Cultivate the habit of listening.

If someone has some knowledge, can you obtain it without listening. You probably can if the person is a writer.

We meet so many people in our life time. Some of them possess experiences beyond our reach. How then can we get such knowledge? as I have said, unless the persons are writers, the only way to get such knowledge is to listen carefully, attentively to what the person is willing to divulge.

How much is the person you are listening to, willing to divulge. It all depends upon the interest in the person and his or her talk. Have you noticed how people clamped up the minute the listener's attention is being distracted or turned to another direction? Unless the speaker is one who loves to hear his own voice so much that he is willing to listen to it thrown at nobody in particular, a stop to the flow of information is bound to happen when the listeners are not attentive.

So often have I learned things because I was attentive to complete strangers who happened to cross my path at certain stops in my life.

Recently, for example, I attended a demostration and learned how to make basic soap. Eager to try my hand at making goat's milk soap, I bought all the necessary materials and equipment to find that somehow it did not materialise as it should.

Listening around, I gained further knowledge and eventually succeeded in making the soap. That shows the importance of listening in gathering information.

Therefore, we ought to teach our children to listen. Never tell them that they must listen whenever people speak. People, even children, can rebel against orders. Instead, tell them interesting stories so that they will listen. Then as they grow up.isten to them. That is teaching by example. Listen to their problems and sympathise with them with love. Knowing that their parents do sympathise with them and can probably help them, they will be more willing to reveal more of what is happening to them when the parents are not around. Then, the parents would know if something is wrong and take remedial action to help the child. With such love and understanding, it is certain that the children will listen to the parents.

Later, when you listen to others, when opportunities come, tell your children why you listened to so and so, the amount of knowledge you got from him or her. Do not worry about your child having a lower opinion of you, for it will be the other way round. It would be how great their father or mother is in gathering information. How capable my dad or mum is!

I have overhead my children told their aunts and uncles how great papa is in getting so and so to explain how certain things are done. It wonderful to overhear such things. However, unless you practice this kind of listening, you cannot expect such compliments from your children.

So, let's start listening more to your children and indirectly teaching them to listen to you and those with great experiences. Such people are everywhere and it makes life still full of the unknown and so much more to live for.

You know, I am still listening around for the method of making brown rice venegar. I said listening because I have not been able to read about it in the libraries, books and the internet. So, anyone able to tell me that, I am all ears or eyes, whichever are needed.

So, let's listen around for more knowledge.

Leading children through examples.

Parents and leaders, what is the difference? Well, parents are leaders too.

Political leaders are the guardians of a nation. Their vision and the path they lead their people may take them to a better developed nation or a nation constantly beleaguered by endless problems.

That is the reason why we must choose our leaders carefully, otherwise we may be getting leaders in the habit of looking more after themselves and their communities than for the whole nation. They are similar to parents who are partial to some of their own children, neglecting a number of them for one reason or another.

Parents can lead their family to success and happiness or to a life of unending problems due to the poor attitudes, wrong behaviours and undesirable actions.

Sometimes, it is difficult to overcome poor attitudes, and undesirable behaviours and actions. Such parents had learnt or imitated them from their own parents. Schools do not seem to be able to do much nowadays, although educationists(?) did introduce religious teachings and moral education into schools. Preaching and teaching alone cannot do much to change pupils. There must be examples, in the form of stories, news items and living examples.

Parents are the first living examples for children. If they have weaknesses, then they must be aware of their own weaknesses. Only when someone is aware of weaknesses can that someone try to overcome them through the many ways available. (I myself have physical weaknesses that I was aware of at a very young age, and through that awareness, I searched for ways to overcome them, found those and acted on them to be the present healthy me.)

Parents can use the influence of good relatives, friends and neighbours. They could use everyday news of successful people. Do not just know of such stories. Tell the children about such people. Let them be inspired by such God-send individuals. For example, I tell almost everyone I met about the fantastic lady who lost her two hands and legs, yet is today better and more able than most people we all know. The wonderful lady, if you have read about her in this blog or in last month's Reader Digest, is none other than Daniela Garcia. What a lady!

When people my age were in school we had no moral lessons but we had literature when we had the beautiful opportunity to read about 'The mouse and the lion.', 'Jack and the beanstalk.' and 'The rabbit and the tortoise.'.

Those stories were fun to read, taking us to fantasy land and getting our young little hearts to admire the good deed of the mouse which deserved another good deed from the lion. And the beautiful part of it is the revelation of human character in real life through such fantasies.

In the 'Rabbit and the tortoise' story, we learn to not underestimate another person, not to scorn another just because he seemed to be handicapped. He might just have certain talents the able-bodied ones do not possess or does not have the need to discover. Anyway, through such stories I learned about life and fellow humans and my present position in life is an indication that I am not far from right as I have almost everything I want.

Educationists should perhaps take another look at the methods used today and consider the ideas of those perhaps not as well-educated educationists of the old days. Ego may be a stumbling block but I can tell you nuggets of knowledge, unlike you and me, do not age.

For the sake of our children, parents must continuously improve to be able to bring up the best.

Managing your calories through the right food.

In my previous postings, I did mention that excess carbohydrates, excess proteins and excess fats are the cause of obesity.

Yes, after all, it is only when we put in more calories than we expend that there are excess calories in our body for it to change them into body fats. It's as simple as that.

Therefore, the way to have the right body weight is to eat just enough for our body.

The other day I met a guy who told me that he had been an athlete in his schooldays. With his games and sports, he needed a lot of energy to stay active in the field and on the court.

Then, when he left school, he concentrated on his career and left behind the tracks, field and court. However, his appetite was just as good as before. He ate the same amount of food to satisfy his stomach. Slowly but gradually, his tummy began to expand. Soon, he had a spare tyre. Not just that, his muscles became soft and flabby. The unused muscles slowly turned to fat.

Looking back at one of my Kungfu masters and the sportsmen I had known, I discovered this to be the usual path for most of them. The trouble is that their activities are no longer as vigorous but the food still poured in at the same rate and quantity. There is excess calories, too much blood sugar leading to insulin problems and diabetes. More fat is stored in the body, around the organs and lining blood vessels causing them to narrow and gradually leading to heart problems.

So, the sensible thing to do is to slowly but gradually cut down on the amount of calories consumed so that what goes in is just sufficient for our needs.

Of course, for some, this may be difficult. Eating habit is difficult to overcome. So, we may have to solve this through preserving the same amount but slowly (It must be a gradual change for rebellion not to take place.)we can replace simple carbohydarates and sugars such as white processed sugar and processed flour and grains such as polished rice which contained no other nutrient than carbodhydrates; with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, friuts, beans, legumes and vegetables which contain less calories and take a longer time for the body to process. In fact, we would be helping the body to get rid of some excess if it needs a longer process to get at the carbohydrates to get the calories.

With just a little lean meat and a minimal amount of possible fats in it; consuming more complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates, our body can return to a healthier weight.

If possible, do think of some enjoyable exercise as it can also expand whatever excess there is.

Then again, one very thin guy I knew could never seem to know what is excess. He wanted to put on weight but that was just not possible. He was a teacher who lived with me in the same house for a few years. He was with me at a language course. We stayed in the same hostel for about three months. During all that time, he tried to put on weight, eating a fantastic amount of food.

In fact I remembered very well that he ate so much that he attracted the attention of the others in the same dormitory. Every breakfast, there was always excess eggs and he would eat a good number of them. Then, in the evenings, about two hours after dinner he would buy half a Kenturkey Fried Chicken for his supper. Despite all that none of my friends have ever known him to be even plump. Where did all the excess calories go to? He was the walking, living testimony that eating excess food would not lead to obesity!

There are only two possible reasons for this guy. His metabolism rate was so high that it burned up all those calories. Well, besides exercise, our whole body need calories merely to stay alive. Every heartbeat, every breathe we take, every unfelt and unseen movement of the other organs in our body, every flow of blood, every pulse, every activity if our cells, every eye blink and whatever warmth our body emits require energy (calories). A calm person would require less while an agitated person who has his heart and mind racing faster than the fastest locomotive would certainly need much more. Each individual is uniquely individual.

Another reason could be the poor digestive system. If the food were to move down the digestive tract without or seldom delivering its calories, vitamins and essential fatty acids, then most of the food might end up at the bottom. lowest station with most of the food intact.

You do not believe that? Even the average Joe could see some seeds or fibres still recognisable splattered down in the toilet the next day. Just try it, take gauva friuts together with the seeds and it could happen to you, which is quite normal. Of course, some of them are the insoluble fibres that are bound to exit, assisting to give bulk and easier passage to the load.

Never mind, for the above guy, it could be a blessing or a problem. The fact is that there are exceptions.

I know that if we are willing to make a little change here and there, we can achieve a healthier weight.

Easy come, easy go.

Once upon a time, there was a young man who lived in shabby little hut in Kodiang, Kedah. Like quite a number of young man in this part of the country, which is very near to the neighbouring country, Thailand, he would travel to the some of the small towns in the southern part of Thailand.

People go to Thailand for mainly two reasons during that time. Many business people and families or women would go shopping in groups as everything they wanted was cheaper in Thailand. Another reason for going there were the girls who were easily available for a night of fun and, perhaps, presents of some veneral diseases.

Well, this young man went there because of the girls. One of the girls he became friendly with, gave him a lottery number. His star was shinning bright and the number brought him a huge sum of money. He was full of joy at his good fortune and so patronised this girl often. A little time later, another one of the numbers she gave struck gold again, this time bringing the young man more than a million ringgit as he had much money then with which he could bet with.

A million ringgit! Without further thought, he married the lady goose that gave the golden numbers. They lived happily for some time with the wise lady urging him to buy up land with some of the money.

Time dilutes the happiness of possessing a mere million ringgit. After all, there are others who have more. His only problem was that he was not prepared to use the money wisely. He knew of no business he could do with his money. Furthermore, his wife would be able to think of another number when his savings dwindled.

So, he continued to gamble. With the amount of money he had, he gambled big time. With money at hand and no work, he spent his days gambling at cards and mahjong,a kind of betting game.

Initially, he won but eventually, he lost more than he won. After more than half a year, his money was almost all gone. Yes, a lot had gone into buying land, but it was a matter of time before he had to sell each one of them to maintain his type of life-style.

Soon, he was back to where he started almost a year ago. Finding insufficient food on the table, his golden goose fled back to Thailand. Well, "Easy come, easy go." was the people's comments. And there was truth in it.

When a person does not have appreciation of something, he is careless with it. Through carelessness, that something can be lost. A person who gets his/her money through hard work or planning will understand how difficult such money is obtained. The person would value it and think of how he/she could use it to improve life.

We value something more if we finally achieve that thing through some effort. We treasure it more because it was not too easily obtained. It is just as I value my health a lot because I was very sickly when I was young. It took a lot of knowledge and exercise such as body-building to give me the health I have today. I thank god for my awareness of my weakness and determination to overcome it while I was still very young.

So, let's forget about easy money and gaining something with nothing. God only help those who help themselves.

Fats, food and health.

Recently, in this blog, you have read about the fats your body needs to stay healthy. Your cells which are found in every part and organ of your body need fats to to be produced and maintained. It supplies you with energy, without which your organs and body cannot function. Some vitamins need fats to be absorbed. So, naturally, fats are necessary.

However, do not go overboard, as we also know that too much of anything is not good for our health. Excess of some vitamins can cause problems. Excess fat can also be a problem. Knowing this how do we go about eating correctly.

Before I continue, I would like to point out that not only obese people get heart problems. I have personally known of at least two persons who had blocked arteries even though they are two very thin persons.

Knowing that saturated animal fats are not recommended by many health researchers, we ought to eat only lean meats. Of course, there is still a little saturated fats in the lean meat but that amount is not excessive. If it is chicken, remove the skin as most of the fats is found there.

When it comes to meat, it is not so much the fats in the lean meat but residues of the antibiotics and other chemicals or growth hormones which are given to the animals that can bring on health problems.

It is good to have some fish a few days a week as our protein intake. Oily fish supplies us with Omega-3.

Then again, some people do not see the fats in ghee, butter and magarine which are used in a good number of food. One of the friends who had blocked arteries told me his favourite breakfast food was 'roti canai', a kind of bread made with some ghee, which he took every morning. Here again, it is not so much the fats in the food but the build-up of the fats. Just as people who eat carrots everyday find their skin taking on a certain colour. Therefore variety is important.

I supplement with two tablespoons of coconut oil and a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon each at either breakfast, lunch or dinner because of the benefits they bring. (Please read my posts on coconut oil.)

To be healthy, we should, as often as possible supply our body with sufficient protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and water; besides giving it sufficient exercise and sleep.

How do we know we are giving our body the right amount of food? If our weight is fairly constant, then we know there is hardly excess food turning into fat in our body. Of course, we are talking about people with a good healthy build, neither too thin nor too fat.

Thus, if we desire a change, such as doing less exercise, we should reduce our food intake accordingly. Not doing so is one reason some sportmen or women grow fatter when they retire from active sports. The calories remain the same but the energy expended is lower; therefore forcing the body to turn the excessive food, which could be carbohydrates and protein, into fat.

As we can see body fat causing obesity does not come just from fat consumption. It also is caused by excessive carbohydrates and protein.

It is, therefore, excessive fats, carbohydrates and proteins which brings excessive calories which we must think of to remain healthy, not the amount of food. Some food contain so little calories that we can eat more of them and still have no health problem.

Do you agree? Well, let's share our knowledge for the good health of everyone.

The fats which we must avoid: trans fats or trans fatty acids.

Our body needs a moderste amount of fats for good health. In fact, our body produces its own cholesterol from the liver for the body's use to make our new cells and maintain the health of the cell membranes. Cholesterol is needed for the formation of sex hormones, the production of bile salts and the with the help of sunlight on the skin helps produce vitamin D. Dietary fats are needed by our cells. Essential fatty acids such as Omega 3, Omega 6, and when these two essential fatty acids are not sufficient in the diet, even Omega 9 has to be supplied in the diet.(Please look at an earlier posting for the benefits.)

However, humans have tried to improve the unsaturated fats for commercial purposes, to produce fats to replaces food which are considered saturated. Margarine is an example and it is to replace butter which contains animal saturated fats. Humans hydrogenated unsaturated fats to give it a higher melting point which is advantageous especially to baking. It also gives the product a longer shelf-life.

However, today, we have magarine which is, produced differently, unhydrogenated.

However, when fats is hydrogenated, some of the fats are only partially hydrogenated. This partially hydrogenated fats is what is knwn as trans fats or trans fatty acids.

Why should we avoid trans fats? It is worst than saturated animal fats. It raises the level of bad cholesterol and lowers the level of good cholesterol. This can bring on heart disease.

Although a small amount of trans fat is found in animals cows, goats, sheep and deer, there is no evidence of it being harmful.

To know whether we are buying food which contains trans fats, we should look at the nutritional facts on labels of food. Anything that contains partially-hydrogenated oils or fats, and shortening should be avoided.

Who creates the type of children we have?

The other day, A friend lamented the children's behaviour getting even worse. He wondered why children do not know how to respect people and behave correctly.

Are the children at fault? These children are certainly not born bad. If that is so, what possibly happened to cause a lot of children to behave thus?

The fault actually lies with the teachers! Wait a minute. When I say teachers, I do not mean those at schools. I mean the very first people in a child's world as well as others who come into contact and can influence the child during his developing years. Of course, there are others, such as school teachers, who still can influence the child at a later stage in life but the chances are less.

Children in the first place learn by example. They imitate. They behave the same way their parents do. (Of course, there are a very few exceptions who, from books and talks, realise their parents' mistakes and take steps to change.)If their parents are seldom with them, then it is the child-minder or baby-sitter or grandparents who pass on their actions and beliefs to the child.

So, how can we fault children for a certain behaviour when the children learns to behave in that way through what has been the only examples he had ever known?

This is something young people intending to get married and become parents ought to think of. They are not just going to be husbands or wives and parents but also teachers. In fact, they are the most important teachers in the world. From them, their actions and their thinking, a new generation of heroes, trouble-makers, leaders, terrorists, good law-abiding people or law-breakers are born. The outcome depends upon the parents' examples, teaching or neglect of their duties. The world is at the mercy of parents!

Parents today are sometimes too busy earning a living to have much time with their children. The wiser parents realise this and so have the discipline to have less children so that the limited time, energy and other resources when distributed to every child in the family would be sufficient to have no child feel neglected.

Neglect has been the cause of many problems in child upbringing. When there is neglect, the child's mistake is not corrected immediately. The mistake which could be in the form of some undesirable action, language or attitude, is allowed to establish itself, becomes a habit and becomes a part of the child's personality.

In an earlier post, you must have read about the standard one, must be seven years old, gangster-like boy who slashed another pupil's testicles just to get fifty sen. Nobody in his family must have known or realised that their child has become such a monster at such an early age. The neglect could be due to insufficient time to look into the needs of the child. Parents must find the time to teach their children the right way, find the time to correct undesirable things learnt from the surroundings and have the time to love the children.

Yes, love is just as important in the process of growing up. Children need love so that they can learn to love themselves, to love their fellow human, to love God and to love you.

Just see how important parents are. It's a challenging role but one which parents must love before deciding to be one.

The devotees are living testimony of the goodness of a deity.

The devotees start to gather for the procession.


One of the young devotees who took part in the dance and show.


Another young participant of the dance in front of the chariot.


Wow! Look at those performers! Unfortunately, it's quite dark at almost midnight.


And at one side of the road is this deity. Frankly, I don't know about this. Those knowledgeable ones, please enlighten us. Please write in your comments.


Just look at the big turnout!


That's Lord Ganesan's chariot.


A closer look at the chariot.


Look at those horses! It's supposed to be drawn by them.


Another part of the chariot.


Another look at the chariot.


This is how the back of the chariot look. Why do I look show every side. Well a four sided things is like a sculpture. It must be just as interesting and beautiful no matter which angle you look at it. So is life. (I'll write about that in another post.)


A closer look at the back.


That's the entrance to temple of Lord Murga. Do you know who Lord Murga is? Please read on and find out for yourself.

************************************

The day before, it was Lord Ganesan's birthday. The next day, there was an even greater crowd at night as the devotees accompanied Lord Ganesan in a procession or wait for him to reach their abode when they could pray to him with trays of food, candles and joss-sticks.

Those who accompanied him were dressed in their finest attire, making this outing a fantastically glorious journey through the part of town which was near the temple, from the temple to Jalan Sekarat, Jalan Kuala Ketil, Jalan Ibrahim towards the bus-station and then back to the temple. It ended well past midnight.

In fact, at midnight, it had just reached the temple of Lord Murga which is situated in Jalan Kuala Ketil with the entrance facing Jalan Sekarat. The procession went into Lord Murga Temple as Lord Murga is Lord Ganesan's younger brother. It was to pay respect to his brother that Lord Ganesan stopped there for a while. That was at midnight.

The procession was slow as the chariot with Lord Ganesan, the elephant deity, had to stop every so often to all the thousands of devotees to come forward to pray at the chariot. Despite the drizzle, devotees lined the streets and followed the chariot through part of the town back to the temple. The thousands of devotees seen last night is clear indication of the popularity of Lord Ganesan. He must have helped a lot of people to find peace and good health as well as give miraculous recovery from some kind of sickness.

When it comes to miraculous cures, I have heard from my own father how my uncle, Lim Eu Hor, the medium for Lord Ganesan, had done that merely with a touch of the hand even before a temple was built for him. Lord Ganesan had used him to cure the sick. I was able to talk with my uncle for some years before he passed on.

Lord Ganesan's devotees from the old Tai Pee San Temple at Tanjung Bunga can attest to the cures.

However, the old temple had been demolished and a new temple to replace it is some distance away.

God works in mysterious ways, ways we humans find hard to fathom. Every now and then someone is cured miraculously. Even those who belong to religions which do not believe in spirits and deities have come across such stories from people, sometimes believable rlatives, who have recieved such blessings.

Nevertheless, such miracles do occur when someone reaches out in belief to God through any medium.

Pray For Peace and Good Health.

Look at the number of devotees of Lord Ganesan!


The big 'umbrella' is ready for the next day's procession.


So splendidly decorated!



The top part of the temple.


An image of the deity.


Decoration done at the place immediately after the entrance to the temple.


It's all about the elephant deity.


At the entrance into the temple is the sculpture of an elephant.


On another side of the entrance is another elephant sculpture.


The AOL stall set up near the temple with volunteers happily doing whatever they can.




People stop at The Art of Living Stall for a cup of enzyme drink and information.

**********************************

The 23rd of August, a Sunday, was Lord Ganesan’s birthday and this day was celebrated by devotees of Lord Ganesan, the elephant deity, throughout the world. Lord Ganesan’s birthday is known as Vinayagar Sathurthi.

In Sungai Petani, although there was rain throughout the day, devotees went to the temple to pray to Lord Ganesan. After prayers, at noon, food was distributed to the devotees by the temple. The next night, Monday night, there would be a procession in which a chariot would be drawn through certain streets of Sungai Petani.

All that celebration took place at the Arulmigu Sri Sitha Vinayagar Alayam Temple in Sungai Petani. It is a well decorated temple as can be seen from the carvings, pictures and sculptures found all over the place in the temple. I took some pictures of the decorations that temple officials and devotees put up on the 22nd of August in readiness for Vinayagar Sathurthi. You can see the splendour of the temple from the pictures I have posted.

The founder, Mr. And Mrs. K. Vello Muthaliar s/o Kanniah Muthaliar and devotees have done a tremendous job of building this majestic temple with its beautiful sculptures and pictures in memory of a deity who must have brought much peacefulness and health to the people.

Just as the Chinese built shrines to commemorate spirits for their assistance in providing health and peace to the residents, the Indians have such temples for the same purpose. No matter what our religion is, we should always respect any deity or spirit which helps people to find peace and regain health. Miraculous healing does take place. When such healing takes place, it must be the work of God, for who has such power but God. Goodness can only come from a good source. As the Christians say: God works in mysterious ways. And being God, it is possible to reach out to His people through one of the deities such as Ganesan. To God, I believe nothing is impossible. What we see must be one of God’s ways.

Blogger’s note: Where the elephant deity is concerned, I have a special interest in him as I have personally known a medium of the deity in the Tai Pee San Temple in Tanjung Bunga, Penang Island; a very special medium and the medium was my uncle. I shall write about him in a future posting.

Search and you will find life so wonderful.

One day I met a retired teacher at a bank. We sat down to talk about days gone past. They were happy memories.

Then this retired teacher bemoaned the present retirement time; how slow time crawled by. He watched television in the morning, then read the newspapers from front to back, top to bottom before returning to his television again. Time was too long. He just did not know how to fill it.

I asked him about his hobbies. Well, now is the best time to continue with his hobbies, with the things he was interested in but could not find the time to indulge in them previously. I told him about my fish, my edible leaves and plants, my tortoises, my birds, my reading, my qi kung, my meditation, yoga and my daily trek up a hill. Those are the things I love to do. In fact, there are still a few interests which I still could not find time for.

It looked like he had no such interests. What a poor fellow he was!

Then I told him he could do volunteer work. There are so many Non-Government Organisations which need our help. Be a volunteer and discover the pleasure of being able to assist others. And such work does not cost you a cent. There is Tzu Chi and other organisations known world-wide. There are old folks' homes and orphanages. I told him about The Art of Living which is sending its trained teachers to schools to help teachers and students overcome tension, to prisons to help prisoners realise and be aware of their mistakes, to love themselves as well as others, to find the divine spirit in themselves. I told him about the charity work done by The Art of Living. And to know more about this organisation, I directed him to http://www.artofliving.org for further information.

He was not interested. I finally discovered that he was still thinking of material gains; he was thinking of money. He could not imagine himself doing work for the benefit of others.

If his pension was a small miserable sum which could not be sufficient to support him through his days, then he was right to think of work and more money. However, I am talking about a guy whose pension was more than most people's salary. See? He was so well-do-to, yet he was so bored with life because he was stingy with his time. And time became a burden, each day bringing more boredom.

Finally, I asked him whether he had ever heard of the saying: GIVE IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE. I told him of the happiness I got from helping and doing such volunteer work, the type of happiness which money can never buy.

I could do nothing else but hope that he could find the right path to the same joy and happiness I derived from my type of work. His path might be different but if he could achieve it, that is all anyone can wish for.

Life is what we make of it. Just do it and everything will be fine.

Give our children the opportunities to perform.

The sea at the esplanade with a view of a distant scene.


The esplanade where there is a field for recreation.


Fort Cornwallis in Penang Island with its cannons facing the sea.


The light-house, the structure on the left, which my group climbed to reach the top to see how it worked.


When I was in standard six, at the age of twelve, the Hutchings School in Penang Island where I was studying, allowed students to venture outside the school compound to explore and find information on a number of things in the area.

It was the end of the year, the final examination for the year was over. The pupils were divided into groups of six or seven pupils and a leader for each group was chosen to take them to certain areas and search for information on anything in their respective areas.

This is the kind of thing I have always liked. Usually, I would hope to be chosen as a leader although I had some inferiority complex then. You see, even then, I was aware of my problem and was searching for a way out of it through the examples of Davy Crocket, Wild Bill Hickok and Abraham Lincoln from books borrowed from the United States Information Service library in Beach Street, Penang.

I remember a time when my group had to explore the area in and around the esplanade which was quite near to the school.

So, my group walked, with notebooks and pens in our hands, to the Municipal Council building which was about half a kilometer away from the school.

From here, we could see the esplanade just in front of us. Walking and running across the field; we were very energetic then, just as I am now. We came to the sea, looked down at the waves as they smashed against the rocks sending sprays of salty water into the air with a little of it wetting our faces. Such simple joys and pleasures are freely available for us to experience.

We noted all that down in our notebooks. You see, it was also an exercise on creative writing, in expressing our thoughts and experiences.

After that we entered Fort Cornwallis which was built by the British to fend off any attack. In the fort there were bunkers where soldiers could rest. Of course, alongside the wall were cannons ready to fire at attacking ships. There was also a light-house to warn sailors that they were nearing dangerous rocks.

We had the opportunity of climbing up to the top of the light-house when we were given the permission to see the very top portion of the light-house. We saw how th lights were flashed towards the sea. The keeper was kind enough to enlighten us on how it worked. There, we learned how important it was to be polite in making requests. We understood human nature better.

Later, we went to the Penang Port Commission building where there were offices to handle incoming and out-going ships at the port. We noted down all our visits in our note-books.

Finally, we went into China Street and headed back to the school. We wrote down the directions we took to and from the places we stopped at. Indirectly, we were practicing writing directions. It was an important lesson as we had the chance to make use of what we had learned. The lessons were not just academic, they were put into practice and through it we realize the importance of being able to express ourselves through written language.

Upon reaching the school, the leaders of the various groups were asked to tell, from the notes made, what they had accomplished during the approximately three hours they had been given. Again, we had a beneficial activity, speaking in front of a crowd and overcoming stage fright.

So, can you see how beneficial an activity such as this can be. Schools, clubs and any organization which has the development of children in mind should plan such activities with or without adults in the background. If possible, let the children have a free hand at doing things so that they can learn to lead, to search for information, to make inquiries, to make polite requests, to have the courage to approach just anybody for assistance, to report everything and speak to disseminate information.

Yes, children must be given the opportunity to perform on all by themselves. That is every parent’s eventual goal for the children.

Essential Fatty Acids.

In an earlier post I have written on the need for fats in our diet. For example, without fats, fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K cannot be absorbed into the body.

Fats are also important to our health. Our body needs essential fatty acids for good health. Essential fatty acids or EFAs cannot be manufactured by our body and therefore we have to get them in our diet. The most important of the essential fatty acids are Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9. However, Omega 9 might not be considered an essential fatty acid as it can be produced by the body when there is sufficient Omega 3 and Omega 6.

As research tells us, EFAs are necessary for the formation of healthy cell membranes. To maintain healthy skin and hair, to regulate the use of cholesterol and blood pressure in our body, to regulate blood clotting, to strengthen the immune system and control inflammatory responses, to have healthy liver function and hormone production, we need these EFAs. Furthermore, the development and healthy function of the brain and the nervous system depends upon sufficient EFAs. So do proper thyroid and adrenal activity.

As we can see, EFAs are just as important as vitamins as they are necessary for proper body functions.

Of all the EFAs, omega 3 is the most important and the body should be given more omega 3 dan omega 6. According to research, the ratio needed depends upon the individual.

Next, we ought to know what we must have liquid fats in our diet to give our body sufficient EFAs.

Omega 3 can be found in flax seed, mustard seeds, grains, green leafy vegetables and spirulina. The better sources are fish oils, linseed or flaxseed oil and canola oil.

When purchasing fish oil, there is the problem of mercury. So, we have to look into the method of extracting the oil.

Omega 6 can be obtained from vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds. Better sources are oils made from sunflower, corn, soya, evening primrose and wheatgerm.

If sufficient Omega 3 and Omega 6 is available to the body, then the body can produce Omega 9. However, Omega 9 can be found in virgin or extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, sesame oil, pistachio nuts and cashew nuts.

Deficiency in EFAs can result in many unhealthy developments. Deficiency in Omega 3 can result in skin problems, poor vision and high blood pressure while deficiency in Omega 6 can cause poor skin condition, growth retardation, poor wound-healing and a weakened immune system. The problems are plentiful as the proper function of all tissues are dependent upon sufficient EFAs.

How much EFAs we get from the oils and the food in our diet again depends upon their exposure to heat, light and oxygen. These three factors caused the EFAs to be lost when the oil is oxidised and becomes rancid. In the post on 'Rancid oil', I have explained that the oils should be kept in refrigerators or dark places to prevent or slow down rancidity.

When it comes to heat during cooking, it should not exceed 100 degrees fahrenheit. Of course, it is best to eat the food raw where possible.

Extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil is better as cooking oil for they can withstand higher heat without any chemical change to the oil.

With this we should be able to understand our need for fat in our diet and how we can be healthier.

To some, honesty is not the best............

This morning I went to Penang Island where I visited the esplanade. The Penang esplanade hold a lot of memories, memories that I remember vividly to this day. For me, it was a place of sadness, a place of romance, a place for running practice, the place where I learned that honesty is appreciated by some but not all and a place where I learned and developed leadership qualities.

Once upon a time, there was a youngster who, whenever he could spare the time, would help his elder brother to earn his living by selling cuttlefish and cockles in the evening and at night at the food court at the esplanade.

At the age of fifteen, it was interesting to do the work of adults and there was the pride of being allowed to be involved in doing some kind of business. He would boil the vegetable known as 'kang kung', pressed the vegetable to remove excess liquid and cut it into bite sizes. He would remove the bone, the thin layer of membrane covering the cuttlefish and slice halfway through the thickness of the fish to get criss-crossed patterns on the cuttlefish when it was boiled. Then, it was his job to cut the cuttlefish into suitable sizes before covering it with a most delicious sauce.

Then he would take the plate of delicacy to the people who had ordered it. Before returning to the stall, he would scan the area to see if any customer had finished his/her food. He might then have to collect the plates and chopsticks as well as the payments, returning change when necessary. This was the place this youngster learned responsibility and understand how tough life could be, how meals on the table had to be worked for and know the existence of the various types of people who make up this world. There were the kind ones who treat you humanely and there were those who treat you with disdain. There were those who worked hard for a living and there were those who looked for easy money.

It was at this esplanade one night that this young boy discovered that not everyone appreciates honesty.

As the boy was carrying a plate back to his stall to wash, he saw a man get up from his seat. In doing so, his wallet slipped out from his back pocket. The young boy ran towards the wallet, took it up and ran with it towards its owner. The owner was indeed grateful and thanked the boy before going towards his car.

As the boy turned towards his own stall with a smile on his face, happy at having helped someone; he was confronted by some of the other stall owners. Their words took that smile off his face immediately.

"Hey, if you do not want that wallet, you should not have picked it up. Let someone else who want it take it. Really stupid, you!"

The boy knew his action was right but he did not voice his thoughts, not when he realised those people could rough him up. He just turned and quickly returned to his brother and their stall.

This was one of those encounters with the real world where different people have different ideas and opinions about almost anything. So much depends on their attitudes, their motives and their experiences.

Well, life is a learning process and I was that young boy who, even now, finds that there is still so much to learn and discover in this wonderful world.

Stop that anger!

Yesterday, I received a tragic story that i hope all of us can learn from.

One day, a man looked at his brand new car with pride. He had bought a very beautiful powerful car and its gleaming surface won his admiration. He had just put on a new well-made number plate. With a screw-driver in one hand and a wrench in another, he stood up to see how such a plate would enhance the appearance of his car.

Just then, his five year old son ran towards the car, took up a stone and scratched the side of his car.

On seeing that, the man became very angry, ran to the child, caught his hand and hit it many, many times in uncontrollable rage, not realising that he was hitting his own child with a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost his five fingers, the bones of the five fingers fractured and broken beyond repair. Doctors could not do anything but amputate the five fingers of the child.

When the child saw his father after the amputation, painfully, with tears in his eyes, he asked his father,"Dad, when will my fingers grow back?"

The shocked man was so sad and so mad at himself that he speechlessly went away to his car. In his frustration, devastated by his thoughtless action, he kicked the car a good number of times. Exhausted and with no reprieve from his agony, he sat down beside his car and cried.

As he cried he looked at the scratches his son had made, the son who had just learned how to write merely a few months ago. The words scratched on the car stared out at him. It read: Love you dad.

Truth dawned on him. He had thrown his anger with such vehemence on one who loves him so much.

The poor man could not forgive himself. He committed suicide.

And it was all because of anger. Anger blinded that man to the great love of his
son.

Can you see how damaging, how destructive anger can be? For that man, it hurt his loving son, it lowered his self-respect, it destroyed his life. Was the car important enough to save his life? Can any expensive car be as worthy as our loving child and his love? Can any car be worthy of anyone's life? Never! No, for it was merely an expensive object. It can never ever replace love. Can Should we allow anger to ruin our lives?

So, those who still could not control their anger must learn to do so. as long as anger is allowed to control us and our actions, tragedy can happen and none of us can be safe. Let us master our anger.

And if anyone were to say that he/she does not know how, learn to do so with the help of knowledge and the power of the breath through The Art of Living. There is a centre near you as The Art of Living has reached more than one hundred and forty countries throughout the world.

As we can see, love and anger has no limits. Anger destroy lives and love beautifies them.

The power of God through Rev. Roy Durman.

A band played and sang praises to God as they all awaited the arrival of Rev. Roy Durman.


Here's Rev. Roy Durman at the mike.


The reverend addressed the crowd with the help of a Mandarin speaker and a Tamil speaker.


Rev. Roy Durman knealing down to heal.


Woman pushing her own wheelchair.


A video showing Rev. Roy Durman in a wheelchair being pushed by the woman God cured.


A scene at Healing Rally.


A man unconscious as God's healing takes place.



A band playing christian songs in praise of God. Was I in the right place? There were so many Indians around. Nevertheless, I parked my car and walked ot one of the parking attendants to enquire if it was a Christian function in which a Rev. Roy Durman was to appear to get Jesus to heal the sick. The man confirmed it.

I had just heard about this faith healing that morning and wanted to witness such an occassion. Actually, this is not the first time I have known a faith healer because one of my uncles was a faith healer. I shall tell you his story in another posting. It was a healing rally at Sin Kwang Chinese Primary School at Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani, Kedah. According to the information gathered, Rev. Roy Durman would be there for three nights and this was the last night.

The person who told me about this faith healing had told me the blind will get to see, the crippled will get to walk and the deaf will get to hear. It was something i just had to see. I cancelled all other appointments.

I went early to be assured of a seat as near to the stage as possible so that I could photograph and see clearly all that was to take place. There was a band playing modern Christian songs which I was not familiar with as church hymns in the 1970's were different with the likes of 'Amazing Grace'.

Then, three persons, each through either English, Mandarin or Tamil, addressed the crowd and welcome everyone to witness the healing power of God through Rev. Roy Durman. A little later, Rev. Roy Durman and his wife were welcome onto the stage. The reverend told the crowd of the previous day's healing and know that more would be healed that night. More songs were sung in praise of God. From the crowd, the reverend asked for those who had migraine or head tumour to go onto the stage. He told them those who believe in Jesus will be saved. Believe and they can be saved.

There were about eight such cases and the reverend told them it was not him but god who would heal them. as he touched each of them by the shoulders, they fell backwards unconscious, helped to the floor by some Christian assistants. Then a piece of cloth was placed on each body. Next, the reverend returned to bend down on each body and held and shook the head. This apparently awaken the person and the person claim to be cured upon being asked how he/she felt. Apparently, they were cured by Jesus. After that those who came in wheel-chairs were able to walk. The reverend even got one of the recovered old ladies to push him around in her wheel-chair just to let the crowd see that she could walk.

Finally, those with eye problems such as cataracts and one case with a peirced retina due to an accident were apparently cured. If those people were truly cured of their sicknesses, then I must admit that miraculous healing did take place that night. I certainly am interested to know more about Rev. Roy Durman and the fantastic miraculous healing that took place that night.

If there's a bully, what can be done?

Since bullying and gangsterism is on the rise as parents put more time into financial improvement and career, with less and less time for their children, it is time we look into this problem which may affect our children.

A bully is usually a pampered or neglected kid who has been allowed to get away with bad behaviour until he/she believes he can get away with any kind of misdeed. Without proper parental guidance or teaching, such a child feels he could get away with any misdemeanour and so does as he or she wishes to achieve his/her own ends. If no action is taken on him or her, it is just a matter of time before he hurts someone bad enough to recieve some kind of punishment. How far he goes with his/her life of wrong-doing and eventually crime depends upon his being apprehended for some kind of crime. From a bully, he/she may become a gangster, then a robber or a killer. Thus, it is important that authorities arrest this progress of a child or youth before he /she becomes hardcore.

What should a parent do if your child were to encounter a bully? In such circumstances, never allow anger to overcome you. Of course, being angry is perfectly normal but anger could lead you to the wrong action. if you were to personally punish the child, you become the one who is wrong. If the bully's parent were to come into the picture then, there could be a misunderstanding ending in a fight with both the losers.

What should be done? Rightly so, we must report the child to the proper authorities. If it happens in school, then let the school authorities call for the bully's parents and take action on the bully. Expelling a bully is not right either as that would only hasten the process to crime. Depending upon the severity of the case, a warning in front of the parents or a transfer to another school further from the bully's home would draw attention to the parents' need to pay more attention on their child. This can inconvenience the parents but it is the parents who allowed the problem to aggravate to this serious stage in the first place. Some parents ought to be given advise or counselling on good parenting by or through the school authorities.

As for the child who is bullied, the parents ought to accompany him/her to school to help him overcome the trauma of the incident as well as give him/her the courage to return to the scene/school to continue his/her studies. The discipline teacher ought to be confided in regarding the feeling of the victim so that he/she could help by keeping a vigilant eye on the victim and the bully.

If there are no further incidents of bullying after a warning, then the bully ought to be given the chance to improve as the bully is nothing but a victim of parental neglect.

However, should the bullying continue, then the school have to take firm action to contain the problem. The parents have to be informed and the child has to be sent out to another school.

Then again, there are some people who are against transferring a bully to another school, claiming that this merely transfers the problem elsewhere. That may be true if the parents are not told that the problem arises from their neglect. The parent must be informed that should the problem continues in the new school, the child will be transferred even further from home. The parents should be made to sign documents indicating that they have been informed of the consequences of their child's unacceptable action and the parents have been advised to take heed of their child's attitude and behaviour with greater love and better bonding with the child. (Please go to earlier posting on bonding with our precious children.)

Of course, it will inconvenience any parent to take his child to a school further away. Such parents ought to understand that this would draw their attention to their child. The parent may have to transport the child to and fro from a school as it may not be the usual routes of most buses. Greater contact and understanding could be achieved and the child could come to understand that his parents do care after all. There is no need for rowdy or bullying tactics to attract attention.

Yes, basically the child could be trying to draw much needed attention to himself or herself. That is the result of neglect. With more love, care and attention from the parents, the bully is bound to change. After all, when change is necessary to win the approval of the loving parents, it will happen.

That is the power of love, care and attention.

Peace of mind.

I have told about the shrines people build to pay respect and homage to a spirit who has been able to assist a sick person on the road to recovery.

However, not all shrines come about as a result of such homage and faith. Sometimes it is built for the peace of mind of the residents in a particular area.

People throughout the centuries have desired peace of mind and this could be achieved through living in harmony with the environment and other inhabitants of the place such as other living creatures and spirits. People have always understood and respected this kind of harmony and therefore are willing to do anything to achieve the very essential peace of mind with which daily life could go on smoothly without any undisirable event or happening to disrupt their lives.

So, upon venturing to a new piece of land, the Chinese believed certain elements of nature could have been disturbed and to overcome any possible consequences, they would be wiling to pray to God for assistance, be friendly to the neighbours and whatever spirit which could have been uprooted from its abode in the course of constructing their homes.

To do that, they built shrines for the spirits and thank them frequently for their generousity in allowing them to live in the area in peace. Whether such spirits do exist or not is immaterial. What matters is the peace of mind as a result of having done all they could to appease anything or anybody whose ire could have been aroused by them. With such peace of mind, the residents would have better sleep, good rest, good health as a result and ensured happiness in the place.

As such, government authorities should allow such small shrines to exist as they, in no way dirupt anyone's lives not cause any obstruction to anything. Such shrines merely enhance the happiness and peace of mind of the people, something any authority should give encourage.

Consume only good fats. Rancid fats not wanted.

That's the guy who wrote the postings in this blog. Despite the fat supplement, this is how I look.

And here are my fat supplements.
************************************************************************

Well, I have told you about lessening your input of carbohydrate calories and also the importance of fats in the diet to avoid obesity.

I have a picture of myself with my camera to show you that I practise what I preach. I hope to convince you so that you can benefit from what has been written.

I take the cold-pressed virgin coconut oil as a supplement as I know it does not contain colesterol and has the benefits that I have listed in my previous postings on coconut oil. I also take cold pressed virgin olive oil as it is one of the best oil and it contains the antioxidant, vitamin E which is not found in coconut oil. Together, these liquid fats help me to stay healthy.

I have not had to see a doctor for the last thirty years for any sickness. However, during those years, I did see a doctor for being stung by wasps. I did go to a government hospital to find out the effect of taking Himalayan Mountain salt. I found that it did raise my blood pressure. I was told to take my blood pressure for a week. As a result of that test, I stopped taking the salt and by the end of the week, my blood pressure was back to normal.

The two different fats that I take daily are kept in a dark corner of a closed room. The dark opague bottle of the coconut oil is good as it prevents light from reaching the oil. By doing so, I prevent the coconut oil and the olive oil from turning rancid. Why is it important to prevent fat from turning rancid?

Fats turn rancid due to oxidation, chemical deterioration due to light and heat, and time. Oxidation turns our vegetable oil which many households use turn rancid when it is exposed to oxygen each time we open its container. Day light or any other light helps to it rancid. Having the oil placed near the heat of the stove also turns it rancid. It can still turn rancid even when the expiry date is not over. So, it depends upon where you keep your fats. Unsaturated fat turn rancid faster than saturated fat.

Some researchers claim that rancid fats are harmless except that most, if not all, the nutrients in the fat have been lost.

According to some researches rancid oil are filled with free radicals that are responsible for health complications such as premature aging, cancer, and degenerative illnesses.

So how do we prevent ourselves from taking rancid fats? First, considering that time and light are factors in rancidity, we could buy small quantities of fat with the latest manufacturing date. Obviously, we need to keep the fat in a place which is dark and in the coolest place. An opened bottle of liquid fat could be put into the refrigerator. If possible, buy the liquid fats which comes in light-proofed or dark opague, airtight containers. Since rancidity is caused by oxidation, it has been suggested to vacuum-seal the container but I do not know how this is done. Spraying inert gas into the containers for large amount of fats is one possibility. Inert gas can be bought in spray cans in supermarkets in certain places. The last two methods are to prevent oxygen from coming into contact with the fat.

Children's interests must come first.

Yesterday, I saw a news item that reminded me of the days when I was a disciplinarian in a school well known for gangsterism.

First, let me tell you about the article in the news. The heading was: 'Year One student’s testicles slashed over 50 sen.'

Apparently, 'a year one bully slashed his classmate’s private part with a blade because he was not satisfied with the 50 sen he got from his victim.'Would you believe that? This kid could have been watching too many gangster movies.

The victim was punched in the face. Then the bully ran to their class in a school in Alor Star, followed by the victim who was worried about his pencil case, to search for money in the victim's pencil case.Finding no money, the bully searched the victim's pocket where he found fifty sen. Perhaps frustrated with the small amount, the bully slashed the boy's testicles.

At the still tender age of seven years, this bully certainly have been neglected by his parents and learned his values from undesirable sources. How is it possible that parents can do such a poor job of parenting to have such a young boy resort to such criminal tactics at that age?

Yes, I believe it is neglect that had taken this bully to this criminal act. From my experience, such a child is usually the result of divorce, separation, single parenting or left to the care of guardians who could be grandparents who are either too weak or old to do much for the child.

When it comes to divorce, separation or single parenting, the child is cared for by only one parent who is most probably working throughout the day to financially support himself/herself and the children. Too tired to do much, the children are usually left to themselves, to cope as well as they can.

Of course, there are single parents who manage very well and bring up their children with all the love and care possible. Children of such a parent can tell us with pride of how much their parents have done for them. Weaknesses there could be, but children in such circumstances understand what the parent is doing for them through whatever little bonding they recieved each day.

However, sometimes even when two parents are around, a child can still be neglected. Well, there are parents addicted to gambling, whose children do not see them throughout most of the day.

Then, there are parents who think more of riches than children. I had a case of a neglected child whose parents had left their children with the frail, old grandparents while they lived in Singapore to earn better pay. Is their financial situation so bad that they need to go so far to earn that better pay? And sacrifice the children?

Whatever it is, be it right or wrong, parents must always have their childrens interests given first priority for they did not asked to be brought into our world. Through our actions, we brought them here.

Carbohydrates, not necessarily fat, can cause obesity.

We know that obesity is not healthy. We know that when a person becomes too fat, chronic diseases are bound to follow.

Thus, it is not strange that people avoid fats but not the other types of food. When we buy meat, we try to have the leanest parts. That is the right path for people to take.

However, we need fats as nutrionists and research will tell you. Fats, be they liquids or solids are essential to our health.

In a previous posting, I have written on the need of fats to be consumed together with vitamins A, D, E and K for these vitamins to be digested and absorbed.

Fats are also necessary for healthy skin and hair. The fat around our organs insulate them against shock. It promotes healthy cell function and is a ready source of energy as well as maintaining body temperature.

Toxic substances entering the bloodstream can be held captive in fat tissues till they can be removed through our body's waste disposal system.

Some fatty acids are essential nutrients which means that they can't be produced in our body and need to be consumed in small quantities through food.

Fats are nutrients that the body uses to build nerve tissue and hormones.

Fat gives food flavor and texture, making food tastier. However, fats also contain a lot of calories and therefore it is better to eat lean meat.

Nevertheless, despite avoiding too much lard, people in developing or developed countries are suffering from sicknesses brought on by obesity and too much fat in the body.

It is the result of concentrating on fat as the problem and forgetting other facts about nutrition.

Have we ever thought ot the amount of calories we take in from carbohydrates such as grains, fruits and vegetables? Have we ever thought of the calories from excessive intake of protein? When we take in too many calories; more than what our body needs daily, what happens to the excess calories?

In fact, there are some among us who consume so much carbohydrates and protein that it exceeds the healthy portion needed in our diet. According to the nutritionists, we should take approximately 25% of the calories needed from fat. The remaining 75% ought to come from carbohydrates and protein. But, is the calories consumed through carbohydrates and protein 75% of our diet? For a lot of people it's "No!". It's a resounding 'no!'.

Especially for office staff who do not perform any strenous physical tasks, the carbohydrates and protein ought to be less.

In fact, when excessive simple carbohydrates, as opposed to complex carbohydrates are consumed, the sugar content is released so quickly into the bloodstream that it raises the blood sugar level leading to insulin increase there which is not good for our health.

Because simple carbohydrates are easily digested, we feel hungry faster and so we consume even more food with a even greater increase in calories in our body.

Where does the excess calories go to. Unlike the fibres and undigestible seeds they are not excreted. They are changed into fat. And that is how carbohydrates could be the culprit to the problem of obesity.

To lose weight needs discipline, knowing our daily energy output, understanding calories and how excess is converted to fat and the type of fats we ought to consume.

The failure of most weight-loss programmes is due to inattentiveness to such facts.

Let us go into failure to maintain weight loss in a later posting.

Unshakeable belief.

They came so early in the morning, at 6.45, to light candles and joss-sticks.


Although this spirit is believed to be a Muslim, they prayed to it in their way.


In fact, once a year, they would choose an auspicious day to celebrate the existence of the spirit, offering it and the worshippers special Muslim food.


This is the shrine that was built by the people who believe in its existence.



This is the main part of the shrine.


Here is the other part of the shrine.


The two parts of the shrine seen with two worshippers.


Someone's child had a sickness. The parents took the child to doctors, hospital and specialists. Medicine was given. The parents diligently followed the doctors' advices and medicine was taken by the child accordingly. The child did not recover. The condition was getting worse to the extend that they were willing to believe in anything to get a cure.

A friend heard about the child's sickness. He came and told about a spirit under a tree nearby. The parents had in fact been told about it previously but they were educated people. They had studied about science and advancement made in medicine. They did not believe in spirits. But their beloved child was seriously sick without sight of any doctor or medicine that could bring relief. There was nothing else the parents could think of to save their child. There was no alterntaive but to try this spirit, to ask for help to save their child. Love for their child overcame all their disbeliefs. For the sake of their precious child, they had to believe. They had to hope.

So, early one morning, before most people were awake, they went to the place under the said tree. They put some fruits at the spot, light some candles and joss-sticks, and prayed fervently with all the sincerity that they could muster in their hearts for the return of their child's health. They promised to build a shrine for the spirit if the spirit could be so kind as to render its assistance in the matter.

The next day, the child looked so much better. Strange as it might seem, the child recovered gradually.

With genuine gratitude, they took along their child to thank the spirit for its assistance. As promised, they built the shrine. People in the neighbourhood who believe or had such fantastic experiences came to pay respect to the spirit each day.

If that child were yours, would you not have done the same? Of course, there are those who would claim that it is not possible for such a spirit to help overcome a sickness. Well, there are many such cases. As I have said before, we ought to accept differing opinions as opinions are the result of each individual's experiences. We all have our own, sometimes vastly different experiences, thus resulting in so many different opinions.

However, for those parents who had such experiences, who are we to say that they are mistaken. I can bet that their belief in the spirit is unshakeable. For, it is their child who was saved by a spirit especially after all else seemed to have failed.

In fact, I would think anyone, who had the experience of the above parents, most ungrateful, should he or she deny the fact that it was after approaching the spirit that his/her child was saved.

As a strong believer in God, I would like us to remember that God works in mysterious ways. I would say that this could be one of the mysterious ways. There are so many ways to reach out to God and I believe He is always here, there and everywhere; in the flowers we appreciate, in the trees which brings us fruits, beauty and shade,in all the wondrous things in this delightful world.

Thank God that people can still find hope when everything else seems to have been lost.