Another innocent child lost in horrific child abuse case

A judge sentenced 24-year-old Tylar Hokanson after a jury found him guilty on two murder charges.

Prosecutors say Hokanson shook his stepson at least 15 times at a rural Northfield home in June 2009, causing internal bleeding. Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom says 17-month-old Nicholas Miller was being squeezed so hard, a bone broke in his back.

Authorities say the boy's condition worsened over four days, with no one taking him to the hospital or seeking help for his injuries.

Source: http://kstp.com/news/stories/s1855068.shtml

Innocence

oh the face of innocence
fades with life’s realization
wish we could give credence
for it to be more than just imagination…

Credit to http://authspot.com/poetry/the-face-of-innocence/

Enjoying the peace of silence

Today my Father's caregiver asked for a day off. So I spent the day with him. My Father is nearly a hundred years old. He is healthy, can move around freely, albeit a bit slow and eats heartily if he likes the food served. His only weakness is his hearing impairment.

Many of us might think that being silent is a negative quality and thus the saying "the silence is deafening". But watching him, I think he is comfortable with himself. Although he was silent throughout the day, he was active...he read the newspapers, English and Chinese newspapers from page to page, he meddled with his writing table, taking out everything and putting the contents back again, he made some entries into a diary for a while, he watched television (the TV was silent), he had lunch and tea and gave sighs of satisfaction when he finished. Today in particular, he made no attempt at all to communicate with me. It looks like he is enjoying his silence. So I chose to remain quiet as well and did not try to pick a conversation with him and break his peaceful silence.

My Father now and before

Occupational hazard!

I have been working from home for more than 9 years now. I have a serious occupational hazard- not being able to limit my distractions! It doesn't help at all that there are a million things that can be so distracting at home. Everything from facebook to emails, to HongKong Cantonese dramas, to Taiwan Hokien shows, to HBO, to phone calls, to visits from friendly neighbours, to taking out the rubbish, etc...etc...all so easily tempt me away from my concentration. Writing sometimes can be boring particulary when information is insufficient. So it is a lot easier to read a few emails or to switch on the dramas or to take a snack (more like taking many snacks!) on the excuse of "clearing my head".

Most often instead of getting the head cleared, the mind gets totally derailed. And...when the dateline draws nearer, it is usually back to the bad habit of pressing the panic button and burning the midnight oil! It is the same everytime. I have not improved a bit! Anybody can tell me how to?

The adorable dolphin

I just could not resist keeping this picture of the baby dolphine in my blog. So adorable! Apparently she is only 10 days old.

Source: Rescued-baby-dolphin

I am 35 today!

I am 35 today! Well...actually...the truth is... I happen to be one of those women who had stayed 35 for a long...long time! ):

My daughter gave me a very useful present (in the picture). Much as I would have preferred a designer handbag or a new golf set, I take comfort that my years of toiling and house cleaning had not gone unnoticed by her.

“The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.”
- T. S. Eliot

Woman, stop complaining!

Today at the car park of a hypermarket near my house a blind couple almost took a tumble. I asked where they wish to go. I sent them to the escalator as they requested. Before they went up to the escalator they told me they will be okay.

In the short drive home to my house, I told myself "Woman, stop complaining, there are countless others who do not have what you have". We always complain about what we don’t have. But, do we really truly appreciate what we have?

I have all my faculties, good food, good children, relatives and friends, a roof over my head, a car to take me wherever I want, in good health...etc...etc...countless other blessings...

My lunch today- tuna sandwich with my favourite local fruit, the duku langsat

My dinner today-soba in soup with brocolli and pumpkin.

Liza Leong, my dear friend of 48 years (we were classmates from 1962-64), now based in Sydney, back in Kuala Lumpur for a short visit. We met up yesterday with several other ex-classmates in the Midvalley Megamall for a meal and for some catching up.