One Choice Decides

Dear Diary,

Just caught the movie “The Mummy Returns” on television… it is the same old imagery and visual entertainment… It doesn’t feel like Sunday because I just came back from work earlier. Today is, in fact, the first time since I joined my company that I actually have duty on a Sunday (exclude emergency recalls though, hahaha). Instead of my usually branch, I went to a much more secluded branch. Surprisingly, that branch is nearer to my home than my own store! I have mistaken, haha… then again, I will still prefer my own store since that store is pretty “quiet”. Not many customers. Thankfully, there was a promoter who spent some time chatting with me. She told me that it was already considered very “busy” today, compared to other days of the week! Hmmm…

The promoter is waiting to enter a local university and tomorrow, she will join the orientation camp. Frankly, although… I did my university orientation 5 years ago… it really didn’t seem that long ago. How time flies! After becoming a retail pharmacist for about 3 months, I realise that Singapore is a land of psychics. Many customers just walk into your shop and say, “You know… that thing… no, it is that kind… for that…” They gesture a lot with their hands and say nothing worth noting. How am I going to know what you want? We are not playing “Pictionary” for goodness’ sake, hahaha… The best thing is that they expect you to know. Tells me the colour of the box and thinks that I know what medicine and what it is used for.

”Don’t you know the purpose why you are buying that medicine?” I asked.
“My friend asked me to help him buy,” came the answer… Incredible! Just yesterday when I was in church… in the toilet, I heard someone talking on the phone, “I am there lor… there… you know where lor…” Excuse me… gesturing with your hands and having your pants un-zipped, is not going to work because you are talking on the phone! The person is not going to see your gestures! I wasn’t eavesdropping intentionally but incredibly, it seemed as if the person on the other side of the phone got the cue where he was!!! Psychics! On the hand, Caucasian customers are always more explicit in their verbal descriptions for the product they want.

By 5pm, as I was packing up to leave the pharmacy… quite surprised that the 19-year-old promoter asked for my mobile phone number. Girls of the later generation sure are bolder. =) Haha… Sigh… the Italian soccer scandal is spinning out of control. I remember that I started watching and loving soccer when I was in Secondary 1 (1993). In recallable history, the first match I watched was a replay of an English Premier League match on a Sunday afternoon at my grandmother’s house. My cousins were with me… as we watched Nottingham Forest beat Tottenham Hotspurs 3-1. Nottingham Forest had since relegated and is now playing Division Two soccer. I was a Nottingham Forest fan for that one year before I jumped on the Newcastle United bandwagon in 1994. I never looked back… has been a Newcastle United fan till now. Newcastle United never really gave me much to cheer for. The most ecstatic moment was when I learnt that they beat Manchester United 5-0 on 20th October 1996. It was ecstasy because I always dislike Manchester United, hahaha… Those are the emotions soccer evoked.

By Year 2000, I became a fan of Juventus also. I suspected I initially liked them because of their black-and-white jerseys, haha… just like Newcastle’s. The match I always remember was when they overturned their 1-2 Champions League Semi-final first-leg defeat by Real Madrid. In that incredible second-leg match, Juventus scored through Trezeguet, Del Piero and Nedved as they beat Real Madrid 3-1. A late Zidane’s goal did nothing to save Madrid. I remember I was messaging my friend who was watching that match in hostel too! She supported Real Madrid, haha… I think it wa the Beckham factor, keke… It was 15th May 2003. Now… more than 3 years later, Juventus is on the brink of relegation… I don’t know how the appeals will turn out. Not too optimistic. Maybe it is also a signal that I should step out of the world of soccer. Time to grow up?

I noticed that throughout the bible… there are many symbolisms. When Jesus Christ hung on the cross in between two other crosses, it almost seemed like God intended that to happen. There were only 2 other crosses (not 10 or 20 crosses… haha) and Jesus Christ’s one was in the centre (not at the left or right). In the gospel of Saint Luke, it was documented that one of the criminals hurled abuses at Jesus (Luke 23:39) but the other rebuked him and asked Jesus to remember him when he enter heaven. Jesus then said that famous words, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) It almost seems like the each side of Jesus Christ’s cross is a decision. To accept or to reject God.

One correct choice in life and it can negate all the wrong choices you make. Don’t we always hear people say that life is unfair? Why am I not born more handsome? More intelligent? More witty? Richer? Better health? Bigger muscles? You may even want to say things like, “Oh God, I am willing to forfeit my musical talents… just give me higher metabolism rate so that I can be slim!” Hahahaha…. Unfortunately, we can’t choose all those. We are born with that in this life and we have to believe that it is fair! However, for the life to come, a single decision awaits. No more complains of having “no choice”, one choice decides everything.

The repentant thief that hung on the cross 2000 years ago, probably made tonnes of wrong choices. He probably mixed with bad company, picked up bad morals and so on… However, one sincere contrite decision to accept God… and he was on his way to salvation. How remarkable. We better make the right choice. Goodnight.

God Bless,

Andrew