dear e + d,

here is my sincerest wish to the both of you...

love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

love never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

love,

m

why does watch/timepiece advertisements always show the time as 10.10?

ticketcharge is looking for ushers for ‘my fair lady – the musical’. below are the details:

venue :

kuala lumpur convention center

date :

*15 may, tues 6 – 10pm

16 may, wed 6 – 10pm

17 may, thu 6 – 10pm

18 may, fri 6 – 10pm

19 may, sat 6 – 10pm or 1 – 11pm

20 may, sun 6 – 10pm or 1 – 11pm

* pls arrive at venue at 5pm for briefing

dresscode :

- all black

requirements :

- pleasant personality

    - able to handle difficulties independently

- punctuality & discipline is important

- no problem understanding & following instructions

you may log on to ticketcharge’s website for more information of the event… www.ticketcharge.com.my. for those who are interested, pls email/sms the following to michelle at michelle@ticketcharge.com.my or 017 – 364 1331 before 1 may 2007, wed:

1. name

2. contact details

dear friends & family,

as i always say that i believe in life-long learning (L3), this is something i found out today from survon. although i am not aware of the uniqueness of today, but my gut told me to find out more.

here's what i would like to share with all the men out there.

regards,

mich

International Women's Day

International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece , Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies. Following is a brief chronology of the most important events:

1909

In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.

1910

The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen , established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

1911

As a result of the decision taken at Copenhagen the previous year, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria , Denmark , Germany and Switzerland , where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working girls, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This event had a significant impact on labour legislation in the United States , and the working conditions leading up to the disaster were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women's Day.

1913-1914

As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe , on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.

1917

With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike for "bread and peace". Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway. The rest is history: Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia , but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts to demand women's rights and participation in the political and economic process. Increasingly, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women's rights.

The Role of the United Nations

Few causes promoted by the United Nations have generated more intense and widespread support than the campaign to promote and protect the equal rights of women. The Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco in 1945, was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human right. Since then, the Organization has helped create a historic legacy of internationally agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Over the years, United Nations action for the advancement of women has taken four clear directions: promotion of legal measures; mobilization of public opinion and international action; training and research, including the compilation of gender desegregated statistics; and direct assistance to disadvantaged groups. Today a central organizing principle of the work of the United Nations is that no enduring solution to society's most threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without the full participation, and the full empowerment, of the world's women.

the tree in ticketcharge had been lighted up. no presents under it yet. carols were played every morning since last week. but there's still something missing. not sure what is it.

i have been looking forward to this season for a long long time. now that it's around the corner, it feels as though it's just another ordinary day. probably i have been working too hard. guess i need to pause for a moment to let the feeling set in.

maybe it's the christmas shopping that's still missing. or maybe it's the deco at the shopping malls. could it be the gathering of friends & family to eat, drink & be merry? or could it be just the snow?

perhaps i need to do up a shopping list in between work. i promised ash to help her shop for gifts for her aussie colleagues. something malaysian... hhmmm, she's come to the malaysian mich for a reason :). perhaps i should already start planning my holiday, apply for leave to go back to ipoh. my church will be happy to see me back. i must have been away for too long.

perhaps i should make a christmas wish for myself. i'll think about it before i go to sleep tonight. something that i need instead of something that i want.

maybe i'm trying too hard to create the feeling but i think i should be getting there soon...

the containers were placed next to my piano in the living room. whenever we have guests with kids, my dearies would be an interesting attraction. dad has brought them to kl ever since i shifted into my new home. perhaps i should purchase a new aquarium for them. i guess they too deserve a change of environment.

when vince was younger, he used to bring all 4 tortoises into the bath tub & bathed with them for hours. it's so funny to recall. haha! now i have to use an old toothbrush to brush their hard as rock shells & believe me, i have no words to describe how stinky they are now!

dear vince,

it’s exactly a month since jesus took u home. mum reminded me twice – last night & this morning. but actually, i didn’t forget. mum is just being mum, being naggy is her full time job

so, how are things up there? let me guess… u slept til the sun was high & mighty this morning, had your daily dose of white kopi-o & started drumming away “better is one day” to your heavenly dad.

oh how lucky u are to be in paradise. u know, just a few days ago, the haze was back again. blown from indonesia. api was 155 in kl, 105 in ipoh. i think this has become our yearly event. it should be recorded in the lonely planet to attract more tourist to malaysia. tourist should see for themselves how torturing it is to us. u are so lucky to have escaped that!

hey, i wonder if u know what happened on earth. maybe u were busy walking towards the light a month ago. the very same day when jesus called u, uncle quah met with a major accident in subang too. he broke his right leg & smashed his right elbow. it was quite serious but he managed to escaped death. so now ah yee is in kl to take care of him.

do u know that a lot of your friends came to pay respect to u? we were devasted when we lost your phone in the hospital because we were afraid that we won’t be able to contact your friends. but some how i guess your influence must have been quite the ‘geng’ lah. even smi’s morning assembly of about 1000 students gave u 1 min of silence. my gm & aunty said they’ll give me 3 mins to compensate for the low quantity of ppl in my office

well, things are ok for us now. we are all getting back on with our lives. mum is alone in ipoh, but i think church work keeps her busy. she comes to kl very often too cos since ah yee is not in ipoh to accompany her. dad & i am still in kl. dad still goes back to ipoh every weekend, most of the time by bus. we only drive when i follow him back.

i thanked jesus for being there for me when u left. he must have heard me because i felt it through the ppl around me. it’s very comforting.

bro, u take care ok? i miss u a lot. but i know we’ll meet again some day. i love u!

love,

"This is for all you girls 30 years and over... And for those who are turning 30, and for those who are scared of moving into their 30's...

AND for guys who are scared of girls over 30!!!!...

This was a monologue by Andy Rooney from the CBS show, 60 Minutes

Andy Rooney said:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask,"What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 30 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in whom she is,what she is, what she wants and from whom.

Few women past the age of 30 give a hoot what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant.

Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women. Women over 30 couldn't care less if you're attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.

A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately,it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 30, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow
pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free". Here's an update for you.

Nowadays 80% women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage.

In May 6 1985, a woman in her late 20s was about to give birth to a child. She screamed and
shouted in pain in the laboring theatre. Cynthia Lee's husband, Victor Lee, and the 3-year-old
daughter, Michelle, were outside the theatre, waiting anxiously. Butterflies were in his stomach,
made him felt worried.

At around 9.30 PM, things got more excited. The theatre was crowded with medical attendants
- doctors working hard, nurses walking all over the room. Cynthia was shouting on top of her
voice for the pain she was bearing. But, it was worth it. A new child was going to experience
life. Within few minutes the baby's head was visible to the doctors.

"Relax ma'am. Breathe ma'am, breathe. In and out," muttered out by the nurses who attended
to her, trying to ease her pain a little.

"Ok. One last push ma'am and we’ll see the child," the doctor ordered Cynthia. Cynthia took a
breath into the very depths of her lungs, trying to give a hard push. With all her strength in that
breath, she shouted and pushed. Sweats were dripping all over the floor.

The baby was hit and came the noise of "Waaaaaaaaaaawaaaaa!!!"

The sound everyone was waiting for. A child was born. Victor hastily got off his warmed chair,
towing Michelle along.

"It's a boy!!!" shouted the nurse, holding the newborn baby boy, wrapped in a towel, in her
arms. An amazing progress!

Victor and Michelle stared joyously at the baby. The nurse gently placed the baby into Victor's
strong, warm arms. With tears flowing down his eyes, he scattered his words out, "He's going
to be a handsome boy, just like me. Daddy loves you, Vincent." Wonderful name. It means
'conquering'.

But the time of celebration was short-lived. The color of Vincent's face changed. He was a
mixture of pure skin color and blue. Wow! Two-faced baby? The two worrying parents turn
from weeping in joy to grieving in sorrow. They were questioning for answers. The doctors
diagnosed him having a hole in his heart. It cut through the hearts of the parents sharply and
deeply. Michelle, who was only 3, could only watch and cry, not knowing what was going on.

Doctors' reported that Vincent could not live more than a year. Salt was added to the wound
was done to Cynthia and Victor. Everyone; relatives, church members, friends; came and wept
with them. Prayers were prayed. Though, hopes were slim at that moment. No one could have
expected this. No one predicted Vincent would have a doughnut heart.

Weeks and months passed by. It was down to the year-end period. Prayer warriors prayed
even harder. Intercessors interceded more than usual. Victor and Cynthia dedicated the child to
the Lord, hoping that the Father would spare his life and have mercy on him. The 'miracles-do
happen' spirit worked well! Vincent was still alive after 3 years. Thanksgiving party was planned
almost everyday. The doctors said that Vincent have the glimpse of hope to survive, a surgery.
The surgery was to install a pump connecting the valves inside him.

The surgery took place in University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. It took the doctors hours to
complete the Herculean task. After pushing out from the Operation Theatre, Vincent was
pushed to the Intensive Care Unit. He was unconscious for days. Unwanted thoughts bulleted
through the thoughts of everyone. Will he be able to regain consciousness? Will he survive?

The guessing game was soon solved. After seven packs of blood transfused to Vincent, he
regained consciousness. He was able to move like a normal child but it was limited. Hopes were
lifted. Doubts were in the alarmed. Hence, one can know what's going to happen next. But the
little boy trusted God to lead his life.

He knew that he was different from any other normal people. He was not abnormal but
EXTRAORDINARY! Time passed, and he's still stepping his foot on earth. September 29 2001,
he's still living and greatly use by God. This boy has a HUGE faith. And this boy… it's me!