Don't Give Up Dreaming

Everyone dreams.

Children and teenagers especially, and they always have sweet and happy dreams.

Adult dreams too, though their stressful day and monotonous work do not encourage inspirational dreams.

Old and sick people dream too, though their dreams may sometimes be filled with regret and disappointment.

Someone has said, "When there is life, there is hope. When there is hope, there is dream."

When we are optimistic about the prospect of a better tomorrow, we will dream.

When we crave for success in life and refuse to fail, we will dream.

Hope is all that important to improve and transform our lives.

With hope, life is rich, directional and multi-dimensional.

With hope comes a breath of new life, and the strength and joy of youth.

With hope, life will change for the better.

What happen when one day we lose all hope and are desperate in life?

What happen when we become hopeless and helpless?

When life is out of sync and becomes a drudgery, we must continue to dream.

Hopeless and desperate people must continue to hope and dream.

It is with hope that we retain a degree of control for our future.

But what happen life is a total shamble?

What happen when we have these deep regret, remorse, and guilty feelings in our lives?

We are desperate sorry for what we have done and everything that have happened.

Our dreams become scary and we are scared to dream.

Many things begins to haunt us and we have many nightmares and sleepless nights.

It is like sitting in a dark cell with very bright light casting long shadow.

Whatever happens, we must continue to hope and dream.

When there is life, there is hope.

When there is hope, there are desires, and many sweet and happy dreams.

And when life becomes hopeless and helpless, we must hold on to our slim hope to have a better life.

We desperately need to dream.

Please don't give up on hope.

Please don't give up dreaming.

Rural People In Big Cities

It came as a surprise to me when I heard some rural people were seen scavenging for food from garbage bins outside restaurants in big cities.

These poor rural folks, mostly youths, had gone to our big cities to seek greener pastures.

But many of them were now homeless and unemployed.

They were seen roaming around the streets and relying on food given by good people and on leftover in dustbins.

There were many reasons for their miserable state and these included being cheated by unscrupulous agents who abandoned them in big cities.

It was embarrassing and shameful to even think of the plight of our homeless people in our own country.

Foraging for food from dustbins was usually done by street children of foreign descent, by now by our own people!

These rural people thought that they would stand a chance to find their pot of gold in big cities.

They gave up their village life.

They wanted to get away from poverty, misery and obscurity.

They were attracted to the city lights and life.

They ran after wealth, luxury and glamor.

But many of them didn't know that food and shelter could be a scarcity in big cities too.

If they were in their villages, these problems would not have arisen.

When they needed food, all they had to do was to hunt or fish, or they could just depend on rice with tapioca leaves.

The issue of our homeless rural people in our big cities was a grave concern.

It was depressing and disappointing to hear that there were few decent job opportunities in small towns and rural areas.

It was depressing and disappointing to realize that empty promises from employment agents and abuses by employers were so rampant and prevalent in our country these days.

And it was depressing and disappointing to learn that many of us were still unable to blend into the lifestyle of the people in new places.

Sometimes, I wondered why our homeless rural people refused to return home.

Is it because of pride?

Oh! Rural people in big cities.

I'm Mr Lonely

I was dropping my Entrecard when I heard a cell phone ring. It was my wife's, with a ringtone of a familiar song: "Lonely, I'm Mr Lonely, I have nobody......."

Every time when I heard the song or the ringtone, I smiled broadly. I liked the song very much. It's one of my favorite numbers.

I used to sing along while driving, especially on the parts where I knew the lyrics. But for most of the time, I hummed along, rather smoothly and naturally.

I was surprised every time when the song was played; it always captured my attention and carried my emotion so easily.

Sometimes, when I was alerted by the ringtone, I stopped my work and wondered whether I was the Mr Lonely.

I had a habit of doing everything on my own.

I was contented and happy when I was alone.

And I could be on my own for days without complaining.

I believed my principle in life had always been to engross in all my works and to enjoy life to the fullest.

I had been happily alone for 30 years.

Deep in my heart, I still believed that a man could live on his or her own.

But then, are human companionship and partnership all that necessary?

My thought carried me far to the time when our forefather Adam was alone tending the garden of Eden and giving names to the animals.

Adam must be very contented and happy with his work and life.

But the Bible said Adam was lonely.

And so God made Eve, his partner.

After 30 years of living happily alone, I had to admit, like Adam, I was very lonely.

I had many friends and companions.

But for the first time in my life, I was yearning for a life partner.

It was indeed difficult to live alone.

It was easier when we had many friends and companions around us.

But it was wonderful when God brought us a life partner.

For the first time in my life, life was complete and fulfilling.

*******

We may be alone sometime.

But none of us wants to be lonely.

We need people to take notice of our presence.

We want people to care for us.

And we yearn for people to share our thoughts, feelings and doings.

We need people to understand us, feel for us, and help us when we are in desperate need.

We need people to tell us what to think, how to feel, and what to do when we are indecisive and doubtful.

Most of all, we need people to be always by our side.......

*******

It is a natural part of our lives to love and to be loved.

We need a home with people.

We need neighborhoods and communities.

We need people, organizations and relationships.

*******

I don't want to feel lonely anymore.

I want my family, relatives, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and enemies to be near me.

These people will spice up my life and make my life much more interesting, exciting, invigorating, and exhilarating.

********

Once in a while, I want to be left alone.

But I am not Mr Lonely; I have work to do and things to take care of.

But I don't want to deny, I do feel lonely sometimes.

*******

There are times when I am busy doing nothing.

I just cannot concentrate on my work.

I need my friends and companions.

I need people to share, to love, and to have a fun time.

*******

Yes, a loner can be miserably lonely too.

But I don't want to be called Mr Lonely.

I have somebody.

And I'm very happy.

*******

Please don't live in your mountain, Mr Lonely.

Please come down and join us, Mr Lonely.

Yes, We may all be lonely.

But we are no more Mr Lonely.

We are somebody.....

........ to someone ready.

*******

I heard the famous ringtone again.

It was my wife's.

"Lonely, I'm Mr Lonely, I have nobody......."

I smile to my wife.....

I'm not Mr Lonely.

I have somebody.

What Is Your Dream?

What is your dream?

What are you seeking after?

We ask ourselves these questions when we are young, when we are buzzing with dreams and aspirations, imbued with zeal and enthusiasm, and bursting with self confidence and determination.

Then we grow up and begin our journey of discovery and exploration. We move around, seeking after the world and learning all that is to know. The world is the alpha and omega of our home and garden, our lives and work, our desires and commitments.

Someone tell us about the value of education and life-long learning. We are taught to be wise and intelligent by seeking after the truths of the world. We are told that knowledge is everything and everything is knowledge! Eventually we pack up our room with books and our brain with knowledge. But then we begin to resign and admit that we cannot learn everything and we don't need to learn everything. Knowledge is vital to our lives. But knowledge in itself isn't everything!

Then we seek after riches and worldly possessions. We spend time and effort contemplating, calculating and scheming how to bring riches and wealth into our home. We put in much hard work and employ various legitimate means. Some of us may have their ill-gotten gains through manipulation and fraud. Eventually we relax, admiring all our riches and wealth. But then we begin to resign and admit that we don't have everything. Riches and wealth in itself isn't everything!

Then we seek after glory and fame. We spend days and months cultivating relationships, meeting powerful and influential people. We forgo our pride and ego, we victimize our family and others, and we employ cunning and mischievous methods all for our selfish gains. Eventually we get what we want and enjoy for a time what we have got. But then we begin to resign and admit that personal glory in itself isn't everything!

Some of us are still chasing after all these dream.

Some of us have admitted that we have chased after the wrong dreams.

Some of us have given up dreaming. They are like the walking dead in the city.

And some of us put our dreams into our children when they are big enough.... and continue to dream.

My child, what are you seeking after? What is your dream?

Our Good Relationship

Not many of us can live alone in a foreign land for long. Imagine living in a world without our family, our loved ones and our friends. It will be very forlorn and miserable. We may eventually get mad and begin to scream and shout!

But sometimes, because of the nature of our job, the call of duty or some personal commitments, we may have to leave our loved ones and our friends, and go to far away places to work and have our being. It may be days, months or years before we return and see them again.

It will be nice and wonderful if we end up in a big city, town or village where there are many people around. We can have many things to see, to hear, to smell, to feel and to touch. There may also be places to roam and explore, to eat and to drink, to play and have fun, to enjoy our hearts out with the intention of forgetting about our loneliness and miseries. We may also want to look for places of worship and solace to pour our hearts out. And that is the beauty of friendship and relationship : when there are people, there is hope.

But how about those moving into the deep jungle to cut down trees, or going offshore to extract oil and gas, or those who spend all their living doing deep-sea fishing? How about those doing border patrolling, or going to remote villages where they know nothing about to provide good services? Our very first response maybe that it is not our concern. And it is tempting for us to provide answer like they are leading an exciting and adventurous lives. But what if we are given the same duty call? Our hearts may turn cold and our smiles and laughter may disappear.

But that is how things go! When it is our turn to pack and go to remote places, we start to mourn and cry, we kick and scream, and we make up all excuses not to go. But when we hear of our friends out there enjoying very attractive pay, allowances, and fringe benefits, we become very jealous and angry. Oh! How sinful nature plays a vital role in our lives, causing us to be overwhelmed with so much hatred, bitterness and resentment.

But things may change as we go along. We may become mature, wiser, and more stable. We learn to take life as it is and live it as best as we can. No matter where we go, and stay put, we will somehow learn to develop relationship and build understanding. We will find someone who can accompany us, and contribute to our lives. And that is the beauty of friendship and relationship : when there are people, we seek love and connection.

And so we learn to cultivate friendship and relationship, the two important virtues of love in life. It is always a must have to live successfully and happily.

But I am not here to talk about total dependence. Total dependence on relatives and friends is a social disease that must be done away with. It is okay if we need to depend on people sometimes, especially when we fall short of our dreams or when we need help. But too much dependence on others will only hamper our growth, and hinder our desire and commitment to experience life and all that it has to offer. Besides, our friendship and relationship may become strained and stressful, causing it to ruin and end.

Good relationship involves mutual respect, care and acceptance of the person as he or she is. We do not want to force people to listen to what we say and accept all our views. We don't play God and teach others to play God. And we don't need "yes men" around us who only know how to respond accordingly to what we want. We need people whom we can work and build together. We need people who are concerned and helpful. And we try to inspire, encourage, challenge, strengthen, support and sustain one another. And that is the beauty of friendship and relationship : we develop a world of useful people.

I treasure and cherish all my friendship and relationship. I welcome all means and methods to promote them and build them up. I have no desire to live alone and isolated in the little corner of my world. I am not born a loner or a loser. Many family members, relatives, and friends have accompanied me through the years to cheer me on. They are all familiar faces passing through my mind every now and then, touching and warming all my heart, and spurring me on all the way and all the time! And that is the beauty of my friendship and relationship : we are a family of good people sharing love. We have fun together. We laugh and play together. We can sing all day long. We talk and share about everything under the sky. We mourn and cry when our loved one dies. And we...........

True friendship and relationship is like a little plant of very slow growth. It is nurtured, cared for and loved all the time. It undergoes every trial and temptation. It withstands every shocks of adversity and afflictions. And it continues to grow and becomes a tall and big tree. And many people find their shelter, their love, their joy, their peace, their hope...... under it.

And so we have the beauty of friendship and relationship, where we learn to celebrate and appreciate love, in a big family full of different people with different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, and different dreams.

Oh, our good relationship!