Woman with 10 grown children collects recyclable items to survive..

True story from our recent local news.....

SEREMBAN: Eighty-two-year-old Gan Kein Liew’s friends used to assure her that she would be well looked after in her twilight years as she had 10 children.

When her husband died several years ago, Gan did not worry, thinking her children would always be there to care for her. “In fact, I hoped my children would also look after their two siblings who are slow learners

But sadly, it never happened,” said the frail-looking Gan when met at her sparsely-furnished home in Seremban Jaya near here.

Despite her age, Gan has little choice but to scour her neighbourhood for recyclable items every day so that she can at least buy a loaf of bread for her children Yok Ching, 51, and Lai Seng, 39.

She wakes up early to collect used plastic, tins and papers and earns about RM10 per week.

“I have no choice but to do this as I have not seen my other seven children for more than 10 years now,” said Gan.

“I cannot trouble another daughter of mine who earns very little and is a single parent with four young children,” she said, adding that the house she is staying in belongs to another daughter.

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What happened to our Empathy? Non of the children has the love for the mother! Don't they feel shameful? There is a Chinese belief... if you respect and love the elders, your children would follow and if you take care  of your ageing parents, they will  love and care for you at your later years. 

A faithful and caring son.....

KM is one of my relatives. He is ten years my junior, who has five sisters and four brothers. Among them, he is the most outspoken one and also successful in his business. We both click very well because we speak the same lingo, naughty, fun and the adventurous type. Whereas his the other siblings are serious, no none sense behaviour, religious and the typical Chinese type. 

Recently their ageing mother had a very bad fall, and has to be bedridden. Special care and attention have to be given to her. A wheel chair was bought for her to move around. Because of her inconvenience, all  the children are giving excuses that they don't have the time and place to shelter the poor old lady. Not KM! He immediately took the mother from the village and fetched her to his home in the city in Kuala Lumpur. 

Every morning he has to attend to her mum's need. He bathes, cleans, washes and feeds her with love. The first time when he bathed the mother, was the most unforgettable moment of his life. Though he had sucked the mother breast when he was a baby, and it was her who had given birth to him... both son and mother were shy and embarrassed when she was totally unclothed during the bathing. However after the first wash, both son and mother over came their shyness. Today my great KM feels honour to be able to serve and care for his sickly mother. He said.. Mum you had taken care of me when I was a child, now is my turn to take care of you. 

I was touched with this story. I could not imagine a man like KM who is being considered as playful and naughty by his sisters and brothers, but has a caring heart which non of his siblings has. KM has a so called good wife to the family but she too isn't prepared to take care of the mother in law like the husband. During our discussion, I offered my services to KM. In case no one who is willing to keep your mum, please allow me to have her because she is just like a mother to me as well.

Moral of the story: What's is the point of being living right and decent, when you don't have a caring heart?

Yes! Me & MK are playful in many ways but we do have a wonderful heart. 

One of my best collection quotes - "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother" - Abraham Lincoln

BROTHER IN LAW......

( You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate this one. )

A man suffered a serious heart attack while shopping in a store. The store clerks called 911 when they saw him collapse to the floor. The paramedics rushed the man to the nearest hospital where he had emergency open heart bypass surgery...

    

He awakened from the surgery to find himself in the care of nuns at the Catholic Hospital . A nun was seated next to his bed holding a clipboard loaded with several forms, and a pen. She asked him how he was going to pay for his treatment. "Do you have health insurance?" she asked.

    

He replied in a raspy voice, "No health insurance."

    

The nun asked, "Do you have money in the bank?"

    

He replied, "No money in the bank."

    

Do you have a relative who could help you with the payments?" asked the irritated nun.

He said, "I only have a spinster sister, and she is a nun."

    

The nun became agitated and announced loudly, "Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God."

    

The patient replied, "Perfect. Send the bill to my brother-in-law."****

How to answer a weird question!!!

When you are confronted with a sensitive, funny or weird question, especially by a child... What is the best way to reply?? See the below to get the answer...

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Apply sense of humour and please don't get angry over it. 

Mother's food is the best.....

CY is a very successful corporate legal advisor and she is a lady. When she was a child, her late mother never gave her a chance to cook or to do housework. She insisted that the daughter had to concentrate and be focused on her studies. Mum's responsibility was to be a full time housewife and the children were to do well in their education. True enough! Both the son and the daughter completed their education with flying colour.

Today CY is happily married with three handsome sons and a no nonsense husband. A good wife and a mother to her family but she doesn't know how to cook. She only knows how to cook rice but sometimes she might even overcooked it. Sad ah? Luckily the soft spoken husband could cook. If he doesn't cook at home, then the family has to eat outside. The children never have a chance to taste mother's food.

To me Mother's Food is very important. It's the mother's cooking that could draw the attention of the entire family. One day when her sons are all grown up, and they might be staying afar, the mother's food could easily attracts them to come home again. All mothers who cook, know the taste buds of their children. Money has motivation but good food is always tempting too. So! If CY doesn't cook, she has to make sure she is rich and wealthy till the end to motivate the sons to come home in future. Otherwise without wealth and no mother's food, I'm worried for her... wondering whether the children who are married then would still be attached to this old lady there after. 

Why am I so concerned for CY? Reason... Because she is one of my obedient daughter in law. 

Forgotten to write. She repeats the same mistakes of what her mother had done to her. Now her children have to concentrate in their studies as well, and leave the house work to the maids. Is she right? You tell me please!

Would you agree... "Good food and a warm kitchen are what makes a house a home."

Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit?

It was raining and I had to run to my car because I needed to meet another appointment. When I was about to open the car door trying to rush myself in, I noticed there was a five cents coin just outside my car. In the car, I wondered whether I should open the car door again to pick this coin or not. The road was wet and muddy. If I go out again, I was sure I would get wet much more. Pondering and more pondering inside the car, came the memories of my late mother's advices. When I was a small child, mother said... "Is a sin not to pick those coins fell over the roads. Whether is the one cent or lesser, son, you must pick it up!"

Her vision striked my thought! Though the five cents has really no value of today when one could not buy anything with it, I told myself I still had to take my mum's advice. Immediately I opened the car door, got myself wet and picked up the valueless coin from the muddy ground. Back in the car again, I felt so relieve and happy, when I murmured to myself... "Mum! Thank you for teaching me the value of life." This five cents coin is still in my car compartment.

Today if we were to walk around town, one could easily see plenty of the five cents and ten cents coins on the roads. No children would be bother to pick them up. Because to them these coins are valueless and they are not taught with 'the value of money' in the first place. 

In our Malay Language, there is a proverb which said, "Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit." In literal translation, it means "Bit by bit, over time, it will accumulate into a mountain.

Love what you write......

Anonymous said...

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First off I want to say fantastic blog! I had a quick question in which I'd like to ask if you don't mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing. I've had a hard time clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Thanks! belajar sulaman manik

July 21, 2012 7:30 AM 

I told Sulaman... Three things are needed to write well. They are knowledge, experiences and plenty of passion. I was not a writer in anyway. It's was only five years ago, my eldest son instigated me to blog. I talk more than I write. One can speak well but might not be able to write well or you could write well but might not be good speaker. Is only lately I learn to write and I do hope my readers could also guide and correct me at the same time.

I believe to be a good writer, you must have a lot of knowledge in mind. I'm not a scholar but have been a salesman for 45 years, which allow me to gather so much of experiences of life. The theme and slogan from our company is "To Listen & To Understand." It really helped me to expand and to truly understand what lives are all about. Everyone is different but if you had seen enough people, you would know what I mean. Many could have knowledge and experiences too, but if they do not have a heart to share and to give, writing especially on blog here might be difficult. To write with a commercial value is different from writing for a free course. To write on blog needs passion. Without it, there is no inspiration to spur you to write with a good thought. Every night when coming to blogging time, I always feel excited because blogging is my hobby and interest. I don't need to wait or to ponder or to prepare the necessary points and facts. The flow of my mind and thought just comes naturally. Every word and sentences I wrote was a joy and happiness to me coz,  I know I have hundred of readers who are keen to read my post the next morning. Unless you have these passion and desire to write and to share without condition laid, you might find writing as tough and unchallenged my dear Sulaman.  

Food for thought - "Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for" 

Ray Bradbury