In Loving Memory of the late Princess Diana

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole world is still so much in love with the late Princess Diana. I'm responding to the cover on the latest Time Magazine (August 27, 2007) issue by Catherine Mayer on "Why Diana Mattered". I agree with the writer when she quoted on the front page, "Why Diana Mattered; Ten years after her death, a look at how the princess transformed a nation". If I could add, the princess had not only transformed the British nation but had also transformed the whole world particularly in matters pertaining to children afflicted with AIDS, famine, poverty and endangerment. I may sound like a manic fan of Princess Di, and to tell you the truth, I am (note the present tense) one of her great admirer, even after 10 years since her tragic departure. My own country has many princesses and I know none of their names and I don’t really care because none of them can ever match to the greatness and of what charitable Princess Diana has committed during her course of life as the princess.

There will be a third inquiry over her death even after being told that her death was a mere tragic accident. However, many people out there, especially the Britons could not rest the fact that the accident was an espionage which was immaculately planned to oust the princess.

Why do we love her so much? Personally, I think she carried herself as what true princess should be. We grew up reading stories about princesses with unmatched beauty and angels at heart. And this was how Princess Diana cast herself to be. So what if she has had dark secrets, who doesn’t? But at least she changed a lot of things, and these include the culture of the boring British monarchy. Rather than giving out boring speeches and visiting old folks home, Diana went through bizarre length as to jump into the fields and to show her genuine concern over the so many predicaments and sufferings of the people all over the world. Remember her at Angola land mines? Remember her kissing an African child suffering from AIDS? This is the true princess that the world wants to see.

Last but not least, I truly love, love, love her style. Simple, classy, elegant and so Diana. She epitomized the true definition of elegance. And she's what the paparazzi are crazy about. No matter what she does or what pose she gave, it's a work of art. I guess even if she was caught picking her nose, it will be plastered on every front page and people will still gawk at her. Just like the way people gawk at Princess Grace of Monaco long time ago, except that Diana has more brains and brawn plus the unmatched beauty, which is pity though that her former husband, the Prince Charles was too blind (way too blind) to see. Speaking of the devil, the Prince's decision to divorce her had made Diana more popular and powerful. Every people still looked up to her even after the divorce and forever considered her as Princess of Hearts. On the contrary, Prince Charles has descended into more of a frog. As Princess Diana once quipped, "I kissed a prince, and he turned into a frog". How true is that...

Princess Diana Biography
Fast Facts

Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, nee Spencer was born on July 1, 1961. She died on August 31, 1997.

She is most often referred to as "Princess Diana", but in actuality this is not her correct title. Diana, Princess of Wales is her proper title.

She was married to HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales for 15 years.

She was mother of the second and third in line to the British throne, HRH Prince William of Wales and HRH Prince Henry of Wales. William's nickname is "Wills" and Henry uses the name "Harry".

She became one of the world's most photographed and popular celebrities. The public enjoyed her fresh outlook and down-to-earth attitude which she stayed true to throughout her life.

Humphrey Bogart was her 7th cousin.

She was a descendant of King Charles 1 of England.

She was an accomplished pianist and a daring and bold bridge player

Musings over David Blaine

I was tapping on to my laptop yesterday and David Blaine was on TV. I am of the opinion that this guy is not only a magician, but a very scary man. A twisted scary sort of man. He speaks in this low and whining voice and he always look so dark and sombre and sad. I've seen some of his street acts on TV a couple of times before and I realise that this guy is one hell of a complete weirdo who has this morbid sickening fascination with pain. He's more of a stuntman than he is a magician. Never mind that his magics are bizarre and perfect but he enjoys flirting with death by inflicting himself with many types of physical endurance stunt such as chaining himself for days in a tank of water, standing on pole on a frigid cold weather, etc.
I am one person who is so not into this type of stunts because it depresses me to see people who put themselves in such greater pain and enjoying it so much just to amuse other people. You know the age old caption of "Kids, do not try this at home"? Well here's a surprise, not only kids, but some no-brainer adults do imitate some of the bizarre and death defying acts shown on TV and I wish that he could just stick to his magic tricks.
I have nothing against this guy, he's one of a kind I'm sure, but watching him toying with pain doesn't amuse me. Life is harsh enough and to wallow on pain and championing it makes life even more miserable. If there is anything positive about the whole stunt thing is that he's proven that the mind does overcome matter if you focus on to what you're trying to achieve and work towards achieving it. Even if it means inflicting yourself with danger I guess. But most of all, I wonder if he's adequately and properly insured?

First Gwen, now Beyonce...

Oh wow...it's getting better and better. Gwen Stefani has not yet arrived and now we receive news that Beyonce is planning a concert right here in this small almost insignificant country. Beyonce is hot! Maybe hotter than Gwen and that's probably because Beyonce's gyrating hips and her trademark booty shakin' in those skimpy hot pants makes her the hottest female artist of the world. Anybody who is everybody knows who Beyonce is. You can't help but to notice her, she's everywhere from TV, news, female magazines, mens magazines (of course, why not eh?), internet, billboards, best dressed list, worst dressed list, etc.
I am no fan of Beyonce and I can hardly spend a minute listening to any of her musics but I love her style. Beyonce's has grown so much after her departure from Destiny's Child and it's high time that she split from the group, otherwise, her talents would have been overshadowed by being in a group. I would look at Beyonce as akin to Diana Ross during her hey days with the Supremes. Ms Ross stood out from the rest and everybody knew that she'll make it big as a solo artist and she has proven everybody right. And Beyonce did just the same, if not better.
I've always thought that Beyonce only appeals to the younger masses but I was wrong. Her musics, yes but her sexy demeanour and sexy performances and video clips has brought down many jaws of elder men and some, may drool over her. Believe me, I've seen an 80 year old man who can't take his already protruding eyes off Miss Beyonce while watching one of her video clips on MTV. If Beyonce would have performed anymore sexier, the old frail would probably be struck down with a major heart attack!
Beyonce has power and its not so much in her voice. Personally, I don't think she has a good voice and to categorize her as a diva is probably far fetched. She lacks the power punch which other Black American female singers such as Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and even Jennifer Hudson has. I guess Beyonce has a certain aura that you just can't decipher and she charms people not only with her looks, but her versatility and stamina on stage and genuine choreography. And she's probably one of the very few artiste who has a special and close relationship with her mother who, by the way, designed most of Beyonce's clothes (with little success sometimes).
By the by, it's really an honour to have Beyonce performing here in Malaysia and hoping for more A-listers to perform in this country. I probably wouldn't hesitate to spend a fortune just to be at the front row of the stage so I can get a better view of Beyonce and probably collect her sweat as souvenir. But I'm such a concert-pooper and would just prefer to read the reviews from the local dailies.

Ghostly encounters

Why is it that so many people are into ghost stories? It's one question I should be asking myself also. Me, my mom and my brothers and sisters are into ghost movies and our all-time favourite is the original The Exorcist. Not the prequel or the sequel. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who would put this movie top on their charts of scary movies. I can never watch this movie alone because it'll haunt me in my sleep. The make-up, the movie effects are bone chilling and the scene where she floated horizontally in mid-air and the head turning thing has become a trademark.
So, going back to the question of why we are so fascinated by ghost stories? I am of the opinion that anything that has no logical explanation intrigues our thoughts more than seeing things objectively and with perspective. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that ghosts ever existed. And there are no real equipments that can tap into the spiritual realm. And because of that we tend to provoke our minds to become more creative and extremely imaginative as to how a ghost would and should look like. Try asking 5 people and I guarantee that 3 would come up with their own personal experiences of ghostly encounters.
I for one have had the experience of ghost encounters. I remember at one time, I think it was 10 years ago that I was stunned by a ghostly hello. I was alone in a store room at my workplace and was searching for something and let me remind you again that I was the only breathing human being in that dingy room. As I was standing in front of the giant shelves scanning for the items, I felt a slight chill and a wispy sensation through my neck. I have spent a good ten minutes in the room and it was until then Istarted to feel scared. I tried keeping cool and continue to eye the shelves before I started to realise, at the corner of my eye, someone or something was standing beside me. I could swear to God that no one was there when I first entered the room. It was near enough that I can hear the faint “oi!” coming from the figure. I know I couldn't look towards he figure and I grew numb all over. All I did was to continue staring at the shelves and tried blinking my eyes, but the thing was still there. By then, I couldn't recall what I was searching for on the shelves and before I could clear my thoughts, it started humming. A very slow hum and then it started to give a small chuckle. I knew that if I stayed there any seconds longer, this thing will start shrieking and laughing and will do whatever in its spriritual power to make me wet my pants.
I tried to catch my breath and slowly turned my back against the figure and ran towards the door, still have enough courage to lock it behind me, and ran and ran to my work unit. I had spoken to no one about it except to the storekeeper which he later confirmed that the room is haunted. There was a CCTV camera installed in the store room and he said he’ll try to coax the security for the footage. A week later, the storekeeper called and told me that he saw the footage and confirmed that I was alone in the room and the only activity caught was me staring at the shelves and running towards the door. After hearing this, part of me was delighted because after all the numerous stories about ghost encounters, I finally had my fair share of paranormal encounters. But a large part of me was laden with curiosity. Who or what was this thing and where did it come from? Was it something that my mind had conjured it or was it a real ghost? Was it a loose spirit or more of a demonic being?
It’s one issue that we can’t exactly put a finger on to it. We hear plenty of stories and experiences by people who have had their paths crossed with the spiritual realm. Each story is unique and the truth of it is held solely by the teller. But that’s the best thing about ghosts isn’t it. Not knowing whether it is real in life as it is real in mind. Is it true that some people are able to communicate with the ghosts? These are some of the questions raised by a lot of people but I guess that by not given the answer is what kept the mystery alive. It is one thing in life (apart from the existence of aliens and Santa Claus) that has never fail to amuse our thoughts and I feel that it’s best that we keep the mystery alive. So keep the ghost stories rolling!

The Agony of Catching the Bug

This is my second day of feeling under the weather and speaking of the weather, it's been pretty harsh with sunny and humid at one second and then it's wet and windy the next. I've runny nose with a very sore throat which makes swallowing so painful as if I'm swallowing gravel. I'm not sure whether I should blame the weather or germs that I contracted from my numerous journeys around the city.
It seems like ages ago when falling sick was very infrequent and it was one thing I was hoping to get so that I can skip school. I remember putting myself in many sorts of conditions just to get the fever such as dancing in the rain, swimming and drinking cold drinks, or even tried strenous activities, but rather than getting sick, I became healthier. And when I finally catch the bug, I felt more happier than miserable.
But not these days... getting sick was more frequent and much, much more unbearable, and this is just a misery associated with tiny rise of temperature that any child can bear. I thought that with my constant defense of multi-vitamins and plenty of water can send the doctor away, but the germs nowadays are getting stronger and stronger and found its way of mutating according to the weather and lifestyle. It'll only take one poor being coughing in the same elevator you're in and hey presto, you're all sniffing and coughing the next day to work. The snuff and coughs is one thing, it's the other anatomical effect such as the throbbing headaches and blank mood that makes passing through the day a living hell. The only good thing about coming to work being sick is that we are allowed to look as miserable as we want to and that people tend to pity you more. They even dare not give you the second look because you're not wearing a single make-up. And it's also the time when suddenly, you get a lot of advice and home-made recipes for speedy healing.
They say that once the flu gets to you, there's not much else to do than a good rest and plenty of water. Minus the much deserved rest, I do try to take plenty of water and it helps a bit with the sore throat but that's so much that it can do. My doctor would like to give me the jab, along with other prescriptions but I'm trying not to push my liver into an overdrive. Part of me is so tempted into taking the short cut by swallowing all kinds of chemicals but another part of me are into healing the slower traditional way. You know, like ingesting chicken soup and porridge and what not. Whichever way, this is one tough bug I'm fighting and it will continue to persevere and try to hang on to my poor system as long as its tiny killing nucleus can take.
Like everyone else, I guess I'll just have to endure this virus for a few more days before I can jumpstart to feeling normal, before the next bug attack (and my guess would be the next two months). My mom says that the more you age, the slower it is for us to recover from sickness. But I prefer putting the blame on the weather, and the poor bloke I shared the elevator with the other day than poking on to my age as the factor... it's kinder that way.

New Kid on Da Block

We've just hired a new kid to assist us in the day to day running of the bookstore. It's a she and well... I think (or rather I hope) that she can do well. I am one employer who doesn't believe in conjuring up all kinds of hell just to make my staff's life a living nightmare. But this girl is a safe bet probably due to the fact that she looks like the girl next door. I've had few candidates whose looks can be such a put-off and that's important because first impression is a lasting impression. I need to have a certain level of trust particularly when this person will be handling cash sales. It's almost like gambling and taking risks, which explains why close circuit cameras are are fast becoming a must haves nowadays.
To train a new staff can be very very tiresome. There's the briefing on the remuneration scheme, which usually never fails to create a knot on their brows. And then the never-ending subject about the products, pricing, regulations, customer satisfaction, yadi yadi yada... And the next thing you know, that'll be the last time you see them. This is the dilemma that I've been forced to swallow everytime a post is made for the "lower" ranking positions. I know I can't be expecting too much from a candidate who later learned that their would-be salary is much less to be desired. But then again, I couldn't be offering a fortune for just a job of arranging books on the shelves. My friend once said, "if you give peanuts, you'll get monkeys" and in my case, monkey it is. Who says you can't train a monkey...?
But I'll give this new girl a break and hopefully she'll persevere. It's only her first day and it's way too early to judge her. At this time of writing, it has been her 6 hours of working and lets just hope that she'll make another appearance for tomorrow. Otherwise, it'll be another monkey...

Gotta love Sir Branson for this...

I picked up my Saturday newspaper and the picture of Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group, clad in full traditional Malay attire, equipped with a "tanjak" or headdress, usually worn by Malay warriors and Sultans (Man, I love this guy!)
How many of our Malay rulers would wear a "tanjak" in any ceremony and the number you'll get is close to nil. This piece of headdress, which is worn mainly by the Sultans comes in a variety of forms and each state of the country will carry its own unique knots such as this one which is a national "tanjak" for the Sultan of the Perak Region;
The one worn by Sir Richard Branson was the basic "tanjak" and judging from his complete attire, it looks as if his wardrobe advisor copied ones of the Perak sultanate.
After seeing this picture, I have great respect in this guy who obviously went through a lot of effort and guts to appear in such garb, which by the way, receives great applause from the crowd. I'm sure all Malaysians would grow to love and admire Sir Branson because of this. It's funny that none of our rulers (except the Sultans) are bothered to acknowledge our own traditional costume. The African delegates for instance are never short of shame to put on their full traditional attire while attending official events in any country. Same as the Arabs. Well, we do have the batik shirt but boo... we will probably be mistaken with the Indonesian delegates who wears it better (not to mention that its the original batik!).
I'd like to see our government officials start wearing this full attire, with the "tanjak" to official ceremony because I don't see why they should shun from wearing full traditional attire, because if we do not, then who else would? Sir Richard Branson I assume...

No black tie please...its Gwen Stefani!

Gwen Stefani is coming to Malaysia!! Yey!
I don't know how that would affect me because I don't really fancy her music but for the sake of so many Malaysians, it's about time that an A-list superstar will perform for us. We have had Mariah Carey before but that was a time when her star stopped shining so bright. Lionel Ritchie was here also but, hmmm...he's alright but it doesn't appeal to the masses, at least not in this part of the world. Besides, the tickets for his show were ridiculously expensive in which I don't see the reason for such a blatant pricing for a seasoned ex-Commodores star (no offence). And oh, Engelbert Humperdink I hope I got the spelling correct) will be performing, for the second time. Singing the same old song... We also had to witness such embarrassment when the Surpremes wannabe and lookalikes rendering their talents (Omigod! What were the organisers thinking?) And then there was this boy band, Blue or something...
But Gwen...now that's something. Again, I'm no Gwen fan but my niece is head over heels over her. She's only 11 and I was surprised to learn that she can practically sing most of Gwen's songs without spending as much time as she would in reciting her multiplication tables. But, you see, that's Gwen's appeal. She appeals to the masses, young and old, American and non American.
If there's one thing that I do notice (and who doesn't eh) about Gwen, is her flirty clothes and attire. It could have taken the poor girl hours (or seconds) to put on such garbs. But no matter how silly, it looks good on her and only Gwen can pull it off.
I won’t be joining the screaming crowds though even if the tickets are free. Concerts are so not my thing unless if its the real BeeGess or Abba or Barbra Streisand, then I might be tempted. But I’m sure that Gwen will deliver her usual blast and energy that she’s so good at. And I certainly hope that Gwen will have a good stay, good time and good performance in this little country. She was adored in Japan and I strongly believe that Malaysians will too. Have a good time at the concert people and please, behave yourself, and be back by 11pm. Nah, just kidding.

Barring Entry for War-torn Countries

The Taliban group has done it again. This time, abducting 21 South Koreans as hostages in exchange for the release of their fellow prisoners. To make matters worse, they already started killing 2 of the hostages and I'm not convinced that more of the hostages lives will be spared (touch wood).
This is a Catch-22 situation for the Afghanistan authorities. If they bow to the rebels' demands of releasing the Taliban prisoners, it means that they are actually signing their own death certificate. If these prisoners are released, they will not sit still and repent their past actions. Further terror against the government will be plotted and more killings will follow. However, by not bowing to the demands will result into more deaths of the innocent South Koreans.
I’m no politician and it is rare that I usually voice out my thoughts on matters such as these. But I can't help but to be angered at some people, or groups who does not seem to understand the greater risk they put themselves into by visiting war-torn countries such as that of Afghanistan. At times like these, no peacekeeping or relief programmes will do much good as long as these rebels are not apprehended. This does not mean that I am being selfish and ignorant to the plight of the so many people out there that requires every bit of help from blessed nations. But if one does not mind putting oneself in a gun-point situation, maybe they should think about the bargains being put forward in replace of the hostage's safety. Most of the times, the captors will use their captives for some bargain that are so absurd that it'll put the local authorities in difficult situation. And this is the situation that the Afghan authorities are dealing with.
I feel for the hostage’s families who are extremely distraught and the world is praying hard for their safety and release. The clock is ticking fast and the Afghan government is forced to resolve this extremely delicate matter in so little time whilst contemplating the assistance of the American government and their military intervention. Whatever their next course of action shall be, the hostages’ lives are compromised and the Taliban captors’ patience is wearing thin. In the meantime, I hope that anybody who does not have a death wish, forbid from going to places like these or the world will have to endure another video clip of hostages reading out pleas of help and impossible bargains at gun point. These rebels cared nothing about other people's lives and as long as we still love ours, be alert about the places we visit by considering the political environment and social unrest if any.

The Beckhams Posh Entry

Los Angeles has a new neighbour and its the Beckhams. There's so much brouhaha over their arrival that even poor Paris Hilton attempted to share the limelight by inviting Victoria (aka Posh) to become her BFF (personally, Posh was right to diss the offer).
Anyway, back to Mrs Beckham. It seems that this self-professed Posh has been stealing all the glamour surrounding the real reason of them emigrating to America in the first place i.e. David Beckham joining the Galaxy. One can either hate her or love her. And if this lady finds it so hard to put up a smile, give it a rest okay. I'm sure she has a valid reason to look so smuggish and besides, she looks ugly smiling. It's her trademark (along with the fake chocolate tan) and lets just leave it like that.
As much as the constant uptight look that she's been wearing with uber success, one cannot deny that this lady works so hard to keep her family together, albeit David's naughty scandal with Becky Loos. With three growing boys and a husband who's busy kicking balls, Victoria is taking it with elegant stride and I admire her for that.
You may ask that, why on earth am I writing about the Becks? No idea. I just happen to read the newspaper and the picture of Posh in a striking pink dress waving to whoever she's waving at just ticks me. I don't say that I like or loath her. It's just that reading about them on the prints makes the day seem brighter, especially when the news are flanked with children dying, war in Iraq and Hillary Clinton's cleavage.
Most of all, I'm sure the Americans are eagerly awaiting to see the what difference will David Beckham bring to Galaxy and to the whole American football scenario which we hear so little about. And what will be Posh's plans to further boost her regal presence in the country but whatever it is, I just hope, that it will have nothing to do with her jumping into acting. Or singing.

"Whammo! Black Eye".

I bought this book with the intention as agift for my friend. After browsing through the jokes, I decided to keep it for myself. This book has 470 pages of jokes that'll sure make you fall off your seat laughing. This is one of my favourites:
John saw Bob in the pub. Bob had a black eye.
"What happened?" asked John.
"Well," said Bob, "I was in church last Sunday, and we stood up to sing a hymn. I noticed that the dress on the woman in front of me had caught up into the crack of her bum. I thought to myself, that will be uncomfortable when she sits down, and it wouldn't look good for her to be squirming on the seat in church. So I reached forward and pulled the fods of her dress out from where it was caught. She turned around and slugged me, whammo. Black eye."
"Some people have no gratitude," opined John.
The following week they meet again. Bob's other eye is blackened.
"Not that woman in church again?" asked John.
"Sure was," replied Bob. "Same deal. We stand up to sing a hymn and her dress is caught in the crack of her bum. Only this time it's the guy next to me who pulls it out."
John asks, "And did she think it was you and slug you for it?"
"Oh no. You see, I knew that she didn't like her dress being pulled out of her bum, so I tried to poke it back again. Whammo. Black eye."

Wanna Stress Over It?

I’m no stranger to stress. It’s my middle name. Even my general practitioner who isn’t able to name some of my sick complaints will blame it to stress. And the shampoo girl may pin stress over the reason for my not so lively hair. Stress is not just a word to signify medical condition but it’s becoming a lifestyle. Most of the times we conjure the word "stress" merely to compensate over our many weaknesses, occasional failures and handicaps. Writers blame stress when they are suffering from “writers block”, we get dandruff due to stress, we gain weight because we stress over it and heck, we lost weight because of stress too.
But really, what is stress anyway and what is the devil that causes it? And how much stress is good and how much is it bad that'll eventually lead you into the dungeon of depression? I remember at one time I had to prepare for a product presentation to a pool of snotty educationists and surprisingly, I did not lose an inch of sleep over it. I ate well and still managed to ace the presentation. But there was one occasion (few months ago) I was eating chicken burger at the usual MacDonald's joint with my partner and we had only a brief argument over some work things and two hours after that while driving home alone, I had a bout of hyperventilation. I had to pull over immediately because I was numbed all over, difficulty of breathing and could have sworn that I was going to die. Well to make story short, I managed to dial my partner for help (he almost had a panic attack himself), drove me to the nearest clinic and guess what the doctor told me? He said that I worked too hard and that I was "stressed out" which had eventually triggered the attack. And all the while I thought I had suddenly developed and allergy to chicken burgers.
There will probably a lot of explanation to describe Stress and stress related illnesses. The worse part is when someone starts popping pills to eradicate the evil of stress when otherwise, it just imposes further damage to the body. But I don't deny that there are unfortunate people out there who are medically suffering from severe stress. The symptoms of its severity are usually very profound which doctors can easily detect.
I can't recall the number of times I use the word "stress" that it's really beginning to stress me out. Maybe it's just a placebo for me to feel forgiven for my malaise or maybe we have yet to find other word to replace the word stress. But whatever it is, if there's one thing that I realize is that the whole thought about it can make you, well, want to pull your hair out and cry stress. So let us do some justice to the word stress and to our body and mind and let's just diss the word for a week and maybe, just maybe, we can erase this so-called endemic from our system. Good luck and be happy!

Child Murders

I can never start my day without my routine readings of the morning paper. It's great to be in the know and probably amuse yourself with all weird stuffs people do just for money, fame, power and lust. It makes you reflect a lot of things and generate thoughts, be it pleasant or otherwise. I don't really fancy reading political stuffs because its contents don't really reflect the truth so I'll pass. Same goes with the Economy section. Sports, no thanks! I'm into reading columns and forums because it is written and expressed by real society with real events. Gruesome murders, bodies found, accidents, etc are a must read, not for amusement though, rather to find out that the misfortune does not involve someone that I know.
However, if there is one news that will forever disturb me is child murder. And it seems that we hear quite a lot about it in the news and it is sickening to learn that it is an uprising trend. The murderers somehow thinks that life will be better off by murdering a child. Some incidents are intentionally, while some may come up with so many absurdities of a reason to permit them of killing. Manslaughter of a child is pretty hard to swallow. Every parent will take all the extra caution when handling their child and will go the extra mile to ensure their child's safety and well being.
Other related cases are of unwanted pregnancies which are alarming these days and the mothers usually resort into abandoning their innocent child with little or no regards whether the poor baby will or will not survive. Take the case of four year old Shearway Ooi Ying Ying whose charred remains were dumped in a river. Not only I was shocked, but I was numbed. And before the nation can erase the brutal murder out of our minds, we were again had to read over a possible child abuse case involving a 17 month old baby thought to have died in the hands of his young parents. Now, this morning paper revealed a college student who was rushed to the hospital due to an excessive bleeding. The young girl also brought along two dead bodies of her newly born twin boys. The case is being investigated as to how the babies died. It is too early to tell whether the babies died stillborn or murdered but with what has been reported about child killings, the chances that the babies suffered stillborn is rather slim.
No one knows what transpired these monsters to murder a child. What rage is too huge that a person would see the child as their target of relief? So many questions yet with little or no answer. If we fail to find a logic to these murders, how are we to prevent it and to protect these innocent beings from cruelty? Our Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil are trying so hard to tackle this disturbing issues and to explore all kinds of preventive measures. While her efforts are laudable, how many Malaysians are with her, battling this issues like battling a war. From what I see, we tackle the environmental issues and forest degradation more aggressive than child murder. Not that the environmental issues should be any less important.
There's no need for me to ponder over the matter that every child should be protected, loved and pampered. It's God gift that every child exudes that kind of charm that render every human being's heart to melt. Every time I look at my nieces and nephews, my heart leapts at the thought of how some people would even want to hurt these little souls. Even animals nurture and protect its young offsprings.
These murderers are nowhere same as animals. They are undefineable monsters whose acts of cruelty are borne by insanity and pure madness. It's a pity that even the most beautiful creation of God are seen as nuisance by others. My heart and prayers goes to all the child victims and I pray hard that this heinous crimes would stop. I urge for everyone to help and put a stop to this crime by being aware of your surroundings. If you feel that your neighbour's child are being abused, do report it and ensure that the child is safe. Ensure that all maids are properly trained in handling babies and children of a young age. Going the extra mile is nothing as compared to picking up your morning paper and read about another child abuse/ murder whom you could have saved. The guilt should not be bore by the perpetrators only but every living adult including me. I'm sure we could have done something to make this world a better and safer place for every child.

Protest to the new 7 Wonders

I am so crossed about the recent announcement of the new 7 Wonders of the World. I join the league of Egypt's Director General of Antiquities (I hope I got that right) Mr Zahi Hawass that "the masses do not write history". As much as we are getting a little bored about the Pyramids but I must say that even up till now, the Pyramids and its mystery never fails to amuse us. Let us try to imagine how the poor people back then build the collossal tombs and I'm not only talking about the external architecture more rather the interior of each tomb that are devised in a form of amazing labyrinths. And what about the mummies. The casket, the perfect preservation of corpses. Its a wonder and it should forever be a wonder of the world. Same goes to others that were voted out such as the Stonehenge where until now people and scientists are baffled to how it was built and its true purposes.
Its a shame really because as far as the 7 Wonders of the World is concerned, it should be judged by historians and not the public who mostly are biased. Heck, if KLCC Tower was nominated, I would have voted it just because I like it because there's no other building as such and its a great shopping place. I know the Minister of Tourism will be the first Malaysian to cast his vote. There are things that requires the voting of the people and there are that should only be left to the experts. And the 7 Wonders should be left to historians who will judge the relics and ruins based on its true history. So, I cast my vote against the new 7 Wonders and demands for a new election..