For the next week...

Next week will be probably super busy week to meet up with impt people. One of the distinguished people whom I will meet up is MP Dennis Phua and MP Christopher de Souza (MP for Holland Village). MP Christopher, being the youngest PAP member of parliament, has invited me to attend his Meet-the-People session this coming Monday to get the feel of how the heartlanders raise the concern to him and how he tackles various issues. Though, politics is not my cup of tea, I remain open-minded about it, not shying away from it as long as it helps to create a positive impact on the community especially my concern geared towards the disabled community.

As for MP Dennis Phua, i had arranged to meet up with her in TTSH next week on 7th Oct to discuss on the disabled issues. She is a strong advocate for the disabled community and I believe with her strong support, more things can be done quickly in Singapore. So many issues pertaining to the disabled issues are long overdue and we ought to pull up the socks and act on it..rather than letting our empty vessels making the most noises......

And I sms-ed Stefan, my good friend who used to be in my Xixa group and he went on to conquer Mount Everest as the only youngest man from NUS. See the 2 links-First Link, Second Link. He is Malaysian-born Singapore PR and I have known him through my involvement with Xixabangma Expedition (Make-It-Real Expedition). Ultimately I dropped out of this group and remain in good touch with Stefan. His girlfriend is a staunch supporter of his dream and is always there for him whenever he gives his speech to undergraduate students. An amazing couple, isn't it? Currently Stefen told me that he is now in Laos doing the photo shoot before coming back to Singapore this weekend. He is full-time outdoor photographer, specialising in outdoor photography which is very close to my heart and I always wanted to go into this line in future if I decide to work for myself in future. So, curently he is freelancing for different publications and he dreams to be a recognised photographer in his own field. You can visit his official website http://www.stefenchow.com

So anyway, I arrange to meet up with him next week cos I was planning to ask him for the advice on how to approach the magazine. I was thinking of penning my first article on upcoming trip to Cambodia and last night I did some research on how to produce a story from an interesting angle. It could be a subject of human poverty and suffering in Cambodia which I am very interested in exploring on how the people in Cambodia struggle with the poverty and miscarriage of justice and yet they remain upbeat about their lives. What is their main secret of living their simple lives with so few privileges and yet the happiness does not elude them unlike here in Singapore where many Singaporeans keep on lamenting on small things....He used to write a 5 glossy pages in Asian Geographic Magazine that were dedicated to his experiences in his summit bid to Mount Everest. You can see my and Stefen's quotes under the Xixabangma - Make-It-Real programme and his profile from NUS website.

Later on, I need to set up my appt with James Lim who was one of the Singapore Clipper Crew members cos I need to get the photos and video clips of our experiences in Clipper Race as I am planning to profile my experiences in sailing by giving a free talk at deaf schools.

"Life is too short to lament about the small things. Go for the big things
that u dare to dream and venture out!"

Volunteerism with Youth Council....

Had a great lunch with Darrell Chan whom he approached me in the Cali gym and he said that he was thoroughly impressed with my initiative to speak up at the PM Lee Dialogue 2006 last Sat. He shared that he used to be a lawyer studying Law in London in UK and he practised law for 3 years before giving up his cushy job to be a brand executive with Raoul. I also shared about my background and my intention to outreach to more youths in Singapore especially the disabled youths. I believe that we need to create an example as a role model for the youths who tend to be impressionable at their point of their teenagers year and we need to steer them in the right direction, inculcating in them a sense of responsibility for their own decision-making. Many a time, many youths tend to be rebellious or go with the majority, jumping on the bandwagon and they do not know what they want to do with their lives. So, Darrell shared that he is a President of ProjectWorks which involves mentorship of the youths from 12 to 20 years and other challenging youth projects. I asked him whether there are any youth projects for me to raise public awareness through public speaking and in this way, my public speaking skill could be honed. Actually, i wanted to be an international speaker like legendary Helen Keller and am able to converse in more than 5 languages. I had given my public speech in Japanese before. Click here. How nice if I were to see myself in my far vision standing on the stage with thousands of nationalities attending my talk and I am able to handle their queries or give speech in more than 5 languages.

And then we shared about travelling experiences. Darrell had travelled extensively with his wife and he was planning to visit Bali next year. I am also planning to visit Bali with Collin in Nov so he gave me some tips on where to visit in Bali. He has visited Bali couples of time. And next year he plans to visit South Africa. An interesting personality and it is an increasing sign that many young Singaporeans dare to venture out of Singapore to take off-beaten tracks in other countries....

So afrer I came back to the office, I immediately emailed to Darrell to thank him for sharing information and asked him to share the contacts with me so that I can follow up with person-in-charge. It is impt to have a mission and vision in your life as a guiding light to navigate through your life. At least I have a big purpose in achieving many impt tasks....

MY Silent Dragon/Naga Merah WON GOLD!!!

My Silent Dragon, we made it finally! A truely sweet victory for the disabled group of dragon boater to beat our real victory in the dragon boat! Oh my god!!

See the CNA excerpt!!

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SINGAPORE: A group of visually handicapped and hearing impaired dragon boaters have won a dragon boat race.

Called "Silent Dragon", the group , which has come together for the first time to form a dragon boat team, beat 4 other teams from the Breast Cancer Foundation, KKH, a team of Northeast CDC councillors and a team of teachers from Northeast CDC, to emerge the winner in their leg of the race.


Organised by the NorthEast CDC, SAVA - a company that runs international dragon boat events - and grassroots organisations, the North East Dragon Boat Championship 2006 which was held in Bedok Reservoir on Sunday also saw 6 teams from the Northeast constituencies, headed by grassroots advisors like Mr Teo Chee Hean, battling it out with other groups.

The team headed by Mr Ong Kian Min, advisor to Tampines North, took home the trophy at the end of the event. - CNA /dt

Disabled Issue being addressed in the PM Lee Dialogue

Yesterday I went for the PM Dialogue as the representative spokeperson to touch on the disabililty issue. I am glad that I have managed to raise this issue directly to PM Lee despite the time constraint and in the extract below, PM Lee replied that he feels that the needs of the disability shld be looked into. You can click on this hyperlink and go to the Related Video to click on the hyperlink to view the video clip.

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PM Lee renews call to young Singaporeans to play their part in country's future

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has renewed his call to Singapore's younger generation to play their part in making the country different.

But he also stressed that the process of opening up Singapore has to be done step by step.

Mr Lee was having a dialogue with some 200 young Singaporeans at a session organised by the National Youth Council.

They came armed with questions on the challenges facing Singapore on the economic front, giving greater value to an education in the polytechnics and the ITEs and if the day will come when Singaporean cultures are all merged into one.

Mr Lee explained that in a multi racial society like Singapore, the government will create the space to meet the specific needs of each racial and religious group.

But could the government consider setting aside a prayer room in schools for Muslim teachers?

PM Lee said: "At the same time we want to have a common space where all communities can fit in and everybody feels at home. The school, particularly government school, is one such area and we want to keep that open and shared as much as possible.

"We would rather not go to a system where every school will have to make separate little provision for each of the religious groups.

"It's not a practical problem. I can make a room, but I think it's an important philosophical point and an important reflection of our approach as a community, that in schools we are all the same, this is a secular place. After you leave school, you go to our religious institutions; that's what we are trying to do."

Mr Lee also assured the disabled that their needs would be looked into. He said one recent step was to have English subtitles during his National Day Message telecast on TV for the hearing impaired. And he believes such subtitling could be extended to news bulletins as well. He said: "If you watch the Taiwanese or Chinese news bulletins, for Chinese, they will have Chinese subtitles because all over China, people speak the same words in different ways. So you need to read the subtitle to know what he is saying. "We ought to be able to do that for our news bulletin too, at least the English one which is technically less difficult to do. "I think we have asked MediaCorp to look at it and I am hopeful they will be able to work something out and that would be helpful. For the movies, it may be harder, probably the DVD is the best solution." Subtitling for the news is in the works and details will be announced at a later date.


Whether it is about opening up the space more for discussion or growing Singapore's economic pie both at home and abroad, Prime Minister Lee emphasised that younger Singaporeans will have a greater role to play in the years to come, in shaping the future of Singapore.

He said: "We have to persuade young people eventually to conclude that: In Singapore, I can do something, I don't like this, let me get in and change this.

"If you say 'I don't like this', and say 'I am fed up, let's go', that's a great pity. We would have lost somebody in whom we put a lot of hopes and I think Singapore is worse off.

"What is it you are unhappy with, let's get that changed, that's how we got here today. If we were happy with what Singapore was 50 years ago, we would not have created Singapore today.

"And, if you are just happy with what Singapore is today, we are not going to change either. You must have the optimum degree of unhappiness, just right and the conviction to make it change."

Mr Lee also said that Singaporeans can expect more and more young people to be brought into politics to lead the country in the years ahead. - CNA/ir

Visible sign of poverty.....

Let's pause for a moment and ask yourself how much we are so much fortunate while being in the "posh armchair" of luxury, endless consumerism, and seemingly inexhaustible amount of choices around us, and yet the other 2/3 of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world are grossly deprived of rudimentary needs.

You could see a starving African child who you could see just his/her mere flesh being hung around the skeleton like the way u hang ur clothes with ur hanger easily while rotund child with plethora of food has never had a chance to feel hungry at all in his/her life....Poor little African child whose life and future is like a candle in the wind where any moment, the flame would be blown out in the gust of the wind.

Let's stop complaining. Also, let's stop being ignoramus in our own "frog's well". Be happy with what we have gotten.

A little celebration for my mom....

My mom has won one silver and one gold trophy for her taichi performance last Sunday at JB. It was not her first time she won gold awards. In HK, she won 2 gold and 1 silver medal for Yang-style and Chen-style taichi. I felt so proud for her!

Yesterday night, Collin and I drove down to chill out together at Siloso Beach and had a long chat under the starless night. There were very few signs of human over there and we chatted a lot of things before we drove to meet his long-time friend. At his friend's house, it was really such a hospitable atmosphere where even the belligerent strangers could easily lose their hostility at his house. We sampled his mother's fabulous cooking - signature Singapore black- and white-peppered crabs. It was simply mouth watering that my greedy mouth threatened to flood his 2-storey house with saliva otherwise I would be convicted life-imprisonment of inadvertent manslaughter.

Anyway I finally reached home late like a pregnant penguin.... (yeap..copy from someone)

A strange dream, isn't it?

I had a strange dream this morning while I was on the way to work. In my dream, I saw myself as a crippled frail man in his forties or fifties, fitted with a left prosthetic aritifical leg, donning a dri-fit shirt "Please Support the Asian Disabled". In my dream, I saw myself, making such a labored movement all the way along the lonely road from Singapore to Beijing, and along the way, sometimes lined a row of people with their hands cheering for me or curious onlookers. Despite the sweltering heat, heavy downpour and even snowstorm, it seemed that he did not stop himself to have a little rest because in his mind, there was a big cause that he must carry on to deliver his promise. He limped and limped just like the legendary Terry Fox who limped thousands of miles across the Canadian plain. Pain, tears, anguish and all kinds of emotions do not matter to him....but the main source of his inspiration is to live true to his cause to awaken the sleepy Asia to the real right of the disabled which has been denied of us for decades and centuries....This man whom I saw myself, limped all the way to Beijing. Then he resumed his run from Beijing down to India which was the last outpost of the great ancient civilisation and also where the human rights of the disabled has been grossly denied there. I had no inkling of how that guy lost his limb and how he became so driven to carry a gargantuan task to raise the awareness of disability in whole Asia, not seeking fame and glory for his cause.

And somehow, something had happened to him while he was in India. He suddenly collapsed somewhere in an isolated place where it was deprived of human life in India and I did not know what really had happened to him. He seemed to be in great pain and no one seemed to be aware of his plight. He was lying on the earth, while the raindrops fell on his face, washing away his sweats and mud. The fact is that he is deadly alone out there and what the question of his fate would be.....

I just suddenly was jolted to wake up to the reality and I came to my realization that my bus stop opposite my workplace was just a stone's throw away. I quickly disembarked from the bus, still feeling groggy from my sleep-deprived state and ambled under the gloomy sky that threatened that it would unlease rain anytime. Oh dear..what a bad day to start with for the beginning of the week. Hee.......How I wish that today would be "Fridae.com" not "Mondae.com" hee...As usual, I gave myself a signature toothy smile.

Interesting.....

Your Hidden Talent

Your natural talent is interpersonal relations and dealing with people. You communicate well and are able to bring disparate groups together. Your calming presence helps everything go more smoothly. People crave your praise and complements.

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

You Are 68% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

The Demise of Elizabeth Choy - A legendary war heroine

SINGAPORE: She was known as a war heroine, a humanitarian, a politician and a teacher.
96-year-old legend Elizabeth Choy died on Thursday, after a battle with cancer.

Family members said she died at 2pm at home, surrounded by her loved ones.

The wake will be held at the St Andrew's Cathedral.

Elizabeth Choy was born Yong Su-Moi in Sabah in 1910, but moved to Singapore in 1929 to further her studies.

Responsibility came early to this eldest of 6 children when her mother passed away early.

Of Hakka descent, she became a teacher to support her siblings - a vocation she returned to later in life.

In 1941, Elizabeth Choy got married, but life would soon turn hellish.

Both she and her husband were captured by the dreaded Japanese Kempeitai when Singapore fell.

Accused of passing food, medicine and messages to British prisoners-of-war, she was locked up and tortured for 193 days.

In a recent documentary, she recalled these times to her grand-daughter, Andrea.

"My most agonising torture was - besides all the kicking and punching - nothing compared to the electric shocks - they applied electricity to my bare body," said Elizabeth.

After the war, the War Tribunal asked the war heroine if she wanted her torturers executed.

Her answer was no.

"If not for war, they would be just like me. They would be at home with their family, doing just ordinary things and peaceful work. Let us pray that there will be no more war," said Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Choy went on to be awarded a number of medals for valour and service to the nation, including the Order of the British Empire.

There were fun times as well, such as the little-known fact that she turned to modelling to supplement her income during a 4-year stint in the United Kingdom after the war.

After returning to Singapore, this war heroine then turned to politics - making history by becoming Singapore's first female legislator.

She then stood for elections in the Queenstown branch but lost.

Elizabeth Choy then left politics to go back to her first love - teaching.

She spent 40 years doing this.

Asked some years ago which part of her remarkable life she wanted to be remembered for, there was no hesitation.

"Teaching is a noble profession. You have young people and you help to mould them so teaching is very important," said Elizabeth.

In the end - perhaps that is indeed Elizabeth Choy's lasting legacy.

She taught a nation what it is to live a life less ordinary. - CNA /dt

Having a mixture of emotions today

I am a bit moody nowadays while searching for jobs. Job hunting process is very monotonous and hateful process where u have to send out the resume to convince the employers to hire you and then go thru the cycle of interview, bargaining for better pay and working conditons, and blab blab blab. It can be very annoying to me cos until now, there is no good news from any company which I have sent the resume so far only a few days ago. Yeah I am very impatient hee..

Furthermore, when i recalled about that company who called me up for the interview and discovered that I am hearing impaired, that woman from that HR has an audacity to question about my hearing level and asked me to call her. I politely explained to her that i could not call her on the phone and we could correspond through email. The next day, she has such an effrontery and unspoken priggishness to ask me to call her again when I had politely emailed to her yesterday in a clearly exaggerated black-and-white words, though I wish to write in bold letters "I CANNOT HEAR ON THE TELEPHONE". She further elaborated with such a obvious and yawningly cliche that "handling telephone is part and parcel of the job scope where I have to handle all the phone enquiries with boss, employees and clients." Yes, I should have yawned the biggest one which shld deserve a biggest place in the Guiness Book of Records. Of course, I know it very well and given its highest prestige and recognition accorded to this company, why can't the HR department redesign the job scope in such a way that every disabled with relevant skills can handle their jobs. Handling the telephone enquiries is just a only tip of iceberg but the major bulk of the iceberg is not only depending on the telephone enquiry.

So anyhow instead of wasting my energy to explode like a mad Mount Krakatoa which is reputed as the biggest volcanic eruption in the history, I politely replied to that HR woman that I would not come for the interview and thank her for taking time to clarify with me. In my mind, even if HR does not outrightfully reject before the interview, I am 100% sure that during the interview, I would be definitely rejected so what is the main point of going for the interview since the HR woman has already made it clear that this job requires tele-conversation. I have graciously declined the interview invitation and moved on with other companies. Admittedly, it is no real easy to find a job in Singapore. Sigh..what is the main point of lamenting that job hunting is so onerous....what to do and I have to restructure my paradigm of thinking that in order to survive in Singapore with increasing expenses, I have to rethink of my priorities and my immediate committment. And my saving account is dangeously low after I plonked down all of my hard-earned money on my lunatic dreams! So, sigh sigh sigh..what to do ..so I have no choice but to move on with temporary priorities.

*To add one more point here* Another organisation which i expressed my interest in working has its reservation to hire me. Of course, I felt disappointed and worthless cos no matter how u can produce your impressive resume to the prospective employers, it will never change their attitudes and mindset towards their disabled. Sometimes, I felt cheated and betrayed when someone promised that he/she would follow up with me after his/her return from business trip with his/her plastic smile. And I religiously followed up by sending emails to remind him/her and yet I did not receive any single reply from him/her. I thought that by participating in the Clipper race would change the public perception a bit towards the disabled and encourage the public to give a chance to them to prove thmselves. It was like having a balloon being held preciously in ur hand and someone purposely used his catapult to shoot the stone to burst the balloon. On the other hand, come to think of the other people who are worse off than me, and they have to perserve to find job that meet their basic needs. So, it comforted my thought a bit....

Anyway, this morning, I was walking on the way to work and I crossed the road. I saw a truck reversing towards the traffic light. But the strange thing is that the truck had reversed onto the pavement where many passers-by would walk along to the MRT station because the road was very narrow and had insufficient space for the truck to move sideways. Forgive me for not thinking of an appropriate description cos I am not familiar with the driving terms. Anyway, I noticed a frail old man with silver crown of hair walking towards me and while I noticed the truck reversing closer to the old man. He seemed that he was totally oblivious to the immiment danger behind him and the Indian man was waving at him to get out of its path. The women passers-by seemed that they were not bothered about it at all. I was shocked by their nonchalent behaviours. I was so concerned about that old man's life that I bolted into action to run towards him to alert him of upcoming truck. Fortunately, he managed to get out of the path otherwise, I would probably see the pool of gory red liquid on the ground which is sure enough to traumatize me for the whole life if I just stood there watching him to be knocked down. Then I sms-ed some friends including my dear about that incident and they were so concerned about me whether I was okay. I presumed that they thought I purposely risked my life to save that old man. But to me, I did not think about it cos my main concern is that I want to save his life and I do not want anything happen to someone even though I do not know totally. Sad to say that that old man whom I tried to save him did not thank me...Anyway, it is all right. U dun have to get any thanks for what u have done. Only God knows I have accumulated good merit to erase my karma.


I recalled of watching the ending of "The Devil Wears Prada" where Andy waved to Miranda after Andy decided to leave Miranda's company. Miranda did not respond to her wave and got into the car. Andy seemed to be despondent but after a while, she smiled to herself.... "So what Miranda did not respond to me and at least I have a freedom to choose my life not at the whim of other people." So, it applies to me...after all, I have managed to save someone, which is good enough for me. No need to ask for more.



Whenever I see any dog or cat crossing the road, I would stop by and watch out whether any cars are coming. I am so worried that the car drivers may heartlessly run over them for the mere fun or carelessness. I always try to shout at them or to throw twigs at them to get off the road as soon as possible. I really can't bear to see anyone including the animals to be run over by the cars. I remembered when I was 10 years old, I really witnessed a dog being run over by a car and it was enough to traumatize for many days. I pleaded with my father to stop and took a look at that dog. He refused cos he said that he knew that that dog should have died.

Secondly, I was plagued with the guilty thought of seeing my own dog being run under by the BUS! Oh dear, I just stood stand, feeling helpless as if devils below the surface tried to pull my leg into the ground. I witnessed my own dog being run under the bus and I could hear the high-pitched shrilling cry. I just stood looking stunned and I could not find my dog..Where were u? Pls dun scare me..Come out immediately. All passengers in the bus were stupefied of what was going on. 5 minutes later, my dog struggled to get out from below and cried non-stop. She limped off and I ran towards her. I was so relieved to discover that she was still alive but she could not recover from emotional trauma. Since that incident, I was so guilty to let her wander about without close superivision. Many a night, I could hear her wimping silently. Years later she passed away leaving behind her male and female dogs in my house.

World Press Photo -- Another pictures to depict the human suffering

I myself do not know why I am always attracted to these kind of award-winning and real-to-life photos that depict human suffering and anguish. It, probably, helps to soften my heart and helps me to change my paradigm of thinking that how I am fortunate to have a happy family, wonderful friends, good health, stable job, good life in Singapore, countless opportunities to travel aboard, and fair share of beautiful experiences where few Singaporeans have. The only thing that I do not really need is the wealth or I am not a rich man, maybe I am really a poor man after sinking all my hard-earned my money to fund my dream to go sailing. I am being contented with what I am now. I always feel a strong urge to go to developing/poor countries to help those unfortunate victims of the plight. I do not mind tending to the wounds sustained by the war victims and upon tending to the wounds, I could feel the unimaginable pain and inabsolvable suffering borned by them.

See those award-winning photos that definitely make the iron-hearted men go soft-hearted.

An African woman with her poignant eyes was really an epitome of human suffering where famine hit her village. A little hand virtually covered teenager mom's mouth, creating an uncertain picture of what the future will be held in store for them.

An Indian mom was waiting for the emergency help when her village was hit by a disaster. A child by her mom's side seemed to plead for help while her mom lied on the mud ground, watching helplessly.

A little Iraqi girl, crying for help, stood on the blood-stained ground, and she was probably crying for her parents. I simply looked upon on such an innocent child helplessly and I wish to jump into the picture to rescue from this cruel world. Oh God, pls save her from misery as soon as possible....

Life is like a fairy tale, isn't it?

Sometimes Life can be strange.....it could be like a fairy tale, or like a black-and-white movie with no words exchanged...Let me dedicate a little song "童话" (Fairy Tales) which is one of the most popular Chinese songs sung by Wang Guang Liang. U can view the youtube movie and it depicts of a reticient singer and his dying girlfriend.

童話 (王光良)

忘了有多久 再沒聽到你
對我說你最愛的故事
我想了很久 我開始慌了
是不是我又做錯了甚麼

你哭著對我說 童話裡都是騙人的
我不可能是你的王子
也許你不會懂 從你說愛我以後
我的天空星星都亮了

我願 (要) (會) 變成童話裡
你愛的那個天使
張開雙手 變成翅膀守護你
你要相信 相信我們會像童話故事裡
幸福和快樂是結局

一起寫我們的結局

Fairytale

I've forgotton how long I haven't heard you
Tell your favorite story to me
I've thought so long, I'm starting to be confused
Is it because I did something wrong again?

Crying, you tell me-- fairytales are all lies
I couldn't possibly be your prince
Maybe you don't understand: ever since you said you loved me
The stars in my sky all lit up

I'm willing to (want to) (will) become
The angel you love in that fairytale
Open my two hands, they'll become wings to protect you
You must believe, believe we are like that fairytale story
We'll live happily ever after*

We'll write our "ever after" together*

Goodbye England's Rose -- Candle in the Wind, Sir Elton John

Goodbye England's rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

Loveliness we've lost
These empty days without your smile
This torch we'll always carry
For our nation's golden child
And even though we try
The truth brings us to tears
All our words cannot express
The joy you brought us through the years

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

Goodbye England's rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
Goodbye England's rose
From a country lost without your soul
Who'll miss the wings of your compassion
More than you'll ever know

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And you footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will

“I’m gonna do my very best. I’ll fight. I promise I won’t give up.” - Terry Fox

Come and support the Terry Fox Run at Sunday Sept 17, 2006 at Tanjong Beach Sentosa in the memory of Terry's unspeakable and timeless courage
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Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22.

He continued to wear his Marathon of Hope T-shirt in hospital and refused the many offers, including one from the Toronto Maple Leaf hockey team, to finish his run for him.

In less than 48 hours the CTV television network arranged a special telethon and by the end had raised more than $10 million – $1 million from the provincial government of British Columbia, another $1 million from the province of Ontario and substantial cheques from corporations. Most, however, came from private donations.

Isadore Sharp had sent a telegram which Terry pinned to his hospital bed. He said that Terry's marathon was just the beginning and that a fundraising run would be held in his name every year to continue his fight against cancer.

“You started it. We will not rest until your dream to find a cure for cancer is realized.”

For the next 10 months, Terry battled the disease. Some days the pain was nightmarish; some days, he felt well enough to go out with Rick Hansen and his friends.

As he fought for his life, he was honoured with awards: He was the youngest Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's top civilian honour; he was named Newsmaker of the Year by the Canadian Press; he won the Lou Marsh trophy for outstanding athletic achievement; his portrait was hung in the Sports Hall of Fame and letters of encouragement came from around the world; and, most importantly, donations to his Marathon of Hope reached $23.4 million. The Guinness Book of Records named him top fundraiser. A mountain was named after him in British Columbia.

Terry died, his family beside him, June 28, 1981 – one month short of his twenty-third birthday.

There was nation-wide mourning. Flags were flown at half-mast. But people didn't forget him and his story didn't end with his death.

The first Terry Fox Run was held that September – more than 300,000 people walked or ran or cycled in his memory and raised $3.5 million.

Terry's mother Betty says there would be no Terry Fox Run if not for Isadore Sharp. And Mr Sharp, who has known the loss of a son to cancer, believes one day a brilliant young researcher, perhaps one funded by a Terry Fox grant, will find a cure for the disease.

“Terry did not lose his fight,” Mr Sharp says. “Perhaps he finished all he had to do. Terry is like a meteor passing in the sky, one whose light travels beyond our view, yet still shines in the darkest night.”

The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

October 21, 1980 – Terry Fox is awarded British Columbia's highest civilian award; The Order of the Dogwood.

November 22, 1980 – The American Cancer Society presents Terry with their highest award; The Sword of Hope.

February 1, 1981 – Terry's hope of raising $1 from every Canadian to fight cancer is realized. The national population reaches 24.1 million; the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope fund totals $24.17 million.

June 28, 1981 – After treatment with chemotherapy and interferon, Terry Fox dies at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, British Columbia – one month short of his twenty-third birthday.

July 17, 1981 – British Columbia names a 2,639-metre (8,658 foot) peak in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Terry Fox, as a lasting symbol of Terry's courage.

July 30, 1981 – A 83-kilometre (52 mile) section of the Trans-Canada Highway, between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, is renamed the Terry Fox Courage Highway in Terry’s honour.

August 29, 1981 – Terry Fox is posthumously inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

September 13, 1981 – The first Terry Fox Run is held at more than 760 sites in Canada and around the world. The event attracts 300,000 participants and raises $3.5 million.

April 13, 1982 – Canada Post issues a Terry Fox Stamp; prior to this, no other stamp had been issued until 10 years after the death of the honouree.

April 20, 1982 – The Marathon of Hope fund now totals $27.8 million and is allocated to cancer research projects in the Terry Fox New Initiative Programs of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

June 26, 1982 – A 2.7-metre (9 foot) bronze statue of Terry Fox is unveiled at Terry Fox Lookout, a site just off the Terry Fox Courage Highway, west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The site overlooks Lake Superior near where Terry ended his run on September 1, 1980.

During 1983 – The Canadian Coast Guard dedicates its second most powerful ship in Terry’s name. The ship is re-commissioned in 1994.

May 26, 1988 – The Terry Fox Run becomes a Trust, independent of the Canadian Cancer Society. The organization becomes known as The Terry Fox Foundation.

December 1990 – The Sports Network (TSN) names Terry Fox Athlete of the Decade; the field included Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan.

February 11, 1994 – The Terry Fox Hall of Fame is created to provide permanent recognition to Canadians who have made extraordinary personal contributions to assist or enhance the lives of people with physical disabilities.

July 1, 1998 – The Terry Fox Monument is re-dedicated in Ottawa, Ontario and is now part of the Path of Heroes; a government initiative to raise public awareness and appreciation of great Canadians that have helped shape the country.

August 28, 1998 – The Terry Fox Foundation announced a new infusion of $36 million in funds for Canadian cancer research. The new program, called The Terry Fox New Frontiers Initiative, represents a departure from any existing research programs and will target increased innovation and risk.

June 30, 1999 – Terry Fox is voted Canada's Greatest Hero in a national survey.

January 17, 2000 – Terry is once again immortalized on a Canadian postage stamp. This time he is part of the prestigious Millennium Collection of influential and distinguished Canadians.

Gardens by the Bay in 2009 - 2010

Two international landscape design teams have been named joint winners of an international master plan competition to conceptualise and create the master plan for Gardens by the Bay, which is set to be the crown jewel of Singapore's Garden City.

The winning entries are for Marina East and Marina South Gardens. No winner was chosen for the Garden at Marina Centre as NParks will be seeking public feedback on this.

The competition, organised by the National Parks Board and launched in January, attracted over 70 entries from 170 firms from 24 countries. Of these, eight were shortlisted and they presented their submissions to an 11-member international jury.


Winning design by Grant Associates, a landscape architecture consultancy based in Bath, England

The team that created the winning design for the Garden at Marina South is Grant Associates, a landscape architecture consultancy based in Bath, England. Grant Associates' recent projects include the Chongqing Botanical Garden in China and the New Islington Millennium Village in Manchester. It collaborated with several other design companies such as Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Atelier One, Atelier Ten, Land Design Studios and Meinhardt Infrastructure on the winning design.

Grant Associates' design philosophy for the Gardens sees the Marina South Garden as an "intelligent" space, which will have "Edutainment Gardens" as well as event spaces, show gardens and a conservatory.

The judges say Grant Associate's design "captures the essence of a Garden in a downtown setting - the experience of colour and vibrancy all year round. This was achieved by the strategic location of display gardens and activity spaces, with careful consideration given to day and night programming."

The team that created the winning design for the Garden at Marina East is Gustafson Porter, an international landscape design practice based in London. Its recent projects include the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London's Hyde Park, and the Great Glasshouse at the National Botanical Garden of Wales.


Winning design by Gustafson Porter, an international landscape design practice based in London

The judges say that Gustafson Porter's design concept for the Garden at Marina East "positioned it as a key Garden, leveraging off the attractive views it offers of the city skyline, looking across the water." The design's strength lies in "the way it addressed the site conditions, thereby bringing forth the essence of Marina Bay in a subtle and elegant manner."

Both winning teams also collaborated with Davis Langdon & Seah Singapore, which provided cost and management services.

Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, said the Gardens by the Bay would "exemplify the Garden in our Garden City", by adding colour and vibrancy through flowers and coloured foliage.

"It will showcase the best of tropical horticulture and floral displays. It will be a central park for all residents and visitors alike," said the minister at the launch of the Gardens by the Bay Master Plan exhibition at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and the official opening of the redeveloped Tanglin Core this morning.

He said that the judges were impressed with how the designers pushed the envelope of design, while taking into account the climate, culture and context of Singapore.

"They strived to come up with something iconic and innovative, and at the same time ensuring that their designs would blend in well with the surrounding developments at Marina Bay," added Mr Mah.

On the two winning designs, he said both teams had very unique design concepts that encompassed aesthetic elements that were "implementable and flexible."

"Grant Associates' strength showed in their design for the garden at Marina South, while Gustafson Porter excelled in their design for Marina East," he added.

But the Minister emphasised that the designs were not the final blueprints, and both teams would continue to work with NParks to develop the details of the designs.

Members of the public can view an exhibition of the winning designs and scale models at the Function Hall in the new Botany Centre, Tanglin Core, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens from now to Sept 24, from 7am to 8pm daily. The winning designs can also be viewed on the Gardens by the Bay website ( http://www.gardensbythebay.org.sg).

The exibition also serves to canvas feedback from the public, and their ideas and views would be taken into account in the detailed design stage.

Copyright ©2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.

Captioning for the Singaporean deaf finally

I got the good news from my friend that MDA will provide captioning services for certain programmes at certain time slots. It is definitely a biggest breakthrough in the deaf history in Singapore where many deaf are at their disadvantage when they watch the English news. Currently, there are no captions being provided simultaneously with the newscasters and there is no way for the deaf and hard-of-hearing to catch the newscasters reading the news. For years, we have been fighting for the news to be incorporated with the subtitles but many a times, our request for the captioning has been flatly rejected due to the small population of the deaf and lack of fund to provide captioning service.

Earlier on this year, I have appeared in Channel U documentary "My Special Journey" which features the lives of the selected disabled and I was one of them to share the frustration and experiences of the deaf person living in Singapore. I have also mentioned that one of the main frustration borne by the deaf is that we do not understand the news programme at all and we had to depend on the hearing to tell us what is going on.

Even in USA and other well-developed countries, all the programmes including the news come with the captions and my UK friend showed me that one needs to press the button to activate the captioning function. It was such an amazing service that many deaf in other countries have been enjoying for years and yet Singapore, being considered as one of the most developing countries in Asia, do not have such rudimentary services catering to the deaf audience. It was such a shame to us.

Finally, the deaf community in Singapore can see the light though we hope that captioning can be done across all the programmes not just Channel 5, 8 but also across all the local programmes including ChannelNewsAsia channel which aims to be the top premier channel network in Asia, covering Asia mainly.

But still there is a long way to advocate more rights for the deaf. It is such a heartening to know that more and more Singaporeans are supportive of deaf and also disabled community in general. It certainly shows that Singaporeans have a big heart to show to other segment of the community!

A tribute to Steve Irwin

A little email to circulate among my friends.
---------------
Hi ALL,

I am writing a little email to share with all of you the demise of Steve Irwin, a legendary larger-than-life Australian icon, environmental crusader, devoted husband and father and multiple facets of roles that he has taken all in 44 years' life. I am deeply saddened by his tragic death during his freak diving incident off Queensland. I could not unravel the reason of why he had to die from a stingray's venomous tail barbs even though he has handled much more dangerous living species e.g. crocodies, venomous snakes, etc.

To share my past experiences, I have seen numerous sting rays and mantee rays while I was diving but I never encountered any problems with them. And I have even handled venomous huge and black scorpion by allowing it to crawl upwards on my arm in Malaysia.

Moreover I was also attacked by hornet of wasps at Perak while we were clearing the foliage for the young school children. My whole head and upper body were continously stung by wasps and I had to endure the painful swellings for hours. There was no nearby help as we were located many miles away from nearest villages in Perak.

We were almost chased by the yaks while I was trekking in Nepal Annapurna and it would be only retreated if we pelted it with stones. Also, I almost cheated death when the two Nepali workers pushed down a huge boulder down the slope and it fell a few inches right behind my back. If I were to walk slower, my head would be probably smashed totally.

Lastly, Life is really short and no one will know what will happen the next day. Let's live the Life fully and meaningfully. Let's share our prayer to his soul and we will remember him and his admirable valiancy always.

Please go to this website and pay your tribute to Steve Irwin.
http://www.worldtributes.com/tributes/steveirwin.php

Thank you
Adrian

Past Weekend and today

Last Saturday, Collin was not feeling well and I bought him manuka honey from Takashimaya. Gilbert once told me that Manuka Honey has incredible healing properties that cure many ailments.

Manuka Honey is used to help sooth, coat and heal a ...

* sore throat
* cold symptom
* cough
* sinus infection
* flu, flu symptom
* canker sore
* cold sore
* fever blister
* in tea, on toast with butter, peanut butter
* use in recipes when cooking, baking and creating BBQ sauces and marinades!

Manuka Honey is pure, raw, natural, un-pasteurized, naturally organic honey, collected from the flower to the wild, un-cultivated Tea Tree Bush (leptospermum scoparium) in New Zealand.

I met up with Jane to discuss on the new projects for Y-Deaf CLub. It is agreed that after the dialogue, i would propose to bring up the talks on sharing my experiences on Clipper Race at 4 deaf schools and other organisation to raise awareness about the disabled individuals who have done many achievable tasks. We also agree to explore on fund-raising projects for Cambodia marathon to heighten our profile. I told Jane that she may need to work on her profile as the first deaf woman who take part in the marathon in Cambodia. She has been nominated as Woman of the Year in Sports and Recreation and in October, the outcome on the winner will be known. I told her that she may consider to write to Woman's Magazine that she is planning to go to Cambodia and she may share her experience in Cambodia as a female disabled sportswoman. We were equally excited about raising a good profile of the deaf individuals and hope to continue to inspire society about special individuals despite their handicaps. We hope that through our stories and experiences, we will encourage more deaf individuals to come forward and show the society that they can do as many as they can! It is their mind that determines the outcome not the situation.

And I stayed with Collin overnight to watch him over just in case, he needed urgent help.

The next day, I went for my family's lunch buffet dinner and had a long dinner with Gilbert. Had a nice chat with him and discussed career plans. He agreed to help me to prepare convincing cover letter to some organisations in which I am interested in working. Then i bought a bowl of porridge and 2 bowls of beancurd from Jollibean and brought them to Collin's house.


And today I was msn-chatting with Patrick about Cambodia and diving trips. He seemed to be so excited about these trips and we exchanged some pointers on how to update the blog. Finally i added Patrick's blog under my link and gave my generous comments on his first entry hee..

Fund-raising for Y-Deaf Club

We are doing the fund-raising project to support many programmes for children with special needs, the needy citizens and the hard of hearing individuals. We hope your generous contribution to buy these delicious mooncakes would be very much appreciated. Do place your order or to help to pass the word of mouth about Mooncake Charity Sale.

Eventful week

Last Friday, I stayed over at Collin's place with his HK and Scottish friend, Yvonne and Walter. Very personable and warm-hearted and no wonder Yvonne and Collin hit it off very well since 2001. Collin met her at Cali in HK and that was how friendship was started between them. The next day, we got up real early and Yvonne wanted to wake me up. But she was worried that I was stark naked so she asked Walter to wake me up. I was not in buff and I dun sleep in buff.

Then Collin returned from his class and he looked a bit wreary. Poor him. Then we drove all together to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to catch 45-minute ferry to Batam. After we cleared the immigration, we got onto the ferry. Yvonne was quite apprehensive as she had a food poisoning in HK and she feared to vomit again on the choppy boat.

In 45 minutes' time, we arrived at Batam and it was quite rustic and idyllic there. We took our stuff and there was a van waiting for us. Collin had booked Turi Beach Resort which is Bali-themed villa minus maldive-like sea. We parked our stuff in 433 ROOM and then we rested for a while. I taught Yvonne simple steps of Samba and Rhumba cos my mom used to teach me when I was very young. I only knew the basic steps and rhymth. Then we got out of the villa and ambled down the slope to eat at the Indonesian restaurant.

Not bad but the rice was a bit hard to masticate and then we went off to the nearby kelong which was outrigged at around 50 metres away from the coastline. We sauntered leisurely under the gloomy sky and Collin kept on nagging at me that I was a real JINX to bring bad weather here..hee..

Then we decided to take a dip in swimming pool and we swam for 2 hours. Though our skin does not receive any sun treatment, we enjoyed ourselves and we finally showered before I left Turi Resort.

The next day, I woke up late at 5am and my father cabbed me down to Padang. It was so packed that I had to compete space and air for breathing. I searched for Kim and David frantically around the registration area and found them. Left with 1 minute, I frantically packed all my stuff into my bag and handed it to the bag deposit counter and rushed upstair to the flag off point. David and I were at outside Esplanade entrance which was more than stone's throw. It was already started but there were so many participants there, causing a massive human jam. It was like a Newspaper Walk, walking from Tuas to Changi Airport! Finmally we cleared the flag off point in 20 minutes. I ran from Shenton Way and then turned right to Benjamin Shereas Bridge. It was a slight uphill road which was manageable and then u would be greeted by famous Singapore skyline and I saw Collin's apartment at Tanjong Rhu. Wondering Collin was still sleeping at Turic Beach Resort while I was running hard....Quite an opposite!

Then after 2 hours, I almost arrived at the finish point and cleared it in 2 hours++. Phew..finished the AHM but I was not feeling too well. I went over to the bag deposit to collect my stuff and I forgot to bring extra dry shirt. Coupled with sudden drizzle and cold morning wind, I shivered non-stop and went over to the bus-stop. I felt not so well. I just sat down, dazing into the space. Around an hour passed, the rain had abated slightly and I was so hungry. I left the bus-stop to scavenge for food. Then I bought a packet of nasi-lemak but i noticed that my appetite was not very good. Collin sms-ed me to ask me how my run was and he told me that he would swim to work out while 2 companions would go for rejuvenating massages.

I ate little nasi-lemak which was not my usual self even though I was very famished. I sms-ed Jane where she was and she told me that she was on the way. Even the sky was clearing, i was shivering and I decided to buy dri-fit shirt from nearby booth. I told Jane to meet me at the tentage outside Esplanade cos I was a bit sleepy. I left Padang and walked over to Esplanade and slept under the tentage. It was uncomfortable sleeping there but I was used to it given my past experiences of sleeping on the cold and hard makeshift bed in Nepal.

Jane came over to me and we chatted for a while. I told her that I wanted to buy panadol cos I was feeling quite flushed and heaty. We chatted a bit in Esplanade Lib and then we walked together to Kallang Sea sports for our dragon boat session. With my sore leg muscles, I walked even more slowly and told Jane to go ahead without me. I would join her later. Along the way, I noticed myself I was not feeling so good especially my abdominal area. I ignored it and then finally reached there.

Jane told me that those participants suffered from diarrhoea and asked me whether I suffered from diarrhoea. I said NO but I felt my stomach was not feeling well. Anyway, we started our warming up exercise and pushed the boat out of the storage area. Junhong, my coach, asked me to sit in front since the other blind rowers were not here. Junhong noticed that I was not feeling well and asked me whether I was well. I told him I was all right and we started our training. For the first few rounds of trainin, I was fine and thereafter, i felt more nauseous. I felt like throwing up like a pregnant lady on the choppy boat, threatening to make the water yellow. We would row on the vomit-infested sea. Gross! I told Junhong that I was not feeling well and requested to sit at the back. It continued without me but I felt terrible. It was like having the cork being plugged into my oesophagus.

After the training, i decided to leave the team early and thought of seeing doctor early. I asked Ya Nee to accompany to collect her bag and along the way, I suddenly threw up. Because there was nothing left in my stomach, it was very painful process to throw up with my hand clutching my shirt with my shrill cry in response to my acute chest pain. The passer-by would mistake me for having cardiac arrest! I fell onto the ground and tried to breathe normally. My breathing was laborious and I cringed my back to try to sooth my chest pain. The boy from boat saw me and tried to pat on my back. Then I lied on my back and I suddenly felt dizzy.

After 10 minutes which seemed to be endless, I felt all right and could walk normally. Ya Nee was worried about me and I told her I was all right. I smiled weakly and resumed my walking back to the bag storage area.

Then I showered quickly and went to the canteen to eat light food. Then I rested for hours and Jane came over.

After rest, I felt much better though I felt groggy. And later on, we met Collin and others for dinner before heading home. It was such a hearty dinner.