Change

Change is the only constant.  This has been borne out through the years.

Life consists of cycles that are repeated in this existence. The young grow into adults, marry, have children and grow old. In turn their off spring do the same.  However there are variations in these cycles.

Changes have come into play.  The head of the family works to prosper and builds a large home which he hopes will house his children even when they have grown into adults. Alas, things do not work out that way as his children probably work away from home and his big house stands silent and empty.

Some people grow old and hope that their children will welcome them and have them stay as they live out their old age. Unfortunately attitudes have changed.
 
Many adult children do not welcome their parents as live-ins. Lifestyle changes have seen to this.  Privacy is the most common reason cited for this perceived lack of caring. They are welcome for short visits but not on a permanent basis.

This has happened to many old people especially among Asian societies which in the past used to live together under one roof.  They now find themselves being shunted from place to place without any permanent abode. The indignity of it all apart from the hurt.

Perhaps it is time for retirement villages where the elderly can make their home among other elderly people, where they can find companions with similar interests. I have visited a retirement village in a western country.

The elderly live in units that cater for their needs. Within the units there are railings which they can hold on to for support as they walk and the surroundings are wheelchair friendly. Some units have small kitchens where able residents can cook simple meals for themselves if they wish to do so.  Call buttons are strategically placed so that they can call for assistance if there is a need. The retirement village has a doctor, trained nurses and other staff that care for those in need of medical care and supervision.

 There is a recreation center, a dining hall and lovely gardens. The units are of varying sizes and designs catering to different categories of the elderly. This development is not a high rise and in fact all units are on ground level.

The elderly purchase or rent the units using their retirement funds.  This kind of retirement village is a notch above the state-run old folks’ homes as there is a better standard of care and more privacy. The community is small enough to develop a sense of belonging and cosy comfort.

This provides an alternative to depending on your children when you are old.  Instead of leaving money and property to your children, use the money for yourself so that you can live out your days in a measure of comfort and maintain your dignity and independence.  There is nothing more saddening than to know that you are not welcome in your children’s home to live out your days.

Then again, you will not have your independence if you stay with them and you may have to put up with their moods. Relationships could sour. At worst, you could be made a general factotum of sorts when you were thinking of a leisurely existence!

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Malaysian Spring

When I passed by a roundabout in the upmarket suburb of Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur, I was taken aback by the many flags, banners and colorful little pennant like flags that overwhelmed it.

It was a battle royale of flags and banners, with the big ones trying to block out the pretty little red, white and blue ones planted in the middle of the roundabout and the little yellow and orange ones standing gallantly around the edge of its circumference.

Little did I know the story behind this clash until I received an email detailing its background.

The residents of Bangsar had planted their little flags in the colors of Pakatan ( the opposition party )and Bersih ( the NGO advocating clean and transparent elections ) dubbed as spring flowers in support of their local MP Nurrul Izzah Anwar.

However by afternoon, the pretty “spring flowers” had been “plucked” by the local authorities and confiscated. The residents came running out and following a confrontation, managed to rescue their spring flowers which they replanted.

The video shows the concerted efforts of the people of all colors and races as they sorted out the flags and replanted them in the roundabout.

The people’s action resulted in the retributive horrendous deluge of banners and huge flags of the BN which were put up to “drown” the pretty spring flowers in this Lembah Pantai constituency.

The action of the local authorities to arbitrarily remove the opposition party’s tiny flags was viewed with distaste and anger by the residents and the immediate retaliation by the BN ( ruling party ) putting up the huge flags and banners to block out the replanted spring flowers reveals the lengths to which it will go in order to snuff out the efforts of the people who are hoping for change. All’s fair in love and war but unfortunately this wasn’t the case here.

Well, action speaks louder than words and come polling day the people will speak through the ballot.

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A Timely Reminder

How many of us in present day preoccupation with our work, our own lives, remember to spend some time meaningfully with our elderly parents?


Does this sound and look familiar?

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Cry Beloved Sabah

The last couple of weeks have been tense for the people living in Sabah, especially for those who live on the east coast.  A group of armed intruders from the Sulu Islands had infiltrated into a small village near the coastal town of Lahad Datu and staked their claim to Sabah , which they consider to be part of their kingdom, the Sulu Sultanate.

This aroused the ire of many Malaysians who felt that the government should not have negotiated with the terrorists with the rationale of avoiding bloodshed.  Negotiations came to nought with those digging in their heels.  The impasse ended when  waving the white flag, a group emerged.  However they didn’t come to seek truce. They shot and killed our men instead. The deaths of two elite police commandos and another six police officers in a dastardly ambush finally galvanized the authorities into action. Fighter jets zoomed in and the village in which the intruders had holed out was finally bombed.  Mopping up operations are ongoing, according to the top brass.

However according to the media in the Phillipines, the armed group is said to have moved away from the village to another place where they are safe and they did this before the planes came.

This is a frightening prospect.  It means that this could escalate into guerilla warfare where they can pick off their targets at will. The coastline of Sabah is very long and it is very easy for intruders from neighboring countries to slip into our state and mingle undetected among the local populace.  The illegal immigrants have overwhelmed the locals in some places.  We are helpless  and more’s the pity as Sabah used to be a beautiful, peaceful land free of such illegals who have brought nothing but misery, straining our resources,  committing crimes and acting as if our land is theirs, with their filthy habits of spitting and spreading Tuberculosis.

It is common knowledge among the locals that thousands of illegals have been given Malaysian Identity cards to enable them to vote.  A Royal Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the tremendous influx of illegal immigrants is ongoing and the traitorous deeds of the turncoats and their political masters have come to light. It is this that has resulted in the problems that Sabahans, a loving and peaceful people, are facing today.  Is there any light at the end of this dark tunnel?

Cry beloved Sabah! 

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