Heel pain requires time to heal.

Some three years ago, I jumped down from a higher level to the ground below at the hill and suffered a pain in the heel as my foot came into contact with a sharp hard stone. From that day on I felt a pain in my heel each time I stepped on the ground or moved that foot forward in walking and running.

Since I know how to massage, I did what had to be done which was to warm up the area and massaged it. Each time I bathed I would immerse it into almost unbearable warm water for a few minutes until the foot was red before transferring it into cold water.

As the pain stubbornly refused to go away, I wore three pair of socks to continue my daily exercise at the hill. That, of course, meant I had to get a pair of shoes one size larger. The socks did cushion the heel from hard contact with the solid ground and gradually after about a year the pain went away. As the pain reduced I changed to wearing only two pairs of socks, finally ending that painful period with just a pair.

Of course, not all pain at the heels require such a long period to heal. There have been quite a number of careless moments when I had hurt my foot but they require only a day or two of massage to be fine again. It caused me to realise that certain inflammation takes longer to go off, probably because I did not rest the hurt but aggravate it further by continuing with my walks and runs at the hill.

That was a good weakness on my part as it kept me exercising, strengthening my will against the pain and giving me the good health I still enjoy. I believed we should never be deterred by a little pain as if I had rested and the rest period was a little too long, it could lead to procrastination and laziness in the effort to maintain fitness.

Thank God for that, and today I feel no pain, and am still actively keeping my body trim and in excellent shape. Looking back, it was the right move to carry on despite the pain for two painful years without the wonderful exercise at the hill could have started me downhill to poor health.

Efforts always bring profit.

It is the time of the year with the Chinese New Year just around the corner. There is a lot of work cleaning the house, painting it and decorating the home to prepare it for the new year.

It is also the time of year when those who have no jobs, such as house-wives and pensioners, take on the opportunity of making some money by producing food suitable for the new year.

One of these food is the 'love letter' which is a thin, crispy, wafer-like food made from flour, coconut milk and eggs formed by rounded moulds over a charcoal fire. It is sweet and delicious due to the coconut milk and eggs in it.

Those locally made by house-wives are usually folded in the traditional love letter fashion unlike factory produced ones which are thicker, just as crispy but rolled into a thick cheroot-like shape.

My interest in the matter is not so much the food but the industry of the people. Some people earn good money from occasions such as this. The profit is good and because the work is back-stiffening due long hours seated at the hot charcoal fire there is very little competition.

In fact, through my years of observation of some people who seem to do fairly well despite not holding a permanent job, I have come to the conclusion that as long as a person is willing to work hard, he can never die from starvation.

There was this guy who depend upon the durian fruit seasons, the moon-cake festival, the Chinese New Year and other minor festivals to earn money sufficient to live comfortably for a few months from the profits from each of the occasions mentioned.

Well, it certainly proves that people who are willing to put in effort can never be without a meal, even when educational qualifications and literacy had not been their strong point.

Never retire from life.

Looking back, there were those who upon retirement decided to rest from work for the rest of their lives and those people are no longer around today to tell their stories.

There was one man who liked to eat a lot although he had diabetes. Fortunately, when there was work to be done each day; when he had to climb stairs and move from classroom to classroom or back to the staffroom there was movement and the use of energy taking away excess sugar from his body, his diabetes was still under control.

However, the day he retired, he fixed Astro, a private broadcasting station's programmes and soon he was sitting the whole day in front of the television, watching captivating programmes and enjoying some tit-bits perhaps. "That's life!' some would exclaim but soon the television was watching this elderly man instead as he napped in the comfortable chair in front of the entertaining box. And it's my turn to protest,"What kind of life is that?"

Without some form of activity to use up energy and the sugar that is required for it, the body suffering from diabetes was fighting a losing battle with no assistance from the body's owner. A few months later, God sympathetically removed him from the boredom that must have been his.

Many people forget, perhaps conveniently dismissed, that we have a body that needs proper care and cleanliness to have it in tip-top condition, failing which, we may have to suffer some kind of illness or weakness, both of them inconveniencing us in movement and enjoyment of life.

For me, to be able to enjoy life to my fullest possible, I must be able to be painless, flexible, able to enjoy with all my senses, walk and run. When I am unable to enjoy life any longer, I would pray for the journey from this life.

Now, my wish I believe is every other person's wish. The only difference is how much effort or discipline would anyone put in to ensure his/her body would be in such a desirable health. Does the person exercise? Are the exercises the right type? Is it sufficient? Is the body given the best possible nutrients for it to maintain its capability? What about the senses? Is the mind and all the other senses given the necessary stimulation to work well. Reading? Thinking? When was the last time deep breathing was done using the diaphragm to suck in fresh, untainted air to the deepest part of the lungs? Unless we do all these things, is it fair to expect our body and its organs to function at its optimum level?

There is too much life ahead to retire from it yet. Retirement from life ought to be the second we breathe our last.

What kind of earth will our future generations inherit?

Early this morning, before the sun even peeped over the tree-tops, I was moving forward, walking backwards, crab-walking up and circling my way up the slope of Semarak Hill. Then as light gradually replaced the veil of darkness to give a clearer view of the surroundings, I noticed what appeared as mist floating across at the foot of the nearby hills. The mist was so thick that it appeared more like a sea surrounded by hills in the distance.

I went round the hill in a anti-clockwise direction and when I reached the top I ran along the more even ground there. It was at the end of that stretch at the top that I met three friends, a couple and another woman. They had come from a clock-wise direction and invited me to join them going clockwise down the hill. As I had no companion with me then, I joined them.

As we descended the hill, one of my friends pointed to the two columns of thick smoke reaching straight up into the sky.
"Look at that. That's one of the reasons our air is so polluted. Some factories are bellowing smoke twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year. Yet we have laws concerning pollution. What's the use of laws when there is no enforcement?" the wife commented.

"I think there's only one day in a year when there is less smoke seen from this hill. Remember, dear, the time I remarked about it to you; I think it was on National Day when almost every big business premise must close for a day," she told her husband.

"I can't remember when but this pollution thing will never be solved as long as there are humans; humans who think more of themselves than others or their future generation," the husband voiced his disgust.

"Yeah, people are selfish even though they know the consequences of their actions. They'll never stop as long as their own interests are affected. Their interest comes first. And it is not that the world has not done anything. Remember the sound by Michael Jackson, 'Heal the World.' His voice is so good and the song is so popular, yet people continue to damage mother earth and they would not stop despite having experience some of the effects even now, what with global warming, snow and ice-bergs at the poles melting and so much more rain and floods throughout the world," the other lady, Grace, said.

"And could all this possibly be the start of the prophesied end of the world?" the man wondered.

"Oh, yes! It's supposed to take place in 2012. What would all those polluters think then when the full realisation of what they have done to this world descend upon them, their contribution to the end of our and their lives as well as the rest of all living things. I wonder," she voiced her feelings.

"You think all those people would ever blame themselves. They'll all be in denial. The fault would be placed on everything else but themselves. As usual, one finger would be pointing outwards accusing others without their being aware that three fingers are pointing at each and everyone of them. Anyway what is the use of anything then. It would have been too late," her husband told her.

"Don't worry, God so loves all His children that He would appear once again to save the world. He will do something to save us, wouldn't He?" Grace enquired.

"Come on! Don't blame God if He does nothing. He has given Man the brains so that he could think and solve the many problems in this world. Yet, instead of using their minds for the good of every thing on this earth, humans have manipulated God's words and usurped the powers of God bestowing themselves with godly powers to sentence others, to dictate to others their own human beliefs and cause so much division rather than unity which should be the aim of all religions. For all we know, God could be angry and wish to remove the mess so that a brand new world with new creations of all his creatures so that a better world is possible," the man put forward his theory.

And I was thinking that it is true that with the powers God has, all that theory is possible as humans seem to be messing up too many things so much so that this 'End of the world.' prediction has been around since my teen-age years. And those who predicted thus have concluded similarly that the world is getting into too much of a mess to get things untangled. Well, the warning has been out and all depends upon the positive reaction to the prophesy of disaster.

A tribute to the teachers.

I received the email below from a teacher. As a retired teacher myself, I know that there are places where teachers are not well respected. Of course, there are instances where teachers themselves are to blame for some of them, like some in the other professions, treat their work as just another means to a pay-check. But then, there are good, if not excellent, teachers who are truly dedicated to their profession. Such teachers throughout the world ought to read what one lady has to say about a teacher's job and what she thinks of those who have no respect for the jobs done by others. I totally agree with her and therefore, I would like to thank the writer of this article. Unfortunately, I do not know who he/she is and therefore am unable to request for permission to have it put here.
(The words in brackets are mine.)
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Article is sent from a friend, share it with all teachers here....

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO (proud of being a professional), decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?' (I decided to be a teacher even when I was in primary school simply because a few of my teacher were great in inspiring me to do something meaningful in life and teaching is one of those things.) He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.' (That is obviously from someone who do not understand for I am one of those who can use as well teach English very well.) To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Mary. Be honest. What do you make?' Mary, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began...)

'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
''I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in maths. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the National Flag, and sing the National Anthem, because we live in this great country. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.'

Mary paused one last time and then continued, then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant..... You want to know what I make. I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?' His jaw dropped, he went silent.

THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY TEACHER YOU KNOW. and all your personal teachers like mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, your spiritual teachers, (everybody, for everyone of us who do take time to teach a child is a teachers. Just as I have said before, every parent is a teacher to his/her child.)

"You are too old to run."

"You're too old to run."
Those were the words I heard from the neighbours when I was about forty years of age and jogging through the residential area towards the rubber estates and back, giving me five or six kilometers of exercise each day. If I had listened to them I would not be as healthy as I am today. Thank God, I made use of the brain he gave me and the knowledge I had acquired on the human body, organs, muscles, tendons, tissues and joints, to decide to continue running.

What would become of me, had I listened to those neighbours and stopped running. Well, the tendons and muscles of my legs would have shortened through a shorter stride, unless I switched to some other exercises such as yoga where stretching the muscles and tendons happen each time yoga poses and movements are performed.

So, fortunately for me, from the knowledge I had accumulated through all those years, I understand very well that joints remain healthy only if they are moved so that the synovial fluid in the discs are replenished and thus keep the discs strong and pliable, thus ensuring that joints are able to perform their tasks. I know that muscles will waste away to become smaller and weaker, gradually replaced with fat if there is no exercise. These muscles and tendons will shorten with inactivity resulting in shorter strides as we are no longer capable of stretching them to satisfactory lengths. And having seen some fifty-year-old who shuffle along in very short strides, I knew we need not have to walk like them if we exercise and stretch our muscles and tendons consistently each and every day.

So, I told those people who discourage me from running that I would stop running when I am forced to, when I am no longer able to run. Until then, I had better make full use of the wonderful limbs God had given me. I love to run. I just hope to be able to run until my very last day on earth.

I believe nobody can ever be too old to run if he/she were to exercise sufficiently to keep his body strong and healthy unless the person had been crippled due to some unforeseen circumstances. Thus, whether we would still be running or not depends upon us. God gave us a brain to make us the master of our bodies. How we develop it, strengthen it, care for it to maintain it at its optimum capability depends upon our parents and us. How much we can enjoy or get out of the potential given us depends largely on us, our body and its health. Neglect it and it will neglect you in your old age. That is the price all of us will have to pay for not appreciating sufficiently the only body God has given us.

How good can a machine be?

The last ten days or more saw me frustrated as I was unable to enter my sites. I was unable to post a first person account of the terrible destructive storm which took place on Monday, 26 April, afternoon. I even had a number of photographs on the damage caused but I could not enter the internet to post them.

Then, there was the waiting for someone to come to make repairs. As the only resident in my home, I was not around when the technician came the first time. According to the technician, the wires outside the house were functioning properly and the problem could be at the telecommunication office, implying that since it was an engaged tone I was getting, it could be that I had not been paying my bills. That was adding salt to injury as I had always paid my bills on time. Later, I went to the telecom office to find that they could not solve the problem there as my account was alright and I was told to wait for the technician to appear again. Then, on Saturday, someone from the telecommunication phoned to ask me to detach the line from the phone and have that line going direct to my modem. That did not work. The next day, a Sunday, I was outstation when a technician phoned to say that my line was fine, upon which I told him I still could not enter the internet. He told me a technician would come. A technician did come but just to inform me that my line was dead and as such nothing could be done. Next day, somebody else would come to repair the line. I waited a day and no one turned up. By noon the next day, I took another trip to the telecommunication office to find out when my modem was to be repaired. I was told to wait. Wait! Wait! And Wait! Just a line and a modem and it had taken more than one week without any idea when it could be repaired. That is what we get when a big company subcontract services to small companies.

As a result of having to wait for this and that, I lost contact with my emails. Thus, nothing can be done until the waiting games ends and I have access to the internet again. At the time of writing this and the previous posting I use Celcom Broadband which has salved my frustration. Thank God we are getting other alternatives for our internet interests. Thanks to Celcom Broadband, much that I had put on hold is moving again. I no longer have to wonder when the people from TMNet would turn up to solve my internet woes. Looks like they may never turn up as i have heard nothing from them for the last two days despite an unresolved problem. Well, a computer can only be as efficient if everything linked to it goes well and that depends a lot on humans and their weaknesses.

Man makes machines, improving them each day, week, month or year. How good or fast the improvement to these machine are depends upon humans. If there is urgency due to competition from certain quarters, humans work harder to stay ahead of the competition. So industry is the primary factor which determines the speed of such improvements and this industry is stimulated by the need to ensure sales.
When machines reach the hands of consumers, how well it works depends upon the operational knowledge of the people involved. If the buyer of a computer does not understand how the computer works, he may not even know how to start one. Then he must know how to enter various programs to perform certain tasks. And should he have a digital camera, he may not know how to import photographs into his computer library. Then there is the internet where almost any knowledge is available to those who know how to use the search engines. Today, one can even do business on the internet if one knows how to use the web. However, a computer is as good or efficient as the knowledge and capability of the user.

So a machine can only be as strong as its weakest link and in this case the weakest link might be humans, be they the manufacturer, the user, the service provider or the technician. Perhaps it is a part made by humans, such as a defective modem. For things to run smoothly in our lives, only humans can ensure them. Well, when it comes to efficiency it starts and ends with humans.

Clearly, we are responsible for everything in our lives. We may be frustrated with the machines but we cannot blame them. If there be blame, then it must be ours. The fault lies within us. That is why knowledge and effort are so important to us, to our future and to the progress of our future generations.

Quiting is not the way out..

John entered an organisation. He had a vision of how the organisation could move forward to achieve the purpose of helping the poor and downtrodden. He put in a lot of effort because he had a good cause. His work was appreciated and despite some detractors, he continued as the top man in the organisation welcome and supported his ideas. He was never a threat to anybody as his aim was never to take over anyone's position. He was happy to be just a member of the committee watching the progress of his ideas as they materialised into beneficial, appreciated work in the organisation. His vision of speedy assistance where needed was being implemented as he had planned.

Then, with his capability recognised, it was just a matter of time before he became the president of the organisation. With a post other might aspire to occupy, it was only a matter of time before someone arose to oppose some of his ideas. It did happen and that brought some annoyance. As the problem dragged on, annoyance turned to frustration and then anger. As the tide of opposition increased in strength, he vacated the post he had never craved for in the first place as he merely wanted to see his vision become reality.

Was that the right thing to do? What would happen to the ideas implemented? Would not there be change from the people who took over? Could the vision be lost, the effort wasted just by quitting?

That was exactly what happened. Of course, he was not the only person who faced disappointment. So did his supporters in the organisation. He did not give it another thought but went off in search of another body to pursue his vision again. After all, there are other organisations with almost the same goals.

Still, the question; Is quitting the right move?, remains to question one's wisdom. If on is ousted from a post through an election of office-bearers, that is another matter. We have to accept the vote of the majority.

First, it is a fact that in any family, community, group, club, society or country, that the people in them comprise of individuals. Every individual has his or her own characteristics and mannerisms. No two persons are totally the same. We have those who can joke and those who can't. We have people who are always trying to find fault no matter how you may try to please them. There are people who think they are the best and all the others have to move aside when they put forward their views. Some would like to talk about their capabilities for hours while others merely want to be inconspicuous in the crowd. There are some who want things done their way or else. Now all kinds of people are around everywhere and anywhere you go. There is just no way we can avoid them unless we want to stay secure in our little world of four walls surrounding a little space.

So these people are everywhere. We have our ambitions and we just have to accommodate these people as they come into our path. Be angry with them if we wish to but let not the anger stay to interfere with our programme. Be annoyed and fed-up with them if necessary but let the feeling pass and carry on with the task at hand. Stop and listen to them, admit that they have their point and their point will be given consideration as well as changes made if possible, apologise to them for not being able to implement their suggestions if necessary but we have to carry on with our vision, our cause or whatever. We must never quit unless we are voted out.

We should never quit and join another organisation for what is there to guarantee that the same type of people will not be around to mess up our efforts. Such people will always be around everywhere we go and so, to quit, and start all over again in another group is not the right option. We just have to persevere with the understanding that wherever we go, there can always be such obstacles and hindrances. We have to accept them as part of the problems we will encounter in our struggle for our cause. With that understanding, such annoying, disturbing and infuriating people will become more acceptable in our mind and will not be too much of a problem to handle.

Therefore, in life, it is alright to lose but never be a quitter.

It's time for action.

We know all kinds of intelligence we possess. So what? We understand how we may help our children to exploit this knowledge and be the best they can ever be. We know that the foetus, after four months in the womb, has almost totally developed itself to the extent that it can listen and respond, feel and react and has started to practice breathing, even though it is doing so through the fluid environment it is in, and has started sucking its thumb to prepare itself for taking the milk from its mother. So, what? Will all that ever help us to give our children a headstart in life?

No! It certainly can be of not help at all unless we take action to use the available knowledge. For example, knowing that children are able to respond to sounds at that stage in life, what is there to prevent mummy and daddy from talking to the foetus and letting it hear sounds of language.

Starting action as early as possible will help the baby to develop hearing capability earlier and learn words earlier. Of course, the foetus may not understand the words then, just as a little boy may not understand the words of his/her parents initially but store the sounds in the brain and develop a familiarity with the sounds. Later, when meaning comes through actions of the parents and the circumstances in which the words are used, it is so much easier.

It has been known that children developed the fastest during the first six or seven years of their lives. That is the time before they enter formal education. Therefore, waiting for formal education to develop the child is too late a time to start. The time to start is when the child is still a foetus. Then there has to be continuous action to develop the child to the fullest extent possible, the the child's greatest potential.

Yes, every great man or woman, just as Confusius said: "A thousand miles begin with the first step", has to start on whatever dream with the first move towards a particular objective. Unless that is done, no results can ever be achieved. Action must be taken, planned and carried each and everyday until the child reaches independence and more. Yes, everyday throughout life although after the parents' part, the child must do his/her part to be whatever is to be.

Do you know that I am still learning so much at this time of my life and discovering and understanding knowledge that, had I known them so much earlier, I would have been able to achieve what I am able to achieve today so much earlier? Thank God for that, for without such a possibility, life would certainly be dull indeed. With this possibility of achieving something new in life, I look forward each day to another rewarding experience.

Well, let us start on our children at the earliest possible. If our children are already out there somewhere on their own, let us look forward to helping our grandchildren. And if the grandchildren are still not in sight yet, let us do something for our friends and relatives. Inform them about it and get them to make this world even better than it is now. Develop the children of the future and increase the use of their brains as well as every part of the body.

The end of new knowledge and experience is still not in sight with evidence of new inventions in science and medicine as well as the records achieved by athletes. Today, I read how a young woman survived fifteen days in a collapsed building in the Haiti Quake. Fifteen days! And we thought human can only survive seventy-two hours without food and water. This knowledge could perhaps change our belief.

Whatever, it is, we are still challenged with new problems and new diseases. The world is still problematic with killings and death. There is still so much which is not perfect. So, we need better brains and better attitudes as well as better everything in life. So, there is a need to start early on children so that there will be better and find better solutions.

Enthusiasm, responsibility and effort did the job.

You would think it difficult to find people to do work in which there can be no hope of a pay or reward. However, strange as it may seem, that was what the deputy chairman of our Sungai Petani Art of Living did. She found sufficient volunteers who were willing to sacrifice their time and other personal benefits to come forward to do the job.

Here is an enthusiastic lady who does things with all the vigour she could gather together from her diminutive figure, very short, slim, little girl-like body. But, in terms of energy, she is a giant, ever so exuberant and joyful.

It all started with a phone call from her just as I was having my lunch. In her laughing, joyful voice, she enquired about my whereabouts and my programme for the day. Having confirmed that I was available, she requested for help so sweetly that I immediately replied in the affirmative.

When I reached the Art of Living Centre, we continued our task of cleaning the centre, and redecorating it. For my part, I painted one part of a wall and painted happily dancing plants swaying upwards along another wall. Then, there was the seemingly impossible job of removing cob-webs from the very high ceiling, some thirty feet above the stairs. Fortunately, there were sufficient long poles to assist in accomplishing the task.

In just two days, we had done the job of painting and redecorating our centre with just a handful of volunteers. And it all began with the enthusiasm of just one tiny little lady with enthusiasm and a lively personality.

Once enthusiasm got us to the place to start work it was each person's desire to do whatever he/she could to improve his/her own centre. Yes, the centre was our responsibility. It was the responsibility to have the job well done.

Finally, it is our capable effort to ensure that our centre would be the most attractive centre possible that got us to put in our best and complete the job well. Satisfaction was our reward. Looking at what we had done, a sense of achievement permeated throughout the body and that brought us immeasurable joy and happiness.

Giuliano Stroe: Unbelievable Super Strength and Agility.

In the internet, search for Giuliano Stroe and you can see him in action in a good number of websites as well as on You-Tube.

Giuliano Stroe, from Romania, is not just any five year old neighbourhood kid. No kidding. I do not know whether we can ever see a kid like him, ever.

For one thing, at the fantastic age of five, he had entered the Guiness Book of World Records after appearing on an Italian TV show doing some incredible hand-walking skills with a weight between his legs. His feat was the fastest ever ten metre handwalk.

He is not just too young for his feats! He is not just a body-builder with a muscle bound body. He is one well-trained gymnast too!

To show his gymnastics skills, he did the 'Crouching Tiger' wall flip, back flip-flak on a kitchen table, back somersault and stunts on a high bar.

He does weight-lifting too. However, from the way he jerks the weights upwards, they are obvously too heavy for him.

According to the father, Iulian Stroe, aged thirty-three, this fantastic little guy has been going to the gym with his father 'since he was born'.Then, at the age of two, he had been training in that gym in Italy. Imagine that! How could that little two year old be interested in weights and gymnastics then? It is just beyond me!

As a guy who had taken up weight-lifting and gymnastics during my younger days, I still remember the aches of the muscles after each weight-lifting session. To me, weight-lifting is not just an exercise; it is a discipline to go back there every alternate day for another day of sweat and ache. But then, as a teenager, I had the advantage of motivation; I was motivated by the need to improve my strength and health. Thus, I am puzzled how this two year old could be similarly motivated or inspired. Was it the father or the environment of the gym?

No matter how we look at it, this little boy certainly has shown great strength, endurance and discipline.

According to the father, there is no danger of harm to his son as he himself had been training all his life.

Hwoever, I beg to differ. Although the father had been training all his life, when did he start his training? If he had started as a teenager, he would have his skeletal structure already fairly well developed. There would not be the problem of tight well-developed muscles impeding the growth of the bones.

I have noticed at national level gymnastics competition where I can remember at least one sure prize-winning well-developed muscle-bound gymnast who won top prize all the way from Under-12 year level to Under 18 year level. Through the years we watched him sweep prize after prize. Right or wrong, one opinion all coaches were unanimous about: He was a little too short. And we believed the muscles bound his skeletal structure too much.

Of course, all I can offer is based on observation and opinions. Perhaps, some expert on growth and development of the human body could tell us what is correct.

For the sake of that fantastic little boy, I hope to be proved wrong. I wish him all the best.

Poverty without a scholarship need not be a hindrance.

Today I think back to a young boy who was a pupil of mine. Thinking of him, I could see that there are very few obstacles where there is determination.

Here was a boy who even had to work while studying. As a result, his marks were usually average. Though he was hard-working, there were merely twenty-four hours to work for pay, attend school and complete homework. Life sometimes is just not fair but what can we do. Are we just going to sit down and moan about it? That could be what some would do but not this boy. He was dark, thin and quite shabbily dressed. He certainly needed more attention. Yet, he persevered and though he was at times late in finishing his work; finished them, he did.

With an average SPM (That's Secondary School Examination Certificate.) results and, being a poor Chinese citizen of Malaysia without any special privileges, he had no scholarship either. Did he sit down and cry over it? No! With no possible financial help from his parents, he jumped into the first proper job he could find as an assistant to a food outlet. Then, he found a better paying job at a factory, saved as much as he could for the next few years and finally got a place in a college. He continued to work as he studied.

One advantage for him who had to work even before finishing his studies was that he understood and realised that work without a good academic qualification brought in very little money and that the future could not be too bright in such a circumstance.

He completed his college education and from college he went on to study in the University of Malaya. Life must have been tough but today he is an engineer in a company.

Well, he did it without financial support or a scholarship. It was not plain sailing but he did it through determination. At no point did he throw up his arms in despair, although he had plenty of excuses and could have done so without anyone pointing an ugly accusing finger at him. BUT, he did not! AND today, he has proved that it can be done if we put our mind to it.