Broken Shield and Sword

Random thought: If I helped you in a small favour that involved cash changing hands and I asked you for a commission, how much/what would you use to pay me? :3

Full report in a few days as I catch up on work and Blogathon. See you guys around!

In a summary:

Best Experience I’ve had in a long while, Worst Resort ever.

As I’ll be heading off to Kapas in the morning and I still haven’t packed :p

Pelfy made me a Blogathon button. YAY!

DAMN YOU MAYBANK I FORGOT PIN TO ACTIVATE. T_T

My maybank2u acc has been suspended. Just the internet, thankfully.

Beyond Religion. Beyond Race. Beyond Politics. Beyond Borders. Mercy before Judgement. Mercy before Reality. Mercy and Compassion. Diseases that can be prevented. Diseases that can’t, but can be managed. Love, Compassion, Understanding. Hugs. Sorrow. Pain. Sharing. Forgiveness.

Love.

The single most powerful word in ANY language today. No matter what you say or do, Love represents the highest and most complete human emotion. It encompasses a range of emotions; sadness, joy, care, tender, protectiveness, anger, jealousy… Unlike hatred, which is a single negative emotion (though deep), when you love someone, you tend to express more than one emotion. It’s like a whole package that becomes so much more when you have it in full measure instead of half.

Love, as we all know, comes in many forms and sizes. The most common, of course, is romantic love, but love for humanity, for friends, family, strangers… This love is far more powerful. In the movies, in the media, it is almost always romantic love that is emphasised, but how many people you know love more than just their partners? How many do you know would be willing to leave their partners to pursue their passions? Romantic love does not affect the world, not even if you’re a statesman. In this day and age, romantic love is a matter between the lovers and their families, no one else (close friends count too).

Compare that love to all other types. Love for her child prompts many women to take decisions into their own hands and leave their abusive husbands/partners. Love for friends prompt others to honour that friend. Love for country prompts many to speak out against her, if only to try and change/stay her course. Love for God/Faith/Religion prompts people to kill themselves to spread the word; on the opposite side, it prompts others to live their life in service/helping others.

Love has changed the world, but not in the way most people think. Offering mercy, consolation to those who need it, is one of the smaller expressions of love. How many lives would have been unnecessarily lost if we held on to our prejudices? Despite the Hypocritical Oath, many doctors prefer to pick and choose their patients. They withhold treatment, discourage their patients from seeking alternatives, judge people by their behaviour.

Yet at the core of this, there are many more who hold true of the Hippocratic Oath. Many who, when the call goes out, rush to the aid of others without thinking of cost, of danger, of timing, of season (except to get leave from their respective employers). They give more than their aid; they give themselves. They are rarely seen except in times of desperate need, and they are almost always among the first to respond when the calls go out (especially in the South East Asia region).

Help Rainbows and Butterflies Support Mercy Malaysia.

As a side note, I’m pledging to both Mercy Malaysia and Makna (ChanKelwin.com ). What about you? For a complete list of the Lunatics taking part in Blogathon, have a look-see here.

Things change. When I was in secondary school, I would have swallowed whatever Najib and co said hook, line and sinker. Now I see veiled threats everywhere. Loss of innocence, or enlightenment? I’m inclined towards the latter. Ah well.

Mental illness is not something to be taken lightly. At its worst, it leaves victims that affects not only the actual victim, but the people around them. Their reach is more than just the people who are close friends and acquaintances, but are also those who met them briefly. The loss of them is painful, and anyone who commits suicide should be aware that when they die, they’re probably leaving more sadness and anger than they realise. Mental illness isn’t something to scoff at; its effects are far more wide-ranging and devastating than most know, even if they leave no mark on the body.

Panic attacks are one of them. So is clinical depression. ADD is another.

We all have our ups and downs, but always being in a hole is significantly much harder to get out of when you have been there a long time, and you can’t grasp the walls long enough to pull yourself out. In the end, what remains are tantalising glimpses of the world above, one that takes them a long time to reach.

But in the well, you’re not alone. There are small, tiny demons that feed on your insecurity, and given time, they become large ones that may devour your soul. Escaping from the demons often mean escaping from the well, yet these demons may chase you down and stuff you back into the well. Often the reason for the chase can be minimal, but it’s a lifelong battle for many. And the cost of giving into these demons can range from passing them down to your children, to the ultimate pain; suicide.

I know of one girl who’s seriously contemplating suicide because of her depression; therapy’s helping but barely. I know of at least two others who have panic attacks. I know of one girl who’s actually committed suicide. She was an acquaintance of mine but a good friend of the person who inspired this post. I remember her mainly for the flourless Oreo cheesecake recipe she posted one day. I’ve not had the chance to make it yet, unfortunately. I may not.

This Blogathon, help the silent who keep on walking in this world, even though it gives them pain. Support their families by making a donation to an organisation that seeks to help these souls. Sponsor ChiQ’s friends as they raise money for the Malaysian Mental Health Association. You never know if you could end up like ChiQ.

After long suffering, Uncle Carroll passed away on Monday morning. He was my father’s Uncle.

Rest in Peace, Uncle Carroll.

Part of the Lead-up to blogathon:

Smiles.

They are one of nature’s most precious gifts among humans. Smiles, after laughter, is one of those actions that touches the art. It holds many nuances, and there are, I believe, no two smiles that are alike. More than anything else, I think, it’s one of the few actions that can carry emotional meanings with each exchange. A smile has more than one meaning, unlike a frown. While frowns are almost always associated with negativity, smiles can be anything from mischief to joy, to wonder, to happiness. Is it any wonder then, that smiles are often more prized than frowns?

For a child NOT to have the ability to smile is a tragedy. More than that, it’s something criminal. For us, we may think that a smile does not have any worth, but they do wonders to a child’s self-esteem. A smile offered in friendship is one of the most precious gifts and sights a child will experience. The lack of this can make a child feel ostracised, an outcast, a pariah. No one knows better than someone who’s actually gone through it.

Cleft lips surgeries are one of the easiest facial surgeries performed, and the wonders they do is simple beauty. Help Tense help others ride the Smile Train. Give the gift of a smile to a child today.

This has me pissed off. Angry. Scared. Worried. In case you’re wondering (as the post if f-locked), the summary is this:

When May and her brother was returning on the LRT, they were harrased by this random foreign stranger in a yellow jacket and green shoes that basically begin condemning the Chinese aloud, calling them names and saying that they shouldn’t be in Malaysia (the man apparently did not have a Malaysian accent, and judging from his skin, was very much darker than the average Malaysian, no matter the race). To top it all off, the man began calling May’s brother’s name. Her brother did not take it lying down, of course. He defended himself and called him a racist.

I’m glad that May’s home safe. And that her brother kept her safe. Would I have kicked him? No. Would I have shouted at him in the same way? Yes. Dad has also told me of his own experience with a maniac like that (just not the screaming kind). He did make a point: he should have just told the idiot “If you don’t like it here so much, what the f*ck are you doing here?” There’s nothing else they can do though. According to dad, there’s nothing else to be done. BTW May dear… dad was smiling when I told him what your bro did, so it’s safe to say that he approves of what your bro did. (Considering that for me, my dad remains as one of the best sources and gauge of what’s going on the street…)

Sigh…

This is a series of articles (I hope) that will make you consider pledging for Blogathon. As I won’t be around then to lend my support directly, I hope this helps.

I was walking in Midvalley today, on the way to San Francisco, when I turned and saw the lift doors opened. A harried young woman came out, pushing a rather stern-looking younger boy out. The first impulse I had was to go over him and tell him, “Get well soon,” till I saw his legs. The second thought was that they might not have appreciated it. There was this certain air about him that defied sympathy.

Barely three seconds after that, I saw this chubby toddler run to his mother with this huge smile on his face and laughter in his voice as she held her arms open. He grabbed a hand of hers and tried to pull her inside a nearby bakery. She laughed and followed him in. It was an impulsive gesture, but it made me think very hard. That child was blessed that he could show his wonder, his delight, his emotions in such a carefree and spontaneous gesture. What about children who were born crippled? How would they show their delight, their wonder? Would they be deprived of the usual sensory experiences we had when we were kids?

As I sat down in San Francisco, my mind drifted back to Peter Tan. Peter is one of those people who perseveres in the face of adversity, who isn’t afraid to show he’s human. The disabled don’t want our pity, nor our sympathy. They want to be accepted as normal people. They want to contribute to society, not be a burden. They want to be independent, not dependent. They have their own dignity and pride, and it’s time that we acknowledge them as such. They don’t want to live off handouts.

This then drove my mind to a Petronas Merdeka ad, the one about the old man advising the young boy about buying shoes. He wore a prosthetic leg, having lost his real leg, but that did not stop him from walking. One of my favourite moments in that ad is when he plays football as a child, and when he kicks the ball, his leg went flying as well. While it was hilarious, it was heart-warming to see the children return the leg to the boy. That was not the scene that stuck in my head though. The scene that came to mind was when the young boy was helping his mother, and there were some men who came to inform the mother that there were government programmes that would help the boy by giving him money, which the mother declined.

Independence is something we should all value. It’s important not only to teach an adult how to be independent, but perhaps more importantly, how to teach a child to be independent. Programs should not only focus on helping the person get through their current difficulty, but they should focus on teaching the person the skills they will need to survive. That’s why programmes offered by the likes of Eden Handicap Society is so important. From walking to running is but a simple step, but you need to learn how to stand, and that may be one of the most difficult skills to learn.

However, don’t forget the children, two of whom inspired this post and series. Children are dying needlessly in the world today because the medicines they need to conquer common childhood diseases are not widely available where they are. Children are spending long, cold nights in the hospital due to diseases which we’re still trying to find a cure for. Children are dying needlessly.

So this Blogathon, open your hearts to the bloggers who are doing it, and your wallets (if you can afford it) to the causes they support. Take a moment to have a look at Eden. Remember the children at Unicef. Lend some support for the Association For International Cancer Research.

Sponsor the bloggers and their causes. To check out the full list of causes being supported, or to sign up as a blogger, check out the list here.

Spread the word.