Aged — but still in the habit of caring

Came across this news this morning and can't help admiring how modest these nuns are.

Wednesday July 29, 2009

By JADE CHAN

PETALING JAYA: Most of them are old themselves. But their vocation is to serve people and God as long as they are able to care for themselves and others.

So, even after retirement, the nuns of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) care for those who are very sick and weak at the Assunta Convent in PJ Old Town which has been modified to serve as a retirement home for the sick and the FMM sisters in Malaysia.

The FMM sisters have the option of retiring in the place they are posted to or going back to their home country to spend their final days, said Datin Paduka Sister Enda Ryan, 81.

Sister Enda, the former headmistress of Assunta Secondary School, still helps out at the home apart from being actively involved in education and mission work.

She said that of the 14 sisters staying in the Assunta Convent, 12 were above 60.

“The FMM is an international order headquartered in Rome. The FMM missionary sisters are attached to the main order founded by St Francis, and we live by our patron saint’s values of joy, simplicity, hospitality and preference for the poor by reaching out to the marginalised.

“The FMM sisters in Malay-sia are attached to various schools and pre-schools, while others handle pastoral care at Assunta Hospital, manage the Assunta Chil-dren’s Society or help out with various church services,” said Sister Enda.

A family of sisters: Sister Enda (right) having a chat with Sister Lucia Tchou, 85, at the Assunta Convent, which serves as home to the retired and sick FMM sisters in Malaysia.

Sister Enda, who is also the school’s founder, is presently chairman of its Board of Governors.

She said the retired nuns who hail from South Korea, Vietnam, China and Malaysia kept busy by helping out with the day-to-day running of Assunta Convent or focus on their religious and spiritual work.

“We also get volunteers coming to the home to helps us,” said Sister Enda, who noted that the home is quite crowded and that they are short of beds, as there are more retired nuns, some of whom are afflicted with brain tumour, cancer and heart ailments, staying at the home.

Asked to comment on the Starprobe report on the growing number of old folk being dumped at hospitals and on the streets, Sister Enda said it was saddening to see such acts as Asian values place emphasis on caring for family.

“We must understand their circumstances before judging them as individuals. Surely they could have taken various initiatives before resorting to dumping the old folks,” she said.

Places to go- Africa

Recently, i have been staying at home and watching television very often. One thing about me, i like to watch television and my favourite channel has always been ASTRO 707 Travel & Living. I think travelling is really a great experience for one to experience other countries' culture, foods, beliefs and the way different people live their life everyday. I just watched one of my fav show now on 707- "Places to go with Jennifer Adams."

Jennifer is a travel journalist and this show is really interesting as compared to the others because it does not only show the foods of that country but of the journey that she went through and the people that she meet along her journey. She describes not only of their culture but of her experience through the whole journey.

The show is great and very very interesting. The show i watched just now is about her journey in Africa. She went to places like Kenya and Tanzania. She went up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania- a trip that cost her 5 days. Really a tiring journey. Before that journey, the guide taught Jennifer and her boyfriend, Clint to adopt their culture of "poli poli" which means slowly, slowly in Swahili. (Swahili is a Bantu language that serves as an alternative first language to various groups traditionally inhabiting about 1,500 miles of the Southeast African (Swahili has no true native speakers as it is a language not affiliated to an ethnicity). And eventually with that in mind, they took their time in climbing the mountain and made it to the peak. I like this saying because it really encourages one to experience the journey rather than just hoping to reach the peak instantly. It also helps one to have faith and courage to face things one step at a time because life is really too short and we should take it slowly and enjoy what we have right now. Right?



And of course, how can you go to Africa without experiencing and witnessing the animal kingdom. It's one of the most natural , free and untouched environment that one can witness the cycle of life itself. It is really amazing and by showing that, i really would like to say Africa will definitely be in my list of places to go once i can afford it. I like watching shows from this channel and will never get bored of it. It's the only medium that can take me to places without having me to even take one step out of the house. It also definitely because i want to travel around one day, one day..hopefully it will come soon.

Fast and Furious 4

The plot.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker team up again for Fast & Furious 4, the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed- Fast And Furious. Dominic Toretto ( Vin Diesel) spent the last eight years with his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) in the Dominican Republic, out of reach of the US police. But as his pursuers close in on him, it not only threatens his own safety, but also that of his gang. In order to protect Lettie, Dom goes away secretly, leaving Letty and his comrades behind. But soon after Dom learns from his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) that Letty has been killed in Los Angeles. Dom enters the United States unnoticed by the authorities and watches the funeral from afar and the police observe Mia after Letty’s death. At the crash site Dom finds clues to her murderer and keeps track of him.

LAPD cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), who let Dom escape eight years ago, is on Dom’s heels again. Brian also wants to arrest drug baron Antonio Braga, who smuggles vast quantities of heroin over the border with the help of top drivers. A competition flares up between Brian and Dom, for Braga’s commander Campos (John Ortiz) is looking for one driver only. Both men try to win the race through Downtown L.A. to be admitted to Braga’s team and get at the boss.

Debunking beauty myths- Oprah.com

5 myths

Lie: Eighty percent of your lifetime sun damage occurs before age 18.

Truth: "This statistic had become almost a mantra among dermatologists," says Katie Rodan, MD, adjunct assistant professor of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "But now we're very happy to be proved wrong." A recent study revealed that we actually get only 23 percent of our total UV exposure by age 18. At 40 it reaches about 46 percent; by 59, 74 percent. "No one can say anymore, 'I've already blown it,'" says Rodan. "You can still prevent sun-induced aging by getting serious about sunscreen."


Lie: Sleep deprivation causes dark undereye circles.

Truth: Sleep deprivation can lead to many things—memory lapses and weight gain among them. But you can thank your folks for the shadows under your eyes. "Dark undereye circles are the result of a concentration of veins beneath the very thin skin in that area," says David J. Leffell, MD, professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. "They're determined by genetics and won't change with more or less sleep." Frequent late nights may cause fluid retention under your eyes, however, and that puffiness can draw attention to existing darkness there.

Lie: Greasy food and chocolate cause breakouts.

Truth: Have you ever heard this one debunked before? Then why do you still believe it? The truth is that sushi and shellfish are the only foods that may exacerbate acne, because of their high iodine content, says Diane Berson, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at Weil Medical College of Cornell University.


Lie: Drinking lots of water hydrates the skin.

Truth: The moisture level in your skin is affected by environment (low humidity or harsh winds) and age (oil production slows over time), but not by how many trips you make to the watercooler. "You can hydrate the skin only from the outside, with moisturizer," says Rodan. "Skin isn't like a plant that wilts and then perks up with a drink of water." If you became extremely dehydrated (usually as a result of illness), your skin could begin to look sallow. (You'd also probably start to feel weak and dizzy.) "But as long as you respond to your thirst, your body will be maximally hydrated," says Dennis Gross, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.



Lie: Crossing your legs causes varicose veins.

Truth: Genetics, pregnancy, and spending long periods of time on your feet cause varicose veins. "Crossing your legs does put some pressure on your veins, but you would have to keep them crossed 12 hours a day for months at a time to see an effect on the formation of varicose veins," says Berson.


Do you believe in these ?? Me? im not sure about the dehydration part though. You?

Oprah says

Oprah believes this story can be a teaching moment for every teen and parent. "Love doesn't hurt," she says. "And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again."

This is what Oprah commented after the Rihanna -Chris Brown incident and dedicated a whole week of her show to discussing domestic violence issue.

It's the story that has brought dating violence into the national spotlight. On February 8, 2009, police responded to a 911 call alleging domestic violence between singers Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Later that day, both pulled out of planned appearances at the Grammy Awards, and Chris turned himself into police. He was arrested on the suspicion of making criminal threats and was released on bail.

Weeks later, rumors of their reconciliation were reported.

On March 5, 2009, Chris appeared in court, charged with two counts of felony assault. His arraignment has been postponed until April 2009 while he remains free on bail.

Statistics say about one in three high school students have been—or will be—involved in an abusive relationship. "The message this story sends to teen girls and boys everywhere is disturbing, and it is also dangerous," Oprah says. "We need to try to evolve from this moment … use this as a moment to allow our society to begin to grow."

But do you believe that if a man hit you again, he will definitely do it again? I definitely do because i think a man, however angry, sad, depressed he is, he should and never hit the woman that he love. No matter what, it is really not right even if some people would say that "Oh, she deserves it". Well, hear me out, nobody deserves to get punch and hit like that, NOBODY!

Slumdog with mickey

I think this is a great photo of the Slumdog family!

Slumdog wins 8 Oscars

India celebrates Slumdog Millionaire's eight-Oscar victory

After weeks of controversy over the film's depiction of life in Mumbai's slums and the paycheques of its child stars, the subcontinent has embraced Danny Boyle's crowdpleaser

• Randeep Ramesh in Delhi
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 February 2009 07.06 GMT

Embraced ... Danny Boyle with Rubina Ali, one of the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire, and one of the film's eight Oscars. Photograph: Chris Carlson/AP

India finally laid claim to Slumdog Millionaire – after weeks of controversy the country basked in the glory of the film's eight Oscars, the most of any movie this year, including the top prize of

News channels broadcasting live commentary of the Hollywood event called the presentation of the best film award – when Slumdog's vast cast and crew took to the dais – a "victory for India". Shown repeatedly was the clip of the movie's producer Christian Colson speaking of the "shared love of the extraordinary city of Mumbai".

Cameras shot celebrations erupting in the family homes of AR Rahman, the composer who took home two golden statuettes, and Resul Pookutty, the Bollywood sound engineer who was part of the winning sound mixing team.

The star for India was definitely Rahman, known as the Mozart of Madras, who picked up the Oscar for best original score before scooping the best song award moments later.

He thrilled the home audience by speaking in his native Tamil, closing his second acceptance speech with the evocation: "God is great." His sister, Rehana, told Indian television that "we won't lose Rahman to Hollywood … he belongs to everyone but he's Indian".

The film's use of Indian actors and the country's landscape produced a welter of stories in the national press, ranging from fascination with the rapid ascent of Mumbai model Freida Pinto to the pages of Vogue; the controversy over whether child actors from the slums had been paid enough; and even the bad Hindi spoken by British Asian actor Dev Patel.

There was almost universal praise for Slumdog Millionaire's director Danny Boyle for choosing to capture, in the words of Bollywood lyricist Gulzar, "the spirit of Mumbai". "I am thrilled and happy ... Danny and Rahman helped to capture the spirit of this city," said the songwriter who penned the lyrics of Slumdog's winning song, Jai Ho.

A debate raged before the awards about whether the film could be described as authentically Indian. Film-maker Boyle, who won for best director and was previously best known for the frenetically bleak Trainspotting, is British. So is Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for adapting the novel Q&A by Indian writer and diplomat Vikas Swarup.

But Mahesh Manjrekar, an actor who plays a gangster in the movie, told Indian television after the awards that "[Slumdog] is beautifully shot and it's an understanding film. Actually it's a Hindi movie shot in the English language. Danny is an Indian guy disguised as a Britisher."

The euphoria saw tributes flood in from India's most prominent actors and film-makers. Anurag Kashyap, the current enfant terrible of Bollywood, told Times Now that it was time for "all of India to celebrate". The country's president and prime minister also congratulated the "Indian winners" at the Academy Awards.

The movie, a fairytale of a boy from the slums who wins both love and money on a TV game show, was criticised by some in India for purveying "poverty porn". Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actor who became a star in Britain after winning Celebrity Big Brother, told newspapers that she felt "that internationally recognised films focus more on our slums and poverty".

However, such sentiments appear to have disappeared in the dawn chorus of congratulation. Reengo, a film-maker from Kolkata, told NDTV that "the success will energise producers, actors and directors all over India. I loved the movie and all of Indian cinema will be celebrating".

India has actually provided the inspiration for two of this year's Oscar winners. US film-maker Megan Mylan won the best documentary short Oscar for Smile Pinki, which is in Hindi and focuses on the work of Dr Subodh Kumar Singh in north India, whose surgery treats poor children born with a cleft lip. The main character who provides the title of the film is Pinki Sonkar. The eight-year-old attended the Oscars ceremony, along with the child actors of Slumdog Millionaire.

Slumdog Millionaire

So i watched "Slumdog Millionaire" last night. I really wanted to watch this award winning movie but as i enter the theatre, there was only about 20 people in there and so i wonder "what's wrong?". I have confidence that it is a great movie but it doesn't seem like it for other Malaysians. And you know what, the movie was great, probably one of the few among the best that i have watched. It was really great, the selection of the actor and actresses, the child stars and most importantly, the plot. The story line was great and it takes place in India. It shows the culture and the way people live there. Well, here i mean they show the life of the poor people. It really touched me of the way they live and how a child grow up in that place without proper food, education and shelter. I really pitied the way they live and this is the kind of culture that i want to see when i visit a country. Overall, i would really want to watch the movie again. It is really great and i highly recommend that you get yourself to the nearest cinema and watch. It is great and please be reminded that it does not mean that you have to be indian to be related to this movie. It is a really amazing movie and the people of india should be very proud of this movie
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This is one of the summary taken online.
The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. Each chapter of Jamal's increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show's seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out. At the heart of its storytelling lies the question of how anyone comes to know the things they know about life and love. Written by Fox Searchlight Pictures



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