From Andrew to Benjamin - and all Anak Bangsa Malaysia

FIRST of all, Benjamin, let me say, “Congratulations!” I know you have worked hard over these last three years, endured many challenges and faced many tests. Learning lots of new stuff may be exciting, but I know it is not always easy. So I am proud of you, son, for having graduated today. It may only have been kindergarten, but I know it was a big and meaningful step for you.


Benjamin and big sister Samantha on graduation day
As I watched you and your classmates today, and the kids from all the other kindergartens walk up on stage to receive their certificates, I was reminded that this country of ours, Malaysia, is as much yours as it is mine. God has allowed me and all the other adults in this country a time to take care of it for you. But the day will come when we will have to turn it over to you and your friends.

I hope we won’t have messed up. I pray that we will have the strength and the courage to do the right things, so that we will be able to pass on to you, son, and those of your generation, a country that is successful. Not just rich in the things that we have — the tall buildings, the big houses, the fancy shops. But rich also in our hearts. To share love with one and all, to be kind and decent to others, to be fair and just to everyone, to let anyone who wants to come and live here and do an honest day’s work the right to call this country home.

I looked at you and your friends, boys and girls of different races and religions. You have all played together, learnt together, held hands, scraped knees, cried and laughed together. It is my solemn hope that it will always be this way for you all.

Don’t let anyone force you to believe differently. Watch out for people who will steal your innocence. Yes, you will grow up and find out for yourself one day that things aren’t exactly perfect. But that is no reason to prolong that imperfection.

Learn to work together to make things right, if not perfect. The things that you learnt in kindergarten — to share, to think of other people as well, not to take the best toys or yummiest food just for yourself — remember those lessons.

Maybe one day someone will come along and tell you that this country does not belong to you, and that we should go back to “somewhere else”. I can tell you someone in primary school told me that many years ago. Tell them they are wrong.

Great-great grandpa Khoo came from a village in southern China and eventually found work with Chartered Bank in Penang. When Chartered Bank opened a branch in Taiping in the early years of the 1900s, he moved there and that is where great-grandpa Khoo and grandpa Khoo were born. They grew up in this country, and worked all their lives as teachers to educate successive generations of Malayans and Malaysians.

The Sees and the Lims and Changs they married have probably been here much longer. Some of grandma Khoo’s aunties who dressed in sarungs and spoke Malay all the time and lived in a place called Malacca were killed by Japanese soldiers during what is known as World War II. That was when the Japanese ruled Malaya for a while.

All of these people who lived before you contributed in their own way to make this land a better place for their children, and their children’s children, and so on and so forth. When you learnt Negaraku in school, you sang, “Tanah tumpahnya darahku”. Through their blood, sweat and tears, all of these people who lived before you eked out a life and a future, and now that life and that future belongs to you, my son.

You are as Malaysian as any other boy or girl in this country, as are your classmates Iman, Danial, Harith and the rest. Don’t let anybody tell you all differently.


(© Theresa Thompson | Flickr)
In 15 years, you will get what is known as the right to vote, the right to choose the kind of people you want to lead this country. Claim that right and when the time comes, choose wisely.

Think of the kind of future you and your friends want for this country. Would you want a country where there is equal opportunity for all, where no one is intentionally left behind, where those who are less fortunate are helped to their feet, where there is fair play? It will be in your hands. If you want these things, you and your friends will have to work hard to achieve them. It will not be easy, but I know you will not give up easily.

Between then and now, I wish and pray that you will have a wonderful life. There will be lots more tests and exams to study for, lots more homework and lots more graduations. There will be more things to learn, more people to meet, more experiences, more places to visit.

I will always be your father, and I will always love you, in good times and bad. But I know I make mistakes sometimes, so I can be wrong sometimes. I hope you will be understanding when I make mistakes. But strive to be the best that God grants you the grace to be, and honour God always in your life.

Happy graduation, again, my son. And to our country, yours and mine, Happy Merdeka.

Thank you Andrew for sharing..

When our shadows are taller than our soul…

My conscience infected by this non governmental organism called Art Harun. Thanks bro. :-)



August 02, 2010AUG 2 — “And as we wind on down the road, Our shadows taller than our soul”

Robert Plant: Stairway to Heaven

When our shadows are taller than our soul, at the end of it, we would be consumed with fear. Just as we are nearing death, and we realise that our sins have far outdone our good deeds, we would be consumed with nothing but fear of Judgement Day.

That is only to be expected. That is just a part of being a mortal human being.

When I learned about the arrest of about 30 people who attended an anti-ISA candlelight vigil at Amcorp Mall last night, the first thought which came through my mind was, why is this government so afraid of the people it wishes to govern?

It is like this government is bereft of any moral standing to govern. Like it fears any kind of expression of feelings by the people. Like it fears any show or display of whatever which teeny wee bit resembles an opposing opinion or stand.

No wonder even cartoon books lampooning the administration have been banned. Not long ago, even T-shirts bearing some depictions of funny cartoons and logos were seized at Central Market just because they “offend” the powers that be.

I asked on Twitter, when will this government ever respect the people’s Constitutional right to assemble peacefully and to express their opinion and themselves peacefully? When?

Why must the peaceful people of Malaysia, who just wish to express their stand against a totally archaic law, which has been abused again and again and again, in a totally peaceful manner be met with riot police, swarming and bearing down on them with batons and riot gear?

Just take a look at this video.

This was supposed to be a peaceful candlelight vigil to mark the 50th anniversary of the Internal Security Act 1960. In addition, of course the attendees wanted to make a statement that the ISA ought to be abolished. That was all.

What was so threatening about that that they had to be greeted by riot police in full riot regalia? And why must they be stormed at, swarmed on and dragged out like some armed bank robbers?

Has this government lost any kind of ability to treat the people with some common decency? Has this government no ability to acknowledge the existence of human dignity, some very basic form of rights which the people, as human beings, naturally possess?

Most importantly, has this government lost the plot?

The most sickening thing about this episode is the fact that all of us, members of civil society and the peace loving people of Malaysia, are made to swallow the blatant and nauseating hypocrisy of this government day in and day out.

All of us remember when some rabid mentalities from Shah Alam marched from the mosque while carrying a bloodied and severed cow head, stomped and spat on it in front of the State Secretariat, no less than our Home Minister said that those people felt “victimised” and that “they had only wanted their voices to be heard.”

He then met and sat with them and even had a press conference with them. This government actually cavorted with pure utter racists who were hell-bent on creating racial disharmony.

The few policemen who were around that day did not even lift a finger to prevent that shameful act which threw the whole country into a state of international infamy!

Oh, they had only wanted their voices heard.

Well, well Mr Home Minister, how about the attendees of the vigils last night? They wanted to overthrow the government, did they?

ALL THEY WANTED TO DO WAS TO EXPRESS THEIR STAND AGAINST THE ISA IN A PEACEFUL MANNER? (sorry, I had to shout!)

Why must they be treated like some criminals? Who was more threatening? Those people carrying the kepala lembu or the candles?

One should also remember when some Muslims threatened to have a big demonstration after Friday prayers over the “Allah” issue, it was no less than the Honourable Prime Minister who said that the government will not prevent such demonstrations. That statement was made knowing full well how the Allah issue was being used to fan racial hatred and how big such demonstrations can get, as it was planned to take place after Friday prayers. (Notice how these people just love to turn Friday prayers into a hotbed for demonstrations).

I remember clearly the Honourable Prime Minister saying that the planned demonstrations could not be stopped because “if people want to demonstrate, there is nothing the government could do”!

And what was the result of that statement? Yes, churches were burnt nationwide. Are we happy?

Why the double standard? Why the talam dua muka?

Why can’t some peaceful Malaysians be allowed to have a peaceful assembly to pursue a cause which they thought was worthy of their attention?

What is there to fear?

Some people really have to go back home tonight, stand in front of the mirror and ask him or herself, “What has become of me?”

Please Support this Youth Empowement Initiative

I am embarking on this Youth Empowerment Initiative to promote Performing Arts amongst the community whilst also raising funds towards an Ambulance for St Johns.

Please come support this event and pass on to your family and friends. Come share and spread the message of Love and Hope and encourage our youth to make positive contributions to our community.

Sitting capacity is limited. Please reserve your Free Invitation as soon as possible.



Sadako - ToWish Upon a Crane is based on the Japanese legend of paper cranes and tells the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old girl who lived in Hiroshima, Japan. Born on 7 January 1943, Sadako was only two when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

The bomb took away many lives, including that of Sadako’s grandmother. Sadako survived the bombing unscathed and grew up as a normal, healthy girl… or so we thought. For 10 years after the bombing, Sadako was diagnosed with leukemia. A gifted athlete, Sadako wished for nothing more than to get well and be able to run again. Yet, her illness rendered her permanently hospitalized.

One day, Kenji, her best friend, visited her in the hospital. He presented her with a gift of paper cranes and reminded her of the legend, that if a thousand cranes were folded, your wish would be granted.

An inspired Sadako immediately took on the task of folding a thousand paper cranes, praying with every crane she folded that she would get well soon. It was a race against time, as Sadako’s health was deteriorating rapidly.

Will Sadako be able to fold a thousand cranes in time?

Pictures from the Open House at BU3

When the Going gets Tough, the tough gets going

PKR has the burden of history, it’s Umno’s true nemesis and suffers for that reputation.

Despite all the desertions and dissertations, PKR is the only party due to its ideology and membership make-up — in look and feel — which has the value proposition to compete with Umno.

The other Pakatan Rakyat parties?

DAP wants to shed its Chinese-only perception, and PAS is actively on the way to becoming a fully-integrated Islamic-principled party.

They need time to force some paradigm shifts and stay intact through that process to become what they desire.

But for now, it is PKR which fills that void, due to its history and development.

You have to move back in time to retrace this story, the story of PKR and to know what it was and is, what it always promises to become — and come short — and the common malaises which haunts it.

Somewhere in the vaults of the major media companies — from a time before Internet portals — various pictures of Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders celebrating their 1995 general election landslide victory sit. They are filed and stored, but not for reproduction in the present.

You will see a nervous but relieved Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The substantial losses of 1990 to the trio of Semangat 46-PAS-DAP and rebelling Parti Bersatu Sabah had died down. The economy was purring.

Nothing advertised the ‘times-are–a-changing’ better than having a Malay language graduate and Islamist firebrand rebranding himself as finance minister.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be found in that picture holding up Dr M’s hands and they would be smiling from ear to ear. Not far would be Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and all the usual characters from the Umno family.

Umno was in its zenith, it was impregnable. The landslide victory vindicating the thinking that a race party is the answer for Malaysia. Everyone was content.

It was postulated that only Umno could end its own dream. And the script went exactly that way.

The Anwar dismissal in 1998 and subsequent protests and trials were monumental but not decisive. It was the diaspora of Umno grassroot leaders and members into what was not an Umno-clone which was.

The creation of Parti Keadilan with the intention of seeking justice for all and political change was unprecedented. A large number of Umno members rejected Umno. Their reasons, their allegiance to Anwar and even naïve think that the move would result in immediate change did not affect the cumulative effect of it.

A sea was crossed, for a population afraid of drowning in a water bucket.

The colossal loss of Malay votes in Election 1999 meant PAS was the biggest parliamentary winner after BN. It was important for the Umno strategists that Parti Keadilan ended up third behind the religionists and DAP.

Let’s get this out of the way. Keadilan as a party is not the fear for Umno. Keadilan as a concept is. There was never a practically multiracial party with a Malay spine since the days of Datuk Onn Jaafar. And that was enough to scare the pants off Umno.

Which is why Election 2004 — despite the landslide win — remained somewhat unsatisfying to Umno for it did not bury Keadilan — which was now PKR following its marriage with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM).

Everywhere PKR — especially the ex-PRM candidates — was falling like bowling pins and the defeated crew quickly licked their wounds and turned their eyes to events in Permatang Pauh.

Party president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was being run very close for what was to be their single parliamentary seat.

After several recounts, Azizah kept her seat in Dewan Rakyat.

PKR was to have a heart-beat until the next election.

In the 10 years of existence leading to Election 2008 PKR was plagued by problems. Of its Malayness isolating non-Malay issues.

Of leaders — who left the lap of luxury inside Umno and expecting a short spell in the desert — growing disappointed with a leadership which was struggling with its own teething problems.

Of its inspiration — Anwar — imprisoned for most of that time.

However, the ex-Umno faction gave the party reach to places like Dengkil and Bukit Semanggol and not just in Petaling Jaya and Johor Baharu. They were more than just the sentimental choice of unionists and NGOs — which PRM was unfortunately and unfairly stereotyped before merging with the less chic Keadilan dudes.

The party despite its lack of political wins was operating nationwide.

But the active political observer has to recollect that leading up to Election 2008 PKR had only one closely-won parliamentary seat to show, and lost the assembly contest in the Ijok by-election to a newbie candidate.

That is why the critique that PKR should have recruited better candidates for Election 2008 is hubristic if you have been rooting for change in Malaysia prior to 2008.

The idea of contesting with little financial support from a party with six wins in two general elections was not enticing enough to capable candidates.

Names had to be put on the ballot for all the parliamentary and assembly seats PKR negotiated with PAS and DAP, keeping to the promise of one on one contests against BN nationwide.

And in the future there will be other surprises in the party. PKR suffers more than DAP and PAS, because the two latter parties have been in the game longer as opposition parties, lived without political pork-barrel which comes with winning and are not inundated with those previously with the enemy.

That is why it is tough for PKR, but I feel they escaped the bigger body blow in 2004.

The concept of a multiracial party with substantial Malay presence will grow as fewer and fewer leaders in it would be ex-Umno men with living memories of a better life; joined by a generation of local graduates with less caution than their parents seeking a party to back their multicultural aspirations.

The challenge for PKR is to keep its general momentum through that transition.

They can’t counter the mainstream media attacks, costly branding exercises and the financial incentives BN relies on, but they have to sustain the broad belief in a multicultural Malaysia built on effective leadership not race leadership.

If PKR passes the present low-point then all roads will lead to Putrajaya eventually as mixed race-seats in the country hits past the critical mass line.

But politics is all year round even if elections are not. And as PKR deals with adolescence, trying to balance between better candidates and realpolitik maybe a few more people have to step forward.

They say in politics, half of it is in showing up.


Above article by Praba Ganesa;
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/praba-ganesan/55180-pkr-will-go-on

Praba Ganesan is a Hulu Langat boy with a penchant for durians and debate. He is part of balairakyat, an NGO promoting ideas exchange

ALL PRAISE BE TO ALLAH

So we are now one month into 2010.
The ALLAH issue has overshadowed everything else – now everyone is talking about UNITY etc etc
However, I congratulate Bandar Utama Residents’ Association (BURA) for actually doing something instead of just talking about it. They organised the Ribbons for Peace, Unity and Love. I am proud to have been a part of that programme.
Subsequent to that, the The MP of Subang, YB SIvarasa had also organised a Unity High Tea session between leaders of the mosque community with the Parish Leaders of the Church of Divine Mercy, Shah Alam.
This was indeed a wonderful initiative welcomed by both the mosque and church sides. The informal dialogue is a prelude to an Inter Faith Round Table Dialogue to be organised at a later date. During this High Tea Session, it was also agreed that the mosque officials will host the next High Tea Session at the mosque compound for the church leaders.
Now all these are indeed a major step; real positive initiative by the people who are concerned about the burning of churches, mosques etc etc. Instead of just talking, there are doing something positive. It may be a small step but every journey begins with that one step!
Let the politicians and academicians ponder and take whatever advantage they want out of the whole issue. It is the Rakyat who will have to move and get things done…..and I am truly proud to be a part of both of the above initiatives.
I am sure many other communities are doing similar programmes elsewhere and it is all these small groups of people that will eventually bring about the big change!
May ALLAH the GOD of ALL, continue to bless this nation and guide us on the path of peace and progress………….All Praise to ALLAH!

post Christmas Contemplation

Sitting here on Boxing Day, relaxing and enjoying my cup of Coffee. I am thinnking back and reflecting on my day yesterday......so much to learn :-)

I woke up early (despite a late night on Christmas Eve) and attended the combined church service at River of Christ Church in Kota Damansara. Pastor Monica sent a very interesting Christmas Message to all: let us be a beacon to shine forth the Love of Jesus simply by showing forth the inner peace that we have as believers in Christ. Indeed a peace that we can only have if we truly Trust in the Lord. How many of us practicing Christians can claim to have that!

Perhaps its time to search our inner selves.

This Christmas was even more meaningful when I attended the Christmas Carnival organised by the Combined Churches in Kota Damansara. They have been doing this for many years!

Its a Carnival where the churches and the volunteers share the Joys and Spirit of Christmas with the local community. Good condition used clothes were collected from church members and were sold at the Carnival for prices as low as RM1.

Food were given FREE whilst game coupons were sold at RM1. Many members were buying Game Coupons and giving it out for FREE to the kids. This is indeed the Spirit of Giving and Sharing.

With the game coupons children and adults were playing Fun Fair Type games and winning gifts and prizes. Everyone goes away a winner - the Joys of the season were shared and experienced by all. The Love of God reaches out to all.

Although it was a a programme organised by the churches - there was no preaching but yet the Love of GOD was shared by all, experienced by all.

This is the kind of programme that communities must organise regularly where differences are set aside, unity and cooperation encouraged to grow.

This programme puts to shame all the Mesra Rakyat Programmes that the Political offices organised. We have lots to learn from this Christmas Carnival.

Well, it was indeed a Blessed Chhristmas for me........

Anak Bangsa Malaysia, indeed!

Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan, 24 Conservationist

“Both my parents are Malay. My mum's heritage includes Chinese, Thai and Arab, while my dad is Minangkabau. Due to my skin colour, I am often mistaken for a chinese..
I'm happy that I don’t have the typical Malay look but I do get annoyed when people call me Ah Moi or ask me straight up "Are you Chinese or Malay"
Like, why does it matter? Before I used to answer "Malay" but now I'm trying to consciously answer Malaysian instead.
There's this incident from primary school that I remember till today. Someone told me that I will be called last during Judgement Day because I don’t have a Muslim name. Of course, I was scared then but now that I'm older, I realise that a name is just a name. It doesn’t define you as a good or bad person and there is definitely no such thing as a Muslim name. You can be named Rashid or ALI and still be a Christian.
I’ve heard of the 1Malaysia concept, but I think we don’t need to be told to be united. We've come such a long way that it should already be embedded in our hearts and minds that we are united. Unfortunately, you can still see racial discrimination and polarisation. There is still this ethno-centric view that the Malays are the dominant group and their rights must be protected, and non Malays are forever the outsiders.
For the concept to succeed, I think the government should stop with the race politics. It's tiring, really. We grew up with application forms asking us to tick our race. We should stop painting a negative image of the other races, stop thinking about 'us' and 'them' and focus on 'we', 'our' and 'Malaysians'.
No one should be made uncomfortable in their own home. A dear Chinese friend of mine said to me once, "I don’t feel patriotic because I am not made to feel like Malaysia is my home, and I don’t feel an affinity to China because I have never lived there.
I know some baby Nyonya friends who can trace their lineage back hundreds of years. I'm a fourth generation Malaysian. If I am Bumiputra, why can’t they be, too? Clearly I have issues with the term.
I think the main reason why we still can’t achieve total unity is because of this 'Malay rights' concept. I'd rather 'Malay rights' be replaced by human rights. So unless we get rid of this Bumiputra status, or reform our views and policies on rights, we will never achieve unity.
For my merdeka wish, I'd like for Malaysians to have more voice, to be respected and heard. I wish that the government would uphold the true essence of parliamentary democracy. I wish for the people to no longer fear and discriminate against each other, to see that we are one and the same.
I wish that Malaysia would truly live up to the tourism spin of Malaysia truly Asia. Malaysians to lead - whatever their ethnic background. Only ONE NATIONALITY -MALAYSIAN. No Malays, No Chinese, No Indians - ONLY MALAYSIANS. Choose whatever religion one is comfortable with.
WELL SAID LADY........YOU JUST DID YOUR GREAT GRANDPA PROUD.



MERDEKA MERDEKA MERDEKA

Sharyn is the Great Grand Daughter of Tunku Abdul Rahman

We are not enemies, but brothers...

The following piece jointly written by Nurul and Nik Nazmi is well worth reading


The recent demonstration by a group claiming to be residents of SS 23 in Shah Alam at the Selangor State Secretariat, where a cow’s head was paraded and then dumped on its ground is the surest sign that our country’s ethnic relations are at a critical point.

The action and rhetoric of these people go against every tenet of Islam and Malay culture. Nothing can justify their mean-spirit behaviour.

There were legitimate avenues by which they could have pursued their grievances, but instead they chose to threaten bloodshed unless their demands were met.

How can anyone possibly now have any sympathy to their cause in the face of such antics? They are making a mockery of the efforts of their Malay neighbours who were willing to discuss this matter in a sane and civilized manner. This is the bitter harvest of months, even years of sectarian posturing and the inflammation of ethnic fears by irresponsible elements in our society as well as politics.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must walk the talk of his 1Malaysia ideology and ensure that the perpetrators of this deed do not go unpunished. We also applaud the courage of our fellow politicians, on both side of the aisle, who have had the courage to stand up and be counted against this act of hate.

While our immediate thoughts naturally turn towards anger and revenge, we must not give into such desires because that would mean the end of the Malaysia that we all know and love, the Malaysia that is just, tolerant and progressive, which we hope will someday prevail against the forces of extremism that threaten it.

Rather, all Malaysians of goodwill, regardless of their political affiliation should come together to condemn this senseless act and find an equitable solution to the issue that give rise to it.

We must not close our hearts and minds to each other despite this and many other future provocations that will surely come as the last-ditch efforts of the reactionary forces that have blighted our country are slowly but surely turned away.

We are a better country than this; we are a greater people than this. Let me end with the words of the great statesman Abraham Lincoln, delivered to a country that was facing similar divisions like ours:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”

We hope and pray that we can leave this sorry incident firmly in the past and move forward to a better Malaysia for our children and their children.


NURUL IZZAH ANWAR is Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai as well as Keadilan Lembah Pantai Division’s Pro-Tem Head. She graduated from Universiti Tenaga Nasional in electronic and electrical engineering before furthering her studies at the School for Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, US in International Relations. She maintains a web presence at www.nurulizzah.com.

NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD is Political Secretary to the Selangor Menteri Besar and State Assemblyman for Seri Setia. He is also a Keadilan Youth committee member. A graduate of King’s College, University of London in law, Nik Nazmi blogs at www.niknazmi.com

Happy Merdeka !

Well worth watching this video presentation,,,,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn3Zi-gwEJg

click on the link to watch.

TBH - My dear friend; go rest in peace...

We shared the same two chinese characters in our names. We shared the same struggles in our quest for a Better Malaysia. We shared the same roles; you as an assistant to an Exco member amd I with an MP.......so different yet so much in common

But now, as you go to get your rest in peace, the struggle goes on. I pray for closure for your family, friends and relatives. But there will be NO CLOSURE for truth and answers to the final hours of your life.

We must not let your death be in vain; all errors, administrative or otherwise to the procedures of interrogations etc must be corrected.

In the same way, the roles and functions; plus the necessary protection and immunity for PA's must also be addressed. We, the PA's are in a particularly vulnerable position; with little or no official protections but having to bear the roles and responsibilities, in many instances, equal to that of the elected representatives. We are not complaining but we ask to be given due care.

Bro, as you look down now from above, I pray for guidance and protections for all of us here. Be pleased that your passing has indeed brought together everyone from all races and political believes, UNITED as one: One Nation, One People! Kami semua sebagai SATU BANGSA MALAYSIA!

Amen!

Words from the Bible....Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right: Seek justice

Encourage the oppressed; rebuke the oppressor.

Defend the cause of the fatherless: plead the case of the widow.



"We have to be the change we advocate"

Born in the 50's , 60's & early '70s

The article below was written by Patrick Teoh in his blog "Niamah!!".

First, we survived with mothers who had no maids. They cooked /cleaned while taking care of us at the same time.

They took aspirin, candies floss,fizzy drinks, shaved ice with syrups and diabetes were rare. Salt added to Pepsi or Coke was remedy for fever.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.

As children, we would ride with our parents on bicycles/ motorcycles for 2 or 3. Richer ones in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a private taxi was a special treat.

We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle.

We would spend hours on the fields under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV ray which never seem to affect us.

We go to jungle to catch spiders without worries of Aedes mosquitoes.

With mere 5 pebbles (stones) would be a endless game. With a ball (tennis ball best) we boys would ran like crazy for hours.

We catch guppy in drains / canals and when it rain we swim there.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually worry about being unhygenic. We ate salty, very sweet & oily food, candies,bread and real butter and drank very sweet soft sweet coffee/ tea, ice kacang, but we weren't overweight because..... . WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, till streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. AND WE DONT HAVE HANDPHONE S TO BUG US. And we were O.K. AND WE ARE SAFE.

We would spend hours repairing our old bicycles and wooden scooters out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did no t have Playstations, X-boxes, Nintendo's, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts.

We never had birthdays parties till we are 21

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and just yelled for them!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the government regulated our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.


-- “To do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, to everyone you can, as long as you ever can.” - John Wesley

Walk with us......

I find the letter by Meng Yee in Malaysiakini ; his thoughts most refreshing and I reproduce it here in full.

Yes, The Change that came on 08/03/2008 must also come with a change in our mindset, otherwise it would come to nothing. We must walk that talk - and be willing to "soil our hands" to effect the changes that we want.

Indeed, "For eveil to succeed, it is enough that the good do nothing...."

Come, lets walk together...hand in hand, side by side.....

We're the shareholders, not bosses

Meng Yee Apr 20, 09 4:59pm

I refer to the letter YB, don't forget who the real bosses are.I understand the writer's trend of thought and idea and in principle he is right. Those in public service serve the rakyat and govern the country for the good of the nation as a whole. They are like he said the general managers or CEOs and we are the board of directors, the stakeholders. They are accountable to us, the rakyat. However, I caution against the use of the ‘boss' analogy simply because if you spend anytime on the ground, you will understand what the state assembly person goes through. Members of the rakyat, truly act like bosses and insist on calling their state representatives at all times of the day. They give instructions to do this and to do that and threaten like the assembly person owes them a big favour. You may say, that's part of the job and who in the first place asked them to run for office? Let me tell you as one who was involved with an opposition party prior to March 8, 2008. Let me remind many what the sentiments were like then. Whenever there was any call for support or anything to do with the opposition, most would run away as if the opposition were lepers. Few were willing to sacrifice. Many lived in fear, tremendous fear. There was blatant injustice then as there is now. There was corruption and daylight robbery from our national coffers but as long as there was rice on the table, many closed an eye or even both eyes. The judiciary and the constitution were raped and abused as if the ends justified the means. Even the royalty were snubbed. Many, however, were to afraid to speak up. The opposition workers were many who had nothing to lose. Either they were young and idealistic or old and poor and not much to lose to the BN gestapo. Some of the leaders today are from this pool of people who joined the opposition parties then. They are the ones with guts, who are farsighted and visionary. They were prepared to face the consequences of BN's gestapo. Many are young and adapt well to the new politics. So I hope that many will understand that these YBs serve the country and have sacrificed much. We are the stakeholders and we should support them rather than lord over them. Malaysians are very good at complaining but when it comes to rolling up our sleeves, we shy away. How will our young respect us when we are afraid to get our hands soiled? Stakeholders must be involved and interested to work to ensure the CEO succeeds. Was it not Kennedy who said ‘Ask not what your nation can do for you but rather what you can do for the nation'? And Bush Sr who dreamed of the ‘thousand points of light' in relation to volunteerism. It is time Malaysians show commitment by joining a political party and show outright open support for what they believe is right and true. Every decision made in Parliament and in the state assemblies affects us and if we remain armchair critics and finger-pointing directors than we will progress nowhere. We appreciate those who work feverishly for the good of the rakyat because we are not willing to stand in place for what they have done. We appreciate their day and night service as many have loss their personal space and freedom. Having said this, we will kick out those who are self-serving as we have seen many of them in the last 50 years. So perhaps a better analogy is ‘stakeholders' in a company and not bosses.

Words to Inspire....

These words were spoken by Father O C Lim last year.....extracted from Pat Lu's posting:

"Our country enters the phase of naked display of aggression. When a regime is morally bankrupt it will use immoral means to hold on to power. We might be weak but we still have the power of prayer & silent witnessing. The unjust may break our bones but they can't break our spirit. " - Father O.C. Lim

And yesterday, at the PJ Courts when we were there to lend support to the 22 charged for illegal assembly: Pastor Sivin Kit interviewd Father O C Lim and this is amongst what Father Lim said: "Take Jesus away and I’ll be a coward"

Indeed, I would never have taken this road less travelled without the Strength that could only come from Him.

I share here too these words extracted from Pat Lu's postings:

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now."

"Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away.
God never changes.
Patience obtains everything.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices."

Both poems above are by St. Teresa of Avila.

May God Bless Us All

Yesterday, today.....

Yesterday I met a stranger...

Today this stranger is my friend. Had I not taken the time to say hello, or return a smile, or shake a hand, or listen, I would not have known this person. Yesterday would have turned into today and our chance meeting would be gone.
Yesterday I hugged someone very dear to me. Today they are gone... and tomorrow will not bring them back. Wouldn't it be nice if we all knew tomorrow would be here? But we don't, so take the time TODAY to give a hug, and a smile....

JUST FOR TODAY,

. ..smile at a stranger
...listen to someone's heart
...drop a coin where a child can find it
...learn something new, then teach it to someone
...tell someone you're thinking of them
...hug a loved one
...don't hold a grudge
...don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry"
...look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are
...don't kill that spider in your house, he's just lost so show him the way out
...look beyond the face of a person into their heart
...make a promise, and keep it
...call someone, for no other reason than to just say "hi"
...show kindness to an animal
...stand up for what you believe in
...smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind
...use all your senses to their fullest
...cherish all of your TODAYS

Today you were thought about by me....

Something More To Consider

Another Lesson in Life

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Somehing to consider....

First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor
gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers,
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.

My Prayer

God grant me todaya wider view,
So I see others' faults through the eyes of You.
Teach me to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult ... nor the young.

Give me patience and grace to endure
And a stronger faith so I feel secure.
Instead of remembering, help me forget
The irritations that caused me to fret.

Freely forgiving for some offense
And finding each day a rich recompense.
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand;

That I ...
Am trying to reach an unreachable star.
For the great and small ... the good and bad,
The young and old ... the sad and glad

Am asking today; Is life worth living?
The answer is only in, loving and giving.
For only Love can make man kind
And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind.

By giving love, I can start
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.