Vocational Visit: GK Organic Farm

Vivian is in charge of Vocational visits this year.  To kick off she took us on an organic farm visit.

 I hated to go...it would be so hot, so boring, and so blah....but handsome James (above) persuaded me to go, he also gave me his Malboro hat as an incentive.

Our President Elect Jimmy with his family, and Vivian the organiser.

Paramesh came with his wife and 3 sons!!!

It was a Sunday family outing!

Yoga session to start off the day?

 The G of the "GK" K is his Japanese wife and partner.  G is really a nature lover and talks passionately about plants, insects,denizens of the forests, going organic and not squishing the life out of God's living creatures.

the farm is situated on acres and acres of green, the last green pockets of Kuala Lumpur

 this is a bee hive, and G paints lyrical on how they are architectural marvels and how they are socially superior to us

to go on the farm tour, we had to go barefoot...for your information, I don't even go barefoot in my own house, and bedroom and bathroom let alone the jungle floor.

then he taught us how to suck nectar from flowers

 and make compost, dust to dust....

 and not step on insects and not trample the good earth with our spiky high heels

every blade of grass every leaf of life every drop of dew every...well...everything, are his friends

we had two hands on on session: digging for sweet potatoes, yes, that's me, with my towel draped over my head, it was scorchingly hot, sweat snaked into my eyes, and the Malboro hat that James gave me was my life saviour that day.  We were supposed to leave our bags behind, but I need to have my iphone, my  compact, my camera, my cash, my credit cards, my contacts...my 5 Cs under my armpit....

the other session was replanting seedlings and
Vivian looked "farmly" even  with her modern trappings like designer shades and Oris watch

 Then we had a healthy, vegetarian organic lunch with the produce off the land

yes, and nut balls.

 then it was shopping time, I bought this organic mee, and we were told to go home, throw away our white sugar which is a veritable poison and buy organic brown sugar.

Loving homemade products with lovingly homemade prices

 No detergent in the toilet, no toilet paper, no radio, no music, no newspaper to read but luckily got wifi

All the the organic people,

I am in front among the kids, and next to G

Beautiful organic view of the organic farm. Bye!!!

Oh yes, we had to pay RM58 for the visit, talk, yoga session, 

lunch, two hands on sessions

 and barefoot walk

Try it!!!

Thank you, Netherlands – Dorothy Teoh

Published: 24 July 2014

Sunflowers are among my favourite flowers. They look as if they have trapped the sun’s warmth and golden rays in their yellow petals. Their bright daisy-like flower heads seem almost relentlessly cheerful as they nod on their stalks. But after MH17, I don’t think I could ever look at sunflowers in the same way again.

In my mind, they will always be associated with death instead of life, and with the killing of innocents in a war in which they had no part. Fields of sunflowers which should have brought cheer to those who look at them have now become killing fields, their tall stalks hiding untold horrors – debris from the downed airliner, clothing, toys, photographs, mementoes of almost 300 lives ended in an untimely way.

And body parts, because investigators have told us that some have still not been recovered. For days I did not want to look at the photographs of the victims on countless news websites. I knew they would be distressing – even though I did not know any of those on board, nor was I connected to them in any way. But finally I did, clicking on the photos on TIME magazine’s website. 

Two are imprinted on my mind – the body of a victim, perhaps a woman, who had fallen through the roof of a house into someone’s bedroom, and that of a little child, naked and covered by a clear plastic sheet, with flowers placed on top.

What went through the mind of that person as the plane disintegrated in mid-air? Was she or he travelling with a loved one and, as the Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans poignantly asked in his address to the UN Security Council, "Did they look each other in the eyes, one final time, in a wordless goodbye?" Who cradled that child as it became apparent that the plane was going down? I hope someone did, and I hope that the end came quickly so that all on board were spared the fear that we can only imagine, and the horror as hope ebbed away.

Because they were certainly not spared the indignity of death and exposure to the elements, to human eyes and camera lenses as their bodies, some naked, lay in the open in those fields for days. This may have been a war zone but the passengers on Flight MH17 were civilians. Soldiers who fall in battle are treated with dignity. What more when these passengers were civilians, on their way to distant lands for honeymoons and vacations, for work or heading home, to be reunited with families and loved ones? 

The hands of those responsible (and I say hands because it was not just of the one who pressed that button to launch that missile) should have been quick to do whatever was necessary to protect the dignity of those who perished on MH17. It is not about admission of guilt, it is about human decency, about humanity as opposed to bestiality.

It fell to the Dutch to do what the culpable did not. I happened to put on the television last night (July 23) just as CNN was broadcasting live the arrival of the bodies at Eindhoven air base in the Netherlands. I was riveted to the screen for the next few hours, watching as the first 40 victims in their simple wooden coffins were carried with great care and respect from the Dutch and Australian transport planes to the fleet of shiny black hearses lined up on the runway as Dutch military personnel stood to attention.

I watched as their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte and representatives of the 11 nations whose nationals perished on that flight stood to pay their last respects as the hearses drove off slowly. I watched as the cortege took that long journey from Eindhoven to the military barracks in the town of Hilversum where forensic experts will begin their grim task of identifying the remains.

Along the route, on the highway where cars had pulled over, on overhead passes and in laybys, the Dutch – men and women, old and young – watched, many in silence, some in tears and others applauding and throwing flowers – as the hearses passed by.

The scenes of the Dutch countryside, so ordered, tidy and green, contrasted starkly with the scenes of carnage and chaos that the world has been subject to since the plane was brought down. In a strange way, it was balm to the soul, at least for me, coming from a nation that has experienced two aviation tragedies in the space of four months and the ensuing loss of so many lives. Watching the ceremony at Eindhoven which was redolent of military honours too was in a sense healing.

A convoy of hearses, bearing remains of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash, are escorted yesterday along the A27 highway by military police to Hilversum, where they will be identified by forensic experts, near Nieuwegein. – Reuters pic, July 24, 2014. 

Every step of the pallbearers, every salute, the requiem played, reclaimed for those who perished the respect and dignity which they had been robbed of. And the sight of so many Dutch people who had turned up to honour the dead despite not knowing who were in those 40 hearses or indeed, if any of them were their 193 countrymen who died, made me feel gratitude. So thank you, people and government of the Netherlands. You have shown us humanity at its best. – July 24, 2014.

* Dorothy Teoh is CEO of The Edge Education Foundation.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/thank-you-netherlands-dorothy-teoh#sthash.gWdUxan2.dpuf

Video: First group of MH17 bodies arrive in the Netherlands, given full honours

The first 40 bodies of victims from the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy arrived in Eindhoven military airfield in the Netherlands and were greeted with a full memorial ceremony attended by the families of deceased, state leaders, and senior officials.

Today has been declared a national day of mourning in the Netherlands.

Among those attending the memorial ceremony greeting the deceased were Dutch King WIllem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, and Australian Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, according to a report by The Australian. Flags of all the nations affected by the crash, including Malaysia's, were flown at half-mast.

The bodies carried out of the C-17 military aircraft were encased in blank caskets without national identification, to illustrate the shared grief of all nations involved. The procession was accompanied by a rendition of  "The Last Post".

The 40 caskets were then transported in individual hearses and were paraded past more than 1000 family members of the deceased, and tens of thousands more members of the public, who came out in force lining the roads and highways in an outpouring of grief and solidarity for the families of those who died in the crash. 

The first 40 bodies of ‪#‎MH17‬ victims arrived to a full, emotional memorial service in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Check out the CNN video at the link.

Video: First group of MH17 bodies arrive in the Netherlands, given full honours

The first 40 bodies of victims from the Malaysia Airlines Flight...

KL.COCONUTS.CO

40 hearses and thousands of mourners line highways

Seeing this will bring tears to your eyes, it did mine.

Amazing display of respect.

At last, some dignity for the victims of MH17: 40 hearses and thousands of mourners line highways to pay respects. - ‪#‎MH17‬ victims being transported, person by person, from the airport to a forensic institute.
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South Korea's police force incompetent

South Korea's police force was pilloried as 

doltish and incompetent today after 

eks ago was that of a fugitive tycoon at the 

heart of a months-long manhunt. - 

Police said they initially believed the body – found near Yoo's final hiding place – was that of a homeless man, although it was clothed in an expensive Italian jacket and a nearby bag was found to contain Yoo's autobiography.

The fact that it took so long to identify the body was "pathetic at best", said the JoongAng Ilbo daily in an editorial.

"Should we really spend our tax money on such police and prosecutors?

You are not Alone, They are everywhere!!!

If you think you are alone, think again!!!

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Tan Tong Sheng likes The Economis

11 Long Weekends for Malaysians in 2015

Two Cars and a Lorry Catch Fire at Sunway Toll Booth on Kesas Highway

Two cars and a lorry burst into flames after colliding at the Sunway toll booth on Kesas Highway. The accident took place at the westbound Sunway toll booth and caused a massive traffic jam

The accident was caused by the lorry and the driver had reportedly fled the scene.

"The driver must have lost control of the lorry and rammed into the toll booth and both cars,” said a Kesas spokesman to Star.

It goes without saying that the accident has caused a jam. Road users are advised to avoid Kesas Highway. 

Overloaded lift...what to do?

Wah, what an exaggeration. But then again, I won't mind being in the lift if I'm not in a hurry. All men won't mind, I guess, ha!

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Starting young

Korean baby feels up lady on train

00:44

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3 Controversial Children's Books.

Three children's books have been banned in Singapore:

 Who’s In My Family

White Swan Express

And Tango Makes Three

1. Who's In My Family?: All About Our Families (Let's Talk about You and Me) Hardcover – September 11, 2012

by Robie H. Harris  (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Trusted New York Times best-selling author Robie H. Harris continues her series for preschoolers with a look at the many kinds of families that make up our world.

Join Nellie and Gus and their family — plus all manner of other families — for a day at the zoo, where they see animal families galore! To top off their day, Nellie and Gus invite friends and relatives for a fun dinner at home. Accessible, humorous, and full of charming illustrations depicting families of many configurations, this engaging story interweaves conversations between the siblings and a matter-of-fact text, making it clear to every child that whoever makes up your family, it is perfectly normal — and totally wonderful.

 “The White Swan Express: A Story About Adoption” and “Who’s In My Family: All About Our Families -- also feature gay and lesbian characters.

2. And Tango Makes Three Hardcover – June 1, 2005

by Justin Richardson  (Author), Peter Parnell  (Author), Henry Cole (Illustrator)

In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others.

(from NBC News)

And Tango Makes Three

Roy and Silo, two male penguins living in the Central Park Zoo, created a stir over a decade ago after they successfully hatched and adopted a chick named Tango. The little family then inspired the children’s book “And Tango Makes Three.”

3. The White Swan Express: A Story About Adoption Hardcover – October 21, 2002

by Elaine M. Aoki (Author), Jean Davies Okimoto  (Author), Meilo So (Illustrator)

In China, the moon shines on four baby girls, fast asleep in an orphanage. Far away in North America, the sun rises over four homes as the people who live there get ready to start a long, exciting journey. This lovely story of people who travel to China to be united with their daughters describes the adoption process step by step and the anxiety, suspense, and delight of becoming a family. Told with tenderness and humor, and enlivened by joyous illustrations, The White Swan Express will go straight to readers’ hearts. 

And Tango Makes Three and The White Swan Express, which were withdrawn by the NLB after they were deemed as not pro-family. Photo: Wee Teck Hian

These books were to be burnt by the NLP (National Library Board) 

but were later moved to the Adult Section.

As usual I have no comment, but these are the books banned.