移植，总共在医院里住了150天。我看过许多生死别离，也失去了许多在病房中认识的朋友。每一次所面对的疗程也都犹如经过死荫幽谷。若我没有这个永生的盼望，就算我病不死，大概也会怕死掉。有一位病人的母亲跟我说，他的女儿在治疗的过程中，因为被安排到与一些严重病患同房，看到这些病患的恐怖状态而怕死掉。比我前一位作骨髓移植的病人很不幸在移植的过程中在那个专门为骨髓移植病人所设的隔离病房里去世。那时我在隔壁的一个病房作骨髓移植前准备的工作，虽然护士拉下我病房的窗帘，不要让我知道发生什么事，但我还是知道发生了什么事情，也看到那个去世的女病人被推出去。几个小时之后，我就进入那个房间作同样的骨髓移植程序。怕不怕？

另外，我的病房的厕所在冲水后会发出咯哆！咯哆！的声音。有一位护士怕我会怀疑那是鬼魂作怪所发出的声音，特地的向我解释那是厕所出了问题而不是有鬼魂在作怪。就是那个护士没有向我解释，我也不会害怕，因为我有永生的盼望，我的生命在我的上帝手里，不论是生是死，耶稣都与我同在。鬼魂无法伤害我一根毫毛。

在治疗的过程中，我也体验到生命的神奇与可贵。我看到我们身体的无数器官都在非常精确及平衡，日夜不停的自动操作。例如：我们不需要特意的控制我们心跳的速度、我们呼吸的次数、或者控制我们血液里的红血球、白血球及血小板的指数等（若是让我们自己控制的话，不到两分钟可能就没命了）。表面上看来，这些器官非常自然的操作，其实里面的过程是异常的复杂和神奇的。神所创造的生命原来是如此的神奇，我活着岂不是个神迹么？不止我活着是神迹，你活着也是神迹。

我要与大家分享一首歌「我活着是神迹」。这是我生病之后写的。

我活着是神迹

生命，不是没有神迹，
乃是我看不到神迹。
生命，充满神迹，
但我却问，神迹阿！你那在哪里？
生命太自然了，以至我把神迹当自然。
直到有一日，我生病了，
我蓦然清醒，原来自然就是神迹。
我活着就是神迹。

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +628 : An Easter Sharing (1)

I am fine today.

Pastor requested me to give a sharing during the Easter service yesterday morning. Since he called me in the last minute, I had to rush to get the preparation done. Fortunately, I could base my yesterday sharing on previous sharing with some modification. I would like to share with you the script of my sharing.

我活着是神迹
2008年复活节分享 23/3/08

大家好！我感谢神让我今天早上还有生命的气息站在这里与大家分享我生命中一个非常重要的经历。牧师今天早上八点打电话来要我分享我的见证。他说因为有很多节目，我只有八分钟的时间来分享。我想「天啊！怎么讲。我所有的资料都超出八分钟，等一下就要分享了，没有什么时间预备了」。之后只好对自己说，那只好拼命讲了。

昨晚我们看了一部电影，关于一个五岁小孩诺诺患血癌的生命经历。虽然最终他离开这个世界，但他短暂的一生却给我们发出一个很强的信息，那就是，相信耶稣的人不论在如何恶劣的环境中，仍然有盼望；就是面对死亡，还是有盼望。诺诺被主温柔的接去是神的恩典。我今天还活着也是神的恩典。然而我觉得我活着的每一分每一秒都是神给我的「红包」。Every minute and every second I live is a bonus from God。我不止过年时有红包拿，乃是每分每秒都有红包拿。感谢神！

我于2005年十一月被医生诊断出患上了急性骨髓血癌。跟诺诺患上同样的疾病。那时我正在和我的家人在东马度假。就要度完假回来西马的前一天，我进了古晋的中央医院，情况非常危急，喉咙受到严重的感染，红肿流血，身体出现红色的斑点，许多器官都在流血，排出来得尿液尽是红色的，满是血，相当吓人。医生不容许我回来西马治疗。所以我只好在东马进行第一轮的化疗，在医院里呆了廿十多天。

我是一个相当注重健康的人。在我还没有患上血癌之前的两年里，每天清晨五点半就起床晨跑3.5公里，非常有纪律的跑，除了下雨之外，从来没有间断过我的晨运。所以在两年里单单在晨运中就跑了超过两千多公里的路（再跑两年就要到香港了）。除了运动之外，我每个早晨都吃一粒苹果（有人说An apple a day keeps the doctor away.但这似乎行不通）。我也差不多每天喝绿茶、吃燕麦、绿藻、鱼油和其他健康食品。每个星期几乎都吃自制的酸乳酪（只有我一个人吃，其他人都不吃，因为很酸）。上班的日子，每天中午从公司回家吃午餐及小睡，很少吃外面又油腻，口味又重的食物。不但如此，我喜爱古典音乐，个性也乐观，时常保持开朗的心情。所以我从来没有想到我的健康会出现这样大的问题。

我为我的健康付出了这么多的努力，为什么疾病还是偏偏找上我呢？而且不是小毛病，乃是人人闻之变色的癌症。老天似乎对我太不公平了。好彩我没有怨天尤人，埋怨上天为何如此的对我不公平，不然我不但要面对治疗的痛苦，还要承担因埋怨所产生的心灵上的苦楚。

我相信耶稣爱我，不论这个疾病的结果如何，是生是死，他都会陪伴着我。我也相信一切事情的发生，都在我所相信的上帝掌控之中，在他没有意外。他容许这件事情发生在我的身上，肯定有他美好的安排。

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +627 : An Easter potluck dinner (2)

I am fine today. Continue from yesterday...

Eventually, the boy passed away peacefully in the bosom of his parent while they were singing the song “Jesus loves me”.

Jesus loves me!

This I know,for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to him belong;

they are weak, but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

“See you again!” That was the first word the father said to the boy after realizing he had passed away.

“Thank you Lord!’ the mother said.

The parents believed that our Lord Jesus brought the boy to heaven and since the boy is now living happily there, there is no reason for them to be sad :-)

The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Those who are saved will have heaven as their eternal home, and this hope of eternal home brings tremendous strength to Christian regardless how tough the trial they encounter.

Accepting Jesus as my saviour and thus convinced of this eternal hope served as the primary strength for me to go through many turmoil of life.

If you would like to have a copy of the movie, I can arrange to purchase it for you. And I am very sure that you will be encouraged :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +626 : An Easter potluck dinner (1)

I am fine today.

My family and I attended an Easter potluck dinner in the church tonight. There were about 150 children and adult attending the event. Apart from the visitors from Hong Kong, we managed to invite about 20 new friends to join us for the dinner :-)

The best meal that I ever enjoy is no other than the potluck dinner in our church. As usual, tonight we enjoyed countless mouth-watering dishes prepared by many “experts” in the church. If you like to eat, my church is definitely the right one for you to attend :-)

After the meal, the church showed a very touching movie. It presented a real tale about a 5 years boy who was diagnosed with Leukaemia. With the grace of God and the hope of eternal life as promised by Jesus, the boy and the family faced the ordeal with incomprehensible strength, braveness and peace.

The boy experienced a relapse after chemotherapy. Then he went for a bone marrow transplant, but he experienced another relapse 5 months later. Since he had just completed his bone marrow transplant, doctor could not do anything for him.

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +625 : Health food does not give magic cure

I am fine today.

A filial son was misled by a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that health food could cure his father but the outcome turn out to be otherwise.

He replaced the drug presribed by doctor with health food, believing it could cure his father, but his father passed away later. Ather he regreted very much and then approached MCA's Michael Chong (张天赐) to expose his story to the public, hoping that people will be aware that health food does not give magic cure as claimed by MLM company.

Beware if someone tell you that their products can cure all diseases. Always ask for proper scientific research report and clinical trial to make sure they do not overstate the benefit of their product; else it might cause serious problem to your health and wealth.

The story as reported in newspaper (Click to get a larger view)

See you next post :-)

Day +624 : Happy Birthday, Pastor

I am fine today.

Our Hong Kong visitors together with some of our church members including me and my wife celebrated our pastor’s birthday today.

We had a buffet dinner in Café Serena Brasseri at Nikko hotel where Balinese Cuisine was served. “Foodies need not travel all the way to Bali with the Balinese cuisine extravaganza at Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur's Café Serena Brasseri,” the hotel advertises the buffet.

The buffet cost RM90.00++ per adult, but Citibank credit card holder enjoyed a 50% discount. Our Hong Kong visitors insisted to pay the bill :-)

We wish our pastor a very happy birthday, and May God strengthens and bless him whatever he do :-)

A group photo before the dinner
Our church member Ah Tan busy taking the photo. Everybody wanted to have the photo taken using their camera. If the camera maker could provide a way to interconnect all those cameras together, we will not waste so much time and effort in taking the photo so many times. Just one shot will get the photo into every interconnected cameras. What do you think?
Petronas Twin Tower
Bali dance
Food
Chocolate fountain
See you next post :-)

Day +623 : Opposition victory and pregnancy

I am fine today.

Many Malaysians were very excited about our last general election result where the opposition won an unprecedented victory. Since the result brought hope for a better Malaysia, we congratulated each other for this outstanding achievement.

Last Sunday, I congratulated a youth on the election result in the church.

“Congratulation!” I said to him.

“How do you know?” he responded with surprise.

Based on his reaction, I guess he must be experiencing some good thing other than the election result; something which deserved a congratulation.

“Your wife is pregnant?” I guess.

“Yes!” he answered happily.

A church member told me a day earlier that now he would like to have more children because the election result indicates that there is hope for a better Malaysia. With this, I only realized that the racial based political environment and corrupted government actually discourage Chinese to bear more children. The main reason is that they don’t want their next generation to suffer and dwell in a unjust environment.

Understanding the link between the election result and the child bearing allow me to guess correctly that the youth’s wife is pregnant :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +622 : Pray for a boy

I am fine today.

I mentioned about a Leukaemia boy whose relatives I visited during my holiday in Sarawak last December.

The blog entries can be found here (Click on the link below):
Day +531 : Visiting new friends (1)
Day +532 : Visiting new friends (2)

The boy had completed his chemotherapy successfully in Kuching, Sarawak. He is now Kuala Lumpur General Hospital doing his bone marrow transplant.

He is fifteen years old. The haematologist told the family that those above 12 years old would face a higher risk in bone marrow transplant. This made him a little bit worried initially and told the parents whether he could avoid the procedure.

“Uncle David is almost 40 years old and managed to make it, why can’t I?” This idea boosted his confidence. He and his parents get to know some bone marrow transplant experience through reading my blog. “Your blog is very encouraging and helpful,” they commented.

I managed to talk to the body today, assuring him that I will not cease to pray for him. I also advised him to write down his transplant experience.

The boy will start his 9-day chemotherapy tomorrow before infusing her younger sister’s stem cell. The younger sister will be here end of this week and expected to get her stem cell extracted toward the end of next week.

Please pray for the boy to have good spirit all the time, protection of God against infection, GVHD and all side effects arise from the drug, and also smooth engraftment of his sister’s stem cell. We believe that through the medical treatment coupled with the grace of God, he will be completely healed from this disease.

Please also pray that her sister could donate her stem cell smoothly next week, and also not to forget his parents, who have to take care and support the boy.

The boy is called Samuel Yii.

Thank you and May God bless you!

See you next post :-)

Day +621 : My mother-in-law is back

I am fine today.

My mother-in-law came back today.

She brings to us the following delicious Foochow biscuits from Sarikei, Sarawak.

"Kong Bian" 光饼
"Jiong Niong Bian"
"Jiong Niong Bian" with planta and sugar topping
"Jiong Niong Bian" with fried onion
These biscuits are simple but delicious. I always feel hungry looking at these pictures.

See you next post :-)

Day +620 : Men, be a prince to your princess

I am fine today.

I would like to share with the you the following article from Our Daily Bread, 4 September 2007. It reminds me how to treat my wife - like princess :-) In fact, my daughter Adriel always "demand" me to call her "princess". If I call her "my girl", she will instantly voice her disagreement, "I am not your girl! I am your princess!" After reading the following passage, I know who my true princess is, not my daughter Adriel, not anybody else, but my wife :-)

You can read the article here.

Husbands, love your wives. —Ephesians 5:25

People around the world reacted with shock in September 2006 when news broke that Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter,” had died. His enthusiasm for life and for God’s creatures was contagious, making him a favorite personality worldwide.

When his wife Terri was interviewed shortly after Steve’s death, her love for him was obvious as she said through her tears, “I’ve lost my prince.” What an affectionate way to memorialize her husband! She saw him as her prince and her best friend.

The husband-wife relationship is often viewed today as anything but the tender one Terri and Steve must have shared. We see bitterness, insults, and animosity presented in the media as the norm. How much more desirable it is to see true love—to see a husband unashamedly cherish his wife, to unselfishly be her “prince.”

How can a husband continue to love his wife in a more princely way? Try these suggestions: Listen—enjoy those tender times when she can unburden her heart without fear. Love life—find ways to add fun to your marriage. Lead spiritually—guide the way into prayer and intimate fellowship with the Lord.

Men, be a prince to your princess. — Dave Branon

Honor your wife and in love with her dwell,

Yield to the Savior and all will be well;

Peace He will give to both husband and wife,

Blessing their marriage with joy throughout life. —Anon.

Marriage thrives in a climate of love and respect.

See you next post :-)

Day +619 : Visitors from Hong Kong

I am fine today.

It is our turn to host the weekly cell group meeting tonight. We have eight visitors from Hong Kong joining us, making the meeting a very special one :-)

The group is from one of the Christian and Mission Alliance (CMA) church in Hong Kong. As our church is under the umbrella of Hong Kong CMA (香港宣道差会), we used to get many visitors from Hong Kong CMA church who came here under the short term missionary trip (短宣) to serve and support us :-)

The members of the group have to spend money and time to participate in the trip, with the sole purpose of serving the Lord and the people here. May God bless them!

A group photo with the group
See you next post :-)

Day +618 : My eyes are getting better now :-)

I am fine today.

My eyes are getting better now. I do not feel sandy or foreign object in my eyes anymore. Alos, the eyes are no longer red. The vision, though not fully recovered, has improved vastly. I am now able to work on the computer continously for quite some time. I appreciate all of you who prayed for me and thank God for listening to our prayer :-)

I had been absent from office since Wednesday last week mainly due to eyes problem. Since my eyes condition had improved a lot, I came back to office yesterday.

My absence from the office does not mean that I lay off my work totally. In fact, I was still working “normally” from home. With certain arrangement, I was able to gain complete control of my computer in the office from home, and then work on the computer just like I am sitting in front of it in the office :-)

If you would like to know how to control your computer remotely, I can help you. Free of charge :-) With this, you can tell you boss, “Let me work from home.”

See you next post :-)

Day +617 : PTK exam for my wife again

I am fine today.

My wife is sitting for Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan (PTK) or Competency Level Assessment exam again today :-)

She scored an excellent result of 4-4 (the best result one can attain) last PTK exam in August last year, but due to some reasons, the result bore no effect on her salary and job grade.

I talked about this on my blog Day +483 : Congratulating my wife for the excellent PTK result.

Initially she thought that she is only eligible to sit for the exam again next year, but the school informed her that she is eligible to sit for the exam this year. So she registered for it again.

As usual, she spent a day to read through the relevant material. I would not know how she would perform this time, but I pray that she manages to score 4-4 again because with this result, she will definitely get a salary hike :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +616 : Again, Maybank! (2)

I am fine today. Continue from yesterday…

The bank was closed at that time. I knocked at the roller shutter and informed the staff what had happened. After waiting for about 15 minutes, an officer came to retrieve my ATM card, but she was holding the wrong key. This made me waited for another 15 minutes to get my card back :-) After this, the officer took another 15 minutes to check if my account was debited and after confirming that it indeed was debited, she asked me to fill a form again to make sure that the bank reversed the debited amount to me.

I wasted three hours because of Maybank’s fault! But comparing those 150 days I “wasted” patiently in the hospital as treatment of my disease, I should have no reason to be angry. And this thinking prevented me effectively from lashing into furry :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +615 : Again, Maybank! (1)

I am fine today.

I talked about my bad experience about Maybank on my blog Day +535 : What a service! Maybank, and I encountered another one last Saturday.

Last Saturday, I went to Maybank to withdraw some cash, but whenever I performed a transaction such as withdrawing cash or checking account balance, I got the annoying message, “You card cannot be processed, please contact…”

Initially, I thought the problem was due to the particular ATM machine that I had used, but two other machines that I tried presented me with the same messages.

I lodged a report through the information counter. The officer asked me to fill a form to replace the card and then kept me waiting for one and half hour :-)

I was asked to change the ATM pin immediately after getting the new card which I accomplished smoothly. After this, I started to withdraw cash from the same machine. Just before the machine was about to dispense cash, it experienced a blackout :-( The card was “swallowed” by the machine again.

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +614 : Reflexology (脚底按摩)

I am fine today.

After knowing that I have dry eyes problem, a kind churchmate came to my house this morning to give me a reflexology treatment.

Reflexology is the physical act of applying pressure to the feet and hand with specific thumb, finger and hand techniques with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health.

This churchmate is a retired teacher who came from Sarawak as well. According to him, he had been studying and applying reflexology “silently” for about 20 years. He already remembered the whole reflexology chart, and I believe his experience is no less than a professional reflexologist.

The reflexology chart

The zone on the feet that is painful when pressed indicates that the corresponding organ to that zone is having problem. An “uneven structure” or lump could be felt on the problematic zone and it is extremely painful when the zone is message.

I experienced unbearable pain on many zones on the feet; the pain is no different than that from cutting our fresh with a knife :-( According to my churchmate, continuing with the treatment will gradually reduce the pain, and eventually the pain will disappeared which mean that the organs are healed.

I am very thankful that he is willing to spend time to give me a course of treatment this morning. I would like to find a professional reflexologist to continue the treatment, and hopefully the treatment would eventually bring improvement to my health.

See you next post :-)

Day +613 : An amazing tsunami – a manifestation of people power

I am fine today.

Halellujah! We make history yesterday!

Quote from Wikipedia about the result of the 12th Malaysian General Election:

“The results of this election showed a setback for the Barisan National coalition as the unbroken two-thirds majority in parliament was ended with the opposition parties gaining at least 82 seats (out of 222 seats in parliament). In addition, 5 state legislatures were won by the opposition, compared with only one in the last election. “

No one, including the opposition, ever believes that this could happen; many people described this as political tsunami.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader Anwar Ibrahim gave the following comment on election result:

"The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognise that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture or religion are a nation of one," he told a packed press conference at his residence in Kuala Lumpur last night.

"The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law," he said.

"Tomorrow, we start to build a brighter future hand-in-hand, shoulder to shoulder. This is a new dawn for Malaysia," he added.

I see the result as a big step toward realizing a healthier democratic nation.

Malaysia Boleh! God bless Malaysia!

See you next post :-)

Day +612 : Exercising people’s power today

I am fine today.

My wife and I cast our ballot for both the state and parliamentary seat early in the morning.

As the polling station is very near to a morning market, we completed our shopping first before proceeding to the polling station. Since the polling process was managed quite efficiently, we managed to complete the voting in 15 minutes only :-)

This is second in our life time to cast vote in the national and state election.

It is by God’s tremendous grace and blessing that I am alive today to exercise people’s power :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +611 : Mother-in-law went back to Sarawak

I am fine today.

My mother-in-law went back to Sarawak this morning.

Last week, she told me that that she intended to go back to Sarawak to handle a couple of things and at the same time take the opportunity to vote in the coming election. I booked her a flight to Sibu this morning.

Normally, my mother-in-law is in charge of cooking while the maid is taking care of children. With her going back to Sarawak, my wife has to cook now. This gives my wife a good chance to polish her cooking skill.

We are still not sure when my mother-in-law will be coming back as there are uncertainties on some of the jobs that she needs to do there.

We wish her happy holidays.

See you next post :-)

Day +610 : Domino is coming to town :-)

I am fine today.

On the way to a bank yesterday, I spotted the following unintentionally.

This is definitely great news for Daniel as he likes Pizza so much.

The shop is just 15 minutes walking distant from my house. I passed by it every day on the way to office.

Apart from the convenience in term of location, we also get buy-one-free-one discount through Domino’s Millennium Gold Card. Since the discount is applicable for take-out order only, I have to go to Domino shop at Sunday to purchase Pizza previously. This incurred at least RM10 additional expenses which include the toll fee and petrol. So having a Domino shop nearby would save my time and money :-)

Just for your information, the Domino’s Millennium Gold Card is transferrable. You just need to flash the card to the cashier to get discount. If you don’t have the card and yet would like to have a discount, I am more than willing to share the card with you.

We also like Domino’s Pizza more than any others Pizza.

It is very fortunate to have Pizza classified as healthy food as I wrote on Day +285 : What? Pizza is healthy food? With the opening of a Domino Pizza shop nearby, we would definitely have more Pizza meal than before and as a consequence, getting healthier :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +609 : My eyes (2)

I am fine today. Continue to talk about my eyes…

The doctor suggested a treatment called SmartPlug. It is a procedure to obstruct tear ducts to prevent tear drain. More information regarding the treatment can be found here.

The procedure would cost RM800 for both eyes, but the outcome of it – whether it will improve my condition – is still unknown. I have to consult my haematologist first before deciding whether to proceed with this procedure.

The picture below shows the tears duct opening where the plug will be inserted.

Another treatment mentioned by the doctor is amniotic membrane transplantation where tissues from fetal membrane is processed and stitched onto the cornea. It serves as a form of biological dressing that promotes healing of wound. More information regarding the treatment can be found here.

When I asked about the cost of the transplantation, doctor said he last performed amniotic membrane transplantation in Kuala Lumpur General Hospital. And it is very rare to get patient like me in the private clinic. So he didn’t know the cost of the transplantation. However, he told me that the amniotic membrane is kept in University Science Malaysia (USM).

After seeing the eye specialist, I went to visit my friend Teh in UH. His blood counts show some improvement, but based on CT scan of his lung; doctor suspected that he is having Tuberculosis (TB) which is very infectious. So he was now isolated in the ward.

Please continue to pray for him.

See you next post :-)

Day +608 : My eyes (1)

I am fine today.

The eyes specialist scheduled me to see him again yesterday, but I forgot the appointment. So I went to him this morning.

The doctor performed a Schirmer’s test for both of my eyes. The test determines whether the eye produces enough tears to keep it moist. Paper strips were inserted under the bottom eyelid for about 5 minutes to see how much tears stain was indicated on the paper. More than 10 mm of moisture on the filter paper in 5 minutes is normal, but my eyes score a measure between 1 and 2mm only :-( This indicates that my eyes are extremely dry.

The figure below show how the test is being done.

According to doctor, I am having chronic ocular surface disease (OSD) which is a manifestation of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The ocular (eye) surface includes two major territories, i.e., the cornea and the conjunctiva, bordered by upper and lower lids. Unlike the skin covering the rest of the body, the ocular surface is covered by a thin layer of tear film. A stable tear film present when the eye is open is the key mechanism to maintain the ocular surface health. In short, OSD is the result of dry eyes.

The dry eyes symptoms also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca which means “dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva”. Doctor said that I have 2nd degree keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

“This disease is not only a challenge to you, but also a challenge to me,” doctor said.

All the treatment such as applying any form of lubricant could relieve the symptoms, but there is no known cure at the moment :-(

To be continued and see you next post :-)

Day +607 : Who to vote for in the coming election?

I am fine.

Last Sunday, a churchmate told me that she didn’t catch up with the political issues of the country and thus didn’t know who to vote for in the coming election.

“Who shall I vote for?” she asked.

“Anyone will do but not the Best oNe,” I advised :-)

My same advice to you, but if you still don't know who to vote for, email me and I will tell you "bluntly" who not to vote for :-)

See you next post :-)

Day +606 : Ask, and it will be given to you

I am fine today.

My niece Nga Ming left her wallet in the exam hall after the exam last Friday night. When she realized this, she rushed back to the exam hall, but the wallet was no longer there :-(

The important items inside the wallet were her identity and ATM card. Besides, there was some cash in the wallet too.

My niece planned to return to the university on the next day to find out if someone returned the wallet to the lost and found unit. At the same time, she and her mother also prayed that someone will return the wallet to her. While praying, they told God that they didn’t mind someone took away the cash, but not the identity and ATM card.

The next morning, my niece missed the bus to the university. So she went to the canteen to have breakfast. While she was having breakfast, she received a call informing her that someone found her wallet on the roadside and would like to return it to her.

When my niece received the wallet, she found out that all items were inside the wallet except the cash. This was exactly what she prayed for. It was very lucky that she left the laundry receipt with her contact number inside the wallet. The one who picked up her wallet got her telephone number from the receipt :-)

We believe God answered her prayer, and this is exactly what Bible teaches us about prayer.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

See you next post :-)

Day +605 : My eyes!

I am fine today.

As a result of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), my eyes are very dry. The situation worsens lately. The doctor referred me to eyes clinic in UH, but unfortunately the earliest appointment that they could arrange was about two months later.

Last Tuesday, I was almost unable to open my right eye due to sandy feeling. My vision was also degraded very much. Blur, blur :-( Without waiting for the appointment in UH, I went to see an eye specialist.

After examining my right eye, the doctor told me that it was inflamed with unhealthy cornea and apart from this, it was extremely dry.

I was given the following prescription: Tears Naturale Free, Lacri-Lube and FML. The Tears Naturale Free is eye drops for lubricating the eyes. It is better than the Refresh Tears that I use before because it is preservative free. In order to keep it fresh, it is packaged in small volume as follow. Unused portion has to be discarded within 24 hours once opened.

The Lacri-Lube is an ointment to lubricate the eyes too. It is a little bit sticky, so it is applied less regularly than artificial tears.

The FML (Fluorometholone) is an eye ointment that is used to treat inflammation of the eyelid and the eye itself.

Hopefully, my eyes condition will improve with the medication.

I will see the see the doctor again the coming Tuesday.

See you next post :-)