.: Little arcadia :.

Linked worlds.

"Shout to the world! Because we care for the children!"

The words of a friend

With the sun shinning high above our heads, we braced ourselves and hiked through what seemed like a never-ending timeless trail to the unknown. Completely surrounded by the wilderness; the majestic trees, flowing rivers and challenging path didn't deter us from going further into the forest. We were there on a quest, and we shall carry out that quest even if it means letting every single bloodsucker suck out every single drop of blood we had in us.

Little girl :: I don't want to learn English. It is difficult.

Me :: How about we do some simple word plays? I'll tell you a funny story based on this picture but I will mix the story with some English words. After I'm done, I will ask the items in English and you have to point it to me. After that, I will start asking the items in Malay and you have to point it to me and say it in English. I think that's fairly easy. :)

Several moments later.

Little girl :: That was fun! Can we do that with other pictures too? Tell me another story!

Some people have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.

Abraham H. Maslow

The journey may had been wearisome to some of us city folks. However, the extensive amount of warmth, laughter and smiles from these little angels certainly made it worth all the while. Wherein within this little settlement which is appropriately tucked away from the hustles and bustles that city life has to offer, we made time and shared with them the basics of secular knowledge.

In return, these little angels with their inborn sense of wonder and pure innocence showed us the path to rediscover what it means to live a life filled with simplicity, meaning and gratitude to the brim. The very essence which enabled us to rejuvenate our entire lifeless souls to once again experience life in utter bliss, joy, excitement and mystery in a myriad of unimaginable ways.

Photo Credit :: Third photo courtesy of Lacoste Jay.

Unending yesterday.

1.02pm Malaysian Time

.: Book keepers :.

Advocating literacy.

Our Little Book Keepers

Initiated by Raleigh KL, the prime objectives for this project is to promote literacy among the children from the rural villages in Sabah as well as to create public awareness pertaining to their welfare.

Therefore, Raleigh KL aim to gather and send more than 211 books to children aged between 4 to 12 years old by 1st October 2011. The books; in English or Malay can be hand-me-downs (good condition) or new ones and the content should not consist of anything negative or relating to religion, death, illness, politics, divorce etc.

For more info, please visit their FB links:

1. FB Event
2. FB Page

Or you may email me directly. Whichever is more convenient. :)

。。。 ~ 。。。

Reading I supposed was one of the first forms of unrestricted indulgence I ever had, whereby my childhood centered around the works of Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, R.L. Stine, The Bookworm Club, fables and yes, those happily ever after fairy tales. It didn't take long for me to develop the excessive compulsive behavior of collecting every single book in the series or by the author and stashing it at every possible nook and cranny at home. Fortunately for me, I have an awesome family and they didn't mind one bit.

However, sometimes my mum and aunt will harp on me because my books are often scattered everywhere. I have it on my bed, in my bag, on my computer table, in the car, on my printer, in the living room, even on the bedroom floor! So every week I have to allocate some time just to sort and place them back on the shelves, in the drawers or if I can't find space, I'll seal them in boxes and store it in the storeroom. Just one of the nasty habits I have yet to overcome. Not that I'm planning to overcome it any sooner. :)

Hence, the moment I heard about this project, I went ballistic. For someone who has her nose stuck in books throughout most of her lifetime, I hope the children will enjoy the books as much as I did as I have the opinion that besides promoting literacy and instilling the love of reading, what we are really doing is to let them know that there are people out there who truly cares for them and their well-being.

For now the only gift we can offer is the gift of reading, but this gift comes with knowledge and may that knowledge open the paths for them to have a better future, insha'Allah. [God willing]

Grassroots level.

12.51 noon Malaysian Time