Sunday, April 23, 2006

A Ride with Raj

Took a lift home from Raj one of those days when my mom was on mc. We felt the car jerk right after we drove past the former Kotamas. "Oh no... Don't tell me my brother didn't fill up last night!" His meter wasn't working & he was on too tight a budget to fix it. The car engine died but we continued "gliding".

We looked ahead & a Mobil station was just about a couple of metres ahead. Together we were chanting, "reach... reach...reach..." We were both focusing on the Mobil signage as if it was the tape at the end of a marathon. I said to Raj, "Whatever it is, don't step on the brakes!" We noticed a motorbike stopping at the side of the road. The biker looked like he wanted to cut across to the next lane. He stared at us. We stared back. I waved frantically for him to move quickly. He moved... right in front of the car. Raj had to step on the brakes. It was only as we got out of the car to push that we realise we were on a slope. I jumped back into pull the hand brake while the car slided backwards with Raj trying to stop it. "You know, I bet some of our colleagues will be passing by at this hour. Let's wave...", I said.

Raj found it embarassing so he ended up walking to Mobil to get help. 2 guys came to the rescue. We pushed & pushed. When I reached home, my dad asked what happened. My hair was in a mess. After he finished laughing about the incident, he gave a suggestion."Go tell your friend. If he's too broke to fix the meter, the cheapest wayto know when his tank is about empty is to put a golf ball in the tank!"

God's Painting

20th April 2006

God made a painting this morning. My mom & I were on the way to work when we realised we were driving right into a multi-coloured arc. For the first time in my life, I witness a rainbow so perfect. The sky was clear, withjust the right touch of sunlight which reflected the 7 colours prominently,stretching a few miles across. As we drove closer, I searched for its end.Its rays landed on a small selection of properties which spawn a field of gold. The moment I reached the office, I raced towards my colleague's cubicle.The camera is locked in her drawer. She wasn't in. I knew I had to let itgo.

Then, another colleague walked in & said, "Been years since I've seen such a huge rainbow. It made my day!". It was only when I spoke to others about it had I realised that so few captured the moment. A moment I know, my grandchildren will hear about. Amen.