A Fabulous Night at the Beach - 28/12/2007

This is a reunion night again for the class of L6F4. There were not many students attended though, but we all have a great night!

There were Min Yao, Ker Rey, Hung Keat, Song Cheng, Jiun Howe, Boon Teik, Chun How, Weng Khuin, Kok Hong, Yee Pin, Beng Hoong, Jian Yen, Rui Ming and I.

At first, we were having a barbeque with sausages, nuggets, chicken wings and drumsticks and some beef. There was a lot of fun sitting around the fire bush to roast the food we wanted to eat. A lot of chatting and teasing too! About the food, some of us get really sandy food as the sand stuck at the food. Sometimes, we either eaten uncooked inner part of food or we had the whole sausage, nugget or chickens toasted. Ha-ha.

After the barbeque, we felt really thirsty and suggested that Boon Teik and his friends go get some cold drinks for us. While they were gone, Min Yao, Hung Keat and Jian Yen sat beside the seaside and started talking about their own stories... They buried their feet in the sand and started their own little stories and sharing amongst them. How romantic is the scene... It was romantic because the atmosphere was filled with the spirit of friendship.

Lee Chong, Rui Ming, Beng Hoong, Yee Pin and I were walking to the beach and attempt to go to the deepest level in the sea. We tried to hold each other firmly because we do not want each of us suddenly drop into the deeper level. However, we were so scared until we grasped each other so tight and try the attempt of walking to the deeper level of the sea. A few of us, including me, suddenly drop to the deeper gap and we screamed. Ha-ha. Yee Pin was afraid that there was jelly fish out there waiting for attacking us. Ha-ha. How cute the thought of that! But undoubtedly, there will be jelly fish in the sea.

Boon Teik and his friends went to buy us some drinks at ten o’clock, but they were not coming back as we were hoping for them to bring us some cold drinks. At last, they came back at eleven o’clock.

After that, Yee Pin and Beng Hoong were building castle beside the seaside. How cute they are! And that was a really huge castle instead! Around the castle, there were the moat and an entrance door. Wow. I was amazed at what they built. We lit up fire on the corner of the castle and started taking pictures of the castle. And the castle just look... wow, amazing!

Min Yao, Yee Pin and I went back around eleven thirty. Jian Yen was following us because we wanted to go to the hawker stall and get something to eat as we were not full. We went to eat our supper after we sent Min Yao back home.

I went back around one o’clock in the morning.

It was a great night at the beach. I like the atmosphere. I like the castle. I like us being fun by walking to the sea. I like everything we had at the night. It was a great and awesome experience.

Thank you, dear L6F4. Thank you Yee Pin for fetching me. Thank you all so much.

Dear Diary, can you overcome the Hugging Taboo? Hmm..

A “hug survey” says 83 percent of us grew up getting less than one hug a day. Even if we won’t admit it, 99 percent of us want more hugs than we have been getting. Do you think this is a true-to-make statement for us, Asian?

A hug is a perfect way of immediately giving and receiving love from another human being. People need several hugs a day just to be psychologically “balanced.” The minimum, they say, is four hugs, just for maintenance, and the requirement for growth is twelve hugs!

The problem with hugging, however, is that in our culture physical contact between people who barely know each other is considered taboo, particularly when it is between men. Even though a hug is a nonsexual statement, it is still considered off-limits by some people.

Hugging is something that we can all respond to, once we get past the taboo. The experience usually surprises most people. The intimacy it instantly creates is warm and pleasant. Suddenly people who would otherwise never hug realize that they really do like giving and receiving this form of love.

In our advanced society, we need high touch to balance the high tech.

Sometimes, all we need is just a hug~

Dear Diary, do you DARE to hug?

Intuitively we all know that hugging feels good, dispels loneliness and overcomes fears. Therefore, it stands to reason that we should hug everyone, not just our best friends. However, in the conservative Asian countries, we do not hug each other in daily lives and that is not a likely thing to happen. To people in Asia, it brings meaning of “sexual” statement; whereas in the West, people do not think that hugging is a sexual thing towards each other and that is the thing which happens everyday in their lives.

Can you imagine a person tells you, “I can’t believe it, but I actually hugged the person I dislike most intensely!”

Remember that hugging is nonsexual. You aren’t making a sexual statement when you hug another person. You are making a statement about human love. Love/hug statements have a long tradition. Mark’s Scandinavian forefathers used the Norse word hugga, which meant to comfort, hold close and console.

Ask permission before you give a hug. Some people have been severely sexually and physically abused as children or as adults and may find hugging others a bit overwhelming or over stimulating in terms of their emotions, so it is always best to ask first. Ninety-nine percent of people will say yes if you ask (what I have been realized from a survey.)

So dare to hug. Go for twelve hugs a day. It is joyous and wonderful.

Dare to request a hug when you need one. The most aware parents, seeing a child in need of reassurance, take the initiative and say, “I need a hug.” The child now willingly gives and, even more importantly, receives. This mentally and emotionally refreshes and reinforces the young ones to move forward openly.

The Greatest Gifts on Christmas

The Best Gift

To your enemies, forgiveness
To an opponent, tolerance
To a friend, your heart
To a customer, service
To mankind, love
To every child, a good example
To husband, your love
To wife, your caress
To pets, a warmth house
To yourself, respect
To 2008, a fantastic life!

by Macus aka Anmaron

Dear Diary, Now i realized "Lessons chase us around the world!" Oh My God... Aye...

In Jill’s family, money was a dirty word. Her parents weren’t especially short of it, but she was embarrassed to ask for it, they didn’t want to share it and the whole family argued about it. She left home went to live in Barcelona ... and married a fellow who makes plenty of money but won’t give her any! When you step off the plane, your lessons are there to greet you!

Dear Diary, Maybe if I go to a new city, We can make a new start! Hmm...

Wrong! Usually, the best place to make a new start is where you are! Take Fred, who owes money to half the neighborhood. Fred says to himself: “Maybe I need to move!” But when he moves, he’ll take his thoughts and habit patterns with him – and they are what shape his life. Fred changes cities and attracts the same situations, and another bunch of angry creditors.

If you are a spendthrift, and you migrate to Argentina, you’ll still be a spendthrift. The best advice to Fred: “Before changing your address, consider changing your thinking!”

Are you Evil?

It isn’t scientifically proven and it hasn’t been featured on TV. Here’s a fun quiz to gauge your potential for badness (*the evil scale). Prepare yourself for the end result...

1. At the grocery store, you look as a stranger suddenly slips on a wet spot and falls down hard. You:
a) Keep silent, but feel guilty, because you didn’t tell anyone about the wet spot earlier
b) Rush over and ask, “Are you okay?”
c) Smile, because it was you who hid the “Caution: Wet floor” sign
d) Laugh out loud

2. Someone suddenly cuts your lane on the highway. You:
a) Get upset that Malaysians are such bad drivers
b) Are not bothered
c) Follow them, shout a few harsh words out of your car window and swerve your car into their lane
d) Throw up the middle finger and speed off

3. You’re at the mall and you see someone drop a RM 50 bill. You:
a) Take the money and donate it to charity
b) Pick it up and give it to the person
c) Look around to see if anyone saw it fall, pick it up and quickly walk the other way
d) Take the money and treat your friends to drink

4. When you’re plotting revenge on someone, how do you feel inside?
a) I feel like a terrible person for even thinking about revenge
b) I don’t “plot revenge” on people. I forgive them with my whole heart
c) Cool, calm, collected. Someone’s going down
d) Excited! Revenge sounds like a lot of fun!

5. You just finished shopping, and have about RM 5 left in change. You pass by a homeless person as you make your way to the car. You:
a) Give them a few coins, but keep the rest
b) Give them the RM 5 change
c) Reach into your pocket, rustle through the change and as the homeless person’s eyes light up, you just pull out your car keys and walk away smiling
d) Walk by and pretend not to notice them

6. If a friend confides you about an embarrassing crush, you:
a) Keep it a secret
b) Keep it a secret, unless you suspect it’s mutual, in which case you will play match-maker and set them up
c) Go after the crush yourself. All is fair in love and war
d) Tease him/her about it, preferably with the crush around

7. If someone puts you in charge of babysitting a two-year-old for the day, you will teach him/her:
a) A new word
b) To be obedient for as long as they live
c) How to manipulate people. Why not start them young?
d) To throw food at people’s faces

For every question, give yourself:
2 points for answer (a)
1 point for answer (b)
4 points for answer (c)
3 points for answer (d)

Scale of Evil
7 – 10 NOT EVIL. You, evil? You are an angel, and should apply for the Nobel Peace Prize.

11 – 18 A LITTLE EVIL. You commit the odd crime here and there, but there is nothing to be worried about.

19 – 24 QUITE EVIL. If you are not careful, you could find yourself in jail next month.

25 – 28 SUPER EVIL. You shouldn’t be on the loose. You are evil!
Ha-ha... How is the test for you? Don’t take it too hard.. It is just a test!

Dear Diary, here comes story Number 2..

MY BOSS IS A CREEP. IT’S NOT MY FAULT – HE NEEDS TO STOP BEING A CREEP! (SO WHAT’S MY LESSON?)
While you remain convinced that your boss is a certified creep, he’ll be a creep. And it’s OK to think he’s a creep. At the point you choose to change – e.g. focus on his good points, stop judging him, and even empathize a little – the problem will evaporate.

***********************************************************
How, you say? There are a thousand possibilities...
a) He may respond to your change of attitude and begin to open up,
b) He may be transferred to another department,
c) You may get another job,
d) He may get another job,
e) You may get to like the guy. (Really!)
How often do we befriend people who, initially, we couldn’t tolerate?

When you change, your situation changes. It is law. You don’t have to figure out how it will happen. Your transformation alters your circumstance. But your change must be genuine. You say: “I’ll put up with Fred but I still know he’s a jerk!” But that isn’t a major transformation on your part!

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? As long as it takes you to change.
WHY DON’T I JUST LEAVE THIS JOB NOW? You can do that. But chances are you’ll find yourself working for another creep – it’s all part of the great cosmic curriculum!

Dear Faithful Diary, I will tell you story 1 first...

"MY EX HUSBAND IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT!"
Divorcing someone doesn’t mean our class with them is over. If the marriage is finished, but we’re still blaming them for our misery and our mortgage, we are still hooked to them! We remain linked because there is more to learn.

You say: “But the guy is a turkey! I could do anything, but forgive him!” Forgiving him probably would be the hardest thing – and it’s probably something you are not good at – so you are getting a chance to practice it. You can postpone the class, but if you want your life (and your health) to improve, you’ll have to take it sometime. While we believe that someone is ruining our life, that belief will make it true for us. It might seem like they are in the way of our happiness. Actually it’s us in the way – because we choose how we see people.

Dear Growing Diary, can you do anything but not letting me write on you?

I could do anything but that!!!!
We usually want to postpone our most important lessons. We might look at our rocky relationship with our mother and say: “After all the nasty things she has said, I could do anything but love her.” Right! You probably could do almost anything but that right now. That is why it is your lesson. Growth is about breaking new ground!

If you have any conflicts with your parents, siblings, or even best pals. Just forgive them for not understanding you.. and just for that moment... Forgive them...

And appreciate everyone besides you. Don't wait until when they are not on this earth, then you come to regret it. DON'T!

Tell you what, PLEASE break the new ground to do something you can't do. I felt heartbroken to hear about friends' problems and sometimes tear drops are falling and felt the sorrow in deep.

Dear Lovely Diary, let me tell you what i think... [Listen to me!!! Edgy Diary~]

We are not here to be punished. We are here to be educated. Every event has the potential to transform us, and disasters have the greatest potential to change our thinking. ACT AS IF EVERY EVENT HAS A PURPOSE AND YOUR LIFE WILL HAVE PURPOSE. Figure out why you needed an experience, conquer it, and you won’t need it again.

Dear Diary, I think that particular people get particular lessons.. Don't cha?

Particular people get particular lessons. We can react to all of this in one of three ways. We either say:
· “MY LIFE IS A SERIES OF LESSONS I NEED, HAPPENING IN PERFECT ORDER.” (The healthiest approach, guarantees maximum peace of mind.)
· “LIFE IS A LOTTERY, BUT I MAKE THE MOST OF WHATEVER COMES ALONG.” (The next best option – offers average quality of life.)
· “WHY DO BAD THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?” (Guarantees maximum misery and frustration.)
We are continually being presented with lessons. Unless we learn the lessons, we get to take them again ... and again ... and again.

Call it a divine plan, call it the natural unfolding of events, it is happening. Like it or hate it, it is happening. Take responsibility or claim you’re a victim, fight it or ignore it, it’s happening. It has been happening all your life. Every time your neighbor abused you, each time a salesman ripped you off or a lover walked out on you, there was a lesson staring you in the face.

If we are miserable seven days a week, it’s likely we’ve missed a lesson. When we keep losing jobs, lovers, money ... it’s a sign that we haven’t been paying attention. As one lady remarked: “I keep getting the same old problems in a different pair of trousers!”

The worst thing we can ever say is: “It’s not fair!”

Dear Diary, What LESSONS do to me?

Some things are beyond our understanding ... when a child is born with AIDS, when a young mother is gunned down in a hold up, when a whole village is wiped out by flood, we are left asking: “Why?” For these things there seem to be no answers. But on a different level – on the “everyday life level” – we can find some clues.

Have you ever noticed that certain things happen to certain people? Louise gets fired about every six months, Frank seems to get sued every year, and Jim gets food poisoning on vacation.Certain things don’t seem to happen to certain people. Jim never gets fired, Louise never goes to court and Frank does not send postcards from hospital.

Dear Diary, SO IS LIFE A SERIES OF PAINFUL DISASTERS?

Not necessarily. The universe is always nudging us with gentle signals. When we ignore the signals, it nudges us with a sledgehammer.

Growth is the most painful when we resist it.

Dear Diary, WHY DO PEOPLE NEED DISASTERS?

The only time most of us ever learn anything is when we get hit over the back of the head! Why? Because it’s easier not to change. So we keep doing what we’re doing until we hit a brick wall. Take our health for example. When do we change diets and start exercising? When our body is falling apart – when the doctor says: “If you don’t change your lifestyle, you’ll kill yourself!” Suddenly we’re motivated!

In relationships – when do we usually tell each other how much we care? When the marriage is falling apart, when the family is falling apart!

In school – when do we finally knuckle down and study? When we’re about to fail. In business – when do we try new ideas and make the tough decisions? When we can’t pay our bills. When do we finally learn about customer service? After the customers have left!

When do we usually pray? When our life is falling apart! “Dear Lord, I know I haven’t spoken to you since the last time the yogurt hit the fan ...”

We learn our biggest lessons when things get rough. When have you made the most important decisions in your life? When you were on your knees – after disasters, after knock-backs, when you’ve been kicked in the head. That’s when we say to ourselves: “I’m sick of being broke, sick of being kicked around. I’m tired of being mediocre. I’m going to do something.” Success we celebrate – but we don’t learn too much. Failure hurts – and that’s when we get educated. In retrospect, we usually notice “disasters” were turning points.

Effective people don’t go looking for problems, but when they get smacked in mouth, they ask themselves: “How do I need to change what I’m thinking and what I’m doing? How can I be better than I am now?” Losers ignore all the warning signs. When the roof falls in, they ask: “Why does everything happen to me?”

We are creatures of habit. We keep doing what we are doing until we are forced to change.

Mary gets dumped by boyfriend Dave. Devastated, she locks herself in her bedroom for a week. Then gradually she starts to call old friends and meet new ones. She soon moves house and changes jobs. Within six months she is happier and more confident than she has ever been in her life. She looks back on the “disasters” of losing Dave as the best thing that ever happened to her.
Fred gets the sack. Unable to find work, he starts his won little business. For the first time in his life he is his own boss, and doing what he really wants to do. He still has his problems, but his life has new meaning and excitement – and all out of apparent disaster.

Dear Diary, today.. I'm gonna help people by passing this on and on...

Something can be staring you in the face...
When I was ten, my most prized possession was my football – I ate with it, slept with it and I polished it weekly ... instead of my shoes. I knew all about football – but on some other things, like where babies came from, I was a little hazy.

One afternoon I was playing in the street and I lost my precious ball. I looked everywhere. I figured someone had stolen it.

Eventually I spotted a woman who seemed to be hiding it under her jacket. So I marched up and ask her: “what do you think you’re doing with my football stuck up your shirt?”

It turned out that she didn’t have my football ... but that afternoon I learned where babies come from – and what a woman looks like when she is nine months pregnant,

Later that day, I also found my ball.

What fascinated me most of all, was why I had never noticed a pregnant woman before the age of ten ... and why, from then onward, I seemed to be surrounded by them...

In a nutshell
We reach points in our life when we are ready for new information. Until then, something can be staring us in the face but we don’t see it.

JUST PASS IT ON

A story from a friend of mine...
“When someone helps us, it’s natural to want to return the favor. But, perhaps, there is a better way to spread the gift of kindness.”

While walking along Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur one day, I saw a foreigner gazing at a road map with a puzzled expression on her face. I went up to her and asked: “Can I help you?”

She looked up gratefully and said: “Can you tell me how to get to this hotel?”

Glancing at her map, I told her: “No problem, I can take you there as it is within walking distance.”

As we were walking, we chatted and I was delighted to discover she was from Ireland.

As we turned into Petaling Street, I offered to buy her some egg tarts. At first, she was reluctant to accept my offer until I told her she would be doing me a favor as I had long wanted to do something kind to any Irish person in gratitude for the kindness shown to me many years ago.

Further down the road, we came across an old lady selling some luscious star fruit.

“Let us help the lady by giving her some business, shall we?”

When I put it that way there was no way for her to refuse my suggestion. So I bought as many fruits as we could carry.

On arriving at her destination, I asked her if she needed any Malaysian currency. She assured me that she had enough. “I really do not know how to thank you,” she said.

I told her that I should thank her for allowing me to fulfill a pledge that I had made many years ago.

It may sound odd that I have difficulty remembering what happened the day before I can easily recall things that happened several decades ago, thousands of kilometers from home.
My friend Rosie and I were trying to hitchhike to Killarney, Ireland, when the skies began to darken.

Our seniors in college had told us it was safe to hitchhike in the country so there we were, sticking our thumbs but without success. The cars that passed us were either fully occupied or the drivers indicated, with sign language, that they were only going a short distance.

Suddenly a car stopped on the opposite site of the road and a distinguished looking gentleman got out of the car, crossed the road to our side and asked us where we wanted to go.

When he heard it was Killarney, he told us there would be very few cars going there at that time of the day. If we did not mind following him and his friend to town, they could take us there after his friend had settled some business.

He introduced himself as John and his friend was Peter. On the way to town they stooped at a church and said they would be there for only a few minutes.

While waiting for Uncle (as we had been taught to regard our elders) Peter to transact his business, Uncle John took us to a café. He ordered teas as well as a lot of cakes and sandwiches for the three of us.

When Uncle John asked us where we came from we informed him we were attending teachers’ college.

He laughed and said: “You look more like a schoolgirl to me.”

Of course, anyone looking at me now would definitely find it hard to believe I was just a petite 48kg then and had to shop in the teenage department for my clothes and look in the children’s department for my shoes.

Rosie was the shy, retiring type so it was up to me to keep the conversation flowing.

When Uncle Peter came back, he just ordered a cup of tea, saying he was not hungry. I think he was also a shy character, like my friend Rosie. He was like what we Chinese refer to as an “unripe durian” with its mouth closed all the time.
When we arrived at our hostel, Uncle John helped us to unload our luggage. Before leaving us, he took out his wallet and asked if we needed extra money.

“Thank you so much for your kindness,” I told him. “We do not need any ... we hitchhike just to save money so we can buy souvenirs”.

I added that I wished there was some way we could repay him for his kindness.

“Just pass it on,” he said with a warm smile.

I promised him that I would and I have, especially if the person I meet is Irish!

Starting ‘em Young(er)

It used to be that folks would look at their children fondness and pride as the young ones ventured out on their own. Typically, they would say: “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

Lately, however, it seems more and more parents have cause to lament: “They go wrong so young, don’t they?”

As if city dwellers didn’t have enough worries, what with Mat Rempit, snatch/slash/smash thieves, robbers, rapists, carjacking gangs and psychotic motorists, now we have the threat of “terror teens”.

These are gangs of teenagers – dozens of them – who have reportedly taken to haunting parts of Kuala Lumpur after dark.

It is said they beat up and rob passers-by, harass shopkeepers and their customers, sniff glue and in general make a nuisance/menace of themselves.

KL’s gangs of youngsters are believed to be in the employ of syndicates which engage them to steal hot items like mobile phones and gadgets.

Some of these juveniles are even thought to be from well-to-do families, going by their expensive hairdos and clothes. So, it looks like the full path for the aspiring Malaysian career criminal is now complete. The pieces are all in place for an early start to one’s life of crime.

You begin as a teen terror/juvenile delinquent. Then you “graduate” to Mat Rempit, or maybe snatch thief.

At the same time, you move up from sniffing glue to smoking ganja and then doing hard drugs.

It’s a short hop to drug trafficker or carjacker or robber or rapist or kidnapper or gangland muscle.

The pay and the hours may be appealing but the benefits suck. There’s no insurance or provident fund, and instead of a corner office, the best you can hope for after scoring that huge payday is a corner plot in your hometown cemetery.

The career highlight would be getting shot dead while trying to run down/escape from/shoot it out with the police; or perhaps done in by your own buddies when you become an inconvenience, an obstacle or a threat.

But it will be like this only if everyone gives up on the wayward kid and allows him/her to continue down the path to ruin; only if there are no parents, family members, friends or teachers who care.

Do these troubled teens have such anchors in their lives? Chances are that there’s at least one person in each youngster’s life who can reach out and make a difference.

The kind of problem we’re seeing are no different from what we’ve been reading about and viewing in news reports and TV-movies for years – only they used to take place in the so-called (in the words of some politicians) decadent, culturally/morally bankrupt, materialistic and ill-mannered place.

So how did this social ill seep into our guarded, respectful, filial, moral society?

Chances are, many of these delinquents fall into bad company because of being neglected, or ignored, or losing faith – becoming invisible and voiceless in their own homes, schools and peer groups for a variety of reasons.

I strongly believe that a lot of the time, they just want acknowledgement and respect – for their methods of expression, their opinions, and their identity.

It’s when they realize that the so-called mutual respect so frequently cited by their elders is actually just a one-way street that the rebellion begins.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that these wayward teens go the way of Oliver Twist. Like Charles Dickens’ young protagonist, they may have first hooked up with someone more or less in their age group (like the Artful Dodger) who in turn led them to an older criminal mastermind (a Fagin type), complete with murderous associate (Bill Sykes).

But, as harsh and gritty as Dickens’ tale was, Oliver still had a happy ending.

However, there isn’t one, or even a grad-bag or mixed blessings, waiting for today’s real-life Oliver; not if the people who matter in their lives do not intervene in time.

Parents owe it to their children to be aware of their whereabouts at all times, and to show some concern for what they get up to. Certainly, your kids deserve better than to be offloaded on someone else at the first available opportunity.

Older family members have an obligation to give a damn about their nephews, nieces, siblings, cousins, or grandkids.

Teachers and schools ... wow, there’s an entire column I there about what our education system can do to make the process vital and relevant, and not alienate so many of those who go through it. Suffice to say that for a start, we should seriously stop perpetuating the kiasu syndrome of scoring double-digit distinctions.

I believe it is not too late for these teen gangsters and other underage criminals.

It is only incumbent upon society to NOT write them off, or consign them to the scrap heap of life – something we do all too well, and way to readily.

They have to be shown that there is something better for them, and this can only happen with the support and love of family and friends.

It’s also time our society caught up with its social ills, in terms of outreach and support programmes – and most importantly, parenting education.

Finally, for those stubborn juvenile delinquents who think crime is glamorous and preferable to making an honest go of life, there’s nothing like a Scared Straight programme to put them back on track.

That was the title of an Academy Award-winning documentary from 1978 that featured a gang of brash, real-life juvenile delinquents who were taken to New Jersey state prison where they were harangued by a group of life-term convicts.

It was an attempt to scare them out of a life of crime, and it succeeded. Today, all the members of that initial group lead responsible lives.

Sequels followed, and many American states introduced similar programmes.

If memory serves me correctly, we’ve experimented with this concept a little here but nothing on an organized, nationwide scale.

Perhaps such a programme might work here too: exposing our own terror teens to the harshness of prison life and having them hear tales of woe and misery first-hand from those who have been chewed up by the system.

And if any kid still thins there is appeal in a life of crime, well, it won’t be long before the realization dawns that “life” and “crime” don’t go together at all.

Need a Test for yourself? You won't know what it turns out... Try it!

Do you need to branch out?
The key to your personality can be linked to which “tree” you come under – a sort of green astrology, if you will.

Which tree does your birthday fall under?
Dec 23 – Jan 1 Apple
Jan 2 – 11 Fir
Jan 12 – 24 Elm
Jan 25 – Feb 3 Cypress
Feb 4 – 8 Poplar
Feb 9 – 18 Cedar
Feb 19 – 29 Pine
March 1 – 10 Weeping Willow
March 11 – 20 Lime
March 21 Oak
March 22 – 31 Hazelnut
April 1 – 10 Rowan
April 11 – 20 Maple
April 21 – 30 Walnut
May 1 – 14 Poplar
May 15 – 24 Chestnut
May 25 – June 3 Ash
June 4 – 13 Birch
June 14 – 23 Fig
June 24 Birch
June 25 – July 4 Apple
July 5 – 14 Fir
July 15 – 25 Elm
July 26 – Aug 4 Cypress
Aug 5 – 13 Poplar
Aug 14 – 23 Cedar
Aug 24 – Sept 2 Pine
Sept 3 – 12 Weeping Willow
Sept 13 – 22 Lime
Sept 23 Olive
Sept 24 – Oct 3 Hazelnut
Oct 4 -13 Rowan
Oct 14 – 23 Maple
Oct 24 – Nov 11 Walnut
Nov 12 – 21 Chestnut
Nov 22 – Dec 1 Ash
Dec 2 – 11 Hornbeam
Dec 12 – 21 Fig
Dec 22 Beech

APPLE
Key quality: loving
You’re attractive and have a strong aura that draws others to you. You’re flirtatious, adventurous and sensitive. For you, life isn’t worth living if you aren’t loved or in love.
You live for today, are care-free, imaginative – and have a strong gift for science.

FIR
Key quality: mysterious
Stubborn and moody, you need to get your own way, more than most, but you can also be very kind. You have excellent taste and love to be surrounded by beauty. Your innate dignity and cultured air can make others envious.
You’re very ambitious and talented, and although you may make enemies, you also have many good and loyal friends.

ELM
Key quality: noble
You’re noble-minded, cheerful and generous. You’re low-key and don’t make many demands, but you don’t tend to forgive mistakes, either. You make an honest and faithful partner, but like to lead – you sometimes adopt a know-it-all attitude and make decisions for others when they’d rather you didn’t.

CYPRESS
Key quality: faithful
You’re strong, adaptable and pragmatic. In good times and bad, you remain content and optimistic. However, it’s important to you to have money and have your gifts acknowledged, or else you become quick-tempered and careless of others’ feelings. You’re a passionate lover who’s not easily satisfied.

CEDAR
Key quality: confidence
You have a rare beauty that isn’t always rooted in your outer appearance.
You’re confident and tend to look down on those who aren’t so self-assured. You know how to adapt to circumstances and are determined, industrious and optimistic.
You’ll be prepared to wait a long time for your true love to appear, confident that it’s only a matter of time.

POLPAR
Key quality: uncertainty
You’re artistic, a great organizer and have a bent for philosophy.
You’re good at seeing both sides of an argument – hence your reputation for uncertainty.
There is a tendency towards loneliness and you’re a bad enemy when crossed. You’re often very attractive, but underneath you’re not very self-confident. You’re reliable and take partnerships seriously.

PINE
Key quality: particular
You love agreeable company and surroundings. You’re healthy, active, practical and trustworthy.
You have a great naturalness that draws others to you and you’re a good companion.
You have high standards, but when are met you fall in love quickly.
However, it’s often the sort of passion that burns out quickly as you lose interest, and you may suffer many disappointments in love.

WEEPING WILLOW
Key quality: melancholy
You’re probably beautiful but have a quality of sadness and reserve that makes you a mystery to others. You’re very empathetic, full of intuition and love travel and beauty.
You’re a dreamer – restless, capricious but honest. You can be demanding and suffer in love until you find a partner who anchors and gives you all the support you need.

LIME
Key quality: reluctance
You are soft and relenting and make great sacrifices for your friends. You have many talents but sometimes lack the tenacity to make dreams come true.
You are loyal, but can be jealous and will not give up a lover lightly.
However, on the whole you accept what life dishes out to you in a composed way.

OAK
Key quality: strength
You are courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent and sensible. Just like the oak, you put down deep roots and once you take up a position, you stick to it, but when you want something badly you will pursue it tenaciously.
Your good health helps you realize your goals. You’re very down-to-earth and you always get what you want.

HAZELNUT
Key quality: extraordinary
Charming and popular, you know how to make a huge impression. You are often an active fighter for social causes. You can be a moody and capricious lover, but when you are committed you become more tolerant and are always honest in love.
You are very understanding when you want to be, but for sheer devilment you’ll undermine others’ self-confidence with a few well chosen words.

ROWAN
Key quality: sensitivity
You are charming, cheerful and, despite your many talents, not egotistical. Even when you try to be low-key, there is a restlessness about you that magnetizes others. You love life, good company and have an artistic, passionate nature.
You are both dependent and independent when in love, and sometimes make life complicated just to raise the emotional temperature.
Once hurt, you hold a grudge and find it hard to forgive.

MAPLE
Key quality: independence
You are quite an extraordinary person, full of imagination and originality. You are very clever and have a good memory.
Ambitious, proud and hungry for new experiences, you are still somewhat shy and reserved, and often nervous.
You have many hang-ups and tend to have a complicated love life, often because you are proud and won’t be pushed around.

WALNUT
Key quality: passion
You have an unusual personality – spontaneous and full of contrasts. No one can predict how you will react. You can be aggressive and unrelenting in pursuit of goals. At the same time, you have the noble, broad-minded attitude. You tend to guard against inflexibility, and can be a difficult partner.
You’re not always liked, but often admired.

CHESTNUT
Key quality: honesty
Often unusually attractive, you have a well-developed sense of justice. You’re a born diplomat, but your self-confidence is easily knocked and when this happens, you can come across as either overly sensitive or superior.
You have a tendency to love only once, which can make it difficult to find the right partner.

ASH
Key quality: ambition
You’re uncommonly attractive and vivacious, but you hate criticism and can be egotistical.
You’re ambitious and talented and like to take risks with your future.
At the same time, you’re very reliable and are an unusually faithful lover. Your emotions are often submerged and your brain usually rules your heart, but you take partnerships seriously.

HORNBEAM
Key quality: sensibility
Perceptive and independent, you’re very practical and intelligent. You can be willful and don’t like to be contradicted.
You love life. The most important thing to you is your family and you are often fond of animals. You’re a social butterfly, and have a good sense of humor and enjoy luxury.

BIRCH
Key quality: inspirational
You’re vivacious and despite all this, modest. You abhor vulgarity and hate excess in all things. You love nature and beautiful surroundings, but can lack passion and ambition.
There’s something other-worldly about you – you instinctively know there’s no point in getting over-excited about things.

OLIVE
Key quality: wisdom
Like the olive tree, you love to bask in the sun and need to be surrounded by the warmth of kind feelings.
You are a deeply loving person, reasonable and balanced. You avoid aggression and violence at all costs. Tolerant, cheerful and empathetic, you love to read.

BEECH
Key quality: creativity
You have great taste and tend to be concerned with the appearance of things, especially your looks. You’re well-organized, a good leader and have your life, career and finance well under control. This level of organization gives you the freedom to be creative in every aspect of your life, although you are quite materialistic.
You’re very reasonable, tolerant and make a great lifetime companion.

Losing out to foreign labor

The correlation between rising crime and high unemployment is well known.

There are significant numbers of those with little or no education or marketable skills, consisting largely of school dropouts and displaced estate workers (whose only job options are limited to unskilled or semiskilled work) in the country.

Those in this category find themselves deprived of decent earnings from the type of employment they are suited for due to the influx of cheap foreign labor, who can manage with lower pay because they have left their families in their home countries where the cost of living is lower.

Harsh economic realities and the frustration of making ends meet through odd jobs to support their families in the cities to which they have drifted to in search of a decent living and mounting debts may drive them to their wits’ end. This may well force them into a life of crime as a way out of their predicament.

The influx of cheap foreign labor distorts and unrealistically lowers the market value for semi-skilled and unskilled labor.

If this vulnerable labor sector were closed foreign labor and if the demand for such labor were sourced exclusively brethren will be able to earn a decent living.

This will no doubt result in a drop in crime.

Most developed countries like Australia and New Zealand take in only skilled or professionally trained workers from overseas and not unskilled workers. This measure is no doubt aimed at protecting the jobs of their unskilled citizens.

There will always be school dropouts and children who fail to make the grade academically, who are in need of unskilled and semi-skilled jobs.

In most developed countries where such jobs are exclusively reserved for their own citizens, it would not be a disaster or a tragedy if one child in the family does not make the grade academically as the child will still be able to earn a decent living.

There would also not be a gulf in the difference in lifestyles of the siblings.

This is true to say that our country has taken more foreign labors than our own citizens. Foreign labors can be seen and spotted everywhere in the street, town corners, even in low-cost flats which are for the medium-salary-citizens.

In years to come, foreign labors will be flooded in Malaysia, which has taken more of them than our citizens. If this happens, where will our citizens be at? Are there still working chances for us? Are there still places for us to stand and even have a proper work?

Is it that only they can be paid with lower pay, and they deserve all the working chances than us, the citizens; so, we will not even get a better job offer than the UNSKILLED FOREIGN LABORS? Think about it...

How To Deal With A Bad Boss

Here's what a bad boss is: Someone who lies, cheats, steals, or touches you after you've told him, in writing, not to. If you have one of these bosses, quit complaining and start applying for other jobs.

All other bosses aren't truly bad -- you're just bad at managing them.

A Boss-Management Decalogue

One of the most important parts of being competent at work is managing up: Making sure you give your boss what he or she needs, and then getting what you need in return. That's no one's responsibility but your own.

Here are 10 ways to manage your boss:

1. Understand the person you're dealing with.Is she detail-oriented? Give her detailed reports. Is she a big-picture thinker? Tell her your big ideas. Does he like voicemail? Then leave some, even if you hate using it.Understand her personality strengths and weaknesses, because this is usually the path toward forging a relationship. If you know her weaknesses, you can have empathy for her shortcomings instead of impatience. And whatever you feel will show, so figure out how to feel compassion for your boss, or you'll get nowhere with her.

2. Ask for your quarterly goals, in writing.If you don't have goals, how can you even know what

your job is? And if you don't know what your job is, you can be sure you won't make your boss happy.If your boss does not know your goals either, write your own. Create a fun job for yourself that will be an integral part of the company's strategy. If your boss doesn't like the goals you create, she'll suddenly be able to come up with them herself.

3. Know your boss's biggest worries, and help him address them.Why are you working on projects your boss doesn't care about? Your job is to make your boss love you so he helps you get the skills you need to grow in your career.If you have stuff on your plate that doesn't matter, do it fast, and don't worry about being judged on the quality of this work because your boss doesn't care. Focus on the stuff that matters to your boss, because that's what will make your boss love you.

4. Look at your boss's weaknesses as opportunities.If your boss is great at project management, then surely she doesn't need you to do that. Be great at the stuff your boss is terrible at -- like people management, maybe -- and help your boss rally her troops. If she's great at sales but hates the detailed reporting, get great at the reporting and offer to do all the stuff she hates to do.If your boss is terrible at managing meetings, instead of complaining about it, volunteer to do the brunt of the organizing for him. He'll appreciate that way more than you helping with stuff he doesn't worry about.

5. Focus on your own needs by focusing on your boss's needs.You and your boss are a team. You make your boss look great in the organization and in the world, and your boss will help you grow and meet your own goals.To do this, you need to focus more on helping your boss and less on doing work you love. The first act begets the second: A boss who feels indebted to you will give you what you want.

6. See the good in people.Don't tell me your boss doesn't care about you, or that he's only concerned with the bottom line. It's not humanly possible for your boss to not care about you if you understand him, are there for him, support him, and genuinely care.You have to be authentic with your boss to develop a real relationship. Figure out how to care about him deeply -- as a person whom you can help. If you can't do this for your boss, how can you expect it from him?

7. Get a list of your boss's priorities.When you have too much work, this allows you to tell your boss that you can't do x, y, and z because they're not high enough priorities to him. In other words, you can say, "I could do x, but you said a, b, and c are very important to you, and I don't want to compromise those."This is a great way of saying "no" to work in a way that makes your boss feel very respected, understood, and taken care of.

8. Prioritize your own work in terms of what matters to your boss.Fit your high-priority items into a reasonable schedule, and don't do low-priority items until the important stuff is done. This allows you to always deliver on what matters to your boss.Keeping your boss happy means being a high performer. People don't care if you perform well on stuff that doesn't matter to them, so don't.

9. Give weekly updates.It doesn't matter if your boss asks for them or not. This is a team report, for you and your boss; you're the team, working on your boss's priorities.This is when you tell your boss how much you've accomplished that will help her. Tell her things you see that might be roadblocks for her, and how you can help her fix them in the next week. Also tell her what you're planning to do that's extremely important to her so she's sure not to ask you to do unimportant work over the next week.

10. Don't get stuck on personality types.We each have preferences for the people we hang out with. But the most successful people can get along with anyone. If you can't get along with the type of person your boss is, it's your shortcoming, not his.Read some psychology books about social monitors, and how we can teach ourselves to authentically connect with anyone by practicing empathy. And then do it. After all, why is it your boss's job to adjust to you? You're the one with the problem.

The Choice Is YoursThe bottom line: Take responsibility for yourself. No one forces you to have the job you have. You could leave anytimeIf you're not going to leave, then you're choosing the boss you have.

And since you chose your boss, start making her into a good one. Otherwise, why did you choose her?

Smile! Kachak

In your day... Just smile!
Service with a SMILE~

DO YOU THINK TEACHERS, SCHOOLS, PARENTS ETC JUST CARE FOR RESULTS MORE THAN EVERYTHING?

Nowadays, the purpose of study has changed. Parents are pushing their children to achieve A’s in tests and exams; and teachers are teaching them how to get A’s.

Schoolchildren are not searching for knowledge, but learning how to get as many distinctions ad possible.

Some teachers refuse to answer questions by students if they feel the subject matter may not be examination material.

Parents seldom ask their children what they had learnt in school. They only care about the results, not the process of studying. To them, results are everything.

When people ask about results, the parents will surely say that their children had not done their best and get poor result. People mindset had set them to the only result is the one to a good student.

Will excellence show if only obtain 20A’s or as many A’s as student can get? Will marvelous exam results guarantee success? I doubt it.

Exams are only a process in education. But learning is life-ling, it never ends.

Parents should not exert too much pressure on their children. Care about your children’s feelings and treat them as friends, encouraging, guiding and supporting them. School authorities too, shouldn’t put exam results first, if that is the only way they want to show their excellence amongst schools, the school is a failure, because they can’t educate students on the importance of education and knowledge, all they can do is only emphasis the exam results, and in the teachers’ minds are only results, results and results.

Where are Good Samaritans?

Do you ever heard of “tourist police” in Penang? I think Penangites also not sure of the meaning of this term. For myself, I don’t think Penang has its own tourist police for overseas and abroad tourists.

I was out yesterday, Monday. In the post office in Komtar, a man came in to the counters and said, “Can you call the tourist police for me? Please ... please call the tourist police for me...”

The man inside the counter just stared at him. Like what has happened to him. The man continues to tell them the same thing, which is to call the tourist police for him.

You know what the man inside the counter said? He stumbled for a while and said, “No!” he continues to mumble a few words in his mouth, but I don’t know what he was mumbling. I was thinking that how shame the community is, can’t even help a man to call the police since there are no what-so-called tourist police in Penang. I felt ashamed for the man inside the counter. No police in Penang? And what-so 999 line for?

An Indian lady, a customer, asked him what had happened to him. The man said that he was robbed on the street and someone fetched him to the post office to ask for help. How kind the Indian lady, she offered him help and they walked out from the post office. I was following them too, to see what will happen next.

They came up to a policewoman who is in charged on that day. An unfamiliar face to us (Malay policewoman). They told her about what happened to the man, and the policewoman again, pointed here and there, shrugged to them, indicating that she did not know what to do too! At last, the officer had “confirmed” a direction and pointed to a way to ask the man to go to the direction to report to the cops.

It was too rude for her to do that to an overseas tourist who have been robbed and lost his passport. She just acted like nothing bad happened and like a girl who had not heard of people being robbed. She just ridiculously pointed a path for the man, as to ward him away from the spot, and that was the easiest way to save the trouble for herself too!

How sad the community is nowadays, can’t even help a man who was in trouble.

Can you imagine when something bad happens to you, and you come up to people for help, there is no one can help you, even the so-called police.

Where are the Good Samaritans?

SupernAtural Season 3 is Back on Track

SupernAtural

Season 3 Premiere on CW, October 04, 2007

For two seasons, Supernatural has focused on Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester while they hit the road to search for their missing father and confront various demons along the way. As it heads into the third season, the show adds two new regulars to spice up the paranormal horror plot. This, however, has created much buzz among its fans. But rest assured, the Winchester brothers will remain to be the center of attention.

According to Sera Gamble, one of the writers and executive producers of Supernatural, the writers will be talking about the new additions, Ruby (Katie Cassidy) and Bela (Lauren Cohan) while assuring the continuing importance of the Winchester brothers.

She also says the season 3 is all about discovery and bringing something different out of the brothers. “Sam and Dean are the two main characters of the show…that's how we approach every single episode,” Gamble told Eclipse Magazine.

“The new characters give me the chance to discover all new things about our guys.”“Ruby and Bela tend to fit into different kinds of stories, at least in the first part of the new season,” Gamble said. “Ruby plays a role in the hunter war, while Bela begins her arc as more of a supernatural opportunist who couldn't care less about hunting.”

Nevertheless, she understands the negative sentiments of some fans to the announcement of these two new characters. “I have to say, I know fans are really worried about the new characters, and I do get where they're coming from,” she told Eclipse Magazine. “I've watched shows and been way annoyed by new characters. But I think people are going to dig Ruby and Bela more than they expect to. At least I hope so, because we've been having lots of fun writing them.

[Show writer] Ben Edlund wrote the episode that introduces Bela. I was laughing so hard I was crying when we broke that story. She puts the boys in such a deliciously bad situation. I'm hoping that our audience will appreciate the new elements Bela and Ruby bring into the boys' stories. It's good stuff. I believe they represent a deepening and an expansion of the world we're already in. They support the story we're telling this season, rather than distracting from it. Even though they're hot chicks.”Like Gamble, Padalecki also has some positive views on the addition of the girls.

“It's not Scooby Doo and go fight crime together,” the actor explained referring to Cassidy and Cohan. “But I think after they watch a few episode with the girls all their fears will be thrown out their windows. I think they'll really like the performances and they'll really like the characters. It's nice to have some more people to mix things up.”