Brown eyes, Curly Locks
Sweet Smiles
Gentle Walks
Two Angels, Lollipops
Silky skin, High Pitch Notes
Teddy Bears
Computers
Pink and Purple Sneakers
Sweet Lullaby, Dancing Steps
Tap, Tap, Tap
Pulling hairs
Screaming souls
Jumping Ropes
and Mosquitoes.

Where can I see such awe if not in your eyes
Your gentle hugs make me fly
Imaginations run faster than thunder
Big dreams to catch butterflies!
Simple gestures make you laugh
In your voice I know you love
One day away I miss you dearly
Two happy musings wait tenderly
At the doorstep you sit
With a big smile you greet
Lovely Angels, Beautiful Faces
My strength, My Souls
Though cliche it might be
The Angels in you will always be.

To talk about you is to talk about life
To think of you is a must
In my mind, my deepest soul
All about you is
All about love.

It has been almost a week now that we are in the year 2011. The new year mood this year is rather somber due to many natural disasters that hit not only this country but also the world. After volcanic eruptions of Mount Merapi in Indonesia, we keep hearing of one disaster after another. An earthquake in Pakistan is said to have had more casualties than the big tsunami in 2004. People lost their homes and family members and at the dawn of new years eve, more countries were hit by floods.

Australia is quoted as having floods as big as the Noah’s era. Malaysia is not excluded. With cold winds in the monsoon season which normally come in November hit the country, the northern and eastern states have been flooded by heavy downpour and drenched the low areas with floods. Some schools were closed because children could not go to school.

While the flood news are still at large, we also saw riffs between the royal and the chief minister who has lost his values along the lane somewhere.Not only the disputes, accidents out of carelessness have also coloured the tainted image of drivers, especially lorry and bus drivers. A double decker tour bus hit the road with a vengeance and the driver lost his control, hence cost too many lives at once. Besides careless bus driver, the new year was tarnished by careless lorry driver that hit a row of old shop houses but luckily the driver escaped bad injuries.

We also opened the morning news with drama of the week. Red paints were splashed at the entrance of the assemblyman office in Kota Kemuning because of some political reasons.

And to the consumers’ horror, a warehouse in Alor Star was raided for doing an illegal activity of transferring subsidised cooking gas into larger liquefied petroleum gas tanks before selling them to factories.

That’s a week in a glance of the first week of the new year in this country among many others that too many to mention!

Hope it’s still not too late to wish Happy New Year! Hopefully this new year will bring us hope and joy, and make us better people on earth.

See the view of Kuala Lumpur city captured at night at http://www.lulu.com.

Barbarians? Criminals? Monsters? The image above is enough to make me cringe, and slowly that feeling turns into pity and sympathy. I have a very soft spot for children, and to see them get killed before they can breathe the air is too appalling to me. Like the post that I have pasted earlier from a local newspaper, this phenomenon is rising and mushrooming in this country. Everyday we will read about teenagers throwing and dumping their newborn babies everywhere… In the dustbin, by the roadside, in the forest… You name it, you can find bodies of this fresh babies still covered in bloods, and some still have their uterus intact everywhere.

Who is to blame for this, as it has become almost a fashion or trend that these people want to emulate? Too much exposure on the electronic media on free sex and that it is the ‘thing’ to do ( if not you are too conservative) has made these young people curious or feel under the pressure. That any relationship between a boy and a girl must end up in bed. If you love me, sleep with me or I will leave you. That’s the common dialogue from the boy to the girl. And, being afraid that they boy would leave them, they would do anything…Yes…Anything for you.

If they wanted or decided to have a sexual contact with someone at a young age, and then discover that they accidentally get pregnant (for the girls), whom can they turn to? Chances are in this country (where premarital sex is a taboo), you might want to keep it a secret, and then when it’s time for you to give birth, you cannot do anything than to hide and then throw the babies away. Hence, the newly phenomenon… Baby dumping!

But why? And how can this happen? Simply because these young people have no guidance. The parents are too engrossed in their work and own lives and problems, and leaving their teens with no attention. They find listening to their children’s problems is too time consuming, and they do not monitor the circle of friends whom their children have contacts with. I have read one story of a parent who thought that her daughter was studying in the room with her friend, but ended up in bed with him. And how can a parent allow the girl to be alone with him anyway? Maybe in the western country, this phenomenon is normal and maybe it’s a way of life. But to a Malaysian, especially a Muslim, this is a deadly sin!

When the government wanted to introduce sex education in school, I cannot help but to support the move. Some people think that sex education is about, well literally sex, but I am sure that it is not so. Through sex education, these teens will learn about responsibilities and hopefully about morals and values. They must be taught about their anatomy and how they function, and understand the changes that they go through. They must learn that every action they take must be followed by responsibility, towards oneself and those around them. They have to be guided and educated that any sexual encounters at a young age will not solve any problem, that goes side in side with religion and moral values. They have to be educated on diseases and the outcome of premarital sex.

I hope that these will be in the curriculum at school and I hope that with the information and guidance, the increasing numbers of baby dumping scenarios will be curb gradually. The babies are innocent and it is unfair to kill them for the sins of the mothers and fathers. If it happens to be, send the babies to any hospital, orphanage or welfare house, don’t kill them or dump them at dirty places. They are too pure to be dealt that way. At least, there is still hope for them to live!

Malaysia’s deputy education minister said Thursday sex education would be taught in schools across the conservative Muslim-majority country next year, to tackle an epidemic of “baby-dumping”.

Michael Lynton, head of Sony Pictures, told cinema owners they should be offering healthier snacks to help fight obesity and give audiences a broader range of food choices.

He said: “I don’t mean close the window for popcorn, soda and candy. Audiences love them and should always be able to buy them at your theatres.

“I can almost imagine the Romans eating popcorn and drinking Coke at the Coliseum 2,000 years ago.”

The average cinema bucket of buttered popcorn has 76 grams (2.6oz) of fat – the equivalent of six McDonald’s cheeseburgers – and 1,100 calories.

According to Mr Lynton, healthier food selections suggested by cinemagoers included fruit salads, vegetables with dip, yoghurt, granola bars, baked chips and unbuttered, air-popped popcorn.

However, Mr Lynton admitted that old habits might die hard. He said: “I don’t think giant tubs of spinach or broccoli is a good idea.

“And nobody wants to eat cauliflower while watching Spider-Man, or drink a 40oz cup of prune juice.”

Last month Tim Smith, the chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, called for filmgoers to be told how many calories there are in the popcorn, ice cream and fizzy drinks and for them to be available in smaller portions.

Deirdre Flynn, spokesman for the Popcorn Board, a non-profit organisation funded by US popcorn processors, said: “If you ask most consumers what they consider the number one movie snack, they will tell you it’s popcorn.

“Popcorn and movies have gone hand in hand since the early 1900s.”

taken from sky news

People are born with different personalities, quirks and behaviors. While it is easy to deal with some people, on the other hand, it is also difficult to deal with some people. Some people learn very fast and whatever mistakes they make will be taken with caution after the first lesson. But, some people will never learn from anything and will repeat the same mistakes all over again. I have known a few people who will not change even though they know that they have made a mistake.  Irrespective of what we tell them they cannot see what is wrong with them and when the circumstances happen, they will repeat the cycle, even though they know that they will face the same problem. Some even blame other people for their own wrong doings.

Some of these people can produce continual toxicity in our lives, while others may cause only a momentary frustration.  Whoever or whatever the case may be, these people are among us.

But why is self-awareness so important?  It makes us better people.  Here’s why:

1. Empathy. Having the ability to see when we are wrong or when we have made a mistake allows us to see other peoples’ perspectives and to be empathetic to their situation or their feelings.
2. Admission. Have you noticed when people aren’t self-aware, it is very difficult for them to apologize or admit that they are wrong?  Often, these people can’t even SEE that they are wrong in the first place.  They tend to think that they are always right and if something doesn’t work out as planned, it is always someone else’s fault.
3. Man in the Mirror. If we can acknowledge our flaws, we can make positive change to improve upon them.  Knowing is half the battle…and if you can admit to the qualities that are less than stellar about yourself…you can change them or improve upon them.
4. Tolerance. When you can see your own faults, it is easier to accept others’.
5. Humility. Understanding that we ourselves are not perfect allows us to get off our high-horses.  Further, know we can always be better and as a result, can be thankful for the good that does come our way.
6. Likability. Let’s face it:  No one likes a know-it-all or an individual who thinks they are always right.  Having the ability to see other peoples viewpoints, to be open and flexible, and acknowledge that you are not the only person who has the answer makes you a more attractive person.

So how self-aware are you?  Here are a few questions to ask:

1. Do you listen to others during a conversation?  Or, do you tend to do a lot of the talking?
2. Do you ask others how they feel about situations?  Or, do you make assumptions based on your own feelings?
3. Do you think about how your actions affect others?  Or, are you confident that others are fine with how you handle the situations?
4. Are you aware of other people’s social cues?  Or, do you mostly focus on your own?
5. Can you admit when you are wrong, and have apologized when you are?  Or, do you tend to think that things are wrong or go bad because of others?

If you answered yes to most of the first questions in each pair, you are most-likely self-aware.  If you answered yes to most of the second questions in each pair, you probably could afford to tune into other people’s reactions and do some inner reflecting.

Self awareness gives you the ability to be open, thoughtful and aware of how you impact others.  It is one of the best and most valuable qualities you can have!  Do you think you are self-aware?  Have you met others who aren’t?  How did they make you feel?

excerpt taken from balanced living made simple

I often wonder how we can be so different and yet so similar. I have traveled to a few places, married a foreigner and sampled a few cultural diversity. I found that people irrespective of their gender, beliefs and culture, are almost the same.

We share the same dreams, face the same problems, react the same way when entrusted with some degrees of  disappointment or depressions. We marvel at beauty, talk about life and complain of the life we have. We do not stop talking and complaining and life has become worst than what it is suppose to be. Just because of that attitude that we have.

But I also believe, among us, among the bullies, liars, selfish people who would bull doze anything to get their way, there are people  who we can trust and depend on. People with a heart. People with good deeds and intentions. People who are willing to lend their hands and help you. People who understand and let you be you. Genuine people who do not want anything from you in return. People whom I regard as the savior.

Throughout my life, I have met all sorts of people. The selfish, the liars, the bullies, the back stabbers, the toxic, the manipulative, the hypocrites, the excuse makers, the boasters, and the lists go on. When I was in England taking my MA, I was surprised and appalled at some arrogant and rude students who would argue endlessly on who would do what task when given a group assignment.

To me it was simple. But to them it was like showing off who was the smartest and everybody wanted to be smart or thought they were smart, therefore argued endlessly over a small matter. They refused to cooperate and a simple group work suddenly became a very difficult task to accomplish. Simply because of the attitude they carried with them or was in born.

I guess it was my destiny to meet these sorts of people but because of that it also has shaped my personality. It made me want to be good and better. And to find a person with a genuine heart is tough and I guess I am also lucky because in a way I think I have met one recently.

It all started with a call. She wanted to work as a cleaner at our place but it was already taken up. It so happened that she knew us throughout a tailor whom we made our tailor made clothes. From the tailor, we knew that this lady is in need of a job. She is divorced from an abusive husband who hit her and the children. She remarried and this time the husband suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. She has a son who is mentally unstable and a young daughter who is eight years old.

I felt bad. I wanted to help her. My inner sights told me, give her a job and pay her. That would at least help her a little bit. And I also need that help. I live with my mom and my two daughters and sometimes we need people to drive us or to do errands. And so I came up with the idea and proposed to her. And she agreed.

Since then, whenever we need her help, she would be there for us and I feel satisfied because in a way we have helped her earn something. Not only I have a helping hand, but also a help with a genuine heart. I found her to be a strong willed woman, who will put others before her. Her spoken words and body language speak out to me that she is someone I can depend on for a long time.

She not only help us, but also offers to help us. If we need help at the middle of the night, she says she would come. If we need anything, just let her know. If  we are too occupied to pick the children at school, she volunteers to help. Just tell her, give her a call, she would arrive.

And how many of us feels blessed enough to meet with this kind of person who offers you help, kindness and sincerity, and touch your heart with their deeds and actions?

I feel I am one of the blessed one. God has given me a helping hand that I need so much at the time when I needed it most.