FAMOUS QUOTE FROM MAHATMA GANDHI

I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test:

Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.

- Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it

- In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart

--Mahatma Gandhi


Grokodile Blog Directory

Don't cry when you see them

On my way home from the Handicapped and Disabled Children Association of Klang last weekend with my family, my heart was bleeding. I couldn't strike off the memory of the sight of this little one year old baby waving hand with his big smile upon our arrival there. I knew it must be him, the little one that suffered from Down syndrome, two holes in his heart and bone cancer at the back of his spinal.

While I was sending in the cheque from the sales of coupons for the Charity Bazaar 2007, my hubby and my son were quick enough to pick up the child from his crib and started playing with him. I could see them enjoying themselves and taking turns to take photographs with the baby through the glass panel of the office. The rest of the children came joining in the fun with so much cheer and joy in their faces, they were amused by the clothing and books that we brought along courtesy of our relatives.

Though many of them are illiterate but they were just going round and showing people that they have got book gifts...To make these special children happy, you certainly do not need a lot of efforts.

Mr Morgan, the Founder & President of this Home, took us around and shared with us some of the histories of the children and how they have ended up with him. Our conversation was intermittently interrupted by the kids (some of them are actually grown up adults but you will be surprised that they still looked very much like below 15 years old.) who ran up to him for hugs. He has so much compassion towards these unfortunate children all because of his blood brother was also mentally+challenged
since born. He took care of him together with his mother since young and had promised his mother that one day he will set up a home to help the needy. Today, with the help and support from this by and large caring society, he managed to help and uplift the pride and confidence of these children who were abandoned
or neglected by their families.

I absolutely salute Mr Morgan for the love, commitment and devotion he has demonstrated. The hardship of taking care of one mentally challenged child is already beyond one's imagination, we are now seeing 70 of them living under one roof...

"He ain't heavy, He is my Brother" this song was playing in my mind all night. Tell me how you feel?




My son said his smiles are better than that of Mona Lisa's
He is one year old but can only take in milk. I think he weighs no more than 7kg.
No trace of his drug addict father and his teenage mother had dumped him to the home after born. Since then never returned.
His chances of survival is pretty much dependent on finding a compatible and willing bone marrow donor when he is fit enough to undergo surgery later on.


My son, Villi and the baby


Morgan : What do you want my dear?
Kay Lee : They don't let me play…


Her name is Tee Kay Lee, a Down Syndrome child, came looking for a hug from Morgan


Yey, I've got a book…can someone teach me to read?


Sob…sob…Kamaruddin beat me. Awang took a bus from Kota Bahru and reached Klang one day, police found him and sent him here where he called it home for two years now.


This is Kamaruddin, the "taiko" here with mild retardation


OK, now he had apologised, go read your book…


These bedridden children are Cerebral Palsy and Spastic (tightness in limps), life long dependent.


This child has been crying and banging his head on the floor, at times beating himself with hands. Mentally challenged. At the background you can hear a child calling out mama and papa non-stop.


May I have this one?


Can you understand her?


Morgan : It is not easy to run this place, termites have infested the building and maintaining the vehicles are just one of those challenges to me...

Don't forget this May 1st, join in the Charity Bazaar 2007 food fair fun and do your bit to help



At the junction you will be greeted by this



This is the landmark at Persiaran Raja Muda, Bomba Port Klang


You won't get lost in Klang



A very long pictorial tour this time, thank you for your time!

Aid the poor and educate the rich

TZU CHI CHARITY MISSION

"We should respect all life equally. We are willing to provide humanitarian assistance wherever disasters occur. Overseas Tzu Chi people are always grateful for the chance to live in foreign lands. They use the money that they earn locally to do charity work for their local communities. Thus, they earn love and respect from their neighbors." Master Cheng Yen

TALKING TO THE DEAF

My mum was knocked down by a car outside our house while walking home one evening; her head landed very hardly on the road shoulder that caused her to immediately fell unconscious.

We heard the commotion and shortly some relatives who stayed nearby came rushing in to inform us of her accident. She was hospitalised for weeks. Her eardrums were damaged by the massive concussion from the fall. Since then, she was left with only 10% hearing capability.

I was only 7 years old then. We neither have the means to seek further medical assistance nor did we have the knowledge then to approach any support groups to help my mum to cope with the rest of her life living in the world of silence. I can still recall people literally yelling or hurled insulting words at her at the fresh market when she kept asking for the hawkers to repeat the prices of things she wanted to buy. Some even gave her nick name as "Lung Kuai" meaning "Deaf Ghost" in Cantonese. She took it all in her stride.

Our house was the most noisiest one amongst the neighbourhood as all of us need to speak very loudly so that she could get a glimpse of our conversation. And during the evening hours, we will tune our TV to a higher volumn whenever she stayed up for her favourite channels.

When our family's finances had improved some years later, we bought her a pair of hearing aid which had helped her a great deal. She was then more receptive to traveling further away from home because she can now at least hear better and hence communicate more confidently.

She passed away 17 years later. I could still remember that we put her hearing aid into her coffin so that she could continue to hear at the other side of the world. This was actually more to console ourselves!

Her life has inspired me to do something for the deaf, for the disabled, perhaps to redeem myself for not being able to lessen the helplessness that my mum had suffered on the lack of awareness of the readily available help (which might not be even available then.) that are offered by various groups/NGOs for the physically challenged.

With courtesy of The Beautiful Gate Foundation, we can now learn to be more sensitive towards the condition and needs of the hearing impaired;




Explanations: Talk to them face to face and maintain eye contact. Use a normal tone of voice and talk slowly. Most of them are able to understand your speech from your facial expressions and lip movements.




Explanations: Pay close attention to your lip movements so that a hearing impaired person can understand what you are saying.




Explanations: Do not laugh, chew chewing gum or eat while talking to them. Not only is this insensitive but it will also make it more difficult for them to understand your speech.This is because they will be unable to "see" your lipmovements clearly.




Explanations: Try as much as possible to use short and precise sentences.




Explanations: If they are unable to "see" our speech, you may try use other words bearing the same meanings to explain things better. In some cases, it might be better to write things down.



Explanations: If they are unable to understand verbal communications, you may opt for writing, picture, facial expressions and gestures as other alternative ways to communicate with them.

FEEL FOR THE BLIND

Last weekend when I disembarked from the LRT train at Bandar Tun Razak's station with my hubby, a blind man was walking ahead of us with his white stick. I was following very closely from behind "just in case he needs help". He had demonstrated a very stable walk all the way climbing up the stairs and exiting the automated ticketing machine without a hitch. I was kind of asking myself, how on earth that he knew every step of the way as if he has a normal vision while there were many stairways and escalators in the station which are not disabled friendly.

We reached our car after a short walk and the blindman continued with his journey. Moments later, I noticed a guy who appears to know him came towards him and took his hand and walked him towards the taxi stand which is directly opposite to the direction he was walking. He was originally heading towards the blocks of residential flat and I thought that he was going home...I dread to think what will happen to him if the kind samaritan did not lead him to his destination.

This incident had prompted me to find a way to help the blind, courtesy of the Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled on ways of helping the blind in the public:


Explanations: Do not pull or push hard when helping him to walk. However, allow him to put his hands on your shoulder. This will make walking easier for him.



Explanations: Do not force him to sit down when leading him to a seat, but lead him gently to his chair.




Explanations: While leading him to a vehicle, guide his hands to the side door; alert him to the height of the car to avoid injury to his head.



Explanations: While leading him to an unfamiliar building, inform him about the traffic conditions and the special facilities on the roads, the possible obstacles and dangerous areas that might possibly be hazardous to him. This will enable him to become familiar with his new surroundings and help him to become more independent.



Explanations: If he is unable to see clearly the writings on the signboards, signposts and road signs, then read them for him if he asks you to.




Explanations: Never ever let him standing alone in the middle of the street or wait in an open field. Please find a safe wall or mainstay for him to lean on. Tell him where he is standing in order for him to feel secure.



Look out for article to help the hearing impaired people on my next blog…

DOING GOOD DEED WHILE YOU BLOGGING AWAY

Remember the little Ms Tee Hui Yee with a mechanical heart mentioned earlier in my blog? She turned 14 yesterday.

The nurses in the National Heart Institute, Malaysia celebrated her birthday together with her parents in the ward. Yesterday was the 164th day of Hui Yee's stay at the Hospital. It was learnt that the Hospital is arranging for her to go back to her hometown in Batu Pahat for a short break if everything is in good order.

Hui Yee looked a little thinner and frail as she has just gone thru a bout of infection which landed her in high fever for a couple of days. The throbbing machine in a trolly placed next to her is an external mechanical heart device which stored a battery that constantly pumping blood to her heart.

Asked what was her birthday wish after the cake cutting, she said it without any delay, "a heart". It is heart wrenching to see this bubbly young lady living her life counting days. She will need to go thru another operation to change the Mechanical Heart if there is no suitable donor in the next one and a half years' time.

My sincere plead to fellow overseas blogger friends who are reading this, could you kindly forward this message to your fellow country people and spread the news around so that to increase Hui Yee's chance of finding a suitable "Heart Donor". Although our local medias have made wide coverages to her situation regularly, but I do believe that there is something we can all do to help...

Tee Hui Yee can be contacted at The Malaysia National Heart Institute/Institute Jantung Negara, Malaysia

In the same breath, I would like to take this article a step further by urging all readers to subscribe to organ donation as this will go a long way in helping others to lead a better life. For all interested Malaysian donors, you can sign up with the Pusat Sumber Transplan Nasional (National Transplant Resource Center), Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Pahang, 50586 Kuala Lumpur. For this purpose, THE NATIONAL ORGAN DONOR REGISTRATION FORM can be obtained online here . 2 Thumbs-Up to those who have already signed up.


"IT TAKES A NOBLE PERSON TO PLANT A SEED FOR A TREE THAT SOME DAY GIVES SHADE TO PEOPLE HE MAY NEVER MEET" - Author Unknown

Maya Angelou

In last April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.

And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.

The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!

Maya Angelou said this:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

We never get what we want,
we never want what we get,
we never have what we like,
we never like what we have,
and still we Live & Love.
This is Life..........

Beijing Olympic / Paralympics Needs Specialised Volunteers

The organisers of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) and the 2008 Paralympics Game are looking for volunteers with special skills from foreign countries.

The recruitment will start end March 2007. Applicants are welcome to apply on-line.

BOCOG plans to enlist a total of 70,000 volunteers for the 2008 Olympics and 30,000 more for the ensuing Paralympics, and more than 370,000 people from Beijing alone have submitted their applications since the first stage of the recruitment campaign kicked off in the Chinese capital last August.

BOCOG executive vice president Li Binghua said the third round recruitment campaign would be initiated in March to receive applicants from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to be followed with another stage of recruitment for the rest of the world. But the Volunteers have to be conversant in Mandarin. The disabled/handicapped are encouraged to apply for the Paralympics Game which will be taking place on 6 - 17 September 2008

The recruitment will focus on eight service areas including VIP escort and translation, vehicle driving, media operation, sport organisation, medical service, awarding ceremony, reception and accommodation as well as security, said an official with the Volunteers' Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

Food will be provided to the volunteers but they must pay for their own transport to and from Beijing and accommodation in the Chinese capital.

WALK WITH THE BLIND

Organised by the Petaling Jaya Lions Club, this is the 5th Blind Leading the Blind Annual Charity Walk.

Public are encouraged to join in this event together with their family members to experience what it is like living in a world of total darkness. There will be 100 blind participants from the Malaysia Association of Blind (MAB)

The event takes off at 7.30am on Sunday, March 11,2007 at the PJ Civic Centre Car Park. Participants can opt to walk blindfolded with a blind person or a sighted friend in a group for better crowd control. The 3km walk from Jalan Yong Shook Lin to Persiaran Barat, Jalan Timur, Jalan Pantai, Jalan Gasing, Jalan Changai and back to Jalan Yong Shook Lin is sponsored by Asia Insurance and American Home Assurance Company Malaysia.

Participants who complete the walk will be entitled to a Lucky Draw with gifts including a 29in colour T.V.

The Club hopes to raise RM150,000 from the fun walk, which will be channelled to various blind associations and also to help sponsor treatment for those poor cataract patients from the outskirts and villages.

While we are counting the blessings of having healthy eye sight, lets not forget to help those who suffer in darkness.

Call the Organising Chairman, Mak Siew Fong at :016-2207829 or email : insurama@streamyx.com to register.

For donation, kindly deposit your payment payable to "Petaling Jaya Lions Charity Foundation" at Maybank A/C 512231631340，or mail to A204，No.11，Jalan Sepadu，United Garden 58200 KL

FREE ARTIFICIAL LEG FOR POOR AMPUTEES

A collaboration between Che Hoon Khor Moral Uplifting Society in Penang 紫雲閣檳城德教會 and the Prostheses Foundation under the Patronage of HRH the Princess Mother of Thailand is organising a Charity Project to provide artificial legs to the poor disabled in Malaysia.

This project aims to benefit an approximate 300 amputees in our country. Anyone regardless of age, sex or nationality is eligible to register for it.

The details are as follows:

Date: 11 May to 17 May 2007 (Friday to Thursday)
Venue: Che Hoon Khor Moral Uplifting Society 紫雲閣檳城德教會
360, Macalister Road, Penang
Tel: 04-2267248

Registered recipients will be given a schedule by the Medical Team to go to the venue and complete the necessary procedures.


This service is Free of Charge.

Please spread this message around to help those who never dreamt in their life to walk again.

Story of The Contented Angler

Once there was an angler fishing by the river bank, and he managed to catch a lot of fish. But each time he caught a fish, he will use a ruler that he brought along to measure its size. If the fish measures longer than the ruler, he will promptly release the fish back into the river.

His action has puzzled all the other anglers and one of them approached him and asked: "All of us here are hoping to have a big catch but why do you keep releasing the big fish into the river?"

The angler smiled and answered: "This is because my 'wok' at home is only the size of this ruler and it cannot put in fish that is longer than this ruler."

Moral of the story: Take only whatever is sufficient for you and do not greed for excesses. This is a virtue.

Handicapped and Disabled Children's Association of Klang

These underprivileged children did not come to this world by choice. Their lives' journey was further compounded by the poor parents who could not afford to raise them under normal care and family condition due to their special needs.

So, they were admitted to this Home called HANDICAPPED AND DISABLED CHILDREN'S ASSOCIATION OF KLANG. A Home that is fully equipped with facilities to motivate, educate, groom and train these children with basic living skills so that they can be independent and be part of the society when they mature into adults.

These special children's ages range from 1 to 26 years old who suffered from DOWN SYNDROME, CEREBRAL PALSY, AUTISTIC, SPASTIC, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY, MILD MENTAL RETARDATION, VISION IMPAIRED, SPEECH IMPAIRED, HEARING IMPAIRED, BONE ABNORMALITY and more…

And that particular 1 year old child was diagnosed with Bone Cancer…

The Centre also sends the children to various special schools such as Sekolah Khas Kanak Kanak Cacat Klang, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Abdul Samad (Kelas Khas Menengah Pendengaran Cacat) and Sekolah Rendah Khas Kanak Kanak Cacat Pendengaran (Shah Alam) where they are taught basic reading and writing skills. However, those who are with more severe disabilities and are bedridden will not be able to attend special training but to stay at home where they are looked after by the teachers. An in-house full time Physio Therapist will conduct daily exercises and provide medication to the needy ones.

In line with the Centre's mission to run a long-term home for the Handicapped and Disabled Children, the Centre is organising a Food Fair Bazaar on 1st May 2007 from 10am to 3pm to raise funds for their new building. The Bazaar will be held at the Centre's present premise: No:4, Lorong Bunga Raya, Kampong Raja Uda, 42000 Port Klang, Selangor.

Coupons of RM10 per booklet can be purchased from the Centre. Alternatively, you may want to sponsor your products for sales in the bazaar or even consider setting up a stall to promote your products. Your contributions in anyway can make a difference in these special children's lives for "You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person."

Life for them is simple and it does not take much to make them happy. While we can never fully understand their world, let us reach out to make their world a better place.

Please contact Mr N Morgan, PJK the President/Chairman at: 03- 31655616 or 03-31654312 or Mobile: 012-3915893 should you need any further information.

GIFT OF SIGHT

If you have old pairs of spectacles sitting in the corner of your house and collecting dust, please do not throw them away.

Pass them to the nearest collection points before 31 March 2007, they are:

MBPJ HQ, Menara MBPJ, DJROA Community Recycling Centre, Ming Tien Food Court in Taman Megah, Taman Megah RA, Magnum in Taman Megah, Taman Mayang Jaya RA, Morning Market SS2/63 (in front of MJ restaurant), Lovely Disabled Home in SS2, PJCC at Jalan 17/21, London Optical in Damansara Utama, Malaya Optical at Jalan Yong Shook Lin, RA Section 5 (Photo Shop of Jalan Chantek), SK Sri Kelana, RT Jalan Carey, RT Section 1A, RT SS5, Komuniti Link at Summit Shopping Centre, Saujana Apartment RA in Damansara Damai, RT Kampung Chempaka, JKKK Kampung Kayu Ara, Beautiful Gate at Jalan SS2/24, RA SS3, Klinik Huang in SS3, RT Sea Park, Clinic MBPJ, RT Section 4A, MBPJ Landscape Department in Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya, Hotel Lisa De Inn, Hotel PJ De Inn and Komuniti Link at ICT Centre, Jalan 17/1A.
RA: Residents Association
RT: Rukun Tetangga

The above 32 collection points are working jointly with The Lions Club and Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya under The Lions International's optical mission, GIVE THE GIFT OF SIGHT.

For those who wish to donate but are staying outside the Petaling Jaya district, you can contact the respective state Lions Club districts' President for arrangement to collect your glasses.

When the project ends at the end of this month, the old spectacles will be packed and flown to the Lions Club International Eyeglasses Recycling Centre in Sri Lanka, where they will be classified by prescription and will be cleaned and repaired, then distributed to the under-privileged in the poor countries of Africa, Asia and Central America.