Everyone deserve to know where Family is.

As part of Bloggers Unite, I hope to play a small part by this contribution. It might not be much, but someone has to speak out. On November 11th, bloggers worldwide unite to raise awareness for 'Refugees Unite'. Preparation and advertisements have been made by pasting badges on our blogs to show the support.

Fear of discrimination and persecution, for reason of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular organization or personal political view, people are afraid and unwillingly to remain at a permanent state or area. These people called themselves or are termed as refugees. Many fled from their homes to seek safer land after been discriminated by their own people and there're also those whose homes have been destroyed by war and are forced to migrate.

Fortunately, there are many organizations out there helping to resettle these stateless people or locate loved ones whom have been separated due to similar conditions.

Just yesterday, a guy friend voiced out his thoughts at breakfast, "We should have a war. This world is too peaceful." And as usual, we got into a heated debate, one refusing to give in to another. He had made some good points, related to religion and I don't disagree, yet I was upset by his call for anything worse than the world we are living in.

Yes, he might be happy and at peace with himself, his environment, but not everyone in the world feels that way. Ignorance, even in the smallest sense can cause a whole load of harm. We should never take any minor problem lightly and should always be on alert mode. Let's look at something closer to home. A few years ago, when a number of people fell ill after returning from nearby countries, people were not concerned, yet look at the shock and frenzy among Singaporeans when SARS became an issue.

(*1) When Russia was going through dramatic changes, many succumbed to easy temptations of hatred and destruction. Raisa Gorbachev, the late wife of former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev was often pained by such issues. She said, "Is destruction necessary for progress? That goes against common sense. I'm convinced that only that which is constructive can make people happy."

My point being, is there really a need for discrimination and prejudice? If only everyone are able to voice out their opinions. If only everyone could be a little bit, just a little bit more compassionate towards every single living being on Earth. If only people were more courageous, more impartial and magnanimous. Without judgement in others, regardless of their backgrounds, their thoughts, their skin colour and faith, aren't we all in the first place, children of our parents? What right do we have to force others to separation with their loved ones and homeland?

This ongoing issue of those torn from their homes is something that should, and must, concern us all. Why discriminate others when you don't wish for the same to be done to you? Let's search for a common solution and bring hope and dignity to the millions suffering.

If you happen to know someone who needs help to resettle, or someone looking for a loved-one-turned-refugee, do contact REFUGEE UNITE on the first url of the citations below. Thanks a million!

For those who are curious to know more about the song playing on this blog, it's sung by H.I.M recording artistes for the children of the world, especially those affected by the recent Si Chuang earthquake. Below is the translation of the song.

AUTHOR's NOTE: "I found one line hard to understand. The part where we bring roads to the brave, ocean to the ships and return children to their dreams. But i realized, sometimes, when people are incapable of helping themselves, we could help lead them back to the right route in life."

Title:A More Wonderful World

There must be some way, to let people love one another

We didn't come to this world to cause harm to each other

Bring sounds of laughter to the cries of sobbing, Bring warm hugs to those in doubt

Shine light into the world of darkness, bring sweetness to bitterness, and give care to fears

Warm every single heart, melt those that are cold

We can give everybody a warmth and more wonderful world to live in

There must be someway for us to anticipate tomorrow

Since we can't force the sun to rise, why not help at least one flower to bloom

Give sight to the hopeless, give flight to those with wings

Bring roads to bravery, the ocean to the ships, and children, their hopes and dreams

Things unchanged, can be changed just by the aid of a pair of hands

Next time, we'll meet in a more joyous, more wonderful world

Love can make the world a better place, it can reduce hatred and pain

Next time, we'll meet in a more peaceful, more wonderful world

-=-

Citations:

http://www.refunite.org/
(*1) Adapted from Foundation for Victory 100 years ahead - Guidelines for Humanistic Leadership.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/road_to_refuge/persecution/default.stm
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/protect?id=3b8265c7a

-=-

LOVEe`

EXCLUSIVE LOVE LETTER THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19th!

HAPPY SHEEREEN DAY!!!



a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, sherry.darling aka. xiao-yuan aka. the-anorexic-looking babe..


YAYNESS! YOU ARE T.W.E.N.T.Y [A BIG, FAT 2-0 NOW!]

REALLY SORRY I CANT BE BY YOUR SIDE THIS YEAR BUT PLEASE KNOW IM SINCERELY WISHING FOR YOUR HAPPINESS AND FABULOUS CELEBRATION!! but im glad you received the mailed letter..i was worried the Postman would think its too kiddish and reject the mail. phew..

Thanks for being such a wonderful friend all these years and i just wanna let you know i deeply cherish this friendship. I still remember the first time we reunite the first time we went to SMSS to get our secondary one books and our mothers were chatting away about the books we get...haha, it was a funny memory.

Then, there were the 9 of us girls.. Siti, Casey, Lynette, Louisa, Yana, Gaya, Mari, You and me...

There were really fun times where we crazed over neoprints and crushes, like your neighbourhood guy (was his name tommy? haha) and DOLPHIN.. and i highly doubt any of us will ever forget the unhappy moments when the clique broke up pretty badly..

Another reason why i especially treasure this relationship is also because of what happened in Sec 3. Remb how we sat outside the classroom, and everytime someone told you to "Cheer up, dont cry..." you end up crying even harder? haha. I guess we were very very fortunate to retain and join a class where the girls were ever so encouraging and welcoming to the few new 'additions' among them. We found new and (til now and hopefully forever) lasting peers..

I had initially wanted to find a poem you wrote for me a few years ago, entitled "A Friend" but i have no idea where i placed that. [Will scan it when i find it.] Meanwhile, the search for that particular poem ended up with plenty of love letters from you and the girls from past years... I went to read every single one of them and.. almost cried.

You have really been encouraging. When i remb the times you wrote those for me, (on birthday cards, notes during lessons) all the strength and courage i felt on those occasions overwhelmed me again. You might not believe it, but because of those words written with concern and sincerity, i too, wanna make an extra effort for you all, for all my friendships, because i know, i will regret if i lose them. Any of them.

Confession : Something i usually reflect on, after every gathering or even discussed with siti and faiz before was... "I wish I knew Sheereen better."

I know i talk alot. We all do. haha, so i am often thinking, "have i said too much? too much to the point i neglect whatever you wanna say?"

If yes, please let me know. haha.

If no, then...feel free to tell us stuff. anything at all. I get so happy hearing you talk abt your childhood birthday celebrations, dates with your mum, stuff about your bf and even school problems.

im sorry for asking for so much...i guess it's the greed to know more..

still, i wanna thank you for everything you have done for me til now..including accepting my flaws and nonsense.. love you for that. haha.



-=-

hmm, am i starting to crap and bore you?

anyway...Hope Marcus&gang and your family will give you a most memorable birthday and may you be blessed with tons of happy memories and a successful year ahead!!

[the girls and i will make it up to you! I promise!!]

p/s: shit...there are bugs everywhere.. and im starting to get mozzie-itch.

last, not def. not least...here's a TOAST to our ever-lasting friendship and may good health, safety and happiness be upon us all!!

TAKE CARE AND BE HAPPY!!! HAVE TONS OF FUN!! ENJOY YOURSELF

LOVEE`zijing.

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY, SINGAPORE!!

It's October 1st again, Singapore's Children's Day!! It's been so darn long since I had a celebration.

During this week's attachment at Esplanade, most of us are assigned to shows specially put up for this unique occasion. Most of the shows are fully booked due to the local public holiday, Hari Raya.

p/s: SELEMAT HARI RAYA, PEOPLE!

(YAYNESS! NO MORE FASTING WHILE SHOPPING WITH THE GIRLS! :P )

Today, there was a technical rehearsal for one of the kids' show at the Recital Studio. After the sound check and fixing of wireless mics on the performers, I sat down on the colourful alphabet mat and played one of the audience.

Singing and dancing along to the familiar childhood songs, I suddenly recall a short but vivid celebration. I must have been in kindergarten and some of us gather to give out the candy bags our mothers had wrapped for our friends.

As I was typing the previous paragraph, another memory surfaced. In primary six, our form teacher Mrs Wong had baked us chicken pies. It was the last Children's day celebration for all of us and Mrs Wong made sure we all had a pie. I remember her saying she would always bake them for their form class of the year. And I remembered how emotional and grateful we were to receive that, because Mrs Wong had contacted shingles and we all thought she was going to die. I mean, most people died because of that disease. I'm not saying we love her to bits. She is one of the fiercest teachers I ever had, but we respected her.

-=-

Woah. I am amazed I recalled all that. I have a really poor memory of my childhood. Haha, selective memory, they say.

And this year, I had looked forward to visiting Soka Kindergarten. After the independence camp with the K2s, I find myself missing these children so much! UNFORTUNATELY, I just remb it's a public holiday tomorrow, hence, I won't be able to celebrate with them. Maybe Laurel and I will visit SK on thursday, before my attachment at 2pm.

Here's the ending...

Declaration of the Rights of the Child (EVERY CHILD)

1. The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually.

2. The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succoured.

3. The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress.

4. The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation.

5. The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men.

-=-

Let's be nice young people and encourage every child we see to be happy, k?!

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY, LOVES!!

^.^

Communication.

Min just told me about her reflective journal today. That's one interesting fact I find about RP. Their daily journals are pretty meaningful to write about.

"Think about your own experiences, strengths and weaknesses as a communicator. How confident are you about communicating without words, and observing the body language and gestures of others?"

Everyone has different ways and means of expressing themselves. It's like a set of fingerprints, they all look the same but really ain't similar. The above-mentioned means are just some of the many ways we could communicate physically. We could express ourselves with written works or music too. Some people could easily reveal their thoughts and emotions through simple body language like shifting of feet, standing, sitting/walking posture, facial expressions or even the words we choose to use when we feel happy or upset.

I guess one of those times I myself get conscious about how I move, would be during job interviews. Concious about where I placed my hands, the posture I sat in and the words I chose to gain impressions.

Another of those self-concious periods would, unfortunately, be when someone we fancy is around. I mean, who isn't right? When she/he's near by, you want to be at your best. Even when she/he's just on the phone, your tone and pitch will be different.

I hate to admit, but there are times I feel down and cannot bring myself to say anything. Not because I don't trust my friends, but I don't trust my thoughts and emotions. There are many a times I don't even know if I'm right feeling what I'm feeling. I can be feeling mixed up all at the same time.

Some people easily reveal their feelings, but not all. And when it comes to times when I have no idea what my friends are thinking, or they have no plans of letting you know, I try to keep my distance. I guess when you are ready to share, you will. I'll always be there, to share the joy or the sorrow. And I know (REALLY, I do!) that when I need someone to be there, these friends will be around for me.

Right, girls? (and guys?)

(This was a encouragement Serangoon South Chapter Chief shared with us in our of our rehearsals before the actual CFG. I was writing it down til I couldn't catch it and went to copy it from him.)

A Smile.

It costs nothing but creates much.

It enriches those who receive,

without impoverishing those who give.

It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes, last forever.

None is so rich & mighty that he can get along without it,

and none is so poor that he can be made rich by it.

It creates happiness in homes,

fosters good will in business,

and is the countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary,

cheer to the discouraged,

sunshine to the sad,

and is nature's best antidote for trouble.

Yet, it can't be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen.

For it's something that is of no value until it's given away.

Give one of yours,

for none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

:) [profile: kyotaro's tiger-toothy smile]

To: the CENSOR within me.

I know what I'll be typing next is hell of a contradiction, but that's life.

Censorship: "the control of speech and other forms of human expression."
It means I feel wind up by restrictions. And when I feel that way, I can't write things I don't want people to know.

To the censor within me, go away. Stop telling me what to write and what not. Everytime I type something, I feel threatened by you.

"No, don't write that. What if he/she reads it and gets offended?" or

"You are typing rubbish. Who would wanna know all these? Not me."

or even, "Are you stupid? The language sucks. The spelling or word is written wrongly. Your life sucks."

And then, I'm tempted to go find a dictionary or something. >.<

My other blog is still functioning though. I can't bear to give it up. It have become like a diary...with everything I did with my girlfriends, my boyfriends, school, gakkai, family, my idols and myself... I guess I want to jot down things I want to remb my life by. Happy, Sad, Ugly or Beautiful.

If I ever were to mention nasty lots of complaints, don't be offended, please. I just want to be myself. I even thought if I should leave a tagboard there. Would whatever people commented, affect my writing? I hope not. So...I shall leave it as it is.

PEACE OUT.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!!

This darling girlfriend has been a source of motivation to many, including me. haha, she's such a mummy and a baby of the Gakkai family. Caring, smart, funny, a great listener and super pretty. (i happen to know a darn long line of admirers queueing outside her house daily, jus waiting to see her. haha.)

Thanks babe, I'm really grateful to know you. All of us are. If not for FLINT, we would still be the ignorant teenagers, lazing around, without a firm goal in life. Thanks for all the memories and dialogues. REALLY LOVE YOU! haha...must take good care of your health k? And be careful, esp during dance!!

letter #1

I have NO idea what I am gonna type to this letter #1, but i guess you've got to start somewhere.

If not now, then when?

I have been wanting to keep a letterbox for myself...letters from me.

Thoughts and ideas i have been creating in the back of my head, dreams and passions I had secretly (or not so secretly) wanted to pursue, people whom i love and dislike (i'm human too).. I guess I knew how much every single incident and thought will affect and change me. That was why I wanted to keep this log. To recall how i used to feel about stuff and remind myself that sometimes, it's all right to feel 5 years old again and you need not care how others view you, as long as you are happy.

And sometimes when I did not feel like writing to myself, maybe I will just write. For the sake of it. I've been wanting to write since...secondary school.

I remember how I used to spend 4, 5 hours daily typing Hana Yori Dango fanfics with Jeslene and we would exchange our ideas, how we wanna create climax that will part Domyouji and Tsukushi until it was time to bring the leads back together. Then, we'd explore more variety of themes and characters to work with. How old were we? 14? 15?

And during our graduating year, I remember how Faiz and I used to enjoy reading others' essays and books, we were create our story site. But it died down later on, due to our vacation commitments. I remember how Siti and I used to go through her songs and poems during the bus journeys after school. Most of the girlfriends and I, we had enjoyed writing, in all forms: Diaries, Anecdotes, Stories, Poems and Songs.

Maybe one day, i will put some of these one-shots up for 'showcase' haha.

On somedays, I will dish up letters I used to write to myself when I was young. And on some, maybe I will get a little emotional to write of people I'd loved. There will be times I have nothing much to say so I will update the pictures taken recently. Of course, this is still a blog, just like my Xanga and I will still update my daily/weekly happenings.

This entry is dedicated to my dearest mortal, Louisa and beloved tigress, Faiz.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Prologue.

"A letter is a source of communication."

I guess, that is also the core importance of this blog. Trying my best to vocalize how I feel about my life and everything around, to communicate, with you, perhaps news of myself, perhaps to reinforce certain relationships and probably reflect and realise who I was, who I am now, and who I wanna be.

Thanks for being there. Whoever you are.

Was just reading "Leaving a trace" and I guessed that's what we all wanted to do, leave memories behind in proper content. And as the author quotes one of her favorite author, I shall quote her quote too.

"What sort of diary should mine be? Something that would embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful that comes into my mind... ...I would like to come back, after one year or two, and find that the collection had sorted itself...into a mould, transparent enough to reflect the light of our life."

Yes, perhaps. But I guess everyone would agree, at some point in life, we will find our journals (or blogs, for that matter) be a boring, empty and unreflective abstract entry.

How can we get ourselves attracted to our own lives and write stuff about our life, so that one day, people would read it and think, "Wow. How beautiful this life's been spent."?

I guess no matter how imcomplete or well-kept this is, journals fulfil our need or desire to leave a trace behind..

This is mine...

p/s: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME."

^.^

LOVEE.