The Law of the Garbage Truck

Here is a story which I received from my friend which I would like to share with you.....


One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks takeover their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...

Love the people who treat you right.

........... Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it .........

.............and ninety percent how you take it!

So I am wishing you a garbage-free day! 


Warm regards,
Sany Woo

A Suitcase Full of Love

A Suitcase Full of Love By Rachel Leung (June 7, 2009)

Leaving home to study taught a young woman that some things never change.

I was studying in London in the late 1970s. That was the beginning of my four-year journey, during which I discovered the most amazing love I have ever known.

I bade a teary farewell to my family at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport. With tears still in my eyes, I boarded the plane, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to hear from them for almost a month.

My flight was delayed for 36 hours at New Delhi. My parents were spared the agony of knowing this news because there were no cell phones for instantaneous communication then. I arrived at Heathrow on a chilly Saturday evening, lugging a large suitcase with one hand and a 1.5-foot long radio-cassette player with the other, and a carrier bag on my shoulder.

Fast forward 28 years and I see my eldest son embarking on a similar journey on his own.

We bade each other farewell at the KLIA, fondly and sadly. There was a lump in my throat, and my eyes were misty. But on the whole, it wasn’t like the separation I had years ago. My son, who had a 3.5kg laptop hanging from his shoulder, a backpack on his back, and a large suitcase, waved me goodbye.

Things change, but the only thing that never changes is the large suitcase that every student carries overseas. It is filled with warm clothing and food that a parent knows her child will miss. Daily essentials like clothes pegs, washing powder, toothpaste, and a rice cooker are carefully packed inside. These are things that the parent knows her child will need during the first few weeks in a foreign land, when he still doesn’t know where to shop. It is a suitcase that contains all the love a child can carry.

Upon settling down at my college dormitory, I set off to write my first letter to my parents. The letter would take more than a week to reach them and I had to wait another week or so before I could hear from them.

Every letter from my family was hastily opened and each word read and re-read. My father replied to every one of my letters without delay. He never said that he loved me in his letters. But through the lines, I knew he must have read my letters umpteen times, trying to make out whether I was happy or not. Was I eating well? How were my studies?

He had many questions to ask me but had to wait for at least three weeks before he could get my reply. In the meantime, he kept reminding me about what he had said before: eat well, put on more layers of clothing, and so on. As a daughter, I called it nagging. Now that I am a mother, I understand that it is called love.

When my son arrived at the Perth airport in Western Australia, he was met by his friend. We heard his voice again eight hours after bidding him farewell. During those hours of being incommunicado, I was agitated, not knowing whether he went through customs alright or not. What if his friend forgot to fetch him?

I thought of my parents and wondered how they could have put up with weeks of uncertainty before my first letter arrived. How did they go through their lives when every minute of their days was spent worrying about me, not knowing whether I had arrived in London or not? And, was I able to find my way to the college?

I only called my parents once a year, during the Chinese New Year. I made the international call at the main post office at Trafalgar Square. When my call was put through, I quickly delivered my prepared message. After all, a three-minute phone call at that time cost me almost a quid, so there was no time for nonsense like, “Mama I miss you”.

We Skype our son at least once a week. We can see each other through webcam. We talk for hours, not only my son and me, but the whole family, at the same time. It is like chatting at the dinner table, except that physically we are miles apart. I am spared the agony of uncertainty, like what my parents went through years ago, when news only came with the postman.

When I graduated, my parents were unable to go to London and share my joy. I sent them my graduation photo which I took at a studio. It’s still hanging on the wall of their living room today. This photo signifies all the sacrifices they had made to give me the best education possible.

Last September, we went to Perth to attend my son’s convocation. Compared with my parents, I had a much easier time when it came to sending children overseas.

I discovered my parents’ love during my four years in London, a love that I never realised was always present until I left them. It is an endless love which is passed from one generation to another.

My sacrifices for my children are insignificant compared to my parents’ for me. I thank them for giving me this endless love, which I can pass on to my children.

Raising Children, What you should know

Raising Children, What you should know By Susan Teo

What’s the best way to raise a child? A million dollar question, which unfortunately has no right answer. Each child is unique, thus no set of rules can apply to all. However there are a few things that you should keep in mind to be on your way to becoming a better parent.

The first thing is to keep cool when things mess up. Getting agitated or panicky during a crisis isn't gonna solve anything! Keep in mind that chances are, the situation that you are facing has happened to someone else. Can you imagine if each time you visited a doctor he got all panicky? He doesn’t because he has seen many cases, thus he remains calm and collected. The patient on the otherhand frets and worries, thinking their ailment is the most serious and unique. So if you want to solve any family problems or conflicts, the most important thing is remain cool.

The second most important rule is to strengthen your team. When we say strengthen your team, we don't literally mean to go out there and increase your family size! What we mean is to make sure that you and your partner are in cahoots with each other on your child raising and discipline philosophies. Spend time talking to each other about important issues like rules and discipline.

It is also very important to discipline consistently. At the end of a hard day it is so easy to give in to a child that is crying or whining...but that is not consistent. It does not teach them and only makes your job as a parent more difficult. Set limits and rules and always enforce them.

You should also ensure that there is order in your childs lives. Keep a regular schedule of meals, naps, bedtimes and chores. Children need schedules and structure in order to feel in control of the world around them. If you have to change the schedule, respect them by telling them about the changes ahead of time.

Also be sure to be a good role model. No matter how much you resist being a role model to your children, you can’t escape it. All kids take pleasure in imitating their parents, so why not be one consciously and effectively?

In addition to that, you should take an interest in their hobbies. Do things together, like reading, walking, playing and cleaning house. What children want most is your attention. Bad behavior is usually their way of getting your attention.

In the midst of everything else, remember to teach them to stand on their own. Let your child make simple decisions and gently remind them to stand on the decisions that they made. Guide them when they are deciding, tell them the pros and cons of their posible decision. But what ever their decision is, just respect it.

Be sure to also listen to your child. As parents, we sometimes are quick to judge our child's actions or choice of words, that we do not hear their cries for love, attention, or help. We should listen to their feelings, reactions, and opinions. Try to understand their point of view. Look at them when they are talking to show that you are hearing their every word. Put down that book, turn off that television, stop what you are doing and listen!

And finally, practice detachment. The role of a parent is that of a gardener. You don’t create the seed, nor the soil. The potential is already in the seed, you just have to ensure the right conditions for growth. You can loosen the soil a little, so that it may come out easily. Put a fence around it, see that it is not killed by anything, But you can’t control the outcome of the seed.

Granny hopes to pass on art of making dumplings to her grandchildren

TheStar Online (May 28, 2009)

GEORGE TOWN: Unlike many youngsters who spend much of their time in front of the computer or shopping, the Yeoh siblings have been learning to make chang (dumpling) from their 68-year-old grandmother.

Yeoh Keng Teong, 20, and his sister Ai Feng, 15, both tried the art of making the centuries-old delicacy and found it interesting although “not easy”.

Labour of love: Ng teaching her grandchildren Keng Teong and Ai Feng the way to fold the dumplings at her house.

“It was difficult to tie the dumplings properly,” said Ai Feng, adding that she usually ended up with funny-shaped dumplings instead of the usual pyramid ones.

Keng Teong did not have much patience with the art, saying: “The process is so complicated. I’d rather help by eating when they are done.”

Despite their complaints, their grandmother Ng Sho Ki is determined to pass on her skills to her grandchildren so that they can carry on the tradition of the Dumpling Festival.

She has bequeathed her grandchildren the recipes for the slightly spicy nyonya dumplings and signature oat dumplings where glutinous rice is replaced with oats and coarse rice.

“I did not make as many dumplings this year due to my failing eyesight. Sooner or later, I may not be able to make these dumplings any more and I hope my grandchildren will be able to take over,” she said.

In Johor Baru, nyonya dumplings are selling like hot cakes at Kam Yee Chin’s snacks outlet in Taman Perling.

Although this is the first time Kam has ventured into making nyonya dumplings, she has already received a few hundred orders from her customers since Monday.

The Chinese Dumpling festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is celebrated in remembrance of Qu Yuan, a scholar in the kingdom of Chu during the Warring States period.

Spicy favourite: Kam wrapping the nyonya dumplings which sell like hot cakes at her outlet in Taman Perling.

When the Chu capital was taken over by their Qin neighbours, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river. Afraid that the fish would devour his body, the people threw packets of rice into the river.

Another folklore states that dumplings were thrown to placate a dragon in the river.

Facebook Manners And You

A Very Touching and Inspiring TV Ad from Thailand

Thank You Mom Poem

I would like to dedicate the following video to all the beautiful mothers out there!

House buyers, take note of differences in systems

TheStar Online (April 08, 2009)

We at the HBA view with interest some housing project advertisements in the newspapers recently. They prominently state 10-90 as the mode of payment and went on to say, “Pay 10% and no payment until vacant possession.”

It would appear as if the mode of payment is similar to the Build-then-sell (BTS) 10-90 that HBA has been lobbying for and for which the Government is offering incentives to developers to adopt the system.

HBA feels that it is incumbent upon us to explain to potential house buyers the differences between the advertised 10-90 and the BTS 10-90 promoted by the Government under the amended Housing Act .

The advertised 10-90 system is actually a loan package deal whereby the buyer pays 10% upon signing the Sales and Purchase Agreement and the balance is progressively paid through the buyer’s housing loans. The loan is progressively disbursed to the developer as he builds the houses.

Hence the “… no payment until vacant possession” is not wholly true because, in actual fact, the buyer’s loan is used to progressively pay the developer. However, the interest payable for the progressive payments during the construction phase is shouldered by the developer.

In the BTS 10-90 system, the buyer pays 10% upon signing the SPA and does not make any more payment until the house is completed, with all the certifications obtained. Only then does the housing loan kick in and the buyer then pays the remaining 90%.

The vital difference between the advertised 10-90 system and the BTS 10-90 is that in the advertised 10-90 system, should the developer abandon the project, the buyer is left with a partially disbursed housing loan to settle.

The primary borrower is still the buyer and it is his sole responsibility to continue with the proper conduct of his loan from the financiers.

Banks have not been known to be sympathetic to victims of abandoned projects and the loans still have to be settled, house or no house. This is the predicament presently faced by tens of thousands of naïve and innocent buyers.

We would like to categorical­ly state that we are by no means implying that the advertised project is likely to be abandoned. This letter is only to inform potential buyers the differences between the advertised 10-90 and the BTS10-90 systems.

CHANG KIM LOONG,

Secretary General,

National House Buyers Association.

Visit to an Orchid Nursery

Last weekend, my family made an impromptu visit to one of the larger orchid nurseries located near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (Subang) Airport, Selangor. Of course, a great opportunity to take pictures of the lovely orchids grown there! (Luckily, I brought my camera along).

It was a scenic drive through a long and windy road. Finally, we arrived at the nursery, which is a bit hidden away from the main road.

Once you enter the nursery, you will see rows and rows of colourful orchids.


You can view the pictures I have taken here.


Warm regards,
Sany Woo