Archive for one, two or three cents thoughts

starfish

July 14, 2008 at 1:56 pm · Filed under one, two or three cents thoughts

one day i’ll blog a proper update, but i’ll resort to this for now. this arrived in my inbox a couple of minutes ago:

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”

The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.” “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?” “The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.” “But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference, and if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future.

We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will be blessed.

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hello change

March 9, 2008 at 1:47 am · Filed under one, two or three cents thoughts ·Tagged ,

it doesn’t matter which party you represent. please deliver what you have promised to the rakyat. you were voted in for a purpose.

i welcome a better and brighter malaysia.

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no time to listen?

January 28, 2008 at 6:58 pm · Filed under one, two or three cents thoughts

i had an appointment at damansara jaya couple of days ago for an interview. i was accompanied by my helper and we took a taxi there. as i didn’t have small change and it so happened that the taxi didn’t have enough money to return me back my balance, i had to ask around the nearby shops to change my rm50 note.

thinking that it wouldn’t be that difficult since there was quite a number of shops nearby, i proceeded to what i assume would be the best and nearest option, a restaurant. not only did they refused to change my money, they wouldn’t even talk nor listen. before i could even finished my sentence, i was told to leave.

i left, of course.

headed to the next shop. similar treatment. the guy signalled with his hand to ask me leave. he didn’t even bother looking at the rm50 note i was trying to show him.

next, three gentleman, probably in their 30-40s walked by. i stopped them to ask. one said he had no money to donate. but i wasn’t even asking for donation? i think they assumed i was a beggar or out asking for donation…

since i was getting desperate, i deliberately stood in their way showing them that the note in my hand while indicating that i just wanted small change to pay my taxi fare. next thing i know, this other person took out a fifty-cent coin and told me to go pay parking with it.

i tried explaining that i didn’t need to pay parking but i wanted to pay my taxi fare. he kept saying the fifty-cent is enough to pay parking. then turn around and walked away.

i saw another gentleman approaching. he was in his mid-50’s, i think. instead of shunning me off, he paused to listen. thank God he had small change too.

had i dress shabbily or looked terrible, then maybe it’s understandable to shun me off. but i wasn’t. and it wouldn’t kill to at least allow a person to finish his or her sentence. it’s simple respect.

the uncle, who was much older than all the rest of them, was kind enough to ask if i needed anything else. he even offered to help carry my walker when he saw that i was about to walk up the stairs. all the others could simply do was just look.

if only there was more people like him…

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farewell 2007

December 31, 2007 at 12:46 am · Filed under one, two or three cents thoughts

“finish each day and be done with it.
you have done what you could.
some blunders and absurdities have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
tomorrow is a new day.
you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

- emerson -

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open mind, open hearts

December 8, 2007 at 1:49 am · Filed under disability issues, event, one, two or three cents thoughts

“open mind, open hearts…”

that simple statement itself speaks of a simple yet powerful message, don’t you think?

Open Mind, Open Hearts

:: click to enlarge picture ::

digi telecommunication sdn bhd organised a conference on nov 14, 2007 and named it “open mind, open hearts.” their purpose? it was to raise awareness on the issues faced by the disabled community in malaysia.

i was privileged to be there representing aya, meeting the team behind this conference. i only wish i had a camera with me. i would have love taking pictures of the surroundings. the working environment looked so relaxing and enticing. i really liked their open area concept.

hehe..

now i won’t exactly give a detail story of what the conference was about. the sun papers did that already, summarising it all briefly.

theSun - DiGi’s Open Mind, Open Heart Conference

:: click to enlarge picture ::

however i must emphasise that i was very impressed with everything that digi has decided to do thus far. in my opinion, it wasn’t just a sudden one-day-drop-down-from-heaven kind of a thought.

providing job opportunities for the disabled is one good thing. but making the entire building handicap friendly is something that should be commendable. looking at the entire structure of the building and how accessible it was, it was definitely something well thought through. except for a slight steep slop that i needed assistance with when going down, i really had no difficulty moving about. it allowed a sense of independence, a sense of being able to do something just like everyone else. really, it was a liberating sort of experience and feeling.

on top of that, the fact that all employee, physically challenged or not, is given the same employment rights and benefits certainly sets a mark for other organisations and companies to follow after. it just goes to shows that digi recognises that people with disability can be equally competitive as well. it shows that we have the right to get jobs that are best fit with our qualifications and really means something.

i know i did not work hard to get into the best university that my parents could afford to enrol me into just to end up with a mediocre job. i want a great job, a good pay and equal opportunities to build up my career and ambition just like everyone else. i want a job that i am proud of and truly believe that other people with disability desire that same thing too. so, once again, kudos to digi for setting that benchmark for other companies and organisation to follow!

now i’m not saying that other companies or organisations have not made the effort to create employment or ensuring their offices are barrier free. there are others as well such as airasia and others but really they are part of the minority group. what about the rest who boost about great growth, success and productivity?

comparing to earlier years, a lot has changed and believe me when i say i’m truly grateful for that. but the level of change unfortunately isn’t enough yet. there’s a lot more that needs to be done. but it’ll only happen when mindsets change.

when the thinking changes, the heart follows soon after…

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flabbergasted

October 30, 2007 at 4:29 pm · Filed under one, two or three cents thoughts ·Tagged , ,

read this article during lunch…

__

date: october 30, 2007; tuesday
published in: the star / the star online
url: singaporeans blur on sex

Singaporeans blur on sex

MANY Singaporeans have been seeking help from doctors on how to have sexual intercourse, Sin Chew Daily reported yesterday.

Singapore Thomson Medical Centre (TMC) founder Dr Cheng Wei Chen said the hospital received several people every month, mostly university graduates, seeking their guidance on how to “do it”.

Its urology senior consultant Dr Lin Fa Cai said he once treated a woman who was married for 10 years and supposedly had sex more than 1,000 times, but was still a virgin.

Dr Lin said the husband, who had a doctorate degree, and his wife, who complained of being unable to conceive, sought help at the hospital.

“The couple told me they had sex about three times a week but when I examined the wife, her hymen was still intact.

“He had a doctorate degree but zero knowledge on sex,” he said.

Another doctor, who declined to be named, said a couple in their 30s sought help from Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Medical Centre for failing to conceive after seven years of marriage.

He said he found no problem with the couple but later discovered that the husband withdrew just before ejaculating.

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i was quite amused by the content.

and with information so easily attainable nowadays through media, it’s hard to imagine a person with a doctorate degree not getting the right information. c’mon lar, even lower secondary school kids these days know about the ‘how to do it‘ stuff.

i mean, really…

did you doze off when your classmates oo-ed and ahh-ed during biology class?
haven’t you receive spam mails in your inbox or pop-up adverts when browsing through the net?
don’t you crack dirty jokes during lunch with your colleagues?
what sort of music / movies are you occupying your leisure time with?
haven’t you been reading newspaper articles, magazines or even novels?

.

.

the list goes on without an end…

i still can (choose to) believe if you tell me that a person is blur about other topics such as political issues, latest high-tech gadgets, etc… or if the person is living in some poor rural area where education and information is not available to all…

but you are living in singapore and sex is media’s sizzling hot topic.

seriously, enlighten me!
i’m truly curious..

how have you avoided the media’s constant bombardings of such useful information?

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silly conversation

October 17, 2007 at 6:22 pm · Filed under disability issues, one, two or three cents thoughts ·Tagged , ,

the phone conversation with jkm:

me: i think i lost my OKU card. how do i apply for a new one?
mr. A: easy. just bring 3 passport size pictures, photocopy of IC and a photocopy of your OKU card.
me: i just lost my card. how do you expect me to photocopy it?
mr. A: didn’t you photocopy it before?
me: i don’t have any extras with me now. can i give a doctor’s letter from UH certifying my condition?
mr. A: oh, not all doctor’s letter we accept.
me: er, so what kind do you accept?
mr. A: i’m not sure. you just bring it on monday and look for puan B. see if she accepts it.
me: huh? what if she doesn’t accept? it’s quite inconvenient for me to keep going to jkm. what if i bring along my ’surat pengesahan pendaftaran cacat’ which was issued by your department. i have my pendaftaran number, you should be able to check and refer it with your database. would that be good enough?
mr. A: don’t ask me silly questions. just come on monday and meet puan B.

i kid you not.
silly questions? i’m getting silly replies.

i blame myself for being careless.
period.

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d2y2: from the art, to the heart

August 17, 2007 at 6:25 pm · Filed under d2y2, one, two or three cents thoughts, published articles ·Tagged , , ,

date: july 17, 2007; tuesday
published in: d2y2 magazine / d2y2 online
url: from the art, to the heart

From The Art, To The Heart
by Cheryl Mohan

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ended not too long ago. I remembered back when I was at Sunday school, my teacher would teach each of us to make something during handicraft session and ask us to write a special note to our parents so that we can present it to them as a gift for that special day. The handicrafts became harder to make as we grew older. From just colouring a picture of a flower, decorating it with gold dust and pasting it on a straw, I remembered that there was one year I had to literally plant a flower in a pot. Of course, the poor flower did not survive long and I came home with gold dust all over me. And I doubt that pleased my mom much.

Sunday school season ended for me. I became too old for it. And so the handicrafts stopped. No more flowers for mummy on Mother’s Day. No more self-made picture frames for daddy on Father’s Day. No more bright red hearts and stickman pictures that supposedly represent my parents. Mind you, I was never an artist so stickmen were my best attempts. Instead of making gifts, I resorted to buying them instead. Fewer headaches, looks nicer and plus, it’s the thought that counts, right? After all, I did get my parents gifts to show that I appreciate them and that I knew when exactly was Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Okay, my point is this: my gifts didn’t show that I loved my parents more or any less. In fact, I only gave them gifts because I felt that it was a ‘proper’ thing to do to make the day a little more special. And on a side note, I have nothing against giving gifts.

But frankly, how many of us have a close relationship with our parents? By close relationship I mean to say that we share From the Art, To the Heartwith them about the happenings of our life. Maybe we were close to them when we were younger, but what about now when we are older? I’ve heard and know friends who remark that they barely have a relationship with their parents because of various reasons. And instead of waiting of our parents to spend time with us or even show their love to us, why don’t we as children take the first, and second, and third and the tenth initiative to do so.

Show you love and care for them all year round. Not just through giving gifts but through your actions. Love your parents by honouring them (Deut 5:16). And by honouring them it means that we respect them through our way of conduct and behaviour (Prov 28:7), we speak well of them (Prov 30:11-17), we listen (Prov 1:7-9) and obey them (Eph 6:1-2), and we take care of them (Prov 19:26, 10:5) and do not give them unnecessary cause to worry.

“Romance fails us and so do friendships, but the relationship of parent and child, less noisy than all others, remains indelible and indestructible, the strongest relationship on earth.”—Theodor Reik

About the author: Cheryl loves the sight of lightning flashing through her window and the sound of thunder. Uniquely also, she has preference for melted chocolate.

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