This is not a plea for help for myself, but rather for a 4 year old girl named Charmaine.
Yup, that's 4 year old Charmaine.
Charmaine is just 4 years old, much younger than the majority of you who read this blog and she has been diagnosed with 4th stage neuroblastoma, a cancer, giving her only a 10-20% chance of recovery if she continues treatment in Singapore.
Those are real slim chances, if you ask me.
The good news is that she stands a much better chance of survival if she does undergo treatment in New York, but the bad news that treatment over there costs a lot more. And her family just can't afford it, not unless the public steps up to the challenge and helps.
Nuffnang, our beloved blog advertising community is aiming to help raise $80,000 (SGD) to help improve that one little girl's chances, and with 40,000 Nuffnangers in Singapore and loads more back home in Malaysia, reaching that goal wouldn't be a problem if we all step up to this challenge and do our parts.
It only takes $2 from each of the 40,000 Nuffnangers in Singapore for us to reach this target, to offer this girl a better chance of surviving the cancer, giving her a better opportuinity to do all those things that we tend to take for granted in our lives - like taking her first major exam; going out on her first date; graduating from university; and receiving our first paycheck.
This is one girl who's chances are slim enough already, and I think that it is only fitting that we all chip in to increase her chances at survival, to increase her chances at being able to live her life to the fullest.
I thought that I had a rough week, but looking at things in perspective made me remember just how lucky I am. Thank you, my closest and dearest friends, for supporting me when I really needed it most.
They say that the best way to bring yourself out of the slumps in life is to go do a good deed, something that would put a smile on another person's face.
"A good deed is one that brings a smile of joy on to the face of another."
- Prophet Muhammad
That girl means the world to her parents. Do the right thing today, and put a smile on someone's face.
It's official - I need to be more focused. I wanted to write this post for so long, ever since I got out of the shower, but I somehow stumbled upon my dear friend, wikipedia, and we ended up on another magical mystery tour (minus the acid trips).
I was reading up on this sport that my brother told me about - freerunning, or also known as Parkour - because of this YouTube video he showed me.
Who doesn't want to jump around like a character in a video game? I so want to do that stuff (and it's exercise that is so much more interesting than the crunches and push-ups I do! It would help me with my 6-pack, wouldn't it?) Intrigued, I googled Parkour and began reading through sites and forums dedicated to it.
Here's what wikipedia has to say about Parkour just for your convenience:
Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement[1] (English: the art of displacement) is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body.[2][3] It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment — from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls — and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs, or traceuses for females.[4]
Founded by David Belle in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.
Did exercise ever look so cool?
One of the Parkour websites mentioned the Paleo diet and that was the trigger that got me on wikipedia. ):
Here was that wikipedia trail:
the paleo diet ---> flores man ---> island dwarfism ----> pygmy mammoths ---> animal gigantism ---> deep sea gigantism ---> colossal squid!
Yup, in a matter of clicks, I ended up reading about giant, deep sea dwelling squid. What's even creepier is that a picture of the largest specimen of colossal squid captured made me think of someone. And I promptly wrote an email to that person.
The picture that triggered an email.
Yup, that picture did trigger an email. And I need to find some way to get things done more promptly! Perhaps reprogramming the way my mind perceives procrastination would be the way to go. When I recently read about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats which are abundant in processed food, that mental reimaging of processed food made it so much easier for me to say no to processed food like luncheon meat (even though it tastes so good). I now see it as an evil artery blocker which would screw up my body (but I still do take minimal quantities of processed food).
Maybe I should view procrastinatory habits like going on wikipedia every 5 minutes as a obstacle to success in life and just get rid of them (but then wouldn't I have less interesting reasons to write an email then?). Guess moderation (kesederhanaan's the nilai here, my moral students! Hoping you're studying for your moral paper and not reading this now!) always seems to be the key when it comes to living life well.
Sorry Wikipedia, but if I see you too often I'll end up like this.
Now, for the main reason I wanted to write this post, our very own disquieting headmistress - the Datin. Well, she IS my current boss, considering that I'm working in SMKDJ right now, but in lieu of all that I'm hearing from all around these days, I guess it would just be a cardinal sin to stay silent anymore. Thanks John, for making me see that a 'tidak apa' (heck care) attitude wouldn't help anyone and it would only further undermine all our previous efforts in making DJ the prestigious school that it now is - our spirit of meritocracy and high standards.
Well, for the benefit of all DJ alumni and current students in DJ, these are the changes that Datin has implemented (or at least tried to implement) so far (this is by no means a comprehensive list, just some of the things that I remember):
1. Attempted to shut down the cheerleading squad. 2. Attempted to shut down our school's strong Christian Fellowship (CF). 3. Made it mandatory that co-curricular clubs must have a certain number of Malays in their executive committee. 4. Took in a large number of Malay students into the prefectorial board without an interview. Note that other non-Malay students have to go through a rigorous selection and interview process before they are accepted as probationary prefects. 5. Reduced the number of periods a week for additional mathematics and increased the number of periods used to teach modern mathematics (which is largely regarded as an easier subject, unless you happen to come from a different planet), resulting in teachers making students stay back for extra classes. Didn't we also use to stay back for extra classes back in the time where we had more add math periods?
Let me make this clear that this is by no means a puerile attempt at defamation, but genuine concern for the future of SMKDJ. I am in no way anti-Malay; my dear Hamlet is very much Malay and she can so testify to that, but the injustice in my alma mater these days just fills me and quite a few other concerned DJ alumni with indignation.
I believe that DJ has always stood out in so many things ranging from sports, debates, cheerleading to our overall school culture because we were fair.
We put in so much effort selecting our prefect successors!
We believed in meritocracy, let the most capable hold the senior positions; only select the very best and most committed individuals to wear badges of service.
My juniors who I was so proud to have served with.
We didn't have any form of racial discrimination back then, if you were selected for something, it was because you were good at something, or at least committed in serving that cause. What was the rationale for such racial bias in our school lately? Were things not good the way they were? Things were pretty good when I left school. School really was great and as hard as I try, I can't seem to see any good rationale for the different decisions the Datin has made recently.
Mr. Kevin and Mr. Tysern. Don't we keep telling you guys that we loved our time in DJ?
I feel strongly about these changes made by Datin not just because I am appalled by the drop of quality in my dear prefectorial board, but also because I really had amazing memories back in a fair and just DJ, and I really want my students to grow up in such an environment.
I also believe that schools are where young minds are shaped into the citizens of tomorrow. What would the result be if even our young students feel cheated and unjustly treated by such racial policies in school? What would they grow up to become? What would then become of our country which I so love (I really do! It's just that our dear country has a real management problem most of the time and all the propaganda and patriotic music in the world would not change that fact, my dear politicians!)?
More demonstrations?
All I'm asking for is that the students of SMK Damansara Jaya be treated fairly. Why must we discriminate on racial grounds on even things like this? When it comes to things like this, it really saddens me that often people in power, our headmistresses and our politicians alike, come up with "smart" ideas like this that are the real threat to racial harmony.
I'm quite sure that any intelligent person out there would agree with me when I say that a racial policy like the one the Datin implemented is more of a threat to racial harmony than a peaceful, multiracial rally to demand for cleaner and fairer elections. It just puzzles me why the government just allows things like this to keep happening (not!).
Every journey begins with a single step. Lets make the first step to a better Malaysia through improving the situation in DJ. If you feel as I feel, I implore you to comment to show your support and pass the word around. Blog about it if you can. Maybe a petition or letter to the PIBG (PTA in Malay) could make a difference.
It may be a small step, but it is a definite on towards a better tomorrow for all Malaysians. Away, discrimination!
Note: This is my 100th post! Keep supporting hamletshero readers!
As a former civics teacher, I have to say this: if you are eligible to vote, please do so in the coming general election.
Election is coming. Elect, don't just erect!
It is heartening indeed to go into school and see how excited my students are about the upcoming election, but it really is heartbreaking to hear that there are so many eligible voters out there who just don't care.
Don't you care about how your country is run? Have you never ever felt dissatisfaction over the way things are run? If you are perfectly content with the current state of affairs, then it is perfectly understandable that you remain politically neutral.
But the thing that irks me is that there are people who complain about the injustices committed by our government, but when the time comes for them to exercise their right to choose, they choose to abstain instead.
Just go vote la, arrgh!
I love and truly believe in my country, Malaysia. We have the best food in the region, we're blessed with so many historical and natural wonders, our lands are rich with natural resources, but corrupt politicians and general mismanagement have made our blessed nation far less than perfect.
If we don't do something - Samy, the eternal transport minister.
As Malaysians, it is our responsiblilty to both the people who have come before us, and to the generations after us, to vote for the party that can bring our country to greater heights. So, don't waste that vote of yours, lest it ends up voting for a darker future, without you even knowing about it.
Am I the only one who finds it weird (and irritating) that Barisan Nasional ads are EVERYWHERE, from the newspapers to the radios to even my MSN INBOX! YES, MY MSN INBOX IS NOT SPARED!
That adspace must have cost A LOT!
Where does Barisan get all this money to fund all these advertisements? Out of the taxpayers coffers? Guess we'll never know unless we make our voice heard.
Just saw this atrociously sickening bit of propaganda off Nightline on TV2 (around 12am, 8th February) last night and it really pissed me off. Its the Chinese New Year now too and I must say it takes a fair bit to piss me off, but this bad government production sure did the trick.
The short (and badly produced) propaganda segment had the tagline "Berlainan Parti, Satu Identiti" (Different parties, but one identity) and it was basically a montage of videos displaying bad, destructive behaviour like the burning and destruction of civil property during demonstrations interspersed with videos of the rallies we had last year, namely the Bersih and Hindraf rallies which were to my knowledge, well organized and did not result in public property being damaged. It sickened me that our government, the Malaysian government, had to resort to such purile (why am I so certain that even our dear Information Minister does not know what that word means?) methods of misrepresentation to frame the recent rallies in an extremely negative light. I would go so far to say that the bit of propaganda I watched evoked feelings of fear and insecurity in me reminiscent of the May 13 riots that scarred our nation's history so many years ago.
Do we really need to raise such sentiment in our people in a time when so many Malaysians out there are just convinced that our government is doing a BAD job these days? Things have been handled so bad by our beloved government that when I asked my students if there were any issues they wanted to discuss during civics class, an alarming number of them wanted to discuss our government. Yes, I got that right, kids who are only in form 1 and form 2 want to discuss THE GOVERNMENT, or more specifically, how they are dissatisfied with how the government has been handling matters lately. What is even more alarming is that it is so easy to see why. The Linggam enquiry is truly a farce and even my kids can so clearly see the corruption that goes on the election of the chief justice in Malaysia. YES, the chief justice is the one who has the final say on who's wrong and who's right in our judiciary system. If such a man can be bought over, then doesn't that entail that like pirated DVDs, justice too has a price in Malaysia? What can I say but MALAYSIA BOLEH (Malaysia can)?
What's worse is the government showing the clearly orchestrated opinions of a few which are supposedly representative of the Malaysian populace as a whole. These are just some of the few statements issued by those "interviewed" on the propaganda segment. Do we really need these horrendously nonsensical reasons why the past few rallies were supposedly bad? It really feels like our dear government is likening our protestors to suicidal terrorists and the like. Does the government really think that we Malaysians are THAT DUMB? I know that there are (huge, gaping) flaws in our education system, but we weren't raised up that bad, were we?
These are some of the "good" reasons the government is offering to convince us that the demonstrations we had last year were the work of EVIL men.
"orang mahu kerja apabila mahu demonstrasi" (people want to work when they organize demonstrations)
Who is asking you to attend the demonstration against your own free will? NOBODY! Did the demonstrations that occured last year affect people who didn't want to participate until they did not have time to attend to their jobs? It hardly did! It's not like its compulsary to join the rallies, and if you don't, you can perfectly well go on with whatever work you have to do. Did the protestors close down roads and caused traffic jams? No they didn't, the police did. So what kind of nonsensical reason is this? Come to think of it, the whole business of celebrating national day year after year causes even more obstruction to traffic than the rallies that happened. Why isn't the government complaining about that too?
"demonstrasi ini kerja orang gila" (the demonstration is the work of lunatics/idiots)
You know what, I actually used to hear this line quite a bit... in primary school. If there's one thing that I've learned in my years as a debater, it's this - substantiate your claims. Clearly, our dear government doesn't. Let me bring to your attention that anyone can call another person a lunatic, even my youngest cousins. So dear government, if you want to sound just a little bit more mature and grown up, please just give us a proper reason as to why these rallies were such a bad idea. If you don't, you risk sounding no more intelligent than my kid brother's most asinine and senseless friends. From what I know, the Bersih rallies were held with a clear purpose in mind, not to create upheaval and chaos, but to demand more transparency in our elections. Can someone please tell me what is the problem with that? Hypothetically speaking, even if our elections were 100% clean and fair, it would not hurt to have additional measures to ensure that the elections run smoothly as such. The ruling party would only have reason to fear if they haven't been playing fair all these while. Guess that with all the allegations that 100 plus year old aunties have risen from the graves to cast a vote for Barisan Nasional, they may indeed have good reason to fear these new proposed measures.
Even if the government was really, really scared of the growing awareness among the rakyat, can they at least give us some BETTER reasons why coming together and demonstrating for a common purpose would lead to racial discord and riots? Guess that they just can't, for I must say that the 2007 Bersih rally was something Malaysians have to be proud of. In the rally, we saw people from all walks of life , all races coming together for a common goal - to demand clean and fair elections. What better display of unity can we ask for? A superficial mixed cultural dance on televison? I don't think so.
I used to shut my ears and pretend that the cancerous corruption that plagues our country didn't exist, but I just can't anymore. Everything is coming together now, and I cannot shut my ears and close my eyes anymore. There is something terribly wrong with this country, and it's up to us to do something about it. We cannot wait any longer.
If you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, I would really appreciate it if you left a comment. It would really be great to hear what you guys think.
Disclaimer: This is view is not representative of the views of any political party as the author really cannot care less about politics under normal circumstances. But when he saw the government's latest attempt at brainwashing the masses with idiocy, he knew he had to say something.
This is posted in remembrance of Ms. Lee Nian Ning (1987-2008)
Please post this on your blog now to help: Chung Lern and Nian Ning’s families would like all families and friends of the victims, dead or alive, in the Slim River Bus Crash to come forward and join them in taking action against the bus company. Stand up to seek justice for these three innocent individuals, who were all so young and full of life. If you have a blog, please call out to ANYONE who knows someone who survived or did not survive the crash to come forward to join the Lee family. Make a huge difference, make a huge fuss. For now, you may contactLee Chung Lernat chunglern@gmail.com or preferably on his handphone at012-6670368.
Do check out the blog specially created for her as well,http://www.buscrashnomore.blogspot.com/. And FYI, the petition is already up! Do your cause to help in preventing more deaths caused by the negligence of some stupid express bus drivers on the road! I've already done mine, how about you?
I know this has been pretty big news and is now everywhere about in the blogosphere, but more awareness is always a good thing. We students depend on buses for transportation and it would be a national tragedy, if this grevious problem is left unchecked.
This incident has affected me on a personal level too because I used to take the Konsortium bus to commute to Singapore and I dare say that I would not be using that good for nothing company in the future.
Let us not let the Konsortium bus company get away with what they did this time, sign the petition.
Got an email today which looked something like this.
Save Kota Damansara Community Forest Park
The Kota Damansara Forest is a 100-year old forest that is in danger of being developed. It is the last remaining forest in Petaling Jaya, and it keeps PJ cool while giving all the residents a chance to enjoy nature. It is only 5 minutes drive from The Curve. Some locals call it our local "Tasik Kenyir".
MBPJ in their DRAF RANCANGAN TEMPATAN PETALING JAYA 2 (RTPJ2) have proposed to develop the whole forest into high density flats.
Please sign our on-line objection form, see our YouTube video, and support us. Click on the link below:
Saving the Natural Environment for our children and future generations.
Kota Damansara Community Forest
This is for our children and our future generations
MBPJ have planned to destroy the whole Kota Damansara Forest (aka Sungai Buloh Forest) to develop high density flats. This will result in .... Floods, land slide, traffic congestion. The loss of this forest is a loss for all Petaling Jaya residents.
Please help us to protect the forest for our future generations by filling up the Borang Bantahan. It will only take 2 minutes of your time to protect a 100 year old forest (the last patch of forest in Petaling Jaya).
Are they barking mad? Isn't the Kota-Mutiara Damansara area already super congested? The Curve is only a short distance from my area, just a couple of kilometers, but because of the congestion in this area, it can be a hell of a crawl to get there during peak hours. We've got tons of land in Malaysia, why can't we build somewhere else?
In times like this, when our Menteri Besars start breaking their promises, I do feel ashamed to be Malaysian. Here, it is an open secret that bribing the correct people would easily grant a developer access to previously gazetted and protected land.
Come on, Kota Damansara needs a green lung. It's already bad enough that the MBPJ allowed for the creation of an unplanned cemetery at the far end of Kota Damansara that caused the price of land there to depreciate. Smarten up, will ya?
So, if any of you readers believe in supporting this cause, please click this link and sign the online petition against this grevious crime.
Yup, that's 4 year old Charmaine.
This is for our children and our future generations 