It is of the most basic human nature that we take things for granted. Since Men discovered fire, trees and shrubs were at our peril. Now, we threaten almost anything that is different from us - from people with different skin colour to animals we deem more suitable to be made into floor mats for our homes.

It is obvious that I’m gonna start rambling about our environment and that we ought to be responsible for it. Yet, the often overbearing obvious always shadows the subtle truth.

Just last week, Mr Anwar was sworn into the parliament. A few days back, he announced his re-entry into the realm of Malaysian politics with an emphatic win in the Permatang Pauh by-election. Dramatic as they were, these events could easily be written into a novel.

“The people’s voice finally heard!”
“Saviour for Malaysian politics!”
“Anwar - Dark Knight!”

Wait a minute, are you sure the last one was not a local rip-off of a certain blockbuster Hollywood movie?

As all the commotion was drowning Anwar and his loyals, I myself would like to applaud and point out the subtle truth uncovered from this by-election.

The truth is that democracy is well alive in Malaysia, albeit some arguing it is on a life-support machine. Anwar won this by-election with ease, denouncing any truths that political sabotage would take away the chance from the ‘people’s leader’ to prove his worth.

So what about the allegations of the unfairness of the voting system by the Opposition? What about the negative remarks about the supposedly undemocratic actions by the government? Are we so swooned by the charisma of Anwar that we forgot that this by-election once and for all proved that these allegations were mere… allegations?

So what happens to the Opposition for making these remarks? Do they get away with it?

Well, in the end, they do. And we can’t blame them. It is just politics.

And now that we have celebrated the 51st birthday of our nation, it is important that we remember, come whatever may, Anwar is still a politician.

And that word brings implications, and also the subtle truth.

Avril Lavigne Live in Malaysia Concert was really a once-in-a-life time rock experience that I enjoyed very much.

Opting KL as the kick-start point, the international pop punk icon set off her first Best D*mn Tour in Asia at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur on 29th August 2008. Although a light drizzle was falling in the early evening, Avril’s fans were still very supportive of the 23-year-old Canadian pop star. The pinkish night started with Avril singing the very familiar “Girlfriend” and her lovely vocal invited lots of screaming from the crowd, before we were entertained by the song “I Can Do Better”.

In the 75 minutes concert, Avril performed 17 songs from her albums. Among the songs presented were “My Happy Ending”, “Keep Holding On”, “Sk8ter Boi”, and more of her radio-friendly hits. The multi-talented singer showcased her talents when she played piano while singing “When You’re Gone” and sang “Don’t Tell Me” while she played the electronic guitar. The fans were also entertained with a drum performance by Avril. Of course, not to forget, her dance movements were cute and interesting, though not complicated.

The whole concert was themed “Pink”, where the backdrop, musical instruments and even microphones were painted in the colour. The night did not witness very sophisticated effects (as most concerts usually do) but the lighting effects were awesome as the lights changed accordingly to the songs and followed the beat and tempo of Avril’s songs. However, it was much a regret that Avril did not talk much to the crowd during the concert though her gratitude for the support from her fans was sincerely expressed. Interaction with the crowd was limitd but the night was pushed to the climax when Avril sang “The Best D*mn Thing” and the crowd shouted “A-V-R-I-L” as instructed by the singer.

The performance was really an awesome one but I have to say that the venue at which the concert was held was rather disappointing. The seating arrangement in a ring form caused the audiences to have limited views of the performance. Fans who were not standing right in the middle of the stadium, facing directly to the stage would either have to watch the performance from the screens as they were too far away to see the performance, or to have a side view of Avril Lavigne as their seats were directly at the sides of the stage.

The show by Avril Lavigne on the Friday night was in fact a spectacular and fantastic one. Short and sweet, it was really the best d*mn thing from Avril!

You can tell that he is the one by how the butterflies in your stomach make you feel. You know that he is the one when you start to stutter every time you set your gaze on him. You know that you are falling deep when every love song you hear and every romantic movie that you watch makes you feel dreamy and hopeful. You know that he is the one when you analyze everything that he said, asking yourself whether there are any signals that he is feeling the same way.

You think it’s time to open up the lid and tell the awkward truth. It is time to confess. Are you ready? Here are some tips to prepare yourself before the huge step is being made.

1. Plan your strategy.

How are you going to tell him? Are you going to write a letter, call him up, or are you going to tell him face to face? I propose that you tell him personally. It shows how sincere and genuine you are. In fact, it saves you the embarrassment if your letter is circulated by him to his friends!

2. Plan what you are going to say.

I know, I know, I know, it’s hard to plan what to say when you are already nervous about the whole thing, but just keep in mind the gist of things that you want to tell him. This will prevent the staircase syndrome; as you certainly do not want to say something that you will regret later! In addition, when you plan ahead on what to say, you will not leave out important things that you want him to know.

3. Always be honest to yourself.

At times like these, it is always easier to lie about your true self just to impress the person in front of you, but try to be honest. Show him the real you, because no matter the result; whether he is also into you or the opposite, you are special in your very own way. Don’t try to be someone you are not, because he will find out eventually.

4. Brace yourself for rejection.

Even though you may feel that he is the right one for you; he might not feel the same way. When you plan to confess, do not put on too much hope that it will work the way you want it to be. This will save you the hurt of being rejected. Hey, at least you’ve taken it out off your chest, haven’t you?

5. Smile and enjoy life as it is!

If you have bravely confessed to the other person, do give yourself a pat at the back! You may feel happier, or hurt after the confession, but it is all part and parcel of life. If he feels the same way about you, congratulations! If it goes the other way round, just brush it all off and tell yourself that your prince charming will be there later to sweep you off your feet and bring you to the land of happily-ever-afters — when the time is right. And of course, just smile and enjoy life as it is!

Being in a hospital is depressing, no doubt. Being in a high dependency unit or an intensive care unit is more depressing. Everyday we see people being carried out of the wards – some are headed to the normal wards, some are lucky enough to be discharged with a clean bill of health, while the unfortunate ones are headed to the mortuary. And at the end of the day, no matter what the cause, the only reply people get is “Sorry, we did our best.”

To me, that doesn’t suffice.

Whenever it comes to DNA probing, we seem to be champions. Yes, even results can be tainted sometimes. But let’s face it: our hospitals – government and private – often lack substance. There’s a whole lot of revamping to be done, and I wonder how long that’s going to take. Perhaps, the next election manifesto should be a promise to revamp the medical profession in Malaysia. And here’s why:

Firstly, we take a look at the majority of our doctors and nurses. We all know that medicine is a vocation, not something we do for glamor. True, some are called to the profession. But sadly, many aren’t. I’m not writing this based on hearsay, but based on real experiences. Many times, nurses would exercise their routines by force so much so that the patient feels pain, starts bleeding, or something untoward happens. When something adverse happens, they just step back (despite us knowing that they were the cause of the problem). Sometimes, their exclamations are just not called for – phrases like “kau bernafas macam hantu” (you’re breathing like a ghost), for example, when we know the person has some form of secretion or obstruction. This happens especially in the high dependency unit, where nurses are paid more lavishly than in the normal ward. Are they doing this just for the greenbacks?

Secondly, many of the doctors have an insupportable attitude – for lack of a better word. They diagnose the patient, they jump to conclusions, and they proceed with it, without even asking or telling the patient anything. And those plans don’t always work out. Sometimes, the patient suffers as a result. Take the case of someone whom I happened to see – she is highly dependent on the ventilator. She had a tracheotomy. The doctors were attempting to wean her off the ventilator as fast as possible, but they did it the wrong way – for the first day, it was two hours off the ventilator, for the second day, sixteen hours, and for the third day, more than 24 hours! She kept on complaining that she couldn’t breathe, but no one listened. The logic behind this case is simple: whenever someone complains of a stomachache, you don’t treat him for a heart problem. Our doctors are doing the exact opposite! Also, that was a rather improper way to wean the patient off the ventilator. It has to be done progressively.

Perhaps, they are faced with an increasing number of patients, and a lack of beds in the intensive care/high dependency unit. They would do all they can to get the patients out (and as I said earlier, some are lucky enough to be shifted to the normal ward, let alone get discharged) – many of them end up dying.

Thirdly, many doctors and nurses have the typical Malaysian complex, which poses a danger to the medical profession – they wait for adverse consequences before they can even think of acting. I have witnessed several cases like these in the high dependency unit (where this shouldn’t be happening) – in one of those cases, someone complained of breathing problems; the doctors and nurses didn’t even care. It is only when the patient’s oxygen level desaturated, when his heart rate plunged below 40 (almost as good as dead), when he suffered from severe apnea and started foaming in the mouth – that was when the doctors came crowding round the patient to revive him. His relatives happened to be there, and they were persuading the doctors to pay attention. The problem with many of us – and I mean our kind – when we are in power, we tend to forget what laymen say. Same applies for politicians, lawyers, the like. However, when we are dealing with the medical profession, we are dealing with people’s lives. At the end of the day, when they are ignorant to laymen, and something untoward happens (touch wood!), the only answer we get is “Sorry, we did our best.”

I don’t think that’s good enough. The individual’s life cannot be brought back, and that in itself is a great loss to the family. In fact, those who really want to probe into the cause of the death would start considering post-mortem as one of their core actions.

Then, we look at the contrast in price between the government hospitals and the private hospitals. Private hospitals tend to charge more because they apparently give more TLC to the patients compared to government hospitals. That is not always the case. The thing about many private hospitals in Malaysia is that when they know you’re covered, they rip you off. All you need is an insurance policy and they start hammering you with medical bills, cheating you every step of the way. There only needs to be ten signatures from the doctor per day to charge a humongous amount of money. And when we mention “private hospital,” we have to be well aware of the unnecessary tests that come with it. CT scans cost a lot. They have no qualms about having three or four CT scans within two weeks. The ventilators and other equipment which are necessary to sustain the patient – all these are put on a minimal level so the patient can survive (even if there are no signs of him getting better).

I know that despite the current situation, there are doctors and nurses who are true to their profession – but then again, they are few and far between.

So, you can imagine how being in hospitals can be so depressing – not only for the patient, but for everyone. Anyone who is sick would surely go to a hospital with the hope of recovering. Doctors need to start treating patients as people, as individuals, not as problems. Then, and only then, will we see a marked improvement in the medical profession in Malaysia.

To end, let me tell you the story of what an acquaintance of mine went through:

This guy is a priest. Many a time, he would help out in seeking out people with HIV/AIDS, or those being dogged by drugs and drink. He and a team of people would send them to hospitals. It so came to pass that he saw someone – a drug addict – lying on the road, still breathing, but in a dismal state. Not only did he have scabs all over his body, he was covered with feces. The team picked up the insupportable man, laid him on a stretcher, and went to the nearby hospital. As they approached the emergency room, the guard on duty said, “Why are you bringing this piece of junk here?”

The priest told the security guard bluntly, “He’s a person, not a problem. You are the problem.”

DISCLAIMER: By writing this article I do not wish to lash out at the mistakes the doctors have made. This article only serves as a wake-up call. All cases mentioned here are kept private and confidential.

Research by The Body Shop highlights the value of female friendship, as (59%) of women if affected by domestic violence, claims they would confide in a friend, yet a much smaller porportion would turn to official authorities such as the police (21%) or a support group (14%).

The Body Shop 2008 Stop Violence In The Home campaign calls on all women to become empowered to help and guide a friend, should such a confidence be entrusted to them! The campaign aims to highlight the importance of communication between friends and focuses on how friendship between women in particular, can provide a veritable lifeline.

With this in mind, Women’s Aid Organisation and The Body Shop who have been working partners for ten years will be celebrating the beauty of friendship on 20th August 2008 @ The Apartment, Ground floor, Suria KLCC at 11.00 am in conjuction with Hari Wanita!

Come join us to celebrate friendship with The Body Shop and WAO! The Body Shop will also be selling a special limited edition of Shea Lip Care Stick Duo (Pour Moi Pour Toi) for RM38.00. This is your chance in making a difference in society! From each sale of the Shea Lip Duo, RM28 will be donated to Women’s Aid Organisation. By you buying the Duo stick, you are making a stand against domestic violence as the money from the sale will be channelled to the WAO Refuge and WAO Child Care Center.

The Shea Lip Care Duo aka “Pour Moi Pour Toi” (For me For you) also provides benefits to a community in Ghana, as the shea butter is sourced through the unique Community Trade Programme, while the formula also includes skin-caring vitamins A, C and E helping to protect the lips!

So share your Shea Lip Care Duo with a friend and remember that while talking is good for the soul, your action tells her that whatever life throws at her mentally or physically, she can always confide in you - no matter how difficult the subject!

COME JOIN US - CELEBRATE FRIENDSHIP WITH THE BODY SHOP AND WAO!

For more information, do email your enquiries to annie@wao.org.my / didie@wao.org.my. Telephone : 79575636 / 0636.

At 26, Davina’s portfolio is a mouthful - she works in an event management company by day and juggles all these in between - she was the lead actress in the local independent movie S’kali, top 20 finalist in So You Think You Can Dance (Season 1), she was a regular co-star in the online comedy mini-series malaysiantalents.com on gua.com.my, appeared in many commercials, was shortlisted in Female magazine’s 50 Most Gorgeous people in Malaysia, and also moonlights in the Malaysian theatre scene. She has also written plays for The Oral Stage and most recently, her play was selected to be part of a project in New Zealand. If you have to know, she was the host of the press launches of these mega productions - Beauty and the Beast the Broadway musical, Chicago the musical, My Fair Lady the musical and Grease the musical (phew!).

As you can see already, Davina is full of energy and enthusiasm for literally everything. This down-to-earth lady is also known for fighting animal rights strongly.

Read on to find out why her life began and ended at The X-Files.

1. If you could change your name, what would your new name be and why?
I would change it to a guy’s name, like Maximus? I just have a terrible habit of challenging conformity.

2. If you could be a child character for a day, who would it be?
One of the two sisters from the anime film by Hayao Miyazake, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’. The world they discovered, the creatures they met and the adventure they embarked on together was so full of wondrous fantasy – and who would not want to ride in a giant cat bus?

3. If you could choose to stop ageing, what age would you stop at, and why?
Age is such an amazing thing to go through and I would never want to stop it. Don’t believe the beauty magazines when they urge you to fight the clock. Embrace it - wrinkles are the new black!

4. Describe the most creative way you would spend RM1.
Does ANYTHING at all come with a RM1 tag these days? Even nasi lemak don’t come cheap anymore! I think any darn way that just RM1 can be spent would be considered miraculous, let alone creative!

5. What is the one country you will NEVER want to have your honeymoon at?
The USA. It’s one of the richest and most influential countries in the world, and that makes it overhyped. I personally don’t find it very meaningful to contribute to its already booming tourism industry. I’d rather go somewhere more low-profile with a less ‘processed’ beauty, like Mongolia or Portugal.

6. If you could teleport someone from the past, who would it be?
Steve Irwin. He did so much for wildlife conservation. I wish he was still around because apart from his surviving family members, no one else so far has been able to educate the public as efficiently and passionately as he did about the animal world. He died way before his time and my heart still bleeds knowing that he’s gone.

7. You bumped into your Add Maths teacher 20 years after you left school. What’s the first thing you say to him/her?
“I wish I could rave to you how much Add Maths has helped me learn about the facts of life, but it honestly hasn’t!” (Of course, I’m not discouraging those out there who are actually taking it – it’s a great subject to learn!)

8. If you could appear on a newspaper column (not that you haven’t!), what would it be?
Does the comics page count? It would be so cool for a comic artist to use me as an inspiration and exaggerate my traits to create a character that is completely out of this world.

9. Complete the sentence: _______ is the best thing since Gossip Girls.
Peanut butter and banana sandwiches

10. What is the question you wished I had asked you in this interview?
Erm, I wished you had asked me if I knew what Gossip Girls was all about in the first place! I know it’s a TV series but I’m too much of a dinosaur to be aware of its popularity, or anything else about it for that matter. My couch potato life began and ended at The X-Files. Haha!

Davina is kind enough to show us her blog at www.retardationation.blogspot.com

Would you want Paris Hilton as your next President? Well, the Blonde bombshell certainly thinks she’s up for it!

In a recent campaign ad by John McCain, the man who is currently in the running to be the next President of the United States, compared Obama to the likes of Britney and Paris Hilton… which lead to Paris releasing her own ad for the Presidential campaign which was featured on CNN. Some of her statements include her acknowledging McCain as “that wrinkly white-haired guy” and “I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead“… as well as surprisingly, a supposed “solution” to the energy crisis!

The man who put together this video, Adam McKay from FunnyOrDie.com had a few predictions on what would happen under Paris’s leadership…

1. The White House would become the Pink House. “I think she’d do everything pink,” McKay says. “It would be pink on the outside, pink carpets, pink furniture, pink jammies. The men on her staff would be cool with it—they’d be shirtless Chippendale types, with names like Leon.”

2. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would become more Parisian in other ways. “Instead of a bowling alley in the basement of the White House, Paris would have a Pilates studio. And, oh, yeah, she’d have foam parties in the Oval Office for the White House staff and old girlfriends from boarding school.”

3. Press conferences would be held red-carpet style. “She would answer all questions while walking and posing for a wall of photographers, and they’d be yelling out, ‘Paris, look here! Paris, what about rumors of a trade embargo with North Korea!?’ ”

4. Of course, she’d answer other questions, too. “The first half of every conference would be about what she’s wearing. Paris would realize that as president she would have to tone it down a little. She’d lean toward Prada.”

5. Her vice president, Rihanna, would be ideal for handling difficult diplomatic situations. “What would happen is, Rihanna would step off the plane in fishnet stockings, music would blare, and whole countries would melt at the sight of her.”

6. The president would handle many of her duties from Los Angeles. “It would be like Bush at the Crawford Ranch. She would be in L.A. more than she would in Washington, D.C.”

7. And foreign diplomats would definitely want to party with Paris. “She would replace the cabins at Camp David with cabanas—and topless would be optional for all world leaders, which would be horrifying but very European.”

All that’s left to say, in true blue Paris style, is… “That’s HOT!”

In the remembrance of our forefather’s effort in liberating our soil, here, I present a picture that suits the atmosphere of August. A simplified picture that well represent our spirit and drive for independence, releasing our throats from the clutches of foreign power. Thus, let us unite and celebrate our independence day with pride!

Included, here are some pictures, that will bring us along the nostalgic path of Merdeka!

Reaching out to the sky!

Colorful yellowish sunshine, a part of the Malaysian flag!

Malaysia’s first Refuge was opened in September 1982 - Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) offering three main services to battered women and their children: shelter, telephone counselling and Face-to-Face counseling.

WAO Beginnings & Work

In 1991 WAO opened a Child Care Centre, the first of its kind in this country. This provides a home for the children of ex-residents who have decided to live independently. It meets an urgent need expressed by many women who have great difficulty in finding a full-time job and reliable, affordable childcare.

In November 2004, WAO opened its third center, the “WAO Centre” which is open to the public. The centre is an administrative and advocacy centre and also acts as an information centre for the public. It is a resource centre for students, researchers, interns and other organizations. It is also used by the social workers to meet with their clients for counselling.

The organization has over the years organized innovative public education programmes on Violence Against Women. WAO plays a lead role in advocacy and, public education on women’s rights and plays an important role in the women’s movement in Malaysia.

WAO Services

Refuge Services

We give shelter to an average of 100 women and 145 children yearly. During their stay the women can receive counseling, legal advice, assistance in job placement and housing.

Face-to-Face Counseling

An average of 50 women seek this service yearly. Professional social workers offer counselling sessions to women who may not necessarily seek shelter but want counselling.

Telephone Counseling

We receive an average 1500 counseling calls yearly. Telephone counselling is available to deal with women’s problems, crisis situations and basic legal queries

Your help means

better lives for battered women….

At the moment, WAO’s greatest need is funds. Money that would usually be given to WAO was diverted to meet the urgent needs in the wakes of the tsunami, hurricane, and earthquakes. As such, we are in need of funds to keep our centers open to women and their children.

There are 2 ways for donation to WAO.

1) Donations in cash – WAO’s operation cost amounts to RM900, 000 annually. It is an uphill task each year as we attempt to raise this amount throughout the various projects and public educatain We hope that to seek out individuals who are able to contribute RM1, 000.00 per person on a monthly basis. All donations to WAO are tax-deductible. If you are able to help, please contact Annie / Didie at 79575636 / 0636.

2) Donations in kind – donation in kind can be in the form of consumables that are constantly in need at our Refuge and Child Care Center. This includes, milk, rice, sugar, cereals, Milo, tea, detergents and the like.

If you will, if you can, please contact us at the number below.

Your donation goes a long way in making our work accessible to women and children in need.

Women’s Aid Organisation

P.O. Box 493, Jalan Sultan,

46760 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Tel : 03-7957 0636 / 5636

Fax : 03-7956 3237

Counselling line : 79563488

]]> http://youthecho.com/who-is-womens-aid-organisation-wao/feed/ http://youthecho.com/when-i-first-time-missed-someone/ http://youthecho.com/when-i-first-time-missed-someone/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:20:01 +0000 missironic http://youthecho.com/?p=539
Would you believe me if I were to say that I used to have a stone-hearted heart? Yes, I really did have such a heart when I was younger. You won’t find me shedding a tear or two for anybody. You can put it that I’m as cold as an ice. Well, probably not that [...]]]>

Would you believe me if I were to say that I used to have a stone-hearted heart? Yes, I really did have such a heart when I was younger. You won’t find me shedding a tear or two for anybody. You can put it that I’m as cold as an ice. Well, probably not that cold as I still have some warmth too. =)

However, when I got older, I realised my stone-hearted heart had started to melt. I can easily cry now, especially when watching a sappy sad movie. You can even find me getting all teared up in the cinema! That is when I realised I know how to care especially for someone that is close to my heart.

When I first experienced missing someone, I didn’t know it will be quite painful. The longer I did not see or talk to him, the pain will just strike even harder. And because of that, I started to “blame” him for making me miss him so much and making me suffer.

I won’t say that after much experience of missing someone, the pain becomes bearable because at times, it still hurts to bits. And this is missing someone who is still living, I wonder how it’s like missing someone who’s dead. I know many people will be feeling or have felt the same way as me where at one time you’re feeling completely OK but on the next, you start to miss that person and kept wondering of his/her whereabouts.

So, how does one actually overcome this feeling of miss? I don’t think it’s something that you can just shru off. If your other half is halfway across the globe, how do you stop or control yourself from missing him/her so much? I bet it is one difficult task to do!