Children Should Be Nurtured, Not Abused!

 

I was sitting at the Food Court, having my breakfast on April Fool's Day when I read the above headlines in our tabloid, the New Paper. An April Fool Day's joke? By golly, no! I was fighting my tears as I read how the poor kids were brutally abused by the adults who were supposedly placed to take care of them! The Home that was created to house, guide and reform these unfortunate kids had turned out to be no better than a Concentration Camp!!

Being the youngest in the family, I was brought up, loved and pampered by everyone.
Papa never had to use the cane on any of his children. His intense love was enough for us to want to do our best for him. He only had to raise his voice or frown and I would burst into tears. How could the abuser think he could get the best of his charge by torturing them! Worse, subsequent investigations revealed that the higher authorities in the Home were not even aware of the happenings. Or they were just merely indifferent.? Even if my pet dog, Chelsea, were naughty, I could never bring myself to spank her. I only had to raise my voice and she would behave. Even as a teacher, I had never punished my students. I asked them to write and reflect over what had gone wrong and how they could have behaved otherwise. Once I was so angry with the class that I walked out of the lessons. I did not want to utter words that were negative and demoralising. The monitor of the class later came to see me in the Staff Room with 35 signatures from the students petitioning me to come back to teach them, and promising they would not misbehave.

Some of these children come from broken homes, and no one need to add more damage and abuse to their lives that have already been broken and damaged. I am greatly in favour that our civil servants should be more than adequately paid for they are worth their salt. It is even more imperative that homes for these unfortunate kids should spare no savings in salary to employ the best of the best.... people who have vocations, are well trained in child psychology and who have the hearts and minds to see these children transformed and nurtured. All these boys need is a loving touch, an encouraging hand and an unwavering faith that despite their past, they have a hope and a future. After all these boys are the leaders of tomorrow, and who knows, out of these boys, we could produce another in the likes of our beloved leader, Lee Kuan Yew!

Gan Chau

Anorexia

For those of you who know me and for my readers who have seen my photos in my blog before, you know that I am definitely not anorexic! Nevertheless with so much fat oozing from my plump frame, it is always a constant reminder to me not to add on more weight for health reasons. I exercise constantly by destination walking, ie. walk to my office which is about two bus stops away; walk to the market; walk to the mrt and almost everywhere. Of course, not forgetting my daily walks with Chelsea in the mornings and evenings.

I am thinking of doing a project on "Anorexia" for my next toastmaster's advanced project speech. The photos of the anorexic ladies are frightening and I hesitate to post them in my blog. You can go into the internet to check out the photos. With bones jutting out painfully and eyes that are sunken for want of food, these models look pathetic. It is ironical that with so much food around them, these people have become like the malnourished poor in Africa. It is also ironical that while the poor are struggling with insufficient food and horrendous living conditions, we are spending millions of dollars every year on slimming products and programmes!

Of course, we blame the media and society. Almost everyday, the newspapers and magazines shout with loud advertisements by slimming and pharmaceutical companies!
They use well known actresses who in the first place, have never been plump or overweight. Why would Fann Wong bother with Xanado? Why would Sherry Tan (Chen Xiu Huan) bother with Expressions? When I was marketing Sherry Tan's condominium, I kept looking and analysing her figure, and I could not see an ounce of fat in her!

I remember some years ago, a friend asked me to help her niece who was losing weight too drastically. As it was the first time I was counselling someone with eating disorders I had to confess I did not quite know what to do. I only knew how to pray and asked God to help her. Later I cooked some delicious Penang koay teow and asked her to eat with me. It was followed by some Chinese tea. I told her that she could still enjoy food and she could drink tea so as to help cleanse out excess oil. Although initially hestitant and reluctant, she gradually ate the koay teow. Serene gradually overcame her eating disorders. Thank God that He helped to pull her back from the brink of starvation.!

In the journal of one of my students, he wrote how he started dieting after his classmates nicknamed him "Fatty Bom Bom". He decided to shed 35 lbs in just 3 months and he did it by not bringing food to school and rejecting all the nice home cooked food. It was fortunate that he did not become anorexic as he started eating normally again, albeit in lesser quantities, after his target loss. Today he is a successful doctor and because of his experience, he is quite effective in helping his patients with eating disorders.

We should always be careful with our speech and not poke fun at others for their less than perfect physical condition. Parents should not label their children as
"Fatties or Pooi Pooi". Let us all look at the more positive sides of everyone and encourage them on their strengths. Let us all edify one another for there are more important things in life than just external beauty.

$$$ Does Not Drop From Heaven!!

THE NATIONAL LOTTERY DEPARTMENT UK
22 Garden Close, PE9 2YP,London.
REF N0:UKNL-L/200-26937
BATCH N0:14/0017/1PD
THE BRITISH UK LOTTERY BOARD

Attn: Kam Choo Choo,

With light to the question of given you wrong details of e-mail address, we would kindly furnish you the details below on which you can contact the bank for your claims.

Once again, we apologize for the wrong address provided; it was due to typographical error of our secretary.

Meanwhile, we would like to notify you that after the verification process conducted , I wish to inform you that the Administrative department and promotions department has just approved your payment of the 1,000,000.00 (ONE MILLION POUND STERLING) and the said sum is now deposited in our suspense account in your favour with HASELL ATLANTIC GROUP BANK LONDON.

Here is your Winning Contact Code (AQ11WWRZZA1) You Have to Contact the Bank with the Winning Numbers and also with your full details so that they Can Attend to you fast.

So in the light of the above explanation, I wish to inform you that you are to immediately contact Bank,

Here is the Bank Informations.

CONTACT BANK: HASELL ATLANTIC GROUP BANK LONDON.

Managing Director: Mr. Jerry Rayman
Tel: +44 704 570 1456
Fax: 00 44 870 479 1876
Email: hasellatlantic_group_bank001@yahoo.com.hk

Contact them and get back to us if you need More Details. And any
Assistance from our side.

Congratulations once more.

Yours faithfully
Barry Marvis.

U.K NATIONAL LOTTERY Sweepstakes International Program.
Copyright 1994-2007 The UK National Lottery Inc.
All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Guideline.
_______________________________________

I am sure many of you have received such emails informing you of your lucky streak!
Almost every week I am inundated with such a letter informing me that my email or my name has been chosen for grand prizes! I can always choose to ignore such letters which I know are nothing but efforts to con innocent readers, but with the itch that is always tingling my ahem! literary hands, I always send them this reply:

Dear Sirs,

WOW! I am so ooo ooooooooooooo lucky to be informed of my win! I guess I must be the luckiest lady in the world because almost every week, I am informed of my lucky win! If this were to continue endlessly, why, I will soon be richer than Bill Gates and Queen Elizabeth combined!

Is it not amusing that I cannot even win a little consolation prize in my company dinner.? Some forty prizes are usually given away to staff and guests totalling around 800. Yet, I am always selected from a mass of millions throughout the world!!! Best of all, I always win the first prize!!

Sirs, you and I know that money does not drop from heaven. God helps those who help themselves. He will only help us if we work hard, with integrity and hope. God loves honest labour; He hates cheats and those who are lazy and hope to become rich by easy means.

If you wish to play a prank, play it well. Why, you can't even write good English. How can any huge and reputable organisation employ someone like you to be in charge of dispersing millions of dollars?

Try something new. Your scam is boring! As boring as those with Doctorate titles and high CEO profiles who claim they have millions of dollars to transfer out of Africa and are looking for partners to enjoy their new found wealth with them!

Yours truly,
Her Royal Highness in the
Republic of Sing Kam Pore

Princess Lynn