Touching story......

Couple of days back I saw a couple taking a walk with their child at a park nearby house while I was taking a walk by myself trying to get some fresh air and just let my mind wander about the peaceful moment in a park. I noticed something about the child - he found it difficult to communicate to his parents. I saw the family take a sit on one of the benches nearby and as I passed them I decided to just start a conversation with them.

As I spoke to them, they talked about how much their little kid John loves walking in the park. I tried making some monkey faces and he seem scared, and close to tears. I realised I might have frightened him and was quick to apologise to the parents. As I apologised, little John's parents explained to me that he was autistic and had trouble mixing with strangers.

At 5 years of age, John could speak but lacking fluency but I could see this young lad trying to communicate with his parents. I was touched by how much love his parents were giving him, with complete understanding of how much he is trying.

Out of curiousity and to understand better how it is like being a parent caring for a child John. I was glad that they were more than willing to share their experiences with me. For them, they had made additional efforts during pregnancy that both parents went for parenting classes, which helped them identify signs of autism or down syndrome. So, when they had little John they were quick to identify little John's condition. It was sad news for them but nevertheless they both promised themselves to give their best care to little John.

I was astonished when they told me they had invested close to RM2,000 on books on autism and how to approach child care for autistic kids. Deep down in me, I could tell how much they were putting in to make sure little John had proper care.

I asked them how difficult was it to care for John - for them, it is not easy because John found it difficult to be alone when he was younger. His mom made the sacrifice to be a full time house wife and patiently conditioned John to not be afraid of being alone. They told me so much more about their experience and it will probably take forever to talk about it here..........

After a long conversation with them, I left for home and thanked them so much for sharing their experience. I learnt something valuable - parents' love for their kids is something unmeasurable and uncomparable. I was very touched, and I took a minute to thank God for allowing me to meet such wonderful people. I got home and I stumbled upon an inspirational story, which I am about to share with you below...... enjoy.....
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What They Forgot to Mention By Sandy Sotzen
Although I was expecting hardship, I found surprising joy in my autistic son.

I remember the day of my son’s diagnosis of autism as if it were yesterday. The tone of the doctor’s voice, the silence in the room, the words “lifelong disability, no cure, I’m sorry” still sting when I allow myself to reflect on that day. But I have paused on occasions too numerous to count and thought, Someone should've mentioned that this would be part of the package when my child was diagnosed with autism. Someone forgot to mention that I would listen to my child's simple utterances or attempted approximations as if he was a world leader giving the speech of a lifetime. I could never have imagined the worth of a single word despite the fact that I may never hear it again.

Someone forgot to mention that when my son was finally potty-trained at age nine, there would be few people who could understand the significance of such an accomplishment, and even fewer with whom I could actually share it. Accomplishments of any size, their true worth known only to me, would bring quiet celebrations between my son and me.

Someone should've mentioned that autism is messy! Wallpaper's meant to be shredded, bathrooms are designed to be flooded, walls are bare in order to smear stuff on them, washable paint really isn’t, and more food will actually be crushed and dropped than eaten.

I wish someone would've mentioned that autism is extremely expensive! Doctors, therapists, medications, supplements, conferences, and sensory equipment are only the tip of the iceberg. I could not have guessed that my child's disability would allow people to cross our path in life who otherwise would not have, and that such people would willingly respond to a child in need.

Someone should have mentioned that each time a child with autism initiates or engages in a reciprocal hug, that feeling that you had when you held him for the first time comes back time and time again.

And they forgot to mention the day my son was diagnosed with autism that the triumphs over this disability would far outweigh the tears, that laughter would eventually ease the sense of loss, and that sheer faith would allow me and millions of other parents to fall into bed exhausted each night, only to get up the next day eager to discover what else they forgot to mention.

Kaze no Stigma - ANIME RevIEW!

Eyes as clear as the sky… That is the mark of a Contractor who has formed a bond with the Wind Spirit Lord… Stigma of the Wind…

The Kannagi family has a long and proud history of being a family of fire elementalists, whose members have the ability to summon and control fire. However, the family is one that places strict emphasis on strength and ability, which determines a person's rank and position within the family.Four years ago, Kazuma was banished from the family due to his lack of aptitude with fire and eventually departed Japan for places unknown.

Now, Kazuma has returned. In the intervening years, he had somehow become a powerful wind elementalist, and he intends to prove his strength to the Kannagis. Coinciding with his return, a number of Kannagi family members are murdered. It was quickly determined that the killings are the work of a wind elementalist and suspicion quickly falls upon Kazuma.The rash and impetuous Ayano, heir apparent of the Kannagis, rushes off to bring Kazuma to justice, but things are not as they seem...

Interesting show with a good mix of action, comedy and romance....... sure helped in helping me releasing stress!!! A good watch!

Lesson learnt about car insurance.....

Around KL at least, I am pretty sure there are many who drive cars older than 10 years like myself. In most cases, most of us just end up getting 3rd party insurance coverage for the car since it is old and assumed to be less likely to be stolen.

Friend of mine over the weekend had a bad accident. She owns 1991 Daihatsu Charade, some what like my '88 model but with slightly different signal lamps and equipped with power windows. Anyway, she got careless coming out from a junction and was hit from the side. Because it was her mistake, 3rd party insurance coverage does not cover the damages for her car.

Those who work in KL will know how bad it is to not have a reliable means for transport especially with our 'wonderfully efficient' public transport system. Since she does not know anyone in the car fixing line, she rang me up for some dire help.

Damage of the car:
1. Completely out-of-shape left front fender;
2. Smashed head and side lamps;
3. Damaged front bumper;
4. Front chasis, which has been pushed to the left by about 1 foot;
5. Other bodily deep scratches, which would require some serious respraying; and
6. Out-of-shape bonnet.

Lucky thing for her, because Charades are made in a way whereby only three engine mountings are needed (one in front, one at the back and one on the right), so the left was clear from the engine.

One thing that really boiled my temper was vultures hanging around the police station when she was making a report. Some were offering her 800 Ringgit for her car under the pretext it was too damaged to be restored, some offered exorbitant repair prices.

So I brought her to a mate's place, and sourced out spare parts from some mates of mine. After all the phone calls and negotiations, we managed to get all the respraying and restoring for under RM4500. Mind you, ALL parts are imported original Japanese made Daihatsu parts.
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I ended up spending a whole day running around and making phone calls to get my friend the best prices available for her car. Ended up taking emergency leave for it too. Ask me whether it was worth it? When it comes to a friend in need, why should I deny a friend of my help? Poor friend of mine was already close to tears having to see her car get smashed and having to fork out a substantial amount for repairs.

Apparently, there are those who think that having to take emergency leave to help out a friend was stupid and unworthy. Some even say I am unable to prioritise myself for work!

Sad what people miss out in life ain't it? 1. Helping a friend in need is morally correct (unless one forgot what they learnt in high school); 2. Seeing a friend breath a sign of relief because of that helping hand I held out - priceless; 3. In the future, I may be the one in need of help and somewhere out there I know I can count on my friends to help me out even if it is not going to be this friend I helped out this time around; 4. Even if I had to take unpaid leave to help out a friend, I would take it; 5. My faith as a Christian will not allow me to turn my back on people in need of help even if it towards strangers. God never turned His back on my pitiful soul, then why should I turn my back to others? 6. I sure as hell remember my parents teaching me to lend a helping hand to others if I am in a position to help them.

I guess, some Malaysians out there have socially degraded to such a sad extent............

Mary Called Magdalene - a novel........

"Of all the women in the Bible, perhaps no one's presence has been as constantly reinterpreted as that of Mary Magdalene. Was she a prostitute? A prophet? In Margaret George's epic historical novel, Mary, Called Magdalene (Geroge's previous subjects include Henry VIII, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Cleopatra), Mary comes alive as one of Jesus' first believers, a woman of infallible visions and a faith that earns her the title "Apostle to the Apostles." With numerous biblical and scholarly texts serving as the core of this intriguing woman's story, George recreates the world of Galilean fishermen and the oppressions of the Jewish people under Roman rule. Cast out from her family after Jesus expels the demons that have ravaged her mind, Mary follows the man from Nazareth until they receive attention from the skeptical hordes and the Roman magistrates controlling Jerusalem.

Mary, from beginning to end of this giant undertaking, is a woman who struggles to reconcile her absence from her young daughter's life with the chance to be part of something important. Through the lens of her ever-inquisitive mind, the story covers the formation of Jesus' ragtag band of disciples and the crucifixion, and ends with Mary's mission as the head of the Christian church in Ephesus, where she died at the age of 90. What makes this a compelling read is that Mary's story connects humanity with faith in a way that's possible to understand, whatever our contemporary beliefs. " (Amazon.com review).

My take:

Starting off this book, I first felt like this book wasn't as good as George's Cleopatra because at the start it was some what dry with more of a description of Mary's younger life and living in an environment that subdued women from studying scriptures, writing and reading under the religious pretext that God laid such rules. It gave me the impression of reading a women's activist book.

Reading through it, the story picks up when Mary is possessed by a demon which was from an idol doll she picked up when she was a child. For those who are unaware, in the Jewish days any form of dolls or figures are deemed as idols because you are seen as trying to create either a human from from wood or other forms to be worshipped. As the possession worsens Mary is forced into all sort of religious methods to cure herself and at one point she even tried to commit suicide. As she grew weaker, she was further possessed by five demons.

At the brink of giving up hope, she meets Jesus of Nazareth, who releases her from the demonic possession. The book starts to get interest here on because it feels like I am reading the bible but being told in the eyes of Mary Magdalene. As the story unfolds, it leads to the part of Jesus's crucifixion and and ends with Mary's mission as the head of the Christian church in Ephesus, where she died at the age of 90.

This book is by no means offencive to anyone because is does not touch on sensitive issues but one must also be reminded novels are novels and should not be taken too seriously. I enjoyed the book very much and especially how George amalgamated bible scriptures and Mary. It is definitely a good read!

PESTEL analysis......

It's a Sunday morning and my mind is a little mugged up with stressful thought, hence I cannot really sleep. So what the heck - let's write a bit about business today. Globally and through the passage of time, many business concepts have been derived with the very goal of making a business more sound and to aid those charged with governance to improve the management of a business entity.

One of the most fundamental and reknown business concepts - the PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is the acronym for Political, Environmental, Sociological, Technological, Ecological and Legislative analysis. In general, PESTEL analysis is used for external analysis of a company (i.e. to see what's happening around the company), otherwise also known for being used in conducting environmental analysis.

So how does PESTEL help? Here's how - one starts analysing a business environment by identifying factors related to the subtitles of PESTEL (i.e. whether political, environmental, etc) and then analysing how it may affect a business.

An example:
Let's say you run a business doing fishery.

Political environment - they could be threats if the government decides to cut all subsidies for businesses in the fish industry, vice versa it could be beneficial if the government decides to increase subsidies for businesses in the fish industry.

Environmental - Being in the fish industry, and let's say you do massive amounts of research and development, hence you find a way to genetically improve the breeding of fishes. However the threat could like with NGOs that may not like the idea of 'playing God'.

Sociological - by opening a fish farm in a remote area in your country, you may be contributing to employment for undeveloped areas, thus contributing to society which in turns brings popluarity to your business as being socially concerned.

Technological - there could be a boom in the development of fish food that can increase the value of the fishes you sell (i.e. more meaty, or better coloured).

Ecological - back to the genetic improvements, threats could arise since by introducing genetically modified species, no one yet knows the true implication of the introduciton to the ecosystem and natural habitat of other fishes.

Legislative - this point may overlap the Political point but there are those who argue that this point is more specific because certain legislations may not come from the government per se, but from may be town councils. A good example would be for a local town council to declare that all existing ponds be used as recreation ponds and exisiting fish businesses are to shift out. Obviously this will affect your business especially if the pond in the area is really potent for fishery.

And this is PESTEL analysis! For those who are in the business line or planning to venture into business, this may help you in making economic decisions.

Peak peaK pEAk!

It's the time of the year auditors suffer with all the tight deadlines, massive accounting issues and the dire need for manpower.

Of late, many have resigned for greener pastures and leaving many of us to pick up where they left off at work. Most of us are far from having a good time. Businesses are getting more and more complex but audit teams are getting smaller and smaller.

To my fellow colleauges going through peak, all the best with the current peak! Trying to get enough sleep will be a novelty so at least get enough healthy food during lunch breaks to give yourself the energy. Remember, don't fall prey to stress and negative thoughts since such thoughts only make you feel worse than how you are already feeling!!! Finally, God bless of you all this peak........

What a political start for the year 2008!

The start of 2008 for the Malaysian political arena was some what unique this time around. Arguably, the biggest news in politics is the resignation of the now ex-health minister. If you keep up with the news, the resignation was due to a sex DVD in which he was caught in the act in some hotel.

Much speculation has been drawn on this political assination. Clearly, someone, somewhere really wanted to get him out of the political scene. Surprisingly, the people involved were able to hide 4 cameras in the hotel room. Anyway, I am not going to speculate on it further!

Issue here is about the violation of people's privacy. Looking at what he did at a marriage point of view, one may say he was wrong. Then again, it is not our prerogative to judge him because that judgement should be passed by his family members.

What I found disturbing was the reaction of the general public at large. Was it really necessary for people to react with such anger and dissatisfaction? Personally, I have seen many other men do worse things than that. I have seen wonderful families destroyed because of one party or the other having an affair elsewhere - but no one cares. So, just because he is or rather he was a politician, it warranted the public at large to lash out at him as if he had commited a federal crime?

I believe it is high time for the public to look up the meaning of the word 'hypocrisy'.