Look what a passion for rare coins can get you!

I have written on the importance of encouraging any kind of interest our children may have. My elder son, for example, has a lot of interests and all of them are encouraged by me at all times. He was interested in stamps and I took out my stamp collection to help him get started. Every opportunity my son, my wife and I had, we looked for stamps from all over. He had a wonderful time arranging them in stamp albums. From them he learned a lot from the various stamps from the many countries they came from.

He was also interested in coins and notes, collecting coins and notes whenever he found the chance and time to do so, putting the notes and coins in albums, appreciating not just the designs but also their rarity.

And today, in the news was an item about an exceedingly rare coin, the 1787 gold Brasher doubloon, which was sold for 7.4 million US dollars which was one of the highest prices ever paid for a gold coin. The identities of the buyer and seller were not disclosed. The company which brokered the deal was Blanchard and Co., a New Orleans-based coin and precious metals company.(Note: The Brasher doubloon is considered the first American-made gold coin denominated in dollars; the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia didn't begin striking coins until the 1790s.)

As it can be seen from the above, hobbies such as coin and stamp collecting can be as much an investment as antiques and paintings. They are worthwhile interests to cultivate as it takes those interested to a desire to know more which could lead to language learning and further reading. Life can never be boring when there are things to be interested in.

So, let us help our children develop more of such interests instead of insisting upon them to read and learn without the motivation to do so. Yes, it is the lack of motivation that leaves children without a purpose in learning, be it language or skill.

Passion brings everything to life.

Why do some people spent so much time on their work and emerge still fresh and ready for more while others toll through life with dread of work? One of the reasons is the attitude cultivated early in life through knowledge and understanding of how attitude can cause a difference between enthusiasm and disinterest. The choice of attitude would determine the type of outlook the person has on life resulting in the person's success or failure.

Another criteria affecting positive or negative outlook on everything is passion, a strong interest in something. It results in great efforts to achieve particular goals without seemingly tiring effort. Thus, a person with a passion for somethings puts in one hundred and one percent effort into that something, yet emerge fresh and ready to do even more should the need arises.

Take for example a person with a passion for a certain subject. The person would devote all his/her time to the subject, sometimes even forgetting the passage of time or essential needs. To improve on the particular subject, he/she would even delve into all available sources so as to reach or gather more knowledge. Such a person knows no tiredness or any kind of deprivation in his/her passion for subject.Expertise in the subject concerned is the obvious outcome when soon everything regarding the matter has already been grasped, becoming the master of the subject. In such a circumstance, success is a certainty.

As can be seen from the above, achieving success can be accomplished with ease when a passion for something has developed by a person. Such a passion could be inborn or cultivated through circumstances that are favourable for the growth of the passion. It might have started with just a little spark of interest which when encouraged can rage into a fire strong enough to have its light drive off obstacles to sufficiently reach deep and far to find slaking its thirst for information hardly possible.

Knowing how passion can drive a person's energy towards its goal, should we not, as parents, learn to recognise our child's interest or prepare fertile ground for the growth of such interest? Helping the growth of our child's interest or encouraging the interest seen in our child would be the first step to helping him/her towards a great wonderful future in which whatever is done is done with passion, with a love that can only lead to mastery of his/her interest. Certainly, there can be no greater happiness than being engaged in one's strong interest throughout life. Lovely is the life of a person under such circumstances.
(Next: Growing the passion.)

A choice of attitude.

This morning, this lady told me, "Oh, no! Time goes by too fast. Today is another working day and there's so much to do."

Thus, she faced another day with dread, knowing that work awaited her. She was, of course, not too happy with having to wake up early, to rush for her transport to take her to work and the fact that she would have to perform some kind of task before returning home tired in the evening.

As for me, I awaken each morning at 5.30 am to get myself ready for a hike up the Semarak Hill with the expectant joy of cool, fresh air and lovely scenery there besides the greetings and exchanges of messages and thoughts with the numerous friends and acquaintances that I am bound to meet there. I expect to return stronger, healthier, fitter and happier than ever.

See the difference in our attitudes towards the new day. Of course, I expect you to say it would be easy for me to have the better attitude as I am looking forward to something enjoyable and not work.

But then, who said work could not be enjoyable? When I was teaching, I woke up each morning, aware that I was still so much alive to face another beautiful day. I would smile at myself in the mirror and be delighted to have my image respond likewise. That was something I learned from some of my teachers, the ones who taught me about living and life, such greats as Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale and Dale Carnegie. I would reach the school early so that I would not have to rush but have the time to look at the beauties, nature and humans, along the way. Meeting and greeting friends each day was and still is a pleasure that lightens whatever loads and makes each day so fleetingly short that I had no alternative but to treasure almost every moment.

I loved my work and despite the numerous problems that students did cause, it was sufficiently interesting especially when results were achieved and personal satisfaction was derived from it. Perhaps it was my ego but then it was great to have such an ego when all it did was to make living such a challenge that brought a sense of achievement in the end. To this day I can still lay claim to the fact that I had 100% passes with my SPM art students every year during my teaching career. (SPM is the public examination at form five level.) It is also my pride that my gymnasts did very well through my training. Of course, it involved a lot of hard work, five days a week but then gymnasts can never be really good unless sufficient training and practice is held. Well, it was worth it as results fed the ego and that gave a wonderful feeling nothing else could have. So, ego can sometimes be a good thing although being too egoistic can be bad.

And all that wonderful joy was the result of one's attitude towards one's work. And that pleasure is for life as each time I meet an old student, his/her delight at meeting someone meaningful in his/her life gave me further happiness.

Attitude towards life and work is our choice. We can get up each morning with a happy thought of meeting wonderful friends and seeing beautiful things as well as achieving good work or we can awaken with the thought of gloomy skies, dull colourless objects on the way and having to meet lousy people throughout the day. Both choices are possible. We make it so.

When it comes to meeting beautiful people, it is easy as our friends would be around to smile, laugh and joke with us. Our way to work could be filled with lovely plants and flowers in some gardens or at the roadside. Listen and be greeted each morning by the whistling of birds, "Tweet, twee, twee, tweet!" which sounds like "Look at that girl!" or "Hi, handsome one!" Watch the butterflies as they flutter by and should there be a breeze, slow down and love its cool touch of your cheeks. And at work think of the service we can render to so many people. Think of what we can do. Not everyone has the skill or knowledge or capability that we possess. And know that God has sent us here to perform a mission.

Of course, it is just as easy to choose not to enjoy the sights on the way, not to notice the little girl digging her nose at the bus-stop or the man with a different coloured sock on each leg. It is easy to get up as late as possible, plod into the working place, flop into a chair and wonder when the day could be over, hope no one would interrupt the little shut-eye and wish that there is nothing to be done. Well, everything is possible to him/her who desires it. But which would we prefer?

A grandpa's hardship.

This evening I met a friend who confirmed my constant belief that children should never be pampered. My talk with him revealed that grandparents are not the best guardians even though their intentions are nothing but the best.

Here was this friend who exposed the problems of being grandparent-guardians of two lovely grandsons. First, there are these two children who demand his and his wife's time almost eighteen hours a day seven days a week. Awakened by a need to get things done and ready before the two grandchildren awakens; things such as moping the floor, cleaning the table and getting breakfast ready are an everyday affair. Once they are awake, it is feeding them and watching over them wherever they may wander, inside the house, to the front, the back and into the garden.

And besides this, there is this over-loving of grandparents, sometimes one more concerned than the other. For example, he would allow them to run around and fall every now and then, while she, the grandma, would scream at him whenever one of the grandchildren is in danger of a fall or a crash into a piece of furniture. Or one child would touch the floor, then grabs a piece of food and pops it into his mouth. Oh, no! How can that be allowed? No grandchild of mine must have dirt go into his mouth! And grandpa gets the blame. So, everyday, something would cause heated arguments on proper care of grandchildren. Tempers can flare and and relationships can get strained. All because of two grandchildren.

All these can happen because one or both grandparents love the children too much. Well, too much of a good thing can be bad. It leads to pampering. Everything the grandchild wants, he will get, be it food or playthings. At the supermarket recently, this grandpa saw how extravagant the grandma was with her money, paying almost thirty ringgit for a rifle, handcuffs and other 'police' toys. The young father who was present then refused to purchase them as he was thinking of effects such toys could have on his son, the grandpa would not part with so much money for some useless plastic toys but the grandma thought her grandchild must have what is desired by him as children need toys to play with. Furthermore, she has her own money to pamper her grandchild with and that silenced the other two men. So, nothing is too expensive for a pampering grandmother and the toys were bought.

And as the children grew bigger, the grandparents required more energy. Even a simple bath is a problem. Getting them to bath needs a lot of persuading, something leading to scolding and threats before any bathing could take place. Then, there was the amount of play when two children wants to enjoy the bathroom at the same time. There was noise and a lot of splashing that got the floor wet and slippery. The grandma and grandpa have to be extraordinarily careful holding onto the children under such slippery surfaces. Thus, each bath ends with another round of mopping and drying of the floor. That is a lot of work for two old folks.

This friends did remarked that it was easier with their own children. They were more willing to discipline them, be more firm with them and should that not be effective, a spanking on the buttocks was sufficient to put things into proper order. So, he admitted that when it came to the grandchildren, they were unwilling to commit the same type of disciplining.

This grandpa realised that he was not able to enforce discipline on his grandchildren; the very same discipline which had been effective with his own children. Why is that so? Could it be that they understand, deep in their hearts, that grandchildren have their own parents to love, and so, unless even greater love is bestowed upon the grandchildren, the grandchildren might not love them enough? And that could be the reason, they give too much love, pampering, to their grandchildren.

It is time that grandparents search their hearts and should their actions are the result of this subconscious thought, then they must correct their thinking as pampering, be it on one's own children or grandchildren, is never good for them as it would do them a lot of harm. In my earlier posts I had explored the harm and problems that could arise from pampered children. Even in the previous post was a true story of a woman who was divorced by her husband due to her uncaring ways which was caused by her being pampered as an only child. Let us help our beloved young ones grow properly with the right amount of love and understanding into great wonderful individuals loved by all humans they associate with in their lives.

To truly love, we have to suffer the pain of having to discipline when necessary so that the ones we discipline will grow to love and be loved by all.

A time will come when we have to face reality.

In the Malaysian Chronicler today was a Nanyang Siang Pau Newspaper report in which a 48 year-old Singaporean woman realised the importance of appreciation for a husband who has always done everything that her heart desired and had never lost his temper despite having been ill-treated by her with her tantrums and treated with disdain for months over small matters.


Her only excuse for her terrible behaviour was her being spoilt as an only child of her parents.According to her, she had told her husband of her bad temper and he had promised to bear with her and her bad tamper. Perhaps, with that promise, she thought she could get away with being the tigress and forget everything about love in a marriage.

Eventually, the husband must have gave up on her, gave up on ever having love in return and asked for a divorce. It was only then that she realised how much she was going to lose - a husband who has always cared enough to overlook all her bad behaviour and tried his very best to cater to her every whim and fancy. Awakened by the fact that she was going to lose the very person who could have given her so much happiness, she apologised and wrote many letters to ask for a second chance.

As they say, people only awaken to reality only when their 'ship' is about to sink. It has happened many times in life. People only look more carefully into their lives only when their lives are at stake. Only when stricken with a terrible sickness such as cancer, do people think about their health. Only when you are about to lose someone do you think of his or her goodness. Only when the partner says 'enough is enough', do some folks know appreciation of him or her.

Why not think of such things earlier. Think of the beautiful people in our lives. Have we shown sufficient appreciation for them? Are they important enough to be treated with more care and love? What about ourselves? Do we love ourselves enough to think of our happiness, our fitness and health? Think of it and act on it immediately as now is the time to do so, not later for that later time may never come and may be gone forever.

Our wonderful mind!

Recently I read some articles on placebos and how patients have got well on pills that contained nothing but plain water or syrup. When it happens all the time in all the researches conducted every now and then, those researchers have no alternative but to admit that placebos do have the same effect as the drugs being tested when those in the programme do get well when they believe that the pills given do contain the drugs being tested although they were not as they were merely placebos.

Upon reading the above information I instantly went back to my beloved teachers such as Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale. These are the first few teachers who taught me through their books that whatever the mind of mind can conceive and believe, he will achieve. Then, later, I went through a seminar in Kuala Lumpur in the early seventies with Lawrence Chan of Malaysia. All of them taught me to believe in whatever I set my mind to and since then I had proved them right.

For me, I have always believed that happiness is my ultimate goal in life and so whatever I do I do it for the pleasure and joy I can derive from it. That, I know, is what draws the friends I have to me. And it is what causes me to smile in my mirror the first thing in the morning and confirm to myself my health, my fitness, my youthfulness and my happiness. And this sixty-five year old has proved beyond a doubt that it happens when you believe. Well, I still run, jump and climb up that hill as fast and flexibly as any forty-year old! (Egoistic, ain't I but when it comes to this, I just have to be.)

That was exactly what I did this very morning despite a cold drizzle that greeted me as I enthusiastically dressed up for a trek up the hill. No drizzle can ever dampen the desire to enjoy the walk up the hill. Thus, I drove to the foot of the hill and found my car the only vehicle in the area. After a drink of water, I got out into the rain. I have an umbrella in the car but i did not use it. It is such moments that I look forward to walking in the rain, getting soaking wet without a care in the world, just enjoying the coolness of the morning and the refreshing cleansing of raindrops. You know, I also believe I would not catch cold, and although I have walked in the rain a good number of days the last two weeks, the cold could not catch up with me.

You know, I still wish for the pure rainwater that God pours upon us giving us the best liquid we can ever obtain. Yes, pure rainwater contains hydrogen peroxide which helps our body to absorb more oxygen. Unfortunately, today's rain has to go through a lot of chemical pollution as it descends to us and what we get is acid rain. You see, when humans are careless with the wastes manufactured we destroy something which is so important to us and the plants. Yes, plants for plants given pure rainwater containing hydrogen peroxide would thrive even better. Sometimes, I wondered if rainwater that reaches us after a few hours of rain could possibly not have to be contaminated by the impurities in the air and so contain hydrogen peroxide. It is at such times, I drink some of the rainwater and hope to enjoy its benefits. Well, I could have been able to enjoy those benefits as I am certainly extremely fit and healthy still.

Yes, since I have read about how powerful our mind is, I have practised it on my health, strength and happiness and thank God, I am appreciative of the mind He has given me, it has been found to be true. Thus, without a doubt, I certainly agree with those researchers that the mind can perform wonders if you really believe in it and work at it. Well, all things are possible to him or her who would put his mind to it.

What role religion??

Buddhists believe in karma. So, to differentiate between a good Buddhist and one who is not, we look at the person's deeds. But then, maybe the person does not care about what the present future or the next life may bring.

Other religions also have beliefs and teachings for their followers. The teachings, if you should examine them, are definitely the best possible ones by which life on earth can be wonderfully peaceful and happy.

Then, again, it is evidently tough to be good at any religion. People throughout the world belong to either this religion or that religion except for the few rebellious ones like me who believe in God but refuses to join any. Fortunately or unfortunately (my ego at play), God did not create many like me. But then, with so many religious people in the world we would have thought the world a lovely, peaceful place to fulfill whatever earthly mission we come for.

Sad to say, the world today is filled with turmoil. Television bring all the power struggles and hatred among humans to our living-rooms at certain times throughout the day as if to remind us that something has to be done or else, as some have prophesied, the world may come to an end soon. Indeed, it looks like it, for at this rate, if natural disaster do not wipe us out, we ourselves may do the job, what with the numerous atomic weapons so many countries are developing. And playing with this kind of fire, it is just a matter of time before somebody's madness would get us all burnt to cinders.

So, what is the role of religion in our present situation where comparatively few, if any, truly believes in God even though they conveniently belong to one. Apparently, belief in God and religion is being abused by many. Religion has become a social and political tool. Some people belong to a religion so as to be accepted by certain groups of people, to have a place to congregate, a place to show others how devoted they are to a certain God, and so how morally good they must be. Political leaders would appeal to people of the same religion to unite with them so as to fight for the betterment of that particular religion. (As though Almighty God needs help from such mortals!)Thus, the name of God is being abused. Throughout the world, we have labeled nations as Buddhist countries, Christian countries and Muslim countries and in that way create a demand that only that particular religion be given special preference. (Did God ever demand special preference? No, because God is forever Almighty even if there is just one follower. Even if I am God's only believer, He still IS God. He is not more or less God because of His followers' numbers or deeds.)

As humans develop in intelligence, his ego has grown just as much. Some religions have even created new rules and regulations and caused them to be accepted by their followers. Some rules are created to force followers to stick to a particular religion even when the follower has lost faith in it. Actually, Man has the right to believe and choose his own religion. This is important as a person forced to accept a religion may never find belief in it. However, as a member of a society, to make life easier for himself, he may put on the pretense of acceptance. The crux of the matter is, is it from his heart? But then, ego of the authorities concerned are not happy to see others not in the same religion as theirs, feel slighted that their members would leave for another religion and other religions believed inferior to theirs. (Has God ever taught us those things? No, God is beyond and above all those small-minded matters. All these come through the ego of the leaders of religions.)

Today, humans abuse the name of God often in their struggle for power between countries and ethnic groups. And even among themselves, resulting in denominations and their different versions of God's message. The Christians have the Protestants, the Baptists, the Catholics and more while the Muslims have their Sunni, Matahari and others; and when it comes to the Buddhists, there are the many branches of thoughts. (well, I have to leave out others as there would be too many.)

Someone wants to be a leader and to do that even among one religion, there has to be denominations. With more denominations, there can be more leaders. Then, in a country, or among more than one country, there may be more than one religion. To have greater power than other leaders belonging to other religions, conflicts have to caused and fights lead to some kind of submission to the greater religion? and leader. All this leadership and power struggle is happening in the Middle East and many nations.

Perhaps it is time for a new prophet to straighten the minds and cool the ego of humans. To hope for such a solution is easy and according to 'The Secret' fervent hopes do materialise but it needs to be soon as people are beginning to become numbed to even the horrendous happenings brought to us by television.

Disastrously, the role of religion has changed somewhat. There was a time when religious people were respected for their good morals, their sacrifices and services in the name of God and their friendliness to all, regardless of religion with the belief that God created all humans. Today, there is no respect for God's creation even when it is in a similar form.

Immunity against certain sickness can be developed.

When I was young I used to catch cold quite often. However, the neighbours' children do not seem to catch cold just as often. Why? That was my observation and the question on the matter stuck as I certainly would not want to be a sickly person my whole life.

So I watched them. Even at the age of twelve, I have learned that observation reveals lots of truth and gives me greater understanding of things in and around me. Those children who hardly catch cold come from Indian families. I was living in Queen Street, Penang Island, at that time. There were a good number of Indian neighbours although most of the residents were Chinese.

Yes, I watched and from my observation I discovered that Chinese parents quickly covered up their little children with thick warm clothes whenever it rained. In fact the Chinese parents sent their children indoor at the first indication of rain. Not a drop of rain did Chinese children get.

However, that was not the case with Indian children. Even as the rain got heavier, I could still see them running around, sometimes stark naked, in the street getting thoroughly wet with the rain. Their parents did not seem to fear that the rain would chill their bones and lungs, and bring them cold and influenza.

Since that observation I had use every opportunity possible to walk, run and play in the rain. If there was nothing with me which could get spoiled by the rain, such as books and other articles that I could have been carrying, I would walk home in the rain. At such times, rain did not stop me from reaching home on time. And I noticed that i got stronger from the exposure to the rain and wind. (In an earlier post i had told about allowing my children to play in the rain at a very young age; young enough not to be conscious about sliding on the wet cement floor wearing just a pair of shorts in the compound of our house; in order to achieve this type of immunity against cold.)

Even nowadays, if I managed to get out of my house before the arrival of rain, I would be trekking Semarak Hill in the rain without raincoat or umbrella. There was one guy who went up that hill despite the rain and found me there without an umbrella.
"How come you did not bring along your umbrella?" he asked.
"It's alright. I enjoy it," I told him.
He was amused by the fact that a grown man could enjoy the cold wind and the rainwater flowing down the face and body. The next day, when I met him again, he commented,"Sorry, no rain to play with today."
There was one time I told another person, "This is the only place I can let go and enjoy the rain like a child without having people think I am a lunatic."

Well, this walking in the rain is good for my health, giving me an immunity to the cold. It is refreshing and fun, so it is also anti-aging. You feel young again. Yes, it's one of those rare times when you can let the child in you enthusiastically emerge from its social cage. (A few words of warning: For those not yet used to the wet and cold of the rain, do it in short periods first, and gradually, so that your body gets used to the rain.It takes time to develop immunity. There's no magic, I assure you.)I hope to enjoy the rain till the day I have to leave all of you.

A contrast to those wonderful people I wrote about yesterday.

Yesterday, I wrote about people whom I know to be some of the most wonderful people in the world, with not just plenty of love for their fellow humans but also for the animals. I also questioned how many would stop to help someone whom they do not know.

Well, today I read in the Star online that a hungry man waiting for his meal to break his fast during this holy month became angry with the waiter. upon being told that he would have to wait his turn as meals are delivered according to the placing of the order with the earlier orders delivered first before coming to the later orders, he lost his temper and beat up the poor waiter who was merely doing his job. Only the other waiters came to help to pacify the man while the others refused to be involved, allowing the poor waiter to be beaten up for about ten minutes when the other waiters had to run away when the man started to use the chairs to hit them.

According to the Star newspaper, a witness said, "The co-workers ran away, after which the man beat the victim for over 10 minutes before leaving. The other diners did not intervene." See! None of the others bothered to lift a finger to help the poor waiter. Here was a human in trouble; what if it had been just a little animal!

So, I was not exaggerating when I wrote that it takes goodness and greatness and all those beautiful humane qualities to be as God would have us be; to be sympathetic, compassionate and loving. Some people just do not have those qualities.

They are some of the most wonderful people on earth.

Yesterday, as I was trekking up the hill at Semarak, I saw this friend, Ah Fook, struggling down the hill with a big dog in his arms. Ah Fook was at most times suffering from pain in his joints due to gout. Nevertheless, there he was, his body bent sideways to support the dog which was hurt in its belly and one of its legs.

Seeing him almost unable to carry on any further with his task, I quickly offered him my help to take over his task. Even though I was stronger, I still found the dog sufficiently heavy to wish to reach the bottom of the hill as quickly as possible with it in my arms, as my arms were feeling the strain of its weight.

When we reached the foot of the hill, Ah Fook was just behind me, anxious more for the dog than for his painful joints. I put the dog, which was unable to walk, under a tree. It was too early to get the right type of medicine for it. So we had to leave it there with Ah Fook insisting on coming back later with the medicine for the dog.

The dog was fortunate to have a friend in Ah Fook as, with his help, the dog was certainly much better this morning. Ah Fook brought along food as well as the medicine for the dog and it surely was hungry for it quickly gobbled up every little piece of food that was brought. Ah Fook is obviously one of those beautiful people who not only love his fellow humans but also the animals that could be tamed. I believe he could even love a tiger if the tiger had allowed him to go close enough.

Ah Fook is not the only person I know of who cares for all living things. Yeoh, a small beautiful lady, has just as big and great a heart as the best of all the wonderful people I know. Once she heard about a couple who had to move elsewhere to work, leaving two dogs in their house unattended. Yeoh immediately offered to help, driving out of her way to feed the dogs using her own money and wash the area the dogs had to stay. After many months, when she got a place of her own; she was staying with her sister before this; she asked the couple for permission to take those two dogs home so that she could care for them. What a gal!

Not only that! Once a friend's cat was sick. No, it was actually not this friend's cat. This friend, Teoh, saw a poor cat knocked down by a car. It laid on the ground attempting without success to move. Teoh went out of his car to see what he could do for the cat. He found it with a hurt leg, quickly took it into his car and drove home. Uncertain as to what to do, he phoned Yeoh and Yeoh phoned me to ask my son to look at the cat to see what was wrong with it. So, it was that they came to my place at about eleven that morning. No bones seem to be broken, just pain and trauma, so the four of us took it to a shop which sells medicine for animals and then took it along for our lunch as by then it was well past one o'clock.

Well, a cat took up so much of Teoh's and Yeoh's time although it was the first time they have ever laid eyes on it. Would every human do the same for any animal? Well, not every human. That is why I consider such friends extraordinary. I believe God will always look after such wonderful people. If only the world is populated by such wonderful humans, what a beautiful world this would be. God would be so proud of us too.

Do gays come from God?

Recently, there was much discussion in the internet concerning gays when news revealed that a gay pastor was marrying her boyfriend. It caught my attention and I must say that I could not help but went into the net to find the truth.

As far as I know gays are what they are because of their feelings. Mentally and emotionally, they are of one sex while possessing the body of another. Poor them! It's like having to fit their round bodies into square spaces; perhaps the other way around.

This pastor, for example has a male body but his or her mind and emotions are female. With the mind and emotions of a female, she falls for a male, obviously.

But then, many are of the opinion that such minds and emotions are either cultivated or a result of certain unfortunate or undesirable desires of the gay.So, what is the truth? The truth, I believe, is important as we should not hamper or obstruct a person who genuinely think and feel as a female if that person could only find happiness in being one. It would be wrong of us to deny a person his/her right to find happiness in this world as long as he/she hurts no one.

So, into the internet I went and read about a pair of male twins, one of whom behaved like a female even from the age of eighteen months. Certainly, someone at that tender age cannot have thought of changing the sex he was given at birth. Could it have been in the genes? Yet, the other twin was behaving correctly for his sex! So, it was not genes, perhaps!? And when asked at a later age whether he was happy with feeling and thinking like a female, he gave an affirmative answer. Now, scientist have not come to the conclusion that it was genes. Still, that male child grew up with all the emotions and thoughts of a female. Like it or not, that child was a gay even before he understood anything about differences in sex.

Then again, there was another research that found gays are most often found in all boys' families. How is that so? Scientist are still trying to find a reason for it. Scientist have not come out with a firm verdict on how gays come about. However, from the study on the twins, it is a fact that a male child as young as eighteen months feel and therefore behave like a female. Can we fault this gay? Apparently, he was created this way. It needs not be considered a mistake of God in creating a gay just as we do not look upon the blind, the deaf, the dumb and the crippled as mistakes in God's creation. I would say they were created with a mission on earth. It could have been the mission to inspire the ordinary who finds no incentive to achieve more. This, in fact, was again indicated to me what had earlier dawned upon me; especially when I was having a five-year old blind girl pianist overwhelm me with her talent at the piano. If she can perform so well at that age despite her supposedly handicap, why can't we ordinary folks do better with our own capabilities? For myself, I am fortunate to have these people remind me to strive even harder and achieve even more; as a result of which I do three types of jobs, teaching, breeding and massaging, at the age of sixty-five despite having retired as a school teacher for ten years.

And because of them, I appreciate what I have even more so much so I use all my capabilities as much as possible for as long as possible. No, I am not tired from doing so much and enjoying so much; I am happy.

Coming back to gays, perhaps it is time ordinary people allow them space to live their lives as befits their mind and emotions. Let us be more understanding, more sympathetic, more compassionate with our fellow humans. Let us not create more pain and suffering. As it is there is sufficient pain throughout the world to not need us to add to it.

Society should be more sympathetic to transexuals.

Today I read a comment on sex change refusal by a court of law by a reader in the Malaysian Chronicler in which he said: In Islam, sex change is TOTALLY haram (=not allowed). We do not allow anyone to change the gender, as by doing so we will be changing Allah's creation.
The only exception to this ruling is related to a person who has both gender potentials in the body, so a medical treatment can be sought to unify one gender. In this case it will be a correction, and not a change in the creation of Allah, the Almighty.

After reading what has been reading I could not help but felt that human thinking must change in order that the world could be a happier place.

Firstly, let me proclaim myself as someone who certainly believe in God and have great respect for all religions. However, I do not join any religion as from an early age I have found much added thought, teachings and rules of humans in the various religions.

Having said all that, I believe that scientific facts are irrefutable and God teachings must be right for all times, before and after such times when such scientific facts are discovered.

With that in mind, I could not help but try to enlighten someone with the following piece of explanation. (As I am no God but a fallible human, I can be quite egoistic at times and it is at such times that I try to impart what I feel others need to know.)

And I must not forget to add that God's creation is perfect. It is human intervention or careless actions that cause imperfections. Science have revealed that a child may be born with certain imperfections due to consumption of undesirable substances such as certain kinds of medicine or a lack of certain nutrients in the human body. One of these ntrients could be folic acid, the presence of which has been found to be important for the healthy development of the foetus in the mother's womb even from the very beginning. So, we are actually not correcting God creation. God does not need any correction!

Well, this is what I wrote:


Dear ........,
I totally agree with you that we should not play God and change what he has created. Yet, as you yourself said, if the person has two gender potentials in the body, a medical treatment can be sought to unify one gender. However, we humans very often forget that it is not the physical only that is involved. There is also the emotional side. If a person has female emotions, feel and think as a female but possess a male body, which do you think should be the more important, the emotions or the physical? I believe it is the emotions as there is no way we can change the emotions and feelings God has given us. However, medical science can and do help such people in such circumstances by making physical changes so that they can live happier lives. You see, it is also what you call making corrections.

I hope more people could see my point so that more people could be happy and not die of hopeless desperation when these people are born with female emotions trapped in a male body, forced to live a life that can never find fulfillment.

No, I am not unfortunate to be born like Eleesha (the poor man who died when his heart gave way as he felt his whole world collapse after a court refused to allow him to change his sex although he already had a sex operation in Thailand two years ago) but I understand such things as I studied this in my quest for enlightenment. That they do feel the way they do is a fact which all educated humans ought to understand. We should understand these fellow brothers and sisters and not make their lives worst with our own unjustified morals.

Know your partner well.

I read in the newspaper, 'The Star', about a lady student who allowed a man she had known through Facebook to move into her place just after two months.

The thing that I question is how reckless could she be when she herself admitted that she did not even know whether the man was a student or already working. She did not even know whether he had a job. She only presumed that he was rich and later discovered that he was constantly asking her for money. All this ignorance about her boyfriend clearly showed that her relationship must be more for lust than love. Of course, I known love can be blind but definitely not this blind. Love develops through knowledge of a person's strength and the appreciation of them. The woman was certainly not looking at all before she leaped onto his lap.

According to statistics, this is a fairly common case. And the victims are usually from the fairer sex. Some of these ladies must be really hungry for love.

As for this particular lady, she was very soon dissatisfied with her relationship with him. Whenever she complained about it, the man would assault her; punches, slaps and even burns from cigarettes. Why did she not leave him immediately she discovered her mistake?

Looks like the man had a hold over her. He had nude photographs of her. That is another big mistake she made; allowing another person to take photos of her in the nude. He threatened to expose those photos should she leave him.

She did leave him eventually when she could slip out of the house after removing the mobile phone and its memory card from him. It is a lesson she has learned well, hopefully.

According to the news, many vindictive men photograph their girlfriends and their spouses with the intention of releasing copies of such photographs. With the internet available easily, photos can be posted for everyone's eyes.

Apparently, the world is getting smaller and more dangerous in certain aspects. The fairer sex have to be more knowledgeable and be more vigilant; know the possible dangers that lurk in the activities and take all necessary precautions. Certainly, there are times of misjudgement and things go wrong. Well, that is part of living. Nevertheless, just be careful.

After the heat came the rain.

A few days ago, friends were complaining about the heat that caused their clothes to be drenched with sweat. My reply to them was how detoxifying that was for them. (Please read the previous posting about the skin as the largest detoxification organ of our body.)

And as though in answer to our prayers, the rain came, heavy and sufficient to drench our clothes once again. Perhaps God has this message that some people do not bath enough. Well, I must admit it is sometimes true of me. Hiking up the hill the whole day cleansed only by the water at the waterfall or fast flowing river. Well, that's a free refreshing bath which is any time better than our home shower and not need to worry about soap getting into my eyes. So natural, so refreshing, so cooling and calming; it lifts my soul.

Yes, it did rain the next few days but then there seems to be no end to complains. Now, some of them are complaining about the wetness and the mud as we move along those virgin paths. Never mind! Let them be for no matter how they complain they would go on enjoying nature's thrills.

Of course, it would rain after the heat. For with great heat, more water is evaporated. The vapour rises and soon form clouds. The clouds become too thick and dark and heavy, soon clash with another cloud, or something else and is cooled up there; just as the air around your glass of cold iced drink turns to liquid and flows down the outer sides of your glass. Then, it comes down as rain.

Once upon a time I played in the rain, running out of the house even before the first drop fell. Then, during the time of my kids, I allowed my kids to play in the only after ten or fifteen minutes of downpour to make sure they are not getting acid rain. Even then I was not sure. My intention of getting my children to play in the rain was to get them immune to rain and the cold. It worked as they hardly catch cold, not even when they are caught in the rain. Sometimes my elder kid even go around in the rain if it is not too heavy.

So, I have enjoyed both the heat and the rain. Both are good and essential to our lives. So, let's enjoy them!

Faith comes from experience.

Last night I was with another Buddhist family and our talk drifted to the strength of one's faith. It is a story of how sincerity and true love for one's 'brother' lead a man to accept a religion.

First of all, before I continue, let me repeat what i have said all this while: I belong to no religion but have a strong belief in God. I know, it's most contradictory for some people but that is how it is. Through personal experiences, I know and feel His presence but religion; that is a totally different story as religion has been messed up by people. Still, I have a healthy respect for all religions.

However, today it is not about me. It is about a young man a friend knew. He grew up deprived of his parents presence. Look after by relatives, he understood the toughness of life. With parents who left nothing to him when they passed away, he depended upon an uncle, his own father's brother.

Without any parents, he grew up always having insufficient funds to finance his education, wants and needs. The uncle always advised him to stop schooling and start working to have money for himself. Luckily for this guy in Penang, his uncle lived near a church in Macalister Road where there was a church. Although his and his uncle's family were Buddhist, the church came to know of his problems. The church was caring enough to provide him with school fees, money for second-hand books and clothing. Otherwise, he would have to drop out of school very early in life.

At form three level, he passed his examination with such good grades that the uncle (imagine that!) became jealous of his results and commented that he should stop schooling then and get a job with his Lower Certificate of Examination results to support his own life. Even the aunt was flabbergasted with the husband's remarks. What kind of job can the young boy of fifteen do to support himself? Apparently, the uncle was unhappy because this young man achieved better results than his sons.

Fortunately, there was always the church and the people there who constantly gave verbal as well as monetary support. Eventually, he got his School Certificate at form five and was able to get a job. With a job and a place of his own, he attended church and became a Christian. Some people were aghast with his embracing Christianity. Yet, these people did not realise that his position then was only made possible by the amazing love that he received from people he did not know, people who were not even related to him. Help came from loving hearts that grew in a church.

I would say he has done the right thing. Perhaps I would have condemned him if he had done otherwise, although I do not believe in condemning people for their choice of religion.

God gives us the choice. That is my belief. Since God is all powerful, and who among us can say otherwise, if he does not want us to have any other choice but one particular religion, he would have not given it existence. Don't worry is you disagree for I respect your religion and God.

Not all VIPs are respectable.

There was a time I thought I could help to develop my part of the world into a better place. As some would say, and I wholeheartedly agree, that we should not just voice our grievances to just any Tom, Dick and Harry and expect action to be taken to remove my complaints. No coffee-shop talk and discussion for me. So, what did I do? I joined a political party.

If ever there is a path for our views to reach the ears of those who could make a difference, it ought to be the political path. Was I wrong! That realisation did not surface until I became the Youth Chief of a branch and the main committee member of a district. At that point, I thought I could put forward my ideas, get them implemented and make some improvement to my part of the world at the very least. Was I disappointed!

The leaders are not interested in ideas that has no part in their climb up the political ladder. Whenever something is proposed, it is put aside or shot down with all kinds of excuses. However, when leaders want things done so that their popularity and capability is enhanced, they expect no discussions, no criticisms but full support, no matter what is desired. That was certainly not my expectation and, of course, I was not too popular with them. For me, meetings are places where we discuss the pros and cons of ideas put forward regardless of their source, just another committee member or the top leaders.

And so everything was pushed through to formalise actions taken. Even things which cannot be approved were done and, unbelievable as it may seem, even passed through a show of hands. It just showed me how powerful those leaders were. Perhaps, you would understand the fantastic part of it if I were to relate what happened.

There was this annual general meeting in which secretaries pass out minutes of the previous annual meeting so that members could go through and based on it, question what had or had not been implemented. Then the treasurer had to let members know about the accounts, the income, expenditure and balance as well as how money had been spent throughout the year. This annual financial report was not presented. The treasurer could not produce the report but the chairman requested the members to pass the the unseen report. What a preposterous suggestion! Who could be so irresponsible as to pass an unseen financial report. What if there had been abuse of funds? Privately, many branch chairmen voiced their displeasure at such an idea but when the district chairman called for a vote only a few protested. Suffice it to say, only those few voted against the unseen report being passed. The many brave branch chairmen who quietly expressed their opposition to it cowardly showed their hands to support the powerful district chairman.

Since that day I removed myself from being active among such people. I despise not the poor, the weak, the labourers and anyone less fortunate but I certainly do not enjoy the company of cowards towards their own conviction, people who can only shout and talk big but when it comes to action, they fade away behind, quiet as mice.

How can I ever respect such people? As I look back, I understand that not all those who hold titles and authority deserve our respect. Respect has to be earned through proper use of titles and authority, and proper actions. People who use their authority to merely enrich themselves, using such authority to get government land and abusing their power do not deserve my respect.

Ah! The wonder of nature.

Have you ever gone into a wide open space filled with plants, trees and flowers?
Well, that was exactly what I did this morning. I woke up at the unearthly time of three-thirty in the morning in order to join my friends from the Art of Living to travel to Penang Youth Park to celebrate the 'Women's Conference 2011'

And so it was that I found myself in the midst of so much greenery at about five o'clock in the morning. I did not expect to find anything different from the usual happiness of being with friends and having a great new day to enjoy my life with. I did not expect the wonderful fragrance that beautify my senses as I stroll and enjoyed the greenness at that time of the morning. It was indeed a strange calm feeling as this unbelievably appealing perfume enveloped me as I stood there wondering where its source was.

Gradually, I realised that the scent came not from some human but the very surrounding plants and their flowers. How did I verify that? Well, I saw the flowers in the trees and I moved towards them. As I went nearer, the peculiar fact that struck me was that the fragrance recede and almost disappeared the closer I was to the trees and their floral display. To test this observation, I retraced my steps and moved further from the flowers. Again, the perfume became stronger. It was my first delightful experience. It is an experience I would not have the luck to enjoy had I not been out among nature at such an early part of the morning. It is something I hastily set on record upon reaching home so that others may some day have the same pleasurable delight I encountered this day.

At the age of sixty-four, I still find so much new pleasures in our fantastic world. Of course, this is not the only thing I enjoyed at Penang Youth Park today. I also learned how to make pancakes with Korean Kimchi as well as potatoes and had fun selling them, meeting all kinds of people in the process. Life is indeed beautiful and all it takes is for us to go out there to enjoy it.

In times of trouble, you know who your true friends are.

"You know what happened yesterday, Ai Wei?" she approached me at the bottom of the hill this morning.
"What's that?" Curiously,I waited for her to tell me more.
"Yesterday, I came down from the hill later than you. As I reversed my car slowly out onto the road from the patch of grass I had parked it, a little boy rode his motorcycle right towards my car, hitting one of the tyres. The part through which we pump air in was damaged and air from within whooshed out. There I was with a flat tyre!"
"Oh! How unfortunate!" I exclaimed. "So what did you do?"

Ignoring my question, she went on to tell about the young little boy who was still trying to balance himself on his motorcycle when she came out of her car. The boy was so little, his feet could hardly touch the ground! He was apologising, "Sorry, aunty! Sorry, aunty!" and asking for help at the same time with "Please help me. Please help."

Although she was annoyed at the damaged caused she was also amused that this little fellow was asking for her help to get off the bike. She helped him off his bike and pushed it to one side. As the damage was negligible, although it would be troublesome, she allowed him to start the bike again and sat astride it while it wobbled as though it could drop to one side at any moment. Then, the little boy rode away, leaving this poor friend the problem of going to her workplace.

First, one man she has known for some time came along. He stopped, looked at her tyre when she told him what had happened and then went on to his car to disappear from the scene.

Next came another guy she has been friendly with for some time. Upon hearing her story, he became angry with the no longer present little boy and his parents for allowing the child to ride around so dangerously. He told her she should have caught hold of the boy and if there was no compensation forth-coming, take the boy to the police-station. After the ranting, he also disappeared from the scene without asking the lady how she was to get a lift or help to repair the tyre.

Then there was this man she had always held in great respect. She had always told me about this man's great wealth, his abilities and his goodness. The man did not even come near, just a glance he cast in her direction and was quiet upon being told her problem. He too disappeared from the scene without extending any help.

From what has been written, perhaps someone reading this could have come to the wrong conclusion that this lady was not too friendly with people. That is definitely not the case. I have often seen how she has always been friendly and good towards them.

Well, it is a case where one gets to really know who your true friends are in times of trouble. They certainly knew she needed transport, if not to her place of work, at least to her home or a tyre shop where repairs could be acquired. This is where we can see who are the ones who are genuinely concerned.

Preparation for any event is necessary.

Recently, I attended a talk by a lady too enthusiastic to become a speaker. It would have been well and good, had she prepared herself well for the occasion. Unfortunately, she was far from ready with too little knowledge to dispense to the people who attended her talk. Not only that, she even did not realise that some displayed words had no connection with her talk for the evening. There was certainly weaknesses in her preparation. I believe she has done herself and her future as a speaker on the particular topic more harm than good in her impatience to be known to the public.

To be a really good speaker, one must have sufficient interesting material to keep the audience appreciative of the knowledge divulged to them. Certainly, no ordinary common-sense knowledge would be of great interest to people. Such knowledge must be sufficient to bring about a change in either the thinking or the behaviour of those who attend the function.

Besides knowledge, there is stage personality; how an individual present himself or herself on stage. If it is a talk, is her voice attractive enough to catch the attention of the audience? Her movement and direction of vision are just as important. Does she look at the people to whom she is conveying whatever messages she intends? Does she have to look at pieces of paper to remember the points she expresses? Is she talking or reading to the people? The above points are important in holding the full attention of the people in attendance.

As my aim in this blog is more to share and inspire, I have waited for some time before I write this so that probably no one would know which person or talk I am referring to. Who the person is is of no importance. If she can learn from this and improve, one day she may turn into one of the better known speakers in our midst. That and our hope to be better people in any field are the most important aim.

No one is too young to avoid tragedy.

According to a Chinese newspaper, the Nanyang Siang Pau, a 17-month old boy fell into a washing machine after he had accidentally turned it on. After tumbling into the washing machine he was 'washed' for two minutes before his mother heard his screams and went to the rescue.It was a Pakistani child living with his family in a Hong Kong flat. Fortunately, there was no internal injury, according to scans made by a hospital. But then, what about the trauma? What about the emotional aspect?

I want to record this as a reminder to all of us that everything can become a danger if we ourselves do not exercise care in our everyday lives. Who could have imagined that a child could accidentally start a washing machine? Why, even my grandmother would not know how to use one of these things. And why was the power supply not switched off? Without reading the above story, many would say, it is perfectly safe to leave the power on. But, as is often proclaimed, 'Truth is stranger than fiction' and the above story testifies to it.

And who would have thought a child as young as that could ever think of experimenting with a washing machine by hopping into it, after having to strenuously climb up one of the steep and slippery sides of a washing machine. Unbelievable but it happened! Truth is indeed stranger than any kind of fiction!

Of course, we have come across the more believable entry into our cold box, the refrigerator and possibly be trapped and frozen by that man-made North Pole. We have read of children being crushed by the wheels of the parent's vehicle. All these do and did happen. There is just no doubt about it! And the things that can bring about a tragedy look so harmless, nobody would have thought about it until it happens.

What does this teach us? It clearly shows that anything can become dangerous if we are careless and allow dangerous play or use of it. It also teaches us that fear is necessary in certain matters although some people might claim that we should not put fear into a child. Actually both groups- those against the use of fear and those who uses it are right. It all depends upon the situations involved.

For example, when it comes to playing with things like fire-crackers and fire, we ought to teach the pain and possible suffering from being burnt. We ought to teach caution. We should explain the right way to handle these things. Certain things ought not to be learned from experience. Our children would be better off learning from the experiences of those who have been unfortunate to have undergone it although we are sympathetic towards such unlucky ones.