Thursday 24 February 2011

A secret little path..

There's this little secret road that I use at times on the way home..I discovered it one day while trying to bypass the heavy traffic, but ever since then, I use it not only on days when the traffic is bad, but also when I'm feeling sad. For some reason, the houses there reminded me a lot of Bali. They don't look anything like the houses in Bali actually, but the feeling that this little area gave me was of warmth and a 'village/kampung' kind of feeling. Considering it was just one road away from the highway, it was like discovering a hiding place from all the chaos outside.

Today the roads were horribly jammed up on the way back again. It took me 2 hours to reach home, but I'm not complaining. No more 2-hour drives to and from work beginning next week! :)
So I took my little secret route through my little secret village. And I saw the most beautiful picture as I was passing by which has made me fall even more in love with the place. I saw a young Chinese mother carrying her baby and chatting away happily with her Malay neighbour and her children in front of their house. At the same time, there was an old Malay lady with a walking stick, slowly walking down the street, held by an Indian friend of hers - you could see they've been friends a long time. I wished I could stop and give them all a hug for reminding me of how the races can get along better than just casual Hi's and Bye's.

It's ironic, but have you ever noticed how the higher-educated people tend to be more racist in this country? Try going outside the city and I'm sure you'll be surprised at how close the people are to each other, regardless of language or colour. I really think it's time be reminded of the simplicities in life. I know certain policies are not equal for the races, but it wasn't your next door neighbour who set the rules. They didn't do anything wrong by being born of a different race, so give them a chance and get to know them. I'm speaking to myself as much as anyone else reading this, because though I've never been a racist, it surprises me how little I know about the cultures of other races, because I've never really been encouraged to get to know them better.

So there, a little lesson that my secret little path down a less travelled road has taught me. :)

Tuesday 22 February 2011

What money can't buy...

   

Money can't buy me a job that I love,
Money can't give me bosses who are patient and understanding,
Money can't buy me colleagues who are cooperative and willing to teach,
It can't buy me a loving family,
Or the laughter that we share.
It can't buy me health for my loved ones,
Money can't buy me the wonderful experience of meeting people from different backgrounds and realising that they are as much a creation of God as we are - perfect and loved by Him.