Letter's From another Land

Some will make you cry,
some will make you smile
cause of the beauty
and
the intensity of the words that were written

It describes a far away land
that people have never took the time to know
as it should be known and I am honoring my dear friend
on this page as he has honored me
in sharing this life with me!

I hope you enjoy this journey to Singapore as I have!

I am going to put this up even though it isn't ready

When you cut copy and past it makes evrything

look crazy but please read
anyway I will soon fix this!!

It will take time since fri has written so many letters and stories!!

So bear with me Ok!!

THESE STORIES ARE TOO GOOD TO MISS!!

A STORY!!!

What We Can Learn From Geese

Fact No. 1: As each bird flaps its wings,
it creates an uplift draft
for the bird following.

By flying in a "V" formation,
the whole flock
adds a greater flying range
than if one bird flew alone.

Lesson No. 1:

People who share a common direction
and sense of community
can get where they're going quicker and more easily
because they are traveling
on the strength of one another

.

Fact No. 2:

Whenever a goose falls out of formation
it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying
to fly alone and quickly gets back into the the bird immediately in front.

Lesson No. 2: If we have as much sense as
geese, we
will stay in formation and be willing to accept help
when we need it and give help when it is needed.

Fact No. 3: When the lead goose gets
tired, it
rotates back into the formation and
another goose
flies in the point position.

Lesson No. 3: Geese instinctively share the task of leadership and do not resent the leader. Fact No. 4: The gees in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. Lesson No. 4: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging and not something else. Fact No. 5: When a goose gets sick, is wounded or shot down two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to earth to help and protect it. They stay with their disabled companion until it is able to fly again or dies. They then launch out on their own or with another formation or catch up with the flock. Lesson No. 5: If we have as much sense as geese, we too will stand by one another in difficult times and help the one who has dropped out regain his place in the formation.




My heart is deeply touch. I want you to know that every word that is written is an expression to you too. I thank you for been my cyber friend. Singapore 33rd Independence Day is on the 8th of August. I would like to share a piece of Singapore History with you. Can I send you a video CD of my country's past and present? If ok, I will go and buy it. A Joke : Once upon a time there was an old man walking along a path, enjoying nature. As he rounded a corner, he heard a feminine voice call out, "Hey mister, over here". He looked around for the source of the voice, but all he saw was a frog sitting at the edge of the path. He was startled when heard the feminine voice coming from the frog, "Hey mister, over here". As he moved closer to the frog, the frog said, "Kiss me and I will turn into a beautiful princess". He picked up the frog and looked at it very closely. Once again, the frog said, "Kiss me and I will turn into a beautiful princess". The old man chuckled, put the frog into his coat pocket, and started walking down the path again. The frog yells out from the pocket, "I don't think you understand. I said, 'Kiss me and I will turn into a beautiful princess'". The old man chuckled and said, "I don't think you understand. I would rather have a talking frog than a princess." ________________________________________




The Top 10 Tasks That Make Life Worthwhile. 1. Take time to dream -   it hitches your soul to the stars. 2. Take time to work   -   it is the price of success. 3. Take time to think -   it is the source of power. 4. Take time to play   -   it is the secret of youth. 5. Take time to read   -   it is the foundation of knowledge. 6. Take time to worship - it is the highway of reverence and                               Ashes the dust of earth from your eyes. 7. Take time to laugh - it helps with life's loads. 8. Take time for health - it is the true treasure of life. 9. Take time for friends - they are the source of happiness. 10. Take time to love - it is the source of joy.




Dear Readers, I have just received some news from a pastor cum friend of mine in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was saying that there would be another round of revolution in the days to come. He does not know when but he said soon. Apparently, all the homes of the Chinese were either marked with either blue paint or red paint. According to the locals, the blue marking means that the looters will rob the house. Red means the looters will rob and then burn it down. My friend's family has just come back to Singapore because their home was marked RED. They were saying that this time the army MIGHT be involved in the revolution because the General is not on terms with Habibie. I sincerely hope that all who read this would spend some time praying for this country and the Christians who are staying there. That Christ's blood will cover all those whom calls upon Him. If you have read this, please disseminate to everyone you know. As a lot of such news is controlled in the country, I hope that they will come to the attention of the Americans and Human Rights organizations. The Yellow Ribbon Campaign                           *****                **** ****               ****   ****              *****   *****             ******* *******             ***************             ***************              *************               ***********                **********               ************              **************             ****************            ******************           *********  *********          *********    *********          ********      *********           ******        ********            ****          ******             **            ****                            ** Dear friends, Please forward this "Yellow Ribbon" to all friends around the world to show our solidarity and sympathy for the victims of the riots and chaos in Indonesia last May 13-15. Many Chinese Indonesian citizens were abused, tortured and killed. Their houses and stores were looted and burnt. Hundreds of Chinese Indonesian girls/women (aged 10-55) were sexually harassed and gang raped brutally. Some victims were even raped in front of their family members or in front of inhuman cheering crowd Some of them were even thrown into the fire and burnt to death after being raped. Yet, not many actions seem to have been taken to investigate all this or to help the victims. And not very many people seem to know or care about what happened. Please help to spread the news and let the world know. We need help to get more international attention to help Chinese Indonesians, who are now living in fear in Indonesia. Please pass this ribbon around as the symbol of campaign against human rights violations, injustice, and racism towards Chinese Indonesians. Show that we care and may God help us! ________________________________________ _______




Singapore is in for a recession next year, if the situation in Asia did not improve in the coming month. It is estimated that there will be about 30,000 unemployment in Singapore by year-end. Our population is only over 3 millions. In Indonesia, the stories about looting and rapes are beginning to surface. The Indo Govt. and the army still deny about it. In some part of Indo, a lot of Indo Chinese still continues to flee from Indo because of rumors that there will be another riot and looting. Some of the Indo MP accuses the Chinese for not been loyal to the country by running away. Who will not leave Indo if their houses, their shops, their families and all their dream goes up in smoke? Even though the Govt. promises to protect the Chinese interests but at the end of the day, the army (all of them are Indo Malay) will not go against the Indo Malay population. The bottom line is "you are on your own".





Dearest Spiraldance, I am happy and delight that I could bring some sunshine into your life. This is what friends are for, to uphold one another through good times and bad. Thank for accepting this humble gift that I am honor to present to you Sure you can put anything's you want on your web site. I don't mind. One question "Is my mails really that encouraging to you?" WOW!. (Just kidding. hehehehe). Thanks for the wonderful thought of keeping all of my mails.




Beside the Japan yen problem, the main worry now is whether China will devaluate his yuan. If China does devaluate it then the Asian countries will be in for any currency crisis. I pray that it will not come true. I don't think Asian's economic can handle another storm such as these. The visit by US President to China will bring cooperation between the two giant countries. For some reasons, a lot of people in White House do not agreed that the President should go to China. They will afraid that one-day China might be too powerful for the US to handle. Anyway that is politic. There is nothing we can do about it.




There is no special time for prayer One can pray most anywhere when things aren't going quite your way Pause a moment just to pray If everything seems to bother you And nag at you the whole day through To dispel those awful clouds of gray Pause a moment just to pray If there is no hope is site And you see the tunnel but not the light Do not wander Do not stray Pause a moment just to pray When all your efforts seem in vain You struggle hard but see no gain Do one thing without delay Pause a moment just to pray When you feel there is no hope When with life you cannot cope God will help along the way Pause a moment just to pray



Someone sent me the following Indonesia incident. Please continue to pray for the situation in Indonesia to improve. Indra posted the following article on 06/12/98 in the Huaren Bulletin Board. A Victim's Account of Rapes and Murders Name: Vivian (not real) Age: 18 Sex: Female Vivian has a little sister and a brother. She lives in an apartment with her family. At 9.15 am, a huge crowd had gathered around the apartment. They screamed, "Let's butcher the Chinese!", "Let's eat pigs!", "Let's have a party!" We lived on the 7th floor, and we got a call from a family who lived in the 3rd floor that the crowd had reached the second floor. They even chased some occupants upstairs. We were all very frightened. In our fright, we prayed and left everything in God's hands. Afterward, we left our room and went upstairs to the topmost floor, as it was impossible to go downstairs. We got to the 15th floor, and stayed there with one of our acquaintances. Not long afterward, we were surprised because there were some of the crowd coming out of the elevator right before we entered the room. We hurried into the room and locked the door tight. At that time, we heard them knocked the other rooms' doors loudly, and there were screams from women and girls. The room was filled with fear. We realized that they would come to us. So we spread throughout the room and hid in corners. Inside, we could heard girls, whose age around 10-12, screaming, "Mommy... Mommy..." "Mom... Mom... it hurts." That time I didn't know what was happening. After about half an hour, the noise diminished, and we had some guts to go out and check. It was indescribable. A lot, some of them girls, young girls, lied on the floor. "O my God, what has happened?" Seeing all of this, my little sister, Veny, screamed hysterically and hugged his father. Tears started coming down from my eyes. With our acquaintances, a newly wed couple, we started going downstairs. Reaching the 10th floor, we heard a scream for help. The scream was very clear, and we decided to go down and see. But as we turned, we saw a lot of people. I saw a woman in her 20s being raped by four men. She tried to fight, but she was held tight. Realizing the danger, we ran with all our might. But unfortunately, the mob caught Veny. We tried to rescue her, but we had to give up. There were around 60 of them. They tied us--I, my father, my mother, Veny, Dony, Uncle Dodi, Aunt Vera--with ripped sheet. They led us to a room. Uncle Dodi asked what they wanted, but they didn't answer. They cast an evil and savage look. One of them grabbed Veny rudely and dragged her to a sofa. At that time, I knew that she was in danger. I screamed loudly, and one of the mobs slapped me. My father who also screamed was hit by a wooden block, and he fainted. My mother had fainted when Veny was dragged to the sofa. I could only pray and pray that the disaster would not befall us... Uncle Dodi kept trying to persuade them by offering money, but the effort was fruitless. And in the end they forcedly raped Veny. Not able to stand all of this anymore, I cried and closed my eyes. There were about 5 people who raped Veny, and before beginning, everyone always said, "Allahu akbar" (and Islamic phrase in Arabic, meaning "God is the greatest"). They were ferocious, brutal. Not long afterward, around 9 men came to the room and dragged me. I also had a chance to see them forcing and dragging Aunt Veny. But, I instantly fainted and everything was blank. I became conscious at around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. My head was in pain, and then I realized that I had no clothes on my body. I cried. I was very depressed. I realized that my family were still there, and obscurely I saw my father hugged my mother and Doni. I also saw that Uncle Dodi was lying on the floor, and Uncle Vera was crying over his body. I felt so weak, and fainted again. The next day, I was in the Pluit Hospital. My mother and father were beside me. With all the pains on my body, I asked, "Mom, why Vinny, Mom?" I felt a stinging pain as I said those words. I felt my cheek swollen. My mother instantly cried and couldn't speak any words, while my mother, holding his tears, managed to smile. After 4 days in treatment, my condition started getting better.With a sad look, my father then told me what happened. After I fainted, 7 people raped me.

At that time my father still couldn't see well
after being hit with the block.

They raped me by
rolling my body and hit it against the wall. Then,
my father said to me,
"Vin, Venny has gone..."

I was confused and instantly cried loudly.

"Why, Dad???"
My father didn't answer.

He told me to rest
and went out of the room.

I cried over and over
again, feeling that my life is worthless anymore.

A week ago, after I had been able to gone home, I was told everything that happened.

When she was raped,
Veny kept fighting, and so she
was slapped repeatedly by her rapists. The last time she fought,
Veny spitted on one of them. Offended,
the man grabbed a knive and stabbed it to Veny's stomach.

Brutally, he did it repeatedly until Veny After I heard the story, I was shocked. My father
then said that Uncle Dodi had the same fate, watched
by Aunt Vera who is also a victim of the rape.

God... why should all of this happen?

Now Aunt Vera stays in her parents' house,
accompanied by her sister.

According to what the sister said,
she is still shocked.

Her face is blank,
and often she refuses to eat.

Almost every hour,
my mother and I cry over this tragedy.

I couldn't ever forget it.

No matter what,
they (the mob) are uncivilized people who have no sense of humanity.

(end of the account)

My heart bleed over this incident. Not been fully understood
how these same people who go to the mosques to pray 5 times a day
could do such a thing.

  …….. fri from Singapore ________________________________________




A LETTER THAT TELL HOW DIFFERENT LIFE CAN BE FOR OTHER PEOPLE
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD!

PLEASE READ!!

THIS MAY TEACH YOU SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF
AND WHATEVER COUNTRY YOU COME FROM!!

There are so many things happen around Asia
this few weeks.

Indonesia
is still very unstable.

The students now want the new president
( Dr. Habbies) to resign.

There are still a lot of rioting and looting in some cities.

Singapore has sent million of dollars of foods and medicine to
Indonesia and yet it is reported in some newspapers
that its president was not too happy with Singapore
(for not doing it best to help them).

To make matter worst, he ever compares us with USA economy.

Most Singaporean were hurts.

We only have a population of 3 million people.

There is a limit of what we can do.

Anyway my government will continue to help them.

There are 300 million in Indonesia.

In my next mail or so,
I will share to you about different culture and festivals held in Singapore.

You know that Singapore is a multi racialism society It is a very colorful country
where ones can experience different festivals in all races.
(Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western Culture and so on).

Hopefully I can get some photos to show you.

As for me,
I just recover from a lapse from Lupus.

During these time,
I managed to read a book.

It about what happiness means to others.

Here are some though which I would like to share it to you :

HAPPY IS AS HAPPY DOES

· I spend sometime thinking about the past
and how things worked out then.

Seem like for the most part,
no matter how bleak they looked,
somehow, someway, things worked out.

· I try to never
want more than I can get.

There is more to this than meet the eye.

It doesn't mean
that I don't have big ideas
and goals
and
want things that are beyond my immediate reach.

It means that I take things as they come
and if they don't come,
they don't come.

That's the key

· If you want to be happy,
you have to make happiness.

Just like if you want money
you have to make it.

I try to make a little happiness everywhere I go.

I smile.

I say 'howdy!'
and
I go out of my way to do at least one unasked-

· It makes me happy to give gifts to people.

It makes them smile. It makes me even happier
if I can get them to laugh.

Yep that's what really makes me happy.

· If you're unhappy without money,
you won't be happy with it.

Happiness is an independent of wealth and fame.

Happiness is a fullness of the heart,
a humility and generosity that produces a serenity of the soul.

· Happiness depends on learning to appreciate fully whatever joy comes your way

and to accept gracefully whatever else happens to you,
because neither will last long.

                                                                                          Yours forever friend, fri ________________________________________