Hypocrites!

Today is Ash Wednesday. I went to church with Nick, my cousin but that's really not the geist of the story that I am going to tell you. 

See, it was raining throughout the mass and it was still raining after the mass. Being reckless teens as we are, Nick, Howard (a friend) and I ran all the way to the car as we did not bring along any umbrellas. 

When we reached the car, nick opened his car door. Being in a hurry to get into the car, he accidentally slammed his cardoor against the next car's. I didn't notice it until the driver came out of the car and confronted him. 

The Indian man rapped his knuckles against the car's windows furiously. Nick wound down the window.

"What were you trying to do to my car?!" he fumed.

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to," Nick apologised.

Guess what the fella said next?

"What's wrong with you? Why you wanna hit my car? You just came out of church, man!"

I stared at the man. I was thinking to myself, 'Excuse me? Look who's talking! Nick apologised already and you're the one who should learn to forgive since you mentioned about coming out of church."

Now, I understand it's Nick's fault in the first place but because the man was acting so... not 'Christian-ly' and tried to push the fact that Nick was a bad Christian just because he banged his cardoor is absolutely absurd. 

From my point of view, the man was more at fault for saying such mean things. Hypocrisy!

Seriously, be careful of what comes out from your mouth.

Matthew 12:36-37

"...I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

[Thanks, Albert. The verse you shared with me, I apply here because it's really applicable. =P]

Honestly, I can’t accept you as the way you are.

Anyone one who has made contact with me recently face to face would know how much I have come to dislike my once-upon-a-time favourite subject, English. Out of frustration, I am declaring that. Yes.

I hate English.

It has turned into a subject I dread so much that I have thoughts of skipping the lesson every day during the period prior to English.

Perhaps it is by my own fault that I'm doing horribly in my English assignments. I can't find the enthusiasm or initiative to carry it out. It is not a labour of love, a total opposite from my Legal Studies CPT. Also; perhaps for the fact that I do not complete my task whole-heartedly, I make mistakes I would never have dreamed of making previously.

I'm going nineteen. This, in my own mind, occurs to me as childish too but it is happening. I am taking it out on a subject because of the lecturer. Back in form one, I had a terrible teacher for Geography. My results, of course, plunged for the subject because I refused to study for the subject.

Who would have thought I would one day rebel against my first language (Yes, I learnt English first before Mandarin when I was small)?

I am sorry but I cannot adapt to your teaching methods, your often annoying remarks, your unreasonable demands (like making sure all four sides of the paper must be of a space of an inch), your frustrating criticisms which are not constructive (you tell me the way I express a sentence is wrong but you never bother to tell me how I should correct it! Ordering me to go look it up in the dictionary is NOT helpful at all because the dictionary offers the definition of words and does NOT necessarily instruct you on how to use it in varying sentences!), etc.

It is a sad thing when you have your least favourite lecturer as your class mentor because you have NO class mentor to lament to.

Why make life so miserable for others? Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.

I do not know how to please you. I attempted to convince myself that you do all these for our welfare but it was futile. I just cannot accept you the way you are.

Good Samaritans

Present day.

The year is 2009. (This story took place yesterday, by the way)

Class has just ended at three. Maggie and I had decided to see Mrs. Wendy for her review on our Legal assignment which is called CPT. You don't have to know what it stands for. But wait! Nature called. So, I obediently took a trip to the washroom on the same floor.

In my hand, I was holding the golden pouch which had my two hand-phones in it.

I didn't realise I was holding it until I was right inside the cubicle of a toilet and ready to... well, answer nature's call. I looked around. A-ha! A hook on the wall. For the sake of convenience, I hung my pouch on it. I was too lazy to go back to class and asked a friend to take care of my phones.

I flushed and walked out of the cubicle. Then, left the washroom. (I did wash my hand before I leave!)

After meeting Mrs. Wendy, I went to the library, eager to start working on my English assignment. It was due today and I had not begun my work. It would have been a piece of cake if our lecturer wasn't so picky.

One hour later, my fingers itched to text people. I felt for my phones in my pocket. Oh! The right pocket. No? The bottom right? No? The bottom left? No? The pockets behind? NO?!

Oh, I must have placed the pouch on the desk. I looked for it under the piles of papers and books.

NO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was then that I figured I lost them. BUT WHERE!!!?????

DAMN! The toilet!!!!

I rushed out of the library and ran (would have flown if I could) to the old block where the toilet was. I prayed fervently that the pouch was still where I left it. When I pushed open the door, to my disappointment, though it was expected, the pouch was no longer there. I cursed.

But before I panicked, I told myself I must think calmly and try to recover my phones.

The cleaners!

I saw none in sight, so, I ran to the new block where I bummed into two cleaners.

"I lost my phones in the toilet in the old block. Did you see them?"

The lady cleaner shook her head. "We're not in charge of the old block. You should look for the cleaners there. They should be still there."

Thanking them, I ran back to the old block and busted down every door of every classrooms, from the third floor to ground level. I spotted them near the labs.

Tired and panting, I could only manage, "Phones... lost.... did you see them?"

"What????"

"I lost my phones in the toilet, second floor... did you see them?"

Their answers were not good. They said the time when I lost it, they were cleaning the classrooms and not the toilet. They assured me if they had come across it, they would have handed it over. I didn't doubt their sincerity. They didn't look like they were lying. It was by my own fault that I lost them.

Now, I panicked. I didn't know what steps I should take next.

Lodge a report, you idiot!

Ah, right!

I sprinted to the new block and entered the SAM office. I gaped at the empty place. There was no officer in sight.

WHERE'S EVERYONE?!

Feeling rather lost, I headed for the student central, which was in front of the old block. At the reception desk, the lady was busy answering a call. The phone seemed to never stop ringing. If I were Piper from Charmed, I would seriously have blown up that piece of communication tool.

Finally, she was able to entertain me.

"How may I help you?"

God, please let my phones be in the lost and found section already.

"I lost two phones in a pouch."

"Please fill up this form." She passed me a pen and a form.

No such luck. I sighed. Depressed, I filled it up with all the details and descriptions of my lost belongings. My mind was totally numb with the thought and the prospect that I was phone-less then. I could not accept that fact. I had friends who lost their phones. I never thought it could happen to me too.

"We will inform you if we recover it. Thanks."

"Okay..."

I exited the student central building. That. Was. It. There was nothing else I could do. My phones were as good as gone.

I decided to pack up and leave the library. Go back home and lament to my friends or something. I was no longer in the mood to study or do any work.

As I was about to climb the stairs, I bumped into Siew Fong and Kevin.

"You look very distressed," said Kevin.

"You look very tired," said Siew Fong.

"I am very tired AND distressed," said I. I told them the whole story. Siew Fong was kind enough to lend me her phone so that I could call my cousin Nick to tell my dad to cancel my phone lines.

"Let me give you a hug. If it makes you feel better, I lost four pendrives in college before," comforted Siew Fong.

It sounded amusing but I couldn't bring myself to laugh because I just lost two phones, my two darlings. I bid them goodbye and resumed my grave march to the library.

I was going back to the desk I was using when I met Jie Hui.

"Ahh!!! JOYCE!!!"

Don't worry. The main campus library isn't exactly the quietest place on earth anyway.

"Oh, hi, Jie Hui," I greeted her, less energetic than usual.

"Did you know..?!"

I looked at her blankly. How did she know I lost my phones so soon?

She shoved a golden pouch before my face. My eyes widened and I blurted, "MY PHONES!!! Holy cow!!!!"

"Did you even know they were gone?!!!" she asked incredulously.

"Of course! I've been looking for them for the past half an hour!"

It was amazing, that gush of joy. Indescribable. What I have lost, I have now regained. (sounds like something out of the Bible. Haha)

"How did you find it?? Thank you so much!!!! I'll treat you to one week of vegetarian food no problem!" (Jie Hui is a vegetarian, okay, not that I am stingy. =.= and mind you, vegetarian food can be quite expensive!)

"You are a very lucky person. It was my friend who found it in the toilet. She looked through your contact list and found my name. She called me up so that she could return the phones back to you!"

"Thank your friend for me. I owe her big time!!!" I exclaimed.

I was astonished at such... honesty! I was touched at the same time.

"There, that's her!" Jie Hui pointed out. She waved and signalled her to come over. The girl came to us and I thanked her gratefully.

"Oh no, not me, it's natasha (I think that's what she said)."

I had the opportunity to thank the ultimate saviour of the day as the girl who found my phone was in the library too. Gosh, what good Samaritans!!!!!

It suddenly struck me.

"Oh crap!"

"What?" Jie Hui enquired.

"My dad is going to cancel my lines!"

-end-

We have a few lessons to learn here:

1. We must be honest people. (Natasha, Jie Hui's other friend and Jie Hui)

2. We must help those in need. Don't be stingy with your credits. (Siew Fong)

3. We must thank those who help us.

4. We must thank God every time He helps us. (Everyone I met along the 'journey' to find my phones was angels in disguise, I believe.)

The greatest lesson of all...

MUST SURE YOU HAVE A LONG CONTACT LIST SO THAT WHEN AN HONEST PERSON WANTS TO RETURN YOU YOUR PHONE, THE PERSON CAN DO SO!! HAVE GOOD P.R. AS WELL OR PEOPLE WOULD NOT WANT TO HELP YOU! xD

What.

There's no more lesson left from the story for today.

I didn't leave any out on purpose.

Okay, fine.

Don't be another forgetful girl like me. I was only lucky. My luck might run out if this happens again. You may not even have that luck that I had. =P

Oh, and no worries, I was in time to stop my dad from canceling my lines.

Appreciate

Last Chap Goh Meh, I took it for granted, not knowing that in the next year, I would not be celebrating this day with my family and relatives.

I've always spent the fifteen days of Chinese New Year with my family previously. Suddenly, breaking the tradition, I realised how much it meant to me. Not the ang pows or mountains of food, but the sheer presence of being with my family was what mattered.

Though still living in the same country and just a sea apart, it struck me how it was a simple blessing from God to be with your loved ones every day.

So, those of you who have not left home for a long period time, appreciate your family. Don't take them for granted. Make every single moment with them meaningful.

Happy Chap Goh Meh! Cheers!