Friends I met in my voyage

The great difference between voyages rests not in ships but in the people you meet on them.
- Amelia Barr
2 friends I met in my voyage. Nor and Fuziani

True friends

When I was in the university in the late 60s -early 70s, every semester break, I used to work with the Statistics Department (fixed up by our neighbour opposite, Mr Loh), as an enumerator. I still remember the work was quite mechanical, i.e. transfering population statistics into codes. In the course of this semester breaks job, I got close to a girl working full time for the Statistics Department, Miss lim Lan Nee. After I started working, in one of my postings in late 1970s, I was working in the Ministry of Housing, located next to the Statistics Department. That was when I met up with Lan Nee again and we socialised occasionally. I was relocated to the MOH HQ in 1979 and we lost touch. One week ago she managed to locate me and we met up today in the Mid valley, after nearly 30 years. She was thrilled to see me, as warm as before, just like I remebered her.

We caught up on lost times, filling each other up on what had happened in our lives since then. We both realized so many things had happened. She battled ovarian cancer in the early 80s when her son was only 8, had a hysterectomy, had chemo which caused her to lose all her hair and survived. Now her son is 36 and just got married last month to a girl from Japan. She is fully recovered and although now in her 60s she is looking good with a full crop of hair. I told her about the personal adjustments in my life. We parted with the promise to meet agin.

Many friends will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart - Eleanor Roosevelt

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Had a busy New Year Eve indeed. Had lunch in Hilton with my DID friends who had been around my life since 1988. Lunch was a new year Eve celebration cum farewell party for Dr. Salmah who will soon be leaving the country to take up an appointment with the UN.

Saw, me and Dr Salmah

Pang, me and Chew

In the evening had dinner with the gang and ushered in the New Year with sparkling juice in place of champaign!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."- Anais Nin

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mother's favourite fish

Today my sister took me to the night market near her house. She showed me the fish stall where Mother used to get her favourite fresh white pomfrets. Today there were quite a lot of the fish.

One thing which I had definitely inherited from my Mother is my liking for the white pomfret. All my three children also had inheritied her love for this fish, probably due to the fact that she had always bought this fish for them since they were small.

I remember my Mother actually did not quite like fish at all. But the white pomfret was an exception, probably because the white pomfret does not really have a very fishy taste. When my Mother ate the white pomfret she did not eat the whole fish, only the tastiest parts, ie. the parts near the wings and the tail. This is one of the little precious memories that I have of my Mother.

8 year old boy abused and murdered!

On 27 December 2008, an eight-year-old boy Thai boy, believed to be a victim of abuse, was found dead in his home at an apartment building in Tampoi, Malaysia.

There were several marks on the body, hands, legs and head. The body of the boy was discovered about 3.20pm on Saturday. Police have detained the boy’s 30-year-old mother, who is also a Thai national, and his 31-year-old Singaporean stepfather to assist in investigations.

The post-mortem result showed that the boy died from multiple injuries expecially from those inflicted on the head. Supt Mohd Akhir said initial investigations showed that the boy is believed to have been abused by the stepfather.

Police were alerted by neighbours who heard a commotion in the boy’s home. Time and again, we failed the young and defenceless.

Read fill article: Thai boy found dead after alleged abuse by stepdad

The Golden Girls

Attended a previous boss' (also close friend) daughter's wedding last night in PJ Hilton. Had the opportunity to sit on the same table with former close colleagues, all golden girls, and had a roaring time, just like before.

Somehow, we click so well that even after so long there is so much to talk about.

Rose was her usual self (we named her after Rose of the Golden Girls fame, the simple minded one). At the end of the dinner when Siew Hong was fumbling for some coins to pay for the parking ticket, I said "actually I want to take out my $1,000 note to help you pay for the ticket, but I couldn't find it." Immediately Rose said "$1,000 notes are still in circulation meh?" We all bursted out laughing, but of course Rose did not know why...true to her name!

You were never mentioned!

This is a nice one! From: http://www.pmcaregivers.com/

2 brothers in the Good Samaritan Home in Klang, Malaysia

I want to share with you this heartwarming story which brought tears to my eyes.

When three-year-old Brian Ng first came to live at the Good Samaritan Home one-and-a-half years ago, he was an unhappy child. He did not allow anyone to get close to him.

Over time he warmed up to teenager Daniel Tamilvanan, a fellow resident of the home.Home administrator Pastor Albert Ong said Daniel, 16, who has a soft spot for younger children started reaching out to Brian.

“Today Brian and Daniel are inseparable and share a strong bond akin to a father-son relationship,” he said, adding that both boys share meals and sleep together and Brian clings tightly to Daniel whenever the older boy is around.

“He follows me around and I have grown to love him very much,” said Daniel, adding that Brian is his closest “brother” at the Klang-based home that houses 28 children.

This year’s Christmas for the two boys was spent at the home and in each other’s company.

Read the full story: ‘Brotherly’ love more meaningful written by Wani Muthiah

May God bless you both, little Brian and Daniel!

Okinawa holds the record for longevity

Okinawa in Japan holds the record for longevity and centenaries of the world and is the only place on the planet where 80-90 year-olds live like persons 30 years younger.

It is here that you see 100 year-old persons who are not even thinking about retirement. On Okinawa, there are 457 persons aged 100 or over, an average of 35 for each 100,000 inhabitants. It is the highest rate in the world. The Okinawa inhabitants reach ages similar to the Japanese average: 86 for women and 78 for men. But the real shocking factor is not that Okinawa people reach these ages, but that they grow old in a much better state. The statistics reveal a significantly lower risk of heart attack and stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer.

Decades of research show that there are two main factors behind the longevity on this island: alimentation and a healthy lifestyle that experts believe can be imitated.

The traditional diet of Okinawa consists of portions made of a bowl of cooked food and a fruit. Okinawans eat seven portions of vegetables and fruits daily, seven of cereals and two of soy products. They take various portions of fish weekly and, very sporadically, meat and dairy products. Overall, their diet is low in calories and contains a lot of vegetables.

You can see persons aged 90-100 on motorcycles or mountain bikes on the streets of Okinawa, and most of them practice karate, kendo, dancing, walk daily several kilometers, and even work on vegetable gardens and after that sell the products. They are rather preoccupied by hobbies, but linked to a social network that makes them feel connected to the environment and their fellows, and helps develop their spiritual side. Physical activity is not isolated, but has an objective, making the elders feel active members of the community. Another factor in Okinawa is that people take care of one another, forming more coherent and supportive links than in the western world.

In the center of the island, you can now find a big store with a big billboard reading, "Okinawa, the world capital of longevity," which also offers the ingredients of longevity: brown sugar "made of Okinawa cane", kombu, tofu and other products, all of them supposed to prolong your life.

Read full article: World's Hot Spots of Longevity- What's the secret behind a long life?

Right handed ot left handed?

I tripped today and broke my fall with my left hand, leaving it slightly injured. This reminds me of a mystery I had been trying to solve all these years. Am I right handed or left handed?

Most of the time I would not know which hand I would use to perform a new task until I do it.

I eat and write with my right hand and basically perform most other tasks with my left, although there are exceptions. For example, I can only use a knife, scissors, needle with my left hand. I carry heavy objects with my left hand. I throw a ball into the ring with my right and play badminton with my right hand. But I hold a hockey stick with my left hand and play darts also with my left hand.

I remember I was in this fancy restaurant in Bonn, Germany some years back. I noticed that whenever I placed my drinking glsss back on the table the waiter would promptly rearrange my glass back to the right hand side. I then realized that I can only hold a drinking glass with my left hand and gave the waiter so much trouble.

A man's best friend?

This is a photograph taken by brother-in-law Ching in his recent trip to Vietnam. Roasted Dog! Yeaks! Disgusting right?


This picture of another roasted dog with the head and tail still intact taken from trekearth

Dogs are a man's best friend...or best meat?

No one returns to tell us of the road

Strange is it not?

That of the myriads who

Before us passed the door of Darkness through,

Not one returns to tell us of the road

Which to discover we must travel too.

- Omar Khayyam

There is no death, only a change of worlds

If I had not been at the hair saloon today, where I normally have the time to go through every page of the newspaper, I may have missed the obituary on Alex Ooi's passing on 15 December. I contacted See and Heng and we decided to make a trip to Ipoh to see Alex for the last time. Alex is to be cremated tomorrow at 11 am. I always remember Alex although we have lost touch in the last few years since his retirement and his move back to his hometown. It was more than 20 years ago that I came to know him through the workplace. He was a charmer, he loved to go to the theater, he loved to dance, he loved to party and he has always been a perfect gentleman. He was totally dovoted to his old parents who lived with him and still do. I hope they will be strong.

There is no death, only a change of worlds -Duwamish

Bad manners? Bad service?

Today I was at this hypermarket chain near my house. I was walking in one of the aisles when a hypermarket worker with a trolley load of things almost bumped to me while taking the corner. I had to quickly give way to her to avoid getting hit. Instead of saying sorry, she said in a very irritated manner “aiya!” Then when I was at the payment counter, the cashier punched in my purchases, I gave her the money, but instead of giving me the change right away, she held on to the money for a good 2 minutes while chatting with her colleague at the next counter. I said to her rather politely in Malay “saya nak bayar” meaning “I want to pay”. She heard me I am sure but continued to talk for a while, then put the cash in the cash box and banged it shut very hard and handed me the change in a rough manner.

My friend’s advice to me was to make a complaint. You don't pay for bad service.
But I suppose I am more of the conflict-phobic type. I hate ugly situations and I am not sure whether I am capable of voicing my complaints in a calm manner. Normally when I am angry, I will just keep quiet or just walk away. But it will be a long time before I patronize the place again!

Two kids, locked in bathrooms, were found starved!

In Eagle Mountain, UTAH, a man pleaded guilty to four counts of felony child abuse in connection with starving and abusing two children.

A neighbor noticed a 9-year-old girl naked in the couple's backyard. The girl told police she had dropped from a 12-foot-high window to escape the bathroom she was locked in. Her 6-year-old brother was at first mistaken for dead when police found him lying in another locked bathroom.

According to Police records the guardians let the children go hungry, beat them with a leather belt and locked them in the bathrooms for long periods!

What kind of beasts are they?

Read the full story: Eagle Mountain man pleads guilty in child neglect case

What kind of a joke is that?

I heard this wry joke on the Light and Easy Radio Channel the other day, twice in a day.

"You know the best place to get married? It's the funeral parlour! Because when you say "I do", you are dead anyway".

What kind of a joke is that?

Sharing 50/50

A young man saw an elderly couple sitting down to lunch at McDonald's. He noticed that they had ordered one meal, and an extra drink cup. As he watched, the gentleman carefully divided the hamburger in half, then counted out the fries, one for him, one for her, until each had half of them. Then he poured half of the soft drink into the extra cup and set that in front of his wife. The old man then began to eat, and his wife sat watching, with her hands folded in her lap.

The young man decided to ask if they would allow him to purchase another meal for them so that they didn't have to split theirs. The old gentleman said, "Oh no. We've been married 50 years, and everything has always been and will always be shared, 50/50."

The young man then asked the wife if she was going to eat, and she replied..."Not yet...It's his turn with the teeth!"

Source: http://jokes.edigg.com/Old_Age/His_Turn.shtml

Old Golfers

Four men were out golfing."These hills are getting steeper as the years go by," one complained. "These fairways seem to be getting longer too," said one of the others. "The sand traps seem to be bigger than I remember them too," said the third senior.

After hearing enough from his senior buddies, the oldest and the wisest of the four of them at 87 years old, piped up and said, "Just be thankful we're still on the right side of the grass!"

Source: http://jokes.edigg.com/Old_Age/The_Old_Golfers.shtml

"I set my aims high", said the 69 year old gynaecologist

Datuk Dr Khairuddin Yusof, a former deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya (UM) and 69-year-old gynaecologist sets an example for all senior citizens.

He has scaled Mt Aconcagua in Argentina and a few peaks in Kazakshtan, often finding himself to be the oldest in the group. He even went to a mountaineering school in India and convinced them to take him in as a student. The age limit was 45.

He had a few blockages so he had a stent inserted. Despite that, Dr Khairuddin did not retreat into a sedentary lifestyle. Six weeks later to “test the stent”. He cycled from Adelaide to Melbourne in Australia. And he continues to train for regular triathlons. Just for kicks.
He is a regular fixture at the gym, taking capoeira classes and lifting weights to hone his muscles. Occasionally, he trains on the stationary bike to increase his endurance.

He said, “I set my aims high and reach for the stars. I don’t know how long I’ll be in this world so I don’t care what others say! It’s the journey which I really enjoy. So what if I don’t reach the mountain top or complete a triathlon? It’s an enriching experience, nevertheless.”

Read the full story published in theStar on 6 December 2008: Buzzing with vitality

Senior citizen ironman

The mother of all local triathlons in Malaysia is the Ironman Langkawi, which started in 2000. Fewer than 200 Malaysians have met the qualifying time of 17 hours that entitles them to a certificate of excellence and the right to be called Ironman. Qualifiers go on to participate in the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

One man who has qualified a few times is senior citizen, 71-year-old Yee Sze Mun. He is only 5’2”, weighs a feathery 47kg and is probably the oldest contestant from South-East Asia.

Read his story: Improving with age by REVATHI MURUGAPPAN of Malaysia's local newspaper, theStar.

Have a laugh!

Good friends Fuziani (left), an Electrical Engineer by profession and Nor Hadjar, a Professor and Town Planner. They will kill me if they see this! Ke...ke...ke... :-)

Daughter Deedee (left) and her 2 best friends, Yin Lee and Amalia.

Just learnt how to do this from http://www.magmypic.com/post

Teen found wearing only a pair of baggy boxers and carrying a heavy chain padlocked to his ankle!

In Tracy, Northern califormia, a teen wandered into the In-Shape City Sports Club, 101 S. Tracy Blvd., around 3:30 p.m. 1 December. He was wearing only flesh-colored boxers and carrying a heavy chain padlocked to his ankle . His feet were swollen, he was terrified and cold. He kept saying, 'They're going to come find me.' He kept saying that over and over." Employees wrapped the boy in towels as they led him to the manager's office, where they gave him some food and a bottle of water, which he guzzled.

He had visible cuts and burns on his back and was described as being emaciated and covered in soot, dried blood, feces and urine, police said. He was taken to Sutter Tracy Community Hospital and was expected to be transferred to Children's Hospital Oakland, authorities said. According to some news reports, he was in critical condition.

Read the full article: Tracy teen found with chain padlocked to foot says he escaped torture

Baby P sufferred a lifetime of abuse

A 17-month-old boy, known only as Baby P, died in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007, with multiple injuries including fractured ribs and a broken back, despite being on the child protection register and being seen by social workers 60 times!

His mother, her boyfriend and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 15 for causing or allowing the child's death.

Inspectors investigated why the toddler was not taken into care despite numerous injuries including broken ribs and eventually a broken back.

The tot’s ribs were smashed and he was paralysed from a broken spine. He died in his blood-spattered cot after being punched so hard a milk tooth was smashed down his throat. The tops of his fingers had been cut off and his nails pulled out.

The local authority involved -- Haringey Council in north London -- is the same one that failed to stop the death of eight-year-old Ivorian Victoria Climbie, a child abuse case that similarly shocked Britain in 2000.

A deputy director, a senior team manager and three social workers had been suspended on full pay! With full pay? How we have failed baby P! Rest in peace sweet child. You are safe in God's arms now.

Read full article:Staff suspended over child abuse case that shocked Britain

Also: Revealed: sister of Baby P ‘was also abused

Also: Rest In Peace, Baby P

Also http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5140511.ece?token=null&offset=12&page=2

Hope never stops to sing

I was in the city centre yesterday noon, in Citibank Building,the 13th tallest building in the country, 190 meters tall and 50 storeys high, when I got a phone call from Apple. I was in the midst of a queue to get my lunch, my tears just flowed when Apple, in a very excited manner, told me the good news that the doctor confirmed that for the first time in 3 months, Mr Tan's blood test was good and he could be on the way to recovery! Some in the queue were staring at me when I took out my tissue to wipe away my tears.

My earlier posts on Mr. Tan: Hope abides dated 16 November and A question hard to answer dated 15 August.



"Hope" is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all

- Emily Dickinson

A poor life this, if full of care

That's Teh Kechik next to a X'mas tree.

Spent a leisurely morning yesterday with Teh Kechik, a friend of over 20 years in the Mid valley Megamal. Except for the food outlets, there were hardly any shoppers. A reflection of the times or is it just because it was a Monday morning?

This leisurely morning reminds me of this poem I came across in my younger days:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

...

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars like skies at night.

...

A poor life this if, full of care

We have no time to stand and stare.

My periwinkles in full bloom

Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun.
- Kahlil Gibran

The barbarians only got 2 years and 8 months!

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/21/2426809.htm

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is appealing against the sentences handed down to a Perth couple who imprisoned a 6-year-old boy in their garage.

The boy weighed just 12 kilograms when he was found in a portable cot in the darkened garage last year. He had been deprived of food and had bruises all over his face and body.

The couple was sentenced to two years and eight months jail for what the Judge described as the cruel and appalling neglect and abuse of the boy. The man was given an additional six months for assaulting the boy.

My opinion: Even adding 20 years is not punishment enough!

Many clear benefits of exercise for the elderly

Extracts from article entitled The Age Antidote

by Len Kravitz, Ph.D.

"There are clearly many benefits that can be derived from participation in an exercise program for the mature exerciser. It is well-recognized that many deleterious physical and psychological conditions that commonly occur during aging can be prevented or delayed in asymptomatic persons with regular physical activity .

Physical activity in elders has been linked to playing a role in the prevention of some cancers as well as reduced risk to heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and abnormal cholesterol.

Mature adults who maintain high levels of cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility are also less likely to be dependent for long-term care. Strength and flexibility exercises may prevent falls and injuries by improving balance and mobility. Improved strength also helps individuals function independently, with improved gait and bodily control.

Additionally, exercise is associated with effective stress management, fewer sleep disorders, enlightened mental outlook, reduced loneliness, and lowered depression and anxiety."

There is something about dolphins

Do you know?

Outside of its striking friendliness, the Dolphin seems to have been blessed with a well developed sense of humor.

Dolphins live in social groups dominated by a leader.

A dolphin's skin is extremely delicate and easily injured by rough surfaces--very similar to human skin.

Comparing dolphin's brains to ours and others we can claim that it is deductible that dolphins could be intelligent enough to communicate.

If brain weight is a true measure of intelligence, Man is superior, followed by dolphins with the chimp trailing third.

Ever since the first time man ventured into the sea, dolphins have been man's friend. Throughout history mentions are made showing this.

You may be interested to read a 1970 article on dolphines by Regina Blackstock: Dolphins and Man.....Equals?

I confess a fascination for dolphins

Some of my dolphins collection