Category Archives: Life and Education

What is your plan ?

Life, , , ,

My #1 priority is waking up early and spending a quiet time in prayer.

I then go for a fast walk or a slow jog to the nearby station and pick up 17 copies of the daily newspapers for elders of a retirement home as a gesture for those who are feeble.

Still my #1 priority is to pray in the morning and then after breakfast to attend the church service.

During the day I go to the gym to keep fit or go for long walks or reading books and writing reflections or blogging .

There are some days I play tennis which I really enjoy .

There are coffee mornings and quiz nights .

You will be surprised how the retired people keep doing things independently, Often they are visited by their families .

I stay at this home and enjoy my independence even though I have my daughter and her family staying nearby .

There are times when we do babysitting. It’s a joy to have the grandchildren visit us. The youngest one is very fond of my wife. He plays innovative games with her . He likes one of our sofas and enjoys jumping on it like a trampoline . If there is any newspaper or bag on it he throws it aside and claims it at that time as his own .

The week goes by with other activities like meeting others for a chat over coffee and shopping .

I thought retired life is like a long coffee break . But it has many activities interspersed and I wonder what they are at times when anyone asks me :

What is your plan today or tomorrow or during the week.

Why I write

Life, , , ,

Art, for the sake of art itself, is an idle sentence. Art, for the sake of truth, for the sake of what is beautiful and good, that is the creed I seek.
— George Sand

Writing truthfully on my innermost feelings can often be hidden. It could be a release of my emotions but it’s not easy.

However I find that reflecting on words of scripture can reveal more about myself . The word itself can convict me . It’s only then that I begin to know the truth .

‘What is truth ? ‘ (John 18:38) Pilate questioned Jesus in jest as Jesus claimed to be ‘witness to the truth’ (John 18:37) .

Soon after this, Pilate had serious misgivings. After all here was someone who was beyond his understanding. Truly the ‘Son of God’ .

We may hide from the truth, but the innermost self then convicts us.

There are many instances of my life of which I struggle to reveal. Writing brings this out and becomes a release of emotions .

I’ve been told that the best way to deal with the challenges in life is to begin writing .

I may or may not publish all these writings, as I then become vulnerable. ‘Boldness’ is required .

I wonder ‘why’ I cannot be bold enough to reveal my feelings . Often I read other writers who have the boldness and truthfulness to publish their works , and it makes good readings.

‘Why?’ The best reason I think is that it is honest , original and an art in itself.

I hope that when I’m asked the question ‘What is truth ?’ I can be bold enough to write about myself , with the hope that I can help my readers to benefit from how I face the joys of my victories or the sadness of defeats.

Light to the Way

Life and Education, To be excellent, , ,

We hear of many stories of a young person losing his way

Why does a young person lose his or her way ? Is it because of lack of love or it is it because of bad company ?

I think both cases could cause this waywardness .

Most often it is ‘bad company’ and peer pressure . This happens in university . Who does not want to be cool or look cool or do things which show a person doing things to impress others . Moving in bad company leads to doing what the others are doing , be it drinking excessive alcohol, or doing drugs .

What I find hard to understand is Jesus came for the lost and sick . He said ‘I came not for the virtuous but for the sinner. The sick need the doctor more than others.’ Can I match this when I interact with the gang of so called ‘bad’ guys , without myself getting into any trouble?

Obviously we will need to rely on the Lord, for guidance , by our prayers.

The second category are those lacking love. Here it is quite complicated. The person needs affirmation and recognition to do anything. It may be anything as long as he/she gets noticed. This may not be easily detected , and this lack of love may lead the person to behave badly in order to seek attention.

So where are we …what will our response be to these cases . I still think loving them is important.

I have seen this in a classroom. The troublesome students are the ones who need more attention. When this is implemented those very students who are given special attention, begin to respond and ‘change’ happens .

A realisation I have made is that often these students will listen to anyone, except their parents.

Students remember their mentors many years later and it’s a joy to see them succeed in their careers and many happily married.

In conclusion, I think that one should not give up on anyone no matter what their circumstances are, and what they do .

Love and prayers go a long way .

Can we carry our candle to light the world of those are losing their way ?

Optimism and happiness

Life, To be excellent, ,

One of the great characteristics of optimism is that it keeps one in a positive mindset .

William was a young man who did well in his job . He was always happy .

Bob his co-worker was curious to know why. “Why are you so happy . This work is so mundane , that I just want to quit .”

William responded “Why worry ; enjoy what you do .” There is no point in complaining ; what benefit can you get .”

Bob still went on ,” The boss is a real task master . He has no good thing to say . Besides some of my colleagues tend to be his favourites.”

“ Do you really think life would be better if the boss changes, or you have new colleagues in another workplace?”queried William .

What is work , if not a form of service . Whether it is private or corporate, whether one’s own entrepreneurship or otherwise.”

Bob replied ,” What happens when you are still with the same job all your life and the boss does not change ?”

“Well then, grin and bear it , but still be happy .” smiled William .

Try saying “I am happy” every half hour .

“Do you know my secret is that the Lord is my boss . I give my best efforts to him . What does it matter who my boss is . I may have changes in bosses , but God is still changeless . When you are happy , you make others happy and then you will begin to see the people you dislike in a new light .”

This verse from scripture will be more enlightening.

‘Slaves, be obedient to the men who are called your masters in this world; not only when you are under their eye, as if you had only to please men, but wholeheartedly , out of respect for the Master. Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ that you are serving.’ (Colossians3:22-24)

For those who are masters,

‘Masters, make sure that your slaves are given what is just and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.’ (Colossians 4:1)

An encourager: For sports and music

Life, Profiles
MY DAD : Dr MICHAEL(MICKY) MASCARENHAS

Dad was a very kind person . He encouraged us in sports and music .

However this did not mean neglecting studies.

The Stradivarius violin (copy) is one which I treasure . It was presented to me when I was in my early teens. I still practice whenever time permits . The first introduction to the violin was when he gave me a baby violin . Then followed the guitar. In early days the electric guitar was the rage. So he ordered one with a person who makes electric guitars. Just imagine how happy we were . My brothers got to learn the piano and then the accordion .

The icing on the cake were the drums . My mother was much against it; Dad however got the drums for us . We literally had a whole set of musical instruments , enough to have a band .

I remember he sent us to learn tennis and swimming . Even today , I play tennis and am grateful to my Dad for an introduction to this game.

For tennis I was given a Slazenger racket . I treasured it even though it had a wooden frame . To keep it from getting warped , I put it in a press .

Hockey was a popular game. We had many hockey sticks . Besides playing the game, we used some for getting rid of rats .

We played table tennis on the dining table. There again TT racquets were provided .

Later we took to playing badminton . We began playing with toy racquets and then shifted to the ‘Silver’ brand and finally the famous Yonex .

Dad himself was a gold medalist for badminton in his college days.

In cricket we were given bats and wickets/stumps. He spinbowled to us a few balls before he would leave to his clinic

.A lasting memory of him was when the World Cup Football tournament would be happening . While watching the live telecasts at the ground floor of our cottage , we would hear his slow shuffle as he came down the stairs from the upper floor. He hardly spoke latterly as he was a recoveree from several paralytic strokes due to high blood pressure .

His interests in sport and music was an eye opener

It’s no wonder that he encouraged us, in these spheres .However he never failed to instill in us the importance of a good education.

Walking in the Light of Life

Life, , ,
An Encounter

Have you met the Risen Lord ,
And walked with him ,
Did he speak to you
Did you try to listen

He is our encouragement,
Our strength in troubled times
our source of love and joy
Have you met with him

When I walk with him
And talk and listen
I can share with him
My joys and sorrows

Let us walk with him
Thru the vales and hills
He is the Holy One
Who takes us home

Inspired by :

When you search for Me you will find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Psalm 98a : Sing Yahweh a New Song

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Life changing decision

Life, To be excellent, , ,

Why am I saying this ?

Work can be very fulfilling when one is motivated and a person can enjoy what work one does .

I disliked the work I did at the early stage of my career . As a result I was not happy.

I absented myself often, taking full advantage of all the leave I had whether it was casual, sick or privilege leave.

This went on for many years . I got transferred to another unit of my organisation and was also given a temporary posting at another. Finally I was given a third transfer where the work was tough and stressful .

At this time, I realised something very important : Who am I serving ? Is it only the boss ? At every unit where I was transferred, the boss had changed .

How do I cope with the different bosses ? Then one day it struck me that there is only one boss for not only my career at work, but for my entire life. This boss is my God who has created the entire universe .

From that day onwards I worked with renewed vigour. I began to enjoy what I was doing and work became fruitful.

Soon the time came to move on, as my company was not doing well and there were serious efforts to downsize by offering ‘VRS’ which is a voluntary retirement scheme. I applied along with many others, but was not released.

At this time, the Lord gave me courage and wisdom to leave . Teaching always appealed to me. Soon I got a job as a lecturer in a college. My work was noticed by my seniors and subsequently I was offered the position of ‘Principal’. With this position and my experience in senior management in the previous job I was offered a job as Senior Manager of a 4 star hotel.

That proved the most successful part of my career. It was a Christian organisation.

With the cooperation of the person I reported to, we recruited many young people, and introduced many changes like the entire computerisation of the booking system, a fire safety project and a licence for the restaurant, besides upgrading the menus.

So in the end it was the realisation of my service to the Lord Jesus that I saw this successful progress. Eventually when I finished my work career, I was called to lead my church community, which was truly the culmination of my service to the Lord !

Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord. (Ephesians 6:7,8a )

Less is More

Life, Short Story, ,

This is the story of the greed for more .

There seems to be a paradox ‘that less is more’; It counters the thought that more is better.

There was a man ,who was doing very well in his business. His name was Adwell .

He started with a small store .

When anyone met him , he greeted them

“Hello Sir , how are you and how can I help you ?”

I was surprised at his courtesy and willingness to show me around.

“Oh , I’m ok , and thanks for your kindness;

I’ll look around and see your range of products on display.”,

Adwell was a ‘jack of all’ trades. He kept a wide range of products.

I asked him , “‘Do you have liqueur chocolates ? “

“ I’m sorry sir , but I do have various other chocolates . The ones filled with almond , caramel , raisin and rum , marzipan and milk chocolate.”

“I’ll try the ones with marzipan.”

“Will you be able to get liqueur chocolates later?”

“Oh yes, I’ll arrange for that” was his response .

So this was his way of doing all he could to increase the variety of products , thus doing his best to please his customers .

His business grew and he diversified to other forms of business .

He hired staff and had branches in other places.

I visited him at the old location and enquired, “Could I meet Adwell ?”

“No sir, he is too busy at a meeting’ .

Adwell obtained licences from the government to get involved with the railways , airports and even real estate .

Now here is what happened.

The greed for more , led to a sudden loss .

Why ? Adwell suffered a serious illness; hypertension and heart related problems.

He was unable to handle his affairs and gradually began losing all he had gained.

He was compelled to slow down. He saw his businesses slipping away as well as his health .

Eventually he was left with what he started.

I met him again and enquired ,

“ How are you, Adwell ?”

“ I’m not keeping well and unable to work like before. I was happier with my small store . I missed meeting my customers.”

Could it be that less is more ?

Outlook on Exercise

Health, , ,

Keep fit and stay healthy

The various types of exercise are interesting. I always liked slow jogging . It’s benefits are excellent. Most importantly is the VO2 level , which measures the ideal Oxygen level needed for the body . Over a period of time , a person develops stamina and can even participate in long distance races .

However , I was introduced to the fitness world of the gym. It was something I avoided as compared to running .

My son , who is a fitness enthusiast, encouraged me to start this form of exercise. The benefit here is developing all parts of the body….:whereas running may not, specially the upper body. Besides, one can also run in the winter months , when it is too cold to do any road running.

For all ages , being fit gives one a positive attitude and good self esteem . Young people love to develop their bodies . Why not , this gives them good looks to impress others or just happy to improve their physique. Elders need to keep fit as a matter of precaution, specially the leg muscles . At an older age , falls can be avoidable . The middle age group need to exercise to escape the desk routine. For that matter even young people need exercise as a lot of time is spent at the computer .

These are some of the types of exercise. There are many more , like swimming , cycling and other sports .

My love for tennis and running is the most funway of exercising. It is relaxing and refreshing. Many may differ on this. Even then let’s remember that keeping fit through any exercise will contribute to good health as long as you enjoy it. Do you agree?

Who Cares

#Nature, Life, ,

I see sparrows , robins and pigeons visiting my feeder . I replenish the food when it gets empty .

The sparrows are quite aggressive towards the robins . The sparrow does not allow the robin near while feeding and forces the robin to fly away .

The pigeon by virtue of its size, does not bother about this . It feeds well and can consume all the grain if left in a tray .

I wonder what happens if I do not replenish the feeder.

The birds may go to the neighbour’s feeder. However it is possible that feeder is empty .

So where do these birds go and who feeds them ?

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6: 26)

Do you worry about your needs of finance to pay bills and buy provisions for food on the table ?

“Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”(Matthew 6:33,34)

The Lord is a great ‘Provider’ . Trust him with all your heart and he will never fail .

He cares for you and me.