The worth of our lives …

Once I attended a talk by a well known speaker who started off his lecture by holding up a RM100 note.
In the room of 200, he asked: "Who would like this RM100?"
Hands started going up.
He said: "I am going to give this RM100 to one of you - but first, let me do this."
He proceeded to crumple the RM100 note up.
He then asked: "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "what if I do this?"
He dropped it on the floor and started to grind it with his shoe.
He picked up the note, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?" he asked.
Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth RM100.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless; but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you.
The worth of our lives comes, not in what we do or who we know but by ...WHO WE ARE.
"You are special - don't ever forget it," he said.

The Seven Wonders of the World ...

A class of primary school students was studying the Seven Wonders of the World.
At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. The Colosseum in Rome
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list.
The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."
The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read: "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.


The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
Somehow the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
Enjoy your gifts!

The windows ...

A young couple moves into a new neighbourhood.
The next morning while they are having breakfast, the young wife sees her neigbour hang the wash outside.

That laundry is not very clean, she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on but remained silent.
Eevry time her neighbour would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said: " I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life: What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in the person we are about to judge.

Counting our blessings ...

A friend reminded me to always count our blessings and be a blessing to others.
Along with her email was a heart-wrenching short film about hunger and poverty brought about by globalization. This award-winning film shows a forgotten portion of the society. Please watch the film .

Media, dialogue and mutual understanding ...

The potential of media in fostering dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation will be the topic of UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2009 to be celebrated on 2 and 3 May 2009.
As the only UN agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom, UNESCO has placed mutual understanding, and dialogue through media at the core of its mission.
UNESCO’s Constitution, adopted in November 1945, states that the Organization will "collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of all peoples, through all means of mass communication” and “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image".
At this year’s conference and celebrations, UNESCO invites participants to explore the enormous potential of media to serve as a platform for dialogue and a vehicle for understanding.

With age comes wisdom ...

A guy is 70 years old and loves to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, "Pick me up."
He looked around and couldn't see any one.
He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again,"Pick me up."
He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.
The man said: "Are you talking to me?"
The frog said: "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up, then kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!"
The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully and placed it in his front breast pocket.
Then the frog said: "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride."
He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said: "Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog."
With age comes wisdom.

Of blogging and 1Malaysia ...

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim has called on Malaysian bloggers to help inculcate the 1Malaysia concept and make it a success.
He said this genre of writing which had become increasingly popular via the Internet could spur members of society to work with sincerity and forge unity through responsible blogging.
Besides presenting critical views, he hoped that bloggers could also be positive of the right things being done by the government.
In his meeting with local bloggers in Kuala Lumpur last night, Dr Rais said that as the minister concerned, he wanted to extend friendship and not to cause difficulties to any group that could help develop a thinking society.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak propagated the 1Malaysia concept when he took office on April 3, calling on the people to embark on a "great journey together" to transform the country.
He had promised the country that his administration would place priority on performance and the people. "One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now".

Dr Rais said while he was still searching for suitable Malay words for blogs and bloggers, Malaysian culture had changed with the advent of the Internet which created a borderless cyber world.
The young generation were becoming less interested in the print media but turning more to the blogs and Facebook through the Internet, he noted.
He hoped that bloggers would use accurate facts in their postings and not use their blogs to make baseless accusations and defame others.
"Their reputation will be eroded if they present untruths because as bloggers, their credibility is important," he said.

Work begins...

When I visited his workshop this morning, Awang had removed my MM's engine. The front compartment of the old car was literally bare to the floor. The 36 year-old mechanic says he will have to do some welding work before fitting in the replacement engine.
The old, worn-out engine which he had taken out, was lying on the floor. Instead of discarding it for good, Awang said he intend to restore the engine so that he could showcase it.

Malaysia's World Heritage Sites...

Eight stamps depicting World Heritage Sites in Malaysia were issued today. The stamps, valued at 50 sen each, reflect the country's pride to have the four sites being declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Melaka and George Town were declared as historic cities of the Straits of Melaka while the natural sites of Kinabalu Park and Mulu Natural Park earned the title because of their exceptional universal conservation values.


A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The goal of the programme is the conservation of sites considered to be of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind.

New lease of life ...

Going by record, my Morris Minor is 56 years old today.
It was registered on April 8, 1953 in the then Malaya. Originally in green, the 800 cc, petrol-powered beauty was registered as “JE 1143”.
After seeing the car at a workshop in Batu Pahat, I eventually bought it for RM2,500 on New Year’s day in 2001. It cost me another RM2,000 to have it painted in dark blue and tailored seat cover in light yellow.
Having scouted around for the car, it was a dream come true when I finally got to own one. I don’t know why I was so passionate about the car. Maybe because of it’s unique shape or the fact that the MM was no longer in production.
If at all there was a nostalgic feeling about the car for me it was because my late father had learnt to drive in a Morris Minor back in the 1960’s in the small town of Kuala Krai in Kelantan.
So having the chance to be behind the big steering wheel of the MM myself, I treasure every minute of the experience.
It was sheer excitement when I drove the car from Batu Pahat to Kuala Lumpur along the North-South Highway. It did not give me any problem at all although I was apprehensive at the start of the journey whether it could take me home to KL.
Fast forward, I remember the time when a motorcyclist flagged me to stop after trailing my MM. As I got to the side of the road, he came to me and and asked if I wanted to sell the car.
Then there was the time when my son, who was then in Primary One, was so embarrass to ride in the car when I went to pick him up from school. I saw from a distance how he tried to hide behind his friends when he saw the car coming. After waiting for a while, I had to get down and persuade Adam to get into the car.
As my dear MM turns a year older, it’s about time to give it a new breath of life.
I’m looking forward to drive the car again with a replacement engine that comes with an automatic gear and air-condition installed.
Awang, my new-found mechanic friend, is just as excited to get the ‘old guy’ up and running again

Traditional wedding costumes...

Malaysians value the rich legacy of their traditional costumes worn during important occasions such as weddings. The colourful attire are highlighted in a set of five stamps issued by Pos Malaysia today.

The seed ...

My friend, Abdulaziz Alhendi, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) correspondent in London emailed me this thoughtful piece:

A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different.
He called all the young executives in his company together.
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "
The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued:
"I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.
He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot.
He just knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.
Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however.
He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives.
They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes.
Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back.
"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO.
"Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.
Jim was terrified.
He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed.
Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim.
He looked at Jim and then announced to the young executives:
"Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it.
Jim couldn't even grow his seed.
"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
* If you plant faith in God , you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.
"Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back"

Being part of the 1st ASEAN Media Forum ...

Remember Maria Ressa? Formerly with CNN, she is now managing director ABS-CBN News Channel, Philippines, the station that produced hit television dramas like 'Pangako Sayo'. Maria and I sat in the panel to discuss "An ASEAN Voice In The Global Media" at the 1st ASEAN Media Forum organised by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) in Bangkok today. Others in the panel were Kyaw Min Swe (Chief Editor, Living Colour Magazine, Myanmar), Yuli Ismartono (Editor, Asianviews, Indonesia) and Philip Bowring (International Herald Tribune correspondent, Hong Kong). The discussion was moderated by Dr Nattha Komolvadhin, senior and anchorwoman, TPBS, Thailand).
Held under the theme of "Harnessing The Media for ASEAN Integration", the one-day forum is being organised just prior to the ASEAN Summit taking place in Hua Hin, some 150kms from Bangkok. The media forum is expected to be the first of an annual event which would be organised in conjunction with the ASEAN Summit each year in collaboration with a local media partner such as the national television channel.
The panel discussion in this first media forum is conducted in the style of a television talk show. It is filmed by the Thai Public Broadcasting Service (TPBS or Thai PBS)for broadcast and packaging as an educational resource. The audience also get to ask panelists questions.

Friendship treaty ...

The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) was signed on 24 February 1976 in Bali during the First ASEAN Summit. The signatories were the five founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

It aims to "promote perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation among their peoples which would contribute to their strength, solidarity and closer relationship".

The remaining five members inked the TAC later.
Brunei (7 January 1984), Laos (29 June 1992), Vietnam (22 July 1992), Cambodia (23 January 1995) and Myanmar (27 July 1995).
Fifteen countries that are not ASEAN member states have acceded to the TAC:
1. Papua New Guinea (5 July 1989)
2. China (8 October 2003)
3. India (8 October 2003)
4. Japan (2 July 2004)
5. Pakistan (2 July 2004)
6. Republic of Korea (27 November 2004)
7. Russian Federation (29 November 2004)
8. Mongolia (28 July 2005)
9. New Zealand (28 July 2005)
10. Australia (10 December 2005)
11. France (13 January 2007)
12. Timor-Leste (13 January 2007)
13. Sri Lanka (30 July 2007)
14. Bangladesh (30 July 2007)
15. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (24 July 2008)

Asean Secretariat

Change the world ...

Driving to the office today, the words printed on the T-shirt of a motorcyclist in front of me caught my attention -- "Change The World".
Instantaneously, the question "How?" popped up in my mind.
Yes, how can he or me or we change the world.
I related about this later in the afternoon at the start of my talk on "The Role of the Media in Public Diplomacy" at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.
Public diplomacy has been widely seen as the transparent means by which a country communicates with publics in other countries aimed at informing and influencing audiences overseas to promote its national interest and advancing its foreign policy goals. The task is primarily handled by the Foreign Ministry.
At its best, journalism or the media can build bridges to change the world by promoting understanding between nations.
Journalists can no longer afford to just tell who, what, when and how as these essential fact-gathering tasks are increasingly redistributed among a growing number of online users who represent new voices that are being heard loud and wide.
Today journalists are the moderators of global conversation in which they provide context, nuance, commentary and enhanced understanding of events.

A friendly advice from Down Under...

A school-mate from our VI days, who’ve made it big Down Under, gave me a friendly advice on how to become financially-sound in life.
“Don’t worry about the money, somehow it’ll find you,” he told me as we chatted on Facebook.
With only $200 in his pocket when he set foot in Australia years ago, Derek now owns several properties including a beautiful home in Melbourne which he ‘humbly’ displayed on his FB.
“You’ve got to do it because you’re passionate about it, not because you want to make $3 million in 2 years.
“You’ve got to believe in your work too.
So whenever I take on a project, I always live in it, I eat, sleep, drink and do nothing but become the object of what I’m trying to do,” he said.

VI becomes national heritage site ...

After being known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Victoria, the school was today accorded national heritage status and reverts to its old name of Victoria Institution (VI).
"The world already knows its name as Victoria Institution so it is my pleasure to announce that its name, beginning today, will remain as Victoria Institution," said Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Speaking at a ceremony to declare the school's national heritage status, Shafie said the school was chosen as it met the criteria of the National Heritage Act 2005.
Shafie, an alumnus of the school, said VI played a role in the country's history when it was used as the administrative headquarters by the invading Japanese army during the Second World War.
The school was also the first English secondary school in the country that had produced important personalities from Sultans, leaders, ministers, corporate figures, politicians to sports luminaries and professionals.
He said the school was the first in Southeast Asia to have cadet corps and a school band.
Shafie called for the school's heritage to be conserved as each characteristic "be it a wall, a window, balcony, roof, tower or its field has its own story."
Founded by Sultan Abdul Samad, William Hood Treacher, Loke Yew, Thamboosamy Pillai and Yap Kwan Seng on Aug 14, 1893, Victoria Institution has steadfastly maintained a record of academic excellence and produced many leaders and luminaries.
VI ParentTeachers Association (PTA) chairman Raja Amir Shah Raja Abdul Aziz said now that the school had been bestowed national heritage status, with its illustrious name restored, a strategic plan needed to be formulated to chart the school's future direction.
"After the heritage do and getting back the VI name, all of us the PTA, old boys, the teachers and community should make VI the best in everything,” he said.

"I love my healthy active childhood"...

4 February is World Cancer Day and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) is launching "I love my healthy active childhood" campaign for this year.

UICC says the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising dramatically among adults and children around the world.
According to the World Health Organization, 1 billion adults are overweight, and at least 300 million of these are clinically obese.
The International Obesity Taskforce estimates that one out of every ten school-age children is overweight. Of these, around 30-45 million children, that is 2-3% of children aged 5-17, are obese.
Being overweight or obese has been shown to increase the risk of cancer among adults.
World Cancer Day 2009 marks the start of a year-long campaign, where UICC will work with parents, teachers and decision-makers around the world to encourage kids to eat a healthy diet, be physically active and maintain a healthy body weight.

Silver Jubilee Sultan of Perak ...

Today marks the Silver Jubilee of the Reign of Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak.

Be Yet Wiser …

Ex-students of Victoria Institution would recall the phrase “Be Yet Wiser”. It was the school motto. My thoughts were taken back to those words of wisdom after reading this e-mail from a friend:

“We begin this New Year with dampened enthusiasm and dented optimism. Our happiness is diluted and our peace is threatened by the financial illness that has infected our families, organizations and nations. Everyone is desperate to find a remedy that will cure their financial illness and help them recover their financial health. They expect the financial experts to provide them with remedies, forgetting the fact that it is these experts who created this financial mess.
Every new year, I adopt a couple of old maxims as my beacons to guide my future. This self-prescribed therapy has ensured that with each passing year, I grow wiser and not older. This year, I invite you to tap into the financial wisdom of our elders along with me, and become financially wiser.

* Hard work: All hard work brings a profit but mere talk leads only to poverty.

* Laziness: A sleeping lobster is carried away by the water current.

* Earnings: Never depend on a single source of income. [ At least make your Investments get you second earning ]

* Spending: If you buy things you don't need, you'll soon sell things you need.

* Savings: Don't save what is left after spending; Spend what is left after saving.

* Borrowings: The borrower becomes the lender's slave.

* Accounting: It's no use carrying an umbrella, if your shoes are leaking.

* Auditing: Beware of little expenses; A small leak can sink a large ship.

* Risk-taking: Never test the depth of the river with both feet. [Have an alternate plan ready]

* Investment: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I'm certain that those who have already been practicing these principles remain financially healthy. I'm equally confident that those who resolve to start practicing these principles will quickly regain their financial health.
Let us become wiser and lead a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful life.”