There are many things in life which will cause disappointments, and of these disappointments, there are major and minor ones.. Just to share a few with you, and I am sure you would have encountered some of them:
1. Friends not willing to share if they are attached anot.
2. Friends who are busy enough to ignore you when you want to chat with them.
3. People around you who do not take friendly advice, when you hope that they turn over a new leaf.
4. People around you keep making the same mistakes and getting into bigger troubles each time you give them a chance.
5. You do something with all your heart and soul, but your efforts do not pay off, and you get unrecognized for.
6. When you hear a piece of good news, then it suddenly becomes just another mistaken piece of news.
7. When you like someone, but that someone doesn't like you.
8. When you trust a friend so much that you are willing to do much to help him, but in the end, finds out that you are just another fool who have mistrusted him.
9. When your closest people, or family do not believe in what you say and/or doubts you.
10. When you want to buy something that you like, but you find that you do not have enough to do so.
11. When you really want to help someone, but they say they do not need your help.
12. When you really want to help someone, you do not have the means or money to do so.
Well the list can go on forever about the 1001 things that make us disappointed. But these are just some of those that I have experienced the past few months.. The bigger ones are when students do not heed your advice and carry on their mistakes, like smoking, and taking things in their hands. But you have to continue believing at times, cos someone once said this:" It is not about how many times they fall, but everytime they fall, they will learn something, and will grow faster.." BUT, how many times must they fall, in order to grow up? Not as many times as I did, I hope. Good luck for those who still have remaining papers..
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Random
I went for a KTV session with my Sec School Friends yesterday to celebrate one of their birthday. It has been quite a while since I last sang, and I really enjoyed myself during the session. Classics, new songs, were some of those being sung, how I miss my Secondary school days.. Now I can only reminicise about the old days.. These friends of mine for more than 13 years, have seen me through some of my lowest points in life, and also able to share our joys and pains.. And this is what I call true friends, those who will not abandon you even when you were in trouble..I see people making friends and destroying them the next day, but well, I guess this is part and parcel of life, where you have to accept each other's differences before you can really find your true friends..
Where friends come to mind, I seem to have made a lot of real friends but many still pass by as acquaintances. Some have grown to become close friends, but some have grown far apart and become acquaintances.. This is life, when you grow older, you tend to realize that people grow far apart..There are many whom I would like to maintain as friends, but I can't force them if they would like to maintain their distances, cos I believe that friendship needs time to cultivate..
That aside, many of my friends are getting married, and that further contributes to having fewer friends since they will be building their little families.. But I hope the tradition of celebrating each other's birthday will continue to last..
Lately I have been really busy, for my Cambodia trip, for end of year marking, and many other stuff.. but I told myself that a break is coming.. I need a break.. really.. And I found out that there are really many people smoking lately, especially students.. Many know smoking is bad, but at their age, they can't really withstand the lure of their friends and more importantly, the lack of care and concern from their parents. Parents do not know they actually do play a part in the child's upbringing, and the reason why we have so many children who needs help are because of bad parenting.. That being said, I hope that students do not engage in smoking especially smoking illegal cigarettes, which contain much more harmful substances that kill you faster..
Reasons for not smoking:
1. Waste Money! 1 pack $10, 1 day 1 pack, 1 year $3650, and the sum goes on.
2. Harmful for the body! Now below are some statistics and Q n A from Health promotion Board. I will highlight those which I think are really useful advice in RED.
3. DON'T MAKE ME VISIT YOUR GRAVE TO KNOW THAT YOU DIED OF SMOKING!
4. You can live a much more fulfilling life much longer than me!
Where friends come to mind, I seem to have made a lot of real friends but many still pass by as acquaintances. Some have grown to become close friends, but some have grown far apart and become acquaintances.. This is life, when you grow older, you tend to realize that people grow far apart..There are many whom I would like to maintain as friends, but I can't force them if they would like to maintain their distances, cos I believe that friendship needs time to cultivate..
That aside, many of my friends are getting married, and that further contributes to having fewer friends since they will be building their little families.. But I hope the tradition of celebrating each other's birthday will continue to last..
Lately I have been really busy, for my Cambodia trip, for end of year marking, and many other stuff.. but I told myself that a break is coming.. I need a break.. really.. And I found out that there are really many people smoking lately, especially students.. Many know smoking is bad, but at their age, they can't really withstand the lure of their friends and more importantly, the lack of care and concern from their parents. Parents do not know they actually do play a part in the child's upbringing, and the reason why we have so many children who needs help are because of bad parenting.. That being said, I hope that students do not engage in smoking especially smoking illegal cigarettes, which contain much more harmful substances that kill you faster..
Reasons for not smoking:
1. Waste Money! 1 pack $10, 1 day 1 pack, 1 year $3650, and the sum goes on.
2. Harmful for the body! Now below are some statistics and Q n A from Health promotion Board. I will highlight those which I think are really useful advice in RED.
3. DON'T MAKE ME VISIT YOUR GRAVE TO KNOW THAT YOU DIED OF SMOKING!
4. You can live a much more fulfilling life much longer than me!
Statistics
Tobacco use kills 5.4 million people a year worldwide - an average of one person every six seconds - and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide. It kills up to half of all users. Most of tobacco’s damage to health does not become evident until years or even decades after the onset of use. So, while tobacco use is rising globally, the epidemic of tobacco-related disease and death has yet to reach its peak.
In Singapore:
- About 7 Singaporeans die prematurely from smoking-related diseases each day.
- Smoking-related diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - also known as Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COLD)- , are the nation's top killers.
- The social cost of smoking in 1997 ranged from S$673 to S$839 million. The social cost of smoking in Singapore includes the direct costs (payments for hospitalisation and healthcare due to smoking), morbidity costs (lost production due to smoking related illnesses) and mortality costs (lost production from people who died early due to smoking).
Smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in the world. Don’t let yourself or your family become the next victim.
Your Questions on Smoking, Tobacco Use and Health
Is there a safe way to smoke cigarettes?
No. All cigarettes can damage the human body. Any smoking is dangerous. The cigarette is the only legal product whose advertised and intended use - smoking - is known to harm the body and cause cancer.
Some people think that switching from high-tar and high-nicotine cigarettes to those with low tar and nicotine makes smoking safer, but this is not true. When people switch to brands with lower tar and nicotine, they often end up smoking more cigarettes, or more of each cigarette, to get the same nicotine dose as before.
Smokers have been led to believe that "light" cigarettes have lower health risk and are a good option to quitting. A low-tar cigarette can be just as harmful as a high-tar cigarette because a person often takes deeper puffs, puffs more often, or smokes them to a shorter butt length.
Are menthol cigarettes safer than those without menthol?
Menthol only adds to the flavour of the cigarettes. It does not make the cigarettes any less dangerous.
In fact, menthol cigarettes may even be more dangerous. The added menthol produces a cooling sensation in the throat when the smoke is inhaled. It also decreases the cough reflex and covers the dry feeling in the throat that smokers often have. People who smoke menthol cigarettes can inhale deeper and hold the smoke in longer.
Is cigarette smoking really addictive?
Yes. The nicotine in cigarette smoke causes an addiction to smoking. Nicotine is an addictive drug just like heroin and cocaine.
What are the normal reactions after you quit?
- Difficulty in concentration or dizziness because your brain needs to get used to having more oxygen
- Cough and running nose as your lungs get rid of all the dirt and germs that had accumulated inside while you were smoking
- Strong craving for cigarettes while your body gets rid of the nicotine
- Tingling sensations in your arms and legs as your blood circulation returns to normal
Not everyone will get these withdrawal symptoms but don’t lose heart if you do. They will disappear in one or two weeks and they are actually signs that you are getting better.
Am I at risk if I puff the cigarette without inhaling the smoke?
Yes.
- Many chemicals in the cigarette smoke (including nicotine) can be absorbed through the mouth, nose and skin.
- The smoke that you blow out stays in the surrounding air. When you take your next breath, it goes straight into your lungs, without you realising it.
What does nicotine do?
In large doses, nicotine is a poison and can kill by stopping a person's breathing muscles.
Smokers usually become dependent on nicotine and suffer physical and emotional (psychological) withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking. These symptoms include irritability, nervousness, headaches and trouble sleeping. The true marker for addiction, though, is that people still smoke even though they know smoking is bad for them -- affecting their lives, their health and their families and friends in unhealthy ways.
Who is most likely to become addicted?
Anyone who starts smoking is at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine. Studies show that cigarette smoking is most likely to become a habit during the teenage years. The younger a person is when he or she begins to smoke, the more likely he or she is to become addicted to nicotine.
Why do smokers have "smoker's cough”?
Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that irritate the air passages and lungs. When a smoker inhales these substances, the body tries to protect itself by making mucus and coughing. The early morning smoker's cough happens for many reasons. Normally, tiny hair-like formations (called cilia) beat outward and sweep harmful material out of the lungs. Cigarette smoke slows the sweeping action, so some of the poisons in the smoke stay in the lungs, and mucus stays in the airways. While a smoker sleeps, some cilia recover and begin working again. After waking up, the smoker coughs because the lungs are trying to clear away the irritants and mucus built up the day before. The cilia will completely stop working after they have been exposed to smoke for a long time. When this happens, the smoker's lungs are even more exposed and prone to infection and irritation.
The same noxious chemicals that cause the simple smoker's cough can lead to far more serious conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia and lung cancer.
Why do I cough more after I've quit smoking?
Your lungs start to function properly again and are working to clear tar, dead cells and extra mucus accumulated from the cigarettes.
My husband was only 30 years old when he suffered from a stroke. The doctor said that smoking is the main cause of his stroke. How can smoking actually cause stroke?
Smoking causes a build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels, resulting in narrowing and blockage of the vessels. If the blood supply in these vessels leading to the brain is blocked, the surrounding brain cells will die, resulting in a stroke.
I've heard that smoking causes a fatty build-up in the blood vessels. But how is this so when fat is not an ingredient in cigarette smoke?
The moment you light a cigarette, thousands of poisonous chemicals in the cigarette smoke enter your body and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of these chemicals make your blood vessel walls sticky, damaging them, and causing them to collect the tiny fatty deposits that float in the bloodstream. The more you smoke, the more the fatty deposits build up.
How does smoking cause a heart attack? Is it similar to how smoking causes stroke?
Yes. Similar adverse effects take place when the blood vessels leading to our heart are blocked by fatty deposits. This cuts off the blood supply to our heart muscles, killing the tissue. As a result, a heart attack occurs.
How many cigarettes do I need to smoke to get lung cancer?
Lung cancer can begin from cell damage caused by smoking just ONE cigarette.
Research has found that one of the cancer-causing substances in cigarette smoke (benzopyrene) directly attacks and damages the p53 gene which blocks cancer and prevents cancer cells from growing. When cancer threatens a lung cell with a damaged p53 gene, a deadly tumour starts to grow.
Can quitting really help a lifelong smoker?
Yes. It is never too late to quit smoking. The sooner you quit, the more you can reduce your chances of getting cancer and other diseases. Within minutes of smoking the last cigarette, your body begins to restore itself.
Suppose I smoke for a while and then quit?
Smoking begins to cause damage right away and is highly addictive. Some studies have found nicotine to be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
Do filters reduce the dangers of cigarette smoking?
Cigarette filters may trap part of the tar and nicotine, but they do not remove any poisons from the cigarette smoke.
PLS STOP SMOKING and Hurting yourself.. It hurts me too..
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Touching Clips from Youtube
It has really been a very long time since I last posted.. Have been down with diarrhoea and headaches these few days.. Really don't know what I have been eating.. haha.. Well, Shi teng introduced me to this little chimpanzee called Pan Kun, and I think many of you probably would have heard or seen what this mighty little champ can do.. People often describe chimpanzees as the closest kind of animals resembling human beings.. Indeed, they can do many things that we can, and much more that we can't.. Though they can't speak our language, yet, when they forge bonds with you, you can be sure they will never forget the ties between both parties.. Here is a link, you can take a look and discover what they can do.. Anyway, pan-kun is endangered, so he is currently kept out from the family with whom it has grown up with, and kept in a zoo.. What the govt did may be right, but in the long term, it is definitely going to upset the chimp..
At least I know that Pan-kun is a loyal friend or one who stands by your side when you are in trouble.. So, why are students always fighting with each other, over jealousy, minor affairs, and over competition in studies? Maybe it is a growing up process that one must go through to understand the true meaning of friendship; Maybe the word "friendship" has to undergo the rough seas, before it can ship off friends who are really true to each other.. Maybe after betrayals, fights, quarrels, or even calamities, before we know who will be the ones who will stand by us, when we are really in difficulties.. I have known many friends in life...Many whom I will proudly claim to be friends, and those whom I would only claim as acquaintances..
Who then are your true friends? Are you one who treats people with your heart too? If you are, good for you, cos you are already halfway to finding your true friends, because I believe in reciprocity. Do you? Watch the video and you will understand.
Pan - Kun : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cBwE6_VqXg&feature=fvw
At least I know that Pan-kun is a loyal friend or one who stands by your side when you are in trouble.. So, why are students always fighting with each other, over jealousy, minor affairs, and over competition in studies? Maybe it is a growing up process that one must go through to understand the true meaning of friendship; Maybe the word "friendship" has to undergo the rough seas, before it can ship off friends who are really true to each other.. Maybe after betrayals, fights, quarrels, or even calamities, before we know who will be the ones who will stand by us, when we are really in difficulties.. I have known many friends in life...Many whom I will proudly claim to be friends, and those whom I would only claim as acquaintances..
Who then are your true friends? Are you one who treats people with your heart too? If you are, good for you, cos you are already halfway to finding your true friends, because I believe in reciprocity. Do you? Watch the video and you will understand.
Pan - Kun : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cBwE6_VqXg&feature=fvw
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Embarking on a new journey
In life, we are always travelling on trips. We are always trying to embark on new trips, whether it is a new friendship, a new relationship, a new overseas trip,a new adventure or to another world (if it exists.)
The Buddhists believe that one transcends to another "world" once one is dead. And I do believe that my aunt has gone to fulfil her own trip that she has not been able to do so when she was alive. On Saturday, I went with my parents out to sea to scatter parts of her remains into the vast Seas, and as the bones flow with the waters, I believe one day, she will be able to "travel" to Africa, a place where she had always wanted to go, not to watch World Cup 2010, but to help the poor, hungry and homeless people there...Isn't it an irony that in parts of Africa, people are dying, while others are trying hard to attract people from all over the world to South Africa to make money out of World Cup? I hope my aunt finds peace after her death, while embarking on her new trip in the other world.
What about me? I will be embarking on another trip to Cambodia with a group of students in December. This project will last for around 14 to 15 days. My shortest out of 5 trips. This trip may not have materialised until the day we set off. It is interesting to see a project bear fruit and I certainly hope that this project will be the 1st to see the results that I anticipate. I will be blogging more about it later, and promoting some of the other stuffs that we intend to do for fundraising.
Before that, I will most likely be going on another trip to Yunnan with a group of colleagues from Other Secondary Schools. Yunnan is one of the places that I have longed to visit as I have always wanted to see the minorities' lifestyle, and their culture. The cultural diversity in these places are so vast that people living within the same piece of land could not communicate with each other due to language differences.
We always learn new things when we get to know someone new, and that in itself is a journey in life. I do believe that in every phase of life, I would have learnt something new to use it in my future life. Henceforth, I hope that all who reads this post, will be able to use their time wisely and learn whenever they can, everytime they embark on a new journey in life, whether it is from Sec 2 to Sec 3, or it is visiting a new place.
Well before I end, would like to add that West Spring will be embarking into new project soon, to mark its 10th anniversary celebrations. Hence I would like all students or visitors to give some really creative suggestions where students will be able to implement throughout the whole level (Sec 2) next year in 2010. Pls post under my Tag Board with your name and class, and the most creative ones, I will make a poll. The winner will get a gift from me, and those selected too, but a smaller one. hehe. So pls THINK creatively. Friends are welcomed too.. Haha..
The Buddhists believe that one transcends to another "world" once one is dead. And I do believe that my aunt has gone to fulfil her own trip that she has not been able to do so when she was alive. On Saturday, I went with my parents out to sea to scatter parts of her remains into the vast Seas, and as the bones flow with the waters, I believe one day, she will be able to "travel" to Africa, a place where she had always wanted to go, not to watch World Cup 2010, but to help the poor, hungry and homeless people there...Isn't it an irony that in parts of Africa, people are dying, while others are trying hard to attract people from all over the world to South Africa to make money out of World Cup? I hope my aunt finds peace after her death, while embarking on her new trip in the other world.
What about me? I will be embarking on another trip to Cambodia with a group of students in December. This project will last for around 14 to 15 days. My shortest out of 5 trips. This trip may not have materialised until the day we set off. It is interesting to see a project bear fruit and I certainly hope that this project will be the 1st to see the results that I anticipate. I will be blogging more about it later, and promoting some of the other stuffs that we intend to do for fundraising.
Before that, I will most likely be going on another trip to Yunnan with a group of colleagues from Other Secondary Schools. Yunnan is one of the places that I have longed to visit as I have always wanted to see the minorities' lifestyle, and their culture. The cultural diversity in these places are so vast that people living within the same piece of land could not communicate with each other due to language differences.
We always learn new things when we get to know someone new, and that in itself is a journey in life. I do believe that in every phase of life, I would have learnt something new to use it in my future life. Henceforth, I hope that all who reads this post, will be able to use their time wisely and learn whenever they can, everytime they embark on a new journey in life, whether it is from Sec 2 to Sec 3, or it is visiting a new place.
Well before I end, would like to add that West Spring will be embarking into new project soon, to mark its 10th anniversary celebrations. Hence I would like all students or visitors to give some really creative suggestions where students will be able to implement throughout the whole level (Sec 2) next year in 2010. Pls post under my Tag Board with your name and class, and the most creative ones, I will make a poll. The winner will get a gift from me, and those selected too, but a smaller one. hehe. So pls THINK creatively. Friends are welcomed too.. Haha..
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
In Living memory of a great woman
Lee Siew Leh was her name, and she was born 74 years ago in China, and brought to Singapore with her mum. Her mum, married a man who had a family in China and the both of them had 5 other children. The 5 children called her big sister, and naturally all decisions were made by her, as she was more "knowledgeable" than her siblings, since she was older. As a woman of the last generation, she was told that women do not need much education and thus, she could only study up to primary level before she stepped out to society to help her dad and mum, in both work and managing the family.
As big sister grew up, her responsibilities became heavier, as more chores and burden were handed to her. She had blamed her mum for having to stay single in her life as she had wanted her to help in taking care of her younger brothers and sisters. According to her brother, she has had a boyfriend but eventually things did not work out then. Being the eldest in the family, unmarried, and not very educated, she worked as a cleaner, keeping estates clean and at the same time, she adopted a daughter. By and by, the daughter grew up and big sister sent her overseas for a degree, and afterwhich, she fell in love with anther Singaporean and got married.
While life was tough raising a daughter on her own, she worked hard both at increasing her knowledge and also at playing the role of a mother. When it seems like life was turning for the better for big sister, after her daughter got married, it only lasted for a few years. Things did not work well for the daughter and her husband and eventually they were both on the brink of divorce. Yet, more was to come. The daughter gave up her business, and moved out to their old house in Bukit Batok. Earlier on, big sister had used her savings, bought over the house and transferred the house to her daughter, in order for her to expand her business. So, with the house in the daughter's name, they(Big sister, her daughter and the daughter's son), moved back to Bukit Batok. However, quarrels were frequent, and they drifted apart.
[According to an entry in big sister's diary, it wrote:"I am very sad that when my daughter and grandson sees me walk past them, they do not even greet me. They just treat me as a complete stranger. At home, I have to do my own laundry, and I had to pay for the food that was bought, so in the end, I decided to cook my own meals. "
In other entries:"I think I am not that intelligent or knowledgeable, as those who have studied more than me seems to speak with more sense, and I feel so clumsy whenever I talk to them." In her heart, she feels that she is constantly stepping on people's tails, due to her bluntness and frankness in whatever she speaks. ]
Back to story, after the relationship between mother and daughter fell apart, big sister was left to fend for herself. But she never gave up faith, and she continued to go and help out in Charity work, in Tzu Chi, in charity clinics, and constantly showering care and concern to those around her. A humble woman she was, that she worked till her last breath..
One fine evening, she stepped back home and collapsed on the ground after having a stroke, and immediately she was hospitalized. She has suffered a stroke on her right brain and that paralysed her left side of the body. She looked so much like her mother when she laid there on the bed trying to convey a message to her younger brother, holding on to his hands tightly. Probably a message on her death bed. She struggled and tried to talk but could barely speak properly as all she could do was to blabber words. Her younger brother and family was there, and all were saddened by this image. The doctor has reassured them, including the daughter that the x-ray has shown nothing serious, and has to gauge her condition for the next few days. The next morning was the last time she was awake. When the younger brother visited big sister, and asked the doctor about her condition, the doctor only said that she has told the daughter everything, and will not divulge more. 2 days later, she passed away in the early mornings. If i had the money and energy, I would have sued the hospital and doctor for the way they have treated the patient. Why didn't they send her for a 2nd brain scan, when they said she died of retention of blood in the brain 2 days later? When she suddenly went into a deep sleep, why did it not raise the awareness of the doctor that something was wrong? She certainly did not look like she was going to die on the 1st day of admission, and the doctor was still advising on how she would get better after monitoring her condition? Was there nothing the doctor could do other than monitoring? Moral of story, if you want to live longer, do not go to hospital N.
Over 200 or more family and friends visited her wake during the short 3 days, and many were from Tzu Chi, the organisation where she has devoted her life, yes, pratically her life, to it, until the last minute. She has scrimped and saved, and left her wealth to the foundation to help those in need, which is in excess of $100k. She was a simple and humble woman, with nothing but a kind heart, but she had not enjoy much in her lifetime. Over the past years, she has helped to raise funds, and personally helped during Cyclone Nargis, Tsunami in Phuket, Sichuan Earthquake and the latest Taiwan disaster, to name a few of those that she has rendered her energy in.
Mdm Lee Siew Leh, Big sister, also my big aunt, will always be live on in my memory. According to my dad, her younger brother, she has sponsored part of my education and had wanted to take me in as her god son, if not for my dad's foul temper. What a pity. I also regret not doing much for her in this lifetime. What I learnt from all these, is to appreciate what my parents have done for me, when they are still alive, and not just mourn when they are gone.
What I disagreed and did not understand was the way she was treatedby her daugher before she was dead, and even when she was already dead.While hundreds of many others were chanting prayers for her to be reincarnated earlier, her daughter just sat by and did not join in, due to difference in religious beliefs. Why can't a Christian pay respect to her parents? While there is already no burning of incense and joss paper and monks chanting, why can't you sit in for the ceremony, at least sitting there with respect for your mum who have raised you for the past 30 plus years. I do believe and only believe in one thing: Religions work towards to goodness of all mankind, and whatever religion you are in, you should respect that of the others. Furthermore, we are talking about respecting a DEAD person's religion, and she was your kin.
I do not have biasness against any religion, but from the many incidents that I have seen or heard, I feel that Christianity, especially the teachings from the 2 largest churches in Singapore have not been rightfully inculcated to our youths and new believers. Even if it was a malay or indian funeral, it is only right to follow their ways of paying respect to the dead. Come on, THE PERSON IS DEAD, do you think your god will denounce or kick you out from the religion, or reprimand you for paying respect to your MUM? Sorry if I sounded too harsh, but what I have said is true from what I have seen.
So I hope that whoever sees this blog, pls, I implore you to be kind to your parents and show your respects in the right manner to the dead. Thank you.
As big sister grew up, her responsibilities became heavier, as more chores and burden were handed to her. She had blamed her mum for having to stay single in her life as she had wanted her to help in taking care of her younger brothers and sisters. According to her brother, she has had a boyfriend but eventually things did not work out then. Being the eldest in the family, unmarried, and not very educated, she worked as a cleaner, keeping estates clean and at the same time, she adopted a daughter. By and by, the daughter grew up and big sister sent her overseas for a degree, and afterwhich, she fell in love with anther Singaporean and got married.
While life was tough raising a daughter on her own, she worked hard both at increasing her knowledge and also at playing the role of a mother. When it seems like life was turning for the better for big sister, after her daughter got married, it only lasted for a few years. Things did not work well for the daughter and her husband and eventually they were both on the brink of divorce. Yet, more was to come. The daughter gave up her business, and moved out to their old house in Bukit Batok. Earlier on, big sister had used her savings, bought over the house and transferred the house to her daughter, in order for her to expand her business. So, with the house in the daughter's name, they(Big sister, her daughter and the daughter's son), moved back to Bukit Batok. However, quarrels were frequent, and they drifted apart.
[According to an entry in big sister's diary, it wrote:"I am very sad that when my daughter and grandson sees me walk past them, they do not even greet me. They just treat me as a complete stranger. At home, I have to do my own laundry, and I had to pay for the food that was bought, so in the end, I decided to cook my own meals. "
In other entries:"I think I am not that intelligent or knowledgeable, as those who have studied more than me seems to speak with more sense, and I feel so clumsy whenever I talk to them." In her heart, she feels that she is constantly stepping on people's tails, due to her bluntness and frankness in whatever she speaks. ]
Back to story, after the relationship between mother and daughter fell apart, big sister was left to fend for herself. But she never gave up faith, and she continued to go and help out in Charity work, in Tzu Chi, in charity clinics, and constantly showering care and concern to those around her. A humble woman she was, that she worked till her last breath..
One fine evening, she stepped back home and collapsed on the ground after having a stroke, and immediately she was hospitalized. She has suffered a stroke on her right brain and that paralysed her left side of the body. She looked so much like her mother when she laid there on the bed trying to convey a message to her younger brother, holding on to his hands tightly. Probably a message on her death bed. She struggled and tried to talk but could barely speak properly as all she could do was to blabber words. Her younger brother and family was there, and all were saddened by this image. The doctor has reassured them, including the daughter that the x-ray has shown nothing serious, and has to gauge her condition for the next few days. The next morning was the last time she was awake. When the younger brother visited big sister, and asked the doctor about her condition, the doctor only said that she has told the daughter everything, and will not divulge more. 2 days later, she passed away in the early mornings. If i had the money and energy, I would have sued the hospital and doctor for the way they have treated the patient. Why didn't they send her for a 2nd brain scan, when they said she died of retention of blood in the brain 2 days later? When she suddenly went into a deep sleep, why did it not raise the awareness of the doctor that something was wrong? She certainly did not look like she was going to die on the 1st day of admission, and the doctor was still advising on how she would get better after monitoring her condition? Was there nothing the doctor could do other than monitoring? Moral of story, if you want to live longer, do not go to hospital N.
Over 200 or more family and friends visited her wake during the short 3 days, and many were from Tzu Chi, the organisation where she has devoted her life, yes, pratically her life, to it, until the last minute. She has scrimped and saved, and left her wealth to the foundation to help those in need, which is in excess of $100k. She was a simple and humble woman, with nothing but a kind heart, but she had not enjoy much in her lifetime. Over the past years, she has helped to raise funds, and personally helped during Cyclone Nargis, Tsunami in Phuket, Sichuan Earthquake and the latest Taiwan disaster, to name a few of those that she has rendered her energy in.
Mdm Lee Siew Leh, Big sister, also my big aunt, will always be live on in my memory. According to my dad, her younger brother, she has sponsored part of my education and had wanted to take me in as her god son, if not for my dad's foul temper. What a pity. I also regret not doing much for her in this lifetime. What I learnt from all these, is to appreciate what my parents have done for me, when they are still alive, and not just mourn when they are gone.
What I disagreed and did not understand was the way she was treatedby her daugher before she was dead, and even when she was already dead.While hundreds of many others were chanting prayers for her to be reincarnated earlier, her daughter just sat by and did not join in, due to difference in religious beliefs. Why can't a Christian pay respect to her parents? While there is already no burning of incense and joss paper and monks chanting, why can't you sit in for the ceremony, at least sitting there with respect for your mum who have raised you for the past 30 plus years. I do believe and only believe in one thing: Religions work towards to goodness of all mankind, and whatever religion you are in, you should respect that of the others. Furthermore, we are talking about respecting a DEAD person's religion, and she was your kin.
I do not have biasness against any religion, but from the many incidents that I have seen or heard, I feel that Christianity, especially the teachings from the 2 largest churches in Singapore have not been rightfully inculcated to our youths and new believers. Even if it was a malay or indian funeral, it is only right to follow their ways of paying respect to the dead. Come on, THE PERSON IS DEAD, do you think your god will denounce or kick you out from the religion, or reprimand you for paying respect to your MUM? Sorry if I sounded too harsh, but what I have said is true from what I have seen.
So I hope that whoever sees this blog, pls, I implore you to be kind to your parents and show your respects in the right manner to the dead. Thank you.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
博客比赛
好了，伟源中学华文博客比赛进入下一圈，入围的20名参赛者现在剩下16位。下个星期，我又会残忍地向另外4名参赛者告别。所以，趁着刚考完统一测验，不如放松一下心情，让我们来支持这几位同学，鼓励他们再接再厉，力争上游。我看到一些同学放入许多心思去完成博客，因此希望大家去捧捧场。加油吧，大家！我只能确保奖品不错！其实，老师我有个难题。博客比赛后，我还有歌唱比赛！怎么办呢？不够礼物分给大家！看来我得出我的珍藏了。哈哈。歌唱比赛即将展开，敬请留意。
Sunday, August 2, 2009
A Simple Life
Seems like life is back on its old track, busy with work and nothing but work. Today, I went to my nephew's Full month celebrations. Seems like out of all my cousins on my dad's side, I would probably be the last to get married.. haha..When I look at how sound asleep the baby is, I wished that life would be as simple as a baby..
Reflecting on the past 26 years, I was born as a cute, little baby, so carefree, with nothing to worry, and then as we grow up and being influenced by our surroundings, and people, we experience the feelings of happiness, sadness, pain, troubled, boredom, excitement etc. But as we grow, it seems like we are forgetting how to be happy again. Many a times, we spend time feeling sad over trivial matters. The older we grow, the more pain, and sadness we go through, and as we experience, we grow in maturity. But, can't we grow up happily? What is making us feel so unhappy? The growing responsibilities that we have, or the greed that arises within us?
We yearn for better things in life to make us enjoy them, but in the process of getting all these, are we losing out on something? When we are still young studying in school, we fret over failures in exams, and we feel that studies is so so so difficult, and would rather come out earning money. When we grow up, we hope so so so much that we can lead the lives of a kid again. How I envy my nephew and my students...
As we grow up further, we get bothered about relationships, between our parents, between boy/girl friends, and friends around us. We blame our parents for not understanding us, but did we understand them in the 1st place? We blame him or her not caring enough for us, but did we give out as much as they did? We blame our friends for not treating us as important, but are they in our priority in the 1st place? Then, we go through breakups, go through quarrels with our parents, go through fights and power struggles with our friends, and make ourselves so unhappy. Why can't life be simple?
And then, when you grow up even more, to step into the society of work, you finally feel so excited being able to step into society to earn your 1st bag of gold. But to your great disappointment, you find that it is nothing but a scam. You work your life off, always trying to meet deadlines, and then you have less time for people who care for you, and have less time for YOURSELF.. Then you start to worry about 1001 things around you, your financial status, your family, your job, your students, and many more. Yet, at the same time, people around you also start worrying about you when you do not get yourself attached to a girlfriend or boyfriend.
We see lesser smiles, and even if we see, it is either a tired or weak smile, or a fake smile, especially in a metropolitan city like Singapore.. You seldom see warm and sincere smiles anymore. So, why can't life be simple?
I like to go to Cambodia, and South East Asian countries, where people lead a more simple life.. I see smiles and laughters, i see people who are very simple, and not scheming, I see people leading carefree lives... Can I be like them soon?
As I look on, I realize that these are inevitable, and of course, I do realize that some things in life are more appreciated after you visit other countries, after you see people who do not have the same privileges as you do, you feel that you are still more fortunate though not as happy. Hence I can conclude that as your quality of life increases, your unhappiness grows too, yet as your age grows, if you can still maintain a simple lifestyle, then you might feel happier this way. Of course, your outlook in life is still very important. If money is very important to you, then happiness probably would not be a permanent word in your life, unless you have countless money.
To my students, I am actually very happy when I am able to see all of you in class everyday, but the little insensible things that you do hurts me, like fighting in class, skipping school, scolding vulgarities, and not doing the work you should have done, makes me upset. I do hope that with you guys around, you can try to make me happier, by being really good kids.. especially 2F... You know who you are.. Love you all.. Let's make life simpler, shall we?
Enough blabbering.. let's take a look at 2 photos of my nephew.
Reflecting on the past 26 years, I was born as a cute, little baby, so carefree, with nothing to worry, and then as we grow up and being influenced by our surroundings, and people, we experience the feelings of happiness, sadness, pain, troubled, boredom, excitement etc. But as we grow, it seems like we are forgetting how to be happy again. Many a times, we spend time feeling sad over trivial matters. The older we grow, the more pain, and sadness we go through, and as we experience, we grow in maturity. But, can't we grow up happily? What is making us feel so unhappy? The growing responsibilities that we have, or the greed that arises within us?
We yearn for better things in life to make us enjoy them, but in the process of getting all these, are we losing out on something? When we are still young studying in school, we fret over failures in exams, and we feel that studies is so so so difficult, and would rather come out earning money. When we grow up, we hope so so so much that we can lead the lives of a kid again. How I envy my nephew and my students...
As we grow up further, we get bothered about relationships, between our parents, between boy/girl friends, and friends around us. We blame our parents for not understanding us, but did we understand them in the 1st place? We blame him or her not caring enough for us, but did we give out as much as they did? We blame our friends for not treating us as important, but are they in our priority in the 1st place? Then, we go through breakups, go through quarrels with our parents, go through fights and power struggles with our friends, and make ourselves so unhappy. Why can't life be simple?
And then, when you grow up even more, to step into the society of work, you finally feel so excited being able to step into society to earn your 1st bag of gold. But to your great disappointment, you find that it is nothing but a scam. You work your life off, always trying to meet deadlines, and then you have less time for people who care for you, and have less time for YOURSELF.. Then you start to worry about 1001 things around you, your financial status, your family, your job, your students, and many more. Yet, at the same time, people around you also start worrying about you when you do not get yourself attached to a girlfriend or boyfriend.
We see lesser smiles, and even if we see, it is either a tired or weak smile, or a fake smile, especially in a metropolitan city like Singapore.. You seldom see warm and sincere smiles anymore. So, why can't life be simple?
I like to go to Cambodia, and South East Asian countries, where people lead a more simple life.. I see smiles and laughters, i see people who are very simple, and not scheming, I see people leading carefree lives... Can I be like them soon?
As I look on, I realize that these are inevitable, and of course, I do realize that some things in life are more appreciated after you visit other countries, after you see people who do not have the same privileges as you do, you feel that you are still more fortunate though not as happy. Hence I can conclude that as your quality of life increases, your unhappiness grows too, yet as your age grows, if you can still maintain a simple lifestyle, then you might feel happier this way. Of course, your outlook in life is still very important. If money is very important to you, then happiness probably would not be a permanent word in your life, unless you have countless money.
To my students, I am actually very happy when I am able to see all of you in class everyday, but the little insensible things that you do hurts me, like fighting in class, skipping school, scolding vulgarities, and not doing the work you should have done, makes me upset. I do hope that with you guys around, you can try to make me happier, by being really good kids.. especially 2F... You know who you are.. Love you all.. Let's make life simpler, shall we?
Enough blabbering.. let's take a look at 2 photos of my nephew.
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