I AM POWERFUL. I AM RESILIENT.
WHEN THERE ARE CHALLENGES, LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN THEM.
ONCE YOU SEE POSITIVE RESULTS, IT BECOMES AN ADDICTION.
AT ALL TIMES, BE KIND. CARRY OUT RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WITH NO EXPECTATION OF REWARD. A GIFT.
ONE DAY, SOMEONE MAY DO THE SAME FOR YOU.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
We constantly need inspiration in our everyday living.
Read or listen to stories of people who have overcome challenges.
It reminds us of the human capacity for resilience and growth.
Inspire others, too. Be the reason someone feels seen, heard and supported.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
I can see it, I can feel it. It’s heavy! My book is taking form. In the “real”. Two years or more. Now…
The manuscript is in its rawest form.
The idea first floated about when I started leatherpotato.com. Wouldn’t it be nice to write a book? What shall I write about?
That is a question that many people have answers to, except me, I guess. However, I did have many ideas floating about. Yet, many a time, I’d sit in front of the computer and just stare blankly at the screen. Too many ideas… “noise”. Can you imagine, too many ideas?
I have been trying to get my first book out well over 2 years ago. I did not have any material. I started on something, then junked it. Then, went on to something else. Then junked it again. This had been going on for a “long” sometime. I guess I am my biggest critic.
Then again; I am a dreamer. To me, my mind is my biggest playground. Joanne Kathleen Rowling has an imagination with no boundaries. She wrote beautifully, her series of Harry Porter stories; she writes beautifully now. She recently x-ed (formerly known as Twitter) that she has at least another six books more in the writing. She never ceases to amaze.
Coming back to reality, the unpolished “manuscript gem” is only but the beginning. Now, the next round of work is about to begin. Putting the manuscript together. What goes into the semi-final manuscript, what stays out. That is going to be interesting.
When I had the chance or opportunity to start authoring a book when I left school or even when I was in school, I didn’t. I wanted to pursue other interests, which I did. Photography was one of them. Worked for a cinematography film company for a short while until they fired me for bringing my own camera and doing my own thing. That was a long, long time ago, a few years after I started my working career. It was fun while it lasted. I do not look back with regret. I am glad that I went through the several “stepping stones” in my life which has offered me the many experiences; many ups and not so many highs.
It shows, doesn’t it, the “doing my own thing” part?🤔 Even here, in my writings, I tend to do my own thing with the English language. Having fun.😉😅😁
But (not a good way to start a sentence, right? Just teasing you, the reader) these are experiences that have afforded me the honour of meeting and knowing all those people in the “experiences” that I may have not met otherwise.
I have to give mention to my classmate from La Salle School, Klang; who has a role in getting me to speed up the process of “The Book”, my first book and many more to come – Mohan Singh.
Mohan telephoned (rang, called, gave me a ring; not Whatsapped called me😉) me a couple of months ago (early May) and said, “I have read your writings that you have published. I think that you write well. Why don’t you write a book?”
I told him that I was working on it. Although several publishers had touched base with me, I did not give it much thought. “What? So soon?” That thought did cross my mind.😲”
“I know a publisher who is good at what he does. I can put him onto you. Have a chat and take it from there.”, Mohan said. So, that kind of sped the process up a bit. No, not really. It sped things up a lot.
The Batik Influencer, Jeannie my wife; and my daughter, Laura; are the “daily drivers”, ensuring that I put in the time to see this first book and many others to come, published and become bestsellers.
I need a coffee…
Insider news: My th…
EVERY CHOICE THAT YOU MAKE FROM NOW, FORWARD, AIMING FOR SUCCESS; IS CREATING YOUR FUTURE.
SUCCESS IS ABOUT WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH IN LIFE.
HOWEVER, PARAMOUNT SUCCESS IS WHAT
YOU INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO.
IT IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE. WHICH WILL YOU SETTLE FOR?
CHOOSE WISELY.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
“Today is my day”. And so I am made to believe. Until…
“You still have not done an article for Father’s Day?”, asked Jeannie.
I thought I get a day off today since it is Father’s Day and on a Sunday; to boot.
We made it to St Thomas More Church just in time for mass at 8.30am. This was even after having parked our car (double-parked in an orderly fashion) about a couple of hundred meters away. Jeannie brought an umbrella with her just in case. Though there weren’t those usual dark rain clouds lurking around, the sun was no where to be seen. The sky had an overcast, with patches of light grey here and there, dabs of white, hints of dull light blue – a bit like the skies of Decatur, Illinois, U.S.A.; after a snowfall (or is it “snowfell”?) morning during winter.
As soon as mass was over, we had to rush to our car so as not to hold traffic up. Then, Jeannie started, “You still have not done an article for Father’s Day?”😅
“Coming, coming. First, breakfast (not “breakfast first”😉). We had to go to Court 2 (Goodyear Court 2 in USJ 2) (1) to buy “chee cheong fun” (2) for dad as the Atkinson family was meeting in Klang to celebrate Mum’s 87th birthday (her birthday was on June 14th), Mum’s & Dad’s 68th Wedding Anniversary today and Father’s Day. Dad loves the chee cheong fun from the stall at Court 2.
As we were walking in the restaurant, a very cheery lady passing us by, wished us “Good Morning” quite loudly. Even though she had a face mask on; we could see her face smiling and very friendly. We found a a table quite quickly though the place was quite crowded for the breakfast session.
Jeannie ordered Wan Tan noodles. A while later, the very cheery lady who greeted us as we got in the restaurant was the one who served us our Wan Tan noodles. I told her that I had to have a picture of her taken with us. She gladly obliged.
The Wan Tan noodles was very delicious. The char siew was char siew, and the siew yuk was siew yuk; not just sliced pieces of pork. My kopi “o” ais kosong was pretty decent. Quite good. Breakfast here at Court 2 was good.
As we made our out of the restaurant to pick up the chee cheong fun for dad; We passed by the stall where Amelia was stationed at. She introduced us to her parents and her sister. Her father and mother showed us many pictures, stories and satisfied customers’ comments on their phones. They told me that Mr. Kong’s grandfather started the business. Then, his mother took over. Now, he is running it. Soon, the 4th generation will take over.
Mr Kong cut pieces of his best char siew and pork ribs for me to try. They were really good. They definitely have earned and deserve the recognition of being amongst the top 50 Wan Tan noodle stalls in Malaysia.
The whole Kong family are very friendly. You should definitely visit “Kong’s Wan Tan Mee” when you are in Subang Jaya looking for a reasonably priced meal.
What a great start to Father’s Day.
The “why” Father’s Day (which is every day) is so special to me:
HERE’S WISHING ALL FATHERS A CONTINUING JOYOUS, HAPPY, FANTASTIC AND AMAZING HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!
NOTES:
1. USJ2 is part of the city of Subang Jaya in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. It’s just simply a flat rice noodle dish that is normally rolled up and served with simple sauces.
One of those times spent contemplating…
It is intensely amazing to see how light reflects off from one source. It is intensely amazing how colours play an important role in our lives.
In the pictures below, the yellow represents life. That is a constant. Life does not change.
The drops of water represents people, us, you and me. The different sizes just means that people come in all shapes, sizes – it does not matter. People are people – standard.
One source of light reflects on all of us, in different ways, intensity and size.
What happens when those drop of water moves. They change their shape and may have a larger or smaller area now, which could also mean their area which they reflect the light from them and the intensity, could change. Sometimes, it becomes dark. Or, they could become more even in size. One thing remains constant – life (The yellow).
When we connect Life with time; we will all have a story. Life need time to live; and time needs life to have life.
It is amazing to think that the next moment ahead of us IS THE FUTURE. That is a fact. When that moment comes / arrives; it is the present. After that it is gone – the past.
We have to constantly and consistently plan for the future because the future which began with the moment ahead of us, keeps changing, keeps evolving.
That future becomes the present. When it comes, live it. Enjoy it, savour it. For it soon becomes the past. Many people spend most of their time living in the past.
Throughout these three stages of time is life. Life does not come with an instruction manual. Life in general, is constant. We get connected with life, live it, enjoy it. Many have difficult times. Then our time is up.
The key here is living life, which would entail giving of oneself to others. The interesting part is not expecting anything back in return.
The reflection of light on the drops of water (which represent us as people) on the glass, is not going to grow much; meaning if we don’t share it with others who are out of the angle of light. If we decide to share the light we have with others, the number of people shining this light which represents “Life”, grows. Our world becomes a brighter place. The reflection of our light somehow becomes brighter than before. Sharing our light of life in no way diminishes the light that we have.
Life does not depend on us. We, as people; depend on life. How we make it out to be, depends on us. We are the light.
YOU ARE A LEADER
IF
YOUR ACTIONS INSPIRE OTHERS TO
DREAM MORE, LEARN MORE, DO MORE AND BECOME MORE.
THERE IS TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY IN THE WORLD.
AS A LEADER, YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR BEST TO MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T CONTRIBUTING TO IT.
OFTEN AS A LEADER, YOU WALK ALONE;
THAN WITH A CROWD GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
NOTE TO SELF…
THINK BIGGER.
DO NOT BE UPSET BY ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE GONE WRONG AND ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG.
LIFE CHANGES BECAUSE YOU MADE THE DECISION TO CHANGE IT.
BE THE LIGHT THAT SOMEONE NEEDS.
BE THANKFUL FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT.
~ ALAN IAN ATKINSON
Writer, Author, Storyteller
http://leatherpotato.com/2024/03/29/good-friday/
http://leatherpotato.com/2024/03/30/in-stillness-earth-awaits-the-resurrection/
Following up from the two earlier articles. Not sure if I can call these essays, including this one which is about to be told, unfold… however you may want to read them.
When I started with the Good Friday article, I never planned to have the next one about the waiting period between the time of crucifixion and his resurrection. It just came to my mind while I was sitting in church. I started penning down my thoughts and then work on it, since I had my tools of the trade: my Samsung Fold 5; with me.
And now I am writing about “HE HAS RISEN”. At mass that Saturday evening (where I wrote IN STILLNESS, EARTH AWAITS THE RESURRECTION while waiting for mass to begin); we heard the readings from the Old and New Testaments, we held lighted candles to symbolize new life (and hope), we had the Litany of Saints, the sprinkling / blessing of Holy water…it was a “High Mass” (a term rarely used in church today). It was everything an Easter vigil mass should be. We were reaffirmed that this God who became man, Jesus; had died for us on Good Friday and now is risen.
Going back to over 2,000 years ago, when the large stone or boulder covering the entrance to where Jesus’ body was buried. “He is no longer here. He has risen, Alleluia”, said the angel.
I cannot help but feel the relief these people had when they heard that statement. They would now feel that all they went through was not in vain, that it is all true. Again, at that time, computers, google and other modern day technology was not available. They had to go by gut instinct, by faith and believe that it was true. Many who were fence-sitters or wait-and-see believers; now believed. If I was there at that time, I would have had more questions to ask. I would definitely have believed, but what’s next? It sure would have been quite the experience: seeing first hand the direct connection between heaven and earth.
My earliest memories of Easter was maybe when I was around 5 or 6 years old. It probably was Easter Sunday morning. We, meaning the Atkinsons; would have gathered at my grandparents’ home in Section 8, Petaling Jaya (it would have been around 1964). The Atkinsons, would have been dad, his siblings and families. I remember receiving a big Easter egg, made of chocolate. It was wrapped in colourful wrapping. I think if I remember correctly, I asked myself, “What am I going to do with a big egg?”, not knowing that it was made of chocolate.
I think when it came to our (as parents) turn, we gave our daughter, Laura; a big Easter egg and a Tamagotchi Easter (not too sure if it was an Easter egg) egg. Tamagotchi never included a warning that parents would soon take over the looking after and maintenance of these things, as children soon got tired of these electronic, noisy pets. End story is that Laura ended up having three of these devices. She also had Easter chocolate eggs for some years to come.
With the faith of the people who were with Jesus Christ during the time of His crucifixion right through the time HE HAD RISEN and AFTER; we the Atkinsons, wish all our family and friends around the world: HAPPY EASTER!
HE IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!
21st Century. To be more precise, 30th March, 2024.
Being Roman Catholic, I observed, attended and participated in the Way of the Cross and Good Friday service. This was one of those times when I was deeply engrossed in the 14 stations; not merely a participant or spectator.
I have begun writing or to be more precise, thumb-tapping on my Fold 5, this article in church. No, this is not Friday (the same day). It is the day after, Saturday.
It was not just raining, or pouring cats, dogs and hippopotamuses; the rains of the whole world seemed to have concentrated in this small area (what drama!). We had to drive through floods of about 8 inches to 10 inches high. We got almost to the front gates of the church, and double-parked. Not unusual, as parking is scarce (what you will more commonly hear is “parking is so limited”). There was already a second line of cars, double-parked; and I just followed the guy right in front of me. As if this was the end of our rain problems.
A fast flowing stream of water was rushing to get to the other side. Why? I don’t know. This fast moving stream of water on the side of the road at the entrances of the church, was about 3 to 4 inches deep and about 6 feet wide. There was no way anyone was going to hop across this stream without stepping in it unless one was a long distance jumper athlete. Picture this: everyone in their Sunday’s best (in this case, it is Saturday), trying to avoid this fast moving stream, by gently tippy-toeing or wading through, hopping or skipping across it. And failing miserably. To add more colour to this scene: they were holding umbrellas, too. Those sharing umbrellas, were trying to rehearse their “1-2-3-Go” crossing on the spot. All without success. I managed to skip across with a couple of steps. And that was just getting into church!
So, yes; I am sitting in the pew with my wife, Jeannie; and her mother; about an hour before the Easter Vigil mass starts. As we settled in, I begin thinking about the Good Friday service yesterday. I pictured myself at the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion. And I wonder. What happened in the three days from Friday of the crucifixion, right through “He has risen”?
I am not a theologian or historian. However, because I have written on many subjects of interest, and have done some research whenever I could; I have become more inquisitive. To every answer, I seem to have more questions to ask. In this essay, I wondered what went through the minds of people. I am not attempting to give a historical account as it has already been written. What I am attempting is to try and understand the period from the time that Jesus was laid in the tomb to the time of His resurrection.
There were four sets of people:
The first was Jesus, His mother, His dear friends and followers.
The second was the lynch mob, most of them herd-followers for sure.
The third set of people were the soldiers.
The fourth set were the two criminals who hung on crosses, on the left and right of Jesus.
I would presume that the lynch mob and the soldiers would have dispersed after the show of Jesus’ death was over. The two criminals would have died, at one point, too.
I would like to focus on His mother, His dear friends and followers. These were the people who were asked to believe. They did not have someone to tell them, 3 days later; this happened. They were in the presence, the now of Jesus’ death. He told them that He would rise again. Mother Mary, in the moments of deepest pain and anguish; I believe, she knew without a doubt, that He would. What about the others? They were humans.
There were no computers, calculators or other forms of proof that He would surely rise. What were going through their minds? 3 days at that point of time must have been like 30 years. How do you believe in someone who has just died in front of your own eyes? The person whom you have spent the last few years, giving your all to His cause?
The test of time. It must have been darkness throughout those 3 days. Awaiting the Resurrection.
NOTES:
In this article, I do not attempt to alter what has been written. I do not attempt to challenge it too, as I am not qualified and do not have any form of in-depth explanation. I try to put myself in the scenes of those times, and understand how ordinary folk of that time experienced their lives.
