SALAM

A few more days and 2011 will be over. 2012 is coming! What??? Oh no! Its just a movie. Hmmm talking about movie, I am part of a new production to be announced soon! Stay tuned...

Let's not keep quiet anymore

I can't remember exactly how our friendship started, can't even remember what year it was. But Ippy (her nickname, not her real name)and I were in the same class for a short while and somehow we 'clicked'. Not sure why, Ippy a beautiful lively girl with an infectious laugh, highly intelligent and me the quiet book worm. But neither of us were very girlish and we both loved the outdoors. So we spend many hours or even days hiking and cycling around the country side.
She lived in a neighboring village and we would visit each others homes. I'm not sure how and when I started realizing Ippy faced problems at home. She was the youngest - a latecomer in a large family. Her father had a good paying job and her mother earned extra money as a seamstress.
Her eldest brother ran away from home many years before and became a heroine addict. After sinking very low he managed to turn his life around and become a social worker -rehabilitating other drug users. Another sister ran away from home as well and broke all contact with the family afterwards. Gradually Ippy dropped hints of what was happening at home. She told me we couldn't meet on Sundays as that was the day she had to wash her clothes. As she possessed only one pair of pants she would have to wait till it was dry before she could go out. Yet her father was driving a luxury car and her mother made clothes! She was often hungry as her mother never cooked: each child had to cook for him/herself. At times the food cabinet would be locked for days if they had been 'bad'. I suspect there was more abuse going on, Ippy didn't tell me all. I don't think this was because she didn't trust me. More likely she couldn't bring herself to burden me with her pain and shame. For me I had no experience with child abuse. I didn't know what constitutes abuse (apart from rape). This was in the days before the internet, the library didn't stock books on child abuse. The newspapers wrote stories on local events not on abuse. We were both young teenagers and me a very green one! So all I did was listen. We changed to different high schools but stayed in touch. Ippy enrolled in a technical school as one of the very few girls, I was so proud of her.
At times she would come to my school and asked to talk to me, we would go for long walks and she would settle down. One day she came in the middle of the day.
It was clear that she was in a very bad state. I cut classes and we talked. She told me about her suicide plans and that she didn't see any other way out. There was no doubt in my mind that she was very serious about this. Just lending an ear wasn't enough anymore. We agreed to go together to a local youth care institution for counseling. We also informed my parents as I needed help to hide her in the meantime. She couldn't return home. She couldn't stay at my parents house as relatives of hers were living nearby. We arranged for her to temporarily stay at my sister's house in town. Her parents came to my house but mine stood firm -bless them- and refused to let them know where Ippy was hiding, this despite threats of legal action. The youth-care institution made arrangements for Ippy to live in a home for teenagers in a town a few hours drive away. A social worker accompanied her to her house to collect some of her belongings. We still kept in touch but the distance made it difficult. Remind: this was before we had mobile phones! A few times I took a train ride to go and see her. Living in the home was better than her home but not without struggles. A whole group of troubled teenagers living together under supervision does evidently create a lot of scenes and emotional difficulties.

Both of us finished high school and I joined nursing training in the town nearby. Ippy was very intelligent and scored well despite all her troubles. But when she wanted to enroll for further studies she hit a brick wall. The government refused to pay for her studies as her parents were well off. Her father agreed to pay for her studies but on the condition that she would visit them monthly. Ippy couldn't do it. She told me she didn't hate her parents but just wanted no further contact with them ever in her life.
For awhile she held out bravely. She got a part time job, rented a small room and enrolled in part time studies. It was difficult to stay in touch, she only had a shared phone, I was working shifts in the hospital and the nurses' flat only had a shared phone which wasn't always answered. She got into an abusive relationship for a while and started drifting afterwards. At times she would land at my doorstep; hungry and penniless. I would pick her up from the bus station and we would take the long walk back to the nurses' flat. I would smuggle her into my room (overnight visitors were not allowed). I asked her to to stay in town and we could rent a room together. My allowance wasn't much but we could have survived. But as the town was near to her village she was too scared she'd might run into relatives. So I would feed her for a few days, borrow her money and she'd set off again. I had no idea what else I could do for her, didn't have means to contact her. The welfare system had failed her, she was now officially an adult, how to help.
I didn't hear from her for months until I got a call from her brother Harry. He told me Ippy had committed suicide and as he was aware of our long friendship he invited me to the funeral. Her funeral was only attended by a few people, mainly her family and relatives. Her parents cried their heart out but I couldn't bring myself to offer condolences. Somehow I still feel guilty I wasn't able to save her -my best friend. Ippy was 19 years old when she died.

Her father committed suicide a few years later. His sister (Ippy's aunt) visited my parents some time after and told "It's terrible what this Ippy did to her father. He was never the same after that incident". Fortunately i wasn't at home during this visit as I'm not sure what I would have done to the aunt. Although I'm sure my mother did set her right!

The little picture is the only one I have of Ippy; she hated being photographed.

It's now 30 years later and I'm crying while writing this story down as I've shared it with only few people in my life. But it is time to stop the silence.
Please speak up when you witness or suspect child abuse. We condone abuse when we keep silent and deny the victims the right for help...............

BEEN BEEZEE

October 2008, my last post was on Lebanon's trip! Been to Lebanon again for 2nd time in April 2009. Still not much time to write in this blog... sigh. Most time was on Facebook! Wish they pay us money for sticking on for hours and hours.

Today, 11 July 09. Have a bit of time for blogging while waiting for HUNNY to arrive from Nederlands for a 3 weeks holiday. Got 5 hours to sleep, her flight is somewhere above India maybe.

Browse thru the computer and found this drawing of Darimi for his grandma & grandpa.
Still innocent... animals and plants.

And this is Dayan's drawing.... Japanese cartoons!

Papa's own. Erm... race numbers after 5 years of racing.... still many more!

End transmission at 0115H.

That's life

Aplogies apologies for the long looong silence.
It was not intentional, just having been able to access our blog for quite some time. Our PC's are broken and we have let our streamyx expire. Now were thinking hard whether we want to give our sons another change to blow up some more modems and computers or just to get a notebook for our own use.
But lucky strike today - normally I cannot access blogs from work, but navigating through other pages I accidently managed to bypass the controls hehehe, pls dont tell boss okay? Now how to get to facebook...........
Life is extemely busy; I'm going to attend my parents 50 year wedding end of this month. I'm in the middle of translating a 210 page book. At work were are still expected to perform the work of two (GR@@//##). Training in bits and pieces only and I'll have to shelf my dream to do IM Putrajaya and of course family life with four kids AARRRGGHHHH
So this is all for now till I have more time.......

Big fish

Hello everyone.its me dayan.Its has been a long time since i post a blog.Now i hav a new story which happened after japanese school biothlon at night.We went out to check the nets in the lake.So,when we were checking the first fishing net.we were shock to see a fish this big in the net

If you want to now how big it is look at yhe next picture.

But we can`t keep it so we ate it.here are picture of papa cutting it up.

And the result is this.
See Its as big as darimi and ati.

Danial can even d a rambo style pose with it ``eat this ``danial said.
Well that the story paece out.

Split5 weekend

1. Kalam joined Dr Hisham for the Ironbound adventure-race today. They are on their way back as I type. For a hilarious report on the adventures of these two; http://opdochisyam.blogspot.com/2009/01/perak-ironbound-wrong-way-to-train-for.html
2. Danial joined Amir and Norizan in a Tri-simulation
3. Dayan isnt feeling well and refrained from physical activities
4. Ati and Darimi ran around the neighbourhood playing with their friends from early morning till sunset
5. Mum took part in GE-run 20km:

Just a few highlights and low-lights;

Improved my time from last year, but Mac improved his more and stayed ahead of me...

Waterstations were few and far between

Route was changed but just as hilly

While i was passing by I overheard two policeman commenting "Wah, kakak yang baju merah ni laju juga (I started to float straight into seventh heaven)....kalau lari 30km (smack back to ground level)

No parking space, got a ticket for parking illegally at the roadside

The pre-IM group looked very fit and strong

First time I got a square medal, quite cute

Finishing like celebriti; Mr Tey, Shazly, Rais and TSB all lining up to take pictures.....Thanks guys

Race-Tee's

Over the year we have collected many race T-shirts. At times four of us take part in a race, some in two events. I rarely buy T's for the boys becos they have enough from the races. The clothes locker gets choked and on and off I will give some to family, friends or charity.

The T-shirts come in many styles, colors and materials. My big favorite of all times is the brookes-T given at PD-traithlon 2007. The quality is nice, it's loose and comfy and because it's long it partly covers my big butt , haha.

However has anyone else noted the sizes -weird indeed.

Have a look below

Great Eastern run 2008 Size XXL

Below the previous T; Great Eastern run 2008 size XL -do you see any difference in size?

KL Int Marathon (2007?), size S

Again do you see any significant difference in the size?

Mizuno-run 2007 size M

Now the difference in size is clear to see.

So what should be our conclusion???

A. Malaysians generally come in free size only

B. Malaysians of medium size are in denial about their true size

C. Local T-shirt producers are a sadistical lot and put size-tags randomly

D. All of the above

Sigh, at least Danial was happy with my T from Malakoff run and my maid loves the GE-run T-shirt, she says its really cooling to wear on a hot afternoon.

Think I'll wear my PD-shirt for the next race......................