It Is Only In Giving That We Receive.......

Some of us born with the five natural senses intact take for granted the gifts we have been bestowed upon creation. Although our senses are "perfect", we still find "imperfections" with our bodies and we desire more - such as higher cheek-bones, fuller lips and more aquiline noses. Some go to great lengths to fix the "imperfections"; resorting to cosmetic surgery and injection of substances that may be harmful to our bodies. Such is the nature of human beings.

For the visually impaired, the basic functions of life that we take for granted are challenges that have to be overcome. But, as resilient human beings, they learn to adapt. Some conditions that lead to blindness are treatable but due to poverty, many have to go through life without being able to see.

The Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) was established to empower the visually impaired by providing services and opportunities for greater participation, involvement and integration into society and to promote prevention of blindness. Among others, MAB provides vocational training to equip visually-impaired people with skills that will prepare them for employment.

To encourage the reading habit and enable the blind to acquire knowledge, MAB also provides library services and it has a good collection of books in Braille, audio, as well as print. I had heard through friends that MAB needed more volunteers for the Library and I visited the Library recently to offer my services. Volunteers are needed to type books into Word document for conversion into Braille as well as to read books for conversion into "talking books".

Actually, books can be converted into Braille using a specially-designed typing machine or feeding text into a scanner. However, due to lack of funds, MAB relies on the good, old-fashioned way....typing manuscripts into Word text for conversion into Braille. Typing of books can be done at home or at MAB and recording is done at MAB. Since most volunteers are expatriates and Non-Malays, the Library lacks books in Bahasa Malaysia because there are very few Malays who volunteer.

A Well-Equipped Library

A Volunteer Recording A "Talking Book"

If you have time to spare and would like to volunteer, please contact:

Mr Ramdas Nayar (Asset Executive) at 03 2272 2677 - Ext 129 or ramdas@mab.org.my

Love Happens When You're Not Looking

During a meeting with a long-lost friend recently, I asked her, over coffee, if she is still single. Almost as soon as I asked that question, I regretted ever asking. Linda (not her real name), went on and on about the dearth of eligible men these days! She has tried everything - from introductions through friends and relatives to online personals and even dating agencies. She dreads going home for the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays to visit family in Penang...there would be endless questions about when she would tie the knot, with some well-meaning aunties and other female relatives hinting that her biological clock is running out!

"They think so easy to find a suitable partner meh?...she huffed. " You know ah, nowadays all the men are M&Ms, gays or non-commital bachelors mah!" Seeing my eyes lit up at the mention of M&Ms, Linda immediately shattered my reverie. "M&Ms are not chocolates you know", she said matter-of-factly - "they are acronyms for "Married and Mortgaged"! I certainly know a few of them - some mortgaged to the hilt!

To make her feel better, I told Linda love usually happens when one is not looking. I related to her real-life stories of the most unusual circumstances in which some couples have met and ended up living happily ever after.

Take the case of Ms A. She had accompanied a friend to Alliance Francaise (the French Language School) and while her friend had lessons, Ms A waited at the waiting area. While waiting, she fell asleep on the sofa and a French language tutor passed by and saw her asleep. He was kind enough to offer her a cushion so that she would be more comfortable and from then, the rest is history as they are now married.

Then, there was Ms B who was travelling to Canada for the first time with her sister. Upon arrival, she struggled along with a heavy luggage and was lagging far behind her sister in the queue at the Immigration counter. While in the queue, she suddenly realized that she could not find her passport and she started to frantically rummage through her handbag. She then remembered that she had kept the passport in her carry-on luggage which is a small overnight suitcase stuffed to the brim.

As she opened the suitcase, its contents popped out and were strewn all over the floor. A gentleman in the next queue gallantly came to her aid and helped her to gather clothes, underwear and even a "Dating for Dummies" book and have them repacked into the suitcase. Before they departed, they exchanged email addresses and after a brief long-distance courtship, they were married.

Another too-good-to-be-true story happened to a widow who visited a health center for foot reflexology (massage). Foot reflexology is carried out in open area with rows of reclining chairs lined up next to each other. As she took her seat, she noticed a customer in the next chair enjoying his foot massage, with his eyes closed. Something about his serene, relaxed, look caught her attention and to cut a long story short, he must have felt her gaze for he opened his eyes and introductions followed. They became friends over time and are now married.

As soon as I finished my stories, Linda laughed hilariously. She has a great sense of humor and said to me.... "Aiyah! Knowing my luck ah, if I fall asleep in a public area, I think I will snore. Instead of being given a cushion, I will probably be asked to leave for disturbing the peace mah..ha! ha! ha!"

We had such a good laugh causing some heads to turn so we decided to change subjects and talked about other mundane things. As I made my way to my car at the end of the meeting, I could not help but think that, knowing my luck, if I should decide to have a foot massage, the guy sitting on the next chair at the reflexology center would probably be a toothless Cina apek dressed in singlets and chequered underpants. It would be a bonus indeed if he does not snore while enjoying the massage! Ah well.....you never know!

(Adrenaline Junkie has been single for 20 years and loves nothing more than a good book or a funny movie with a pack of crunchy M&Ms - of the chocolaty kind, of course!).

Farewell for Sandy

Sandy has been on vacation in Malaysia for 2 weeks and during that time, apart from shopping, she had done many things - celebrated X'mas, New Year, tried various food at Food Republic at the Pavillion, had a picnic Malaysian-style, colored her hair, had a massage and reflexology and also managed to have goreng pisang!

Sandy will be leaving for cold, grey, London on January 5 and this week-end, we had a farewell dinner for her. With Chinese New Year just around the corner, we decided that a Chinese dinner would be appropriate and we had a great dinner at Royal Lake Club's Bunga Raya Restaurant.

Yee Sang for a prosperous Year of The Ox!

After dinner, we headed for the Batek Bar where we enjoyed music played by a band. The band played a variety of music including R&B, Pop, Country, and even Malay and Chinese.

Mahani and I could not resist the music and we managed a few dances - this must have been the first time that members had seen someone dancing with an arm in a sling!

"I Will Survive" - Albeit with an arm in a sling!

Picnic At Ulu Yam

With the popularity of air travel on low cost carriers, most Malaysians these days have been able to enjoy overseas travel to various destinations. However, as is always the case, some people who have traveled overseas may not have been to places in their own country - I have American friends who live close to Disney World in Florida, yet have not visited the theme park until I showed up to visit them!

This week-end, my friends and I decided to have a family picnic at the Ulu Yam waterfalls. To be honest, before this trip, Ulu Yam is just another name of a place as far as I am concerned. I have heard about the waterfalls and picnic spots in this popular local destination but never made any attempt to check it out.

The picnic was organized pot-luck style. Each of us brought a dish for the rest to enjoy and I was assigned the role of making gado-gado Indonesian style - what would I do without Siti, my Indonesian maid? Torah brought home-made nasi lemak, Mahani was given the task of making fried mee hoon and Audi brought her secret-recipe fried chicken.

The trip, through Kampong Nakhoda, Batu Caves, took slightly more than an hour through narrow, winding road. As we arrived around 11 a.m., the place was already crowded, and we learnt that some folks had actually camped overnight.

As with most recreational facilities in Malaysia, the place was poorly maintained, rubbish was strewn around and we were the only ones who brought a garbage bag to take care of our litter! As for the toilets and changing rooms, well, while I did not puke, they are not in a condition we can be proud of. I don't understand what it is with the Malaysian public; we keep our toilets clean at home but visit any public toilet, and you will know what I mean. It seems like the minute we step out of our homes, some of us turn into ugly, inconsiderate, dirty, monsters!

Poorly-maintained facilities aside, Mahani, Joe and Bakar were determined to have fun and they had a great time frolicking in the cool waters of the pool below the roaring waterfalls.

Mahani, Joe and Bakar Enjoying The Cool Waters!

Several youths were seen showing off their skills in riding the falls and not to be outdone, Joe and Bakar did us proud when they, too, took the plunge! Click on the video below to see Joe taking the "heart-stopping "plunge"......

Riding the falls (above) and swinging into the waters Tarzan-style (below)

Aaah...the exuberance of youth!

For the rest of us in the group who were either unable or unwilling to get into the waters, we did the next best thing - dipped our feet in the water!

To round off our outing, on the return journey, we stopped at the Indian Temple at Batu Caves so that our overseas visitor, Sandy, could snap some I've-been-there photos!

Nori, Sandy and Mahani with the Statue of Lord Murugan in the background

Batu Caves is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia which attracts over 1.5 million pilgrims annually.

It is worth mentioning here that Jim's Mercedes was vandalized while we were enjoying the picnic. The window screen on the driver's side was smashed and a cell phone and some personal items that were left in the car were stolen. As can be expected, it will be a long, long, time before we would think about having another picnic!

X'mas Reunion With Sandy

I met Londoner Sandy Cahill three Christmases ago by sheer coincidence! We shared a table-for-two at Little Penang Cafe in KLCC because the place was rather full. I was working on a crossword puzzle while waiting for my order and Sandy sat across the table. My order for curry laksa arrived first and before tucking into the dish, I asked her to excuse me for not waiting for her order to arrive as I was rather hungry. From that moment, we struck a conversation and we have been friends three years now.

It turned out that Sandy is a Penangite who migrated to England more than twenty years ago and she came to Kuala Lumpur alone for her X'mas vacation. We got on so well at that first meeting that we decided to continue our chat over drinks at a hotel next door.

It was that time of the year when I really wanted to be with someone - you know, with all the festivities from X'mas to the New Year, I didn't want to be alone; and neither did Sandy! Since I had nothing to do on X'mas eve, we planned to paint the town red - just the two of us! But before that, we had to hit the shops because we had nothing to wear - you know the usual girlie excuse to shop?

However, it rained on Christmas eve so we had to forget about painting the town red. Fortunately, the band playing at the hotel lounge was quite good so we had a lovely time listening to music with other X'mas revellers. Everyone was in a festive mood and we had a great time! I spent the night with Sandy and we stayed up till the wee morning hours chatting about all kinds of things, and also to work on my unfinished crossword puzzle! For the rest of Sandy's stay, I was tour guide and it felt like we were old friends.

So, it was a pleasant surprise when Sandy contacted me earlier this year with the news that she plans to visit during X'mas again. This time, I could not spend X'mas eve with her as planned as I am recovering from surgery but we did meet for tea at the hotel where she is staying.

Audi and Mahani accompanied me and as I had expected, they got on very well with Sandy. By the way, Audi has been driving me around (including trips to the physiotherapist) since I am not able to drive and I can never be grateful enough for her help.

We had earlier planned a family picnic this weekend and Sandy will be joining us.....more about that later!

Ode To My Friends

I still remember the following poetry that I had memorised in primary school. I cannot remember the author but the words still resonate today:

Friendship is a gift of beauty
Of wealth, love and loyalty
To meet, to greet and then to part
Is the saddest thing in a true friend's heart

Friendship knows no curve or bend
A helping hand on which to depend
And friends love to see you smile
Happy, cheerful, all the while

I am very blessed to have friends that I can count on both in good and bad times. Words can never sufficiently describe how grateful I am that in times such as this, when I am incapacitated due to my recent surgery, my friends have rallied to my side, providing much-needed support.

The photos in this posting is a graphic presentation of how much my friends mean to me. Thank you all for making life a little easier with your care and understanding!

Year-End Gift From Selangor State Government

The announcement hitting the front pages of the local dailies recently was a year-end gift that many homeowners can do without. The Selangor Menteri Besar had announced that fourteen hillside housing areas, in addition to Bukit Antarabangsa, have been identified as being at risk of landslides.

It was stated that local councils have been instructed to continuously monitor the situation and homeowners are also advised to be responsible for maintaining hill slopes that are part of their land. What is surprising about this announcement is that these housing estates have existed for more than a decade and only now the Government realises that they are in the landslide risk zone. Surely, this could not have happened overnight.

The landslide that occurred on December 6, 2008 was the second after the famed Highland Tower landslide in December 1993 - yet, after each incident, the Government had made a similar commitment that local councils will monitor the situation. Except that this time, instead of claiming that areas in the vicinity are not affected by the landslides, they dropped the bombshell.

I believe it is only fair that the state government provides supporting evidence as to how they came to this conclusion for homeowners have the right to such information. In particular, homeowners would be very interested to know what methodology was used to come to this conclusion. Also, we are interested to know why, in previous years, the government kept insisting the areas in the vicinity are safe - thus providing us a false sense of security all these years!

In spite of the potential dangers of unsupervised hillside developments, we continue to see glossy advertisements of homes for sale in these areas. At one time, a group of concerned citizens in one of the affected housing estates even held demonstrations against the project that were reported in the press - but as expected, the project is happily chugging along!

While consumers are also to blame for continuing to purchase homes in the landslide risk zone, I believe the onus is on the state government NOT to approve any such projects in the first place. Malaysians have very short memories - there will be a huge hue and cry after each incident, but time will slowly erase the memories and these developments will continue until the next incident occurs. So, who is to be blamed?

Wind Out Of My Sail.....(Part III)

It's been 11 days since I had surgery for torn rotator cuff and today, I visited with the Orthopaedic Surgeon (OS) to remove the sutures and have the wounds cleaned. The following are pictures before and after the sutures are removed and as can be seen, the shoulder is still fairly swollen.

The shoulder no longer hurts but it is stiff and the only movements allowed are forward/backward and sideways. I cannot reach behind to scratch my back, for example, and I also have to wear front-buttoned shirts as I cannot raise my arm to get into my clothes.

Today, I also had my third physiotherapy session to get the arms moving and the most painful is when I have to push my arm sideways against the wall - the muscles must have gone to sleep and I felt like someone just hammered my injured arm! My Therapist, Jeffrey, advised me that for the first 6 weeks of therapy, my movements are limited and I can only do other "less boring" movements after the sixth week. I will be allowed to do similar exercises in the swimming pool one week from today - not to swim, mind you, but just to move my arms in the water!

But the best news I've heard so far is that after 6 weeks, I can try putting - in fact, one of the movements I do during therapy is to move the arms sideways like a pendulum - just like putting! Come to think of it, it should improve my putting as I cannot move my arm any other way except sideways - didn't they say in every cloud there is a silver lining? Oh well.....four more weeks to go!

Wind Out of My Sail....(Part II)

I have been through many surgeries before and I thought this time, it would be different - but I was wrong! Each time before a surgery, I have knots in my stomach dreading the thought of anaesthesia, getting into induced sleep and waking up feeling nauseated and disoriented. But I have made up my mind to do it and I just had to get on with it. On the day prior to surgery, I went through blood tests and chest x-ray to ensure that I was fit for surgery. The anaesthetist then visited with me and explained what was going to happen - since I already knew what was going to take place, I was really feeling anxious and I guess it must have showed on my face! The anaesthetist must have noticed this and suggested that I take a sleeping pill the night before to help me sleep.

I woke up early on surgery day, had a bath and dressed in hospital gown. Before leaving the room, I was given a pill to calm my nerves after which I was wheeled into the operating theatre. The doctor had not arrived and the waiting was pure agony! I tried not to think about what's ahead - but it was so diffcult to think of anything else as I lay on the operating table in a cold, sterile, environment with bright, blinding lights shining into my eyes. I have always been a brave person - I had to be brave to jump out of a plane - but this was different. At this moment, I wondered whether I would have preferred to jump out of a plane instead!

Then came the most dreaded moment - the anaesthetist arrived, patted by hand and asked me to take a deep breath. From past experience, this was the most difficult moment. I have very fine veins that are difficult to locate and once the needle is inserted, the veins tend to burst, making it difficult to inject anaesthesia. The process had to be repeated several times and I tend to resist, making it more stressful and painful. During my last surgery, I woke up to find that I had needle puncture marks on both hands, both feet and a needle was stuck into my neck. This time, it was not too bad; the prick was not too painful and then I was given oxygen to help my breathing. At this moment, I repeatedly recited the kalimah syahadah. The kalimah syahadah is the first pillar of Islam and it is an affirmation of one's faith - it is also recited before one's death. I do this every time before surgery as every surgery carries an element of risk and I don't know if I would make it. Almost immediately, I drifted off into oblivion!

The next thing I knew were some far-away voices calling my name, like in a dream, someone gently slapping my cheeks, asking me to open my eyes. As I opened my eyes and became aware of my surroundings, the after-effects of anaesthesia started to set in - I did not throw up but my vision was blurred and my world was spinning! I tried to speak but could not; I could hear the doctor asking me if I was okay; I weakly tried to say yes, then he asked me to move my fingers and I did.

I was returned to my room and drifted off into morphine-induced sleep again - everything is okay for now and the next phase would be rehabilitation!

With Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Charanjeet Singh

High End Victims of the Economic Crunch

First, it was AIG and soccer, next was General Motors and golf and most recently, Honda and F1 racing. One by one, big-time sponsors are reassessing their financial positions in view of the credit crunch and are forced to make tough decisions. Hence, luxury spending would be the first to go during times when companies are struggling to keep afloat.

AIG has been bailed out by the US government, GM's boss is still on Capitol Hill begging for a lifeline and Honda recently announced that US car sales in the last quarter have plunged more than 30% year to year.

There are two schools of thought about brand marketing (this is what sponsorship is all about) during recession. One believes that sponsors should not pull out but adapt as marketing generates business. The other believes that continued sponsorship is not sustainable and would be insensitive to the plight of workers who have lost jobs, especially if a company had to be bailed out with taxpayers' money ala AIG. In the case of AIG, the company is forced to come up with a business plan to turn itself around and, it is not surprising that luxury spending must go.

The impact of the pullout would spill over not only to those directly involved such as employees; but others providing associated services as well, and eventually, the sport itself. With reduced sponsorship, it would be difficult to attract big names that are crowd pullers. Countries like Malaysia that depend on the F1 to draw tourists would also feel the impact and this, in turn, would impact the service industry like hotels and restaurants....and the list could go on and on!

As for the Average Joe for whom these spectator sports provide entertainment on TV, they probably would not care anyway, as there are other more serious things to worry about such as trying to make ends meet or if the paycheck would continue to come in....the stark reality of life for some today!

Cheating Cheap!

I could not believe my ears when I first heard it! The news presenter on CNN was actually reeling off statistics about how men and women who cheat in their marriages are coping with the current economic downturn.

Apparently, a number of men and women who cheat on their spouses in the USA were surveyed on what kinds of changes they had to make in regards to their dalliances in view of the current economic downturn. For men with "kept" women, some had cut down on their mistresses' allowances, bought less expensive gifts and - get this - some even dumped their women!

Women with "kept" men (the exact words used in the report!) on the other hand, actually continued their relationships and although some cut down on expensive holidays and wining/dining, none dumped their lovers. Most of these women were women of means for whom money could buy everything - including love, at least until the cash runs out!

The survey was conducted to prove the point that the economic downturn had affected every aspect of people's lives - including cheating on spouses. One would think that there are other more important aspects of life that they could focus on, but as the saying goes, only in America!

Reminiscing Mumbai

The Taj Hotel - in all its glory....then

Smoke billowing from the Taj Hotel during the siege

Watching the massacre of Mumbai unfolding on TV in real time recently, I was overcome by nostalgia about the city that I had visited several times in the late '90s on business trips.

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival in India, on 2 December 1911, of King George V and Queen Mary and was completed on 4 December, 1924

The Taj Hotel with the Gateway of India in the foreground - this was allegedly the entry point for millitant gunmen who arrived via the Arabian Sea

Mumbai is a city of contradictions - modern yet ancient, fabulously opulent yet achingly poor. I had stayed at both the Taj and Oberoi Hotels where gunmen held hostages and engaged in a shootout with military forces - which left about 170 people dead and more than 300 injured. The contrast between the opulence of the hotels and the poverty on the streets is like night and day. As one steps out of the grandeur of these hotels, one is hit by the poverty that many of its citizens live in - families sleeping on sidewalks and begging children tugging at your hand, refusing to go away until you give them something. But to give anything is equally dangerous - for one could be inviting a riot when scores of others would suddenly appear.

Seeing on TV the various familiar sites that were attacked - Victoria Terminus, Nariman House and Leopold Cafe - I felt a tinge of sadness about the human capacity to inflict such destruction and suffering upon fellow human beings, whose only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The resilient human spirit would of course prevail - just like after 9/11 - and life has already returned to normal for Mumbaikers.

The Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus or VT for short, headquarters of the Central Railway, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Fashion Street, a huddle of little shops on Mahatma Gandhi Road - Mumbai is an exporter of ready-made garments and surpluses end up here. This place is a favorite haunt for fashion-conscious college students

Dhobi Ghat at Saat Rasta near Mahalaxmi Station. "Ghats" are "laundries" - row upon row of concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. The clothes are soaked in sudsy water, thrashed on the flogging stones, then tossed into huge vats of boiling starch and hung out to dry.

Marine Drive, a windswept promenade flanked by the sea and a row of art deco buildings. Marine Drive is looped between the concrete jungle of Nariman Point, Mumbai's Manhattan, and the leafy green slopes of Malabar Hill.