Rare disease.

I think I'm sick.

As a writer,
I read maybe more than 10,000 words a day.

Starting from 9am (on weekdays) till night,
my eyes will scan through, stare at and
speed read words. A lot of words.

So much so, by the time I reach home
at night. I feel so resistant to see, read or
even just catch a glimpse of ANY WORDS.

Which explains why I am so un-inspired to blog.
I don't even feel like typing, because I'll need to read what I typed.

I'm sick.
Hope this sickness goes away soon.
I make a living through words.

Help.

This is it.

This is my 200th post!
I made it. I persevered.

Perseverance pays.
A little like relationships sometimes.
First, you wait. --- Suffer like H-E-L-L
Then, you get together. --- Enjoy. But not for long.
Then, you stay on. And on. And on.
--- Suffer long time. Enjoy long time.

Spoke to my office receptionist this morning
while walking to the pantry to take water.

"My dear! You got engaged?" -- pointing at my ring.
"Haha... Yeah." -- nervous laughter, I'm so not used to this!

"I never had that, my father arranged my marriage." (She's Indian)
"He rushed everything..."

This is how he did it for her.
"First wednesday, the guy side came over." (To discuss marriage terms)
"Second wednesday, our side went over."
"Third wednesday, I finally met him."
"Fourth wednesday, we're married. One month only. Very fast."

Hhmmm... I wonder why Wednesdays ah. So weird.

Anyways, she never 'suffered' nor 'enjoyed' the waiting, and courtship.
I suffered... but now I enjoy. =)

Thank goodness my God and my father is not like her father.
Wouldn't want to rush these things.
They are meant to last for a lifetime.

A pat on my back. Yay.
So proud of myself.

When life gives you lemons, STARE.

Cravings for corn-in-a-cup led fiance and I

to the SS2 night market yesterday.

We ended up buying more than just corns.

While walking back to the car,

with my hands full, holding onto food and drinks,

a bunch of people suddenly pushed against me from the back.

Fiance was walking pretty far in front.

And I was left behind.

Suddenly, I felt my handbag being tugged.

Sensing something was amiss,

my immediate reaction was to turn around.

And stare.

Not even looking at anyone else from the group,

I stared at just one lady with a ponytail.

Time stood still for few seconds,

then suddenly she held up her right hand,

showing me her palm, she told me

in a strong china-chinese accent:

“我的手没有拿东西啊！”= "See, my hand's empty!"

WHAT THE... YOU THINK I'M STUPID OR WHAT?

It's like saying:

“此地无银三百两”= "I didn't steal anything"

I just kept staring at her,

while walking faster ahead to join fiance who's buying

sugarcane drink in front.

After she walked pass,

I told fiance,

"I almost got pickpocketed".

Reaching into my bag to check my belongings,

we discovered this (picture taken this morning):

It dawned onto us at that moment,

the severity of the whole event.

Her knife was so sharp,

it sliced through my bag (from front to back).

If I had placed my hand in front (I usually do),

it would have sliced my hand too.

My cut-opened DKNY bag contained:

RM130++ cash in purse
Two-week-old Sony Ericsson handphone
Handphone cover
House keys
Namecard holder
300ml water bottle
Office access card
Plaster

Pens

* Highlighted are my most priced possessions in bag.

MOMENT OF TRUTH

After rummaging through my bag,

I realised that I've lost nothing.

Nada. Zilch. Absolutely nothing was taken.

Praise the Lord.

After this episode,

remorseful fiance promised to walk beside me,

wherever I go.

Keep an eye on your belongings, ladies.
Try not to carry your bag when visiting

night markets or other crowded places.

And of course, don't ever underestimate

the power of a stare.

What's up?

This is gonna be a quick one.
In fact, I'm typing this because I need a breather.

After the engagement:
I've been swamped with work.

Plus:
Wedding plans are underway.
Editing the super blur proposal video is not easy
(yes, the whole 'Will You Marry Me' is recorded on a camera phone)
Renovations for the new house is up & coming .
(thank goodness I'm not the one who bought the house)
Money in the bank account takes forever to grow.

Argh! I cannot afford so many things at one time!


Conclusion:
Go ahead,
Get married.
Just don't go crazy doing that.

New name.

Well-deserving events that took place in February,
forced me to pen (er... type?) my thoughts down.
To pry into my not-so-secret experience, read on.

Since I was a baby, till I was about 15,
Chinese New Year's ang pow 'earnings'
get me around RM800 - RM1k++.

No thanks to George Soros,
since 1997, the ang pow 'market' plummetted to
a dismal average of RM600.
I even cried during 1998's CNY.
(Really, I did. I thought the end of the world was near).

This year, the tide has risen
(btw, so is the temperature of our mother earth).
My ang pow collection has once again reached the RM1k mark.
This is a good year.

=============================================================

Then, there's my birthday,
which took place on the 22nd.
What I won't forget would be my family's love.
+ SMSes of friends' birthday greetings.

=============================================================

Those were the highs.
But nothing beats the climax.
Just before the clock struck 12am on 22nd of Feb,
Bf decided not to be my bf anymore.

The result:
My fourth finger was introduced to a 'stone' called estrella.
And I'm engaged.

A new season of my life has just begun.
It's so daunting. So sudden. So overwhelming.
Yet so good.

I'm happy.
Fiancé, (ahem, notice the new identity) is happy.
Our parents are happy.

Hey! The world became a happier place now.
For now. =)

Hit it, Mr. DJ!

Lift up your hand.
Nod your head.
Repeat till dawn.
It's time to party, woohoo!

I'm going off for my Chinese New Year holidays.
Will be going back to the Land Below the Wind,
then to the Pearl of the Orient.

Ahh... can't wait.
My cravings for the steam groupers,
cheese crabs and deep-sea tiger prawns etc
are finally coming to an end.
Hallelujah!

Here's an early Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Gals. Keep it in.

Was eating sometime ago with a bunch of friends,
and the most unusual lunch topic came about:
Uterine prolapse - 子宫下垂

Uterine prolapse means
the uterus dropped from the pelvic into the vagina.
Mentioning it already sounds gross, can't believe we
were actually crazy enough to discuss it OVER LUNCH!

Anyway, the topic came about when I was telling my friends that
many women suffer from incontinence (losing control of the bladder,
e.g. accidentally wetting their pants, need to constantly pee etc).

And these women often think it comes with old age,
and it doesn't have a cure.
WRONG! Sometimes can cure one.

But I think maybe they think it's shameful.
So, don't dare to voice out or consult doctor.

There are many causes of incontinence,
one of them is uterine prolapse. Other factors include:
pregnancy, childbirth, hysterectomy etc.

In average, women have a higher chance of
getting this than men.

I heard many older women lock themselves in the house because
jumping, laughing, coughing or standing up after sitting down
can cause them to accidentally pee in their pants.
And, not surprisingly, they're often a very depressed group of people.

So, if you're a relatively young female reading this,
prevention is better than cure.

A word of advice (from a medical knowledge-limited brain)
Practise 5 minutes of Kegel exercise per day.

Let me explain.
Kegel exercise is an exercise for the pelvic muscle.

This is what you do:
When you go pee pee,
try to stop the flow of urine.
Squeeze your pelvic muscle.
Loosen, relax and pee.
Squeeze again.
Loosen.
Till you finish your pee.
Easy peasy. This'll help strengthen your pelvic muscle.

Another point to note.
I heard that forcing out your poop or pee
can also cause uterine prolapse in the long run.
So, take your time. Don't rush!


Guys, this post is not so relevant to you.
But it's good to know. =)

Boredom kills the brain. Blogging revives it.

Yup. I'm bored.
Not that I've already finished my work. Nope. I haven't.
Just that the people I work with had already gone home.
In short, work can't proceed.

Why do I stay back and not go home?
Very good question.
I'm waiting for my chauffeur of many years.

The cheapest and the most expensive chauffeur.

Cheapest.
Because he asks for little to no pay.
And occassionally does the work of a masseuse
when I have a sore neck.
He can't cook but he brings me to the food.
So the monster within me won't punch my stomach lining.
Also, my chauffeur never complains of
listening to me rant about work.

Yet, he's the most expensive chauffeur I'll ever have.
Because he can't be bought with silver or gold.
In exchange, he demands my loyalty, my faithfulness,
my love and my companionship
- in other words, almost everything I have.

Bf, faster finish up your work lah.
I feel so hungry dy. =(



Lesson to be learnt
Blogging keeps the brain active.
But doesn't pacify the tummy.

I've never seen anything like this.

This dude is freaky. Must watch.

There's more.

Surprise.

This is my last day of work.
For year 2007.

Was supposed to go on leave 2 days from now.
But since I have annual leave left, might as well FINISH 'EM OFF!

So, WOOHOO PHEWEETT!
I'm free!
Holiday starts the moment I step out of the office.

Now, let me drain out my remaining '2007 brain juice'.
Need to finish everything on my desk.

Gulp. Late night tonight.

What's the meaning...

On the way to work this morning...

Bf: Let's go get breakfast.
Me: Ok.

Bf: This shop's 'siew mai' (steamed shrimp + pork dumpling) is not nice.
What do you wanna eat?
Me: Anything.

Bf: So, you want 'char siew pao' (pork bun)?
Me: No.

Bf: I thought you said "Anything?"
Me: (Silent)

Bf: What do you wanna eat?
Me: 'Siew mai'.

Car door opens.
I heard Bf mumbled in bewilderment,
"Argh... What's the meaning of 'Anything'?"

Haha. In this case, I also don't know.

Counting the days...

It's been months since I last saw my family.

My mum and I are those super 'emo' type of people.
Sometimes, we miss each other so much, that
over the phone,
I can hear her sobbing.
Of course, upon hearing that, I'll cry too.
Wanted so much to give her a hug. But can't.

Sigh.
But I sure can now!
In a few days, they'll be in KL.
It's like the best Christmas gift. Ever.

And yes.
I'll be taking leave to spend some quality time with them.
Now, I just have to pull through 4 more working days!

Four.
Less than a handful of days.
And I'll be reunited with my family.

When was the last time you see your loved ones?
I can't wait to see mine.
Can't wait.

Why I love Christmas - Part IV

He couldn't tie his shoelaces.
Nor could he feed himself.
But Alonzo Clemons can mold clay
into amazingly detailed animal figures -
they are correct in every detail.

Every fibre, every muscle is accurate.

Alonzo is an artistic savant.
"He was always trying to sculpt things as a child.
But I didn't realise what he was doing", says Alonzo's mother, Evelyn Clemons.

Suffering brain damage after a fall,
3-year-old Alonzo became severely disabled.
But even as a child, he can see a fast-moving image of an animal on tv,
and in less than 20 minutes, sculpt a perfect replica of that animal in 3D.
Only with his hand. 100% accurately.

According to experts, Alonzo, like other savants,
can't help but do what they do (e.g. some could resist counting).
In Alonzo's case, sculpting is a compulsion from his brain.
It's not a choice. He can't help but sculpt all the time.

Take a look at Alonzo here:




Pam Driscol, owner of Driscol gallery has been helping Alonzo manage his career
as an artist by getting his work featured in the World Premier.
This has increased Alonzo's self esteem tremendously.

The most famous piece from Alonzo is the
life-size bronze sculpture - Three Frolicking Foals.



Alonzo's artistic ability has sort of 'reclaimed' himself.
Now, he is an established artist.
His vocabulary has expanded,
he supports himself well by selling his sculptures.
and he is more and more comfortable socially.
Not only that, he now lives independently.

"God takes, but God gives so much in return, "says Mrs. Clemons.

Argh! I'm going crazy.
(Gasp! Maybe then I'll turn into a genius!)
These people are so amazing right?
I never knew they ever existed.

We live in such a breathtaking world.
Everyday, there are new opportunities to prove that.
There're such much that we don't know,
Things about our world. About this whole universe. About others. And ourselves.

Why I love Christmas - Part III

My friend finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Sat!
So happy for her.

Now, let's continue.
If you want to know the context of why I'm writing what I'm writing,
scroll down to read Part I & II before you read on.









In this post, I'd like to blog about
the most famous savant on earth - Kim Peek.

If you've watched the movie, Rain Man,
well, Kim Peek was the inspiration of that 1988 Oscar-winning movie.
I highly recommend that you watch it.

"I may be the star, but you are the heavens"
That's what Dustin Hoffman, the main actor of Rain Man said to Kim.
Dustin subsequently gave his Oscar statue as a gift to Kim.
That was also the movie which has changed Kim Peek's life.

Prior to the movie, Kim can never look at people's eyes when communicating with others.
After the movie, he's found the self esteem to look at people's eyes.

He was born on November 11, 1951.
He had an enlarged head,
an encephalocele (brain defect)
and an absent corpus callosum (the connector between the left and right brain)

Fran Peek, Kim's dad was advised to dump him in an institution,
and forget about him.
Because he's described as 'severely mentally retarded',
and will never ever be able to learn.

But Fran was determined to raise him up with his wife, nonetheless.
Kim did not walk until he was 4 years old.
But Fran said, at the age of 16 - 20 months,
Kim was already able to memorise every book that was read to him.

When he's slightly older, he was also obsessed with numbers and arithmetic.
He read the telephone directories, ZIP codes, calendars,
and enjoys totalling up the numbers on car no. plates.

His parents would move Kim's finger along each sentence being read.
Kim would then memorise a book after a single reading.
Then, he'll put it aside, upside down. So no one would read it to him again.
He still does that up to today.

The local library is Kim's favourite place in the world.
He reads up to 8 books in a day. And he reads at a phenomenal speed.
One page which takes you or I three minutes to finish,
Kim take 10 seconds.

That's because he reads the left page with his left eye.
And the right page with his right eye.
After reading, they tested his memory.
His brain retained 98% of the book.
He even remembers the page numbers correctly!

He's really good at calendar calculations.
If you tell him your birth date & year,
He can tell you this:
1. Significant events that happened on the day of your birth
2. The day which you were born on
3. The day on which your birthday will fall on that present year
4. The day which you will turn 65, so you can think about retiring

Today, he is called, "Kim-puter".
Or described as the "Walking Google".

He's now 56 years old.
And he's a genius in about 15 different subjects.
(To name a few, history, literature, geography, numbers,
sports, music and dates).
But he's still severely limited in other ways,
e.g. not being able to dress himself.

Here's a video about Kim:






After reading and posting about all these people,
I realised that many of them are highly at risk
of being aborted, dumped, given away or institutionalised (some of them did).

But because their parents (or either one of the parent)
refused to give up caring for them, God rewarded them by
giving amazing gifts to these children.
It must have taken a lot of courage to take these kids in.

Sometimes, I wonder,
"What would I do,
if God has given me a defected child?"

I have to admit,
I shuddered at the thought.
Christian or not, at this moment,
I still struggle to come up with an answer.

Why I love Christmas - Part II

Scroll down to read Part I if you haven't done that already.

Just so you know, my next few posts will still be about people.

Less than ordinary people.
People who makes me feel thankful for what God has given me.
People who helps me stop complaining.
People who humbles me.

Today, I'll talk about Ben Underwood.
His eyes are removed because of cancer 2 weeks before his 3rd birthday.
He has no guide-dogs.
He doesn't use a cane.
But he can see. With his ears.

Ben makes a short click sound that bounces back from objects.
Amazingly, his ears pick up the echo, letting him know where the objects are.
This ability is called echolocation,
the same skill that bats or dolphins have.

God is gracious.

For Ben, his eyes were taken away from him. But what was given back to him was another form of 'sight'.

Why I love Christmas - Part I

Met with a dear friend last night.
Merely few hours of meeting.
But I've brought home bucket loads of blessings.

My pregnant friend is going to pop anytime soon (most probably within the next few days).
Time flies amazingly fast.
I last saw her during her wedding end of last year.
And within the next few days, she'll be a mummy!

All of us, girls, fascinated by her bulging tummy,
gathered around to 'attempt' interaction with the 'soon-to-be-born' baby girl inside.

It was a great experience, feeling the movement inside a layer of skin.
Ahh... the human anatomy...
The genius of it... I can never comprehend.

Which brings me here to this 'partially-forsaken' blog.
Since Christmas is near,
I want to 'pen' (ahem, ok, type) down some thoughts about it.

I figured, what better way to start than to document on how I feel about my amazing God,
the creator of all things, the One who sent Jesus to die for us.

Yes, very religious I know.
But I can't help it. Shoot me.
My heart is just overwhelmed with thankfulness.

What inspired this post is my soon-to-be-mother friend,
But what pushed me to the point of no return to write this is - Leslie Lemke

Leslie was born prematurely in America, and was diagnosed with
glaucoma (optic nerve disease),
cerebral palsy (a disease that affects human development),
and brain damage.

His eyes had to be surgically removed in the first months of life.
And his birth mother subsequently gave him up for adoption.

A nurse named May Lemke adopted him when he was 6 months old.
She forced food down his throat because he doesn't know how to swallow,
and taught him how to make sounds so he could communicate.

When he was able, May literally strapped his fragile body to hers,
teaching him how, one step at a time, to walk.

She put his hands over hers as she played simple tunes on a piano she got for him.
And she sang to him.

7 years passed by, Lemke showed very little progress.
He made no sounds, shows no emotions, and little movements.

He first learnt to stand on his own two feet when he was 12 years old.
First step was taken when he was 15.

But, one day, when he was 14,
May Lemke woke up early in the morning,
when she heard someone playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 on the piano.

It was Leslie.
Someone who is blind, severely retarded, and can barely walk,
playing the musical piece from start to finish without any mistake.
He had only heard the piece once on television.

God's miracle, May said, came into full bloom that day.
From then on, Leslie was playing all styles of music.
He never had any piano lesson.
And all the music he played, he only heard them ONCE.

Today, he not only plays, but also improvises and composes.
He is identified as an autistic savant, though severely retarded, he'd shown that he too can create. If you've been watching the tv series, 'Heroes', I think Leslie is a hero with an amazing ability too.

May has passed away in 1993. But her daughter Mary continues to take care and cared for Leslie. Because May has vowed that Leslie will never be institutionalised, and he never was.

This is the most recent video that I can find of Leslie.
Accompanied by Mary in his performance.



Before she passed away, Morley Safer interviewed May and asked her how can Leslie do what he does. She said, "Well, I think, because the brain was damaged, a part of the brain — but the musical part — God left it perfectly healthy and beautiful so that Leslie could have a talent. And he got it!"

* A savant is a handicapped person who has skill(s) that would be remarkable even if they were to occur in a normal person. There are probably less than 100 savants described in this last century. Leslie is one in a billion.


I give praise to God for Leslie,
and I thank Him that you and I are born perfectly normal.

Beautiful Colour Blindness

I love this TVC. =)

Nada.

Can't believe I haven't posted in more than a month.
It's just so sucky. Trying to juggle between life, work, and well, everything.

But I'm alive.
So, it's just a matter of time for me to get back to this discipline.

It's a real comfort to know that there're still people clicking on this blog during my absence.
Faithfulness? Yeah. I think it is. Thank you.

Fight for kisses.

This ad is so cute! Must view.

Psst... I'm quite free. Which explains why so many posts are up today. Since chances like these don't come very often, thought I should fatten up my blog with more posts while I can. =)

Yum-mice

I think the pictures and title are quite self-explanatory.

Lesson to be learnt:
When dining in China, make sure they serve you real chickens.