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Hi Guys, just posting my tribute to my grandfather from my previous blog, can’t believe 4 months have elapsed since I last spoke to him… It’s very hard to lose the pillar of the family, there’s not a week that goes by that I don’t shed a tear for our loss. I never felt this sort of pain before, I have felt the extremes of physical pain but nothing compares to this emotional sense of loss, sigh. The only thing I’ve come to reconcile with is that he is finally free of this cruel world, and he’s having an awesome time in Heaven.
I miss you Grandpa, I really am trying my best to move on.
We’ll Meet Again
In your hands you’ve held my heart,
Cradled in your arms from the very start.
You stood me on my own two feet,
Through you, life’s challenges I did defeat.
You laid your experiences and lessons bare,
With me your wisdom you did share.
Of the two most important, to selflessly care,
And to trust in the Lord up there.
In my life, my father was absent,
But God gave you as my greatest present.
For this, to Him I am eternally grateful,
Grandpa, you were generous and bountiful.
You lay on your bed, I sat in that chair,
Every night our words filled the air.
Chats on politics, from Hillary to Obama,
And then to Iraq, terrorism and Osama.
I will miss those times,
Shedding tears as I pen my rhymes.
But I know we will meet again,
In Sonny days, clear skies, no rain.
.
Grandpa, rest peacefully.
You can close your eyes now
In my five short years of studying with AOA, I have read a myriad of poetry, spanning from the earliest madieval poetry to 21st century poetry and to be quite honest, I’ve been enchanted by contemporary musings– simply put. Why? Because of the simplistic language that modern poets use to highlight many of the world’s problems. An example would be W.H. Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen”. Though there are many interpretations, here are two examples:
One interpretation is that Auden fastidiously sought to express his digust at excessive bureaucracy. Bureaucracy that ultimately rips what’s left of humanity. Do you think that an individual should be recognized simply because of what the goverment deems an ethical and respected lifestyle, or do you think that there’s more to the individual?
Another interpretation would be that Auden wrote this poem to condemn the government for not exalting a citizen for his untainted reputation as a worthy and righteous citizen but rather, one is only recognized if as Auden wrote “Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.” In addition to this, the title is in itself ironic, in the sense that if one could do no wrong, how can one be ‘Unknown’? You decide.
Read for yourself, witness Auden’s brilliance!
The Unknown Citizen
He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
Yet he wasn’t a scab or odd in his views,
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
And our Social Psychology workers found
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
And had everything necessary to the Modern Man,
A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held the proper opinions for he time of year;
When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went.
He was married and added five children to the population,
Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation.
And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education.
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
– W. H. Auden
I have been reading a book by Richard Templar entitled, “The Rules of Wealth”, doesn’t sound like Keisha’s conventional choice of books, does it? Well since YL’s dad gave it to him and he isn’t reading it, I thought I would for the hell of it—to be blunt. It is a fairly interesting book and it challenges the reader to make certain decisions financially. Specifically in Rule 2, the book asks, “What is in your definition, Wealth?” That is a toughie honestly, seeing as the term wealth is abstract. To Templar, it means “having enough so that I don’t need to worry about having enough.” His definition is somewhat in relation to mine, but mine is a little different. So far my definition of financial wealth is having enough money to take the pre-emptive actions to take care of my financial needs; health, home, family, etc. In addition to this, I’d like to do something more with money, that is to make a difference in this world. That is how I define financial wealth thus far, and if it’s one thing I agree with Templar is that I cannot conclusively come to a more concrete definition, i.e how much money is financial wealth, that is subject to change depending on my circumstances. What is your definition?
Before my grandfather died, I was eagerly wanting to learn from him on how to invest wisely. I remember enquiring from him about the different kinds of stocks, about mutual funds, etc. He picked up on my interest and told me that he would allocate some capital for me to start off with if I was keenly interested…sigh,. now that he has passed, I have lost my chance to learn how he had made most of his money.
Which is why in a way, I picked up this book, nothing like being autodidactic!
Having all said and done, in my opinion, financial wealth is different from fundamental wealth–as YL put it. Fundamental wealth is about giving your effort, not necessarily your money, to make a difference in the lives of others—volunteer work in soup kitchens is an example.
John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Hopefully this book will teach me a thing or two so I may make wise decisions later on in the future but more so, I hope I will not lose sight of what is most important: fundamental wealth.
Anwar Ibrahim got 31,195 votes, Arif Shah Omar Shah, 15,524, Hanafi Hamat, 92. Anwar won with a majority of 15,671.
Well Done Permatang Pauh, I feel a sense of patriotism today, and I HAVE never once said that about Malaysia. Since Permatang Pauh is Malay dominated, the results show that notwithstanding race, equality and reformasi for all stood firm in their convictions. Congratulations Anwar Ibrahim, now to topple the BN government!
I was looking through a mag today and got all excited over frittata and got an urge to make it because it’s the closest thing to quiche, which I love but my mommy never makes for me anymore 
.Anyway TYL thought it would be great for me to make it so I looked it up the internet and found all sorts of variations, I adapted one recipe by changing the quantity of some ingredients and adding some chilli powder to give it some oomph! And it turned out quite well, as evident when TYL hogged it all down his flabby pork belly, cute pork belly, I must say. Anyway it would be superb to eat this with tomato salsa, that would really give it a kick! Here is the recipe:
6 eggs
1/2 cup cooking cream
1 bunch of spinach, cut off the big stalks
1 cup cheddar cheese
half a head of garlic, chopped
one medium-sized onion, chopped
olive oil
some chilli powder
3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes, not too big!
Method:
Heat the olive oil in wok, dump the potatoes and stir it around. Cover and switch to medium heat. Stir it every now and then to prevent burning for ten minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl and beat in the cream and cheese, set aside. Get a cake tin or a pie dish probably with a 6 – 8 inch diameter and fill it with a quarter of the egg mixture. Turn on your oven to 180 degree Celcius. Return to the potatoes after ten minutes and add the garlic, onion, chilli powder, spinach and seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir it until the spinach becomes wilted. Add the mixture to the cake tin or pie dish. Pour in the remaining egg mixture. Then shove it in the oven for 20 minutes or until the frittata is firm. It should be done when a knife is pierced through the middle and it comes out clean…. and Voila!
Spinach and Potato Frittata
I am not an expert at cutting nor am I an expert at photography, so excuse my lack of ability please!
Bad Shot but good taste!
Yikes, bad cutting skills!
Awesome cheesy creamy goodness
Yi Liang, so happy to eat my cooking!
TYL, the happy Bunny
And Finally, picture Noah at 13 weeks old.
I am so big and cute and cuddly now
Mommy dearest and sonny boy…….
Mother & Son
Hi guys, I thought it would be fruitful to share my experience in learning how to drive as an OKU which include all formalities and procedures. If you are or know someone who is an OKU, and you or he/she want or wants to pursue driving but you or he/she do or does not know how and where to start, you or he/she have or has come to the right blog. I’m going to submit this article in two parts. The second part will be revealed after I have obtained my probationary license. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or inquiries via my e-mail at keisha_lfc@hotmail.com . So here goes..
1. Go to any accredited driving institution in this country and request for an OKU form for the hospital.
2. Go to any Government hospital like University Hospital or Hospital Kuala Lumpur and show the receptionist the OKU form, and he/she will direct you to the relevant clinic. In my case, after registering, I was referred to the rehabilitation center in UH.
3. Make an appointment to see the doctor. In my case, I made an appointment at the rehab center to see the consulting rehab specialist.
4. The doctor will examine your residual abilities and make a preliminary assessment about your condition. Subsequently, you will then need to make two appointments; one with an opthamologist and one with a audiometrist for the purpose of obtaining a visual report and an audiometry report. These are two vital aspects in determining whether or not you can drive. Don’t be scared however; take it all in stride and remember to be patient, your time will come! On another note, since getting apppointments in UH for even basic tests are almost impossible given the lackluster state of the government, you are free to obtain those two reports from a private hospital, and this of course depends on your financial capacity. Believe me, I should know, my mother is spending lots of money in order to make this happen for me!
Before I move on to the next step, some of you may want to know what they are going to test for in the visual test and audiometry test. In the vision test, the opthamologist will test your eye span and your ability to see in a certain distance. According to the road laws, a person must have 20/20 vision with or without correction. I Personally didn’t do SO well in this area but with correction, I managed to pass 30/20 and was inconsistent but passable on 20/20. the audiometry test will determine your level of hearing in both ears or one ear but please be aware that profound hearing loss is unfortunately considered as a no-no for driving. Normally, according to the road transport department, you must be able to hear at 85 -95 decibels, then you’re good to go.
5. Once you get your two reports completed with a passing grade, you make another appointment with the government doctor, normally the rehab specialist. Once he/she views your reports, he/she will give you the green light to go for a pre-driving assessment test. Okay so what is this test exactly?
The test is taken on a computer where you will be tested on your coordination, motor function, concentration, reaction and logical reasoning. I must relinquish that the last one has no practical or definite purpose, it is a redundant facet of the test. I will further concede that the test is not a very easy test, in fact, the engineers behind it intentionally made it difficult for OKUs to pass.. My friends, this is a sad but honest truth but don’t be defeated, hold your head up high and take it in stride. Show them all that you are able to move beyond their ‘tests’. Be confident and stay strong.
God willing, I passed that test.
Please bare in mind that the entire test lasts about 4-5 hours!
6. Once your pre-driving assessment test is done, you will need to make another appointment with the rehab specialist (God help the sordid state of the health system), he/she will then give you the green light by signing your OKU document and you are to take this back to the driving center. The center will then send this form to JPJ for a double confirmation.
7. Once you are confirmed, proceed to register at the driving institute.
Oh yes, I need to mention that if you need special adaptations to a car, your doctor would need to pen down these alterations in the OKU form. For me, I just needed to be exempted from driving a manual car, and be switched to an automatic transmission.
Please also be aware that there is a constant introduction of new technology to aid the disabled in driving; it doesn’t matter whether you are paraplegic or weak in the limbs, there are lots of tools out there to help you. Please google them for more information.
If you have special alterations done, the car will need to be inspected by JPJ for another confirmation. The grant of the car will have to be in your name along with the insurance document. This is to ensure the safety of the driver and to protect you and your instructor from possible liabilities like accidents.
Next, I will cover the 2nd phase in obtaining a P License.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Lord for making this possible for me and for providing a support infrastructure to ensure my success. Thank you to all the people involved.
Mommy: Thank you for supporting me, you have no idea what your support means to me. You have given me the capacity to believe I can achieve driving despite the obvious challenges involved. I love you, and I am very grateful for this opportunity.
Dilip: None of this could have happened without you, you gave me the courage and confidence to believe I can drive though many people told me otherwise. Thanks for tirelessly taking me to my hospital visits and waiting ever so patiently for my consults. You are definitely meant to be in our lives and you reflect alot of who my grandfather was. So thank you very much, and I hope you will be in our lives forever.
Yi Liang: You will never know how much you mean to me. The lengths you would go for me are beyond measure. There are so few men in this world like you and I have been blessed to have men like my grandfather in my life. Now that he has left this world, you have taken his place in my life; giving me encouragement when I feel like jumping into an abyss, taking me wherever I need or want to go and pushing me to strive for a better future. I love you very much, words simply cannot describe my love for you. Here’s to having a wonderful future together.
Nurses and doctors at the hospital: Thank you for your kindness and warmth, I am extremely blessed to have had nurses and doctors who were concerned for my well-being.
Grandy: I hope in time you will see what I am capable of, notwithstanding that, you letting me use your car to learn how to drive is a sign of progress. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support means a lot!
Thank you God for these wonderful people, they are indeed priceless. Through them, you have given me your steadfast support. Amen
Heard it from Yi Liang, and I thought it would be wise to share.
An arrogant, egotistical scholar wanted to learn more from a Zen master and as they proceeded back to the house of the Zen master, the scholar could not stop boasting about his extensive knowledge of the world. Moreover, the Zen master could not utter a single word or phrase due to the scholar’s never-ending speech about his knowledge. The Zen master subsequently began making hot tea and proceeded to pour it in the scholar’s already-filled teacup. He poured the tea till it overflowed on the scholar pants. The scholar said “what are you doing, it is overflowing!” The Zen master quipped “How can I impart new knowledge when you leave no room for it to be imparted?”
Lesson: if you arrive with your teacup already filled then anything added will only spill out onto the floor. True knowledge cannot be attained if you do not clear your preconceived notions of the world.
Very happy: 5 weeks more of Alpha Omega Academy and then I graduate with my high school diploma! Boy, it’s been a looooooong time coming, 4 and 1/2 years to be exact!
Oh yes, I passed my theory test for driving by 45/50, not bad eh… my first time passing and in 14 minutes!
Did the maintenance class last week: 3 hours of theory and 3 hours around the curcuit.
Received my ‘L’ license yesterday and promptly booked classes within the four week period.
My practical test is tentatively on the 22nd of September, and the date rests on the discretion of my instructor, Mr. Andy who will decide on whether I am fit to take the test.
I thank the Lord for bringing me this far and since He has done so, he will see me through it. Amen
These are famous aphorisms by famous people whom I can empathize with…. Just musing on them…
“One of the few guarantees in life is that it will never turn out the way we expect. But, rather than let the events in our lives define who we are, we can make the decision to define the possibilities in our lives.”
- Brooke Ellison
“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
- Helen Keller (1880 – 1968 )
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
- Helen Keller (1880 – 1968 )
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.”
- Helen Keller (1880 – 1968 )
“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Have faith and the mountains will start to move, the darkness will turn to light. For miracles come when we walk by faith and not by human sight.”
- Unknown
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away but Love never ends!”
- Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
“True success in life is the ability to move through one defeat after another without losing enthusiasm.”
- My mother’s friend, Anand
Hope you enjoyed my favorite quotations, but more so, I hope you can meditate and learn from it as I have and still am!
Enter Through Keisha's Mind & Soul. My writings are my life especially when I write for Life Poetry. Visit my blog to hopefully connect and discover a part of yourself as well. Life is tough and the way to get through it is through support and encouragement. My faith is what keeps me going and I often include my spirituality in my poetry as you will see. God is Good!