Ways to rest so as not to have to suffer pain.

When we think of strength, the thought of exercise and movement comes to mind. Most of the time, we forget the fact that the body needs rest to grow and develop strength.

When we consider strength, it ought not to mean just sleep. We can perhaps sit down somewhere and relax the tired parts of our body. Give them a break for that is what they need to stay strong and healthy.

Most of us have been told through books, trainers and teachers or even parents that sleep is the time when tired muscles recuperate, release the tension from the muscles and grow in size and power. We wake up the next morning refreshed, the aches gone and we are ready for work and play.

However, sleep is not the only time when we can give our overworked body and its muscles rest. Change of activity and movement also gives muscles and tendons of a certain part of our body the opportunity to relax as other parts get into the new movements required in the change of activities.

Let us take a hawker as an example. Hawkers sometimes have to stand for long hours at their jobs. As a result, they overstrain their leg muscles and tendons. The end up with pain in their legs. If they could shift to another activity in their jobs then it is possible to avoid such pain. For example, after serving customers by taking food to the tables and returning with used bowls for an hour, they could exchange jobs with their assistants and do some washing or cooking instead. This can prevent overworking a certain part of body, giving it a reprieve during the exchange of activity.

White-collar jobbers face the same problem. They sit slouched at their computers for too long, sometimes straining their neck in a particular angle resulting in pain to the neck and the back. Again it is over-straining of a certain part of the body. What they need is to get off their chairs away from their computer to take a walk and do some other task. If that proves to be difficult as most of the work needs to be on the computer, then get a chair with a moveable, adjustable back and arm-rest so that positions can be changed every now and then, as often as possible. Otherwise, pain will be the consequence.

So, rest may not necessarily be total rest but rather a change of position or action which involves another set of muscles and tendons, thus affording rest for certain parts of the body.

How can anyone win a lottery without buying one!

Below is an email I received recently in which a method is claimed to be used to get someone to part with some cash. I cannot verify the truth of this happening but then to know this can only put us on guard just in case we are the next victim of such a scam. Well, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Besides that, how can anyone be so naive to believe that a lottery can be won without buying or entering one?

If you see RM200K in your bank account, don't be overjoyed !!
Read on and you will be shocked !!!

Beware times are bad !!!!

Any cheque banked in into your account need a few days to transact. Although the amount appears in your account, but it's still pending for transaction, the person issuing the cheque can cancel the cheque at any time!

A few days ago, one of my friends received a sms with the message: "You've strike 1st prize with a prize money of RM200,000 cash." The sms came with a contact no. My friend ignored it since he had heard of too many bogus scams using
similar tactics. After a short while his handphone rang, a Miss Fang asked: "Sir have you received an sms telling you that you've strike 1st prize?"

My friend answered: "Yes, I have"

Miss Fang: "Please let us have your bank account number so that we can deposit the money into your account."

My friend thought, why not, let's see what you can do. My friend has a buddy who works in that bank. Hence, he gave her his account number. Ten minutes later, my friend's handphone started ringing again.

Miss Fang said: "Sir, we have deposited your prize money into your account, please check and verify."

My friend checked using his handphone and found that RM 200,000 was really deposited into his account. He was euphoric, just like that and he's RM 200,000 richer!

Thirty minutes later, Miss Fang called again. She was crying: "I'm sorry sir, I made a mistake, I forgot to deduct the tax before I deposited the prize money, 20% of RM 200,000 equals to RM40,000. Now the company wants me to reimburse the money. Can you please return the RM 40,000 tax? I beg you."

My friend thought for a while and felt pity for the lady. Thinking of the money in his bank account, he went to the bank. Suddenly he thought of his buddy working in that bank and decided to ask his buddy to double check and confirm with him first. Upon checking, his buddy found out that the money was deposited using a cheque of a different bank. Even though the cheque was deposited but the actual amount of money can't be transferred into his account on the same day. If the other party decided to
cancel the cheque, then he'll not get this RM 200,000. My friend was shocked. He almost lost RM 40,000. Before my friend left for home on that day, the cheque was actually cancelled. If not for his buddy, if not for him being a professional, or if he was cared of letting others know of striking the prize then this bogus scam would be successful.

This is a true story, please beware. Future scams could be even better planned. Please don't forget to forward to your friends and relatives to warn them from being cheated. -- Thank you.

It's women who torment other women.

Yesterday, I met a lady with the courage to do things her way. This was told me by her own daughter who has great respect for her because of this. It is so because she totally agrees with her mother's belief that she must stand by her right to choose the way she ought to live and behave as long as what she does hurt no one. I fully endorse her view and so would hope to spread it too.

The young Indian lady friend told me about the time her father passed away. For the Indians, the Hindus, the married ladies wear something, something like a necklace as wear as a mark on their forehead to proudly but quietly announce to those who understands the symbol that she is married to someone.

Now, when the husband dies, the new widow is treated 'badly' by the other widows as the body of the husband is taken away for burial. First, the wife is not allowed to follow the husband's body to its last resting place. After that, the other widows are to decorate her face and dress her like a bride and then smear all that make-up on her face and make a mess of it.

This friend's mother refused to be treated thus, refused to have the spot between her eye-brows cleaned off, refused to have her face messed up and refused to have her husband's body go to its last resting place alone. She adamantly followed the funeral procession to his grave.

Of course, she was scolded for going against tradition. She did not relent despite all the voices of condemnation. Besides that, this said that she agreed with her mother's wishes and so told the relatives and friends to not force her mother do what she did not wish to do. She threatened to retaliate should they continue to harass her. With that, the others dared not continue to pester her and she achieved her desire to follow the procession with her face unblemished by interfering hands.

At one point, she pointed out to them that the tradition of burning widows at the time of cremation of the dead husbands' body had stopped because it was realised that the practice was cruel. She told them their torment of new widows is also cruel. If there was anyone who said that traditions must not be broken, then those women should follow the first tradition and have themselves burned together with their husbands. So, if that tradition could be stopped, there is no reason to enforced the later tradition. It is sadistic of older widows to cruelly treat new widows thus. And they, the widowed relative and friends had no answer to that.

In the cause of pain and torment to women, I have noticed that it is the women who wants such foul practices to continue. And this is not limited to Hindu culture. As far as I know, many Chinese young wives suffer at the hands of a good number of mothers-in-law. Somehow, the mothers-in-law have this territory control factor where the older lady must have control over everything, be it right or wrong.

It is time that people, regardless of their sex, race or religion, do what is right and remove all that is cruel or wrong.

Down with Tetanus.

Last week, I received a call in the evening for help to get a dog to a veterinarian. According to my friend, Yeoh, this dog was obviously in deep trouble with a wound that refused to heal. I know that as it was the same dog I helped to carry down the hill at Semarak two weeks ago so that another friend could buy her some medicine for a wound and a broken leg.

Dogs with problems at the hill are fortunate to have a few kind souls who care enough for all living things to ensure that they have food and water each day. Besides that Yeoh would be the first to see what could be done for a dog should it be sick. When God put those dogs there, He also made sure such great, wonderful people are around too. These are the people I admire and respect a lot. Their kindness and sacrifice are never in question, examples of angels on earth.

Yeoh told me the dog did not have any appetite for food. However, when Yeoh had it taken to a vet we found that the muscles of her jaws are tightening due to tetanus. And once the jaw is locked, it would not be able to eat and that would be the end of her and her unborn puppies, for she was pregnant.

The vet wondered if we would have her out of her misery by putting her to sleep. But then Yeoh was thinking of her unborn puppies and enquired if it was possible to give those puppies a chance at life. So, the vet agreed to give the dog, 'Small Black', an anti-tetanus injection.

She was taken to my place as we were afraid that Yeoh's other dogs would give this new-comer no peace. Furthermore there was this fear that her dogs might be infected with tetanus should there be cuts and contact among them. So, it was sent to my place for some rest. The next day saw both of us so happy as the dog seem to be recovering. The knitted brows were no longer there. She could eat and drink. However, I noticed that there was no urination or defecation. On the third day, it seemed to have recoverd so well that it started to chase my son's fluffy white chickens, the silkies.

That evening we took her back to the vet for her second dose of anti-tetanus. Expecting nothing but further improvement, we were disappointed to find her getting worse with the eyes getting smaller and the knitted forehead back. Slower was her movement too. She took some food but was hardly able to swallow it. By afternoon, it was quite obvious that her condition was deteriorating. At six that evening, I found her dead.

There was nothing more to do but to pass the bad news to Yeoh and then bury her under my longan tree. Well, perhaps that was her fate. May she rest in peace.

On board Logos Hope.

At Port Swettenham in Penang.


A visitor with the mascot.


Getting on board the ship, Logos Hope.




Myself in front of the ship which is in the background.


The Logos Hope.


A frontal view of the ship.


Once aboard, there is a talk and show on the ship and its mission.



Pictures with information of the ship.


More pictures of each year of the ship's existence.


More pictures.



What's a sextant?


Information about Logos Hope.


There are many books on display, one side for the children and the other side for adults.


These are some of the books my son and I bought from Logos Hope. I have not seen these titles in local bookshops, have you?


At the flip chart.


Still at the flip chart.



After selecting the books which were so cheap because it is a non-profit organisation, we lined up to pay for the books.


Then, as we move towards the cafeteria, there is this corridor where there are pictures with that part of the story connected to the picture told as you reach it.


After getting the books, it's time for a bite and a drink at the cafeteria.


At the cafeteria.


One of the attractive designs on board the ship.


Designs to decorate and beautify.


A map showing the ships journey to various ports throughout the world.


Refreshed, it 's time to go home with the many interesting books bought. Have to queue up to reach the exit as the ship was popular among the local people. In the background are flags of the various countries visited by the ship.


Look at the endless line of people boarding and alighting from the ship.

The history of Logos and the visit to Logos Hope.

These are some of the books my son and I bought from Logos Hope. I have not seen these titles in local bookshops, have you?


And here is one interesting book with the title 'The Human Body Book' which tells you everything you need to know about the human body in a most interesting manner.


It gives you facts from our protective skin to our innermost organs


Here, for example, are our cells found in various parts of the body told in such a simple creative way, most teenagers and adults would find it interesting enough to learn something from it.


The receipt for the books I bought from Logos Hope.


The security label which was stuck to my sleeve after I have registered to enter the port.
*********************************

It was Malaysia's Merdeka Day, the 31st of August, 2011, that we chose to have a trip to Penang to go aboard the ship, Logos Hope which has been berthed at Swettenham Port, Penang Port Commission, since the 21st of August.

The first time I visited such a ship with books exhibited and for sale was more than twenty years ago at the same port. The ship my wife and I visited then was the Duolos. I remembered seeing so many books with titles that I had not seen in most of our bookstores.

So when a friend informed me of this ship. Logos Hope, I was determined to see the inside of the ship and the books it has.

To go on board we had to write our name and identity card before we were given a tag to be stuck onto our sleeve. It was a security measure to indicate to the authorities that we were there for the purpose of visiting logos Hope. Then, at the booth near the entrance to Logos Hope, we bought each of us a ticket at RM1.00 per person. We went up a flight of stairs and was immediately ushered to seats where a video introduced us to the ship which sails round the world with its books, crew and volunteers.

There were so many books and video discs with titles suitable for children on one side while they have books for the adults on another side. It was a worthwhile and enjoyable visit, returning home with thirteen wonderful books.

Below is some history and knowledge about OM Ships International’s service with their floating book-fair to the world since 1970.

Logos Hope, previously a ferry, was purchased by OM Ships International to replace Logos II in 2004. It is much larger than Logos II giving more space for visitors and crew members.
After a complete renovation, Logos Hope was launched into active service in February 2009. OM Ships International is a private, non-profit, charitable organisation registered in Germany.
Logos II had stopped at over 300 ports of call and, in doing so, had visited 82 countries and territories, including Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Near East and many island nations. Having served for 20 years, more than ten million visitors had the opportunity to go on board for tours, programmes and visits to the floating book fair.
OM's first Logos served for 17 years, calling at 250 ports in 102 countries and visited by ,pre than seven million visitors until it ran aground in atrocious weather conditions in Tierra del Fuego, hitting rocks in the Beagle Channel between Argentina and Chile in 1988. Though the ship was badly damaged, not a single crewmember was lost, or even injured! God must have been watching over the crew for the wonderful work they have done.
Doulos began its service in 1977. With 32 years in service it had visited 603 ports in 104 countries, welcoming more than 21 million people on board. This unique ship has covered more than 350,000 Nautical Miles, equivalent to sailing around the world 16 times!
In March 2010, it was with great sadness that I heard this ship, which is recognised by the Guiness Book of records as the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger ship, sold to a company in Singapore and its service as a floating book-fair coming to an end.
Why was I sad? Well, many years ago, wife and I had visited the Doulos when it berthed at Penang Island. That was the first time I visited such a floating book –fair. So, in 2010, when I heard that it was again near Malaysia, I was hoping it would come to Penang Island but was so disappointed to read in the news that it had been sold to a company in Penang.
So it was with joy that I heard another floating book-fair was to stop at the Penang Port Commission in Penang Island.
I looked forward to books that could possibly be available only from this ship. Not only that, the books at this book-fair is very cheap.

How is that possible? The company passes the commissions savings back to the purchaser of the books. They also have an online sales of books which offers lower shipping rates than other online booksellers, saving you even more!