It has been a cold and windy day. The forecast had said hail as well, but I have not been outside the office since getting in at around 8.40 this morning, so I have been spared. It had been raining as well, but that seems to have stopped. It was still only 8 degrees when Elysia and I left home this morning, with a forecast maximum 14 degrees. So finally Melbourne winter is here in its full splendour. I have not had a regular run for 2 weeks now, having managed only one in each of the past 2 weeks. It will be a challenge getting back into shape and do a satisfying 10k or 12k in the hour mark. I hope things look up. I feel like Gandalf muttering something along the lines of how dark the hour is and how there’s always hope, and there is always the nether world, and we should always strive on regardless. I guess there are benefits to the countless viewings of the LOTR series after all. The thing about this weather is how it is a parallel of how we are adjusting to life in Melbourne. It is often challenging, the cold and wind is to be lived through and gotten used to. Then hopefully when spring breaks we are in a position to cherish it ever more lustfully. Work hasn’t been all sunny for Theresa and I. We are not exactly in the twilight of our careers, but neither are we hot blooded novices, willing and able to cop all forms of bleeding abuse and efforts to get to the top of the pile. We have been through that and all we want now is to do work and spend time with the kid. That however is often not on the menu as being new to this country, we have to start all over again and repeat that process we went through over 10 years ago. We have to for example, put in the hours and not be the first one to rush out the door come end of the official day. We have to look and behave like hungry young Turks who are constantly seeking new challenges and wanting to learn new things. We do, but it’s hard to keep that hungry look. We need to be able to surge, take a fall, get up and wipe our asses and surge again saying, “Hit me!” Aren’t we too old for that sort of blood-letting corporate ladder climbing? I know though, that we must. Gosh it’s tiring. God, give us strength, we pray. And keep us warm. We pray.

I last had a haircut in the first week of April. The one before that was a little under 3 months earlier, so I went for a number 2. It was also during a salon’s special, having just changed management. Despite it being located on the other side of my suburb, I drove there one Saturday and got clipped for $10.00. As it was a number 2, the result was pretty drastic and when I stepped into the office on the Monday after, everyone gave me “what-have-you-done-to-your-hair” looks. I consoled myself that for the equivalent of RM30, I had to get my money’s worth. After all, the Indian barber in Klang I had gone to for years had charged me RM6 for years before increasing it to RM8. I felt a little extravagant today therefore when I stepped into the shopping centre near my office (The Glen) and got my second Aussie clip for $15. And it wasn’t even a number 4. It was just a trim so that the ends and edges looked neater. I had it done during lunch today and so far (about 5.30 pm now), no one had said anything. RM45. That is 5.625 haircuts in the Indian barber in good old Eng Ann. That’s 8.4375 months worth of haircuts. How do I console myself? Well even in KL I had colleagues who went for RM35 haircuts, and I had seen salons in the same shopping centre charging rates ranging from $17 to $35. So I was still using the cheapest service. The Indian barber of Melbourne. The only cheaper ones would have been another salon undergoing a change in management or some Chinaman operating out of his home during his “special” (which expired sometime in March). I guess I need to find a book titled “Hairdressing for Dummies” and start mastering the art of self-administered haircuts.

Theresa was having her breakfast this morning when we turned on the TV, to be greeted by: “Breaking News – Michael Jackson Jury Reached Verdict”. Our busy morning routines meant we couldn’t continue watching the TV, but even the radio had live cross-overs, so when I heard, I rushed from the kitchen into the bedroom to let Theresa know, but she has heard it on the radio clock. No, she couldn’t believe it either. I wonder what the majority of Americans thought of the verdict. I know many Aussies found it incredible that he was ruled innocent of every single one of the charges, especially the minor (pardon the unintended puns) ones. Talkback radio programs have been enjoying a bumper crop recently. Certainly, news that Whacko Jacko has been declared innocent by “12 of his peers” was rich fodder for radio hosts. Just as in the Corby case of several weeks ago, MJ’s walk has attracted calls expressing disbelief and opinions of a legal system gone wrong. When I sat down with our daughter Elysia about an hour later, I told her the verdict. She just sat there without any form of reaction. I guess that highlights the difference in age between us. MJ appealed to us who started buying records in the late 70’s through to the 90’s. She would probably get into popular music starting about now. To her, MJ music was mom and dad’s music. When I look at my own photos with the obviously receding hairlines, I appreciate how old “dad’s music” must seem to her. Perhaps it merely reflects her tastes but when we introduced her to other stars of days passed such as the Carpenters or the Bee Gees, she was more receptive. She used to play one of our Carpenters’ CD over and over again in her room. MJ’s CDs however have been largely left unused, unexplored. So, I guess his acquittal means little to her. As would his guilt.

I was exchanging emails with an old friend a couple of days ago. He was an entrepreneur in Malaysia who was respected and perhaps envied. He built a valuable empire and achieved success very quickly, as his drive and ambition were potent forces which propelled forward not just himself but those around him as well. Unfortunately he was caught in a mire of the worst possible case of political (mis)patronage, corruption and utter greed. Powers that be wanted what he has built and practically stole it. He packed up, went abroad and started rebuilding. When the powers that be ebbed, he returned and re-invested in Malaysia and again proved very successful. He however, has been bitten once. His investment in Malaysia is now only a fraction of his other businesses elsewhere. And he no longer calls Malaysia home. He goes to Malaysia only for what profits his investment there can earn for him. He still has a tinge of bad feelings. He felt bad, I could sense, that his relationship with his country of birth is now purely business. He says he thought of writing about the economic malaise of Malaysia but no longer feels he cares enough to do that. Even as he said that, I could sense a bit of pain. He is hurting for not being able to show more love and devotion to his country of birth. If he wrote such a piece, I’m sure people would sit up and listen. I told him so. He was an economist, and probably still is. Investment banking chiefs still respect and consult with him. What was his complaint? Not that he was robbed, justifiable that may be. He is just tired of dealing with idiotic and corrupt bureaucrats, Bumi quotas, trust arrangements, and such other malaise. Another successful businessman who is now in Melbourne and whose company I am pleased to often share, has recently been saying to his associates in Malaysia: the biggest problem with Malaysia is now the NEP. Yes, I believe Malaysia can be world beater, but only if the NEP is given its due burial. No re-hashed, not revised, just buried. Forget about that baggage labelled “social contract”. Deng Xiaoping buried communism and said “Any cat, be it a black cat or a white one, which catches the mouse is a good cat”, Malaysia and its people should do likewise and bury that old garbage of a social contract and move ahead. At stake is its children’s future.

 

When does someone give up his private legal rights? I was exchanging emails earlier today, with someone who lives in the Klang Valley in Malaysia. He has been complaining about illegal billboards coming up all over the place, intruding on public areas like children’s playgrounds. The local councils play official thugs and would not give him or other complainants, light of day. The advertisements are by large corporations. My correspondent has written to these corporations, only to be confronted with the expected silence. Obviously something is rotten in the Council (sorry for stating the painfully obvious). Something is rotten in these corporations, too. He now intends to arm himself with spray cans and be a graffiti artist. His canvas is going to be these billboards. I thought illegally erected they may be, they remain private property. The advertising agents/PR companies/advertisers own these billboards. If my friend spray paints them, it is like he finds a car illegally parked and proceeds to spray juicy graffiti all over this car. The owner of the car can jolly well sue him to recover expenses incurred in undoing his artwork. So can the owners of these billboards. My friend contends however that this is the only way to invite action from otherwise contented (wonder why?) council officials. If I were my friend, I would be very cautious about breaking a law (private law against trespass and damage to property) in order to highlight the breaking of other laws. That would be coming down to fight on their level. Fighting in the gutter, I cannot. My friend however, has been a campaigner for a long time. He is known for it. Malaysian Ralph Nader, he is. Let’s give him our support. Let’s start with thinking about a good defence for him if he is sued. Can we mount this argument that as these corporations have practiced corruption leading to deprivation of enjoyment of pubic amenities, they are estopped from complaining against actions taken to restore such enjoyment? Have these corporations given up their private legal rights? It’s like the truck driver who rams into the car parked in his driveway. Can the owner of that rammed car be taken to have given up his private legal rights and is estopped from complaining against the truck driver? Sounds terrible. Truckloads of research required for this one… Luxury of a blog.

Disturbing tendency of populist sentiment to ride roughshod over established judicial processes? In this case unfortunately, populist sentiment seems to have ignored judicial process, and this is wrong simply because the populist sentiment is that of a foreign land’s. If that populist sentiment emanated locally, then the judiciary should jolly well ask itself why. Laws of the land should reflect the views of its people. If the masses think justice has not been done, judges are out of synch with the notion of what the public perceives to be justice. If the NST wants to use this sad saga to suggest leaders or judges know best, it is clutching at straws.

Xenophobic and racists? Unfortunately the NST is right to some extent. Large sections of Australians are xenophobic. However, if you look at the way Australia has welcomed foreigners and allowed them to participate in almost all areas of life without prejudicial laws or policies, you’d have to say Malaysia, in comparison, should recognise it lives in a glass house and should jolly well shut up.

The one thing Australians would never shy away from is to say and act the way it believes, annoying and rude that may often be. They act on their conviction. When they saw the horrors of the tsunami, they acted on it. Now they perceive (albeit by their own standards) injustice done on one of their own, they likewise, acted. Unfortunately, that is one thing I cannot say about my beloved Malaysia and its people.

Our little office had an afternoon tea last Friday to bid someone farewell. This lawyer had resigned for medical reason and it was her last day. Actually the office needed only a small excuse to have afternoon tea – I’ve had easily half a dozen in my short 2 months plus here so far. This time however, some wine was served and I hope this little fact could be stretched to account for what was said. The Schapelle Corby verdict had just been announced over the radio earlier that afternoon. My respectable, even (often) judicious boss expressed his disappointment with the result, and said she would never have been convicted by an Australian court. It would not have even gone to trial. I could only agree a little, as it would seem there were enough breaks in possession of her luggage to create doubt of some kind. For a long period of time, she simply did not have exclusive control over her luggage. Of course, I like thousands of Australians around me, simply did not know the facts enough, which was why I could only agree on a very hypothetical basis. He thought parents should encourage their children to boycott Bali. My surprise over my boss’s remark lies in the fact that he seemed so ready to firstly, assume the rules of the Australian legal system should apply in Indonesia and secondly, arrive at a conclusion without more knowledge of the facts. Maybe it was his passion for young people, having three young children himself, all near Ms Corby’s age, all of whom could easily fall into the same predicament. It then hit me how prevalent my boss’s sentiments probably were. Judging from the media coverage especially the phone calls to radio programs, it should have been evident to me how a great majority of Australians thought and felt exactly like my boss where the Corby case was concerned. This morning when I watched the morning news, it confirmed my suspicions as more reported calls to boycott Bali were aired. I guess Australians suffer from superiority complex somewhat. I recall the Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers case in Malaysia in the early 80’s. I recall how the Australian press called the Malaysian system “barbaric”. This is where Australians are similar to Americans. They tend to think their standards are up there, right on and should be applied by everyone else. I too believe their standards are up there, but that is where I stop. I don’t go on and say everyone else should have the same standards and if they don’t, they are inferior.

 

When I read the NST editorial of today however, I had to laugh a little at some of the things it said. Here’s the piece:

 

Schapelle Corby case: The disturbing rise of people power

The New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

30 May 2005

EDITORIAL: The Corby controversy

May 30:

THE mother of convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby believes that "people power is the best hope to free her". While it remains to be seen whether the court of Australian opinion, which has overwhelmingly found her innocent, will be able to overthrow the guilty verdict pronounced by the Bali District Court, the Corby case illustrates a disturbing tendency of populist sentiment to ride roughshod over established judicial processes or accepted principles in international relations. Though it is understandable for Australians to feel strongly about the predicament of one of their own stuck in a life-and-death situation in a foreign country, the public outrage has not only been astounding in its intensity but also shocking in the glimpses it has revealed of the depths of racism and xenophobia.

Sympathy and support should never overwhelm respect for the Indonesian verdict and the process of appeals. Hurling racist slurs at the Indonesian judiciary and casting aspersions on its integrity simply because the Bali court has not endorsed the popular Australian belief in her innocence is unacceptable.

While it is one thing to raise funds and run campaigns of every kind to support her, it is another thing to boycott Indonesian products and holiday destinations, or to ask for the return of donations to the tsunami relief fund. Since this was the same court whose verdict against the Bali bombers less than two years ago was well-received by Australians, by no stretch of the imagination could it be considered a kangaroo court without proper legal process. Moreover, Corby could consider herself quite fortunate not to have been handed a life sentence or even the death penalty instead of 20 years in prison.

"People power" is also making itself felt in the tremendous public pressure on the Australian Government. Prime Minister John Howard has had to soothe doubts that it has done little to help. There are now attempts to expedite negotiations on a prisoner exchange agreement and there is talk of the possibility of seeking a presidential pardon.

Canberra will also provide two senior lawyers to assist in the appeal as well as raise funds. While it is well within its responsibility to offer support to Australian citizens in legal and financial distress, perhaps it would do well to take a leaf from the Malaysian Foreign Ministry’s view that it will not interfere with the Australian judicial process in the case of a Malaysian woman awaiting trial on charges of smuggling opium into Australia.

While the political reality is that the Australian Government will have to take cognizance of the unequivocal public feeling by doing all it can, it should refrain from the kind of political actions that would strain bilateral ties with Indonesia. It would be a pity if the goodwill generated by the tsunami disaster is dissipated by the bitterness being spawned by the Corby case.

####

Have to leave it to later, to comment on some of what it said…

Lately Elysia has been walking home with a neighbour. Her  name is Annie. Annie’s parents were born in Shanghai China, but migrated here over 10 years ago. Annie was born here. She has been in our house a number of times. We have also brought her to Theresa’s uncle’s house in Blackburn. She is so quiet that if she speaks more than one sentence on her own, I’d go out and buy a lottery ticket straight away. I guess her parents are glad she has someone to walk home with, as before this she was staying behind in after-hours care, until her dad picked her up after work. She didn’t enjoy that but I guess her parents didn’t like the idea of her walking home alone. Maybe they knew something we don’t. If so, we have again enjoyed God’s favour on us without us knowing it, having allowed kiddo to walk home by herself all these months. We like the idea too, as it is often better to have company than to be alone. I just hope Elysia doesn’t drown her with her constant yakking…

Elysia is one of 6 kids selected to participate in a World Vision Global Leadership conference early June. Or something like that. Anyway, she seems pleased about this. We are too, and hope she just enjoy this without letting it go to her head.

Late yesterday afternoon the power supply in the office suddenly went off. I being the only one used to such incidents (well trained by TNB in Malaysia) reacted the least. Within seconds we discovered the cause of the problem – an SUV crashed into a power pole just outside the office. My boss looked out his window and saw someone lying on the nature strip and yelled out for someone to call the ambulance/police. Someone did and a few of us rushed out to help. There were 2 young men, the driver looked about 19 or 20 years old at best, the other was obviously still a school kid. It had been raining and the pole was at a sharp bend. Still, the airbags probably saved them from more serious injuries. A fire engine showed up within minutes, and examined the damage to the pole, which had tilted some 10-15 deg. A few minutes later an ambulance showed up. The kids didn’t look like they were seriously injured. Their mom happened to drive past the scene and stopped to attend to them, so things were more or less okay, notwithstanding the extensive damage to the SUV (an XTrail). What it meant for us was that the last work hour was wasted, and the last piece of work done was also wasted as there were no UPS to back up the computers. I guess the upside of TNB frequent glitches meant KL office mostly had UPS. I guess the bigger companies or offices here would also have them, but a suburban practice can and should rely on good public utility services without having to spend on contingencies like UPS. Anyway, went home early last night, and cooked a wonderful noodle soup for dinner…

I have been worried about the periodontic problems I think I have. For some years now the gum has begun its ageing process and the “receding has not stopped ebbing”. I have tried all I can – switching to soft toothbrush, brushing in single-direction strokes, using mouthwash with antibacterial characteristics almost religiously and recently, praying very hard. A couple of teeth have become loose and I think that is a sure sign that it is in an advanced state. Only God can reverse this process now, I feel. Committing the matter to Him does alleviate the concerns somewhat but not completely. The irony is: stress aggravates (from my internet research) the situation so the cause of my stress is aggravating the very cause! Yet, God gives peace like no other person or source can. He is beautiful and all of His creation reflects His beauty. If a toothless 40-year old is a reflection of this beautiful God, why do I bother about my outward appearance? Surely He cares and loves me enough to ensure I remain beautiful in His sight? If the physical consequences of my gummy bares takes its full course, then surely the important beauty lies elsewhere? I must learn to let God decide where my beauty (which ought to reflect His) lies. Not that I would look like Tom Cruise without this periodontic condition, but I know with this condition, I have an even more remote chance of looking like Mr. Cruise. Maybe the simple solution lies in dentures or implants (which would be unaffordable here in Melbourne)…

Hi everyone,

How have you been? I trust this email will find you still in God’s
good care and hope you are well.

We received an email recently asking about a lack of updates on our
website (http://www.alphalink.com.au/~ianteh). We have not updated it
largely because we have not taken any photographs for a long time now.
Thian Hwa ("Ian") doesn’t mind updating with text only but he agrees
with Chin Hong ("Theresa") and Elysia that it is less interesting. Ian
confesses to keeping a blog (http://malaysiaboleh.blogspot.com) and
updates it more regularly but like all tiring blogs, this one is a
musing about nothing. It’s like singing in the showers. (Even so, this
email is going onto that blog…)

Anyway, things are drifting along for us here in Melbourne. The
weather is changing slowly but surely. We often feel, in the evening,
that the temperature falls very quickly and have begun turning on the
central heating (very old looking Vulcan Heating apparatus) in the
mornings. Ian has also substantially reduced his running, as it is
both cold and dark. If he does go out, it is between 6.15 and 6.30 and
only comes back between 7.15 and 7.30. Sunrise is now around 7.15. So
if he does go out, he makes almost the whole run in the dark. When
there is fog, it gets even more cumbersome. We dropped by a gym
(Fitness First) last weekend to check things out but they don’t seem
too friendly, so we have not followed up. Anyway, he still runs 2,
sometimes 3 times a week and does some other lighter forms of exercise
at other times, so I guess he is trying. Theresa is still working in
the city (Myers) and commutes daily on the train. From her office, it
is a quick hop on the tram to Queen Victoria Market so she sometimes
<!– D(["mb","buys family groceries there. The fish there is particularly good, and
she enjoys fish, so that has been good. Elysia is enjoying her school,
and is so far the only one in the family not to have complained about
the cold. We have been told this year’s autumn in Melbourne has been
unseasonably warm, and have been accused of bringing part of the
Malaysian weather with us to Melbourne. We just look at this as God’s
way of helping us ease in more gently! This morning we woke up to a 6
degree temperature and by the time Ian left home for work
(http://www.sharrockpitman.com.au) at 8.30, it was still only 7
degrees. In the evening however, we come home around 6pm, to a 15
degree temperature. We think this drops quickly later at night as
after dinner, we often feel cold. We have also taken to putting the
Vulcan to work for about half hour before we go to bed at night, which
is earlier now – around 9.30-10pm.

See – like all good Melburnians, we have begun learning how to ramble
on about the weather. We have yet to acquire skills to manage the
other favourite topics of conversations, i. e., Aussie Rules Football
(also topsy turvy now) and petrol prices (thankfully lower than before
– AUD0.95 per litre now). I guess in time we will also acquire these
skills.

We have settled into a routine which is bland, by any account. We look
forward to evenings and weekends, when the family can be together.
Dinner time is often fun, with chats about the day’s events. Theresa
and Ian alternately do the cooking, depending on who gets home first.
Lately Elysia has been doing the cleaning up after dinner, and usually
by around 7.30, everything’s finished. We then either watch tv or surf
the internet. We attend the prayer meeting on Wednesday nights and
have a bit of a prayer session ourselves on Tuesday nights. Often,
weekend involves some visits to an uncle’s or auntie’s house. Theresa
“,1] ); //–> buys family groceries there. The fish there is particularly good, and
she enjoys fish, so that has been good. Elysia is enjoying her school,
and is so far the only one in the family not to have complained about
the cold. We have been told this year’s autumn in Melbourne has been
unseasonably warm, and have been accused of bringing part of the
Malaysian weather with us to Melbourne. We just look at this as God’s
way of helping us ease in more gently! This morning we woke up to a 6
degree temperature and by the time Ian left home for work
(http://www.sharrockpitman.com.au) at 8.30, it was still only 7
degrees. In the evening however, we come home around 6pm, to a 15
degree temperature. We think this drops quickly later at night as
after dinner, we often feel cold. We have also taken to putting the
Vulcan to work for about half hour before we go to bed at night, which
is earlier now – around 9.30-10pm.

See – like all good Melburnians, we have begun learning how to ramble
on about the weather. We have yet to acquire skills to manage the
other favourite topics of conversations, i. e., Aussie Rules Football
(also topsy turvy now) and petrol prices (thankfully lower than before
– AUD0.95 per litre now). I guess in time we will also acquire these
skills.

We have settled into a routine which is bland, by any account. We look
forward to evenings and weekends, when the family can be together.
Dinner time is often fun, with chats about the day’s events. Theresa
and Ian alternately do the cooking, depending on who gets home first.
Lately Elysia has been doing the cleaning up after dinner, and usually
by around 7.30, everything’s finished. We then either watch tv or surf
the internet. We attend the prayer meeting on Wednesday nights and
have a bit of a prayer session ourselves on Tuesday nights. Often,
weekend involves some visits to an uncle’s or auntie’s house. Theresa
<!– D(["mb","has an uncle in Maribyrnong (west of Melbourne, about 45 minutes from
us), an uncle in Blackburn (10 minutes north of us) and an auntie in
Glen Waverley (10 minutes east of us). These visits are fun for all of
us because the adults chat and the kids have their own activities. All
these however, can only be enjoyed after we put in the usual Saturday
morning housework sessions. These include laundry, house cleaning
(vacuum, toilets and showers), car wash, and the occasional lawn
mowing (grass is mercifully slow in colder months). These cleaning
chores are usually followed by groceries shopping, often in the
Dandenong Markets, some 15-20 minutes east from our home. We try to
squeeze in the ironing (especially for Ian) on Saturday evenings so
that Sundays are for complete rest.

We still go to the International Christian Community in Glen Waverley
(just across the road from Theresa’s auntie’s home). Service there
starts at 10am and finishes at 12pm. The first hour is wholly praise
and worship, followed by the second hour of communion and preaching.
We miss the cell group type of meetings. There is no "Sunday School",
with the kids attending a ‘Kids’ Church" in an adjacent building. The
kids are with everyone else during the first hour and only go to their
own session in the second hour. There’s usually coffee/tea and
biscuits/cakes after service and most don’t rush home. There are no
KCMC-type of car park problems and most just linger and chat for a
long time, often for a whole hour!

We recently traded in our old Mitsubishi Magna for a new Nissan Pulsar
(known as Sentra in Malaysia). This was the car we were driving in
Malaysia and when the old Magna started to feel a bit wonky, we
decided to have a new car in the family (Theresa is also driving a
used car, a Holden Vectra). The experience of buying a car is much
less painful than in Malaysia (see Ian’s blog) and it was all done in
almost 1 day! We are still hoping to sell our old house in Berkeley
and are still thinking about buying our own house here in Melbourne.
Obviously these have been our prayer points and we greatly appreciate
your prayers for us also. Please do drop us a note or two to tell us
what we can be praying for you about. We will make a note of it and
pray for you during our family prayer time, as well as when we pray
individually.

—
Best regards,
“,1] ); //–> has an uncle in Maribyrnong (west of Melbourne, about 45 minutes from
us), an uncle in Blackburn (10 minutes north of us) and an auntie in
Glen Waverley (10 minutes east of us). These visits are fun for all of
us because the adults chat and the kids have their own activities. All
these however, can only be enjoyed after we put in the usual Saturday
morning housework sessions. These include laundry, house cleaning
(vacuum, toilets and showers), car wash, and the occasional lawn
mowing (grass is mercifully slow in colder months). These cleaning
chores are usually followed by groceries shopping, often in the
Dandenong Markets, some 15-20 minutes east from our home. We try to
squeeze in the ironing (especially for Ian) on Saturday evenings so
that Sundays are for complete rest.

We still go to the International Christian Community in Glen Waverley
(just across the road from Theresa’s auntie’s home). Service there
starts at 10am and finishes at 12pm. The first hour is wholly praise
and worship, followed by the second hour of communion and preaching.
We miss the cell group type of meetings. There is no "Sunday School",
with the kids attending a ‘Kids’ Church" in an adjacent building. The
kids are with everyone else during the first hour and only go to their
own session in the second hour. There’s usually coffee/tea and
biscuits/cakes after service and most don’t rush home. There are no
KCMC-type of car park problems and most just linger and chat for a
long time, often for a whole hour!

We recently traded in our old Mitsubishi Magna for a new Nissan Pulsar
(known as Sentra in Malaysia). This was the car we were driving in
Malaysia and when the old Magna started to feel a bit wonky, we
decided to have a new car in the family (Theresa is also driving a
used car, a Holden Vectra). The experience of buying a car is much
less painful than in Malaysia (see Ian’s blog) and it was all done in
almost 1 day! We are still hoping to sell our old house in Berkeley
and are still thinking about buying our own house here in Melbourne.
Obviously these have been our prayer points and we greatly appreciate
your prayers for us also. Please do drop us a note or two to tell us
what we can be praying for you about. We will make a note of it and
pray for you during our family prayer time, as well as when we pray
individually.