Childhood story

 

I still remember one of the great moments when I was young. I lived with my grandparents since I was four- year-old as my parents had been busy with their business. My grandparents lived in a nice wooden house with only four rooms. I lived there together my late great grandparent whom the only one of my great grandparents which left during that time. The front lawn of my grandparent house was always kept clean and tidy. At the backyard garden, my grandmother had planted numerous of vegetables for consumption. There were also chicken coop and bam for cows. My growing up years was often spent playing with my friends in the neighborhood. I used to play hide and seek so often with them always during our free time. My days were happy ones before I started going to school, as I had nice neighbor to play with from morning till evening. We played game outdoor, dressed like a crazy people and rode about on our own tricycle happily. Sometimes we create our own games to play with. It such a happy moment I have been experienced.

 

At the age of five years, I had to attend kindergarten and this turned out to be quite an ordeal for me. To begin with, I felt very sad having to leave my mother and go off each morning and go off each morning to be among strangers. I cried sadly wished that my mom to be around, much to my teacher’s displeasure. As days went by, however I made friends easily in class and found company. I became happy again and actually looked forward to leaving the house each morning. I still remember those days when I was learning to ride a bicycle. I fell and bruised myself several times but I never gave up. Finally, I was able to join my friends going around the neighborhood on my new bike.

 

When I was child the world seemed to be a place of joy and happiness to me. There was nothing worth worrying about. Whenever I cried somebody picked me up. When I did not like to sit alone, I was always in somebody’s arm. I was not born in a rich family. So my mother always looked-after me. I was not kept under the care of a hired nurse. When I was six years old I was sent to a small but nice school. Soon I made friends with two or three girls. Even now I clearly remember faces of my school friends and teachers. When I was young I did not like my school teacher because sometimes he used to punish me when I failed to finish up my homework. I went to school quite early in the morning because I used to take the school bus every day. But as I grow interested in my studies I enjoyed going to school.

 When I was ten years old, I had gone with some friends to a neighboring village on pool. I did not inform my parents. We didn’t return back home till it was very dark. My parents were very anxious. They searched for us everywhere, but I could not be found. At last, when they saw me coming back late at night, my father jumped towards me. He held me firmly by my arm. It was good for me that I have not being scolded by him.

 

Childhood Story

An outdoor play is in danger of eroding with children spending less time than ever playing on the street
in favour of sitting in front of computers and the TV. Here we felt a pang of sadness. After all, who didn't love running at breakneck speed to escape the one on it or scrambling up the nearest tree for that perfect hiding spot? We decided to list our favourite childhood games - many of which we wish we could still indulge in...

CANKERS

The beauty of this is in simplicity . Choose your conker, thread it, then go forth and conquer (excuse the pum) in the playground.

What could be more satisfying? And its organic too.

 

CHAIN TAG
Like solo tag, but without the isolation anxiety.
Once you get tagged by someone who's "it" you're part of the chain and get to chase everyone else around until there's one left in the corner. Genius, if admittedly a formula for scrapped knees.

  

HIDE AND SEEK

"Ready or not, here I come..."

How is it that those words still leave us with an almost atavistic tendency to dive underneath the nearest desk in paroxysms of fear and delight? A king among childhood games.

CAT'S CRADLE

This tricky game of looping string together in a prescribed way requires precision and lots of patience. Repetitive but somehow addictive, it finds its charm in getting the sequence right - then doing it again and again. We lost hours to this game back when we were young.

RING A' RING O' ROSES

Folklore finds the origins of this rhyme from disease and need to ward it off. Nowadays, it only keeps very small children entertained and the crux of it is the falling down bit, which you do as loudly and boisterously as possible.

PIGGYBACK RACES

No matter how unlikely (given the existence of gravity, and all), we always convinced ourselves that we could easily carry our older brother to the lamppost down the street. And, somehow, we always just about managed it.

by, Aimi

Childhood Story

In many times I think childhood is the best time of all. I really miss the time when I was a child. Miss to see a traditional game that I always play when I was a child is playing back by children nowadays. First time in my life I have wanted to go to school early just because I want to play with my friends before start class.

 When I was a child at my home area there are many boys. So I have some kind character boys at that time. I skip the class because I want to follow them to catch berudu in drain or play with chicken. I still remember when I was in years 5; I was chased by hen because I disturb her eggs. When plays with a girl we usually play hide and seek, “masak-masak” and “kawin kawin”.

We always used to play games based on nature only like Konda Kondi, Congkak, Dam, Rebut Tiang, Guli, Tutup Botol, Baling selipar, Batu Seremban, Ting-Ting, Galah panjang, Gasing , layang-layang, tutup botol, getah and so on.

Now there are no more children who wanted to play the game, because I see a lot of tadpoles just sit quietly in the drain in peace without being disturbed. Hahaha. Children today don’t know anything about the game once before because now they all are busy playing games online. After that parents had bought an iPad, PSP, game boy, tab, hand phone and so on for their children.

But I understand; now day’s technology is better days by days. We have to follow the times. By the way I still love my childhood life.

by, Syiqin

Cultural Taboos

Believe it or not, even now in year’s 2013 there are still many people who believe in taboos until we are not realize that we grew up with all this kind of custom and taboos. For example there are taboo before we get married, and during pregnancy. In Malaysia, the taboo is very famous among the community of Malay, China and India.

Taboos are a trust among people in the past which it is related with the customs and cultural heritage of their ancestors. Most of taboos that are practice in life is handed down orally from generation to educate the public especially young people in order to lead them be a better person.

Among the common taboo I have heard are as follows:

- Cannot walk through under a drying cloth. Because it can cause headache. Actually they don’t want the shirt fells to the ground. So one thing is going to wash it again.

-Cannot keep change the place of eat during meals, or we are forbidden sleep after eat. Actually the meaning behind the ban is for our health. There is no time the food to digest during sleep. It will make us be an eager or lazy to do work.

-   - Girls cannot sit by the stairs. When girl just sit by the stairs, people will assume they are lazy to do housework.

-          Girls who are not married cannot sing in the kitchen, as feared would be delayed marriage. When girls singing in the kitchen, there is a possibility they will be splashed saliva into the dish or food in the pot.

-          Do not open an umbrella inside the house afraid if lightning will strike. But not actually. When umbrella is open, space will become limited and difficult to pass.

-          “Do not sit on the pillow, or else you will lest infected boil around your butt. Whereas the pillow actually is use to put head for sleep.

Ever heard of the taboos about pregnancy? Indeed many taboos that sometimes it feels like no deck in mind. I don’t want to deny all this taboo, but for me all this rule is shirk. I just believe everything happens is the will of God. I do not really believe the things this little nonsense but sometimes I’m afraid what if I do not follow that fear also happen as what my parents tell me.

In my opinions taboos are usually included in the custom molds and culture, rather than directly from religion. As the Malays some customs and culture was built on the basic principles of Islamic architecture. However, it cannot escape from the influence of other religions, superstitious elements and mystical nature. In case like this we take one basic principles of Islam- Stay away from harmful things, and do things that are beneficial. But in other respects, many taboos may actually understood the purpose of it existence which can be thought logically, although there was also has nature of superstitions. For example, pregnant women are prohibited to sew. This is to avoid any possible bad happened on mother her baby. But if you want to do, please just be careful.

As my conclusion, do not look at it as a taboo that must be followed, and a big sin if illegal and rejected. If an act is beneficial, and in accordance with Islam, so follow it but if an act causing harm, then leave it. Because taboo is just not only done as a lesson but it is to keep good manners and good behavior so that we do not do things that are not polite. 

Baby Dumping

AN average of 100 babies are reportedly abandoned a year. This number does not take into account those dumped for good without a trace.

Baby dumping is also well known as child abandonment which is mean the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one’s offspring with intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling. Baby dumping refers to parents which is generally mothers abandoning or discarding a child younger than 12 months in a public or private place with the intent of disposing it.

Poverty is often a root of child abandonment. Persons in cultures with poor social welfare systems who are not financially capable of taking care of a child are more likely to abandon them. Political conditions, such as difficulty in adoption proceeding, may also contribute to child abandonment, as can the lack institutions. Another common reason for baby dumping is teenage pregnancies. Pregnant teenagers experience problems during and after childbirth due to social and psychological distress. Abandonment is an alternative to abortion. Education, family planning, post-natal services and support for motherhood are available tools for reducing this problem.

One of the most famous cases of baby dumping is about a teen who tries to flush baby down toilet after giving birth unexpectedly a newborn baby was found dead in a toilet bowl in Tengku Ampuan Hospital in Kuantan. Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Jasmani Yusoff said hospital personnel have detained the baby’s 16-year-old mother for investigations, reported by Berita Harian. He said that she confessed that she left the baby to drown after giving birth early on Thursday morning. The suspect, who goes to a school nearby, was in the hospital to take care of her mother who has a cancer. “When she unexpectedly gave birth, the suspect believed to have panicked and then tried to flush her baby down the toilet, which resulted in its head had being stuck in the bowl,” said ACP Mohd Jasmani who added that firemen had to break the toilet bowl to retrieve the body.

According to research, the main reason why people dump babies was fathers denying paternity. Other reasons include mothers who were still going to school, and mothers that are unaware of foster cares, adoption and institutional care.

“More dialogue is needed between men and women about their roles and responsibility as parents, students an learners in particular need to be targeted with information and options for dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and how they can continue their studies as parents,” the report say.

It also does not take into account the number of unmarried and underage girls who undergo abortions.

The report, "Baby alive when tossed from apartment" (NST, Sept 18) about a 21-year-old factory worker who threw her newborn from a third-floor apartment to conceal the illegitimate birth.

Babies have been dumped in some of the most appalling places, such as down toilet bowls, rubbish dumps, rivers, rubbish bins and abandoned buildings.

In the latest case of baby dumping, "Teen flushes newborn baby down toilet" (NST, Sept 28), a 17-year-old flushed her newborn down the toilet in Kemaman, Terengganu.

Why these teenagers do what they do, although thoroughly sickening, is quite understandable-society leaves them with no other option.

Young girls who give birth to babies out of wedlock often find themselves in a precarious situation.

Most were either deceived or cheated into having sex with their boyfriends. And when they find themselves pregnant, they are left to fend for themselves.

The girls are unable to open up to their families for fear of being disowned. The social stigma attached to premarital pregnancies forces them to conceal and abandon the babies, leading to horrifying deaths.

World Poverty

Poverty is defined in many ways. The dictionary definition simply does not suffice to show the human cost of poverty. Poverty is much more than the limited capital resources that this definition suggests. Poverty is defined by the federal government as 16,660 for a family of four in 1998 (“Child Poverty in the United States” 2000). These figures are tremendously flawed; a single individual residing in the United States would not fare well by the standards of most individuals at this income level. Individuals in Laos, Cuba, Ecuador, or many other nations however, would live as kings on this income. Poverty is, therefore a subjective concept far more complicated than a yearly income.

The individual most harshly affected by poverty are those who are the most powerless to do anything about it,children. Research indicates that extreme poverty in the first five years of life alters a child’s chances in life compared to lesser degrees of poverty in later life. This is the result of several key factors. The first problem associated with poverty is poor nutrition. It has been proven that poor nutrition leads to lower intelligence, poor physical development, and diminished immunity to disease. “Children deprived of proper nutrition during the brain’s most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and general knowledge.

Many people do not know how big of an effect poverty has on the health issues that we face. Health issues are a main concern for countries with high poverty populations. Poverty affects the way we act and live, and our health affects the way that we behave in the real world. Poverty affects our health in many ways including obesity, mental health and diseases, child development, social status, and our homes. Poverty is an important global issue because it plays a role in the estimated one billion people who lack access to health care systems. Developing cities, such as Beijing, are facing a widening range of health problems due to changes in lifestyle. Social status or social class is defined as people who occupy the same layer of the socioeconomic hierarchy. There are six different categories within the American Class Structure. They are upper class, upper middle-class, middle class, working class, lower class, and the under-class.

Poverty, also know as the “silent killer which exists in every corner of the world. The death rate of poverty children is a staggering number; about 9 million children die each year. Some view poverty as people not being able to afford an occupational meal or having to skip a meal to save money. Living the life of poverty is like living on a rapid downward spinning spiral towards failure. If you were born into poverty there is a slim chance of you making a brighter future for yourself. In some countries, especially Africa, they have a law that states if you’re contagious then you can’t go to school. Most kids in poverty are chronically ill, therefore seldom going to get an education. The lack of education is a major difficulty for these children later in life.

Lately I have been thinking to myself, “Why are so many people begging for change, sitting on the streets, scoping out for some sort of food?” It is not everyday that we see situations like this, but it is out there constantly without all of us knowing it. Some states have more issues of poverty than others, but it is sad to think of how many people are actually considered to be in poverty. This is an inequality that concerns me a lot, and is getting worse daily. Poverty in the United States refers to people whose annual family income is less than a poverty line set by the United States government. Poverty is widespread, caused by numerous different factors such as failing markets, structural problems, unfortunate mishaps, and poor individual choices, but these can all be addressed and eventually we will hopefully pull more people out of poverty.

Global institutions are seen to be the better solution to help prevent world poverty in developing nations. The reason for this is that global institutions have better defined institutional structures. A global institution is an organization with hierarchical structures, having departments and agencies assigned with specific tasks. They generally generate internal resources for their operations. A non-governmental organization (NGO), on the other hand, is “a non-profit making organization, usually staffed by volunteers, that depends largely on donations and grants for its operations” (United Nations). Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. Poor children are the most prone to this and are often the victims to malnutrition, deficiencies, diseases and ultimately deaths caused by hunger.The persons who are in the position must have enough knowledge about the solutions on the problem. They should make a step by step process to ensure the proper on the global major problem.

Impoliteness

Impoliteness is a noun from etymology of the word 'impolite + -ness' to display a bad manner of etiquette in a group or culture, setting or individual circumstances. Another word that related to the impoliteness is a not polite or courteous, rudeness, incivility, disrespect, insolent, an impolite reply. Some people classify impoliteness as the use of intentionally face threatening acts. sometimes people might know they are disrespect. It could be a friends, family, or co-workers.

We all know the clear examples of rude behaviour, such as gossip, criticizing people, and judge people by physically. There are, however, other types of rude behaviour which many young people render themselves very impolite:

1. Smoking in Non-smoking Areas
2. Telling someone to "listen" while you are talking to them.
3. leaving meeting before it is closed
4. Misuse of Handicap Privileges
5. Cell Phone Abuse
6. Littering
7. Laughing at the mistakes of others 

HOW TO DEAL WITH RUDE PEOPLE

Many times in our life we will meet rude people that we dislike, but we'll still have to pretend to like them anyway because rude people seem to be everywhere. While it may be the right of a person to behave in a rude manner, this does not make it the right thing to do. There are a few things we need to remember when dealing with rude people.

1.         Approach The Situation With A Rude Person Calmly.

Just because you may understand another person’s motivation, it does not mean that their behaviour is justified. Try to understand their perspective first.

Don't be aggressive or lose your temper, as that will only escalate the situation. Don't try to refute what the person said or engage in their conversation. Don't engage them in any sort of fight or argument, physical or otherwise just to prove yourself to them. That will also only worsen the situation.

2.         Do Not Become Angry

When the person in question does something rude or offensive to you, politely but firmly call them out on their inappropriate behaviour. Look at them in the eye and ask them to please stop provoking you.

Good phrases to use are:

 "Please stop, I don't appreciate your behaviour"

Or

 "There's no need for such aggressiveness/rudeness/insulting comments/etc here."

 Angry toward a rude person will accomplish nothing. Many times, it does nothing but raises tensions, increases your stress levels and makes matters worse.

4.         Confront The Rude Behaviour.

If you think that the rudeness is based on a resolvable misunderstanding, you can ask them why they are behaving this way. If they give a rational response that you can address, go for it. If you can resolve the tension, that's the best possible scenario. At the same time, you may just unleash a flurry of angry nonsense that fails to justify their actions. At that point, recognize you've done all you can and proceed with the next step.

Some people genuinely don't realize they're being rude. They may not have learned certain social skills. In case you have encountered someone like this, you may want to politely inform that they have been rude. You'll generally get an apology straight away. If not, it may just take patience or avoidance.

5.         Ignore the Rudeness Person

 If it's not inconvenient for you to switch offices or make some other change to avoid running into this person, take that step. You shouldn't let one person speak your life or make huge sacrifices for them, but it will definitely help to not have them in your presence.

6.         Don't Over Think The Situation.

 After you've confronted someone about their behaviour and things haven't improved, you need to draw a line to accept that you've done as much as you possibly could to improve relations with them. There's no more thought that you need to give to the situation. Don't over analyse your behaviour or theirs, your history of interactions, etc. Move on with your life and restore your common sense by banishing this rude person from your thoughts. Someone who is so hurtful towards you does not deserve any more of your energy.