Friday, November 30, 2007

The Old Machine

My dad dug out an old digital organiser in his room 2 days back and bought a new battery for it as it was abandoned in the cold drawer for many years.. i don't know how long but i didn't like it.. he came back with it from KL, he passed it to me to set the date, time and country.. and so i explored that thing and 30 minutes has passed and i have absolutely NO IDEA how the stuff works.. so i returned it back to my dad telling him i don't know how it works.. he gave me a disappointed look.. guiltiness filled my soul as i walk away..


after a few hours later, he came to me and ask me to give it another try.. i can't say no so i agreed.. that happened at night so i went up to my bedroom and lay on my bed and cracked my head open to solve the problem.. believe me.. time flew by and i nearly throw it out of my bedroom window and be done with it.. thinking hard, if i did that, I'm unable to come out with an excuse if he finds that horrible machine at the back of our house on the next day.. I'll be in trouble..i didn't even bother handing it to my brother as he would take less than 5 minutes to look at it before giving up.. so back to square one..


After some time, i found the solution.. the "shift" button and it saved my head form exploding.. i happily gave it back to my dad.. a single word of "thanks" that came out from his mouth took my guiltiness away and i was off to bed..

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Telephone Line got Cut

2 days ago i manage to wake up at 8.30 am.. Today i failed to wake up early as i slept at 3 am.. read a book.. woke up at 11.20 again instead.. I got out of my bed, brushed my teeth, washed my face and went down stairs heading to the pc.. no need for breakfast.. it will soon be lunch.. hahaha.. thinkin to go online but my heart got an attack instead.. ermm.. well, not heart attack.. or i wouldn't be here posting this.. i just got a shock.. why? because i was afraid that the modem is the problem.. there was no dial tone and i've experienced once before.. i know my mum will take this opportunity to say its a good thing that it's broken cuz i won't spend much time on the pc.. but i still gotta tell her so i picked up the house phone and started dailing.. the usual "tut tut tut" didnt come but a recorded voice was heard..

"talian telefon anda telah dihentikan untuk sementara. sila hubungi...."

and there it was.. the problem so i text messaged my mum to call and ask her.. "mum, did you pay the phone bill?" she reply yes and i told her everything.. so she called up telecom and it appears that my mum was actually forgotten to pay last month's bill so she wanted wait for November bill so she can pay the sum together but they cut our line before the november bill came.. =.="

o well, at least my mum had solved the problem and i'm back online!! hahaha.. my brother was at the PS2 playing and couldn't care less about the crisis of not having the line and my dad was not informed because my mum and i thought it wasn't neccesary.. hahaha..

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

"HOLIDAYS"

Basically.. its yasumi.. its holiday in Japanese.. holidat is de time to go for trips.. overseas or local.. BOOO!! WRONG!! its about sitting home with the tv, ps and pc to look at thanks to parents who has no holiday like us who're still in school.. i'm still wondering why they have so much time during holidays when we were kids.. hmmm.... or is it that its us growing up.. i'm sure this is true to many teens.. they will spend their holidays in front of the pc using the Internet and blogging (like what i'm doing now) or playing games on de ps or just turned into potato coutches..

That's one part of the"holiday" plan.. other than that, even before the holiday starts, teachers will give this piece of good advice to all form 4s.. "During your holidays, make sure you study and buck up because next year in form 5, you won't be so free to study anymore".. talk about terrorising our imagination before form 5 starts.. i'm guessing there won't be much time to watch anime.. oh no!! T.T

Bookaholics will probably spend their time reading than doing all sorts of nonsense online or tab fingers on the PS controller non-stop.. before next year starts, don't think there will be much time to read a story book.. unlike a friend of mine who owns a mini library.. (don't know if it's consider mini.. she seems to have new books everytime i see her) i can only afford a book every once in a blue moon.. erm.. most of de time my mum pays for them but now she's no more sponsoring.. i had to pay with the allowance she gives me.. T.T got a book yesterday after a month without a book to read.. well, at least i have something to do now.. hahaha..

Monday, November 26, 2007

Being Bored

Yesterday, i found out alot of things..
  • my bro spent lesser time on the PS2 and more on the discovery channel!! O.O (super shock!)
  • Disney songs like Hakuna Matata really lives up the day..
  • watched the Disney Original movie "Jump In" and realise that we can break dance on skipping ropes..
  • my cousin is EVIL.. leaving me alone in boredom
  • haven't been in touch with friends.. T.T
  • had been at home without goin out for 2 days!! (including today larr)
  • been sleeping till 11.30am everyday..

i really need a life.. cant wait till my cousins comes down from Ipoh and relive my boredom..

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Mourned, shopped and watched tv..

They came and went.. i don't know what happened in the concert.. nor have i heard how great it was.. in case any of you reading this is blurr, i'm talking about DBSK.. refer to last post please.. thank you..

But the newly opened Jusco in Bukit Tinggi was great.. i've walked for about 2 hours and covered only 10% of it.. hahaha.. 2 hours means from 8.30 pm till 10.30 pm.. yes.. late alright.. we were all delaying time cuz my Chemistry class ended at 6.45 pm and my mum refuse to have dinner there so time was spent for cooking and dinner.. then we're off..

When we reached the mall, we found ourselves in a crowded mall.. there were so many people... i was squished among the people and my mum gotta hold my hand so i won't get lost.. ok fine.. i'm exaggerating.. we were not that desperate but there was a lot of people..

Went home n my mum went to bed but i stayed up till 3 am watching House.. my dad said i scared him when i talked to him in the early hours of the day.. i couldn't believe what i was hearing at first.. you see.. the tv was still on.. it must mean that someone in the house is awake.. sheesh.... =.=" n i woke up 11.30 am today.. yawnz.. still sleepy but hungry.. gonna look for food now.. hehehe..

Saturday, November 24, 2007

DBSK concert.. no.. New Jusco?? yes..



DBSK is coming today.. or arrived already.. haiz.. in case most of you don't know what is DBSK, its Dong Bang Shin Ki.. its a korean boy band.. hahaha.. suprise or just angry.. my cousin will be angry if she reads this post.. she can't stand my obsession towards them.. o well.. they'll be having a concert entitled "O" jung ban hap.. the sad thing is.. i won't be going.. T.T i didn't save enough money.. the tickets are too EXPENSIVE.. oh well, there's always next year.. so today, i'll sit at home.. mourning.. hahaha.. jz kidding.. the new Jusco shopping mall opens today!!! gonna visit it later after my Chemistry tuition class.. to make up the missing excitement for today.. hahahah...

Friday, November 23, 2007

Against all Odds




Another great story extracted frm Chicken Soup for Teenage Soul II.. sharing it wid u guys.. i was sobbing at de end of de story.. yess.. its dat sad.. believe it.. read on..



Hero of the Hood


By all odds, Mike Powell should never have survived. Addiction, drug pushing, prison or early death is the most likely cards dealt to street kids growing up in the "jungle" of south central Los Angeles- a violent combat zone of drug wars, gang slaying, prostitution and crime. But Mike's young life had a special purpose. For eight years he braved terror and brutalization to keep his family of 7 kids together. Incredibly during that time no one ever discovered that the only real parent the family had was just another kid.
When Mike was born; his father Fonso was in prison for drug dealing. Mike's 15-year-old mother; Cheryl, dropped out of school to support the baby. "Without you my life could have been different" she later told Mike over and over. It was the guilty glue that would make Mike stick with her through the coming years of horror.
Fonso was released from prison when Mike was 4 but instead of security 6-foot 5, 300-pound Vietnam vet brought a new kind of fear into mike's life. Fonso had severe psychological problems and his discipline was harrowing. For minor infractions such as slamming a door he forced Mike to do push-ups for hours. If the little boy collapsed his father would beat him. So fanatical was Fonso 's insistence on school attendance that Cheryl had to hide Mike in a closet when he was sick.
Perhaps it was dark premonition that drove Fonso to toughen up his young son and teach himself reliance far beyond his years. Mike was barely 8 when his father was murdered in a run-in with drug dealers.
Overnight the protection and income Fonso had provided were gone. It was back to the street for 24 year old Cheryl who now had 3 kids. Mike, Raf;age 4, and Amber; 1 year. Life was bitterly hard and another baby was on the way.
It wasn't long before Cheryl brought home Marcel; a cocaine addict who terrorized the family even more than Fonso had. When Mike innocently questioned what Marcel had done with Cheryl's wages as a transit worker, Marcel broke the little boy's jaw so badly it had to be wired back in place.
Marcel soon got Cheryl hooked on cocaine and the two would disappear on drug binges at first leaving the children locked in a closet but eventually just leaving them alone for weeks at a time. Cheryl had convinced Mike that if anyone found out what was happening the children would be separated and sent to foster homes. Remembering his father's fierce admonitions to "be a man" the eight-year-old became consumed by the need to keep his family together no matter what.
To make sure no one suspected anything Mike began cleaning the apartment himself doing laundry by hand and keeping his sisters fed, diapered and immaculate. He scavenged junk shops for hair brushes, bottles and clothes whatever they could afford and covered up for his mothers absences with an endless litany of excuses. Cheryl and Marcel were soon burning through everything the family had in order to buy crack even money for rent and the children's food. When their money situations became desperate Mike quietly quit elementary school at 9 to support the family himself. He cleaned yards, unload trucks and stocked liquor stores, always working before dawn or late at night so the smaller ones wouldn't be alone while awake.As Cheryl and Marcel's drug binges and absences became longer and more frequent their brief returns became more violent. Sinking deeper into addiction; Cheryl would simply would abandon Marcel when his drugs ran out and hook up with someone who was better supplied. A crazed Marcel would then rampage through the slum apartment torturing and terrorizing the children for information about where more money was hidden or where he could find their mother.
One night Marcel put Mike's 2-year-old sister in a plastic bag and held it closed. Without air the toddler's eyes were bulging and she was turning blue. "Where's your mother? " the addict screamed, Sobbing Mike and little 5 year old Raf threw themselves at Marcel again and again beating on his back with small ineffectual fists. In desperation Mike finally sank his teeth into Marcel's neck praying the savage tormentor would drop the plastic bag and pick on him instead. It worked. Marcel wheeled and threw Mike through the window cutting him with shattered glass and breaking his arm.
Cheryl's parent's;Mabel and Otis Bradley, loved their grandchildren deeply, but they worked long hours and lived a difficult multiple bus commute away and could see them only rarely. Sensing the family was struggling Mabel sent clothes and diapers never dreaming that Cheryl was selling the diapers, for drug money. Although Mabel's constant phone calls and unconditional love became Mike's only anchor of support he didn't dare tell her that anything was wrong. He feared his gentle Grandmother would have a heart attack if she learned the truth or worse a violent confrontation with Marcel.
The family was forced to move constantly sleeping in Movie Theaters, abandoned cars and even fresh crime scenes at times. Mike washed their clothes in public restrooms and cooked on a single burner hot plate. Eventually Cheryl and Marcel always caught up with them.
Despite the moves, Mike insisted the younger kids attend school, get good grades and be model citizens. To classmates, teachers and even their grandmother the children always seemed normal, well groomed and happy. No one could have imagined how they lived or that another child was raising them. Somehow Mike had managed to sort through the good intentions but brutal methods of his father and blend them with the loving example of his grandmother to form a unique value system. He loved his family deeply and in return the children loved, trusted and believed in him. "You don't have to end up on the street" he told them. " See what momma's like? Stay off drugs!" secretly he was terrified that his mother would one day O.D(overdose) in front of them.
Over the next few years Cheryl was repeatedly jailed for possession and sale of narcotics and other crimes and was sometimes gone for up to a year at a time. Out of jail she continued to have more children making the family's financial situation increasingly critical. Hard as Mike tried it was becoming impossible for him to care for 3 new babies and support a family of 7 kids at the same time. One Christmas there was only a can of corn and a box of macaroni and cheese for all of them to share. Their only toys for the past year had a single McDonald's happy meal figure for each child. For presents Mike had the children wrap the figurines in newspaper and exchange them. It was one of their better Christmases.
The younger teenager now lived in constant anxiety but still refused to fall into the easier world of drug dealing and crime. Instead he braved the dangerous streets late at night selling doctored macadamia nuts which to half-crazed addict looked like 30 dollars crack- cocaine "rocks". He knew he risked his life every time he took such chances but he felt he had few choices. In the nightly siege or gang and drug warfare; the odds were against him though. By age 15 mike had been shot 8 times.
Worse' his reserves of strength and hope were running dangerously low. For as long as he could remember he had live with relentless daily fears: Will we be able to eat today? Will we all be on the street tonight? Will Marcel show up tomorrow?
And after more than 40 moves it seemed they had finally hit rock bottom. " Home" was now the Frontier Hotel; a filthy dive on skid row where pimps and prostitutes stalked the halls and drug deals went down on the stairways. The kids had watched a murder in the lobby and Mike was now afraid to leave them alone or to sleep. For the few nights they had been there he had stayed up with a baseball bat to kill rats as they crawled under the door.
Sleep deprived and over whelmed by stress, Mike felt crushed by the responsibilities of his life. It was 2 am. His brother and sisters were huddled under a single blanket on the floor. Michelle, the youngest baby was crying but he had no food for her. The boy who had shouldered his secret burden for so many years suddenly lost hope.
Stumbling to the window in despair Mike stood at the edge steeling himself to jump. Silently asking his family to forgive him he closed his eyes and took a last deep breath. Just then a woman across the street spotted him and began screaming. Mike reeled back from the edge and fell into a corner, sobbing. For the rest of the night he rocked the hungry baby and prayed for help.
It came a few days later on the eve of Thanksgiving 1993 shortly before Mike's 16th birthday. A church outreach group had set up a sidewalk kitchen nearby to feed the hungry. Mike took the children there for free sandwiches. So impressed were the volunteers with him and the polite youngsters that they began asking gentle questions. A dam deep inside Mike finally broke and his story spilled out.
Within days the church group was at work trying to find the family permanent shelter but no single foster home could take all 7 children. Advised that the family would have to be separated "for their own good" Mike adamantly refused threatening to disappear back into the jungle with the kids. The only person he trusted to keep the family together was his grandmother. Reluctantly he finally told her of their life for the past 8 years.
Stunned and horrified Mabel Bradley immediately agreed to take the children but the Los Angeles county social welfare system balked. Mabel was 66, retired and the children's grandfather was diabetic. How could the Bradley possibly cope with 7 youngsters? But Mike knew better. He hid the children and refused to negotiate any alternative except his grandparents. Finally the social workers and courts agreed and an ecstatic Mabel and Otis Bradley were granted permanent custody of the children. Somehow every child had survived unscathed. Nothing short of miracles it seemed. Mike unfathomable strength and love had kept them together.
Mabel has since returned to work and now willingly commutes more than 100 miles away, while Otis cares for the children. Mike works, as many jobs as he can to help support the family but smart willing and honest as he is only minimum wage jobs are available. More than anyone he realizes the value of an education and is working on his GED.
His dream is to someday start a small company that can simultaneously employ the counsel street kids like himself who are without the traditional education. And skills to make it in a normal work world but who don't want to be forced back to street life because they can't find work.
Mike also dedicated to reaching other inner city kids through his music. A talented singer and songwriter, he wrote inspirational rap with his own unique message of hope. Having seen so many kids die in his young life he wants desperately to reach those who might live. "Surviving is against the odds but it happens and we have to get that message out. If a thousand people hear me and 2 kids don't get shot, don't deal, don't die then we've done something."
There is little time to sing right now though for Mike and his family are still struggling themselves. But Raf, Amber and Chloe are now stepping proudly into Mikes' big shoes to do their part at home. They are the 3 oldest street babies he raised and taught to live with courage and hope.
The remember well all of Mike's words, whispered fiercely to them over and over during the bad times, during the many moves when each time they had to leave every thing behind: " Whatever you have...be grateful for it! Even if you've got nothing. Be grateful you're alive! Believe in yourself. Nobody is stopping you. Have a goal. Survive!"
Mike Powell will have his company for street kids someday. And there will be time later for the rest of his dreams too. Mike is, after all only Nineteen.
Paula McDonald


*source:http://www.nsd.wednet.edu/sre00/bbweb01go/lfweb/hero_of_the_hood.htm

This story is REAL. It was originally a feature article in the Readers' Digest Magazine in 1997.You can see for yourself in this link:http://paulamcdonald.com/work3.htm


Mike Powell won the America’s Award in 1998, a national award known as “The Nobel Prize for Goodness.” No one could have deserved it more. (its a fact dat has been extracted frm the link above)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Loving and Forgiving..


Just a story i wanna share with all of you..
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all.


It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital. He died. The mother was stunned! She was terrified how she was going to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.



QUESTIONS:


1. What were the five words?


2. What is the implication of this story?


ANSWER:


The husband just said "I am with you Darling".



The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behaviour. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he hadtaken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No one is to be blamed.Shehad also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world."A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.


MORAL OF THE STORY:


This story is really worth reading. Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame,whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way, we miss out some warmth in human relationship.
This story was e-mailed to me from my mother and i reposted it here so u all are able to read it..

Saturday, November 10, 2007

A Walk in KL




Today i started my day by waking up at 6.30 am.. to tell you the truth, i actually set my alarm clock to buzz me awake at 6 am.. but i have no idea why it didn't ring.. hmmm.. maybe its because i was too tired till i din hear it.. (played choh tai di with my bro till 1.30 am last night.. shhhh) so my mom had to bash into my room n yell.. "WAKE UP OR YOU"LL BE LATE FOR THE TRIP!!" this morning.. well, she has always been the best alarm clock i had since the day i was born.. hahaha... n yeah.. i went for a trip today too.. to KL.. Kuala Lumpur.. the heart of my country.. Malaysia..


The trip however was a last minute thing.. my teacher had announce the details about the trip for the past weeks but i've took no notice of it.. then last tuesday, a friend of mine told me that many of my friends were going for the triped.. i was dumbstrucked.. serves me right for not paying attention.. guess i was day dreaming.. hahaha.. and there were no ways to confirm a place for me in the trip.. luckily a friend decided she didn't wanna go.. so i replaced her in the trip.. i owe u big time Chew Hong!! so at 8 am, my friends and i (with some other girls i don't know) started our bumpy journey to KL in a bus..


Our first stop is the KL tower... so there we visited the Petrosains.. a science gallery... we arrived early.. before it was even open.. so all of us gotta wait outside.. hehehe.. and took pictures..

hahaha.. those hands.. the 5 of us..
from the left is... oh no.. i have no idea.. erm.. hahaha.. i think its Kiki (Jo Lin), me, Kayel, Teressa and Mei Yi.. did i get it right guys?? hahaha.. we were bored.. standing outside.. we put our hands one each on printed hand prints outside at the price notice board.. swt..




well, finally when we got inside, we had to line up.. while waiting for the "Dark Ride" that would take us inside the gallery, we spotted a cute boys.. he was with his mom visiting the Petrosains.. his name is Aaron.. they aren't Malaysians.. They're from Austria.. according to his mom.. he's so shy.. and cute.. we were all admiring him.. then we had to part when they went off to ride in the "Dark Ride".. sniff..





cameras weren't allowed when we ride the "Dark Ride" to the science gallery.. we were the noisiest group.. the 5 of us.. Kiki was so hyper that she was the most noisy one among the 5 of us.. haha.. its slow.. but we made noise as if we were riding a roller coster.. hahaha..



then we arrive at de gallery.. n there.. we met little Aaron.. We asked his mom if we could take pictures.. Aaron was shy n he didn't wan to.. his mom told him but he didn't want.. his mom nearly scolded him but thankfully she didnt because we told her its ok if he doesn't wan.. whoa.. so i took out my camera.. deciding to take a picture of him when he isn't lookin.. but then.. he spotted me and the camera.. yeah.. caught in action.. i was expecting him to run away n cling to his mom but he posted.. hahahaha.. so i took pics larh.. since he's giving the chance.. then we also took pics with him..





satisfied.. we made our way through de gallery without him.. sniff sniff... oh well... at least there's pictures.. hahaha...

the 5 of us.. Kiki, Teressa, Kayel, Mei Yi and I came across something very interesting.. look..











we multiplied... hahahah.. jz kidding.. they're mirrors.. cool huh? below, up, and side ways.. mirrors.. so i think u got de picture.. hahaha..

Our trip didn't jz ended here.. we went to the Eye on Malaysia.. now.. i'm betting many of you don't know what on earth is the Eye on Malaysia.. its a Ferris Wheel that was just recently opened in Taman Titiwangsa in Ampang...


it is said that this wheel is the LARGEST in South East Asia.. but honestly.. it didn't look large to me.. haha.. till i went up HIGH to de Skies with it.. blekk.. one gondella or if that is the tiny "baskets" thingy.. i have no idea what is it called.. can fit the maximum of 8 ppl.. haha.. but we had 7 in our cell.. somebody said we can only ride for 1 round which disappointed me but thankfully the information is wrong.. because we rode for 6 rounds.. hahaha...
















kiki took double to make de pictures even.. hahah..






and when we were high up.. GREAT view of KL dude.. hahaha...
that's the twin tower (KLCC) and the KL tower.. Malaysia's most prized possesions.. it was raining.. the window of the gondella are wet.. sniff..




and then the trip came to the end.. i went home.. and start my blog.. this is my 1st entry.. i hope its not bad.. hahah.. now actually having headache.. but i'm just too excited to post something.. hahahaha...