Slam some humanity in you !!!..

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast, has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said.

The hippopotamus,nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

'It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother',' ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.



'After it was swept away and lost its mother,the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.They swim, eat and sleep together,' the ecologist added.

'The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,' Kahumbu added

'The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,' he explained.


'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'


This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another


In the words of Rachel Naomi Remen, MD-
'Much of life can never be explained, only witnessed.'

For some - `The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humane.`

Hope this story will bring those surrogate mothers who had thrown away their new born babies to shame and dump some senses into them-even animals also have better instinct and humanity, huh?

Remember the baby-hatch is no answer to such sinful, merciless and irresponsible acts of dumping your newborns. I hope those babies that had died in these baby -dumping ordeals will haunt those guilty souls till end and to those babies that had survived would bring punishment to those who had done these dumpings discreetly.

Remember-`WHAT GOES AROUND WILL COME AROUND , OK ! `

..Read More...

..Hide Full Post...

To be a Mother ?

For those lucky to still be blessed with your Mom, this is beautiful.
For those of us who aren't, this is even more beautiful.
For those who are moms, you'll love this.

A young mother set her foot on the path of life.
'Is this the long way?' she asked.
And the guide said: 'Yes, and the way is hard . And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. But the end will be better than the beginning.'

But the young mother was happy and she would not believe that anything could be better than those years. So she played with her children, gathered flowers for them along the way, bathed them in the clear streams; and when the sun shone on them, the young Mother cried, 'Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.'

Then the night came and the storm. The path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold. The mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle and the children said,
'Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come.'

And when the morning came, there was a hill ahead .The children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the children, 'A little patience and we are there.'
So the children climbed and when they reached the top they said, 'Mother, we would not have done it without you.'

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said, 'This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I've given them strength.'

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said: ' Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.'

And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the darkness.
And that night the Mother said, 'This is the=2 0best day of all, for I have shown my children God.'

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years. The mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage.

And when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And mother said, 'I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.'

And the children said, 'You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.'
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her.
And they said: 'We cannot see her but she is with us still.
A Mother like ours is more than a memory.
She is a living presence.......'


Yes friends, your Mother is always with you....
She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street;
she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks;
she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter.
And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from, your first home;
and she's the map you follow with every step you take.
She's your first love and your first heartbreak,
and nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, not space... not even death!

So to all those woman who are mothers, HAPPY MOTHER`S DAY.

For those who aren`t , including men and children, MOTHERS ARE PRICELESS , NEVER TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED .

and to those who had mothers no more, MOTHERS ARE FOREVER, THEY LIVE IN YOU.

..Read More...

..Hide Full Post...

Half Man - Half Price Store

In life we keep complaining about what is or why we don't have.
Half the time we seem dissatisfied, though full-bodied and free to choose. Fat people say,"I want to be slim." Skinny people say,"I want to be fatter."
Poor people want to be rich and rich are never satisfied with what they have.

THE STORY OF PENG SHUILIN

PENG Shuilin is 78cms high. He was born in Hunan Province, China.

In 1995, in Shenzhen, a freight truck sliced his body in half.

His lower body and legs were beyond repair.



Surgeons sewed up his torso.

Peng Shuilin, 37, spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China,

undergoing a series of operations to re-route nearly every major organ or system inside his body.

Peng kept exercising his arms, building up strength, washing his face and brushing his teeth.



He survived against all odds.

Now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again after a decade.



Considering Peng's plight, doctors at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre in Beijing

devised an ingenious way to allow him to walk on his own,

creating a sophisticated egg cup-like casing to hold his body, with two bionic legs attached.



It took careful consideration, skilled measurement and technical expertise.

Peng has been walking the corridors of Beijing Rehabilitation Centre

with the aid of his specially adapted legs and a resized walking frame.



RGO is a recipicating gait orthosis, attached to a prosthetic socket bucket.

There is a cable attached to both legs so when one goes forward, the other goes backwards.

Rock to the side, add a bit of a twist and the leg without the weight on it advances,

while the other one stays still, giving a highly inefficient way of ambulation.

Oh so satisfying to 'walk' again after ten years with half a body!



Hospital vice-president Lin Liu said: "We've just given him a checkup; he is fitter than most men his age."

Peng Shuilin has opened his own bargain supermarket,

called the Half Man-Half Price Store.

The inspirational 37-year-old has become a businessman

and is used as a role model for other amputees.

At just 2ft 7ins tall, he moves around in a wheelchair giving lectures on recovery from disability.

His attitude is amazing, he doesn't complain.

"He had good care, but his secret is cheerfulness. Nothing ever gets him down."

You have a whole body. You have feet.
Now you have met a man who has no feet.
His life is a feat of endurance, a triumph of the human spirit in overcoming extreme adversity.
Next time you want to complain about something trivial, don't.
Remember Peng Shulin instead.

..Read More...

..Hide Full Post...

Are PTK exams the right step towards competency?

Of late the government stress on life-long learning in the name of producing knowledge workers towards the goal of achieving the status of a high-income economy / country !! Many initiatives are fast put in place . Amongst which are the call for compulsory 7 days-course and competency exams for the Malaysians civil servants...bravo !!!! Also in line with the concept 1 Malaysia: People first, Performance now; roadshows are rolled out to inform the civil servants about the latest changes in the structure of the PTK exams and the government aspiration.

As to those who lamented that they are over the hill to take those competency exams (especially those who had but rather hate or have no time to read tons of management books to qualify), dont despair. Let`s us help you out in that..

Below is amongst some helplines send to us for that matter-praise you whoever you are for your brainy interpretation..

Sorry Stephen Covey that is the way old hens whose feathers that are near dropped off(old ah bengs), learn your famous 7 habits of highly effective people.

And to my fellows friends who need to go for your competency exams, cheer up and let this motivate you.

To exams, to exams you must go

Home again,home again, jiggety-go

To exams, to exams next year you must go again

Work again,work again, this the way to gain

Stephen Covey be a sweet, have more simpler versions fast

Cos to jump grades, many exams got to pass... ????

Good luck and be positive- PTK Exams are for transformation in you..!!!!

..Read More...

..Hide Full Post...

What a guts-right son...?

Of late I heard of many issues concerning caring for our parents.Some have even urged the government to build more Old Folks Home to cater for the greying population while some old folks themselves say they do not mind staying in such homes as long as they do not burden their busy children. Are we Asians forgetting about our filial duties in caring for our aged parents? Or is it because we are so self-centred in coping for ourselves in this rat race that we have no place for them in our homes and heart?


As I ponder more, I came across this story told by a son of his father which I term- you did the right thing WHAT A GUTS-RIGHT SON ?? A ONE TOO FEW THAT WE HAVE. HOW I WISH I CAN HAVE you AS MY SON TOO. Please read well as it brings sad emotions to my heart.



A simple man tells how his booking an air ticket for his father, his first flight, brought emotions and made him realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.

My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same.

In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Flight.

The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air.

The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him.

When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me.

But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life.

As a child how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for football, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have satisfied all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes?

Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us?

Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments.

Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children,the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes.

Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.

Take care of your parents.

All sons and daughters out there HAVE A PURPOSEFUL LIFE for your turn will soon come like your aged parents!! Remember too, old folks home or nursing homes are for those who are sick and bed ridden in their twilight years.

Carry a Heart that Never Hates.

Carry a Smile that Never Fades.

Carry a Touch that Never Hurts..

..Read More...

..Hide Full Post...