2 N 2, 2 Get Her

The Star reported yesterday, quoting Harian Metro that a 60-year-old man left his family to follow his 30-year-old woman back to Indonesia.

The man even sold off his car so that he could afford to purchase the ferry ticket back to the woman’s hometown.
His son, a Khairul, said his father had become very close with the woman in the past few weeks.

Prior to the father's being introduced to her, they used to enjoy being in a good family relationship but all's changed when the father get to know her.
The family did not rule out that the woman is using black magic on him, as he had never once acted as he's acting now - His father last contacted the family via an SMS message. He told them that he had quit his job and asked them not to look for him as he was going to Indonesia.
A police report had since been made by the family at the Kapar police station in Klang.

Now, this reminds me of an incident when I was about to go to Tanjong Katong Complex.

While I was about to cross the road junction with other pedestrians at the Lion City Hotel to the complex, one pedestrian from the opposite road at the traffic light of Tanjong Katong Complex, hurriedly crossed the road when the green man appeared.

The said pedestrian, an Indonesian lady, zoomed into the old man who stood in front of me. She outstretched her right arm to pull and shake the right hand of the man, around 60 years old.
The man, all the while, stood in front me that I had full view of what the late 20s or early 30s Indonesian lady was doing to the old man.

"Apa khabar pak?" She asked his well being as her left arm quickly gripped his full waist from behind.

The incident shocked me that I stopped to cross the road.
The old man with a puzzled face, followed her to sit at one of the bench in front of Lion City Hotel. They sat closed to each other. Very, very close.

The mysterious lady, he, in her arm, all ears with what she's whispering to him and I stood at the same spot, speechless looking at what was happening.
There's many passers-by, all to each his own. Who can I relate to, to what I had just seen.

The lady knew I kept watching her with the 'pitied man', who lost touch with his surrounding.
All he could focused was her, her, her.
I stood there for quite sometime, and all those time the man never turn his head to look straight, left or right. He looked down, engrossed with her conversation.

I left the scene with a heavy heart.
I did not go to Tanjong Katong Complex thinking of the lady who had left a bad impression of her fellow citizens in Singapore.

Mr Lee, My Father And I

"The first thing you learn as a small country is to act small and humble. You go around telling people, they say you are out of your depth, you don't understand my problems. So we keep our mouth shut unless we are asked." 

I heard these statements in the 7am news.
It rings in my ears and I think, will stay there for a very long time.

Nothing is more than the truth as what was said by  Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
That's what I've been practising, or put it into practise although occasionally there's slip of the tongue or just had to trash things out.

We are in foreign land, we can only look, see, feel and taste any bitterness that comes along our way.

******

Pride is very difficult for a normal being to do away with.
Live with ignorance... Yes.
But to live without pride?
Pride travels as far deep as into the jungle: A ______ of lion.

******

Mr Lee was then speaking at the 20th annual conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association on the theme "Climate Change And Legal Practice" at the Marina Sands Convention Centre.

He does not think much will come out from the next round of talks in Cancun, as long as countries like the US, China and India keep to their stand on the issue although it is something that has real consequences many years down the road.
Even as the climate change talks last year weren't a complete failure, no country could commit itself.
No one could commit to reduce a percentage of carbon footprint although all cards are on the table.

The Chinese and the Indians would also not want to commit themselves.
There's more dilly-dallying internationally.
Every country focus on its own internal problems.
Everybody are into a very difficult, messy situation.
The governments in power promise the people a better life…
So the idea of taking tough action now against putting off to the future generation.
The result is - "Let's put it off and talk about it."

That's Mr Lee Kuan Yew...
I live with what he visualise, he did, and ... ALL FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

******

I was very, very small when there's a  'barongan'  to welcome his visit to where I was staying then - Not too faraway from Izhar's house, one of the  'Black Dog Bone's'  member.

All I can say is that Mr Lee Kuan Yew is a very, very, very far sighted Prime Minister.
There's just too much father figure in him.

Until today, I see My Father in him.

******

My Father came to Singapore not out of poverty, but to seek knowledge.
He saw the Dutch that with knowledge they prosper.
Manipulating their knowledge in business, they monopolise trade in Indonesia and later colonise the country.

On My Father's journey to Singapore with his cousin, he saw many Japanese in Batam.
Japanese left their mark in Batam with a place called Nagoya - My Father learn to read, write and speak Japanese.

After the war, he married my Mother, who was 15 then, and still schooling.

She's The Only Girl in the school who's still attending class until 16.

The cousin, who hailed with him together from Kaliwungu, Kendal, adjourned to Johor where he became landlord, making and renting out houses.

When My Father was offered a piece of land in Johor by his cousin, My Father, though tempted, he had to refuse the land.
He priorotise the education of his eight children.
Ironically, as much as He valued education, I am the least schooled among the eight children.

******

Too far sighted Mr Lee Kuan Yew was then, that he saw all Singaporeans: en-mass.
I lagged behind.
Thank GOD, because of the lagging behind that I ventured out of the study world.

******

My Husband is also the product of not fitting into the local education system.
The only English-schooled Son in the Chinese educated family, His Malay language added many numbers to His aggregate, although He's an "A" student where schooling is concerned.

When all his Chinese childhood friends went to Australia, UK, US and Canada after their GCE, the only place he could venture out to further his education was, across the Causeway - to Stamford.

His Tailor Father who hailed from Kwantong (GuanDong), China, seemed resigned to fate - Whatever will be, will be.

My Husband could only console himself when he met one of his buddy, directing vehicles, trafficking himself in the middle of the busy Jalan Meldrum, JB, in his smart attire.
The good buddy was supposed to still furthering his study in UK then, but his mind just snapped.
Many years later, he was still stationing himself in the middle of Jalan Meldrum or Jalan Ah Fook, as usual, in his immaculate dressing: clean polo t-shirt, tucked neatly into his pressed slack, leather belt and clean sports shoes.

******

Did My Father conform to His Father's wish? No.
My Grandfather wanted him to attend to his many acres of land but He chose to venture into a new, alien territory.
He was back to his home-village several times or there's always money to be sent home.
I was with Him when He went back to his village to subdivide his land among his living siblings.

By then, My Grandfather had already passed away but, Mr Lee Kuan Yew is still alive.

Did the current PM, follow his father's way of how Singapore should be run? No.
I remembered when Mr Lee Hsien Loong had just become a PM,
he stressed, "... it's ok to have a bit of rubbish here and a bit there. It's ok for the shrubs to be a bit overgrown or not trimmed..."
That's not exactly his sentence, but that's roughly what's being said.

Is the current PM bring up his children as he was being brought up? Neither.

I do not turn out as what My Father expected his children to be, but yes. I wish My Children to be an observant servant to THE CREATOR and Somebody whom the society can rely on, GOD Willing.

***Thanking My Late Father And Mr Lee Kuan Yew For Their Far Sightedness That My Husband And I Are Together. 

*Life is full of irony. I'm now living not far from where My Father's cousin had wanted My Father to build a house then.

*Before my last visit to My Father's homeland a couple of years ago, I visited My Father's cousin a day before the departure.
He wept claiming how fortunate My Late Father, even after He's no more alive, His Children do return to where Their Father came from.
- Since the 2 of them left home, the cousin had never set foot again back to his hometown.

-10 minutes after I left My Father's cousin's house with his latest photographs to be shown back to his family in Kaliwungu, Kendal, Indonesia, I was called back to the house - he passed away.
Mission accomplished?

******

***Late posting as there's sudden black-out starting at 6.58pm when I was halfway doing this until 9.46pm when we were out having dinner. The  black-out  stretched 6 miles away.           

How Healthy Is Your Internet Connection?

Last weekends, lives in my house came to a standstill. For 2 days, the internet service provider, streamyx, was down.  

Of all days, it was the d-day for Selangor. 

My Son contained his frustration with SMSes and sports channels but my Husband, pity his soul. An ardent reader, he has to read papers everyday. It used to be, besides the daily Star and The Sun, he counter balance his readings with Singapore Straits Times and The New Paper. But since dailies went online, Star is only bought on Tuesdays because of the InTech section. Both Father and Son were restless as they have to be online to complete their necessary assignment.

I called up enquiring about the seminar I was to attend at UTM (University Technology Malaysia) last Sunday. The organiser was scrambling with internet connection as they only knew about the 'interruption' a couple of days before the event and it's too late to call it off. 

Thank God, the seminar went smoothly without any hiccups to the switched connection. In the seminar, Nuaeman, a local full time blogger and an Internet Marketer, shared his experience how the local internet connection greatly affected his health. Others, consoling themselves, have to accept that at any years, the local connection is always 5 years behind time. They did not want to be another Nuaeman. 

The next couple of days, I knew my Husband was red eyed reading 'More Than Half Of Singapore's Homes And Offices Should Have Access To Faster And 'CHEAPER BROADBAND' By The End Of The Year'. 

Yes, even right now, he's paying more than the neighbour but with slower connection than them. This year end? It's better not to think about it. Not another Nuaeman again. 

But as I read 'Tech Trouble Causing Computer Stress Syndrome' today, I can now somehow visualise the link between internet and health of my Husband, my Son, Nuaeman, and the rest of the technology seminar participants.

 

The Children Story - Guardians, March Off To Parenting Rehabiliation Prison!!!

This Boy Had Rippled Some Of The Singapore Radio Station. 
 

He is a 4 year old staying with his parents in Malang, Indonesia. The parents, Mulud Riadi, 52, and his wife Moedjiati, 41, encouraged his smoking habit.
Despite his age, the child is a chain smoker and is proficient in swearing - habits instilled in him by his parents.
The boy's case came to light with a video on YouTube showing him puffing on a cigarette. The footage has since been removed for violating the website's rules.



The boy's parents said he began smoking when he was 19 months old, when Mulud, the father, claimed to have found him "enjoying a cigarette wrapped in a corn husk".
When asked where he got the cigarette, he said someone had given it to him - according to the father - but none of the neighbors said they'd given him any cigarette.
Mulud said the boy had since smoked regularly, and would throw a fit and start swearing when asked by his parents to stop.

The Indonesia's child protection services, had previously wanted to have the boy taken away to Jakarta for rehabilitation by the National Commission for Child Protection. The commission initially planned to place him under the custody of the Social Services Ministry in Jakarta for treatment, but later opted not to take the 4-year-old boy from his parents.
The commission head, Seto Mulyadi had met with Mulud and Moedjiati at their home in Malang to discuss the rehab program for their son. The couple refused to let the commission seek help for the boy after a 15-minute talk. Instead, they "promised" to protect the child from the negative impacts of "the surroundings", with the help of Harianto, 23, who for some reason is regarded as the infant's "best friend".
Seto said the environment the boy was growing up in were not so bad that he couldn't slowly be weaned of his habit, adding there was thus no urgent call to bring him to Jakarta.
He urged everyone to change their views about the child.
"The child is the victim in this case of abuse by adults. The negative influence in his environment should also be categorized as abuse, mostly psychological."


Seto said the case should prompt the government to immediately enforce the anti-tobacco law.
"The law should provide a ban on cigarette companies from advertising in the media," he said.
"This should help reduce the number of children who take up smoking."
He added the 4-year-old had a "normal psychological profile".
Indonesia's children between the ages of 4 and 9 made up about 1.9 percent of the total population of smokers, according to Seto, as was reported in The Jakarta Post/ANN, published April 7, 2010. 

******

This said article is already heart wrenching enough...

2 similar scenarios added up...

John Tung Foundation, an organisation to promote the Respect for Life and Health for All in Taiwan had launched a nationwide search to hunt down a man who encourages a child, believed to be below three years old, to smoke and drink.


The Taiwanese have pledged to catch the middle-age man and bring him to book for his "unforgiven misconduct".
Its Tobacco Hazard Prevention Section chief Lin Ching-li said members would inform the Department of Health of the man's behaviour. They would also seek help from the Ministry of the Interior to hunt him down, China Times, published April 26, 2010, reported.

The exposure of two video clips about him giving a cigarette and beer to the boy he carried in his arms, sparked outrage and anger in Taiwan - the clips were uploaded to the island's popular website Wu Ming Xiao Zhan.
In the video, the man was seen offering a cigarette to the child as several others surrounding them helped to block the wind and lighted up the cigarette.
The man then asked the boy to show the "audiences" how to flick off the ash.
He also gave a can of beer to the boy and asked him to drink it - It was obvious that the man is not the child's father as he had asked the boy to call him Ah Pek (uncle).

******

Now,
NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PENT UP FEELINGS IN ME!!!

When Money In Hand...

Today's news in the paper is about Ms Tan Soon Kim, 28, a former principal who pocketed nearly S$19,000 from the PAP Community Foundation Education Centre Bishan branch.
She pleaded guilty to 3 charges of forgery for the purpose of cheating and was jailed for 20 months on Wednesday for criminal breach of trust and forgery.
She had since returned S$12,000 to PCF.

Ms Tan reminded me of a teacher, Ina, whom I had to take over from her, her class in mid-January, more than 15 year ago.
Unlike Ms Tan who misappropriated S$13,269 between February and December 2008; and S$3,836 between January and February 16 last year, Ina's 'takings' was unaccounted for.
The school management's check with parents showed that Ina had been misusing or misappropriating school fees payment for about a year.
Those were the years before GIRO payment went full swing in the school.

The monthly fees of S$45 per student in a class of sometimes up to 40 students added up... Wow wee!!!
She's the form teacher of 2 classes...

The Senior Teacher knew of those parents who were prompt with fees and other payments.
These parents had been sending one by one of their children to study in the same school as their siblings.
The Senior Teacher's 'friendly' phone calls to these parents, enquiring of what's lacking and needed to be done to upgrade the system, led to the 'answers' why suddenly some of these prompt payers suddenly lagging in their children's fees.

Ina was called up by the management to settle whatever monies belonging to the school within 24 hours or police will be informed.
Her brother returned S$1,700 to the school, as was instructed by Ina.
That was her last day and she continued working in another school, a government school.

Picking up the pieces where Ina had left in Mid-January was a nightmare.
A lot of rechecking and rerecording of the attendance registers needed to be done.

Most parents when called up, claimed to have paid the January and December fees but I had only S$3,600 in hand. Added with the returned S$1,700, the sum did not tally to the amount of S$7,200.
When these parents pressed for the receipt of payments that they made through Ina, I had to beat around the bush so as not to let them smell the rat, lest they lost faith in all the teachers.

While Ms Tan used the money to repay her father's debts, Ina used the money to support her lifestyle.
I had always reminded her, a newly married then, who had just bought a house, it's better to sleep soundly in a sparsely furnished home than having nightmare sleep in a fully furnished home.
Alas, she chose the latter.

The Food Story - Towards The Closure Of The Lethal Rojak Episode

Mr Sheik Allaudin Mohideen, 70, the man at the centre of the Indian Rojak food poisoning, will be charged in court next month, May 11, on three counts of selling food unfit for human consumption, failing to keep his chopping board and his fridge tray clean.

Singapore's worst incidences of food poisoning in recent years saw two women died and more than 150 people became ill after eating food from Mr Sheik's stall at the Geylang Serai Temporary Food Market in April 2009.
A coroner's inquiry into the incident in February recorded a verdict of misadventure.

Mr Mohideen is resigned to having his licence suspended. He now spends his days at home in his Eunos flat waiting for the authorities' decision, praying for the best.
In a joint statement of the National Environment Authority (NEA) and the Ministry of Health said investigations into the food poisoning incident had been completed. They said they had found food and environmental hygiene lapses at the stall, and that they would take Mr Allaudin to court.

******

Was that an honest mistake? I doubted. His negligence claimed 2 lives and an unborn child.
Rats to be blamed? They thrive where there's food to consume but we can take steps not to let the rodent, some as big as cats, live with us.

The tragedy has given Indian Rojak a bad name, customers stay away from other Indian Rojak stalls and other rojak sellers' income were badly affected.

The Taxi Story - You Are Not Alone

Cabbies live from hand to mouth
With reference to the letter "Cabbies have a hard time making a living," (Sunday Star, April 11), the writer was spot on that the average income of taxi drivers range from RM1,500 to RM1,800 per month.
  In my presentation to the Malaysian Productivity Corporation in 2008, I have worked out that their average income range from RM1,117 for those working 24 days a month to RM1,717 for those working everyday.
  Since then, there has been an increase in metre rates for budget taxis by 32% for distance travelled and 114% for time clocked.
  The numbers of taxis on the road has also gone up after the fare increase in August 2009.
  I have been driving a taxi since June 2000 and will not recommend anyone who wishes to raise a family to choose it as their livelihood.
  In London, black cab drivers earn between RM42,000 and RM56,000 a month.
  A Finnish taxi driver who was one of my passengers only has to work for 6 months and can afford to travel the rest of the year.
  Malaysian taxi drivers virtually live from hand to mouth and is best described by a Malay proverb "Kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang".
  Taxi drivers tend to splurge during good months instead of saving for rainy days.
  They suffer a double whammy when they have to pay a major mechanical or accident repairs coupled with the loss of income.
  As such, they are easy prey for loan sharks.
  Once they fall behind in payments for rental purchase to the taxi company or hire purchase to the bank and with Ah Longs breathing down their necks, their struggle for survival will unfortunately be at the expense of the unlucky passengers.
  However, it is still wrong to lump all taxi drivers in the same boat, as the public tend to treat them, including the honest ones, with scorn.
  Caring passengers like the writer from Penang can induce them to provide a better service.
  One of the reasons why enforcement of errant taxi drivers has not been effective seems from the fact that CVLB paints all taxi drivers with the same stroke.
  The CVLB director was reported to have said "If they are budak baik (good boys), we don't need to come up with the sticker rules".
  They should instead target the unscrupulous drivers who are like touts who park their taxis by the roadside at popular areas such as KLCC in Kuala Lumpur.
  Some taxi drivers who station their cars near nightspots are opportunistic pimps.
  Used to earn easy money, they also tend to fix the fare at several times more than the rate to rip off passengers.
  CVLB does not have to take measures against all the 31,000 taxi drivers.
  Their 100 enforcement officers are more than sufficient to catch the hard cores operating in full view of the public.
  Publicising specific actions taken against errant taxi drivers through various newspapers will be an effective deterrent for the rest of the cabbies to fall in line.

YS CHAN,
Kuala Lumpur               

******

This writing in views section of 'Star' newspaper last Tuesday 13th, really caught my attention.

Having many neighbours and family friends who are taxi drivers, his views are the general cabbies' grouses and their wives' woes. There's never enough to feed their families even with the men driving 18 hours a day all year round.
I've yet to meet a cabbie who entitled himself a day off on a weekly basis.

Mr YS Chan, with his 10 years experience as a taxi driver, wrote his working journeys well and me, who's depending on taxis for more than 20 years journey in JB town, will classify him as the few rare drivers who can elevate the profession to the next level.
I've came across few drivers, who admitted being degree holders with no job opportunity after years of applying.
Reading YS Chan's writing reminds me of a  Singapore scientist from China  turned taxi-driver, and I did read in Singapore's Straits Times, many years back, about a pilot turned taxi-driver too.

Not all cabbies are  'unscrupulous drivers'  and not all passengers treat cabbies as 'scorns'.
Cabbies are humans with  feelings  too, topped with their unfair share of problems and 'struggle for survival'. Some of them just need 'ears' for them to be understood.
If they are heard, if the general drivers' views are seen, if the authority do not see them as collective, then the public's collective perception of seeing cabbies as opportunists will vanish as most taxi drivers just want to earn the 'honest RM by providing their best service'.