Dec 28, 2009
2009: A YEARLY REVIEW
Every end of the year, bloggers would reflect on the passing year and highlight their favourite moments of the year. I can't fly and I don't have super powers, hence, like other bloggers, I jump on this egoistic wagon too, for what good is a blog if you can't write whatever you want without caring what other people think, once in a while?
I cried a lot this year.
I cried when Susan Boyle first sang on stage and wowed everyone including Simon Cowell.
I cried when I watched the four-minute montage of Carl and Ellie (from Pixar's animated movie UP) getting married and growing old together.
I balled my eyes out when I was watching 99 balloons, the heart-breaking video made by a couple showing their short 99 days with their baby (I'm already tearing up now) who succumbed to Trisomy 18.
I cried when Yasmin Ahmad died of a stroke in July and in the car when I heard this lovely song Pergi on the radio; the song was showcased in one of Yasmin's last works Talentime.
There are also a lot of other occasions where tears were the only consolation to the soul but who can dwell only on sadness all year long? There had to moments were this little ol' blogger was excited, happy and so darn proud of someone or something, right?
Of course, there are. One of which was the 15Malaysia project which features Pete Teo's efforts in showcasing the works of talented Malaysian film makers and taking them onto the world stage. Stories like Meter featuring Khairy Jamaluddin and the always humorous (and bloody talented) Baki Zainal, Halal featuring Adibah Noor and Man in Chicken Suit, and Potong Saga featuring Namewee who also just recently caused a media frenzy when he posted a video online showing him giving TNB Muar a piece of his mind in the middle of a blackout back in his hometown. He should visit Tawau sometimes, I'm sure the citizens there would welcome him on a red carpet. with flowers. and a live band.
News from home: there was my uncle Soo Wei who participated and came in runner up in the Astro's Classic Golden Melodies Singing competition 2009. When he reached the semifinals, my daughter Eva C, came along. And just in time for me to be reunited with a long lost Aunt of mine who is all the way in Canada now through the powers of the Internet.
Speaking of which, there were plenty going on in Malaysian news as well, things like the change in teaching medium from English back to Malay. Being an opinionated loud-mouth, you can be sure I said something about it. They went ahead and switch it anyways, if you didn't already know. Apart from that, there is the MCA issue ending in a half-hearted unity plan and no end in sight. Plus, the MACC vs Teoh Beng Hock saga, the billion-dollar Port Klang Free Zone issue which ended(?) in the arrest of several project directors. Sigh.. I wonder how many other corruption stories are left to be unearthed.
Speaking of money, one of biggest consequences from the 2009 budget was the credit card tax of RM50 to be charged for every card and for every year used. It wasn't just me who said something about it, sharing some of the same sentiments as HHTan's. LTM, Karl Heinz, KFSee, Cheng Poh among others like ME P.Gunasegaram also shared their opinions on the credit card issue. A noisy lot yes, but at least we said something about it and as we reach the end of the year, at least some good came of it.
Internationally, the year has also been filled with much tragedy and loss. There were many high- and low-profile deaths like those of Michael Jackson (foulplay?), David Carradine (bedroom-antics went wrong), Natasha Richardson (ski accident), Stephan Gately of Boyzone (natural death), Jane Goody, Patrick Swayze and Farah Fawcett (cancers), Brittany Murphy (stroke?), and Kim Peek (heart attack).
2009 was also the year of Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, Madoff, Chris Brown vs Rihanna, the pandemic of H1N1, a record number of police reports lodged by Malaysian politicians not to mention so many by-elections that will keep you busy until 2012.
Let's hope for a 2010 to be better but no less as interesting as 2009. Or else, what would we blog about?
Dec 23, 2009
COUPLE LOSES FOUR CHILDREN IN RIVERSIDE ACCIDENT
The Star Online > 21 December 2009
KUCHING: Four young siblings were feared to have drowned after they fell into the Rejang River in Sungai Labaan near Sibu.
The four are brothers Wong Sie Kong, 12, and Sie Hou, eight, and sisters Sie Sang, 10, and Sie See, six.
The siblings, together with their parents, were looking for molluscs when the incident happened at about 3pm on Sunday. Their parents are safe.
Sibu acting police chief Supt Zamani Hamdan said a search and rescue operation involving three boats and about 25 police, fire and rescue services and civil defence personnel had been mounted for the missing children.
The family has chartered speedboats to join in the search, which was on-going at press time.
“The four children were walking in front of their parents when the incident happened.
“Their father managed to hold on his wife as she slipped down the riverbank,” Suopt Zamani told The Star when contacted Monday.
However, he said the couple failed to save their children as they slipped into the river.
Wong Yew Tiong, 40, his wife Tang Teck Leh, 35, and their four children had earlier visited a relative before they went to the nearby river to look for the molluscs.
The family is from Permai,Oya Road, Sibu.
Supt Zamani said a police team rushed to the scene at about 5pm after they were informed of the incident.
A worried Wong and family members, who were at the scene Monday, were praying for the safe return of the children.
However, Wong said the family is preparing for the worst.
---Update: 23 December 2009, 4.47pm press time, it was reported that the last of the 4 bodies of the siblings have been found. Arrangements are being made for a joint funeral to the four children lost to the ravages of the Rejang river.
I can only offer my condolences to the parents of the four lovely children (your heart will break like mine did if you see their photographs in the newspaper) and hope that in time their broken hearts will be able to heal from this.
Dec 21, 2009
WORLD PEACE CAN WAIT
The Star Online > Tuesday December 22, 2009
But what of those who have kids, and who can celebrate huge gatherings, reunions and kenduris together? What of those with sons who bring them on vacations, who walk patiently and slowly with them behind the busy crowd and hold their hands and lifted their elbows for fear that they misstep? What of the daughters who bring their children home every weekend to visit their grandparents, help their mothers cook and give massages to their fathers?
They are of the same flesh and bone as their violent counterparts, yes, those who hit the elderly, who leave them without protection, shelter or food and who argue at the fresh graves of their recently deceased parents with equally unemotional siblings over their rightfully owned inheritance.
If we are all the same, how can we treat those who brought this to this world so differently?
[Rambling mode kicks in.]
Right, the problem here is the upbringing, the environment and other external factors such as traumatic experiences, the peer group they mix in and the different values of the people they marry.
Say what?
All women go through labour and so they would go to the ends of the earth to protect, love and care for their young ones. No wait, some go through the relatively painless Caesarean section and forgo the all-hell-breaks-loose pain of childbirth.. so that isn't a main factor. While others just deliver the baby then throw them in a dumpster or leave them in religious buildings so someone else more 'responsible' will find the baby and care for it. And they themselvse are off, scot-free. So...
Hey, all parents love their children, even animals know to care for their young ones. No, wait, hamsters eat their young, usually forsaking the first generation so that they can produce stronger second-generation children that will survive in the wilderness or in the cage of a 12-year-old eager beaver. And not all parents love their children the right way: some abuse their children, some shower them with material gifts but none of the parental sort, some just leave them with sitters, grandparents or in homes because they can't take it.
Okay then, so... hey, what about the fact that parents are more educated now and thus will provide children with the best education possible which include being respectful to their elderly. But hey, don't doctors, lawyers and hot shot managers also throw their old and dying parents into homes? Why, yes, and why is that?
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because they are academically inclined but not taught the correct moral values or in their pursuit of academic and career excellence, they forgo family, bonds and relationships? Since family will always be there and in most careers, once an opportunity comes and you don't grab it, it may be lost forever, not going home for Chinese New Year suddenly becomes a necessity rather than a choice.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that more women are going to work and no one is around to take care, teach and train their children to be better individuals. Maybe it's because when women are getting better roles in the working world and losing their roles in homes, men are still not chipping in because going to the office is a whole lot more important (and bloody easier) than managing the kids at home, doing housework, managing the kids' schedule around their own work schedule, and during Sundays tending to the bbq and watching football are what they are entitled to after a 'busy' week at work.
Oh, I just don't know.
[Switching back to non-rambling mode.]
Ahem... society is made up all kinds of people. The old Chinese says that 'one type of rice feeds one hundred types of people'. This means that even though we eat the same food, we are not made from the same mould. Some of us prefer chocolate, others vanilla. Some of us are righteous, some cruel and conniving. Some like rainy days, while others have a lot of washing to put out to dry. And as we are with our preferences, we are also as fidget-minded when it comes to loving our family, especially when your spouse who grew up without either of your parents has a say about it.
"I love your mom too but she is becoming senile and I don't want her cursing around the children. I'm tired of picking up after her, cleaning her messes off the floor and having to look for my car keys under her bed everything I need to leave the house. Maybe a home is a better alternative for her. We can afford it and she will have friends there." Argument ensues.
Sometimes couples (or even siblings) argue over the smallest of things, like pinching the toothpaste tube on the middle or from the bottom, taking dinner with the tv or without, and chopsticks vs forks (it happens in my house) sagas. Sooner or later, this flows over to the parent zone. Whether it is staying in the same house with them, or going over to their house for gatherings, or caring for them after hip surgery, if either of the couple finds any of this a hassle, arguments will surely follow. If either of them thinks it is their responsibility as children to care of the elders, that they owe their position in life now to the past contributions of the elders, and that these things are nothing compared to the sacrifices of their parents or parents-in-law did... then perhaps there is hope for the coming generations.
It would be nice to see independent and working adults doing their best for their parents, returning the love and care that their parents showered them with when they were vulnerable and dependent once.
World peace. Can wait.
---
Note: For what it's worth, newspapers only publish the odd and interesting, which usually makes up less than 5% of the normal and mundane real world.
So there is still hope.
BROTHERS ARGUE OVER INHERITANCE AT MUM'S GRAVE
THREE brothers did not only refuse to look after their ailing mother when she was alive, they even fought over her property at her grave, reported Harian Metro.
The sad case was related by the founder of a home for the aged, Muji Sulaiman, who expressed disgust at the actions of the brothers.
“They quarrelled over their mother’s assets when her grave was still fresh,” he said.
The brothers also demanded that Muji surrender their mother’s death certificate to enable them to withdraw her Amanah Saham Bumiputra savings although the woman had left instruction for her money to be bequeathed to the needy.
Muji said the woman, who suffered from diabetes and hypertension, was sent to the home by her children about two years ago.
None of the brothers visited her despite numerous calls from workers when her health deteriorated.
The brothers only came to their mother’s grave after she was buried, and then only to fight over her belongings.
----
But what of those who have kids, and who can celebrate huge gatherings, reunions and kenduris together? What of those with sons who bring them on vacations, who walk patiently and slowly with them behind the busy crowd and hold their hands and lifted their elbows for fear that they misstep? What of the daughters who bring their children home every weekend to visit their grandparents, help their mothers cook and give massages to their fathers?
They are of the same flesh and bone as their violent counterparts, yes, those who hit the elderly, who leave them without protection, shelter or food and who argue at the fresh graves of their recently deceased parents with equally unemotional siblings over their rightfully owned inheritance.
If we are all the same, how can we treat those who brought this to this world so differently?
[Rambling mode kicks in.]
Right, the problem here is the upbringing, the environment and other external factors such as traumatic experiences, the peer group they mix in and the different values of the people they marry.
Say what?
All women go through labour and so they would go to the ends of the earth to protect, love and care for their young ones. No wait, some go through the relatively painless Caesarean section and forgo the all-hell-breaks-loose pain of childbirth.. so that isn't a main factor. While others just deliver the baby then throw them in a dumpster or leave them in religious buildings so someone else more 'responsible' will find the baby and care for it. And they themselvse are off, scot-free. So...
Hey, all parents love their children, even animals know to care for their young ones. No, wait, hamsters eat their young, usually forsaking the first generation so that they can produce stronger second-generation children that will survive in the wilderness or in the cage of a 12-year-old eager beaver. And not all parents love their children the right way: some abuse their children, some shower them with material gifts but none of the parental sort, some just leave them with sitters, grandparents or in homes because they can't take it.
Okay then, so... hey, what about the fact that parents are more educated now and thus will provide children with the best education possible which include being respectful to their elderly. But hey, don't doctors, lawyers and hot shot managers also throw their old and dying parents into homes? Why, yes, and why is that?
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because they are academically inclined but not taught the correct moral values or in their pursuit of academic and career excellence, they forgo family, bonds and relationships? Since family will always be there and in most careers, once an opportunity comes and you don't grab it, it may be lost forever, not going home for Chinese New Year suddenly becomes a necessity rather than a choice.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that more women are going to work and no one is around to take care, teach and train their children to be better individuals. Maybe it's because when women are getting better roles in the working world and losing their roles in homes, men are still not chipping in because going to the office is a whole lot more important (and bloody easier) than managing the kids at home, doing housework, managing the kids' schedule around their own work schedule, and during Sundays tending to the bbq and watching football are what they are entitled to after a 'busy' week at work.
Oh, I just don't know.
[Switching back to non-rambling mode.]
Ahem... society is made up all kinds of people. The old Chinese says that 'one type of rice feeds one hundred types of people'. This means that even though we eat the same food, we are not made from the same mould. Some of us prefer chocolate, others vanilla. Some of us are righteous, some cruel and conniving. Some like rainy days, while others have a lot of washing to put out to dry. And as we are with our preferences, we are also as fidget-minded when it comes to loving our family, especially when your spouse who grew up without either of your parents has a say about it.
"I love your mom too but she is becoming senile and I don't want her cursing around the children. I'm tired of picking up after her, cleaning her messes off the floor and having to look for my car keys under her bed everything I need to leave the house. Maybe a home is a better alternative for her. We can afford it and she will have friends there." Argument ensues.
Sometimes couples (or even siblings) argue over the smallest of things, like pinching the toothpaste tube on the middle or from the bottom, taking dinner with the tv or without, and chopsticks vs forks (it happens in my house) sagas. Sooner or later, this flows over to the parent zone. Whether it is staying in the same house with them, or going over to their house for gatherings, or caring for them after hip surgery, if either of the couple finds any of this a hassle, arguments will surely follow. If either of them thinks it is their responsibility as children to care of the elders, that they owe their position in life now to the past contributions of the elders, and that these things are nothing compared to the sacrifices of their parents or parents-in-law did... then perhaps there is hope for the coming generations.
It would be nice to see independent and working adults doing their best for their parents, returning the love and care that their parents showered them with when they were vulnerable and dependent once.
World peace. Can wait.
---
Note: For what it's worth, newspapers only publish the odd and interesting, which usually makes up less than 5% of the normal and mundane real world.
So there is still hope.
Dec 13, 2009
Book Review: Ripples and other stories
Apart form Robert Raymer, Ripples and other stories by Shih-Li Kow is probably the only Malaysian book, that is published in Malaysia, that I read.
Get your own copy from www.silverfishbooks.com
It's a refreshing read from the usual novels I read. Can't say I love it, can't say I hate it too. Refreshing is the word.
Yup. Refreshing.
The content is so Malaysian. I mean, there are things in there that only a Malaysian would know and understand. There are also things in there that shows the reader how Malaysia really is from the inside. Superstitions, lottery-buying, foreign help in households and competition in the food business are some of the topics discussed in the book.
Another thing I like about it is Shih-Li's (the stories give a sense of familiarity, so much that I subconsciously call her by her given name now even when I tell other people about the book) choice (or maybe her editor's) to let the characters intertwine in most of her stories.
A secondary character plays a main character in the following story and a secondary character from that story goes on to play a main character in the next story. This gives a surreal feeling to the stories told in the book. It's as if the characters are real and she is writing about their lives.
That's the power she has in her stories.
She is also a master in delivering so much with so little. You can say, she defines compact writing.
In fact she is such a fine storyteller that this current book was shortlisted (I kid you not) for the 2009 Frank O'Connor Short Story Award which boasts some one of the most lucrative prizes in the book publishing world: the winner gets 35,000 euros.
For those of you who can't count, that translates to roughly RM175,600. Imagine the number of nasi lemak, tose and and yao char kwai you can buy with that.
Strangely enough, however, that was not how I came to know about her. I was browsing fiction books at the Borders bookstore in MidValley and just picked up the book. My daughter's constant whining prevented me from sampling the book but perhaps it was the cover or the fact that I saw that it was shortlisted for an international award, I went back and bought a copy on the next visit to the store.
The book could use a little bit more publicity.
Anyways, I have three favourite stories in there: Dividing Walls for fine storytelling, A Gift of Flowers for the storyline and Waiting for Gurjit, for such an interesting and powerful concept. Some stories did not rub me the right way, or I just didn't get the story, yet could still be favourites of other readers. To each its own, right?
Halfway through the book, however, my enthusiasm to finish the book in one go fizzled out. Not so much because of the writing (which was addictive), but more so because of how the stories were laid out; the structure of the whole book, so to speak.
The stories also lacked sentiment. The writings thrived on observations of the idiosyncrasies of Malaysians, regardless of race, beliefs or religious upbringing but they evoke none of the feelings that should come with (something Yasmin Ahmad can do so effortlessly). If it did, it might have won her the award. I'm just saying.
I've never written a book in my life but then again, not everyone has, but everyone has read a book, even if it just the single one. And everyone passes judgement, even if it is never said out loud.
But I would recommend the book for light reading, not because the writer is Malaysian, but because she is really good.
Get your own copy from www.silverfishbooks.comYup. Refreshing.
The content is so Malaysian. I mean, there are things in there that only a Malaysian would know and understand. There are also things in there that shows the reader how Malaysia really is from the inside. Superstitions, lottery-buying, foreign help in households and competition in the food business are some of the topics discussed in the book.
Another thing I like about it is Shih-Li's (the stories give a sense of familiarity, so much that I subconsciously call her by her given name now even when I tell other people about the book) choice (or maybe her editor's) to let the characters intertwine in most of her stories.
A secondary character plays a main character in the following story and a secondary character from that story goes on to play a main character in the next story. This gives a surreal feeling to the stories told in the book. It's as if the characters are real and she is writing about their lives.
That's the power she has in her stories.
She is also a master in delivering so much with so little. You can say, she defines compact writing.
In fact she is such a fine storyteller that this current book was shortlisted (I kid you not) for the 2009 Frank O'Connor Short Story Award which boasts some one of the most lucrative prizes in the book publishing world: the winner gets 35,000 euros.
For those of you who can't count, that translates to roughly RM175,600. Imagine the number of nasi lemak, tose and and yao char kwai you can buy with that.
Strangely enough, however, that was not how I came to know about her. I was browsing fiction books at the Borders bookstore in MidValley and just picked up the book. My daughter's constant whining prevented me from sampling the book but perhaps it was the cover or the fact that I saw that it was shortlisted for an international award, I went back and bought a copy on the next visit to the store.
The book could use a little bit more publicity.
Anyways, I have three favourite stories in there: Dividing Walls for fine storytelling, A Gift of Flowers for the storyline and Waiting for Gurjit, for such an interesting and powerful concept. Some stories did not rub me the right way, or I just didn't get the story, yet could still be favourites of other readers. To each its own, right?
Halfway through the book, however, my enthusiasm to finish the book in one go fizzled out. Not so much because of the writing (which was addictive), but more so because of how the stories were laid out; the structure of the whole book, so to speak.
The stories also lacked sentiment. The writings thrived on observations of the idiosyncrasies of Malaysians, regardless of race, beliefs or religious upbringing but they evoke none of the feelings that should come with (something Yasmin Ahmad can do so effortlessly). If it did, it might have won her the award. I'm just saying.
I've never written a book in my life but then again, not everyone has, but everyone has read a book, even if it just the single one. And everyone passes judgement, even if it is never said out loud.
But I would recommend the book for light reading, not because the writer is Malaysian, but because she is really good.
Dec 8, 2009
ANOTHER CASE OF PLAGIARISM
I was reading Shih-Li Kow’s Ripples when I came across this on the main website for Silverfish books.
An apology was written by Adeline Lee who published her first book, Lethal Lessons, with Silverfish books at the tender age of 18. I found more about the issue at Sharon Bakar’s Bibliobibuli, a blog about book-dependency (I like how she calls it like she sees it).
In short, the writer plagiarized a story from the well-known Chicken soup for the soul series and masked it to be published as one her own writings.
Although she has apologized, the apology in my humble opinion is half-hearted and does not reflect her comprehension of the seriousness of her actions.
However, I do not blame her as many Malaysians do not see the severity of publishing something plagiarised.
However again, it can do much damage on the long run.
For one thing, nothing else that Adeline writes in future will not have its originality scrutinized by readers.
Two, Silverfish books could have easily be forced to close shop if the publisher or author of the plagiarized story decided to sue.
C, she did not copy from a fellow Malaysian writer, which begs the question, are Malaysian writers not copy-worthy?
An apology was written by Adeline Lee who published her first book, Lethal Lessons, with Silverfish books at the tender age of 18. I found more about the issue at Sharon Bakar’s Bibliobibuli, a blog about book-dependency (I like how she calls it like she sees it).
In short, the writer plagiarized a story from the well-known Chicken soup for the soul series and masked it to be published as one her own writings.
Although she has apologized, the apology in my humble opinion is half-hearted and does not reflect her comprehension of the seriousness of her actions.
However, I do not blame her as many Malaysians do not see the severity of publishing something plagiarised.
However again, it can do much damage on the long run.
For one thing, nothing else that Adeline writes in future will not have its originality scrutinized by readers.
Two, Silverfish books could have easily be forced to close shop if the publisher or author of the plagiarized story decided to sue.
C, she did not copy from a fellow Malaysian writer, which begs the question, are Malaysian writers not copy-worthy?
Dec 6, 2009
CHANGE IS POSSIBLE
It is set. I've been given a new lease in life.
I'm switching jobs.
Based on first impressions, the new job will be challenging, full of surprises and perhaps will take a lot more out of me than my current job does. But then again, they're paying me better. Plus, I get to go out and meet and greet more people. Focus on the 'go out'.
In a previous post of mine, Change, where I [somewhat] counted my blessings after achieving motherhood status, I wrote that I've learned to let things fall into place instead of working towards making all the puzzles fit. In my quest for a better job with a brighter future, the experience has become a definition of the statement, sort-of.
The first realization
Through the power of the Internet and new technology I was able to meet up with a long lost aunt of mine whose mother was a sister to my grandfather. The last connection we probably had disappeared long before my parents got married, and hence was gone before I was even conceived.
Brought together by the common interest of following my uncle's (her cousin's) participation in a local singing competition, we've exchanged emails and a dream to be able to organize and hopefully run a successful family reunion in two year's time.
It was during one of these exchanges when she asked if I was a journalist, the conclusion made judging from the writings in my blog. I replied no. Later I would become saddened by the fact that the best part of me, pointed out to me by one who I've yet to met, would be forever hidden by my lack of execution in achieving what I've always wanted to do: write.
Opportunities and chances.
It would be three months later before jobstreet pointed me to the direction of a job ad, the contents stating an interest for a new writer.
The requirements stated there: I fitted like a glove. It could have been nothing more than a coincidence. But then, many great inventions and discoveries came from coincidences. They became known only because someone took notice and discovered the importance of it.
I then sent my resume. But since I've got nothing to show for my writing skills, I wrote an informal covering letter which I sent with resume through email. It was attention-grabbing, bold and straight to the point. Later I would find out that it was the determining factor of me getting the first interview, which was scheduled a week after.
During my preparation for the interview, I re-read the job ad only to find that I was supposed to submit a 500 to 800 worded published work along with my resume. The discovery rattled me. I was surprised as to how I could have missed out such an important requirement. And I'm a bloody editor. I'm not supposed to be that sloppy if I am supposed to be a good one.
At the end of the first interview, I apologized to the person who arranged the interview for me and thanked her profusely for giving me a chance even when I had not provided all the necessary paperwork. She told me that the requirement was added after I, and several other candidates, had sent in our resumes.
When you apply for a job as a writer, you're supposed to send in writing samples. Otherwise, we won't be able to tell if you are good enough for the job.
The simple logic hit me straight in the face. But then...
Since everyone wrote in without providing writing samples, I decided to give a chance to those with cover[ing] letters. And based on yours, I thought "Hmm.. she sounds interesting. Let's give her a shot."
I mentally rubbed a huge drop of sweat from my forehead and made a mental note to give more trust to my instincts in future.
More coincidences.
I was the third candidate and since I have been to the area often enough to understand the rough landscape, I got to the place quite easily. It gave me an advantage over the previous two candidates who got hopelessly lost. Can't blame them. The place is a maze.
The editor in charge hit it off pretty well with me. We came from quite similar backgrounds. We started from zero (relatively speaking) and we both are not Chinese-educated and have glancing proficiencies on Mandarin. I can also assist her in some editing and she seemed to be satisfied with my editing skills.
During the first interview, I was asked if this would be a career change for me, from being the editor of academic publishing books to being a senior writer, one who needs to go out and interview people, conduct and carry out talks in schools and such. Looking back, I was satisfied with the answer I gave her; that it would not seem to be a career change for me, but more of a change of pace since I am quite confident I can do all the things as required in the ad. But saying is cheap, doing is gold. And I intend to prove myself.
Expectations
I was made to understand that the group of people I will be working with are very smart people and there is no salary scale in the new company. In return for this kind of environment, I will be required to be dedicated to the job and extremely hardworking. Thus far, I had not lied about anything during the interview or in my resume. But expectations are subjective and things will always change. That is how life is, right? Change is always eminent.
As seen on an autopay machine in The Gardens, next to Midvalley Mega mall: Change is Possible.
Dec 1, 2009
GETTING MARRIED AND GOING TO JAIL
The Star Online, Wednesday December 2, 2009
There are so many ways to react to this article yet the first thing that popped into my mind was: I guess they'd preferred it if the woman got rid of the baby.
What was the couple to do? Abandon the baby and deprive it of a normal life? Why should the child be penalised for something that the parents did wrong?
Yet when the parents decide to take responsibility for their actions, officers come crashing into their family life to tell them the obvious "you had this baby out of wedlock". Well, duh.. Mr Occifer... "and your family knew about this and did not report you, and allowed you to get married anyway." And your point being?
Pre-wedding activities aside, I think that since they took responsibility for their actions, a tinge of leniency and mercy should be given to the couple. 2 years of jailtime for doing the right thing... the idea simply screws up justice in the justice system.
Crud. This just ruins my day.
NEWLYWED WHO GAVE BIRTH FACES LEGAL ACTION
A WOMAN who gave birth to a baby girl barely 24 hours after her akad nikah is now in trouble with the Malacca Religious Department (JAIM) for having the child out of wedlock, reported Harian Metro.
The 21-year-old girl married her 28-year-old partner at her family home in Malacca, knowing she was pregnant.
The daily said a group of enforcement officers led by JAIM chief enforcement officer Rahimin Bani went to the Malacca Hospital to take statements from the couple.
“The woman understood when she was told that she had committed the offence of having a child out of wedlock and the couple also admitted to having prohibited sex,” Rahimin was quoted a saying.
He said the woman’s family was aware of her pregnancy and still allowed the solemnisation of her marriage.
He said the woman would be charged under Section 54 of the Malacca Syariah Offences Enact-ment for being pregnant out of wedlock while her husband would be charged under Section 55 for being an accomplice in prohibited sex.
The two can be sentenced to a fine of RM30,000 or jail for 24 months or both if convicted.
---There are so many ways to react to this article yet the first thing that popped into my mind was: I guess they'd preferred it if the woman got rid of the baby.
What was the couple to do? Abandon the baby and deprive it of a normal life? Why should the child be penalised for something that the parents did wrong?
Yet when the parents decide to take responsibility for their actions, officers come crashing into their family life to tell them the obvious "you had this baby out of wedlock". Well, duh.. Mr Occifer... "and your family knew about this and did not report you, and allowed you to get married anyway." And your point being?
Pre-wedding activities aside, I think that since they took responsibility for their actions, a tinge of leniency and mercy should be given to the couple. 2 years of jailtime for doing the right thing... the idea simply screws up justice in the justice system.
Crud. This just ruins my day.
Nov 30, 2009
CHANGE
The Chinese have a saying: when a woman gives birth, she has one foot in a coffin (death) and another on land (life). This roughly translates to a life-or-death experience or a near-death one. Needless to say, a childbirth experience is traumatic to both the mother and the child.
Some women endure up to 2 days (48 hours) of labour pain before giving birth. Imagine pushing 3 kg of flesh and bone out of your body through a hole that previously couldn’t fit three fingers (that’s how they check if you are dilated and ready for labour).
I cannot place myself in the same group of these brave mothers who had opted for a natural delivery. As I was diabetic, I had to deliver earlier than the due date. The doctor told me that I can choose between an induced natural labour or a C-section. Two months before I had to make that decision, my sister had opted for an induced natural delivery. Her doctors could not pinpoint her due date and so to prevent anything untoward from happening, the doctor suggested an induced natural delivery.
My sister had to suffer through 8 hours of pain, only to have the baby delivered in the end through C-section.
Naturally, I went for the C-section. Don’t judge. If you do, try watching a real-life natural childbirth process on Youtube before you do.
But the point of the story in this post is that after childbirth, after 9 months of pregnancy, the pain, the suffering, the anguish of it all not to mention 4 months of intense vomiting day in and day out, I felt as if I was given a second outlook of life.
I had a short fuse when I was growing up. I was also plenty impatient and domineering. Everything had to be perfect, planned and proper. I do not take lightly to people who did things that are not considered morally correct like getting pregnant before marriage, giving bribes to get out of situations and parking at the disable’s parking spot.
After becoming a mother however, I took a step back and re-evaluated my life. I felt that there were so many things to do, share and experience with the people you love. No, I’m not becoming all gushy or turning into a pansy. I just grew up, just upper than before, in a sense.
Now, things that make other people lose their temper don’t faze me much. I’ve accepted that there are certain rules that makes life life. For example, I view discrimination a lot more lightly than I used to because no matter how good you are, there will always be someone better, and another person worse than you. So, discrimination serves no purpose but to remind people that life is not fair. Apart from that, if you do not comply to the effects of discrimination, it can do you no harm.
As for being domineering and controlling, life’s too short to have everything so perfect. To have everything fall perfectly into place, that’s the magical part of it. I look forward to that every single day now.
Lastly, sometimes people do immoral things just to get through in life. They may have it harder than you and so it should be okay once in a while to cut them some slack.
Getting pregnant before marriage is so common now, that the worry is now on whether or not the father and mother of the unborn child will take responsibility of it rather than short-change it out of an opportunity in life, for their own selfish reasons.
Giving bribes is still a big no no but sometimes it is between parting with a few hundred dollars or going to jail because of tampered evidence. Which would you choose if you were in that situation?
Parking in a disable’s parking spot tells you a lot about the driver of the car. For some people, knowing the true character about the people around them is very important. If a person has no qualms about taking the disable’s parking spot, it shows a lack of compassion and understanding in that person. Knowing that bit about that person can actually help you make interesting and important decisions regarding that person.
Every single thing that happens around you, as the cliché goes, happens for a reason (Hey, a cliché won’t be around for so long if it ain’t true). It is up to you to decipher what message every situation has for you.
For me, the messages I am receiving now is that I need change in my life. I’ve taken the first step and am now waiting for opportunities to prove myself. I’m trying very hard to chase my dream in hopes that one day I will be able to encourage my daughter to do the same.
Now all I got to do is wait.
Some women endure up to 2 days (48 hours) of labour pain before giving birth. Imagine pushing 3 kg of flesh and bone out of your body through a hole that previously couldn’t fit three fingers (that’s how they check if you are dilated and ready for labour).
I cannot place myself in the same group of these brave mothers who had opted for a natural delivery. As I was diabetic, I had to deliver earlier than the due date. The doctor told me that I can choose between an induced natural labour or a C-section. Two months before I had to make that decision, my sister had opted for an induced natural delivery. Her doctors could not pinpoint her due date and so to prevent anything untoward from happening, the doctor suggested an induced natural delivery.
My sister had to suffer through 8 hours of pain, only to have the baby delivered in the end through C-section.
Naturally, I went for the C-section. Don’t judge. If you do, try watching a real-life natural childbirth process on Youtube before you do.
But the point of the story in this post is that after childbirth, after 9 months of pregnancy, the pain, the suffering, the anguish of it all not to mention 4 months of intense vomiting day in and day out, I felt as if I was given a second outlook of life.
I had a short fuse when I was growing up. I was also plenty impatient and domineering. Everything had to be perfect, planned and proper. I do not take lightly to people who did things that are not considered morally correct like getting pregnant before marriage, giving bribes to get out of situations and parking at the disable’s parking spot.
After becoming a mother however, I took a step back and re-evaluated my life. I felt that there were so many things to do, share and experience with the people you love. No, I’m not becoming all gushy or turning into a pansy. I just grew up, just upper than before, in a sense.
Now, things that make other people lose their temper don’t faze me much. I’ve accepted that there are certain rules that makes life life. For example, I view discrimination a lot more lightly than I used to because no matter how good you are, there will always be someone better, and another person worse than you. So, discrimination serves no purpose but to remind people that life is not fair. Apart from that, if you do not comply to the effects of discrimination, it can do you no harm.
As for being domineering and controlling, life’s too short to have everything so perfect. To have everything fall perfectly into place, that’s the magical part of it. I look forward to that every single day now.
Lastly, sometimes people do immoral things just to get through in life. They may have it harder than you and so it should be okay once in a while to cut them some slack.
Getting pregnant before marriage is so common now, that the worry is now on whether or not the father and mother of the unborn child will take responsibility of it rather than short-change it out of an opportunity in life, for their own selfish reasons.
Giving bribes is still a big no no but sometimes it is between parting with a few hundred dollars or going to jail because of tampered evidence. Which would you choose if you were in that situation?
Parking in a disable’s parking spot tells you a lot about the driver of the car. For some people, knowing the true character about the people around them is very important. If a person has no qualms about taking the disable’s parking spot, it shows a lack of compassion and understanding in that person. Knowing that bit about that person can actually help you make interesting and important decisions regarding that person.
Every single thing that happens around you, as the cliché goes, happens for a reason (Hey, a cliché won’t be around for so long if it ain’t true). It is up to you to decipher what message every situation has for you.
For me, the messages I am receiving now is that I need change in my life. I’ve taken the first step and am now waiting for opportunities to prove myself. I’m trying very hard to chase my dream in hopes that one day I will be able to encourage my daughter to do the same.
Now all I got to do is wait.
Nov 24, 2009
WHAT GRADUATES DO WRONG IN THEIR FIRST RESUMES
I was asked by my husband’s cousin to help fix his resume so that he can send them to apply for practical training opportunities.
His resume was horrendous, copied from a one-size-fits-all, untruthful and rigid resume that has no personal feel to it. I asked him to let me have a go at his resume. He politely declined at first, only to agree to it after my husband (his cousin) took a look at the resume and insisted taht he let me have a look.
A resume is important in the sense that it gets you to the interview table. It’s not the credentials, it’s not the referee, it’s not the staggeringly low expected salary (hmm.. sometimes it is, but anyways…) that gets the HR personnel reaching for the phone and dialing your number. It is how your resume stands out.
If your resume stands out, you stand out and you reap the reward of going into the first battle: the first interview.
First things first…
Below are the things graduates do wrong (that I have noticed from the resumes I've helped edited in the past 4 years) when preparing for their first resume. Try to avoid doing them and you might just get through to the long list.
1. Being too cocky for your own good.
Some people call it embellishment, I call it being too cocky. A resume is the first glimpse an employer has of you. Hence, it is best to be as truthful as possible in your resume to avoid giving people the wrong impression.
If people expect too much from you and you cannot deliver or prove yourself during the interview, you chances of negotiating better terms for yourself are as good as gone.
Remember: with good first impressions, comes great expectations.
A cover letter is always a good thing to attach to your resume. However, be sure to make the cover letter personal. I mean, don’t submit the same cover letter you used to apply for the position of a dancer when you’re trying to apply for the position of a chef. *Hey I know people who can dance and can cook*.
In your cover letter, use a tone that is humble and appealing. Do not make it out as if the person owes it to you to give you a job or an internship in their company. Use proper salutations, be polite, be engaging and be sensitive – for example, it is safer to us Ms instead of Miss or Mrs if you are not sure about the marital status of the Human Resource personnel you are writing.
For me to hire you, I have to first like you.
2. Labelling yourself as a faceless drone in a sea of wanna-‘bees’.
The usual suspects: eager to learn, independent yet a team player, responsible, punctual, highly motivated, cheerful, etc. What exactly were you aiming for when you put those adjectives under your personal strengths?
If I am the person reading your resume, I would like to see characteristics in your personal strengths that tell me that ‘you are the one I am looking for’. Being punctual is useless for a writer, being able to complete a project within the deadline is more of a bulls-eye. Both are related to time management (which is another common suspect) but both deliver different relevance to different things.
Learn to differentiate between the characteristics that will get you in and those that will leave you out.
3. Overlooking and undermining the importance of good spelling and grammar.
There are people who use bombastic words to show you that they are well learned. Then, they show their sloppiness by failing to discern between ‘two’ and ‘to’, ‘form’ and ‘from’, and ‘an’ with ‘and’. You may not think highly of prepositions and conjunctions but if detail-oriented was listed under your personal strengths, this may rub the HR people the wrong way.
No.2, never mix languages. AJK’s are committee members and PNGK is CGPA for you university wizards.
Be precise. Be accurate. Be flawless. Or get yourself a good editor.
4. Putting too much information
No one cares if you were a cub scout back in 1982 or you got 10 A’s in your primary level public examination. I also need not know if you attended swimming lessons or ballet classes. Go straight to the point and don’t waste people’s time. They have a lot of resumes to go through so stop giving their information that serves no function apart from allowing them to write a biography about you.
You’re putting your yourself, your credibility, your achievements, all in one page. Get to the point fast.
5. No structure
A resume is not like cooking. You cannot just throw a dash of salt here and a pinch of pepper there then serve. Plus, when it comes to information, it is a whole lot better to have it laid out in a structured presentable form, than to prepare it like a draft for ‘Where’s Wally?’.
There are many other candidates competing for that one job that you like. You have to be able to stand out, even at the resume level. Having a good-looking resume that is also neat, clean and complete will give the reader a good impression of you.
Learn to categorize. It will show your future employer that you have structure in your life or at least in the things you do.
6. Forgetting your place.
Imagine writing in your resume that you are there to ‘propel the organization into stardom’ and ‘take the company to greater heights’, and having that resume read by someone who has been in the said organisation for 10 years and has yet to achieve either of the career goals you stated. Either he would look like a fool or you would. Most of the time, the candidate would be at the losing end. Look here, look here, that means you.
You have to understand that you are coming out from the pinnacle of the academic world into the grassroots of the working world. You basically score a zero in the Experience section and being in that position in a society that thrives on experience, telling people that you are capable of turning their organization around is a flat-out lie or a delusional view of what the working world is really like. Both do not help you to fair well with first impressions. So don’t do it.
It’s your first job. If you are there to learn, act like it.
His resume was horrendous, copied from a one-size-fits-all, untruthful and rigid resume that has no personal feel to it. I asked him to let me have a go at his resume. He politely declined at first, only to agree to it after my husband (his cousin) took a look at the resume and insisted taht he let me have a look.
A resume is important in the sense that it gets you to the interview table. It’s not the credentials, it’s not the referee, it’s not the staggeringly low expected salary (hmm.. sometimes it is, but anyways…) that gets the HR personnel reaching for the phone and dialing your number. It is how your resume stands out.
If your resume stands out, you stand out and you reap the reward of going into the first battle: the first interview.
First things first…
Below are the things graduates do wrong (that I have noticed from the resumes I've helped edited in the past 4 years) when preparing for their first resume. Try to avoid doing them and you might just get through to the long list.
1. Being too cocky for your own good.
Some people call it embellishment, I call it being too cocky. A resume is the first glimpse an employer has of you. Hence, it is best to be as truthful as possible in your resume to avoid giving people the wrong impression.
If people expect too much from you and you cannot deliver or prove yourself during the interview, you chances of negotiating better terms for yourself are as good as gone.
Remember: with good first impressions, comes great expectations.
A cover letter is always a good thing to attach to your resume. However, be sure to make the cover letter personal. I mean, don’t submit the same cover letter you used to apply for the position of a dancer when you’re trying to apply for the position of a chef. *Hey I know people who can dance and can cook*.
In your cover letter, use a tone that is humble and appealing. Do not make it out as if the person owes it to you to give you a job or an internship in their company. Use proper salutations, be polite, be engaging and be sensitive – for example, it is safer to us Ms instead of Miss or Mrs if you are not sure about the marital status of the Human Resource personnel you are writing.
For me to hire you, I have to first like you.
2. Labelling yourself as a faceless drone in a sea of wanna-‘bees’.
The usual suspects: eager to learn, independent yet a team player, responsible, punctual, highly motivated, cheerful, etc. What exactly were you aiming for when you put those adjectives under your personal strengths?
If I am the person reading your resume, I would like to see characteristics in your personal strengths that tell me that ‘you are the one I am looking for’. Being punctual is useless for a writer, being able to complete a project within the deadline is more of a bulls-eye. Both are related to time management (which is another common suspect) but both deliver different relevance to different things.
Learn to differentiate between the characteristics that will get you in and those that will leave you out.
3. Overlooking and undermining the importance of good spelling and grammar.
There are people who use bombastic words to show you that they are well learned. Then, they show their sloppiness by failing to discern between ‘two’ and ‘to’, ‘form’ and ‘from’, and ‘an’ with ‘and’. You may not think highly of prepositions and conjunctions but if detail-oriented was listed under your personal strengths, this may rub the HR people the wrong way.
No.2, never mix languages. AJK’s are committee members and PNGK is CGPA for you university wizards.
Be precise. Be accurate. Be flawless. Or get yourself a good editor.
4. Putting too much information
No one cares if you were a cub scout back in 1982 or you got 10 A’s in your primary level public examination. I also need not know if you attended swimming lessons or ballet classes. Go straight to the point and don’t waste people’s time. They have a lot of resumes to go through so stop giving their information that serves no function apart from allowing them to write a biography about you.
You’re putting your yourself, your credibility, your achievements, all in one page. Get to the point fast.
5. No structure
A resume is not like cooking. You cannot just throw a dash of salt here and a pinch of pepper there then serve. Plus, when it comes to information, it is a whole lot better to have it laid out in a structured presentable form, than to prepare it like a draft for ‘Where’s Wally?’.
There are many other candidates competing for that one job that you like. You have to be able to stand out, even at the resume level. Having a good-looking resume that is also neat, clean and complete will give the reader a good impression of you.
Learn to categorize. It will show your future employer that you have structure in your life or at least in the things you do.
6. Forgetting your place.
Imagine writing in your resume that you are there to ‘propel the organization into stardom’ and ‘take the company to greater heights’, and having that resume read by someone who has been in the said organisation for 10 years and has yet to achieve either of the career goals you stated. Either he would look like a fool or you would. Most of the time, the candidate would be at the losing end. Look here, look here, that means you.
You have to understand that you are coming out from the pinnacle of the academic world into the grassroots of the working world. You basically score a zero in the Experience section and being in that position in a society that thrives on experience, telling people that you are capable of turning their organization around is a flat-out lie or a delusional view of what the working world is really like. Both do not help you to fair well with first impressions. So don’t do it.
It’s your first job. If you are there to learn, act like it.
Nov 22, 2009
My car broke down and help came in an unexpected way
I had this realisation the other day that I wanted to blog about. Only remembered it just now.
This happened close to a year ago. I had a problem with the fuel pump of my car. My car suddenly slowed to a stop despite me repeatedly stepping on the gas pedal. I was stuck on the furthest left lane of a four-lane expressway. I did not have any emergency numbers to call. The only colleague who went on the same route to work as I did was on vacation. I had to call my boss who lived in Seremban and who told me he was caught in a jam. He needed half an hour to get to where I am. That literally translates to an hour.
I got down from my car, left the hazard lights on and waited. So there I was stuck, alone on a KL highway with Monday morning traffic wheezing past me at 90 km/hr on average.
Twenty minutes passed by and after being passed by by people who thought it was more useful to honk at my car than to come down and help me, an old uncle on a motorcycle finally stopped. He told me the obvious, that it was dangerous to stand on the side of the road like that. He also told me to keep my car boot open so that people can see the stagnant car from afar and slow down in time.
I told him I have friends coming already, constantly trying to ‘read’ his intentions through his body language. He rode off after telling me to stay behind the car instead of in front of the car in case someone knocks into the car and unwittingly took me with it. I thanked him for the sound advice.
Another youngster also slowed down for a bit. I yelled on top of his rumbling motor engine that I have friends coming and thanked him before he sped off.
It was about 100 cars later or roughly another 10 minutes before a man in a light brown jacket stopped, took off his helmet and asked me what was wrong. Somehow I told him the real problem, that I had tried to step on the gas pedal but the car won’t budge. He told me to open the hood of the car. I fumbled at the driver’s seat, trying to figure out where the damn release was. He told me to wait on the side of the road and got into my car to release the hood himself.
I remembered praying that he won’t speed off with the car, momentarily forgetting that the car isn’t going anywhere anyways.
After he looked at the engine, he gestured me closer and told me it is not the engine’s problem.
Then he looked at the back seat, and took the whole of the backseat off. There was a small cup in the middle of skeleton of the backseat. The cup had thin see-through tubes leading into and out of the cup. Inside the cup was some orange liquid, which looks extremely like the petrol we pump into our cars. The smell confirmed that it was.
The man told me that the tubes to my fuel cup were loose, so the petrol couldn’t get from the tank to the engine. He told me to give him a few more minutes to make sure the tubes were as tight as he could probably make them. Then, he told me to start the car.
I listened to him, did what he told me to do and the car revved to live.
I thanked him profusely, as if he had saved my whole family from the plague. When I asked him how he knew how to fix it he told me that he is a foreman (mechanic). He then got on his motorcycle and escorted me a short distance to the next toll booth before speeding off on another branch of road while I continued on to my destination.
I don't think I can recognize him again if I see him again today.
When my boss got to work that day, he arranged for the company mechanic to look at my car. They confirmed the foreman's diagnostics and promptly installed a new fuel pump into my car. When I told my boss how I got out of the whole problem, he said that I must have done some really good things to receive karma in that form.
We both had no idea that the real reason was much simpler.
Someone was watching over me.
Because I was two-weeks pregnant.
This happened close to a year ago. I had a problem with the fuel pump of my car. My car suddenly slowed to a stop despite me repeatedly stepping on the gas pedal. I was stuck on the furthest left lane of a four-lane expressway. I did not have any emergency numbers to call. The only colleague who went on the same route to work as I did was on vacation. I had to call my boss who lived in Seremban and who told me he was caught in a jam. He needed half an hour to get to where I am. That literally translates to an hour.
I got down from my car, left the hazard lights on and waited. So there I was stuck, alone on a KL highway with Monday morning traffic wheezing past me at 90 km/hr on average.
Twenty minutes passed by and after being passed by by people who thought it was more useful to honk at my car than to come down and help me, an old uncle on a motorcycle finally stopped. He told me the obvious, that it was dangerous to stand on the side of the road like that. He also told me to keep my car boot open so that people can see the stagnant car from afar and slow down in time.
I told him I have friends coming already, constantly trying to ‘read’ his intentions through his body language. He rode off after telling me to stay behind the car instead of in front of the car in case someone knocks into the car and unwittingly took me with it. I thanked him for the sound advice.
Another youngster also slowed down for a bit. I yelled on top of his rumbling motor engine that I have friends coming and thanked him before he sped off.
It was about 100 cars later or roughly another 10 minutes before a man in a light brown jacket stopped, took off his helmet and asked me what was wrong. Somehow I told him the real problem, that I had tried to step on the gas pedal but the car won’t budge. He told me to open the hood of the car. I fumbled at the driver’s seat, trying to figure out where the damn release was. He told me to wait on the side of the road and got into my car to release the hood himself.
I remembered praying that he won’t speed off with the car, momentarily forgetting that the car isn’t going anywhere anyways.
After he looked at the engine, he gestured me closer and told me it is not the engine’s problem.
Then he looked at the back seat, and took the whole of the backseat off. There was a small cup in the middle of skeleton of the backseat. The cup had thin see-through tubes leading into and out of the cup. Inside the cup was some orange liquid, which looks extremely like the petrol we pump into our cars. The smell confirmed that it was.
The man told me that the tubes to my fuel cup were loose, so the petrol couldn’t get from the tank to the engine. He told me to give him a few more minutes to make sure the tubes were as tight as he could probably make them. Then, he told me to start the car.
I listened to him, did what he told me to do and the car revved to live.
I thanked him profusely, as if he had saved my whole family from the plague. When I asked him how he knew how to fix it he told me that he is a foreman (mechanic). He then got on his motorcycle and escorted me a short distance to the next toll booth before speeding off on another branch of road while I continued on to my destination.
I don't think I can recognize him again if I see him again today.
When my boss got to work that day, he arranged for the company mechanic to look at my car. They confirmed the foreman's diagnostics and promptly installed a new fuel pump into my car. When I told my boss how I got out of the whole problem, he said that I must have done some really good things to receive karma in that form.
We both had no idea that the real reason was much simpler.
Someone was watching over me.
Because I was two-weeks pregnant.
Nov 17, 2009
Movie Review: Where Got Ghost?
First Impression: A slapstick comedy with a tinge of horror, set in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the month of the Hungry Ghost. Should be fun.
Why one would watch it: Because it is directed by Jack Neo, a Singaporean director/actor who is brilliant in capturing the lives of Singaporeans and sometimes Malaysians in his movies, typically known to be excellent in sometimes choking tears and laughter out of you in quick succession and sometimes leaving you feeling guilty at the end of the movie. Oh, and the movies he directs are damn funny.
What to keep an eye out for: In this movie, err… nothing. Just sit back and enjoy it. Oh yeah, there is one scene that can give you a jolt, kids may get nightmares, or they may laugh their butts off. Oh, and if you don’t speak Hokkien, most of the humour may be lost in translation.
Spoilers-filled Review: Do not read if you intend to watch the movie.
Where got ghost better translated as I don't see a ghost, do you?
The movie is actually made up of three stories that are not linked to each other except that all the stories are told in a Singaporean setting and some of the actors are recycled.
Anyways, the three stories told are Roadside got Ghost, Forest got Ghost and House got Ghost. The first story is about three swindlers who try to scam unknowing lottery buyers into parting with their winnings.
The idea is actually quite fascinating. And brilliant!
The swindlers randomly call up 9999 people and under the pretence that a diety gave them winning numbers to give to these people, the swindlers will give each of them one of the 9999 possible combinations of 4D numbers to buy. If that person wins, then they are donate 20% of the winnings to the diety aka swindlers.
It’s a win-win situation.
If one of the winners refuse to pay up, they, for example, drop potted plants on the lottery buyers to scare them into thinking that the diety is angry with them for backing out of their promise of parting with the 20% commission. It’s so devilish, it almost worked, until the head of the swindlers got a call from someone also playing the same game. You have to watch the movie to know how this ends.
I was a bit disappointed as some details of the story did not make sense but who am I to question the script writer eh?
The second story tells about two soldiers who were on national service training in the jungles of Singapore. I didn’t realize Singapore had jungles… never mind. Anyways, one skinny talkative soldier got paired up with another chubbier and not so bright soldier in their run through the forest. During the briefing they were told about a thousand times to not take shortcuts.
Take a guess at what they did.
They got hopelessly lost, bumped into ‘something’ while pooping in the jungle (clear view of their bottoms in that shot – they need to work out a little) and got directions from a plump and innocent-looking girl who lives nearby. Torrential rain forced them to seek shelter at the girl’s home where one of the soldiers tries to take a peek at the girl taking a shower, only to see something else through the key hole.
Halfway through the movie, you start asking yourself is the girl a ghost or not? See the climax of the movie for an answer to all the questions in this story. It’s a bit long if you ask me but Nan (skinny soldier) really gets people cracking with much of his BS.
And I’m not very impressed with the CG used but hey, who am I to criticize the level of technology used in SE Asian films these days?
The third story is an extension of the previous movie, Money Not Enough II. Yeah the one about the three brothers that only their mother can love. The movie picks up right after the mother’s death. The three brothers and their families got together for a reunion.
Before dinner, they burnt joss sticks for their deceased mother, each complaining to their mother that money (their income) is still not enough.
Later, each brother gets dreams where their dead mother comes back to either haunt or visit them eerily. I can’t tell the difference but I wouldn’t want to visit my kids the way the mother did, would scare them to death. Or is that the real reason behind it all?
Hmm… Anyways, the two younger brothers, scared silly with the frequent dreams (or nightmares, whichever way you see it) forces the eldest brother to put their mother’s tablet at a temple.
*A tablet is a physical prayer piece that belongs to a deceased, their names and date of death inscribed onto the surface. Descendents pray to the tablet as a sign of respect. The tablet can be placed at home or at a temple.
In the movie, strange things were happening to the eldest brother when he sent the tablet to the temple. He then calls up the two brothers who just told him he was dreaming and the three of them set off to meet with a KL businessman who can help them settle their financial problems.
On the way, they see their mother again. And we find out why the mother has been ‘visitng’ them all this while.
It’s a heartfelt one, this story. This one won’t leave you crying but it’s a heartwarming story nonetheless. Nan, the soldier makes his second appearance in this story.
After the movie: It’s not really one of his great works but since it is Jack Neo’s first attempt at a horror comedy, I guess it’s a good try. Singaporeans are known to be great horror story-tellers; I deduced this from the millions of Singaporean horror tale books found in the shelves of Malaysian bookstores. I never read even one book from the whole franchise though.
Don’t think I would start any time soon.
Why one would watch it: Because it is directed by Jack Neo, a Singaporean director/actor who is brilliant in capturing the lives of Singaporeans and sometimes Malaysians in his movies, typically known to be excellent in sometimes choking tears and laughter out of you in quick succession and sometimes leaving you feeling guilty at the end of the movie. Oh, and the movies he directs are damn funny.
What to keep an eye out for: In this movie, err… nothing. Just sit back and enjoy it. Oh yeah, there is one scene that can give you a jolt, kids may get nightmares, or they may laugh their butts off. Oh, and if you don’t speak Hokkien, most of the humour may be lost in translation.
Spoilers-filled Review: Do not read if you intend to watch the movie.
Where got ghost better translated as I don't see a ghost, do you?Anyways, the three stories told are Roadside got Ghost, Forest got Ghost and House got Ghost. The first story is about three swindlers who try to scam unknowing lottery buyers into parting with their winnings.
The idea is actually quite fascinating. And brilliant!
The swindlers randomly call up 9999 people and under the pretence that a diety gave them winning numbers to give to these people, the swindlers will give each of them one of the 9999 possible combinations of 4D numbers to buy. If that person wins, then they are donate 20% of the winnings to the diety aka swindlers.
It’s a win-win situation.
If one of the winners refuse to pay up, they, for example, drop potted plants on the lottery buyers to scare them into thinking that the diety is angry with them for backing out of their promise of parting with the 20% commission. It’s so devilish, it almost worked, until the head of the swindlers got a call from someone also playing the same game. You have to watch the movie to know how this ends.
I was a bit disappointed as some details of the story did not make sense but who am I to question the script writer eh?
The second story tells about two soldiers who were on national service training in the jungles of Singapore. I didn’t realize Singapore had jungles… never mind. Anyways, one skinny talkative soldier got paired up with another chubbier and not so bright soldier in their run through the forest. During the briefing they were told about a thousand times to not take shortcuts.
Take a guess at what they did.
They got hopelessly lost, bumped into ‘something’ while pooping in the jungle (clear view of their bottoms in that shot – they need to work out a little) and got directions from a plump and innocent-looking girl who lives nearby. Torrential rain forced them to seek shelter at the girl’s home where one of the soldiers tries to take a peek at the girl taking a shower, only to see something else through the key hole.
Halfway through the movie, you start asking yourself is the girl a ghost or not? See the climax of the movie for an answer to all the questions in this story. It’s a bit long if you ask me but Nan (skinny soldier) really gets people cracking with much of his BS.
And I’m not very impressed with the CG used but hey, who am I to criticize the level of technology used in SE Asian films these days?
The third story is an extension of the previous movie, Money Not Enough II. Yeah the one about the three brothers that only their mother can love. The movie picks up right after the mother’s death. The three brothers and their families got together for a reunion.
Before dinner, they burnt joss sticks for their deceased mother, each complaining to their mother that money (their income) is still not enough.
Later, each brother gets dreams where their dead mother comes back to either haunt or visit them eerily. I can’t tell the difference but I wouldn’t want to visit my kids the way the mother did, would scare them to death. Or is that the real reason behind it all?
Hmm… Anyways, the two younger brothers, scared silly with the frequent dreams (or nightmares, whichever way you see it) forces the eldest brother to put their mother’s tablet at a temple.
*A tablet is a physical prayer piece that belongs to a deceased, their names and date of death inscribed onto the surface. Descendents pray to the tablet as a sign of respect. The tablet can be placed at home or at a temple.
In the movie, strange things were happening to the eldest brother when he sent the tablet to the temple. He then calls up the two brothers who just told him he was dreaming and the three of them set off to meet with a KL businessman who can help them settle their financial problems.
On the way, they see their mother again. And we find out why the mother has been ‘visitng’ them all this while.
It’s a heartfelt one, this story. This one won’t leave you crying but it’s a heartwarming story nonetheless. Nan, the soldier makes his second appearance in this story.
After the movie: It’s not really one of his great works but since it is Jack Neo’s first attempt at a horror comedy, I guess it’s a good try. Singaporeans are known to be great horror story-tellers; I deduced this from the millions of Singaporean horror tale books found in the shelves of Malaysian bookstores. I never read even one book from the whole franchise though.
Don’t think I would start any time soon.
Nov 14, 2009
Movie Review: 2012 (spoilers alert!)
Movie Review: 2012
First impression: A whole piece of land with cars, houses, buildings and highways was lifted and broken apart, slowly plunging into the ocean like a ship going under. This is a disaster movie with nothing good except CG.
Why one would watch it: Roland Emmerich, Jerry Bruckheimer, Danny Glover, John Cusack. Whichever floats your boat.
What to keep an eye out for:
A lot of deaths. A whole lot of it. From massive destructions of the most awesomest kind! Which makes it real fun to watch.
First things first, it is the end of the world. As in the whole world, not just the United States *grins*. God knows how many times Americans try to label their land as the world by itself in almost all the disaster movies ever done.
Hence, the need to get many other nations involved in the movie to make it believable. So we have the astrophysicist scientist from India who discovered the beginning of the end of the world, China which provided the space, manpower and materials to build the Arks that are needed to save the world, Russian and Arab customers that bought their places in the Arks at ($1 billion euro per head. Is that even a number?), the French that saved valuable art pieces from the time of the Renaissance, Tibetans who talked on the peaks of mountains, two African Americans who were heroes in their own right in the movie and the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as the starting point of the regeneration of the human species. In the movie, there were English dialogues, Chinese, French, Indian and even Tibetan.
I loved it.
The casting is also quite impressive.
Danny Glover (of Lethal weapon 1 to 4, Mel Gibson's partner in crime) as the U.S. President, Chiwetel Ejiofor (of American Gangsters) as a brilliant young scientist who highlighted the problem to the US govt, John Cusack (no intro needed), a writer of a book which served as a red herring, with Amanda Peet (who looks a lot like Linda Hamilton) as a divorced couple on the run with their two children, Oliver Platt (of Lake Placid) who did a great job at being the biggest jackass of all time, Thandie Newton (of Mission Impossible) as the President's daughter, Woody Harrelson who did a stunning job as Charlie Gone-Loco, the conspiracy-theory DJ, Patrick Bauchau (of The Pretender fame) as the director of the Louvre museum, Chin Han (of Dark Knight Hong Kong triad lord Lau) who is a chinese national and welder who worked on the Arks, and Jimi Mistry (of EastEnders fame) as the brilliant Indian scientist who started this all back in 2009... in the film.
Casting aside, the movie does great in the computer graphics department, having destroyed Yellowstone, San Francisco, Los Angeles, the White House, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine chapel, Hawaii and not to mention having relocated the South Pole.
As for the annihilation sector, to sum it up, I think the director told the graphic artists to 'keep no prisoners'.
There were instances in the movie where you and your humanity are tested. Tears will fall, numerous times throughout the two and a half hours. There were a couple of areas where a quick run at humour is greatly appreciated by the audience. But ultimately, it is the clinging of Hope that the storyline presented to the audience that truly captivated me. Heroism is also well-portrayed throughout the movie, almost as much as selfishness is. And I should not forget, the lingering question in everyone's mind, "If this is truly the end of the world, what would you have done towards the end?"
After the movie:
First impression: A whole piece of land with cars, houses, buildings and highways was lifted and broken apart, slowly plunging into the ocean like a ship going under. This is a disaster movie with nothing good except CG.
Why one would watch it: Roland Emmerich, Jerry Bruckheimer, Danny Glover, John Cusack. Whichever floats your boat.
What to keep an eye out for:
A lot of deaths. A whole lot of it. From massive destructions of the most awesomest kind! Which makes it real fun to watch.
Spoiler alert (please do not read further if you intend to watch the movie):
Last warning!
Consider the movie spoiled:
Out of 6 billion people, I think less than 0.1% survived the world in Roland Emmerich's 2012. That's pretty much the highest movie casualty of all time. Apart from this I think the movie did justice to the whole end-of-the-world thing.Last warning!
Consider the movie spoiled:
First things first, it is the end of the world. As in the whole world, not just the United States *grins*. God knows how many times Americans try to label their land as the world by itself in almost all the disaster movies ever done.
Hence, the need to get many other nations involved in the movie to make it believable. So we have the astrophysicist scientist from India who discovered the beginning of the end of the world, China which provided the space, manpower and materials to build the Arks that are needed to save the world, Russian and Arab customers that bought their places in the Arks at ($1 billion euro per head. Is that even a number?), the French that saved valuable art pieces from the time of the Renaissance, Tibetans who talked on the peaks of mountains, two African Americans who were heroes in their own right in the movie and the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as the starting point of the regeneration of the human species. In the movie, there were English dialogues, Chinese, French, Indian and even Tibetan.
I loved it.
The casting is also quite impressive.
Danny Glover (of Lethal weapon 1 to 4, Mel Gibson's partner in crime) as the U.S. President, Chiwetel Ejiofor (of American Gangsters) as a brilliant young scientist who highlighted the problem to the US govt, John Cusack (no intro needed), a writer of a book which served as a red herring, with Amanda Peet (who looks a lot like Linda Hamilton) as a divorced couple on the run with their two children, Oliver Platt (of Lake Placid) who did a great job at being the biggest jackass of all time, Thandie Newton (of Mission Impossible) as the President's daughter, Woody Harrelson who did a stunning job as Charlie Gone-Loco, the conspiracy-theory DJ, Patrick Bauchau (of The Pretender fame) as the director of the Louvre museum, Chin Han (of Dark Knight Hong Kong triad lord Lau) who is a chinese national and welder who worked on the Arks, and Jimi Mistry (of EastEnders fame) as the brilliant Indian scientist who started this all back in 2009... in the film.
Casting aside, the movie does great in the computer graphics department, having destroyed Yellowstone, San Francisco, Los Angeles, the White House, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine chapel, Hawaii and not to mention having relocated the South Pole.
As for the annihilation sector, to sum it up, I think the director told the graphic artists to 'keep no prisoners'.
There were instances in the movie where you and your humanity are tested. Tears will fall, numerous times throughout the two and a half hours. There were a couple of areas where a quick run at humour is greatly appreciated by the audience. But ultimately, it is the clinging of Hope that the storyline presented to the audience that truly captivated me. Heroism is also well-portrayed throughout the movie, almost as much as selfishness is. And I should not forget, the lingering question in everyone's mind, "If this is truly the end of the world, what would you have done towards the end?"
After the movie:
At the end of it, the movie leaves one thinking, if 2012 is really the end of the world as we know it, will we have acted like the people in this stunning movie? Would we have acted worse, or would we have done one better than they? I sincerely hope that we will never find out.
But you have GOT to watch the movie. It's a blast!
But you have GOT to watch the movie. It's a blast!
Nov 9, 2009
VALUE YOUR LIFE, DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE.
Less than a month ago, I wrote about 5 Things You Need to Know while Driving.
This morning I read about a terrible outcome from texting while driving. Read the letter below and I know you believe me when I say Javen here is lucky to be alive.
---
Tuesday November 10, 2009
This morning I read about a terrible outcome from texting while driving. Read the letter below and I know you believe me when I say Javen here is lucky to be alive.
---
Tuesday November 10, 2009
VALUE YOUR LIFE, DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE
REFERRING to the article “Don’t text and drive” (Sunday Star, Nov 8), I strongly urge drivers, whether experienced or just beginners, not to use the mobile phone while driving, especially texting. I met with an accident not long ago because I was texting while driving.
I lost control of the car, and it went straight into a dead end and hit a concrete wall. I suffered a broken bone on my shoulder and a swelling in my brain which, luckily enough, was not serious. And the car? It is a complete wreck now.
It all happened in a split second, and for the sake of a 10-sen message, it almost cost me my life.
If you think you are a driver experienced enough to be able to avoid this, think again. Accidents don’t discriminate. I have been driving for more than 10 years but a 10-sen message has cost me dearly.
Do not multi-task while you are behind the wheel. Concentrate on your driving and value your life and that of others.
JAVEN,
Kuala Lumpur.
Nov 8, 2009
RIHANNA OPENING UP AND SURVIVING WITHOUT HIM
Nine months ago, the entertainment industry shook us with the story of a woman being beaten and abused by a man inside his car. She left to seek help from the police.
The next day, news came out that it was Rihanna and Chris Brown.
A few more days later, photos of her battered face and swollen lips circulated the Internet. There was major uproar; some people said some things, people were horrified, concerts were cancelled and then...
Rihanna went back to Chris.
Six months ago, I posted something in the likes of Rihanna making a big mistake by following her heart instead of her common sense, and the implications on girls everywhere, who look up to her. Read the post here.
Love can make us do really stupid things. But what happens when what you do can lead to someone being killed? Can you live with it? Thank goodness Rihanna can't and won't.
Here are some of the excerpts from her interview on ABC's Good Morning America which made news all over again.
Well said, girl. So proud of her. It's a step towards growing up.
Which is more than what I can say for Chris Brown.
The next day, news came out that it was Rihanna and Chris Brown.
A few more days later, photos of her battered face and swollen lips circulated the Internet. There was major uproar; some people said some things, people were horrified, concerts were cancelled and then...
Rihanna went back to Chris.
Six months ago, I posted something in the likes of Rihanna making a big mistake by following her heart instead of her common sense, and the implications on girls everywhere, who look up to her. Read the post here.
Love can make us do really stupid things. But what happens when what you do can lead to someone being killed? Can you live with it? Thank goodness Rihanna can't and won't.
Here are some of the excerpts from her interview on ABC's Good Morning America which made news all over again.
"She explained: 'When I realised that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn't be held responsible for telling them "go back""
'Even if Chris never hit me again who is to say their boyfriends won't. Who is to say that they won't kill these girls?
'I just didn't realise how much of an impact I could have on these girls' lives until this happened. It was a wake-up call for me...
'Especially when I took myself out of that situation and I'll say that to any young girl who is going through domestic violence.
'"F" love. Come out of the situation and look at it third person and for what it really is, then make your decision because love is so blind.'
Well said, girl. So proud of her. It's a step towards growing up.
Which is more than what I can say for Chris Brown.
Nov 5, 2009
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING CHECKUPS
First checkup: Confirmation of pregnancy and heartbeat
Your first checkup would usually be for the confirmation of a pregnancy. This can occur in two ways. One is a test with a pregnancy kit. The second is with an ultrasound scan. Usually the ultrasound scan is done after confirmation with a positive result from the pregnancy kit and is in turn used to confirm the presence of a beating heart.
Below 8 weeks (sometimes 10 wks) you may need a full bladder for the ultrasound scan. This is to pinpoint the location of the uterus so that the doctor will know where to point the transducer (that’s the thing that they ‘scroll’ all over your abdomen to ‘see’ or scan for the embryo).
If you are too early, the embryo may not turn up on the scan. Then, the doctor or sonographer will suggest one of two things: to have a transvaginal scan or to wait for a few weeks more until the embryo is big enough to see.
Note that at 8 weeks a typical embryo is only about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch big.
During my own scans, my pregnancy was confirmed at 6 weeks with a kit at the doctors. I went for a scan but my doctor couldn’t see the baby yet and so she asked me to wait for a couple of weeks as according to her the transvaginal scan is ‘not very comfortable’. So I waited about two weeks for the embryo to reach 8 weeks and went back. Another doctor was working at the time and she immediately arranged for me to get a transvaginal scan… which was really not comfortable, believe me.
But I did get to see my baby for the first time. So it was worth it.
Periodical checkups: Charting the development of the baby
In the first trimester (first three months) the baby is known as an embryo, From the fourth month onwards, it is known as the foetus until birth. The development of the baby is charted against the statistics of other babies.
Some of the measurements taken during the monthly checkups are:
• the crown-rump length of the baby*
• the circumference of the head
• the circumference of the abdomen (tummy)
• the length of the femur (in the second trimester when bones are more pronounced)
*The crown-rump length is the length of from the baby’s head to
its bum bum (bottom), as this is the position readily assumed
by the baby inside the confined space of the womb.
Source: fetal.com
During checkups the doctor may also monitor the heartbeat (sometimes with a Doppler scanner to ensure that there are no irregularities in the heartbeat), check on the gut, heart, brain, the development of the backbone and how active your baby is.
During the scan, the doctor will also check on the availability of the amniotic fluid inside the womb. Too much or too little of the amnion fluid may be of concern but always check with your doctor if anything worries you.
The doctor will also need to chart your blood pressure, check your urine for the presence of protein or glucose and take measurements of your weight. The height taken is only a one-time thing.
Tests and perpetuating the fear of needles
Amniocentesis and Down Syndrome check.
Around week 15 to week 20, you doctor may ask you if you want to screen for Down syndrome. You doctor will show you statistics that show the probability that your baby has it depending on your age and other indications during the scans or based on the results of your urine tests. This is currently done through amniocentesis: the fluid inside the womb is taken out with a syringe for testing. The results will only be available in a week or two.
I did not opt for mine as I was not in the high-risk group (mother being 35 years old or older) and I do not like the idea of having a syringe poked into my womb.
Checking for diabetes
Around Week 24 you will be submitted to a glucose tolerance test. You will need to fast from 10 pm or midnight the day before, go to the clinic and have your blood taken, then drink an extremely sweet drink, wait for two hours then have your blood taken again. This test is really important to ensure that you are not diabetic during or due to the pregnancy.
I was diagnosed to have gestational diabetes when I ‘failed’ this test. The glucose levels in my blood were in the ‘impaired’ zone, which means that I am diabetic but it can still be controlled through my diet. A more serious case would need control through medication and is not healthy for the pregnant mother or for the baby.
Since I was diagnosed with GD, I have to take glucose tests every month in which I have my arm jabbed four times a day, three times before meals and once before bedtime. For most this would perpetuate a lifelong fear of needles. For me, I’ve grown accustomed to it. The matter was worsened by the fact that most of the poking were done on my left arm, as my right arm does not have veins pronounced enough for them to draw blood from.
Imagine having been poked by 28 needles through the whole pregnancy, four of which was caused by a botched test. I don’t want to talk about that.
I've had enough of you to last a lifetime!
Other things to look out for
By the time your foetus reaches 7 months, he or she will be around 1.5 kg. In the last three months, you will experience, have or see more weight gain, stretch marks, cravings, cramps, fatigue, difficulty in breathing, constant toilet trips (including in the middle of nights) and more checkups. The checkups will go from once every four weeks to once every two weeks to once every week.
The foetus is sometimes more vulnerable during the last trimester as many things may go wrong. It is extremely important that you watch your diet during this time as some research show that what you eat during the final months of the pregnancy will lead to having a hypersensitive baby with allergies.
Weight gain and size development of the baby is also crucial at this juncture. In almost all the cases of pregnancies around me, the foetuses were found to have stop growing near the 8th month. I have a friend who has to deliver one month early because the baby has stopped growing since the 7th month. The baby’s weight during birth barely reached 2.5 kg.
Weight gain in the baby does not rely solely on the mother’s food intake during the last trimester. You can keep eating and eating but it may not go into your baby for reasons that even doctors do not understand. However, if weight gain in the baby seems to balloon out of control, this is also reason for worry as cases of stillbirth are linked to foetuses being overweight. I have another friend whose sister in law lost her baby due to this. The heart stopped at the 7-month mark. This will be very traumatic for the mother so take heed and be cautious about your eating habits during the last trimester.
Conclusion and disclaimer (as usual):
Exercise, eat healthily, be safe, go slow, listen to advice from other mothers, communicate with your doctor, be watchful, savour the nine months and wait eagerly for the arrival of our baby because believe me, it will come to an end eventually (even though you feel like this will go on forever =)) and you will have a new beginning!
As usual, here comes the disclaimer. I am not a doctor, a practitioner, a nurse, a medical lecturer, a gynaecologist not even a medic student. I am a woman, a mother, a wife, once-pregnant-now-free and a blogger who just loves to dissipate information. The things I write here, I will tell my sister, my daughter or my female friends who are pregnant. Hence, I find them fit to put here to share.
However, do understand that everything is different for everyone and you should not take the information here word-for-word. Talk to your doctor or do your own research. Make educated choices and informed decisions for yourself and for your baby.
Lastly, congrats on your pregnancy and I pray that all will go well for you and your baby.
Your first checkup would usually be for the confirmation of a pregnancy. This can occur in two ways. One is a test with a pregnancy kit. The second is with an ultrasound scan. Usually the ultrasound scan is done after confirmation with a positive result from the pregnancy kit and is in turn used to confirm the presence of a beating heart.
Below 8 weeks (sometimes 10 wks) you may need a full bladder for the ultrasound scan. This is to pinpoint the location of the uterus so that the doctor will know where to point the transducer (that’s the thing that they ‘scroll’ all over your abdomen to ‘see’ or scan for the embryo).
If you are too early, the embryo may not turn up on the scan. Then, the doctor or sonographer will suggest one of two things: to have a transvaginal scan or to wait for a few weeks more until the embryo is big enough to see.
Note that at 8 weeks a typical embryo is only about half an inch to three-quarters of an inch big.
During my own scans, my pregnancy was confirmed at 6 weeks with a kit at the doctors. I went for a scan but my doctor couldn’t see the baby yet and so she asked me to wait for a couple of weeks as according to her the transvaginal scan is ‘not very comfortable’. So I waited about two weeks for the embryo to reach 8 weeks and went back. Another doctor was working at the time and she immediately arranged for me to get a transvaginal scan… which was really not comfortable, believe me.
But I did get to see my baby for the first time. So it was worth it.
Periodical checkups: Charting the development of the baby
In the first trimester (first three months) the baby is known as an embryo, From the fourth month onwards, it is known as the foetus until birth. The development of the baby is charted against the statistics of other babies.
Some of the measurements taken during the monthly checkups are:
• the crown-rump length of the baby*
• the circumference of the head
• the circumference of the abdomen (tummy)
• the length of the femur (in the second trimester when bones are more pronounced)
*The crown-rump length is the length of from the baby’s head toits bum bum (bottom), as this is the position readily assumed
by the baby inside the confined space of the womb.
Source: fetal.com
During checkups the doctor may also monitor the heartbeat (sometimes with a Doppler scanner to ensure that there are no irregularities in the heartbeat), check on the gut, heart, brain, the development of the backbone and how active your baby is.
During the scan, the doctor will also check on the availability of the amniotic fluid inside the womb. Too much or too little of the amnion fluid may be of concern but always check with your doctor if anything worries you.
The doctor will also need to chart your blood pressure, check your urine for the presence of protein or glucose and take measurements of your weight. The height taken is only a one-time thing.
Tests and perpetuating the fear of needles
Amniocentesis and Down Syndrome check.
Around week 15 to week 20, you doctor may ask you if you want to screen for Down syndrome. You doctor will show you statistics that show the probability that your baby has it depending on your age and other indications during the scans or based on the results of your urine tests. This is currently done through amniocentesis: the fluid inside the womb is taken out with a syringe for testing. The results will only be available in a week or two.
I did not opt for mine as I was not in the high-risk group (mother being 35 years old or older) and I do not like the idea of having a syringe poked into my womb.
Checking for diabetes
Around Week 24 you will be submitted to a glucose tolerance test. You will need to fast from 10 pm or midnight the day before, go to the clinic and have your blood taken, then drink an extremely sweet drink, wait for two hours then have your blood taken again. This test is really important to ensure that you are not diabetic during or due to the pregnancy.
I was diagnosed to have gestational diabetes when I ‘failed’ this test. The glucose levels in my blood were in the ‘impaired’ zone, which means that I am diabetic but it can still be controlled through my diet. A more serious case would need control through medication and is not healthy for the pregnant mother or for the baby.
Since I was diagnosed with GD, I have to take glucose tests every month in which I have my arm jabbed four times a day, three times before meals and once before bedtime. For most this would perpetuate a lifelong fear of needles. For me, I’ve grown accustomed to it. The matter was worsened by the fact that most of the poking were done on my left arm, as my right arm does not have veins pronounced enough for them to draw blood from.
Imagine having been poked by 28 needles through the whole pregnancy, four of which was caused by a botched test. I don’t want to talk about that.
I've had enough of you to last a lifetime!Other things to look out for
By the time your foetus reaches 7 months, he or she will be around 1.5 kg. In the last three months, you will experience, have or see more weight gain, stretch marks, cravings, cramps, fatigue, difficulty in breathing, constant toilet trips (including in the middle of nights) and more checkups. The checkups will go from once every four weeks to once every two weeks to once every week.
The foetus is sometimes more vulnerable during the last trimester as many things may go wrong. It is extremely important that you watch your diet during this time as some research show that what you eat during the final months of the pregnancy will lead to having a hypersensitive baby with allergies.
Weight gain and size development of the baby is also crucial at this juncture. In almost all the cases of pregnancies around me, the foetuses were found to have stop growing near the 8th month. I have a friend who has to deliver one month early because the baby has stopped growing since the 7th month. The baby’s weight during birth barely reached 2.5 kg.
Weight gain in the baby does not rely solely on the mother’s food intake during the last trimester. You can keep eating and eating but it may not go into your baby for reasons that even doctors do not understand. However, if weight gain in the baby seems to balloon out of control, this is also reason for worry as cases of stillbirth are linked to foetuses being overweight. I have another friend whose sister in law lost her baby due to this. The heart stopped at the 7-month mark. This will be very traumatic for the mother so take heed and be cautious about your eating habits during the last trimester.
Conclusion and disclaimer (as usual):
Exercise, eat healthily, be safe, go slow, listen to advice from other mothers, communicate with your doctor, be watchful, savour the nine months and wait eagerly for the arrival of our baby because believe me, it will come to an end eventually (even though you feel like this will go on forever =)) and you will have a new beginning!
As usual, here comes the disclaimer. I am not a doctor, a practitioner, a nurse, a medical lecturer, a gynaecologist not even a medic student. I am a woman, a mother, a wife, once-pregnant-now-free and a blogger who just loves to dissipate information. The things I write here, I will tell my sister, my daughter or my female friends who are pregnant. Hence, I find them fit to put here to share.
However, do understand that everything is different for everyone and you should not take the information here word-for-word. Talk to your doctor or do your own research. Make educated choices and informed decisions for yourself and for your baby.
Lastly, congrats on your pregnancy and I pray that all will go well for you and your baby.
Nov 3, 2009
BRITANNIA WOMEN AND CHILDREN SPECIALIST CENTRE
Awhile back I wrote about Britannia Kajang, the specialist delivery centre for women and children. I forgot to write about the Cheras branch, or more precisely, I forgot to give the map or instructions to get there. So if you haven't seen this link or don't need to...
here is the wikimapia map to Britannia's Cheras branch. It is easier to get to than the one in Kajang, hence I did not make a map for it. If you have GPS, you can get the coordinates from googlemaps.
If you don't... you can always get yourself to Alam Damai, Jusco Cheras Selatan, Carrefour Cheras Selatan or Connaught's Giant (there is a backroad that leads into Alam Damai) and take it from there.
1 Follow the Pustaka Rakyat bookstore signboard to get to Pustaka Rakyat. Next to Pustaka Rakyat is the Bandar Damai Perdana Balai Polis. The station is on one end of the whole shoplot. Britannia is on the other end.
2 Find SJKC Connaught 2. It's in the same vicinity.
3 Find Nyonya Kopitiam. It's two blocks behind Nyonya Kopitiam.
Good luck finding the place and good luck with the pregnancy.
here is the wikimapia map to Britannia's Cheras branch. It is easier to get to than the one in Kajang, hence I did not make a map for it. If you have GPS, you can get the coordinates from googlemaps.
If you don't... you can always get yourself to Alam Damai, Jusco Cheras Selatan, Carrefour Cheras Selatan or Connaught's Giant (there is a backroad that leads into Alam Damai) and take it from there.
1 Follow the Pustaka Rakyat bookstore signboard to get to Pustaka Rakyat. Next to Pustaka Rakyat is the Bandar Damai Perdana Balai Polis. The station is on one end of the whole shoplot. Britannia is on the other end.
2 Find SJKC Connaught 2. It's in the same vicinity.
3 Find Nyonya Kopitiam. It's two blocks behind Nyonya Kopitiam.
Good luck finding the place and good luck with the pregnancy.
Nov 2, 2009
THE LINK BETWEEN PREGNANCY DIETS AND BABY ALLERGIES
My niece was born 6 weeks after my daughter. She has a beautiful face, compared to my daughter’s but she is now suffering from a mild form of eczema, a skin condition also known as atopic dermatitis. It is a form of inherited allergy. In some cases, the eczema develops into asthma. Luckily, in my niece’s case, it is confined to dry skin and occasional rashes on her cheeks.
According to some sites like babycenter, the allergic reaction is triggered by allergens in the baby’s diet. If you breastfeed, the reaction may be triggered through the food you take, transferred to your baby through breast milk. The allergic reaction may also be exacerbated by irritants like soap, lotions and detergents, or even by heat.
Apart from the rashes and her dry skin, my niece also is easily irritable, does not sleep for long and cries a lot due to her skin problem. Thus, this takes a toll on the mother and the babysitter as well. The babysitter asks that the mother switch to a soy-based milk to reduce the allergic reactions. It worked for awhile.
Then, my sister in law (the mother) took my niece to see a skin specialist. All this while she has always taken her to child specialists, until a friend of hers introduced her to this doctor at Taman Segar. He told her that this might be due to the diet she took when she was pregnant. The culprits identified: fresh milk and mangoes. Yes, of all things, mangoes, the fruit, may be a cause to this hypersensitive skin problem. He promptly gave her a list of things that the daughter must avoid to prevent repercussions.
He also gave her some medication which I think could be steroids that may help reduce the rashes. She is also advised to reduce the use of soap when she bathes her daughter (warm water will do) and the lotions she use on her daughter’s skin must be for sensitive skin. This lotion is available at pharmacies, although a it is advisable to get a prescription for it first.
Since my sister in law has just started this this past weekend, we shall see if my niece’s condition recovers or not.
Strangely enough, this also happened to the daughters of one ex-colleague of mine, who has two daughters and one son. Both daughters suffer from eczema, the older one until she was 7 months old and the younger one, having a worse case, still suffers occasional bouts of rashes and itchiness whenever she takes the wrong food.
The son does not exhibit any such conditions and has shown no clear signs of having any allergies at the moment. I sincerely hope it stays that way.
So if you hear of old wives’ tales that you should not eat certain foods during pregnancy, take heed. You need not follow through with all of them, but take most in moderation instead of submitting all out to the cravings. It’s true that you are what you eat, but in this case your baby becomes whatever it is that you eat during pregnancy.
Disclaimer: I usually suggest to friends of mine to seek second opinions from physicians and specialists, when dealing with issues regarding the health of children. As such, I also ask that you do your own research, ask around and consult your physicians before making any decisions based on what you read here. This is as much a disclaimer as it is a point to ensure that whatever decisions you make for our children is made from an educated standpoint. Make well-informed decisions for your child.
According to some sites like babycenter, the allergic reaction is triggered by allergens in the baby’s diet. If you breastfeed, the reaction may be triggered through the food you take, transferred to your baby through breast milk. The allergic reaction may also be exacerbated by irritants like soap, lotions and detergents, or even by heat.
Apart from the rashes and her dry skin, my niece also is easily irritable, does not sleep for long and cries a lot due to her skin problem. Thus, this takes a toll on the mother and the babysitter as well. The babysitter asks that the mother switch to a soy-based milk to reduce the allergic reactions. It worked for awhile.
Then, my sister in law (the mother) took my niece to see a skin specialist. All this while she has always taken her to child specialists, until a friend of hers introduced her to this doctor at Taman Segar. He told her that this might be due to the diet she took when she was pregnant. The culprits identified: fresh milk and mangoes. Yes, of all things, mangoes, the fruit, may be a cause to this hypersensitive skin problem. He promptly gave her a list of things that the daughter must avoid to prevent repercussions.
He also gave her some medication which I think could be steroids that may help reduce the rashes. She is also advised to reduce the use of soap when she bathes her daughter (warm water will do) and the lotions she use on her daughter’s skin must be for sensitive skin. This lotion is available at pharmacies, although a it is advisable to get a prescription for it first.
Since my sister in law has just started this this past weekend, we shall see if my niece’s condition recovers or not.
Strangely enough, this also happened to the daughters of one ex-colleague of mine, who has two daughters and one son. Both daughters suffer from eczema, the older one until she was 7 months old and the younger one, having a worse case, still suffers occasional bouts of rashes and itchiness whenever she takes the wrong food.
The son does not exhibit any such conditions and has shown no clear signs of having any allergies at the moment. I sincerely hope it stays that way.
So if you hear of old wives’ tales that you should not eat certain foods during pregnancy, take heed. You need not follow through with all of them, but take most in moderation instead of submitting all out to the cravings. It’s true that you are what you eat, but in this case your baby becomes whatever it is that you eat during pregnancy.
Disclaimer: I usually suggest to friends of mine to seek second opinions from physicians and specialists, when dealing with issues regarding the health of children. As such, I also ask that you do your own research, ask around and consult your physicians before making any decisions based on what you read here. This is as much a disclaimer as it is a point to ensure that whatever decisions you make for our children is made from an educated standpoint. Make well-informed decisions for your child.
Oct 28, 2009
DO IT BEFORE 3
A friend taught me a Chinese saying: A child will learn all he needs to learn before 3.
This means that after he is 3 it will be hard to teach him to act otherwise.
This also means that it would be best to have the child weaned, toilet trained, well-mannered, helpful and independent before they are 3.
"Zat iz imposi-bleh, madame! I vil not doo it!", says wet blanket Schmitz.
For those who are not parents yet, 3-year-old toddlers can manage sentences, take solid foods and even fast food (if you let them), control their bladder (except at night), and recognize people and places.
For those who are parents to children below 3 years of age, you still have time. For those with children older than 3 years, you can still try, it will just be a bit harder.
On a side note, a child has the fastest brain and skills development before the age of 10. After that, the learning rate slowly diminishes (and stops completely in some adults) towards adulthood.
So what can you teach your baby by the time they are 3?
1 Tell you when they need to use the toilet.
2 Say their full name, your full name and your partner’s full name.
3 Tell you they are hungry or that they have a tummy ache.
4 Stop wearing diapers
5 Have proper manners at the table like no more drumming with chopsticks and dropping utensils all over the floor.
6 To stop screaming when told. Tantrums do not count.
7 To have proper sleep time. As opposed to waking up and asking to read in the middle of the night.
8 Climb stairs on their own.
9 To not fear water when they bathe.
10 Know what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Teaching them to always wash their hands after using the toilet and to brush their teeth before sleeping is possible at this time.
Every child is different and so you need not rush and ‘fix’ your child if he hasn’t been able to do all the things listed above. However, the list will be able to give you an idea or gauge how far your child has gone and can go in embracing toddlerhood.
Note: This list is compiled from what can be observed by those, with children below the age of 3, around me. Bear in mind, the mothers who can make their kids do all this are very patient. They also started early on in their children’s life and they do not believe that “it is too early to teach them this or that” or “she’s too young, wait till she’s older.”
Start it before the child reaches the age or time when they start to notice and it will come naturally to them.
It also helps that you act it out for them to see.
Now, excuse me while I have a little talk with wet blanket Schmitz.
This means that after he is 3 it will be hard to teach him to act otherwise.
This also means that it would be best to have the child weaned, toilet trained, well-mannered, helpful and independent before they are 3.
"Zat iz imposi-bleh, madame! I vil not doo it!", says wet blanket Schmitz.
For those who are not parents yet, 3-year-old toddlers can manage sentences, take solid foods and even fast food (if you let them), control their bladder (except at night), and recognize people and places.
For those who are parents to children below 3 years of age, you still have time. For those with children older than 3 years, you can still try, it will just be a bit harder.
On a side note, a child has the fastest brain and skills development before the age of 10. After that, the learning rate slowly diminishes (and stops completely in some adults) towards adulthood.
So what can you teach your baby by the time they are 3?
1 Tell you when they need to use the toilet.
2 Say their full name, your full name and your partner’s full name.
3 Tell you they are hungry or that they have a tummy ache.
4 Stop wearing diapers
5 Have proper manners at the table like no more drumming with chopsticks and dropping utensils all over the floor.
6 To stop screaming when told. Tantrums do not count.
7 To have proper sleep time. As opposed to waking up and asking to read in the middle of the night.
8 Climb stairs on their own.
9 To not fear water when they bathe.
10 Know what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Teaching them to always wash their hands after using the toilet and to brush their teeth before sleeping is possible at this time.
Every child is different and so you need not rush and ‘fix’ your child if he hasn’t been able to do all the things listed above. However, the list will be able to give you an idea or gauge how far your child has gone and can go in embracing toddlerhood.
Note: This list is compiled from what can be observed by those, with children below the age of 3, around me. Bear in mind, the mothers who can make their kids do all this are very patient. They also started early on in their children’s life and they do not believe that “it is too early to teach them this or that” or “she’s too young, wait till she’s older.”
Start it before the child reaches the age or time when they start to notice and it will come naturally to them.
It also helps that you act it out for them to see.
Now, excuse me while I have a little talk with wet blanket Schmitz.
Leave (Pergi) by Aizat
This is the song Pergi (I Go) that can be found off the soundtrack of Talentime (2009) by Yasmin Ahmad. It is performed by Aizat and composed and written by Pete Teo, the powerhouse behind the 15Malaysia project.
Below is the song lyric to the song and a translation that I hope will do justice to the hauntingly beautiful melody of Pergi.
Pergi
Sayu terpisah
hikayat indah kini hanya tinggal sejarah
berhembus angin rindu
begitu nyamannya terhidu wangian kasihmu
hujan lebat mencurah kini
bagaikan tiada henti
kaulah laguku
kau irama terindah
tak lagi kudengari
kau pergi.. pergi..
sepi tanpa kata
terdiam dan kaku tak daya kau kulupa
apa pun kata mereka
biarkan kenangan berbunga di ranting usia
--
Leave
sad and separated
a beautiful story is now history
exhaling the wind of longingness
so fresh the scent of your love
heavy rains now pour
as though it knows no end
you are my song
that sweet melody i know
that i no longer hear
you leave.. left..
in silence, without words,
quiet and stiff, i cannot forget you
no matter what they say
let the memories grow on the branches of age
--
Note: I think that it is better translated as Leave instead of Go and since it is my blog and my translation I think it is okay to leave it as that.
Below is the song lyric to the song and a translation that I hope will do justice to the hauntingly beautiful melody of Pergi.
Pergi
Sayu terpisah
hikayat indah kini hanya tinggal sejarah
berhembus angin rindu
begitu nyamannya terhidu wangian kasihmu
hujan lebat mencurah kini
bagaikan tiada henti
kaulah laguku
kau irama terindah
tak lagi kudengari
kau pergi.. pergi..
sepi tanpa kata
terdiam dan kaku tak daya kau kulupa
apa pun kata mereka
biarkan kenangan berbunga di ranting usia
--
Leave
sad and separated
a beautiful story is now history
exhaling the wind of longingness
so fresh the scent of your love
heavy rains now pour
as though it knows no end
you are my song
that sweet melody i know
that i no longer hear
you leave.. left..
in silence, without words,
quiet and stiff, i cannot forget you
no matter what they say
let the memories grow on the branches of age
--
Note: I think that it is better translated as Leave instead of Go and since it is my blog and my translation I think it is okay to leave it as that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)