Friend in Need is a friend in Deed (corrected)

Saturday, April 26, 2008

It was definitely one of the most satisfying moments of my life this day when Chin Hon, Joey, Ben, Soo & spouse (son too, Denise) make a trip to Pegadungan. Credit is due to Chin Hon’s driver for bringing this up.

In our very first attempt, without knowing what to expect, we managed to collect some money to buy 5 x 10kg rice, KFC lunches for all the kids and sponsorship of 640 packs of snacks and 80 soft toys from David Chan of Pacific Food Indonesia.

We visited a welfare home “Panti Social Bina Grahita Belaian Kasih Pegadungan” catering for the mentally retarded and handicapped children in Jakarta. These kids were mainly picked-up from the streets in Jakarta by the City Council and placed in the care of the dedicated staff of the welfare homes.

Abandoned by their parents, of all ages (7 to 25 years old), of both sexes, mostly handicapped, mentally retarded and homeless. But, these kids found love, compassion, care and most importantly a shelter.

What was most heartfelt is the exuberance in the faces and smile of some of these kids when we unloaded the goods from the car while others extended their arms to shake our hands and one could feel their gratitude and appreciation without having to speak (mind you, being retarded, most have speech problems). Words can’t describe these feeling, it’s just that one have to be there to feel it. In my heart, I felt that this is one of the best thing I’ve ever done in Jakarta.

This center certainly needs more support and donations in the form of toiletries products like toothpaste, toothbrush, body soap, talcum powder and the list goes on. If you are reading this and would like to help; Jl. Peta Utara No.29A Pegadungan. Jakarta barat 11830. Tel & Fax : +6221 5445611

"Welcome" by Amelia Ho

Welcome to my humble abode,
Where everything's not as you are told,
Where Light could be Dark and Dark could be Light,
Where Shadows form their wicked souls.

Welcome to my humble world,
Of fantasies and of reality,
Of ups and downs and downs and ups,
Of safety or of emergency.

Welcome to my humble thoughts,
Of how naive people could actually be,
Of how stupid they could do their minds,
It's not like God let them be

Welcome again to my humble abode,
Where everything's not as you are told,
Where people could rest oh-so peacefully,
Sweet dreams, dear child, and awaken no more

Welcome Home by Amelia

This is one poem my youngest daughter wrote for me back in 2001. It was early days when I came to Jakarta to pursue my career.

WELCOME HOME, DAD!!

Dearest father, welcome home!
How nice it is whey you
Yes, you are back,

Dearest father,
You have a special place in…
My heart forever!!!
(Together with mum of course)

Dearest father,
What and where will
Yes, where will I be
Without you….

Without you,
There won’t be me
There won’t be amy
There will be only you & mum
Alone and sad….
Without children & a family
To love and care for….

Because….
Most fathers aren’t like you.
You work hard and care for
Yes, you care for your family.

The moment you left,
Emptiness fell in our hearts
So… we are happy that you are home
Even for a day or two
Our emptiness will not come so often
Thinking of the happy times
We’ve been together


Written especially for you by: Amelia Ho

WANTED - Art Director

My SOHO brand communications agency is in search for fresh blood who can inject new creative juices flowing in our very flexible system. We don’t really have any hard and fast rules to follow neither do we look at the time or day as long as the work gets done, of course it has to be well crafted using the heart and not just for the sake of getting it done and over with.

More importantly, we would prefer a like-minded person who can easily adapt and is able to fit into the ‘homey’ environment and the people here. But you may want to know that we sometimes work the shit out of our brains like there is no tomorrow when dealing with pressing issues and timelines…just to share some of the more exciting moments.

Well, if you think you know what I am talking about and would like to check us out, do write to me or email to info@yluva.com. You know the drills, don’t you?

Sayonara, AT-San

I was busy with work and also updating http://www.malaysiaclubjakarta.com/ website on behalf of the MCJ EXCO and forgotten to say a word or two about AT Chuan. I must admit that due to personal reasons, I did not attend the wake and this article in my blog act as a sign of my last respect to AT Chuan who passed away peacefully on March 11, 2008 at about 12.20 p.m. in Jakarta.

As far as I can recall, AT is one of the very first few Malaysian whom I’ve met during my early days in Jakarta way back in 2000 and it was during one of the MCJ monthly gathering. Thanks to my lovely wife who insisted that I get myself registered at the Malaysian Embassy, otherwise, I would not have met so many Malaysian in Jakarta.

The very first time I met AT Chaun, he was warm and courteous and he certainly knew how to make a fellow countryman feel welcomed in a foreign land. I recalled how we spoke and he later introduced me to the other MCJ members who were present then. The rest is history.

8 years on, now you’re gone, may your soul rest in peace. (bow once, bow twice, bow three times)

Vote on 080308, I will

As I scrolled through the numerous websites and blogs over the last few days catching up on the latest election news in Bolehland before deciding who shall I vote for, boy oh boy, it was full of information, comments, news and what have you. For starters, I can be classified to fall into the typical “silent majority” Malaysian category who would once in every 5 years exercise the voting rights enshrined in the Malaysian constitution.

After having lived almost as long as Malaysia being an Independent country, I was never at all interested in politics neither do I care about who governs the country as long as there is peace, security, jobs, economic stability and all that has blue skies and everything nice. As it was then, the only source of news I got about the well-being of the country is through the main stream media. And guess what, I concluded that I have been systematically fed with information which I would call ‘biased journalism and editorial’ political brain-washing by those who walk in the corridors of power. How naïve of me, but then again, I reckon it was never too late to learn and move on. This lasted until the past 3 to 4 years or so when I started to get more information from the internet, both local and international sources, so that I can make a learned decision.

Come March 8, I am going to vote with an objective mind-set and with learned information to who can best addressed the issues facing the country and formulate actionable action plans to address the problems. Even though this is just my 1 vote, it is important to me as I am voting for my children (and their children too) for a better and brighter future in our beloved country, Malaysia.

1) Inflation, my hard earned money seems to be getting smaller and smaller with the rising prices of essential commodities, goods and services, like wise spiral cost of living
2) Corruption, Cronyism and Nepotism, I would want to see transparency, accountabilities and responsibilities of those who served as a public servants in the government. The roots to all evils begin here
3) Judiciary, I have no faith in the current system and I will vote for Judiciary Independence that does not “kow-tow” to the Executives
4) Security, I would want to have peace of mind when people closest to me can safely take a walk down the street. The crime rate now is at the highest ever in the history books. A total revamp of the Malaysian Police Force will be needed, those who really know how to protect and serve the public and not the political (note: I did not use PDRM, to me using the word “Di Raja” is an insult to our beloved Agung)
5) A big NO NO to racism and race based politics. Gone are the good old “muhibbah” days, but now, I see a lot of pretentious faces among Malaysians wherever I go
6) Real democracy, not for the one and only reason I am allowed to vote once in every five years or so as implied by some of the Ministers. What a shame!
7) Freedom of expression and religion enshrined in the constitution. We enjoyed this before the last 2 administrations took over the governance of the country. Look at what is happening today!
8) I am saying no to ISA, the authority of this act lies in the hand of just one man who can only abused, manipulate and oppressed
9) A total revamp of the EC, total transparency needed ensuring fair play

The list would have been longer, but this is what concerned me most for now. However, I am worried come voting day or the day after, it’s just a personal thought, will there be a racial disturbance in the making? I sincerely hope and pray my feeling is unfounded.

What a shame, EC of Bolehland

Shock reversal: Indelible ink plan erased
Mar 4, 08 4:55pm
The Election Commission has cancelled the use of indelible ink for this general election, citing public order and security issues.The stunning announcement was made at a press conference in Putrajaya this afternoon - four days before polling.

Picking this news from www.malaysiakini.com, the reasons given by the EC is totally absurd and making me LOL. What a joke! If that is the case, then Indonesia will be in total chaos since indelible inks were used in their elections. The numbers of voters in Indonesia registered in the 100’s of millions as compared to Malaysia of less than 10 million. Does this mean that the Malaysian police cannot do their job? Smell fishy.