World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse

Today, 19 November, is the World Day for the Prevention of Child abuse, , initiated by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) in 2000, with the objective to create a culture of prevention around the world by encouraging governments and community/society organizations to play more active roles in protecting children.

Among the activities associated with World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse is the Yes to Prevention of Child Abuse! Yellow Sticker Campaign, which advocates posting a yellow sticker in prominent places to show your support for preventing child abuse. In addition, on November 20, UNICEF, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Health Organization will release the United Nations Secretary World Report on Violence Against Children, to coincide with both World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse and with the 15th anniversary of the Commission for the Rights of the Child.

Information from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/resources/spotlight/112006_child_abuse_prevention.cfm

A life lived for others

Today on the long drive with Fuziani to Kuala Selangor to buy fish, we started talking about our Mothers, both of whom had passed away, her's in 2003 and mine in 1998. When she asked me what I remembered most about my Mother, I told her it is my Mother's selfless devotion to her family. I gave her an example.

There was one year when my Father got quite sick. I was still in primary school. He had quite bad diabetes and had to go to the Ipoh General Hospital regularly, about 2 hours drive away from Parit Buntar (a small town where we used to stay) to get his regular insulin jabs. Then my Mother learnt from an old Thai lady about a small wild plant which could cure diabetes.

Mother used to walk out of town to the fringes of the jungle to harvest the plant at least once a week, most of the time bringing her children with her. She painstakingly plucked and washed the leaves, pounded the leaves into a paste and cooked the paste with a whole big piece of meat on low heat for several hours. When it was done, she would take out the meat and serve the paste to my father. But each time, 2 hours before she served my father the paste she would take 2 tablespoons herself first. Why? I asked her. Do you also have diabetes? I still remember her reply "if nothing happens to me within 2 hours, then I will give father the paste".

Actually, she was never sure whether the wild plants she harvested were the right ones and she was afraid that Father may be poisoned and die. What if you die? I asked her. Her answer was" it is better for me (rather than father) to die because I do not earn money. Your Father has to live to earn money to bring you all up". Even though I was still small and could not fully appreciate her selflessness, I had never forgotten what she said. Also my father was actually cured with the paste.

Fuziani was amazed. Would you have done the same? We asked each other. Neither she nor me gave an answer...

Only a life lived for others is worth living - Albert Einstein

In solitude

In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself. - Laurence Sterne

Child labour is simply the single most important source of child abuse in the world

• Child labour remains a serious problem in the world today.
• According to estimates by ILO, the number of working children between the ages of 5 and 14 is at least 120 million.
• The majority of the children are in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But pockets of child labour also exist in many industrialized countries.
• Numerous children work in occupations and industries which are plainly dangerous and hazardous.
• Working children suffer significant growth deficits compared with children in school: they grow up shorter and lighter, and their body size continues to be smaller even in adulthood
• Many working children are exposed to hazardous conditions which expose them to chemical and biological hazards.
• Large numbers of working children work under conditions which expose them to substances with long latency periods -- for example, asbestos -- which increases the risk of contracting chronic occupational diseases such as asbestosis or lung cancer in young adulthood.
• Children in certain occupations are especially vulnerable to particular types of abuse. For example, many studies confirm that child domestic workers are victims of verbal and sexual abuse, beating or punishment by starvation.
• Child labour is simply the single most important source of child exploitation and child abuse in the world today.

Information above from http://nird.ap.nic.in/clic/Rrdl12.html

Pictures from flickr.com, bized.co.uk, news.everyclick.com. instablogs.com

My next life

I ask myself this question. If I were to be granted one wish in my next life what would I request from God? God, can I ask for more? Most of all I wish I will never fall sick, never feel hurt and I wish nobody on earth would live in sickness, poverty and hunger.

I can see the humorous side of things and enjoy the fun when it comes; but look where I will, there seems to me always more sadness than joy in life. ~
Jerome K. Jerome

I am in His debt

Another year older,
a tear on your shoulder.
Life has not been so bad,
my tear is of joy not because I'm sad.

Another day older,
more pages added to my folder.
I'm glad of whom I am today,
I would not have myself any other way.

So don't mind that I write my own birthday rhyme,
I've lived through my life up till this time.
I think it is safe to say,
that things will go as planned His way.

He's got more for me yet,
It'll be even better I bet.
Another year older,
and I am in His debt. - by Anonymous

You would be sickened reading this!

Harrisons Daily reported that in Arkansas, USA a husband and wife were arrested on 29 October recently for extreme child neglect. According to the report their children, ages 8 and 10 were rarely let outside the house. They were kept in a small room with the windows boarded shut and doors padlocked from the outside.They were forced to use a “potty chair,” which was sometimes full, inside the room and also made to eat in the room. The carpet inside the room was “heavily soiled and saturated with human waste and had a repulsive smell to which the children were constantly exposed. The children had never been to school and were unable to read or write.

Please read the full article: Parents accused of child abuse

Readers were outraged. I copied several of the comments below:

sickened wrote on Oct 30, 2009 10:57 AM:
" HANG THEM! This is terrible to do this to children. The poor kids can't even defend themselves. We have killers, rapists, & drug dealers in jail that have better lives than these poor children. I feel so badly for these kids."

Mr. Mad wrote on Oct 30, 2009 11:32 AM:
" i cant beleive this. they got only a 10,000 dollar bail. and also got out hours afterwards? i have finally lost faith in our judiciary system. NOT HAPPY AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Bob wrote on Oct 30, 2009 2:06 PM:
" That is truly sick and I think they deserve the same treatment! Off with their heads! "

House rennovation going at snail pace (3)

This is how the rennovations look like after 2 and a half months. Electrical lines, phone lines, TV lines all installed. Next week contractor had scheduled to install aircon conduits, water piping and to complete plastering...hopefully...keeping my fingers crossed on that! Toilet and kitchen tiles have been chosen, using shades of grey for all toilets and white for the kitchen. Quotations for wood laminated floor received... laminating the sitting and dining and the bedrooms. Decided to carpet the staircase instead of wood lamination, partly to save cost and partly for safety (less slippery).

The seven dwarfs

Remember the 7 Dwarfs- Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy?

What happen when they grow old?

Source: http://seniorcitizenhumor.blogspot.com/

I can identify with not one but several of them! ke...ke...ke...

My daughter the avid rock climber

I was just googling several days ago when I came across this newpaper article in Utusan Malaysia (in Bahasa Malaysia) several months ago about my own daughter, which I never knew about.

Utusan Malaysia : Fedelia suka debaran, kepuasan

My daughter the avid rock climber

The article actually talked about her love for rock climbing. In fact it seems to me as her Mother that the sports has become kind of an obsession for her. Any free time she has is being spent on the rocks, although I would have prefered her to learn how to cook or how to sew!

She represented Malaysia in the last X Games in Shanghai in rock climbing. Although she did not win any prize I think it must have been a great experience for her.

A Mother loves her children even though they least deserve to be loved

Brother Tai Hou, back for a short visit from Melbourne, made a trip to Fairy Park in Meru, Klang, to pay his respects to our late Mother who left us on 9 August 1998. For me, as usual on occasions like this, as I waited and watched, I was flooded with memories and a profound sense of loss. There were also feelings of regret, remorse and guilt for not having given her the best and for all the hurtful words and actions I wished I could have taken back.

A mother loves her children even when they least deserve to be loved - Kate Samperi

The sun shines down when old friends come to mind

Norhayati, our graceful host, my friend of 47 years since lower secondary school when I relocated from Methodist School Parit Buntar to MGS Kuala Lumpur


Norhayati's husband, Syed Mokhtar, koraoke-ing away

Norhayati (R) and Mei (L) engrossed in singing a romantic number. Norhayati and me came to know Mei when we were freshies in the University and the 3 of us had remained good friends since then.

Mei's husband Puteh relaxing in Nor and Syed Mohktar's house

Scenes of the interior of Nor and Syed Mokhtar's lovely house in Valencia

A water feature in the garden

There’s hearts filled with laughter

and eyes moved to tears

with memories so vivid

transcending the years

the words of compassion

and actions so kind

the sun smiles down,

when old friends come to mind- Jim Morton

My bounty as boundless as the sea,my love as deep!

Mr. Saw Hin Seang (L) and Datuk Wong, both retired DID Directors at the pre-dinner cocktail

The ever graceful Mrs. Saw Hin Seang

The happy bride Michelle Tan and groom mixing with the guests at the cocktail reception

Amy Tan (R), wife of the late Mr Tan Hoe Tim (who passed away recently on 1 May 2009, also the bride's father) and her elder sister

Kan Wai Mun and her husband

Yours truly managed a snapshot with the bride Michelle

The sweet and radiant bride, who is not only sweet in looks but also in character

The bride and groom entering the dinner hall. Congratulations my dear Michelle. I am sure your Father would have been so happy for you too.

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep;

the more I give to thee,

The more I have,

for both are infinite. - William Shakespeare

Welcome or not welcome?

Have you ever received an invitation but later feel that you are actually not welcomed? I just experienced one. Strange? Whatever the reasons may be, I think this kind of behavior is bizarre . I would certainly give a pass on future invitations from the same source and would be very careful not to take things at face value.

Confucius on good government

During his life, Confucius served as a public official and had many things to say about good government:

• Leaders should always serve the people with honesty, fairness, and, once again, humaneness.
• Leaders should preside over the people with dignity, and they will be serious.
• Leaders should be filial and kind, and they (the people) will be loyal.
• Leaders should promote the good, instruct the unskilled, and they will be enthusiastic.
• Leaders should dwell on it [government] tirelessly; carry it out faithfully.
• Appoint the wise and talented to office.
• Trust, above all else, is the most important thing for a government to strive for - above arms and even food, for "nothing can be established without the trust of the people.
• An ignoble man cannot serve in government, because he "worries about getting something, and once he has gotten it he worries about losing it. ...there's no telling what he might do."
• Always "put service first and gain after."
  
  Creidit to :http://www.associatedcontent.com/

Our politicians still have much to learn from Confucius... Will they ever?

Fairness and being fair

Today the local radio station discussed the concept of fairness and being fair. At the end of the discussion, the moderator concluded that whatever the definition of "fairness", what is considered 'fair" to one may appear completely 'unfair" to others. This reminded me of an incident that happened to me many years ago when I was much much younger.

Many years ago when I sat for an examination while a sophomore in a local university, I made an honest mistake. Instead of anwering 3 questions out of 5 as required by the examination paper, I misread the instructions and answered only 2 questions out of 5. When I realized my mistake at the end of the examination I was frantic. I went to the lecturer and told her my problem and requested for a little bit extra time to answer the thrid question. I remember her name was Mavis Puthuchery. After listening to me, She said she will look at the quality of my answers for the 2 questions and she will decide whether to mark me based on 2 questions or 3. When the results were published after 1 month, to my delight, she had given me an "A". When my friends knew this, they remarked "Oh! So unfair!". Thank you Mavis Puthuchery for being fair.

Wise saying

In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
-Lao Tzu 老子

The 14 year old was malnourished and covered with burns, bruises and scars!

In OKLAHOMA CITY a 14-year-old boy with deep cuts around his wrists and covered with burns, bruises and scars wandered into a National Guard armory last week and said he had escaped from a home where he was locked in a bedroom closet. The boy, malnourished and covered with scars, showed up at the base, about a mile and a half from the town house where he lived, and asked where a police station was located so he could report being abused.

Two security guards who work at the armory and saw the teen there said they lost sleep over the weekend thinking about the boy and the torture he described. "He said he wanted help, and as soon as he showed us the bruises, we took him inside and called police", said one of the guards, Paul Clark. "His wrists looked like he either had been handcuffed or had ropes or chains around them. It really kind of took me aback."

Police believe the boy's mother frequently tied him up to prevent him from escaping and had a lock installed on a bedroom closet where he often was kept for days at a time. He was frequently locked in the closet for hours if not days at a time. He wasn't allowed to leave, never attended school, never received medical attention.

Reference for more details: Manager: Evidence Okla. closet used as bathroom

In most countries, there are too few data on the prevalence of violence against children in all settings, and there is inadequate research on the risk and protective factors that infl uence violence, on the impact of violence against children, and on the effectiveness of different strategies to prevent and respond to violence against children - UNICEF

How do I love thee?

Ethelin and her husband's 58th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary Mr and Mrs Teo!

How do I love thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight.
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
...

I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861)

The very sweet kindly Ethelin

John and Fuziani joined in the celebration

Will he...or will he not? Mmm... looks like probably not!

He...he...