Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Merdeka ( Independence Day) Hike to Pantai Kerachut

Entrance and Registration Area of the Park
Trail to Pantai Kerachut
Funny Weather Forecast Wood SignBoard
Meromictic Lake with lots of algae. Could be due to low tide now.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Visited Batu Ferringhi Market

Souvenir and Gift Shops


Charlie Burger Kiosk
Trishaw Man Looking for Customers
Visited Batu Ferringhi Night Market which is at the hotel row ( Holiday Inn, Rasa Sayang, Golden Sands, Park Royal) at the north of Penang  about 2 days ago.  This place is famous for selling all kinds of items esp. counterfeit goods, and frequented by tourists and locals alike looking for good bargains. There seems to be a lot of new shop lots sprouting all over there since the last time I was there.  There were also a couple of trishaws which were attractively well lighted. At the end of the trip, I went to a "famous" burger kiosk called Charlie which is just after the Park Royal Hotel.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Penang Bridge Marathon... Trying to Prepare for it

The Penang Bridge Marathon this year will be held on Nov. 21st. Well, that leaves about 3 months to prepare for it.  I signed up for the half marathon which is about 21km, and paid $40 for registration. The run is going to start pretty early at about 3am, so I guess need to get a good early night rest. I have started to track my run with my Nike+ Ipod Nano to keep track of my speed and distance.
Now just need to be consistent and build up on my mileage.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Great story on someone who makes the most of one's station in life

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

Sometimes we tend to beat ourselves up comparing ourselves with others that seems to have the talent and abilities, but the point is that we are different and we need to make the most of what we have been alloted in our individual station in life. Here's a heart warming story of someone who seizes life and make the most of it despite many obstacles....


The extraordinary glass doll

2010-08-12 18:03
Chen’s mother has been taking exceptional care of her since she was young, and has supported her to go on with her life in a meaningful way.


Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily

She has been suffering from osteogenesis imperfect that has caused her body to become atrophic and unable to walk. She is called "glass doll" even though her heart is not made of glass…

The "glass doll" Chen Jing Qi has an unusually strong mind that has helped her through the darkness of life. Through self study, she has finally published her own book aimed at inspiring other people through her extraordinary experiences.

Self study at home

During an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Chen admitted that she had not gone through any formal education after kindergarten due to the lack of special schools suitable for her at that time.

Moreover, she was rejected by ordinary primary schools and was forced to end her school life. Nevertheless, the eagerness to study was still burning inside her heart and she has since begun her self-studying life at home.

In order to learn, she would accompany her elder sister to the tuition centre and sit beside her so that she could learn from. After a couple of years, she began to listen to music at home and she took down the lyrics of her favourite songs.

She has improved her vocabulary from the song lyrics, and has put in greater effort than ordinary people learning from home. She wanted to have a bright and colourful life and refused to become illiterate.

Sharing stories on blog

When she is at home, Chen enjoys sharing her stories through her online blog and this has indirectly helped enhance her writing skills.

One day, a friend suggested that she write a book in order to share her stories with more people.

To motivate other children suffering from similar condition, Chen has authored a book A Happy Life Journey Without Footprints based on her own experiences.

According to her, during the month she was writing the book, she would recall the past events and would put on a smile savouring the lighter moments in her life. She never thought of giving up writing as writing remained her main interest.

Inspiring parents with disabled children

Her main objective of writing the book was to encourage parents who have disabled children not to give up or abandon their children even if they are physically imperfect. She believes all handicapped children deserve happy and cheerful lives like her given the loving care from their parents.

Chen enjoy sharing her life experiences with other people, and has therefore made plenty of friends who remain faithful to her till this day.

Chen has an elder sister, a younger brother and two younger sisters, and she sees her family as her greatest support in her day-to-day living as well as a source of happiness.

Even if she has a rather tiny build, she has a big faith that has helped her maintain an always cheerful mind.

Chen Zhao Min, a local young lady of note, recently launched her book Being Rebellious and invited the "glass doll" Chen to share her experiences with her.

Chen Zhao min hopes her readers would understand that instead of go after the meaningless material life, they should cultivate their spirituality and gain back their self dignity. (Translated by LIM LIY EE/Sin Chew Daily)

Source from : http://www.mysinchew.com/node/43279 ( Sin Chew Online News)

Census 2010 ( 6th July till 22nd Aug)

Just yesterday I had a census enumerator dropped by my place to get some "data" from me. According to the enumerator, the census purpose is to get look at what is the average Malaysia family size, education level, income level, type of vehicles he or she drives,  different house appliances they own,...etc.  Some of the questions that they ask I thought were pretty personal. Anyways, I just gave whatever info that is requested to help our gov't assess how well or bad we have come along compared to 10 years ago from the last census.
Out of curiosity, I visited online the Malaysian's Gov't Statistics Dept, who is  basically is coordinating this survey, and find quite a wealth of information on their website ( Dept of Statistics, Malaysia). The only thing that is behind my mind, is how accurate are these data considering how many people will be truthful to tell everything, knowing that there is a mistrust between the people and the gov't. Well, let's see in the next few months what is the outcome of the census.
Hmm, our gov't are keeping up with the times, as they are even  on FB. Just do a search for Banci 2010