Tarts Challenge

For some reason unknown even to myself, I decided to make prawn keropok and pineapple tarts for this year's Chinese New Year. Given the size of the project which was overwhelming for an amateur like me, I asked for help from a dear friend in the RCIA community lest the project ended up in failure.

It was sheer hard work; chopping the pineapples, grating it, boiling it, mixing the flour, frying the keropok, shaping the tarts and baking them. I wonder if my poor friend had a twinge of regret about coming; after all she worked so hard during the week and she certainly deserved a rest on Sunday!

In the course of the afternoon I discovered a talent of my friend which I couldn't have known from working with her in church. Whilst I was struggling to make decent shapes from the dough, she was effortlessly coming up with nicely shaped tarts! The jam she put on the tarts was really pleasing to the eye whilst mine looked as if it was an afterthought. I am under no illusion of my artistic talent and my consolation is my better half has always been more interested in the taste than the appearance of the food I manage to cook.

I am so glad to have spent a back-breaking afternoon with my friend and in the process, discovered a talent of my friend that I doubt I could associate it with her given her profession and everything about her. That got me thinking, very often, we form impressions and perhaps even judge based on what we see and encounter on a superficial level. We don't stay on long enough to want to find out more that may challenge our initial impressions and thoughts. No wonder God said to Samuel "... I do not judge as man judges." How true.

Melissa

Cynicism and Miracle

Pauline gave me a really nice rosary bead set from Rome. My regularity in praying the rosary had been really pathetic and I thought it would be a shame if I didn't put the gift to good use. One of my new year resolutions hence is to pray the rosary regularly and by the grace of God, I have been doing it almost on a daily basis.

I usually pray the rosary during the bus ride to work in the morning. Today being Thursday is about the Luminous Mysteries. The second Luminous Mystery is about the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water to wine. As I was reflecting on the mystery, I asked myself if I still believed in miracles. Had recent disappointments in life put me at the brink of cynicism dressed up as hardened realism? My thoughts were interrupted by gasps of shock from fellow passengers in the bus as well as loud honkings by the bus driver. At that moment, time seemed to have frozen and everything was in a slow motion. The bus was at the traffic light junction, the light was green and the bus had the right of way to go straight. The driver of a right-turning car in the opposite direction took a reckless decision and attempted to turn right. The bus driver took an abrupt evasive maneuver in an attempt to avoid a collision. Miraculously, the bus driver succeeded. It was that close.

All on the bus were shaken but relieved. An Indian lady sitting a few seats away from me made a sign of the cross. I could hear God's voice in my head "Why do you not believe in miracles, my child?"

Melissa

hell, i will not take

a shared vision
lost
a complete picture
fragmented
where is the truth i believed in
where is the light that didn't extinguish
have the flames been doused
or the dream forgotten

a silent cry to God
unheard
a stifled scream
unnoticed
where has the bubbling joy within gone
where is the endless pool of fire
has winter stolen the sunshine in my heart
or darkness crept its way in quietly

a much desired kindness
a welcome reprieve
engaged me in a long-drawn out game of hide-and-seek
eluding me and escaping my grasp
where is my anchor now?

has it started -
the hell that descends this time of year
or is heaven just around the corner
and strength i have not to turn that bend

but till i see heaven's glory appear before my eyes again
hell, i will not take
though its briberies are many and rich
for i know heaven's gates are
just one more step, just one more wall
away
bring them on then for i will take them down
one by one

~ Philothea

The New Year 2006

IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER RIDE... WITH A FEW BUMPS, A COUPLE OF HARD KNOCKS, SOME ROUGH TERRAIN BUT OTHERWISE, WHEN WE LOOK AHEAD, THERE'LL BE THE MAJESTIC SUNRISE TO AWAKEN OUR AWE AND WONDER, THE ROMANTIC SUNSET TO CALM US WITH A SENSE OF GOD'S LOVE FOR US, AND THE SWELTERING HEAT IN BETWEEN TO BECKON US TOWARD THE SOURCE OF LIFE. AND WHEN IT GETS DARK, GOD WILL TURN ON THE LITTLE TWINKLING LIGHTS TO SHOW THE WAY. IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL YEAR...

Happy New Year dear friends.
joyce