Wish they were little girls

Although I enjoy being on my own with my own thoughts, I still miss having my two girls with me.I am proud to say  that when all my friends were making big bucks ,chasing their dreams and making it to the top,I was busy looking after my babies.Changing nappies,feeding them milk at night with eyes half closed,I do wonder how did I do all that?I had no helper plus my mother left this world when I was a teen.

'What does she know about looking after a baby' was the comment being thrown at me.Hey,the one making comments doesn't offer a helping hand yet people judged. Sure I don't know a thing about raising a child let alone looking after a newborn baby.Humans are like animals,motherhood is a God given talent to every woman.Surely you have heard of 'mother's instinct '?

Fast forward to 2015,my eldest girl is 30 years old, I raised her single handedly,she became a Petronas scholar and she is now married and has her own daughter,making me a proud grandmother.My 2nd girl is doing well at uitm doing creative writing.I am proud of both girls and I have never regretted for not chasing the unknown.To me being a mother and raising them yourself is the greatest achievement. I may not have a large bank account since motherhood has no pay but I get the satisfaction that is hard to define.

So now that they have their own life so to speak,I am left at home with my husband.I sometime feel like  my 2nd girl is somewhere around the house though she's at uni.Yes i communicate daily with them but its not the same as having them with me. I wish that I could go back in time when they were the little girls that I used to sing and read to..

So we met the Tigers

As mentioned in my previous post, the King Edward Fifty-Niners were going to have a reunion and yes they did.It was at the old school itself and I was their guest. Initially I did a writing on them but its not out in the papers.Now that I have quit the media,I don't think they will print it. Together with Ruby,my sister in law,I drove to Taiping. I dont really know what to expect actually but because I made a promise that I will attend, attend I must.I hate letting people down and I also hate making people wait for me.

So we drove to Taiping,the waze giving us a wrong direction  (so much for technology ) to the school so we asked a stranger on the street and we reached our destination.

The school is really old,mind you.It should be a heritage  building and the government should  do it up again,conserve it.After all it was one of the first school in Malaysia. Sometime I don't understand why most Malaysians take heritage building or culture  for granted.These are the things that define us..history is what that makes us who we are.

We were greeted with warmth by the King Edward boys,they are well mannered boys thanks to the school I guess.They were taught good manners and it stays with them.It was a reunion for one class and not the whole school, so there were about 40 men plus their old school teachers.

We had good food,good conversation and were entertained with songs from the bee gees..It was a beautiful afternoon and Kudos to Zakaria who managed to gather nearly all of them at their old school.
Ruby and me left after lunch while the guys stayed on till evening.

We took a drive around the lake gardens in Taiping and then we stopped at the sentosa villa for a drink and for our prayers.Sentosa Villa has a nice quiet and calm atmosphere. They have chalets that looks like Kampung houses and a waterfall nearby.

From Taiping we drove to Kuala Kangsar because we wanted to pray at the Ubudiah mosque.It had been my dream to pray in that mosque and my dream became a reality.Today is one of those days that everything seems to run smoothly and I felt contented.I don't usually get this kind of day,my days are often topsy turvy  and I am always anxious and in a rush.

Before we left Kuala Kangsar, Ruby treated me to the laksa,a Kuala Kangsar speciality.Thank you God for giving me a simple but meaningful day.

No more good time for ceramic industry

Blessed with the availability of raw material such as ball clay and kaolin Perak was the hub for ceramic industry. It started in the early 40s with the production of ceramic latex cups used in the rubber plantations.

Flower pots then came into the scene in the 70s as an important product using modified hydraulic presses and small wood fired kilns.The factory progressed to using more sophisticated machineries.Overall the industry continued to be operated as small family owned businesses  located along Jalan Kuala Kangsar until late 80s.

As it progressess pollution became an issue for the residential area nearby.
The government together with the association (PCIA)that was formed in 1984 decided to build the ceramic park in Chepor and it was an important milestone for the industry.It was built in 1991.

The industry reached its high during the period between 1997 and 2001..It was a money spinner at that time with demands from UK,Denmark and other western countries. Most of the pottery factories are in Perak and even other states buys from Perak.In fact 90 percent of the pottery production originates from Perak.

Fast forward to now and it is a different scenario.In fact these factories had dwindled down about ten years ago.What used to be 40 factories had become 20.

I met and spoke with Ah Bee from Yuk Sung factory who is a major player in this business and his factory is in Bercham.

"Sekalang banyak susah." (Now it is difficult)

Ah Bee's factory began from scratch at jalan Kuala Kangsar more than 30 years ago and he is lucky to be able to sustain his business.

His factory supplies to all States in Malaysia on a daily basis. He exports to Denmark and UK.He must be making money but he tried to be modest and said 'cukup makan'(just enough)

The special clay and kaolin found only in certain areas of the Kinta Valley is slowly diminishing and this is what the factory owners are worried about.

I then met and talked with Datuk Gan,chairman of FMM.We discussed about the plight of the ceramic industry in Perak which includes the 'labu sayong' in the Kuala Kangsar district.

The problem that started about ten years ago according to Datuk Gan is because of gas.They need gas as fuel for the oven but gas was not coming into Kinta Valley and so the government has to do something about the gas.Datuk Gan said that if the government could push for the approval of budget to lay the gas pipes to Chepor Ceramic Industry Park,the problem of fuel shortage would be resolved.

The pottery manufacturers are currently using special industrial oil,the Refined Fuel Oil or Recycled Engine Oil.However ,as it is an open market,PCIA(ceramic association) members are facing shortage of supply and strong competition from other states and even countries like China and Indonesia that could offer to pay higher for the oil.

Labu Sayong is very attractive to tourist and could boost the tourism industry in Perak.They should remain as cottage industries in the village of Sayong but they can double their income by learning to sell online like e-bay for instance.

Another problem is lack of skilled workers.Lack of workers be it local or foreign is a problem for the ceramic industries.Locals are creative but they have no way of channeling their creativity and this is when the government should step in and help this industry. The market is there but they need help.

To add to their woes these pottery factories has to compete with Vietnam,China and Thailand.Vietnam is selling cheap ceramics and some of the shops along Kuala Kangsar road are importing from Vietnam.Comparatively, our clay for pottery are better than China so we can still export our potteries.

So the bottom line here as we can see is for the government to step in and boost this industry again.It used to be our pride,Ipoh pots are the best and very cheap too.Labu sayong is still a tourist attraction but they need to go a step up by selling online.

Such is the story of our ceramic industry and thank you FMM for the information.

Health is Wealth

"I see fat people everywhere " Not trying to sound patronising but it's the truth.They love food but they don't like to exercise.It takes so much effort for them to even walk to the nearest shop.They prefer to use the car,they don't want to use the stairs and they would rather sit and do nothing about themself. Sounds familiar?

It's about time we show love to our body.Not by stuffing our face with cakes but by eating less and exercise more.There is no excuses for not trying to be fit.Money is not an issue too because exercises doesn't mean fancy gym or clubs.

Ipoh has a recreational field fondly known as the Polo ground.Its huge and most evenings or morning there will be people of all ages and gender brisk walking,running and and do all sorts of exercise.

The women that cannot afford to attend fitness classes or gyms are seen climbing the kledang hill on the outskirt of Ipoh town.Regardless of age,even those in their late 60s climb this hill either by the normal road or the jungle trail.

With fresh air in their lungs,these women are fitter than young adults who sits at cafes with their eyes set on their mobiles playing the role of keyboard warriors on social media.

At fields and parks,we see old women doing tai chi.Such wonderful sight.They moved with grace and they glow with health.

I guess having no money is no longer an excuse for not exercising. At the 'Polo field' are women doing aerobics with their friends and some does yoga while there are others who strolled,an exercise to them.

It is a good sign because it goes to show that the society is well informed about the benefits of exercising. The government often stress on the need to fight obesity among today's kids so parents should show good example by leading a healthy lifestyle.After all parents are role models.

Without a doubt, fitness studios and gyms are growing like mushrooms in this laid back city.Zumba,aerobics, Pilate's and yoga.You name it,they have it.No excuse again for 'tatai' (rich housewives) to say that Ipoh has no fitness trainers or classes.

When women group together these days,they no longer talked and compare about their children's achievement in the academic field.No more bragging about how many 'A' their children score.Now they usually compare notes about their fitness and health regime.

It is a healthy phenomenon here among Ipoh ladies.The hill climbers usually drinks fresh coconut juice sold at the foot of the hill after their climb to the sight of monkeys playing around.The club ladies will drink 'smoothies' (blended fruit juices) after sweating it out.

In retrospect women of this era are much healthier compared to those from our mother's era.Gone are the days when women would brag about their designers handbags and shoes. Women of today will brag about their yoga poses,their headstands or their stamina.True to the saying that 'Health is Wealth'

Dance in Silence

Bringing awareness to secondary school pupils about the under privileged, special need children and neglected old folks is a noble act practiced by The principal of SMJK Sam Tet, Lau Swee Man.

In line with his school slogan 'Faith,Hope,Love' he has been exposing the lower secondary school boys to the real meaning of the slogan.He brought them to witness a world where some children are handicapped,some old folks have no love and some people are too poor to have proper food.

"Success is not just about having straight As but the ability to help and share the love with others beyond our family."says Lau.He has been sending the school boys to places run by NGO like Day Break Centre,Salvation Army and Hope for Autism Centre since 2001.

What is his objective?

Simple. He wants the boys to know how lucky they are and that the word love is not just about romance.Love is to be shared with others who are less fortunate. So the boys will bring gifts for the old folks and they will entertain the special children and orphans with the lion dance.

SMJK Sam Tet always promote holistic education according to Lau. Students are taught not only to score As but more important is the leadership skills,communication skills as well as problem solving skills.

Lau buys bundles of socks from the Day break centre and when naughty school boys does not wear socks to school,he will punish them by making them buy the socks made by Day Break centre. Proceed will go to the centre.

The British High Commission recently awarded his school with a Youth Sports Leadership grant worth three thousand ringgit. So he contacted Hope for Autism Centre in Ipoh run by Richard Liew to enable the Dance club of Sam Tet to carry out the 'Dance in Silence ' project.The Sam Tet boys taught the autistic children how to dance and the children were entertained.

The event was participated by two other schools,SMK  Seri Intan and SMK Seri Putera.These schools also have slow learners and together with the autistic children they performed malay dances for their parents to see.Although they are considered as handicap children, they gave a brilliant performance. Kudos to their teachers.

Hope for Autism Centre depends on donations because some of the parents are not well off and they need to go to work . Autistic children needs full attention all the time so here is where the parents send them.

With all due respect the "Dance in Silence " event  was made possible by the contribution of the British Council, SMJK Sam Tet and the My Star International Academy.

Hopefully other organisations will take heed and help the centres for special need children that are not run by the government.It not only help the children but with events like this,we see unity in races and love is spread.

The Tigers will return to the Angsana tree

All of us at one time or another do wish to go back to the time when we were school children especially during our primary years.It is the child in us and there is no harm in reminiscing those carefree years.

Five men from the King Edward VII primary school Taiping of 'class 71' went a step further  by searching for their comrades which their school affectionately called the 'Tigers'.Thanks to the social media and modern technology, they managed to trace a few."Our journey together began during our kindergarten in 1965.From then on our friendship and brotherhood grew bigger and stronger."said Zakaria Yaacob,56.

The school itself is one of the oldest school in the country.Built in July 1883  it was called the' Central School.' Located where the present nurses hostel stands.Then it moved to the land on which the first railway station stood. This main building is no longer safe although it is a heritage building.The Edwardians now occupy a new building leaving the old one as it is.The old heritage building was once used by the Japanese as a headquarter of the 'Malayan Kempeitai'.

"When we were primary kids, our school was called King Edward VII named after the King of England himself.It was inaugurated by Sultan Idris I in 1905 who changed the name from the Central School to" King edward VII" said Zakaria.

We have had our moments , the good,the bad and the ugly.What matters most is that we want to relive those moments by having a first reunion for the class of 71 after 44 years.

"When we finished secondary school,we all went our separate ways but deep down,we wished to meet again" said Ong Tuan Kah, 56 who is a good friend of Zakaria. Zakaria who is also known as P.Ramli back in school is a good sportsman  added Ong.

We often get what we wish for ,so they say and there is a saying that goes " be careful of what you wish for'.Well,for the five men from Taiping,they got what they wish for and God always have a plan for us."Our first meeting since 44 years ago was at Jusco Ipoh garden, Ipoh and we became children again.Hugging each other with tears of happiness in our eyes." said Meor Shaifuddin Zakaria and since then we never lose touch and we plan to have a reunion for our batch.

Professor IR DR Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin, a 'Tiger ' aka Edwardian  is now with the department of civil and environmental engineering at University Technology Petronas.He suggested naming their group "the Fifty-Niners ".He will announce  the formation of this special group and the name during the reunion.

"The school do have an old boys association just like any other schools but we want to gather groups from our batch" said Fadhil.So they have decided to organise an event at the school on the 12th of Dec 2015.Their target is about 40 old school mates which they managed to contact.They will give a calendar with pictures of each of them on the date of their birthday as a token on that day.  Creativity at its best I must say.

"Our favourite teacher is Charlie Boey "they said.He was our English teacher.We are looking forward  to meeting him during the event at our school from morning till evening for the class of 71 or as we like to call ourselves "the fifty niners".The event will be held underneath the 'angsana tree' at the school compound.This tree is symbolic to the tigers.

Meor recalled his first meeting with an Edwardian, Abdul Majeed Abdul Rahman from his batch after 44 years.They met last year at the Casuarina Meru hotel. "We were so happy, then after a few minutes Majeed collapsed and passed away in front of me."That was his saddest moment.

Unknown to many the first President of Singapore was an Edwardian.Yusuf Ishak was  a student of King Edward VII and he passed away in 1970.

Mental Health

I attended a mental health convention a month ago which was the 'Fundamentals of common Psychiatric Illnesses ' and it was officiated by Datuk Dr.Juita Ghazalie, Chairman of Health Department Perak.Held at the Riverfront Hotel ,yours truly was a stringer for nst at that time.

"The definition of health is about our physical, mental and spiritual self". Mental health is very important in fact it is the key to healthy living ." said Juita.

Statistic done by World Health Organisation  (WHO )in 2012 stated that 450 million people suffers from mental illness and in Malaysia it is stated that more people suffers from depression in the urban area compared to the rural areas.The authorities fear that by 2020,depression will be the second leading cause of global burden disease. Therefore we have to take quick measures in order to avoid this from happening.

What is depression?According to a book by Andrew Solomon, It is a form of despair, It degrades one's self and ultimately eclipse the capacity to give or receive affection.The good part is it can be avoided and cured.There are medicines for all kinds of mental illness.

Families of patients with mental illness play an important role.The minute someone in our family shows changes in behaviour, we have to take them to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. We must not be ashame of having a mental patient in our family.

The government has also set up three psycho social rehabilitation and three community care centre in Perak.This is like a halfway house whereby patients that are cured of long term mental illness are taught to lead a normal life again.These places were set up in 2011 but unfortunately these places are under utilised.

The bottom line is that mental illness is not a taboo and we must learn to accept that it is just like any other illness with a cure Unfortunately my writing did not make it to the press..Guess they think it's not important enough for the society to know the meaning mental illness.

Where is my posting

It has been a long time since I blog.I used to blogged about motherhood back then..many moons ago..
My girls are all grown up so I have decided to concentrate on me. NO I am not being selfish..its been more than 20 years that I get to do what I want to do.

Just now I posted about the "battle of Kampar "..I learnt about the war through my experience of being a freelance writer or stringer for the local press.Somehow the posting of the war is not in my blog! Where did I go wrong?

Now let's see if this little note gets publish..