Dr. Lazarus used to serve in the military army, but now he sees his patients in his house. However, his army uniform still served him well when he bravely entered a burning church and saved the old priest that was trapped there, both left the building wrapped in army uniforms, unnoticed by the rioters.
Most of the people in town love him: young and old, rich or poor, from all different religious and cultural backgrounds, they all come to him when they’re sick. The medicine in his pharmacy cost much less than in other places. And quite often, he refuses to accept money from poor people, and let them come to him for free.
His wife left him for another man, a man who probably would not leave her in the middle of the night to help some dying patient. But don’t feel too sorry for this, because he already remarried to another doctor’s widow, who surely would understand him more.
Anyway, a couple of months ago, the whole town was stirred and troubled to hear that this kind-hearted doctor passed away. As whispers and hearsays spread, more and more of his faithful fans knew about it, passed the information to others, and together were deeply mourning for him. Some said they could not believe it, and some wondered where they would go when they got sick and had no money.
They themselves had not seen his body, cos rumors said that he passed away in a hospital abroad. One of the old ladies could not stand it and decided to call his nurse to ask for a confirmation about his death. And she could not be happier to hear that Dr. Lazarus didn’t die, he did go abroad due to a major health problem but the treatment went well and he survived!
And so the whole town was moved again by this good news. I personally don’t really remember his face, but I joined the people rejoicing in his ‘resurrection’. Surely a man like him deserves a long life, and many many years to come to help people with his devotion and generosity, and I pray that many young doctors will also be inspired by it and be like him.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
MY DAD’S FAVOURITE POMEGRANATE TREE…
..is now just a history…
Yeah, yesterday afternoon, we tasted a little bit of Jakarta flood, when the heavy rain was pouring mercilessly along with a scary super whirling wind (I’ve never seen such a wild wind like that in my life!) that made roofs fly and trees fall down, including this pomegranate that had been there since I was a child.
Dad had a hard time parting with it, he suggested us to pull back the falling tree, but we didn’t have time for that since it was too heavy and it was already blocking the small road so people would not be able to pass through. And so my brother took a saw and machete and that was the end of our pomegranate tree, which happened to be so full with buds and flowers and some fruits already.
The neighbors also are making a fuss about it. The Sundanese people need pomegranates to make ‘rujak’, a special fruit salad every time they celebrate the 7 month pregnancy. Without that fruit, the salad will not be valid. It is believed that if the food is hot, the baby will be a boy, and vice versa (no matter how much pepper you add to it!). So, our pomegranates had served our local community very well, and it also had taught my tiny feet to climb.
Well, rest in peace.
Yeah, yesterday afternoon, we tasted a little bit of Jakarta flood, when the heavy rain was pouring mercilessly along with a scary super whirling wind (I’ve never seen such a wild wind like that in my life!) that made roofs fly and trees fall down, including this pomegranate that had been there since I was a child.
Dad had a hard time parting with it, he suggested us to pull back the falling tree, but we didn’t have time for that since it was too heavy and it was already blocking the small road so people would not be able to pass through. And so my brother took a saw and machete and that was the end of our pomegranate tree, which happened to be so full with buds and flowers and some fruits already.
The neighbors also are making a fuss about it. The Sundanese people need pomegranates to make ‘rujak’, a special fruit salad every time they celebrate the 7 month pregnancy. Without that fruit, the salad will not be valid. It is believed that if the food is hot, the baby will be a boy, and vice versa (no matter how much pepper you add to it!). So, our pomegranates had served our local community very well, and it also had taught my tiny feet to climb.
Well, rest in peace.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
TRA PAGLIUCA E MALDINI… (this posting is ode to Gianluca Pagliuca actually)
C’รจ concorrenza!
Eh, yes…between Pagliuca and Maldini, there is a heating rivalry of making a record in Italian soccer history as the player with the most caps in serie A. Right now Maldini is leading with 597 caps, and Pagliuca 590.
I don’t know if Pagliuca really cares about this (based on game duration, he already won because you know if you’re a goalkeeper, you are rarely replaced unless seriously injured or red-carded) but I found myself eagerly waiting for him to beat Maldini’s record! (no offense, Milanisti!).
That’s why I was so disappointed to know that all some remaining matches (including Ascoli vs Milan that I was all ready to watch!) were cancelled due to a riot in a stadium during the match of Catania vs Palermo that killed one policeman, and so the whole league is now stopped for awhile (thanks to Daniele for keeping me updated about this).
I mean, how often can you see Ascoli play on TV now they’re in the last place? I feel a little bit sentimental about Pagliuca right now because this might be the last season for him before he retires. And even since I was 14, I wrote to him every season, to wish him well. And guess what, he never failed to reply!
I’ve been a great fan of him since he played for Inter, and then moved to Bologna, and now Ascoli. I missed the period where he played for Sampdoria and was given a nickname “Re della Samp” because I was too small to understand about football back then.
I liked it when he played as the number one goalie of Italian national team, and I remembered my fervent prayers for him once, when the world cup 1998 was about to begin. Amongst the budding younger Italian goalies, he still made it to be number two before Angelo Peruzzi, and I know that unless he became the number one, there’s no way I could see him play for azzurri (cos again, a number one goalkeeper is rarely replaced during the game and even for the whole tournament, you know). And so I did not want him to sit on the bench as a substitute! I think it was a week before the world cup begun, I read that Peruzzi was injured and could not go to France, and so Pagliuca became the number one. I truly did not pray anything bad against Peruzzi, honest, but I was just so happy to have Pagliuca play again. And even when finally Italy had to loose through a penalty shoot-out against France, I think Pagliuca is a million much better than Barthez!
Really, I don’t think I will ever like any footballer as much as I like him. I like the way he jumps and climbs up his post and hangs in there for awhile watching the ball fly to high above his goal. I like the way he puffed his cheeks and kissed the post in relief when it blocked the ball from going in. I even like his decision to let himself be red-carded once in world cup 1994, for it was rather a sacrificial and heroic red card, and not a foolish one like Beckham or Zidane got. Yes he’s a bit eccentric sometimes, but never obnoxious.
Yeah, it’s been years, and oh, I really wish he would play some more years, though I’ve witnessed him jump, catch, block, kick, and punch the ball, saving his team(s) million times. I was there greeting my teeth in anger when Giuseppe Pancaro dared to spit in his face and understood when he ran after him to give him a punch, or when someone (I think it was Nicola Caccia) pulled his pants off and yet he still had other thing (the ball) to worry about. And I will not forget that snowy night in Russia when he had to be carried out of the field, badly injured. I went back to bed, tears in my eyes and nervously waited for tomorrow to come to find out how he was doing (yes, yes, yes, I only watched those on tv, sometimes at night, sometimes at dawn, but the feelings were real, you know).
And some of my friends asked me in wonder. They said, “Why do you like this guy so much? What benefits will you get if his team wins?” But they just didn’t understand, that even if he gives me nothing but the blues, I still go for him!
Until now, I still keep the collection of the cuts-outs about him that I arranged in a book, along with all the autographed postcards he sent me, and a historical handwriting note (that made me start learning Italian!)
Too bad, age creeps like a thief and so now he’s thinking of retiring soon, if Ascoli remains in serie A next season. I really hope that his son Mattia (age 7), will be a great footballer someday, as his father has been.
Viva Pagliuca!
Eh, yes…between Pagliuca and Maldini, there is a heating rivalry of making a record in Italian soccer history as the player with the most caps in serie A. Right now Maldini is leading with 597 caps, and Pagliuca 590.
I don’t know if Pagliuca really cares about this (based on game duration, he already won because you know if you’re a goalkeeper, you are rarely replaced unless seriously injured or red-carded) but I found myself eagerly waiting for him to beat Maldini’s record! (no offense, Milanisti!).
That’s why I was so disappointed to know that all some remaining matches (including Ascoli vs Milan that I was all ready to watch!) were cancelled due to a riot in a stadium during the match of Catania vs Palermo that killed one policeman, and so the whole league is now stopped for awhile (thanks to Daniele for keeping me updated about this).
I mean, how often can you see Ascoli play on TV now they’re in the last place? I feel a little bit sentimental about Pagliuca right now because this might be the last season for him before he retires. And even since I was 14, I wrote to him every season, to wish him well. And guess what, he never failed to reply!
I’ve been a great fan of him since he played for Inter, and then moved to Bologna, and now Ascoli. I missed the period where he played for Sampdoria and was given a nickname “Re della Samp” because I was too small to understand about football back then.
I liked it when he played as the number one goalie of Italian national team, and I remembered my fervent prayers for him once, when the world cup 1998 was about to begin. Amongst the budding younger Italian goalies, he still made it to be number two before Angelo Peruzzi, and I know that unless he became the number one, there’s no way I could see him play for azzurri (cos again, a number one goalkeeper is rarely replaced during the game and even for the whole tournament, you know). And so I did not want him to sit on the bench as a substitute! I think it was a week before the world cup begun, I read that Peruzzi was injured and could not go to France, and so Pagliuca became the number one. I truly did not pray anything bad against Peruzzi, honest, but I was just so happy to have Pagliuca play again. And even when finally Italy had to loose through a penalty shoot-out against France, I think Pagliuca is a million much better than Barthez!
Really, I don’t think I will ever like any footballer as much as I like him. I like the way he jumps and climbs up his post and hangs in there for awhile watching the ball fly to high above his goal. I like the way he puffed his cheeks and kissed the post in relief when it blocked the ball from going in. I even like his decision to let himself be red-carded once in world cup 1994, for it was rather a sacrificial and heroic red card, and not a foolish one like Beckham or Zidane got. Yes he’s a bit eccentric sometimes, but never obnoxious.
Yeah, it’s been years, and oh, I really wish he would play some more years, though I’ve witnessed him jump, catch, block, kick, and punch the ball, saving his team(s) million times. I was there greeting my teeth in anger when Giuseppe Pancaro dared to spit in his face and understood when he ran after him to give him a punch, or when someone (I think it was Nicola Caccia) pulled his pants off and yet he still had other thing (the ball) to worry about. And I will not forget that snowy night in Russia when he had to be carried out of the field, badly injured. I went back to bed, tears in my eyes and nervously waited for tomorrow to come to find out how he was doing (yes, yes, yes, I only watched those on tv, sometimes at night, sometimes at dawn, but the feelings were real, you know).
And some of my friends asked me in wonder. They said, “Why do you like this guy so much? What benefits will you get if his team wins?” But they just didn’t understand, that even if he gives me nothing but the blues, I still go for him!
Until now, I still keep the collection of the cuts-outs about him that I arranged in a book, along with all the autographed postcards he sent me, and a historical handwriting note (that made me start learning Italian!)
Too bad, age creeps like a thief and so now he’s thinking of retiring soon, if Ascoli remains in serie A next season. I really hope that his son Mattia (age 7), will be a great footballer someday, as his father has been.
Viva Pagliuca!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Sidney Sheldon’s death
I just heard about it on TV, and I feel sad, knowing that no more books will be written by him. The last one was “Are you afraid of the dark?” which I think was out about 2 or 3 years ago. At that time I was still working at the book store (who was recently dead too, bankrupt is the better word for it), and then I bought it for my sister’s birthday two years ago.
Huuu…no more thriller stories to anticipate!
Huuu…no more thriller stories to anticipate!
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