let a child BE A CHILD.

Math prodigy now a £130 hooker claim

PETALING JAYA: Sufiah Yusof, the child Maths genius who won a place at Oxford University when she was just 13, has been found to be working as a prostitute, according to a report in London’s News of the World.... ...Sufiah passed the Maths A-Level she needed for entry into Oxford at the age of 12... ...Three years into Oxford, she sparked a massive police hunt after running away... ...The report quoted her friend as saying: “Sufiah has suffered so many knocks in her life. I just hope she can drag herself out of this life she has got herself into.
“She deserves a much better life than this. Her gift has been a curse.”

I've seen a few cases of prodigies ended up in sad cases (dun ask me to name them, i dun have a computer's memory), and this is just one of it. I'm saddened.

How many years in our lifetime do we have, to be a child? They maybe smart, exceptionally talented, genius, yes... but aren't they still a child? Why rob away their childhood? Childhood is one of the sweetest phase we ever have in our lifetime. Don't we agree?

While we may be trying our best to bring the best out of the child, for all we know, we may be bringing the worst out of the child in her later years.

Just let a child be a child. Think about it.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/31/nation/20798773&sec=nation

Places of worship and schools to pay only RM1

SHAH ALAM: All registered places of worship and schools in Selangor will soon no longer pay quit rent and assessment rates. Instead, they will be charged a token annual fee of RM1. (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/27/nation/20760843&sec=nation)

Loads of lauds go to the new Selangor government for being so considerate! for the first time i guess.. in malaysia.. hip hip, horay goes to Khalid n frens. :) btw, i'm just a bit confused. Do these "places of worship" include buildings which are rented for church purposes?

I sure hope they do.. but then.. who will be paying off the rental fees?


Orders for new cars cancelled
PENANG: The Penang Government has cancelled an order for five new Perdana V-6 cars worth RM623,000 which were ordered by the previous administration for its exco members. (http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/27/nation/20760205&sec=nation)

hey.. did you read tat? RM623k ++ saved!!! oh.. i know it's not a huge amount for a nation, but it certainly is significant, so... a round of applause to the new penang government! hip hip, horay!!! they indeed have taken the first step for others to follow.. i'm indeed looking at a better government now. FINALLY!

yeppiee yeppiee.. yep yep.. =) gambatte Lim Guan Eng & Khalid!

May God bless their kind efforts.

how i'd love to be a child again.

For the past 2 days, i've had bad fever, flu, running nose, cough, sorethroat (anything, you name it) and literally lost my voice. It was so bad, i took panadol and cough syrups (ppl who knows me well knows tat i run away from drugs as far as i could, even when i'm sick).

Yesterday was just as bad. As usual before I went to bed, i said a short prayer to my Father in heaven, including asking him to heal me. Then i slept. Peacefully.

In the middle of the night, i heard soft knocks on my door.. i wasn't quite sure whether it was real, or just my dream. So i left the door knocking for some time, till i finally woke up, sat up, and listened. Then i heard my mom's voice calling me softly from behind the door.

I slid down my bed and opened the door. There my mom was standing, her eyes tired, hands holding a cup of herbal tea. I was sleepy, so all i did was thanked her simply, drank the tea and went straight to my bed.

This morning, my mom woke me up when the sky was still dark, and asked me to drink her herbal tea again. I got up, saw her weary eyes and I was really touched, i wanted to hug her and peck her on the cheeks immediately but it was not a norm.. yet.

Just now, as i talked to my mom, she told me tat it took her almost an hour knocking on my door before i got up. And my bad, loud coughs woke her up. AN HOUR!! CALLING SOFTLY... I was really touched, and thankful to God for giving me my mom.. how blessed am i..

I felt like I was back to my childhood... where my parents were always by my side, waking me up to take medications.. bringing me to the doc.. caring for me.. but now i'm a grown up.

oh how i'd love to be a child again.

NGO or non-NGO?

Don’t appoint Deputy MB, protesters urge Khalid

SHAH ALAM: Several hundred supporters from 12 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) held a peaceful demonstration at Dataran Shah Alam here yesterday asking Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim not to appoint a Deputy Mentri Besar.
The group asked Khalid not to even consider a non-Malay for the number two post, and to maintain the previous number of Malay executive councillors in the state.
The crowd, led by Selangor Umno Youth chief Abdul Shukur Idrus...

TheStar should seriously look into the meaning of NGO. A crowd led by a political leader is called an NGO demonstration? Come on... the ppl may be from certain organizations.. (be it NGO or not) but when this is a politically-biased demonstration, the word NGO is no longer relevant here. why mention it?

smart readers should be able to distinguish the irony within the passage.

btw.. tis question couldn't help but kept popping into my mind - why isn't there any police declaring this as illegal demonstration? peaceful yah.. but why not illegal? why the absence of water cannons and tear gas? why is BERSIH illegal then?

aren't we weird?

anyway, nevermind the lopsided actions by the police.. the rain called them off anyhow. :p

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/20/nation/20705375&sec=nation

it's not easy to fwd a mail

can u blieve it? I couldnt.

I just spent 2 hrs to forward a mail.

Wow.. first time in my email-history.

wat do i do?

there is this man, who always looked like a drunkard, with his uncombed-messed-up hair & beard with torn shirt and pants tat visits my clinic once a while. The first time i saw him, i treated his dog & his dog eventually recovered. He takes care of stray dogs. Few days later, he sent flowers to the clinic.

Some time later, i began feeling more and more insecure whenever he's in the clinic, coz he's a bad tempered man who really loves dogs and always appeared drunken. Everytime he speaks, his head was wobbling up n down, left or right, it's as tho' his head was so heavy. When he speaks, he doesn't look at you, he'll look at another place and still talk to you (as though he's looking at you). So i requested to my boss tat i would not consult his cases anymore. Unfortunately, everytime he came, my boss was not there, and i had to consult his cases.

Today he called the clinic, saying tat he wanted to see my face!!! I can't face him. There is this strong instinct within me tat's calling me to avoid him as much as i could. I even requested that when I'm alone in the clinic I would not open the door for him. But how do i ignore someone who's pressing the door bell??? If i looked out at the person pressing the doorbell, then he would see me! How can i not open the door then?!

arrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ! ! ! !

Malaysian Election 2008

March 8 is finally here!

I'm anxious, excited. With the nationwide prayers going on, I believe that Malaysia will be heading for a better government now. God willing. More oppositions in the parliament. More voices from the public. More transparency. More corruption cases disclosed and ACTIONS TAKEN AGAINST THEM. More righteous leaders upheld. More discussions before dumping millions & billions of tax payers' ringgit into the drain/dustbin. (btw, does anyone remember wat happened to the indelible ink issue?)

Better ministers to handle international interviews. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpYZ4IGenY)

More meaningful argument/discussions in the parliament. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iCgZohPSI8) And better manners amongst the MPs.

Less discrimination.

While there are many issues to be discussed and decided upon when the new government reforms, there are a few issues which should not be forgotten.

1. Lingam case
2. Gerrymandering
3. Murder case of Johor MIC deputy chief Datuk S. Krishnasamy
4. Press freedom.
5. Judiciary independance.
6. (u name it)

starting afresh!

yes! tat's exactly wat i'm gona do. for the past few weeks i've been terribly lazy, being my indolent self.. my resolution timetable which i made in the beginning of the year obviously have lost its function/purpose. I was just not interested in it anymore!

But now, I've started anew. Fresh! yes..

i've just rediscovered my passion in colour pencils.. and drew myself a beautiful timetable to follow... coloured it.. and wow.. i cant help but to smile at it.

I rediscovered one of my passions! Wat else am I passionate for? I shall rediscover them one after another.. with God's help, I know I'll rediscover them. My... i sounded like i've just lost myself, and rediscovered it.. gulp!

and I've resolved. Whatever I do, i'll not do it half heartedly. Instead I'll go in full-force! in everything i do!

Pamela, Gambatte!!!!! nee....

What Clothes Do You Wear?

He (Adam) answered. "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so i hid." And he (God) said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man (Adam) said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it." ~ Genesis 3:10-12

Nakedness in this story is symbolic for sin. Adam and Eve were now sinners. So God makes clothes out of animal skins to cover them up. What happened to the animals in order to make these clothes? They had to die. One of the animals Adam had just named had to be killed.

Unless we accept the clothes given to us by Jesus, we are never going to be acceptable to God, because they are the only ones that can cover up sin. Some people think they will be okay with God because they do a lot of good things, they might even go to church or temples, but that is trying to cover ourselves with "fig leaves" like Adam and Eve made for themselves.

There are also those people who think "hiding in the bushes" is somehow going to make God irrelevant. Go through life ignoring God, putting Him off, and never really getting around to committing their lives to Him, but eventually they will stand before God and be exposed for the sinners they are.

Then there are people who like to make excuses why they never heed the call to repentance. Too busy... guys' got to have some fun in life... or Christians are just a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites anyway.

None of these excuses are going to wash with a Holy God. One day all mankind is going to stand before God and be judged by the clothes they are wearing.

(article adopted from someone's)

Dog for Adoption

Dear friends, this is Cookie, an adult, female American Cocker Spaniel. She needs a new home (& a new owner). If you know of anyone who'd like to adopt her, pls leave a comment or email or give me a call. Your help in finding her a new home is greatly appreciated.

She needs a MATURED, RESPONSIBLE & COMMITTED owner.

* There is no adoption fees.

Jonker street - cny08

Another CNY is gone.. tis year only me, papa n vin went to melaka - visited our relatives.. from house to houses.. and the 2nd night we went to jonker's street. Surely i dun have to describe all the deco n atmosphere.. the pictures speaks for itself. :)
It was a thursday, so the streets were still "open" to cars, which was quite dangerous.. but the passengers in the cars were enjoying the night scenery from behind their windows. As for us, it was a hot n humid day, but thank God it was windy - you know, the Spring Breeze (chun fong). It was fun..

After abt 2-hours' walk, we went to have my fav prawn mee.. but sadly bo-liao.. then asam laksa.. also bo-liao... wat to do... it's getting late.. so gotta do with the only remaining curry laksa... + cendol as dessert. :) luv them. :)

This is "The Geographer" cafe - i remembered years ago i've been there with my college frens and i drank my first irish coffee there. It was very bitter, tho' the name and look of the coffee was tempting, and it was pricey i remember, RM11++ for a cup of coffee. Anyway, it was a bad try, i couldn't even finish 5% of it. I guess bcoz it contained some % of wine, n i jz couldn't stand the smell of wine. Any wine.
It was quite a nice place for young n olds to hang out, esp during the cny mood, just look at the crowd! n the oldies they play.. it just mesmerizes the ppl there. :)
Tis was me - on te way back home. Sleepy...

Bibles confiscated at LCCT.

I thought Malaysia offers "religious freedom" to its citizens? Wat was in the Customs officer's mind? I'm glad tat Datuk Fu has been just in these matters. =)
---
Fu: Seized Bible copies returned to owner

PUTRAJAYA: Copies of the Bible taken from a woman at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal recently have been returned to her, Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said.
He said the that English Bible was confiscated by a Customs officer from the woman who had just returned from a visit to Manila.

He said it did not involve the ministry.

“The Customs officer has no authority to do so and on being told of the matter, we asked the Bible to be returned immediately to the person,” he said.

Fu said the incident should not have taken place, adding that he had clarified the matter with the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM).

He said the address of the person was taken but no telephone number was noted down and as a result, the ministry had to wait for the person to call to collect the books.
He was responding to a statement by the CCM secretary-general Rev Dr Hermen Shastri that a Malaysian Christian had her Bibles taken away by Customs at the airport.

Shastri said that the unilateral actions of certain government agencies were undermining the Government’s stated claims of protecting religious freedom in the country.

Last month, Fu ordered Christian children’s books with drawings of prophets to be returned to a bookshop in Kuala Lumpur after the books were seized by a unit in the ministry.

Indelible ink to make its mark

Each polling stream in the coming general election will get two bottles of indelible black ink that will be applied to the left forefinger of voters. What is the WHOLE purpose behind this ink's usage???

Besides India, Wan Ahmad said the Philippines, Indonesia and many developing countries – especially those in Africa – also used indelible ink to prevent election fraud. SO? What's the exact purpose? How does it prevent election fraud? Where goes the purpose of our smart MYKAD? btw, do the Philippines, Indonesia, African nations citizens have something like MYKAD?

Wan Ahmad said only a small mark would be made on the finger and the ink would stay for about two weeks. So the ink will stay on OUR finger for 2 weeks. Wat right has he got to "decorate" the citizens' finger?

For this general election, the commission said it would need 48,000 bottles of the ink. This will cost RM2.4mil and the whole procedure will take less than RM1mil to implement. RM2.4mil + RM1mil = RM3.4mil. We could have done so many things to help the poor and develop the economy n nation with such amount of money! Why are these people always looking out for ways to waste away the tax-payers' hard-earned money?

First with the "astronaut" program. So we spent the money. One of the malaysians has been up to the moon. So what? Did it bring us any good besides bringing us pride? btw, wat is there to be proud of.. we're barely a "passenger" on the trip to the moon. Anyway, back to the main issue - didn't the cabinet discuss abt this in the first place? Have they ever wondered why only developing countries are using this "ink" system and NOT developed nations like Singapore, US, Great Britain, Aus?

We are already infamous for changing national policies frequently, and most of the time, unnecessarily. I remembered very well when i was still a student, the education ministry necessitated us to speak Bahasa Malaysia baku during exams, then they changed it to Bahasa Melayu, and later they thought Bahasa Malaysia will sound better. Then we have a beautiful national song Negaraku. One day someone smart thought tat the tempo was too boring, so the entire nation agreed (no choice) to a "rock" Negaraku, then someone complained tat it's not patriotic enough so we changed our tempo again.

Is a national issue something so insignificant tat it can be changed easily every now and then so long as those in authority are happy? Do the authorities ever realize how much valuable time n money we spend every time there's any slight changes in the national policies?

I do hope they cancel this "ink mark" process ASAP, before the general election comes. If they do not cancel it now, years down the road I'm pretty sure they'll abort this system anyhow. It'll make no difference, except tat every 5 years we'll dump a few millions of ringgit into "somewhere". Anywhere.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/1/nation/20194534&sec=nation&focus=1

Today I will make a difference

'Today I Will Make a Difference
by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark.

Today I will make a difference. I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving.

Today I will make a difference.I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble… I will get up. It's OK to fail… I will rise again.

Today I will make a difference.I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.
From Shaped by GodCopyright (Tyndale House, 2002)
Max Lucado

Sabah 2006

* specially dedicated to Lee, Lum, & Fan. =)

Luke 16 : 9-12

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

---

Our treasure here on Earth is nothing compared to the treasure God has reserved for us in heaven.

Barbaric, WE ARE!

Who, amongst us dared call ourselves a "CIVILIZED" nation? What achievement in life have you got, when you built ONE-OF-THE tallest building in the world, got modernized, got rich... but LOST your soul? Lost the basic essentials that made up the living being: LOVE.

Love for those who live under our rule/reign, who can't even speak for themselves? Dogs are well known "overseas" as man's best friend. And it clearly does not apply to our authorities. Who in their right mind will "get rid of" their best friend?

Stray dogs. Was it their fault to be borned? Is being alive a SIN in itself, which deserves the death penalty? Instead of focusing our blame at these poor creatures, it is time we open our eyes and look for the root of this "stray-dog" phenomenon. You don't eradicate grass/weeds by chopping off the leaves/brances, YOU LOOK FOR THE ROOTS.

What else can we do besides chasing, catching and shooting stray dogs, which at the same time also terrifies the public and haunts the children?

Education is where it all begins. Start educating the public to neuter/sterilize their pets. Start educating them to avoid their pets free-roaming and thus stop giving birth to innocent stray puppies n dogs! Start educating the public to STOP BUYING or adopting pets and later on abandoning them in the market/food stalls/etc. Is the authorities lending a hand to the NGOs (SPCA, Klinik Kembiri) in this? They ought to be.

Putting healthy dogs to sleep via "humane" euthanasia isn't good. It's fundamentally cruel. SHOOTING stray dogs in the public simply is outrageous, disgusting, sickening and horrid. Uncivilized.

And who said Taiping is a peaceful town? With people holding rifles aiming at innocent fleeing dogs? Ended up at shooting an old "civilian"?

It is time we start pondering on ourselves: Do we really know what is love? What is sympathy? What is caring? How do we express it? Are we doing it the right way?

---

With reference to The Star online, 16/1/08: Contractor shot in attempt to get strays by RASLAN BAHAROM. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/16/nation/20080116161906&sec=nation

TAIPING: An attempt by the Taiping Municipal Council to get rid of stray dogs went awry when a passing motorcyclist was shot in the leg Wednesday. ...

... "Shortly before that, I saw a dog running in front of my motorcycle. Then I felt a sharp pain and realised that I had been shot," said the father of two when interviewed at Taiping Hospital on Wednesday.

Wan said he stopped and showed his bleeding right leg to the shooters who were nearby...

.... Council secretary Shahrom Datuk Abd Malek said since the stray dog unit was formed 15 years ago, this was the first time a mishap had occurred.... .....two shooters using Ruger .22 rifles, were involved in the operation....

AsiaOneNews: M'sian state sued for demolishing church

M'sian state sued for demolishing church: church leader Country's only Muslim-ruled state tore it down because it was built without permission. -AFP -->
Mon, Jan 14, 2008AFP

KUALA LUMPUR - A GROUP of indigenous Malaysians has launched a suit against the country's only Muslim-ruled state for allegedly tearing down a church built on their property, a church leader said on Monday.
The church in northeast Kelantan was demolished by district officers in June last year, shortly after construction of the wood and brick building was completed.
Moses Soo, who was to have been the church pastor, said the case will be heard on Tuesday in the high court of state capital Kota Bahru.

'We are suing the state government and the Gua Musang municipality for tearing down the church. They have no right to tear down the church on orang asli land,' Soo told AFP.
The land belongs to the orang asli - original inhabitants of Malaysia - under traditional title, he added.

'The village headman sacrificed his orchard for the church,' Soo said, adding that they are seeking compensation from the state government to rebuild.
The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia has said it was told the church was torn down because it was built without permission.

Kelantan is ruled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), the country's main Islamic opposition party.

Malaysian commentators have sounded alarm over the growing 'Islamisation' of the country and the increasing polarisation of the three main ethnic communities, who mix much less than in the past.

Religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial Malaysia - dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities - which experienced deadly race riots in 1969.

Recently there have been controversies over the banning of construction of a proposed Taoist statue on Borneo island and the destruction of Hindu temples by local authorities.

The orang asli make up less than one percent of the nation's population and are disadvantaged in terms of income, health, education and living standards. -- AFP

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080114-44969.html

Flee or Flea?

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story.

His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt."

Concerned, James asked: "What happened to the flea?"

sand-art - love 2008

Aawwww... i just luv this... how beautiful.. esp the final touch... n the saxophone.. ;') they're just so graceful.. both the fingers n music... aawww.... :')

so did you keep repeating the video again n again, like i did? :)