Judge each person individually; not as a group, race or company.

When it comes to Telecom Malaysia, the major provider of telephone and internet services, there had been times when I had been exasperated with its staff. This was especially so when a complaint was lodged against a member of the staff who was in charge of repairs and who did a shabby job besides being rude in simply accusing the complainant of things which were not true. When other members of the staff would not want to encourage or take such a complaint, it could be understandable but no less frustrating.

First, the Telecom man came when I was not around. So I phoned him to make an appointment as he left a note in which it was stated that they would like to proceed with the repair and requested me to contact for such an appointment. While talking to the man about the appointment, he told me that there was nothing wrong with my line outside the house. So I told him that the telephone was still dead with no sound emitting from it. Then, he accused me of not having paid my bills and according to him that was the reason for the phone being dead. I told him I have always paid my bill on time but he insisted that that was possibly the problem. As he insisted on that although I told him that was not the case, I got irritated with him as felt that he had no right to make such an accusation. He told me to go to the office to see if my bills have been attended to. And that was what I did. I waited for my turn to be attended to for about an hour. Of course, the staff told me I did not owe anything. So I told the staff what that technician had accused me of. So, instead of fixing an appointment for me that technician had caused me to lose more than an hour.

Two days later, the rude technician came and told me there was nothing wrong with my phone. I told him I was more concerned about getting into the net.According to him, that was not his problem. If he was not the right man for the job, why did they sent him? A few days alter he came again to find my phone dead. He told me to change the wire connecting the phone to the outside wire. And that was what I did. Still, the problem was not solved. By then I realised that it had nothing to do with a faulty wire. So, that technician had me spend money unnecessarily to change that wire.

Fortunately, they did send some staff who were polite and tried to look into the matter properly.

During that frustrating almost two month period, I was unable to surf the internet and had to go elsewhere to enter this blog as well as look into my email. Eventually, I had no alternative but to meet the manager who looked into the matter.

And two days ago, I was unable to enter the internet again. This morning I found the phone dead and so phoned the Telecoms about it. They sent someone at about ten thirty that very morning but I was not in. Then at about two o'clock I tried the phone again to discover some sound from it. However, the link light on the modem was still blinking. I lifted up the phone a short while and the link light came on. However, when I tried to enter the net, I get a notice indicating the server could not be found.

At about four o'clock, I tried again and the same "server cannot be found" note appeared. So phone Telecoms to inform them that their technician did come when i was not around, my phone was no longer dead and the link light was stable but I was still unable to enter the internet.

The man who spoke to me was very calm and told me that there was connection since two o'clock. However, since there seem to be a no server problem, he told me to switch off the modem while he did something in his office. Then I was told to turn on the modem again and wait for the lights on the modem to stabilise. I did that. Then he told me to try to enter and I did enter. The problem was gone. Not only was this Telecom staff efficient in handling the problem, he was always so polite and calm. May God bless him! He impressed me and I know I ought to talk about such people in this blog, that there are nuggets if we look around.

It is such incidences that get us to realise that no group, company or race is totally bad. Every group, company or race have its good, bad and ugly. We only hope to find more good wherever we go. But sometimes it is the bad and ugly that makes us see the difference and be more appreciative of the good.

Discriminatory legislation, laws and practices can never be accepted among citizens

India's Prime Minister did not wish to be involved in the Malaysian government's discrimination of Malaysian Indians. He did not question the government about this issue. He was right not to do so as that would mean interfering in the internal affairs of another country.

However, the Malaysian government should not, based on India's Prime Minister's refusal to question such a matter, consider the matter too trivial to look into. The fact that citizens feel they have been sufficiently discriminated in their own country to approach outside forces for assistance indicates that something is seriously troubling them.

A country can only be considered well-developed and ready for greater progress only when all its people are united and are fully supportive of the government. When we talk of a country's people, wise politicians ought to know the said country's people consists of every group, be they from different religions, cultures or races. And this can only happen if government politicians are matured enough to accept the fact that they are elected to look after the welfare of all citizens and to have them treated equally regardless of whether they belong to the same race or religion as the political leaders.

In Malaysia, there is this much disputed 'social contract' which government leaders claim had been agreed to by the founding leaders that a particular race must be treated more special than the other races. According to one of the ex-Prime Minister, the disputed 'social contract' is not a signed document. It is laughable that such a serious matter was never documented and signed, if what had been said was true. In the meantime the online media, Malaysia Today, is publishing the documents it claims to be the Malaysian Constitution to show that nowhere can there be found such a social contract. So the question arises: Is there such a contract? If there is none, why has the citizens been told of such a non existing contract, especially when it is such a contract which will never have all the citizens treated
equally?

Even if such a 'social contract' does exist and we understand that it divides the people into two groups which had to be treated differently; should not the government do the right thing by doing away such a social contract. Look! The country certainly stands to be forever not truly united if such a contract does exist. Certainly those treated as 'step-children' of the country will feel the discrimination as they become more intelligent and understand the unfairness and injustice heaped upon them especially when there is no Godmother to come to their rescue. (Read Cinderella and understand what the author teaches about discrimination in a family.) Thus there can never be true unity as these people would have this so called 'social contract' hanging constantly like a dark ominous cloud over their heads.

Without fair treatment to all citizens, there can be no loyalty. How can any government expect people whom they treat as 'step-children' to be loyal to it, when equal help and opportunities were never given to them? They pray for the day a better government with greater leaders be installed; true national leaders who could right the wrongs and treat them as true citizens so that they can live with equal hope for growth, prosperity and happiness in their own country without further worry of their rightful place under the Malaysian sun.

Well, let's pray to God for such rightful changes so that Malaysia can grow from strength to strength into a really developed nation.

Let's look for more sincere politicians.

I remember a time when I was still naive enough to believe that politicians do sincerely wish to help the people. No, not exactly. There were a few truly helpful ones and perhaps it was these few who gave me the confidence to think that things could be worked out with some politicians so that there was true progress for all Malaysians.

There was a Tuan Haji who lived in Sungai Pasir and was a member of parliament. He was not only reachable. There were some problems he helped the people solve. Though the cases solved were few, he was a sincere person and he did try his best. In fact when he was not chosen again to stand for election for a second term, my friends and I were sad and suspected that there were people higher up who did not like the earnestness he put in to solve some of the problems. Well, it looked to us like a politician who looked after the interest of the people above that of his political masters can never survive for long.

In fact there was a time when I was quite enthusiastic about helping the poorer folks in the rural areas overcome their poverty. You see, I saw hardly any progress in places like Kuala Ketil in Kedah, where I was doing contract teaching for two years. The rural places were really bad and when I asked them why certain places still did not have essential facilities when they had a kind of village development committee to help them; the answer was unbelievable as they claim those people act only if it benefited them. It must be true otherwise how was it that they were still still unable to get out of their poverty trap. Where was the sincerity in assisting the poor?

So, I approached the elected representatives and told them they ought to fight for improvements for schools and some kind of library for every small town where children of the poor can be helped to read better and study well besides being provided with lots of interesting reading material that all children need to cultivate a reading habit which could take them to better education, knowledge and understanding. Every time there was no interest and when pushed about it, they used the no money allotted to such things reason which I thought was the weakest excuse especially when the country was at that time spending a lot building mega projects.

In fact, it is not gifts of money that would get the poor out of their poverty. All the monetary gifts are to make the government popular but it does not help the poor in the long run. What the poor need is education and when I say education it is not giving away university places or degrees to students who are poorly qualified for the places. Remember, we ended up with graduations who could not find appropriate jobs in private companies resulting in the government having to absorb some of them into the civil service.

Education is the way for the poor to rise above their poverty. That was the reason I suggested having better facilities in rural school and constructing a library for each and every small town. How can we ever be a truly developed nation if a lot of areas in our country do not even have a library to cater to the literate people in such places? And do not tell me we expect more than half the nation found in such rural areas to be not literate. Developed or not depends upon the mental quality of the people and not just physical structure. We certainly do not want to have most Malaysians still with third world mentality when we declare ourselves a developed country.

This year we have decided to move one step backwards when we do away with the teaching of mathematics and science in English; this despite knowing the importance of English in our global world. (Remember that some of our graduates could not find jobs in big international companies because they were not proficient enough in English.)In fact, when the teaching of mathematics and English in English was pushed through by our then Prime Minister, I supported his move as it would certainly result in students with more English usage. Besides, it would also give the students a motive to improve their English earlier rather than struggle to improve it only when they find it is necessary for high posts in big companies. By then it could be a little too late.

But then, as just a citizen, what can be done? As someone pointed out, this citizens holds just one vote. But I wish to point out that every one vote of ours, if done collectively will result in many votes. So, citizens must choose the right people to be our representatives. They must not be representatives of the people only in name but actually representing what their parties want. We obviously need better politicians!

Politicicians must never be racial.

This morning I stopped at my usual 'nasi lemak' stall to get a packet of tasty rice with its eggs, fish and prawns for my breakfast. While waiting for the lady to prepare my packet I had the opportunity of watching unity among fellow Malaysians. Besides me, there were some Malays and Indians waiting for the food. They were exchanging greetings and small talk while one elderly Malay man was serenading a little Indian girl with a Hindi song.

Now there is nothing unusual about the scene as it is common to see such happenings, except for the serenading of course, at the morning market or along grassy paths where people from all races come together to exercise. Even in the Tai Chi group can be seen some Malay members. So, basically all Malaysians are a united people.

How is it then that the news media is constantly producing views of deteriorating unity among the races? Who are the people shouting and screaming about Malays losing power? Who are those who say that the Malays will be weak and become economically backwards if another party were to take over the government? Who are those who claim that the other minority races such as the Chinese and the Indians would want to take over everything, that they are the enemy the Malays have to watch out for. Once someone even hinted at a Chinese becoming the Prime Minister to frighten his race. Such obvious untruth is being spread. Anyway, if we are matured enough, what's wrong with any Malaysian becoming the Prime Minister if all of us trust him to look into the welfare of all the people? Look West at America. Is the present President of the USA talking only about improving the lot of just one race? Are the Americans worried about that? How can the Malays be losing power when they are the majority race, when the other political group has Malay leaders as well? Yet, what is certainly nonsense does have some influence on the thoughts of certain people.

Now, all this is played out with an ulterior motive. Look at the people who voice such fears and threats to the people. Who are they? They are those who hope to achieve even greater power through their rantings. They are the politicians, the very people we hope to unite the people and take the country to greater heights. These are the people we hope to bring greater peace and prosperity. Yet, these are the people who influence those that they can so that the people remain disunited in order to gain votes. Votes is their ultimate desire!

Yes, the main objective is to get votes so that they can either achieve or stay in power. And when it comes to staying in power, a study of what has been happening in this country clearly shows that they are willing to sacrifice a lot in order to be holding on to that power.

It is indeed sad that humans are willing to stoop that low to conquer; even to the extent of causing disunity and threatening disaster. The fortunate thing is, with education and understanding more and more are becoming impervious to political nonsense and insincerity. Many can see vividly the falsehood they propagate.

Education is the way to bring citizens to the level where their minds are able to visualise clearly the difference between right and wrong, good or bad. It is the one bright hope to humanity's welfare although the state of affairs in our world indicates that we are still far from such untainted understanding.

Immunity among children.

First of all, I have to make myself clear that I am not advocating that our children drink dirty water or eat dirty food. What I am going to tell you might lead you to misunderstand me. Although there is a lot of truth in what a teacher told me, we need not resort to such drastic measures to achieve good immunity from sickness.

There was a time this lady was in Sarawak teaching the students in a very rural district. She told me that the students would drink unfiltered water. At the beginning, she was aghast to see that happen and, of course, she told them they would be sick drinking such dirty water. They laughed at her fears and told her that they had been drinking that kind of water since they were very young.

From the adults she gathered that that was true. Those who were weak did not survive but those who could reach the age of seven were already safe as they had achieved a kind a immunity against whatever bacteria that was found in the water.

I would not know whether medical people would agree that such immunity could be reached and is sufficient to prevent illness. What this lady did know was that those children hardly ever fall sick. They were tough, according to her.

When she related to me the story, I remembered a time during my childhood when I observed that Chinese children caught the cold so easily while Indian kids in the same area I lived in, Market Street, Penang, hardly sneezed or suffer from pneumonia. As I was then already interested in the subject of health, I watched those Chinese and Indian children regularly.

I noticed that at the slightest hint of rain, the Chinese parents would rush their children indoors and dressed them up in thicker clothing while the Indian children would play around in the rain and miraculously escape catching any cold virus. Perhaps the virus was washed or drained off by the falling rain. No, I believe they did managed to have their immune system destroy the virus. (In my earlier posting, I had written how I allowed my children to play in the rain after a few minutes rain had started to avoid acid rain. And until this day, as young adults, they seldom catch cold.) The sudden change in weather and temperature which they were used to did not affect them as it did the Chinese children.

Well, as you can see, I am a strong believer in the immune system and how it can prevent many sicknesses.

Thinking about those Sarawak children, there could have been some unnecessary deaths among some of the weaker children. They death toll could be too high. The way they achieve their immunity was a little too extreme. Moderation and understanding ought to be the the guideline for success in health. Thus, we ought not to purposely endanger our health but then a little weak bacteria, just as medical science inoculate weaker bacteria into our body, could be helpful to stimulate our immunity. Then again, we have to understand that if our constitution is weak, even a little bacteria can bring us down. So, it does not work for everyone. Perhaps, good hygiene must be practised at all times.

How about those who rush their children to a doctor the second the little one has a fever? Should we not allow the body the opportunity to gather its forces to fight the enemy, and in the process strengthen the body's own fighters? Most times, unless the fever was very high which necessitates the services of a doctor, I wet my children's face, especially the forehead, and sometimes the body, throughout the night and day to keep the temperature down. I have succeeded in bringing the temperature down this way. Of course, it will be a sleepless night for the parent but if we do not want our children to consume too much medicine this is one of the ways to overcome fever. However, I must warn that unless that is done for fever, the child has to be given medicine as fever can be dangerous; dangerous enough to affect the brain.

Of course, in making decisions of this nature, knowing and understanding the child and his/her state of health is important.

Why most mother-in-laws always get a bad name?

"Why must mother-in laws go where angels fear to tread?"
"Because it involves their sons or daughters, their blood and skin, and no one shall ever be allowed to threaten their welfare or happiness, imagined or otherwise!"

Really but the irony is that whenever mother-in-laws take sides, and invariably it is their own sons' or daughters' side, welfare scoots out the front door and happiness splatters onto the floor and drips into the drain if they are allowed to have things their way.

I have always advised young married couples to stay in a place of their own, no matter how shabby they have to be. It is surely better than any palace of both parents, no matter how grand they might be. Tell me who rules in those palaces if not the mother-in-laws. And the rulers ordained that her word is law, never ever to be disputed by any, except perhaps the kings themselves.

Those young couples who happen to be lucky to meet great kings in those palaces will find salvation, if not it will truly test their love for each other; and many great lovers have fallen in those moments of stress. Why give love such an unnecessary test when a simple move like having a little home of one's own can prevent the
problem.

In the first place, such a problem need not arise as all good mothers love their children and would certainly want their children to find eternal bliss in love. I sincerely believe they do. In that case why must problems come in many cases from them?

I believe it is jealousy. It is a human trait. You see, for years, the child was hers and hers alone, especially so if the father is out somewhere working for the money. Mother cooks the the child, frets over every little discomfort that may be noticed and cares for that little one in every way twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week without any holiday at all. Then, after about twenty years, minus or add a few years, someone else, a total stranger comes along and sweeps her little boy or girl off, gains most of his/her attention and love which was once hers alone and comes into her palace to perhaps take over her stately position in the house-hold. For the love of her child she could tolerate certain things but then, imaginary or real threats are seen as the new woman of the house (Of course, it does happen with the men too, but it is usually with the woman.)seem to be the new authority when her child was concerned. The threats grew threateningly unbearable and it is a matter of time before something gives and all that is toxic is vomited out to shatter the peace of the home. The fuse that explodes the bomb could be anything from a careless word to some misunderstanding or even a dispute of family matters.

The thing is usually the problem is between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws. Well, it is probably because the face each other almost eighteen hours a day if both are not working. Even it there are working both are sort of in control of household matters and here there can be a clash of ideas and methodology. Nevertheless, as women, why can't they help their female kind achieve some kind of harmony and success which would be beneficial to both parties? Why not come to an amiable understanding and have respect for each other so that their common household can be the haven for happiness?

Perhaps, the women can form a kind of society and exchange ideas or teach each other how they could live even better lives with greater understanding of each other. With time we, regardless of sex, ought to become better humans.

Even mothers, some of them, cannot think straight.

The problem with my family was that my parents gave me the best possible education they could afford. Though they knew not a word in English, they sent me to an English Language medium school. I went from Wellesley Primary School to Hutchings School and then Penang Free School. Of course, I was lucky to have an uncle, the then headmaster of St. Xaviers Branch School who prevented my parents from requesting for a secondary school nearer to home than the Penang Free School. "What nonsense!" my uncle told my parents. "Everyone hopes for their children to get a place in Penang Free School. Not anyone can get a place there, you know?"

With a good education behind me and the urge to read everything there was to know from books and magazines from the nearby British Council in Bishop Street, the Penang Library and the United States Information Service, I could read and understand many things, particularly books on health as I was a weak and sickly child and I knew even as a boy of about ten years that I had to get out of my delicate constitution. So I read a lot and discover that I could reach the four corners of the world, improve my health with exercise, the right food and proper rest as well as a powerful immune system and peep into the world of the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison and others as they made discoveries that help us to gather more knowledge and understanding.

Knowledge and understanding is important is ensuring that truth and life is seen clearly and not through distorted mirrors; you know, those that are not well made and so can change how you look by giving your rounded face a fluted outline. So knowledge helps me to discern what could sometimes be not obvious to my parents.

And that can sometimes lead to problems. I remember a time when my mother was angry with someone. As a witness to what had happened, I could comprehend the matter well and from that could see that my own mother was clearly wrong. In my innocence I told her not to quarrel with the other woman as it was obvious that the mistake was hers. She turned on me, gave such a tongue-lashing that I regretted opening my mouth and uttering the truth. She told me I was no son of hers; my finger bending backwards rather than forward. From that i understood that as her child I was supposed to agree to whatever she did even when it was wrong. According to her that would be the natural behaviour just as our fingers can only bend forward into the palm but not outward.

But why take the fingers as examples of right or wrong. Why not the arms from the shoulder which can be so flexible and move in almost any direction according to its needs. At that instance, I certainly had to bend backwards to do what was right which was to point to the truth. According to me, the truth is always important even when the wrong is mine. For unless I realise where I have gone wrong, I cannot right the wrong or improve myself. But then, my mother did not agree to my view and every time I had to correct her, she would deny her mistake and told me I was the one who should change. Each time it happened, I wondered how parents who would give me the education to sharpen my mind could not see truth, why my mother and other mothers sometimes just cannot think straight.

"It could be just your mother who is like that," someone may point out. Well, that was what I thought until I had communication with other people. In fact, it was just two evenings ago that a lady told me it happened to her too. According to her mother, she was the rebel, the one that rebels against her way of thinking and pointing out her mistakes even when she was at odds with someone who is not a relative. It was like one of those times when I realise and confirm that I am no freak; just an ordinary human who just happens to see things clearly.

Do fathers know best?

Who knows best? We obviously do not have the right answer all the time. It all depends upon the subject in question and the people's experience and knowledge in the matter.

Of course in the prescription of medicine, the best person to turn to is a practising specialist in the particular field. Certainly, I would be the worst person to turn to even though I could have read about the sickness and the types of medicine essential to cure it. This is because I may not retain that knowledge fully as there is no necessity to do so. Worst, I may remember part of it and forget the rest. And after some time, I may be just thinking I remember it when I actually don't. After all, without usage of a knowledge, the knowledge is soon forgotten.

But should not every parent know and understand their children best? Must parents go through some kind of study to be able to perform at their best? Well, I am going to allow you the privilege to decide that after you have read the following true story.

Once, there was a very rich businessman, a billionaire, who had three daughters and three sons. He cared for all his six children well. The six children grew up, the mother passed away, and they lived with their father. One day, the old man realised that he was getting older each year and the time may come when he had to follow his wife to the other world. As all the children were already married, he decided to give most of his wealth to them. Well, you would expect every child of his to get a share, right? Unfortunately, that was not the case. He gave millions to each son but nothing to the daughters, not even a smaller portion of what he gave the boys!

The boys were extremely happy with such wealth heaped upon them and the girls suffered the disappointment of being neglected in the process. Luckily, the girls and their families were not poor. They and their husbands were capable, have their own businesses and had all that they needed. So they got over their disappointment quickly and went on with their lives.

Now, that old father did not die in the expected next few years. However, that did not mean he was still strong. In fact he weakened so much that he needed someone to attend to him and his servants. He requested his sons to assist him but none turned up.

God must have been kind for giving him daughters with warm hearts of gold. for the daughters, when they heard that their poor father needed help, they responded admirably. They helped him as much as they could.

The old man discovered that the daughters he did not allow to inherit some of his millions were the ones who went to him in spite of what he had done. Realising his mistake, the old man did try to make amends by offering them his money but they refused to have anything to do with his money although they continued to give time and asistance whenever they could.

It was a simple case of father not knowing what was the best thing to do. Love for the children from the parents should be equal and fair but some stupid customs and traditions have warped the thinking of people. sometimes even modern knowledge and understanding cannot erase the wrong beliefs and thoughts of people who have been brought up to think in a certain manner in so many matters.

That is why we need people who have the courage to change, to gather knowledge, to understand and think straight, to look and be able to differentiate bright from dark, white from black, or right from wrong. Till then this world will have people who believe in wrongs and fight or stand for such wrongs.

Mispronunciation or poor hearing can lead to problems.

I have often heard people, especially married couples, become angry over something one of them has mispronounced. Fortunately, the mistake is easily rectified when one of them realised that the other must have heard him or her wrongly. So we ought to make sure our partner hear us correctly.

However, mispronunciation need not necessarily result in heated arguments. It could also help to cool things down or bring some laughter in, if not to the embarrassed party, at least to the listeners. Well, to prove my point, here’s some entertainment for you, something I received through the email. Since there is no indication of its actual source, let’s just enjoy the story.
******************************

A professor at the Auburn University was giving a lecture on Paranormal Studies.

To get a feel for his audience, he asks,
"How many people here believe in ghosts?"

About 90 students raised their hands.

"Well, that's a good start. Out of those who believe in ghosts,
do any of you think you have seen a ghost?"

About 40 students raised their hands.

"That's really good. I'm really glad you take this seriously.
Has anyone here ever talked to a ghost?"

About 15 students raised their hands.

"Has anyone here ever touched a ghost?"

Three students raised their hands.

"That's fantastic. Now let me ask you one question further...
Have any of you ever made love to a ghost?"

Way in the back, Ahmed raised his hand.

The professor took off his glasses and said,
"Son, all the years I've been giving this lecture,
no one has ever claimed to have made love to a ghost.
You've got to come up here and tell us about your experience."

The Middle Eastern student replied with a nod and a grin,
and began to make his way up to the podium.

When he reached the front of the room, the professor asks,
'So, Ahmed, tell us what it's like to have sex with a ghost?'

Ahmed replied, "Shit, from way back there I thought you said 'goats'."

Why do families treat boys and girls different?

This morning I was on a trip to Alor Star with a lady friend when she told me that children, even at a very young age, could feel envious of their siblings who are better treated than them.

She told me she remembered vividly one occasion at the dinner table, when she reached out fro a drumstick, she was told that the two drumsticks were for her two brothers. At that time, although not a sound came from her lips, her heart felt the hurt of being deprived of something which she ought to have equal chance to enjoy. Was she not a child of her mother and father? Was she not as beloved as the boys? Was not her welfare just as important to them? However, she was not to question why. She was expected to sit quietly, eat, and not to cry. Why must the girls be treated different from the boys? Why were the boys given preferential treatment?

The question here is how can parents ever behave thus towards their own flesh and blood. Yet, eventually, in some families, it is the girls who look after the parents as they grow older. Sometimes, there is wrong thinking drilled into the minds by our early ancestors, thinking that could be selfish. When it comes to the Chinese, it must be a male who leads the mourners at the funeral of the parents. So, those families without males pray hard to get boys, so that such a predicament would not befall them.

That is the reason some families have so many children, delivering babies, each time hoping the latest baby would be a male. In the end, the may still end with a dozen girls. As for me, for the first ten years, it was a long honeymoon without any need for birth control and then when my first child came, one of the relatives asked, "What if it is a girl?"
"So what? Is not my wife a girl? Is she not as lovable and capable as any of the boys in her family?" I asked her.
"Every family must have a boy, mah. If not, how is the 'Ong' surname going to be continued?" she persisted.
"What? Do you know how many 'Ongs' there are in this world?" And with that I silenced her.

Of course, the problem did not arise as my children are all boys. If they were girls, i would have loved them just as much for they are my children, and put into my care by God.

Still, when I think about it, how can humans have such warped thoughts, not being able to differentiate between right and wrong. No wonder our world is full of problems created by humans ourselves. Even today, the minds of humans are still clouded when it comes to right and wrong in all spheres of life.

Our attitude towards a job.

There is a lady I know who works at what some of us, if not most, would consider to be one of the dirtiest place in the country. She has a job that has to do with sewage, clearing the filth from the smelly water and then filtering it before it goes back into our natural water-ways.

She is well-qualified for it and gets a salary most of us would envy. The only distasteful part of her occupation is supervising the work of other members of the staff to ensure that things such as underwear and everything else are fished out and removed before the water goes through some form of filtration.

Since I would not like to visit her place of work after hearing her description of the process of clearing the debris and other unmentionable things people throw into their sewage system, the above was the picture I received.

It is not everyone who can stomach the sight of such detestable objects those people find in their work. One of her friends, a man, could not bear such a sight and the next day found him out of the job. Of course, we who are not dependent upon such a post could easily say, "Ugh! I would run too!"

However, it is still a post with a good salary. And if those people there can do it, why not us? What or where is the difference?

As we talked, we did come to such a question. We have no doubt that it is the attitude of the people. If the workers there think of it as just another job with not much competition from most people, then there ought to be no problem. Furthermore, it is a well-paid job. And after all, there are other types of work just as undesirable. We have factories with all kinds of fumes and gases. The smell is just as intolerable. I once taught in a school where the smell of processing rubber attacked us each morning. although we believed it to be unhealthy, we tolerated it for some years before it moved elsewhere.

Attitude is an important factor in many parts of our lives. It plays an important role in deciding our future. People have landed in prison because of their attitude towards others and their ways. Well, the right attitude for whatever we do is the most important determinant of our success.

For some, where is the will to be healthy?

Ask people what they want and I can bet you there are lots of things they want; some of those things already out of their reach.

Take health for example and we find that there are people who do not think of safeguarding their health when problems have not emerged. After all, as far as these people can see, problems can never come to them. However, those people who care not for their health inadvertently fall sick sooner or later and when they do, then only do they think of ways to stay healthy which although possible can be more difficult.

Well, when a car breaks down and its parts need replacement, spare parts are just ringgits away. Where there is money, there will be spare parts. Unfortunately, should a human body break down, the parts for replacement might not be available or human capability has not reached that level. Kidneys and livers, for example may be replaced, but only if donors are around and parts are found. For some, the parts may come a little too late.

There was this man who was advised to do a little exercise each day to improve his poor health. He agreed to it but then at home he felt too lazy to do his part to lift himself out of his weakness. If a person is not interested enough to recover, even God will give up on him for as the Christians would say, "God help those who help themselves."

These people forget that the responsibility for their own health rests with them. Nobody can do anything for them unless they put in some kind of effort on their part.

Look at the number of people with kidney failure. Of course, some may be suffering through no fault of theirs but a good number of these people suffer through abuse of their poor kidneys. Some drink excessively, taking in so much toxic substances that they strain their livers and kidneys until these organ break down and could no longer function as they should. And the sad thing is that some are educated enough to understand their problems. Yet, statistics show that education just isn't enough. But then, what is?

What are you working for?

Here is a true story of a young man who could not decide what he wanted out of work. After studying for his secondary school certificate, he decided to get a diploma in computer science. He wanted to enter for that course as he was interested in computers.

A year later, he decided to quit the course when he saw some of his ex-schoolmates working and earning a salary. Those friends had their own money to spend. He so much wanted to be in the same situation as those friends. His parents could not do anything to persuade him to stay on with his studies as he felt he could also earn a lot of money working like his friends. Furthermore, he felt that what those friends were earning then was sufficient for him.

So, he started work for a company. Then he noticed that some of the workers who were doing the same type of work as his friends were being paid more. He discovered that those better paid people were better qualified than him and his friends. He suddenly realised that qualification is important. So he enrolled himself in a distance-learning course. He was a salesman from morning until evening and studied at night. Unfortunately, he had a weakness for video-games. That was a problem. It was a difficult choice for him, to study to improve his salary or relax with his video games. Eventually, video games won over his heart and he spent more and more time at them instead of his studies. Of course, a reason or excuse given for turning to video games was that once upon a time there was a guy in the neighbourhood who could help him with his studies whenever he encountered difficulties. Apparently, the helper has gone to live elsewhere leaving him without much needed assistance.

And he wanted to give up the studies. He has forgotten the better salary. He no longer thinks of a better salary. After all, he still has a job. It is not that he is jobless or unable to support himself.

Well, it looks like he does not actually know what he wants out of his work. Perhaps he does not even know what he wants out of life.

If we lose our aim in life......

The other evening I received a call to help a man who was getting his wife, relatives and friends worried that he might end up doing something stupid, like committing suicide.

So, without thinking about the matter further, I drove over to have a look at the man. He was an old man, very thin, weak and according to his own admittance, have not been active or exercised for a very long time. In fact, certain movements of his were limited. It was awkward when he had to go down onto the floor to lie down. Other than that there did not seem to be anything amiss. He complained that he found it difficult to sleep and in his sleepless state, thought of all kinds of things. Everything that he had done in his life returned to his mind vividly. He believed he could be going mad.

So the first thing I did was to assure him that he had many more years to go; that God did not need him back there yet. I believe he lacked sufficient movement, no exercise and therefore poor circulation and metabolism resulting in bad appetite. His joints were getting stiff as a result. Without the exercise and no mental activity, his body did not need much rest. With very little sleep and nothing to do, the emptiness in his life plays havoc on his mind.

To help his circulation improve, I massaged his body thoroughly, talking to him and telling him everything would be fine. I gave him physiotherapy, moved his arms and legs for a start. In fact, even before I finished with him, he was feeling better and was asking when I could go to see him again. I told him not to worry, that i would see him in three days' time. Finally, I gave him some exercise to do.

I told him that he was weak and needed to strengthen his body by exercising which would lead not only to better circulation but also improved metabolism. When the body is tired, there will be sleep. So, I got him to walk briskly for a short distance, stroll back to the starting point and repeat that for ten times, three times a day; once in the morning, another time in the afternoon and finally in the evening but at least two hours before bedtime.

With that initial start, I hope to put some strength and life into his body which would lead to overcoming of his problems.

Next, I would be asking the family to get him some reading materials so that he would also be mentally tired and life would not be so boring. I hope to have the cooperation of his family to get involved with happenings and work in the family. Give the guy something to do so that he would find meaning in life. Life is to be lived, not survived. There is so much to do to ensure a fulfilling life. All we need to do is to live it. Just do it!

We need to prove our capability.

On Monday night I was in Serdang, Selangor where over dinner at a barbecue and steamboat restaurant, I met this vivacious young lady who went overseas for further studies, got her degree and masters but stopped short of going for her PhD. Something in her told her it was not for her.

However, according to her, there was this friend of hers who went on to his PhD and succeeded in it. Well, this lady has landed herself an excellent job with a enviable income. As for the guy who has a PhD behind his name, he just could not get himself a job.

Without a suitable job overseas can be a panicky experience as the expenditure over there is terribly high. He had no alternative but to take on jobs like waiting at tables, dish-washing and just any thing that came along to survive. Eventually, with no change in his fortune, he returned to Malaysia. That did not bring any job along either. Today he is a jobless PhD.

In a place where most people know you, you just do not lower your dignity and take on any miserable job that comes along. Friends know you have a PhD. You do not want them to laugh at the sight of a PhD doing odd jobs waiting at tables. Of course, there is the pride, yours and the family's. Another weak point is that you know there are the parents whom you can turn to for a decent meal whenever you need one. And parents in Malaysia, unlike the European ones, (Forgive me if I am wrong and do tell me if I am, but that is the story I have heard about European parents.)are always quite generous to their children, even grown ones, especially when the parents are well-to-do. The ego must be safe-guarded at all cost. And that is the problem.

As it can be seen from this true life example, being over qualified can bring problems to the person possessing the qualification if that person think of it as a means to the best jobs around. No, qualifications is merely a permit to try for high posts but it may not necessarily turn out to be so. It is not a guarantee. The person concern must look for the opportunities to prove his worth. Having a qualification is one thing, being able to perform is another. And the higher the price a company has to pay the more cautious and careful they are in choosing the talents. Are they really getting what they pay for?

So, an individual with a high qualification must be willing to lower his/her expectation in order to enter or reach for a chance to prove his/her worth. Any big company will pay for someone who will bring in or put in more than what his/her talent is capable of. Either that or the company is too small to need such talent or will not be going anywhere very soon.
capable of.

The Wonderful Papaya Tree.

There is a book 'Papaya, the medicine tree by Harold W. Tietze in which the author tells about the enzyme 'papain' from the green papaya, how nutritious the whole fruit is, especially when it is still green, turning a little yellow and on the verge of becoming ripe. Just as nutritious are the leaves which I have been eating for the last one year after I have read the book which I borrowed from our local library. Of course since I eat it green or raw, I choose only the young leaves. I have also blended the leaves with fruits so that it does not taste as bitter. I must admit not everyone would find the leaves or the blended drink to their taste. None of my sons like it.

I have also eaten the green papaya together with the seeds and skin when it is a little bit yellow and the inside flesh lightly red. Obviously the fruit is not as sweet as the usual ripe fruit. Well, the skin is not a problem although a little somewhat tough. As for the seeds, they are a little hot, a little bit like mild pepper. At the beginning it was a bit difficult to eat but now it is no longer a problem.

One interesting fact from the book was that it could be used to help cancer patients. Well, it looks like I am not the only one who has read that book for i have just received an email in which the person writes about the author's claim. I have also talked to other people about this claim and some older friends remarked that this has been known for many years.
"Why is it that people have not resorted to such a cure?" I asked one of the friends.
His reply was,"It could be because the papaya leaves are so bitter."
"Well, it certainly is better than chemotherapy," I thought to myself. "No, it could be very few people know about this except for those people mentioned by the author."

Whatever it is, it is knowledge we should help to spread. So, I am putting the email down below for you to read. And those people who have experience with the papaya leaf, please write about it in your comments.
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Papaya Leaf Papaya Tree

Papaya/Pawpaw apaya (Carica papaya) originates from tropical American countries. Today Papaya is cultivated in most tropical countries around the world. The Papaya with the Latin name carica papaya is called Paw Paw in Australia and New Zealand . This is in no way related to the Paw Paw in North America that has the Latin name asimina tribola, though both are medicinal plants.

Papaya leaf juice is claimed to have reversed cancer in many people living on the Gold Coast in Australia . Harold W. Tietze in his book Papaya The Medicine Tree, describes how to make the juice and tells the stories of many cancer survivors who reportedly used the juice to get rid of their cancer.

The book contains the the following report that was published in the Gold Coast Bulletin. "PawPaw Cancer Plea Bears Fruit". Gold coast gardeners have responded to an appeal by cancer victims desperate to find supplies of pawpaw leaves. And the Gold Coast man who, 14 years ago, first exposed the leaves as a possible cure for cancer has been tracked down to a Labrador (Gold Coast) nursing home. The story of how Stan Sheldon cured himself of cancer by drinking the boiled extract of pawpaw leaves was first told in the Gold Coast Bulletin in 1978.

Now research in the United States has given scientific support to his claim, isolating a chemical compound in the pawpaw tree which is reported to be a million times stronger than the strongest anti-cancer drug.

Mr Sheldon, says the discovery does not surprise him. "I was dying from cancer in both lungs when it was suggested to me as an old Aboriginal remedy" he said. "I tried it for two months and then I was required to have a chest x-ray during those compulsory TB checks they used to have. They told me both lungs were clear." "I told my specialists and they didn't believe me until they had carried out their own tests." "Then they scratched their heads and recommended I carry on drinking the extract I boiled out of the papaw leaves."

That was in 1962. The cancer never recurred. Since then Mrs Sheldon has passed the recipe onto other cancer victims. "Sixteen of them were cured," he said. Mr Sheldon's involves boiling and simmering fresh pawpaw leaves and stems in a pan for two hours before draining and bottling the extract. He said the mixture could be kept in a refrigerator though it may ferment after three or four days."

"One man has been growing papaws and giving away the leaves to cancer victims ever since he read the Bulletin's original 1978 story about Mr Sheldon. "I have no doubt that it works," he said. "I know people walking around now who should have been dead according to their original cancer diagnosis. But the pawpaw treatment helped them to beat the cancer."

The recipe is as follows:

Wash and partly dry several medium-size papaya leaves. Cut them up like cabbage and place them in a saucepan with 2 quarts / litres of water. Bring the water and leaves to the boil and simmer without a lid until the water is reduced by half. Strain the liquid and bottle in glass containers. The concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days. If it becomes cloudy, it should be discarded.

The recommended dosage in the original recipe is 3 Tablespoons/ 50ml three times a day. It is recommended to read Papaya The Medicine Tree for the interesting stories of "incurable" people who have used this extract to beat their cancer, and for other medicinal uses of papaya.

The legacy.

Folks, below is what someone sent me through the email. As I fully endorse what has been said, I'm putting it down in this blog so that all of you can appreciate and benefit from a man who looked back on his life at a particular point in his life and saw the truth and realised others could benefit from it. So here goes, exactly what I got in my email.
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This is amazing, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book ‘The last lecture” before then; a book that became one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind…


In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow.
May you be blessed by his insight.



POINTS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with, people you play with, people you work with and people you live with. Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you.

Keep a watchful eye on the helpless.

Today we read about the abduction of a four-day-old baby from the living room of his house by a wild monkey. It fled with the baby up the roof, bit the baby and dropped it to the ground where it died.

Such incidents may be rare but the possibility of it happening is always present. Nowadays, animals and humans present a danger to the helpless. There are always humans ready to pounce to profit from whatever is available. There are always desperate people who may just be looking for the opportunity to get hold of a few ringgit. As for the monkeys, their foraging area is getting smaller as man move further into the outskirts to develop areas which was once jungle, the home of monkeys and wild animals.

Up the hill near Taman Semarak where I have my daily exercise, more and more monkeys are seen, taking the fruits on the trees in that area. When the fruits are all gone, I wonder where they are going to get their food. With food exhausted, what would these monkeys do? They would venture into housing estates to get fruits planted by the residents and when those are no longer sufficient, hunger might drive them into kitchens and houses. So, the monkey which went into that infant's living room could have been searching for its much needed food and found the poor helpless 'creature' a possible meal. The cries of the infant upon being bitten could have frightened it to release him/her to have him/her fall all the way down to the ground.

It is time we think of the monkeys and other animals which have been deprived of their habitat. There must be some kind of plan to give sufficient space for them. We ought not to be too greedy, thinking only of humans only. In fact there are buildings that are not fully utilised. Do we really need those buildings. Perhaps some of the building could be built with multi-purposes in mind. Whatever it is, we should think of the animals which are also creations of God and make sure they have a place under our sun.

Respect must be earned.

I read about a politician who criticised an opposition politician for not showing respect to a one time Prime Minister. Must we respect a man no matter what he said or did just because he was a Prime Minister?

At one time I was taught to do so but then life and the many experiences I derived from it has changed my attitude towards so called big-shots, even those with titles. I now respect a man or woman not for his wealth or title nor the position he or she holds. What is more important is the person I see and know. If the person is good at whatever post he/she holds and show respect for others, I will accordingly show respect for such a person. If not, I would not respect the person no matter what post is held, no matter what titles is attached to the name of the person or how wealthy the individual is.

All this is the result of knowing and experiencing how some wealthy people have no respect for the property of others, how some heads of government departments show no respect for the public, and political people with a good number of titles not respecting people just because it is not the time to fish for votes. Through this school of the human jungle I realised that some people do not deserve any respect from us.

Back to the severe reprimand made by the politician. When I read it, the following questions arose in my mind: Does it mean that a one time Prime Minister can make all kinds of racist remarks to cause further disunity and still expect to be accorded respect by right-thinking citizens? Especially when the man talks and clearly shows that he is more a community leader than a national leader, from hind-sight, we are forced to gradually understand and believe that he was, at least most of the time, looking after just one community's interest all those years. Would anyone expect me to respect such a person anymore?

We no longer live in the dark ages when the leaders are always right and loyalty to leaders is blind. Unlike the days of Hang Tuah when it is either respect the leader or off goes the head, we are supposed to be educated, knowing civilised people. Education and knowledge has help us to differentiate between right and wrong. Of course, there are still those who agrees to everything a leader says no matter what is said is right or wrong, true or not. If my memory serves me right, such folks have cause a good leader to lose his votes to a liar who told the people his opponent was wearing a Christian cross when in actual fact his opponent was just wearing a tribal hat that has something that looked like a cross on it. The poor folks believed the liar and gave him the votes. See?

So, respect must be earned. There just isn't any other way we can respect someone, be it a leader or just someone we know.

Everywhere, there is a hero.

I am touched each time I read of someone doing more than is asked of him/her in times of need. To me, they are the true heroes whom we must stop awhile to appreciate the efforts of these people. And today, in The Star newspaper, I read of such a man, a Yii Yuk Seng, a middle-aged man from Sarikei, Sarawak. He was retired from the Fire and Rescue Department but when he saw a fire at six three-storey shoplots on Saturday, without thinking of his own safety he went to help the firemen put out that fire. In doing so, he lost his life due to a heart attack that must have been brought on by the excitement and strenuous efforts he put in to assist the firemen to put out the fire.

Putting out fires was a job he must have been actively involved in; not just being involved but someone who has had great pride in the tasks for he was known to the local people as 'Bomba Yii'. To earn such a nickname, he must have been well-known for his courage and performance. Although it is sad for the world to lose such a man, God has ensured that he chose the right path to go. The people who knows him would always remember that 'Bomba Yii' went down fighting a fire. And here is one son Sarawak will always be proud of.

Of course there are many in this beautiful world who are like him, possessing the same qualities he has. And it is this fact that make life such a wonderful thing; realising the fact that we live among great people such as this 'Bomba Yii'. May God send us more of his kind.

Whose life are we actually concerned about? The Indian Star Tortoise's?

Today I finally decided not to wait for a reply to my appeal for a permit from the office of the Protection of wildlife to keep my two Indian Star tortoises. I phoned a reporter to help me reach out to more authorities so that the voice of truth, reason and concern can be heard. Unfortunately she was not able to make it to my place and promises to phone back one day when her schedule permits her to do so. I shall wait for I have waited quite some time now.

Well, about eight years ago I bought two Indian Star tortoises from a pet and fish shop in Penang Island. At that time these two cute little ones were approximately the size of a fifty cent coin. I looked after them each day giving them attention and food. Gradually they grew bigger and bigger with the female enlarging itself faster than the male. Today, the female is almost double the size of the male. They have grown so healthily and strong in the large enclosure I have given them.

Never in my mind was there the thought that one day I would have to apply for a permit for them, what more to fail to get the permit and not receive a reply after I had made an appeal before the date when they would enforce the law, for at the time I got them at the shop, Indian Star tortoises were sold openly not just in that shop but in almost every pet and fish shop in the country. I know that for a fact as I am an animal lover and where there are animals to see, there I would be. In those days, especially when my wife was still around, we went even up to fish and pet shops in Malacca. As for the other places, I have heard from people with similar interests that they can be bought from other states too and they were always sold openly. Today you cannot find them for sale anywhere.

Then, I read about the International Trade in Endangered Species Act(Intesa)2008 which was gazetted to come into force on December 28, 2009. The ministry concerned has announced a six-month grace period from the date of enforcement of the Act until June 28, 2010. According to the Secretary-General of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, during the grace period, private owners who have in their possession CITES-listed species that were attained before the enforcement of Intesa may apply for a special permission letter from the relevant authorities starting from Feb 17 to June 28, 2010. However, the issuance of a special permission letter is subjected to terms and conditionsdetermined by the authorities.

As I felt that all I needed to do was to apply for the special permission, that was what I did for my four pig-nosed turtle and my two Indian Star tortoises. Unfortunately, I was told that Special permission was given for my pig-nosed turtle only and I was to surrender my tortoises to any one of the offices for the protection of wildlife. Since I fear for the safety and survival of my Star tortoises, I wrote them an appeal.

I must thank the lady officer in the Sungai Petani Protection of Wildlife office for after hearing my reason for appealing she took the trouble to even rush to get me the forms for my appeal and I filled up the form and had it sent back to her at the office. She went the extra mile to get the form to me in front of the Taman Intan surau (mosque) so that my appeal could reach the higher authorities before June 28 2010. Then I waited for the answer but except for a phone call from the Alor Star office informing me that my appeal would be rejected, I have yet to receive a letter to that effect. I had told the person who phoned me that once I had been officially informed I wished to appeal through the newspapers and perhaps any other authority which could offer to listen to the voice of reason.

As I have stated in my appeal, I had requested for reconsideration as the tortoises had been with me for eight years and animals kept for so long from the wild would not be able to survive should it be released in the wild again. And if they are to be taken from me to be reared by someone else, could such a person know them better than me, the person who has looked after them for so many years? I have heard of many who failed to look after their Indian Star tortoises well enough to have them survive for long. What guarantee would there be that my pets would be given the best chances of survival? Who are we concerned about? Are not these tortoises' welfare the concern of all animal loving authorities? If so, should not the person who have proved beyond doubt that he knows these tortoise well enough to have ensured their growth and development the one to be allowed to look after them?

Well, I hope there would be people who truly think of the welfare of the animals in deciding the best action to take. If they listen to the voice of truth and reason, then the action they ought to take should be obvious.

An active grandchild is the best present to a grandma.

At my age there are lots of grandmas I come across. Most of them are too plump, too sedentary, always in a lazy chair in front of the television.

However, there is one grandma I know of who just does not have the pleasure of relaxing too much in front of the entertainment box. This grandma happens to be one of those lucky people who have a young, very energetic grandchild. From the minute he is awake until his sleep late at night, there is no rest for the adults in the house except when relief comes from the little guy's nap which they certainly look forward to each day.

Well, nowadays, more often than not, the parents have to be away from the home to be at work somewhere else. So, who is the fortunate one to be given the responsibility of looking after the little guy? It's none other than the old grandma. Yes, the grandma if not the grandpa. And being a widowed grandma, she is the only one saddled with the child.

But that does not mean that you should pity her. Maybe you would but I would not as from my point of view it is a blessing in disguise. Without grandpa to pamper, grandma finds life quite boring, each day cooking a little and then sitting in front of the television to while the time away. That would mean less muscles being worked, muscles soften and turn to fat, resulting in a weak body, the heavy mass of flesh assisted by gravity to pressure down on a good number of joints, jamming them together, and the backbone gradually curve into a hunch with all kind of possible pains and problems.

Now, with a child to look after, to chase after to ensure he does not end up in dangerous places or positions which could bring a fall; to carry off the child from naughty acts in places that are harmful; and just to attend to his/her needs would be enough to give grandma sufficient exercise to burn up excess calories, increase metabolism and build or tone up some muscles, in the process improving the immunity of the body. Not only that, at the end of the day, unlike some old folks who suffer from insomnia, she would have a very deep, much needed sleep. Grandma must thank God for sending her that present, a grandchild.

And the most wonderful part of it all is her happiness. She is so much happier than those aimless days before the coming of this grandchild. Each day there is a growing grandchild she has the responsibility for, putting meaning into her life and a quiet pride that she could still manage to be useful.

There is always a rainbow somewhere. Look for it and it can be found.

Such honesty as this I'm most grateful for.

Yesterday I went to the bank to send RM100 to Universiti Putra Malaysia for the use of their gown for my son's convocation in approximately ten days' time. At the bank, I was given Ms Lau's counter. After geeting her, I extended my RM100 and the form for sending the money. Then she discovered that I had forgotten to fill in the details of my son. I had to go back to the car to get them. Upon returning with the details I forgetfully gave another one hundred ringgit which she took. With the processes complete, I went home contented that I had done the part my son had requested me to do.
He had already started work at a place where it was not convenient to get to a bank.

The house phone rang at about 5pm when I was working at home and upon picking it up, I was surprised to hear Ms Lau's voice informing me that she had found that her accounts could not tally as there was an extra RM100. According to her recollection of the day's flow of cash, it could only have come from me. As I was no more thinking of what I had done at the bank, I told her I was not very sure of it. However, she told me that it could only have come from me and she remembered how I had given her RM100 twice. So she told me to get it from her the next morning and that was what I did this morning.

It was only after her informing me about my going off to get my son's details that I remember having inadvertently given an extra RM100. Well, what honesty! I mean, I did not even realise my own mistake and she had to think of when the extra RM100 could have come from.

At that thought I was so delighted to have received that call from her. It was not just the sum of RM100. I am quite a careless person at times and have lost more than this before. Always when there is such a known loss or misplacement I just forget about my own mistake. No, I am very generous to myself. I forgive myself for any loss of money very easily. I just forget about it and there is no stress, no sleeplessness or insomnia over it. You see, that is the beautiful part about believing in God. I believe that should God want me to have it, it will come, no need to buy a lottery, although just like any human I do buy them once in a while.

I was in so high spirits since then because of the fact that there are still honest people in this beautiful world. There must be so many more Ms Laus in this warm and dear world of ours. Sometimes politicians make us angry and sad and we write things we should not have but the Ms Laus in this world sweeps away all the dirt and rubbish that some of them vomit out each day, clearing the skies with their honesty.
Thank god for the existence of such wonderful people.