Today, while I was up at the hill, I met two Malay ladies who found the exercise provided by the hill very beneficial to their health. Both have become fitter and healthier as a result of taking walks up that hill.
I had gone up and gone one round at the top and was on my way down when I met Liza, a tall thirty-plus year old lady who was quite fat about five months ago. Then, the first time I saw her at the hill, she only managed to make it half-way up the hill which would be approximately half a kilometer. She was resting at the times as she breathed deeply, sucking in air as she wiped away some sweat. Two months later, I saw her reach the top and from the way she moved it was obviously so much stronger. A month further on and she was not only reaching the top but striding on round the hill with confidence of completing the trek.
Today, when I commented on how beautiful she looked, she gave an appreciative smile and when I added that she was so much slimmer, she told me she had gone down eleven kilogrammes since she came to the hill. Wow! That was so good, I told her. She certainly felt wonderful and told me she also ate a little less nowadays. No wonder she looked so good, being much more healthier and radiant. Nowadays, she goes the last one hundred meter slopping stretch of the hill top, up and down again five times. She is so much stronger too.
But not all ladies who walk that hill everyday becomes slim. There is this big-boned gal who is strong and healthy. Going down the hill, as I slowed down to greet her, she told me her neighbours said they exercise too without having to come to the hill. I kept pace with her and she said her neighbour was of the idea that housework was exercise too. (That depends upon how the housework is done.) Furthermore, the neighbour told her she had not reduce her weight despite coming to the hill for exercise every morning. So, I consoled her and told her it was alright for people to make comments. After all, in life, people always appear to be experts at everything and can make comments on anything.
"Well, if you feel mad about that, curse a little if you wish but do not keep it inside your heart for it will only hurt you. Just let it go and listen to your own mind and the little voice within. After all, you know you are fitter and healthier because you come to the hill for exercise. You know the benefit, so be happy with it," I told her. Well, it is true that some people who exercise become healthier but remain as plump as ever. What counts is the good-time, the non-appearance of sickness, no heavy-breathing or breathlessness even with light work, there is less pain in the body, you are more relaxed and can sleep well at night. Is not that enough reason for exercise.
For me, that hill is my guarantee of happy, healthy, energetic life. I would not stop unless circumstances force me to.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Sweat it out!
This morning I met Mrs. Teoh at the hill and we did a fast walk up, round and down the hill within an hour. As we moved along, we exchanged thoughts and ideas. She is a Hash House member and at the age of forty-nine years, she moves like someone in her thirties. She was fast and there were times I had to quicken my steps to catch up with her. As usual I sweat the most among so many that I have known. In fact, I feel I sweat too easily.
In my social life, sweating can be uncomfortable and it certainly could be a deterrent for some gal to hug or hold my wet body and clothes. I was very conscious of that but, in a way, it helped to separate the truly loving ones from the rest.
Where the bedroom is concerned, there is no problem with profuse sweating as we have the air from the air-conditioner to cool us down. What a blessing! Thank God for sending those inventors to make my world more comfortable.
Where health is concerned, sweating is an important part of exercise as it eliminates toxins from our body through the sweat pouring out of our pores. It ensures cleansed pores, healthy skin and body. Since the skin is the biggest organ for excreting waste products and toxins from the body, its efficient function is undoubtedly of utmost importance.
Do you realise that people who exercise and sweat a lot have less problem with body odor than those who do not exercise and sweat a lot? So, to exercise and sweat profusely; besides drinking sufficient water to replenish whatever water; and essential minerals which are lost in the process; which has been used to carry off the waste and toxins; is an important activity for everyone of us.
Mrs. Teoh agreed to the need for exercise and that is the reason she goes to the hill each morning without fail unless unavoidable circumstances prevent her from doing so.
Going for a walk up a hill may not be your favourite activity but there are so many activities to choose from. For some it is cycling, jogging or swimming. For others, there there are group exercises like aerobics and 'Taichi' and for those with an intimate partner, there is sex. It is definitely not the submissive type that I am thinking of and it ought to last at least more than half an hour to be put down as an exercise too. Whatever it is, so long as it can work your lungs, stimulate your heart to beat somewhat faster and give those muscles some work besides sweating, the exercise will certainly be good for your organs, your bones and joints, your muscles, your metabolism, your relaxation, your immune system and your happiness in life. Well, do you see anything better than that?
In my social life, sweating can be uncomfortable and it certainly could be a deterrent for some gal to hug or hold my wet body and clothes. I was very conscious of that but, in a way, it helped to separate the truly loving ones from the rest.
Where the bedroom is concerned, there is no problem with profuse sweating as we have the air from the air-conditioner to cool us down. What a blessing! Thank God for sending those inventors to make my world more comfortable.
Where health is concerned, sweating is an important part of exercise as it eliminates toxins from our body through the sweat pouring out of our pores. It ensures cleansed pores, healthy skin and body. Since the skin is the biggest organ for excreting waste products and toxins from the body, its efficient function is undoubtedly of utmost importance.
Do you realise that people who exercise and sweat a lot have less problem with body odor than those who do not exercise and sweat a lot? So, to exercise and sweat profusely; besides drinking sufficient water to replenish whatever water; and essential minerals which are lost in the process; which has been used to carry off the waste and toxins; is an important activity for everyone of us.
Mrs. Teoh agreed to the need for exercise and that is the reason she goes to the hill each morning without fail unless unavoidable circumstances prevent her from doing so.
Going for a walk up a hill may not be your favourite activity but there are so many activities to choose from. For some it is cycling, jogging or swimming. For others, there there are group exercises like aerobics and 'Taichi' and for those with an intimate partner, there is sex. It is definitely not the submissive type that I am thinking of and it ought to last at least more than half an hour to be put down as an exercise too. Whatever it is, so long as it can work your lungs, stimulate your heart to beat somewhat faster and give those muscles some work besides sweating, the exercise will certainly be good for your organs, your bones and joints, your muscles, your metabolism, your relaxation, your immune system and your happiness in life. Well, do you see anything better than that?
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Take on posts compatible with our nature.
At the time my beloved wife got the position of senior assistant in a Mandarin-medium primary school in Kedah, we were so happy for her. We believed it could bring her even greater happiness in the field of education. I gave her my full support. As the school was quite a distance from our home and having not driven a car for many years, we looked for transport for her. So, each morning, we had to wake up earlier than was our practice then so that she could reach the home of another teacher who could take her to the school. That was an effort I gladly put in.
What we did not realise then were the type of people she could encounter in such a position as the headmistress. In time, I found out that in Chinese schools, many of the ladies who occupy the post of headmistress are hard-hearted demons who would terrorise those under them at the slightest excuse, first and foremost to ensure that the opportunities for whatever promotion that exists would be theirs and theirs only.
My poor wife was to discover that that headmistress ruled with a Chinese saying which means, 'Each competitor you kill off entrenches you in the position at the top.' Thus, she was always trying her level best to search for weaknesses in the teachers in her school and criticise them openly and severely.
I heard from another teacher in the school that a temporary teacher in a class was scolded in front of her pupils. How cruel and inconsiderate that headmistress was to take away the dignity of a person in front of her pupils.
And there was one stressed teacher who was so nervous she almost had a breakdown, yet was only allowed one day off despite presenting a medical certificate for a two day leave. I was flabbergasted to hear that. I protested that the teacher concerned should have stood up to point out that she is certainly entitled to rest and lodge a complaint on the matter. The reply was that that was tantamount to fighting the authority. According to the teacher, it could lead to serious consequences with certain suffering on her part. At that time, I could hardly believe whatever imagined consequential hardship was possible in the present civilised times. That was until my own wife told me of the misery of being under such a headmistress.
To impress my wife with her power, the headmistress gave her excessive duty despite her own light work load. In the General Orders(Is the term correct?), there is stipulated the maximum number of teaching periods a senior assistant can be given each week. Despite having to put in more time at school and struggling to complete her reports and whatnot, she did not grumble or complain as she told me she was new there and wanted very much to get along with everyone in the school, especially the head. Well, if she was willing to strive hard to please, who was I to complain especially when her action was logical although I saw injustice and bullying tactics. In fact such injustice and bullying tactics can be found in quite a number of Chinese schools if we follow the stories from teachers.
When the headmistress wanted my wife to write a letter, sometimes in the Malaysian Language and sometimes in English, she does not want to look at a drafted letter, even when her opinion and the wording of the letter must be as she desired them. She would make my wife type the letter on a typewriter in school before she looked at it. Then, she would change the words and demanded that it be typed again before she did another possible change to the letter. In this way, it took my wife a number of changes to have just one letter approved. And she was no authority on the Malay Language or the English Language. Yet, she had corrected a word rightly used with a wrongly used word in both the languages more than once. Especially for the letter in English, I told my wife to tell her that there ought to be no correction as the word used was right but my wife had by then understood that it was useless to have such a person admit to her mistake.
Then, there was the time my wife was sent to represent the school to attend a district sports meeting in which every school had to accept a duty in preparation for the sports meet. Even though knowing that to be the normal arrangement, to make things difficult, the headmistress told my wife not to agree to any duty given. What a dilemma! Of course, she came back with a duty but the headmistress insisted that she was given orders not to accept any duty and so she has to perform the duty all on her own. Imagine what kind of a school head would do that! And the next meeting, she was not even allowed to get to the meeting on time. At that time, I was too incensed to allow my wife to bottle up her frustration. I insisted that a report had to be made to head of the district education department. We were directed to the head of the Chinese schools there who happened to be the headmistress' friend. Oh, my gosh! Of course, nothing came out of that complaint. It only brought the wrath of the headmistress on the complainant, certainly not what we hoped for.
All these caused my wife to be depressed. As her depression got worse, I personally lodged a complaint with the state's education department, pushing my way to the top man, demanding that I be heard. As a result, my wife eventually got a transfer to another school but the stress and strain was beginning to tell. She weakened and finally came down with stomach ulcer. Upon being operated, she was infected with a virus which has no cure. This was followed by Cushing Syndrome. Weakening through many months into her hospitalisation, she succumbed to pneumonia.
I believe it was the stress that brought on the ulcer. Before that she had always been healthy. Perhaps she was not tough enough to face the cruel treatment meted out. To this day, I regret being so happy to encourage her to take on that post.
Looking back, not every post is suitable for us even when we have the capability and talent to work hard at it. So, should the workload becomes too much of a burden, too stressful, then we should not wait for sickness to make and stop and think of helping our body get out of the situation. I have seen people with cancer recover faster and better when they take a long leave from work, perhaps one year, to give their body a chance to recover. Perhaps, our nature is such that certain posts may present problems. When faced with such a situation, save yourself from further damage.
P.S.: I think this also applies to relationships and marriage. I have seen examples of this and so may write about it another day.)
What we did not realise then were the type of people she could encounter in such a position as the headmistress. In time, I found out that in Chinese schools, many of the ladies who occupy the post of headmistress are hard-hearted demons who would terrorise those under them at the slightest excuse, first and foremost to ensure that the opportunities for whatever promotion that exists would be theirs and theirs only.
My poor wife was to discover that that headmistress ruled with a Chinese saying which means, 'Each competitor you kill off entrenches you in the position at the top.' Thus, she was always trying her level best to search for weaknesses in the teachers in her school and criticise them openly and severely.
I heard from another teacher in the school that a temporary teacher in a class was scolded in front of her pupils. How cruel and inconsiderate that headmistress was to take away the dignity of a person in front of her pupils.
And there was one stressed teacher who was so nervous she almost had a breakdown, yet was only allowed one day off despite presenting a medical certificate for a two day leave. I was flabbergasted to hear that. I protested that the teacher concerned should have stood up to point out that she is certainly entitled to rest and lodge a complaint on the matter. The reply was that that was tantamount to fighting the authority. According to the teacher, it could lead to serious consequences with certain suffering on her part. At that time, I could hardly believe whatever imagined consequential hardship was possible in the present civilised times. That was until my own wife told me of the misery of being under such a headmistress.
To impress my wife with her power, the headmistress gave her excessive duty despite her own light work load. In the General Orders(Is the term correct?), there is stipulated the maximum number of teaching periods a senior assistant can be given each week. Despite having to put in more time at school and struggling to complete her reports and whatnot, she did not grumble or complain as she told me she was new there and wanted very much to get along with everyone in the school, especially the head. Well, if she was willing to strive hard to please, who was I to complain especially when her action was logical although I saw injustice and bullying tactics. In fact such injustice and bullying tactics can be found in quite a number of Chinese schools if we follow the stories from teachers.
When the headmistress wanted my wife to write a letter, sometimes in the Malaysian Language and sometimes in English, she does not want to look at a drafted letter, even when her opinion and the wording of the letter must be as she desired them. She would make my wife type the letter on a typewriter in school before she looked at it. Then, she would change the words and demanded that it be typed again before she did another possible change to the letter. In this way, it took my wife a number of changes to have just one letter approved. And she was no authority on the Malay Language or the English Language. Yet, she had corrected a word rightly used with a wrongly used word in both the languages more than once. Especially for the letter in English, I told my wife to tell her that there ought to be no correction as the word used was right but my wife had by then understood that it was useless to have such a person admit to her mistake.
Then, there was the time my wife was sent to represent the school to attend a district sports meeting in which every school had to accept a duty in preparation for the sports meet. Even though knowing that to be the normal arrangement, to make things difficult, the headmistress told my wife not to agree to any duty given. What a dilemma! Of course, she came back with a duty but the headmistress insisted that she was given orders not to accept any duty and so she has to perform the duty all on her own. Imagine what kind of a school head would do that! And the next meeting, she was not even allowed to get to the meeting on time. At that time, I was too incensed to allow my wife to bottle up her frustration. I insisted that a report had to be made to head of the district education department. We were directed to the head of the Chinese schools there who happened to be the headmistress' friend. Oh, my gosh! Of course, nothing came out of that complaint. It only brought the wrath of the headmistress on the complainant, certainly not what we hoped for.
All these caused my wife to be depressed. As her depression got worse, I personally lodged a complaint with the state's education department, pushing my way to the top man, demanding that I be heard. As a result, my wife eventually got a transfer to another school but the stress and strain was beginning to tell. She weakened and finally came down with stomach ulcer. Upon being operated, she was infected with a virus which has no cure. This was followed by Cushing Syndrome. Weakening through many months into her hospitalisation, she succumbed to pneumonia.
I believe it was the stress that brought on the ulcer. Before that she had always been healthy. Perhaps she was not tough enough to face the cruel treatment meted out. To this day, I regret being so happy to encourage her to take on that post.
Looking back, not every post is suitable for us even when we have the capability and talent to work hard at it. So, should the workload becomes too much of a burden, too stressful, then we should not wait for sickness to make and stop and think of helping our body get out of the situation. I have seen people with cancer recover faster and better when they take a long leave from work, perhaps one year, to give their body a chance to recover. Perhaps, our nature is such that certain posts may present problems. When faced with such a situation, save yourself from further damage.
P.S.: I think this also applies to relationships and marriage. I have seen examples of this and so may write about it another day.)
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
The love of a pet.
This is lovely. It is a story I received from a friend. I don not know the truth of this story but it does convey the therapeutic effect a beloved pet can bring in times of pain and gloom. Well, just wanted to share this story with you. So, read on..
Lucky Dog....
Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'
Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky, he still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
[]
Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God
A small request
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.
[] []
Lucky Dog....
Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!
Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'
Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.
Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.
When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.
Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky, he still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.
[]
Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God
A small request
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating.
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen
All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.
[] []
Willingness to shoulder responsibility quickens maturity.
"Come back here, Kok Seng. I have told you not to follow them and run across the street like that."
It sounded like a parent but his size and youthful face placed him at the approximate age of twelve, definitely too young to be a father of the four year old kid rushing off at the heels of a group of children. Yet, the responsibility of seeing to the safety of his younger brother rests on his young shoulders.
With both parents away at work, there is none other to oversee him and his brother. Each day, his parents reminded him of his big brother status and told him he has to be the one to look after the other son. Fortunately for his parents, he took on the task without complaint and perform this duty well.
Yes, his parents were lucky to have such a compliant child despite the heavy responsibility associated with the task, for it is not every child who would willingly agree to carry the burden of ensuring the safety of a sibling at such a tender age. Some children would not have bothered to take on the job and no parent could fault them for refusing such a great responsibility. After all, the mind is still not expected to have achieved the level of maturity required to perform well such a heavy task.
Well, there was such a child whom I know of. In fact, his task became even worse with the coming of a third child. Not only did he have to keep an eagle's eye on the second child so as to be aware of his whereabouts at all times, he had to carry the growing baby, feed him as well as put him to sleep. According to me, it was just too tough for this eldest son to manage. But, perhaps with the help of compassionate God, manage he did and nary an untoward incident befall the three children as they grew up.
Of course, needless to say, it was a tiring life for the eldest child. As a result, he developed a sense of responsibility and quiet maturity that was to put him ahead of many children. In school, that sense of responsibility took him to study with a determination seldom seen. Despite not having quality time with his parents or the opportunity for advantageous early knowledge, his maturity got him to pay even greater attention to the knowledge imparted by the teachers. This traits in him got him recognised by both teachers and fellow students a leadership quality. Thus, from monitor of the class, he went on to be the head prefect of the school. His ability to cope with the numerous duties given put him in good stead as a prefect where duties often have to been looked into while others study in the class.
With the maturity, leadership qualities and sense of responsibility, anyone can foresee the reach he made in education and performance in his career.
Sometimes, things do not come planned by parents. Circumstances or perhaps, the forces of the universe cause happenings to take place, incidences which could mold a person's character to place him in a favourable position in life. Perhaps, this kind of person is what some would call the graduate from the School of Hard Knocks. So, when life is tough for a child, there is no need to pity him or look down at his seemingly poor situation for great things may be in store for such a kid.
It sounded like a parent but his size and youthful face placed him at the approximate age of twelve, definitely too young to be a father of the four year old kid rushing off at the heels of a group of children. Yet, the responsibility of seeing to the safety of his younger brother rests on his young shoulders.
With both parents away at work, there is none other to oversee him and his brother. Each day, his parents reminded him of his big brother status and told him he has to be the one to look after the other son. Fortunately for his parents, he took on the task without complaint and perform this duty well.
Yes, his parents were lucky to have such a compliant child despite the heavy responsibility associated with the task, for it is not every child who would willingly agree to carry the burden of ensuring the safety of a sibling at such a tender age. Some children would not have bothered to take on the job and no parent could fault them for refusing such a great responsibility. After all, the mind is still not expected to have achieved the level of maturity required to perform well such a heavy task.
Well, there was such a child whom I know of. In fact, his task became even worse with the coming of a third child. Not only did he have to keep an eagle's eye on the second child so as to be aware of his whereabouts at all times, he had to carry the growing baby, feed him as well as put him to sleep. According to me, it was just too tough for this eldest son to manage. But, perhaps with the help of compassionate God, manage he did and nary an untoward incident befall the three children as they grew up.
Of course, needless to say, it was a tiring life for the eldest child. As a result, he developed a sense of responsibility and quiet maturity that was to put him ahead of many children. In school, that sense of responsibility took him to study with a determination seldom seen. Despite not having quality time with his parents or the opportunity for advantageous early knowledge, his maturity got him to pay even greater attention to the knowledge imparted by the teachers. This traits in him got him recognised by both teachers and fellow students a leadership quality. Thus, from monitor of the class, he went on to be the head prefect of the school. His ability to cope with the numerous duties given put him in good stead as a prefect where duties often have to been looked into while others study in the class.
With the maturity, leadership qualities and sense of responsibility, anyone can foresee the reach he made in education and performance in his career.
Sometimes, things do not come planned by parents. Circumstances or perhaps, the forces of the universe cause happenings to take place, incidences which could mold a person's character to place him in a favourable position in life. Perhaps, this kind of person is what some would call the graduate from the School of Hard Knocks. So, when life is tough for a child, there is no need to pity him or look down at his seemingly poor situation for great things may be in store for such a kid.
Monday, April 05, 2010
The clever child.
A little past his second birthday and my friend's grandchild did not even bother to answer to his grandpa's call. He was intent on the cartoon on the screen of their television.
The doting grandpa was not perturbed in any way despite the ignoring of his calls. In fact his next words confirmed the pride he had in his little grandson.
"Look at the little fellow, so engrossed in the cartoons. He learns a lot from the programmes, you know. And he is so clever; after the programme he would come and call you with a sweet little smile to amke you happy with him," he told me.
Yes, I agreed with him that his grandson was clever. What I did not voice to him were my thought that every child, with the exception of those unfortunate enough to have mental retardation or damage, is clever. The only difference lies in the attention and the understanding of the parents that all children need to be given the basic language skills and knowledge to put them on the road to more knowledge and mental development.
Parents ought to spend more quality time with their children. When we say quality time, we do not mean just being around our children. We introduce the world around them with names of things and ways we talk about those things, asking questions, giving descriptions of those things and thus introducing even more vocabulary.
Knowledge ought to start from their crib, then their room, moving on to the hall, the whole house, the garden and the neighbourhood before moving forward into any part of the world available to them. In our present time, it is not so much affordability but available time for exploring. Thus, we go from the known to the unknown, gradually adding knowledge each day.
When it comes to reception of the knowledge, there are so many methods available in our world. Take a few most suitable to our children. More important, whatever method we employ, make learning fun. That would spur them further to wanting more learning. Once that is instilled in them, there is nothing they cannot learn and with such knowledge and understanding behind them, maturity and the level of mental development achieved will certainly see them to 'the sky is the limit' in development.
So, parental role is the most important. How this world is going to develop or gprogress depends upon the parents whose child will think of greater possiblities for all mankind.
The doting grandpa was not perturbed in any way despite the ignoring of his calls. In fact his next words confirmed the pride he had in his little grandson.
"Look at the little fellow, so engrossed in the cartoons. He learns a lot from the programmes, you know. And he is so clever; after the programme he would come and call you with a sweet little smile to amke you happy with him," he told me.
Yes, I agreed with him that his grandson was clever. What I did not voice to him were my thought that every child, with the exception of those unfortunate enough to have mental retardation or damage, is clever. The only difference lies in the attention and the understanding of the parents that all children need to be given the basic language skills and knowledge to put them on the road to more knowledge and mental development.
Parents ought to spend more quality time with their children. When we say quality time, we do not mean just being around our children. We introduce the world around them with names of things and ways we talk about those things, asking questions, giving descriptions of those things and thus introducing even more vocabulary.
Knowledge ought to start from their crib, then their room, moving on to the hall, the whole house, the garden and the neighbourhood before moving forward into any part of the world available to them. In our present time, it is not so much affordability but available time for exploring. Thus, we go from the known to the unknown, gradually adding knowledge each day.
When it comes to reception of the knowledge, there are so many methods available in our world. Take a few most suitable to our children. More important, whatever method we employ, make learning fun. That would spur them further to wanting more learning. Once that is instilled in them, there is nothing they cannot learn and with such knowledge and understanding behind them, maturity and the level of mental development achieved will certainly see them to 'the sky is the limit' in development.
So, parental role is the most important. How this world is going to develop or gprogress depends upon the parents whose child will think of greater possiblities for all mankind.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Ordinary people are by nature not racial.
Did you read my posting where I told you about a place called Caunter Hall in Penang which has benn renamed Jalan P. Ramlee. Yes, I was a village boy, brought up in a small village surrounded by coconut trees, sugar cane plantations, pineapple lots and attap houses. (Attap is a roofing material made from the leaves of a kind of palm tree.) In the area were Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. As children, whenever we played, the idea of race did not enter our minds then. We only differentiated people by their jobs, their kindness and their attitudes.
I had to go to school by bus which took me and my elder brother to Hutchings School (the building housing the Penang State museum now) which was quite a distance away. There were times when we missed the bus and had to walk many kilometers to school. For me, despite such sometimes tiring walks, school was the most enjoyable part of my childhood. It was the place I learned a lot, made lots of friends, played with them and despite their skin colour, never thought of them as people of another race. We had our misunderstandings, our quarrels, our fights and our reunion as friends without any care for the race factor. This continued with our advance into secondary education when I was chosen to go to the Penang Free School. I remembered a Malay friend who was so close with us to the extent of even gradually being able to converse in a Chinese dialect. That was easy as ordinary children do not think of themselves in terms of race.
It was only after 1969 when the National Economic Policy (NEP) was implemented that Malaysian teenagers found that not every Malaysian teenager is treated equal by the Malaysian government. The traumatic moment of truth dawned upon the teenagers of minority races when they were not given opportunities to study in universities despite their excellent results while other teenagers of a certain race with lower results are offered those places. The race factor had raised its ugly head since then.
The injustice of such a policy was even realised by my Malay friends. One particular Malay teacher told me not to worry about having children as such a policy will not be around for many years. He thought that my wife’s inability to conceive then was due to my not wishing to have children to face such a moment of truth brought by the NEP. His compassion for the children of other races touched me even to this day.
In those days, I told politicians in the ruling parties that the poor can be assisted without bringing in the race factor. If the government sincerely wish to assist the poor of any race, which ought to be done, and certainly without opposition from any quarter, then assist all poor Malaysians. After all, if a certain race has the most poor, then the people of that race will be helped the most. However, it turned out to be helping the rich of that race to become richer through the excuse of uplifting the poor. The poor poor were left to remain poor, tossing merely crumbs to them just to keep them quiet. Well, go to the rural areas and see the poverty there. Their homes stand as proof of what had taken place.
It’s the politicians whom I am weary of. When it comes to ordinary people, we mix fairly easily in walks up the hill in Bukit Semarak. We take part in activities in Rukun Tetangga and residential associations, exchanging views and news without anxiety or fear of the other race plotting to steal away our wealth or blaming our individual poor economic situation on someone else.
When I was teaching in Kodiang, Kedah, I had some of the best times of my life in the company of ordinary village folks. Each weekend, I would drop into Pak Mat’s house to go trap birds in the nearby forest near Changloon. Sometimes, we would search for good ‘merboks’ in another village and Yusoff would help me to bargain for a fair price. Yusoff had a monkey to help him pluck coconuts. Once, an enraged monkey almost tore off his scrotum. He had to kill it as it was no longer safe to take around. A group of us gathered some money to buy him another monkey. Thus, we spent time with our hobbies, had outings together and helped each other out without the race factor interfering with our friendship.
However, the race factor is always read of in our news media each day as power hungry politicians use it to gain political mileage. And, apparently, this will continue for some time yet as even these politicians understand that it is not our nature to think of another person’s race as an important element in our lives. So, unless they persevere, they will lose their much needed following and support.
Well, that is life. It is never plain sailing. Fortunately God is still watching over us and as long as the politicians belong to a religion they dare not be too ungodly in their ways. There is still hope.
I had to go to school by bus which took me and my elder brother to Hutchings School (the building housing the Penang State museum now) which was quite a distance away. There were times when we missed the bus and had to walk many kilometers to school. For me, despite such sometimes tiring walks, school was the most enjoyable part of my childhood. It was the place I learned a lot, made lots of friends, played with them and despite their skin colour, never thought of them as people of another race. We had our misunderstandings, our quarrels, our fights and our reunion as friends without any care for the race factor. This continued with our advance into secondary education when I was chosen to go to the Penang Free School. I remembered a Malay friend who was so close with us to the extent of even gradually being able to converse in a Chinese dialect. That was easy as ordinary children do not think of themselves in terms of race.
It was only after 1969 when the National Economic Policy (NEP) was implemented that Malaysian teenagers found that not every Malaysian teenager is treated equal by the Malaysian government. The traumatic moment of truth dawned upon the teenagers of minority races when they were not given opportunities to study in universities despite their excellent results while other teenagers of a certain race with lower results are offered those places. The race factor had raised its ugly head since then.
The injustice of such a policy was even realised by my Malay friends. One particular Malay teacher told me not to worry about having children as such a policy will not be around for many years. He thought that my wife’s inability to conceive then was due to my not wishing to have children to face such a moment of truth brought by the NEP. His compassion for the children of other races touched me even to this day.
In those days, I told politicians in the ruling parties that the poor can be assisted without bringing in the race factor. If the government sincerely wish to assist the poor of any race, which ought to be done, and certainly without opposition from any quarter, then assist all poor Malaysians. After all, if a certain race has the most poor, then the people of that race will be helped the most. However, it turned out to be helping the rich of that race to become richer through the excuse of uplifting the poor. The poor poor were left to remain poor, tossing merely crumbs to them just to keep them quiet. Well, go to the rural areas and see the poverty there. Their homes stand as proof of what had taken place.
It’s the politicians whom I am weary of. When it comes to ordinary people, we mix fairly easily in walks up the hill in Bukit Semarak. We take part in activities in Rukun Tetangga and residential associations, exchanging views and news without anxiety or fear of the other race plotting to steal away our wealth or blaming our individual poor economic situation on someone else.
When I was teaching in Kodiang, Kedah, I had some of the best times of my life in the company of ordinary village folks. Each weekend, I would drop into Pak Mat’s house to go trap birds in the nearby forest near Changloon. Sometimes, we would search for good ‘merboks’ in another village and Yusoff would help me to bargain for a fair price. Yusoff had a monkey to help him pluck coconuts. Once, an enraged monkey almost tore off his scrotum. He had to kill it as it was no longer safe to take around. A group of us gathered some money to buy him another monkey. Thus, we spent time with our hobbies, had outings together and helped each other out without the race factor interfering with our friendship.
However, the race factor is always read of in our news media each day as power hungry politicians use it to gain political mileage. And, apparently, this will continue for some time yet as even these politicians understand that it is not our nature to think of another person’s race as an important element in our lives. So, unless they persevere, they will lose their much needed following and support.
Well, that is life. It is never plain sailing. Fortunately God is still watching over us and as long as the politicians belong to a religion they dare not be too ungodly in their ways. There is still hope.
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