No expectations.
Douglas was my temporary tuition student. I am hopeless in Bahasa Malaysia, but I tried to help him out using problem solving method instead of departing any wise and intellectual knowledge.
Douglas: Teacher, 'jejarum' means many jarum is it?
No, it is the name of a kind of flower, quite a common one. You know.... the bunch of small red flowers with five little petals you see in any neighbourhood or parks. You can pull the middle petal out and taste the sweet nectar.... you know??
Douglas snatched the pencil in my hand and went, 'Oh! It looks like this is it teacher?'
Yes!
He started drawing the roads and went, 'On the right side of the road, it is on this side, right teacher?' He started highlighting a section on the picture he drew.
__________________________________________
Kevin is my ex sales manager. He's skinny, tall, has an embossed mole right above his left laugh line. A China man and a joker in basics but he speaks with clarity of thought of his opinions.
SMS from Kevin: Oi, can you give me a lift to KL tomorrow?
SMS from me: I read this sms five minutes before I reach KL. How's is with you then?
Sorry sir!
SMS from Kevin: Oi, I'm having my half boiled eggs at Ah Wong, come!
He's considered very successful for his age, but is still one down to earth fella who flashes nothing and speaks nothing to prove his status.
Conversations with him will not fail to revolve around religion and preparation for death. He speaks of Taoism, Buddhism and practices of the monks and of course, I would speak of Islam. It will go on for an hour.. the most before we get worried if someone notices that we are not at work or attending any appointments.
Kevin: ..... so in the book I read, there are at least 18 layers of hell in the underworld, each serves its purpose for different set of people, of different sins.
Rich people who waste food because they can afford to be lavish are still punished eventhough it is part of the food they spend as charity.
Peeping Tom! I'm trying to remember how many times I peeped. The eye balls will be scraped out one by one and placed back and scraped back out!
Me: ... oh in our religion, punishments in the afterlife are gruesome too. Those who do not fast will have swim through a sea of blood, vomit and puss!
Me: At the end of the day it is the fittest energy/being that deserves to be in God's heaven for all religion eigh!
I just love the fact that the conversation between us may at times sounded as if we are martyrs trying to convert each other. But no, at the end of it, we know it is just about imparting knowledge and it ends just there.
________________________________
During the last fasting month, I decided to try taking the LRT to work. The sardine can scene overwhelmed but I enjoyed watching people.
I took the LRT from Kelana Jaya, cum Abdullah Hukum area, it seemed as if we needed to stand on each other's head already!
In came a blind lady in tudung, her walking stick could barely move to help direct her ways. I was standing. The Indian lady who is seated infront of me stood up to give up her seat. But the blind lady is quite far away to squeeze through and everyone else was busy trying to balance ourselves.
Suddenly a tall young Chinese guy reached out his hand above our short figures, held the blind woman's arms really tight and pulled her directly towards the seat.
At that moment, my super macho traits disappeared when tears ran down my cheek. I was just too happy to be able to feel such height of integration and empathy. I felt like I belong in such a superior society.
_____________
Those are the things I want to remember, moments when there is no expectation towards anyone and anything and I felt so much freedom.
Douglas: Teacher, 'jejarum' means many jarum is it?
No, it is the name of a kind of flower, quite a common one. You know.... the bunch of small red flowers with five little petals you see in any neighbourhood or parks. You can pull the middle petal out and taste the sweet nectar.... you know??
Douglas snatched the pencil in my hand and went, 'Oh! It looks like this is it teacher?'
Yes!
He started drawing the roads and went, 'On the right side of the road, it is on this side, right teacher?' He started highlighting a section on the picture he drew.
__________________________________________
Kevin is my ex sales manager. He's skinny, tall, has an embossed mole right above his left laugh line. A China man and a joker in basics but he speaks with clarity of thought of his opinions.
SMS from Kevin: Oi, can you give me a lift to KL tomorrow?
SMS from me: I read this sms five minutes before I reach KL. How's is with you then?
Sorry sir!
SMS from Kevin: Oi, I'm having my half boiled eggs at Ah Wong, come!
He's considered very successful for his age, but is still one down to earth fella who flashes nothing and speaks nothing to prove his status.
Conversations with him will not fail to revolve around religion and preparation for death. He speaks of Taoism, Buddhism and practices of the monks and of course, I would speak of Islam. It will go on for an hour.. the most before we get worried if someone notices that we are not at work or attending any appointments.
Kevin: ..... so in the book I read, there are at least 18 layers of hell in the underworld, each serves its purpose for different set of people, of different sins.
Rich people who waste food because they can afford to be lavish are still punished eventhough it is part of the food they spend as charity.
Peeping Tom! I'm trying to remember how many times I peeped. The eye balls will be scraped out one by one and placed back and scraped back out!
Me: ... oh in our religion, punishments in the afterlife are gruesome too. Those who do not fast will have swim through a sea of blood, vomit and puss!
Me: At the end of the day it is the fittest energy/being that deserves to be in God's heaven for all religion eigh!
I just love the fact that the conversation between us may at times sounded as if we are martyrs trying to convert each other. But no, at the end of it, we know it is just about imparting knowledge and it ends just there.
________________________________
During the last fasting month, I decided to try taking the LRT to work. The sardine can scene overwhelmed but I enjoyed watching people.
I took the LRT from Kelana Jaya, cum Abdullah Hukum area, it seemed as if we needed to stand on each other's head already!
In came a blind lady in tudung, her walking stick could barely move to help direct her ways. I was standing. The Indian lady who is seated infront of me stood up to give up her seat. But the blind lady is quite far away to squeeze through and everyone else was busy trying to balance ourselves.
Suddenly a tall young Chinese guy reached out his hand above our short figures, held the blind woman's arms really tight and pulled her directly towards the seat.
At that moment, my super macho traits disappeared when tears ran down my cheek. I was just too happy to be able to feel such height of integration and empathy. I felt like I belong in such a superior society.
_____________
Those are the things I want to remember, moments when there is no expectation towards anyone and anything and I felt so much freedom.
posted by Maine at 11:18 AM
|
