Happy hour in the loo

For Origami lovers

Wonder whether to get this. I wanna give to someone....

Best time to take down some notes in your mind when you are alone.

I think many mothers will love to get this for their children who always  have the excuse in spending long hours in the washroom rather than doing their homework.

Wanna advertise on the toilet rolls?

Remember to bring color pencils to the washroom.

Having constipation is no longer a suffering time in the washroom.

Warning: Don't laugh too loud in the washroom. For those who are waiting outside wouldn't be happy to hear that!

Mind trainer in the washroom. Lols.

For music lover?

In order to finish the comic, one person will use one roll of toilet paper for their each visit?

Child Abuse

Child abuse is more than bruises or broken bones. While physical abuse is shocking due to the scars it leaves, not all child abuse is as obvious. Ignoring children’s needs, putting them in unsupervised, dangerous situations, or making a child feel worthless or stupid are also child abuse. Regardless of the type of child abuse, the result is serious emotional harm.

Effects of child abuse and neglect

All types of child abuse and neglect leave lasting scars. Some of these scars might be physical, but emotional scarring has long lasting effects throughout life, damaging a child’s sense of self, ability to have healthy relationships, and ability to function at home, at work and at school. Some effects include:

• Lack of trust and relationship difficulties. If you can’t trust your parents, who can you trust? Abuse by a primary caregiver damages the most fundamental relationship as a child—that you will safely, reliably get your physical and emotional needs met by the person who is responsible for your care. Without this base, it is very difficult to learn to trust people or know who is trustworthy. This can lead to difficulty maintaining relationships due to fear of being controlled or abused. It can also lead to unhealthy relationships because the adult doesn’t know what a good relationship is.
• Core feelings of being “worthless” or “damaged.” If you’ve been told over and over again as a child that you are stupid or no good, it is very difficult to overcome these core feelings. You may experience them as reality. Adults may not strive for more education, or settle for a job that may not pay enough, because they don’t believe they can do it or are worth more. Sexual abuse survivors, with the stigma and shame surrounding the abuse, often especially struggle with a feeling of being damaged. 
• Trouble regulating emotions. Abused children cannot express emotions safely. As a result, the emotions get stuffed down, coming out in unexpected ways. Adult survivors of child abuse can struggle with unexplained anxiety, depression, or anger. They may turn to alcohol or drugs to numb out the painful feelings.

Types of child abuse

There are several types of child abuse, but the core element that ties them together is the emotional effect on the child. Children need predictability, structure, clear boundaries, and the knowledge that their parents are looking out for their safety. Abused children cannot predict how their parents will act. Their world is an unpredictable, frightening place with no rules. Whether the abuse is a slap, a harsh comment, stony silence, or not knowing if there will be dinner on the table tonight, the end result is a child that feel unsafe, uncared for, and alone. 

Emotional child abuse

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me? Contrary to this old saying, emotional abuse can severely damage a child’s mental health or social development, leaving lifelong psychological scars. Examples of emotional child abuse include:

• Constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating a child
• Calling names and making negative comparisons to others
• Telling a child he or she is “no good," "worthless," "bad," or "a mistake."
• Frequent yelling, threatening, or bullying.
• Ignoring or rejecting a child as punishment, giving him or her the silent treatment.
• Limited physical contact with the child—no hugs, kisses, or other signs of affection.
• Exposing the child to violence or the abuse of others, whether it be the abuse of a parent, a sibling, or even a pet.

Child neglect

Child neglect—a very common type of child abuse—is a pattern of failing to provide for a child's basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, or supervision. Child neglect is not always easy to spot. Sometimes, a parent might become physically or mentally unable to care for a child, such as with a serious injury, untreated depression, or anxiety. Other times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously impair judgment and the ability to keep a child safe.
Older children might not show outward signs of neglect, becoming used to presenting a competent face to the outside world, and even taking on the role of the parent. But at the end of the day, neglected children are not getting their physical and emotional needs met.

Physical child abuse

Physical abuse involves physical harm or injury to the child. It may be the result of a deliberate attempt to hurt the child, but not always. It can also result from severe discipline, such as using a belt on a child, or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age or physical condition.
Many physically abusive parents and caregivers insist that their actions are simply forms of discipline—ways to make children learn to behave. But there is a big difference between using physical punishment to discipline and physical abuse. The point of disciplining children is to teach them right from wrong, not to make them live in fear.

(Copied & edited from http://helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm)

One of my friend's son has been mentally abused in the kindergarten for the past 2 years in Kuching. The parents only found out after they pulled out the kid. The principal, teachers are all involve in this!

The son's condition is bad now, still undergo treatment in Sarawak General Hospital. I had adviced my friend to report this case to the police so that other children who are still inside can be saved (the boy can say out all the names of his classmates who were abused). Too bad her son's condition caused her suffers too much, and she worries the police will not believe in what her son says because he is now 'mentally unstable'.

We all know that the best time for children to learn and build up their self-esteem is at the age of 0-6 years old. It is so sad to know that those in private kindergarten schools' teachers/principals are not loving, patience in teaching but only see money. They take in all the children, naughty or not, they don't mind as they just lock them up in the toilet, storeroom and even cupboard when the kids 'misbehaved'. No matter how hard the children cried, they just ignored. They threatened the children who got 'punished' not to tell their parents else they will get lock up again the next day. Poor kids don't dare to mention a word to their parents. They just suppress the fear with mixed and confused feelings.

My friend is unwilling to reveal her name nor her son's, afraid the principal or teachers will take revenge and put her family in danger. As a parent, I feel so heartbroken to hear all these. 


Do leave some comments/suggestions for us to refer. Thanks!

Abuse in Schools is OUT!

ABUSE IN SCHOOLS IS OUT!
By Jordan Riak
1998

---

Abusive treatment of schoolchildren, often misrepresented as discipline, punishment or chastisement, is wrong and dangerous. Informed and responsible educators have known for a long time that both physical and non-physical mistreatment of children by their teachers is unprofessional behavior; that it can destroy children's enthusiasm for learning and set the stage for serious emotional and behavioral problems. For that reason, no college or university teacher-training program instructs undergraduates how to frighten, hit, manhandle, scream at, berate, humiliate or otherwise hurt children.

The large majority of teachers are competent and caring professionals who do not mistreat children physically or emotionally, and most school administrators set high standards for teacher behavior within their schools. Sadly, however, in some schools there are teachers who are unsuited to their profession and who habitually hurt children, and some school administrators who lack the will or ability to maintain high professional standards in their school. Some administrators are themselves abusive toward children and therefore are incapable of setting a good standard for teachers.

Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE) continually receives complaints about abuse to schoolchildren and the list that follows has been compiled from those complaints.

Variety of mistreatment of schoolchildren

Paddling...

Spanking...

Slapping...

Cuffing...

Grabbing...

Shaking...

Dragging...

Shoving...

Pinching...

Pulling a child's hair or ear...

Finger jabbing a child's face or ribs...

Squeezing a child's cheeks...

 Lifting a child up by the clothing or by the neck...

Banging a child against the wall...

Hurling objects at a child...

Striking a desk top with a book or ruler in order to startle children...

Shutting a child in a box or closet...

Forcing noxious substances into a child's mouth...

Forcing a child to remain sitting, standing or motionless for long periods of time...

Denying the child the use of the lavatory...

Allowing or encouraging bullies to torment a child...

Turning a blind eye to hazing...

Delegating the right to a student, sometimes called a "prefect” or "captain," to physically punish other students...

Provoking, taunting or challenging a child to violence...

Taping a child's mouth shut...

Tying a child to the desk...

Forcing a child to do push-ups or run laps...

Denying adequate free time for recess or lunch...

Threatening, cursing or screaming at a child or at a group of children...

Using fear of punishment to motivate a child to study hard and master tasks...

Insulting a child about poor performance, appearance, choice of friends, etc....

Confiscating or damaging a child's personal property...

Labeling or spreading malicious gossip about a child or a child's family...

Proclaiming to the whole class that a particular child is headed for no good–that he or she will become a delinquent or a failure...

Setting unrealistic standards of performance in order to guarantee a child's failure...

Deliberately ignoring a child who needs help...

Refusing to acknowledge or reward a child's improvement...

Using sarcasm and put-downs when addressing a child...

Badgering or taunting a child to the point of an outburst and then punishing the child for loss of control...

Punishing a group of children for the misbehavior of an individual...

Punishing an individual as an example to the group...

Causing a child to be humiliated in front of peers...

Calling into question a boy's masculinity because of late development, lack of interest or ability in sports, reluctance to fight with other boys...

Calling into question a girl's morals because of early development...

Impugning a girl’s femininity because she excels at traditionally male activities...

Leading a child into inappropriately intimate or sexually suggestive conversation or acts...

Setting up a child to be scapegoated...

Making a child the butt of the teacher's humor...

Pitting child against child, group against group...

Having children spy on each other...

Isolating a child from the group for a protracted period...

Undermining a child's social status and encouraging the group to ostracize the child...

Undermining trust and communication between child and parent(s)...

Misrepresenting a child's learning disability as a "discipline problem"...

Blaming a child's family situation for school-caused emotional problems...

Persuading a family to administer personality-altering drugs to the child so as to make the child more placid and tractable while at school...

Retaliating against a child because of a dispute with the parent(s)...

Creating a dossier or "criminal record" of a child in order to undermine the child's credibility or to hold over the child's head as a threat or bargaining chip...

Coercing a child to make false statements about others or remain silent about witnessed events...

Coercing a child to make a written confession...

Preventing a child who is in a state of distress from telephoning home...

The preceding is by no means a complete list.

It is important for all parents to know that they have a fundamental right–a moral obligation, in fact–to protect their children from mistreatment by anybody. Let your child's teachers and your school principal know that no one has your permission, nor the moral right, to hit, threaten, humiliate, degrade or otherwise abuse your child. Instruct your child never to submit to any act of aggression by any adult. Your failure to ensure a safe, nurturing, joyful environment for your schoolchild, particularly in the earliest years, may have painful and costly consequences later.

If your child is physically abused by any adult, including a school principal, teacher, coach, bus driver or ANYBODY, immediately remove the child from the abusive environment, assure the child of your full support and seek medical treatment for any bruise or injury even if it appears minor. Obtain a copy of the examining physician's report. You have a right to it. Report the incident to the appropriate public health authority and to the police. Injuries that are visible should be professionally photographed without delay and the prints kept by you for future possible legal action.

If the abuse is non-physical, have the child assessed by a psychologist who is qualified in matters of child abuse, but NOT one who is associated with your school district or has been recommended by the school.

When you discuss these matters with the child, listen closely and patiently to what the child says. Your trust in your child will inspire openness and frankness from your child. Do not be surprised if the school's account of events differs from the child's. Do not be surprised if the school seems more intent on shielding an abusive, incompetent teacher than in protecting children who are under the control of that teacher. Do not allow yourself to be worn down by bureaucratic stalling or to be derailed by diversionary tactics.

If you are told that you are the only parent who ever complained about that teacher, or that your child is "making it up," don't accept that. Keep focused on these three points:
1) the child was mistreated,
2) the child should not have been mistreated and
3) you absolutely will not permit the child to be mistreated again. Period.
End of discussion.

 No pupil will be mistreated. You can help make that day come sooner. Share copies of this publication with other concerned people in your community.
Spread the word: ABUSE IN SCHOOLS IS OUT!

Smart & Creative Invention 3

Home-made burger helper.

Cute one.

Use one hand to crack the eggs without fail.

Small table for wine drinkers.

Pour two cups of tea at the same time. Brilliant.

Smart & Creative Invention 2

Banana lovers' kitchen accessories.

Dislike seeds? Here you go!

Who says we need both hands to pour the soft drink?

Apple peeling made easy.

Busy with another hand? We can eat with one hand without a knife now.

Toy + Fork for your kid. Happy Meal Time.

Neat meal with your pasta.

Can no longer burn your tongue with this again!

Finger food? Haha!

Don't know how to use chopsticks and lazy to ask for a fork in the restaurant?

Twister does the trick!

How long do you want your pasta to be?

Needn't worry about the cold & wet can from fridge anymore.

Control your oil intake with this!

Fine dining setting.

Recycle friendly.

Smart & Creative Invention 1

Can never chop our fingers off anymore.

No longer need to peel off the skin.

BBQ chicken wings can never get uncook anymore.

Recylcle friendly.

Home-made popcorn made easy.

Teapot no longer heavy.

Easy peeling corn maker.

Cool invention for BBQ lovers!

Ketchup holder.

Lime juice is worth to squeeze.

Can no longer drop your grapes while washing with this.

Banks in Miri - EON Bank 1

This is the first bank I went to in Miri as I have accounts with EON Bank in Kuching branch. I wanted to do telegraphic transfer to Korea and I did face some ‘difficulties’ dealing with the officers there. Well, before I went to the bank, I did call them up to make sure I was well prepared. I have listed down the details needed for TT as follow:

1)      Beneficial name

2)      Beneficial bank account no

3)      Beneficial IC or Passport no

4)      Beneficial address

5)      Beneficial contact no

6)      Bank’s name

7)      Bank’s swift code

8)      Bank’s address

9)      Bank’s telephone number

When I got there, the officers turned me down. They said they couldn’t do TT to South Korea. I asked them why, they said they don’t have the Korean currency. My goodness! I wanted to transfer money in USD, not WON. How can they turned me down without asking me. After explaining, the officer went to ask another officer and the other officer has to refer to their supervisor. (Imagine how many persons they have to ask before telling me the statement below)

“Sorry. We can’t transfer the money for u.” The supervisor said.

“Why?” I felt surprised. This is not the first time I do TT, wonder what is the problem.

“We only provide such service if you have an account with us.” She said it seriously.

“I do have 3 accounts with your bank!” I exclaimed. Oh dear! If they still disallow me to do the transfer even though I’m having 3 accounts with them, I will close all my accounts with them immediately!

Well, to cut the story short, in the end I managed to transfer the money to Korea from my bank account with RM25 bank charges which I think is still reasonable.

I had spent a long time explaining the reason for transferring the funds etc. Maybe they are worrying that I might do money laundry? Haha. 4000USD is too little for money laundry, I think.

Anyway, I told myself that I will find another way to do TT in future. Never want to go through all these troubles again. Feel quite disappointed with their service.

I do miss the wonderful relationship with the Eon Bank branches in Kuching. The officers and I know each other so well that every visit is happy trip for me. Didn’t aspect the experience here is so different. Sigh.

Passport Malaysia for Baby

I love to eat Japanese food, especially salmon sashimi. When I was pregnant, raw food is a big NO NO for me. However, at the same time, my hubby and I kept getting ‘information’ about how cheap & fresh the food is in one of the famous Japanese restaurant in Brunei. 

Finally I’m 'free' to move around and eat whatever I want. Later on we realized that our princess also needs a passport to join us. This is the reason why we kept dragging as it is uneasy to get my hubby to take leave for passport application in weekday (didn’t know that the immigration office works on Saturday too.)

If you want to apply a passport for your baby, these are the things needed before visiting the immigration office:

1)      X2 passport size photo for your baby 

(Don’t worry, just bring your baby to the studio, the people there will have creative ways to take the photos of your baby for you.)

2)      X 1 Photocopy of birth certificate

3)      X 1 Photocopy of father’s or mother’s IC  

(the one who is bringing the baby for application and sign the form)

4)      Bring along the original IC & the Birth Certificate for verification

Please be noted that you MUST bring your baby along as the officer needs to make sure the baby ‘EXIST’ and is the same person.

It will be good if you can collect the form and fill it before visiting the office. So that you needn’t spend too much time there. Sometimes the queue can be quite long, especially in Kuching. However, Miri is a nice city and the immigration office is not as busy as Kuching though. Afraid of the long queue in Kuching? You are welcome to come over to Miri. The officers here are friendly, patient and easy going. Best service ever!

There are 2 types of International passport for your baby:

1)      32 pages – RM100 (2 years)
2)      42 pages – RM150 (5 years)

I bet many of us will choose option 2. ^O^

If you are wondering whether the limited passport (only for visiting Brunei) is cheaper? Sorry. We have already asked. It is the same price as the International passport. No other choice. They said the International passport for baby is in special discount already.

By the way, you have to know roughly how tall your baby is (refer to the ‘red card’ where the nurse always record down the details during the immunization session). If you can’t find it, there is a measurement chart for your baby to measure at the office.

Remember to bring enough cash. After the application, paid the money at the counter, you will be able to collect the passport within an hour time.  Please remember that the payment counter closes at 3.30pm every day and the operating hours for Saturday’s is untill 1pm.

Sunscreen ~ SPF vs UV

 We have seen SPF and PA+ on the sunscreen packaging but do you know what exactly do they mean?

The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of a sunscreen is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sunscreen — the higher the SPF, the more protection a sunscreen offers against UV-B (the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn).

The SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on skin with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount required without the sunscreen.So, wearing a sunscreen with SPF 50, your skin will not burn until it has been exposed to 50 times the amount of solar energy that would normally cause it to burn.

The amount of solar energy you are exposed to depends not only on the amount of time you spend in the sun, but also the time of day. This is because, during early morning and late afternoon, the sun's radiation must pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere before it gets to you. In practice, the protection from a particular sunscreen depends on factors such as:

• The skin type of the user.
• The amount applied and frequency of re-application.
• Activities in which one engages (for example, swimming leads to a loss of sunscreen from the skin).
• Amount of sunscreen the skin has absorbed.

Most people do not use sunscreen correctly, the amount of sunscreen applied, and the frequency of application in order to provide the skin sufficient protection and to help the skin revitalize, home intensive care like scrub and mask to help the skin condition improves and the skin complexion with translucence as melanin may deduce the activities of production. It is important to note that sunscreens can help reduce sunburn, they are not as effective against the other harmful effects of ultraviolet UV rays, such as premature aging of the skin and depression of the immune system unless they have the anti-aging essence ingredients in it. 

 It is important to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go under the sun.

UV A (Ultravoilet A)

Ultravoilet Rays A or UV A refers to long-wave solar rays that penetrates the skin deeply.

Causes sun damage penetrates the dermis layer and deeper connective tissue damage. By damaging the collagen and elastine in the dermis, skin loses moisture and elasticity, visible signs of aging such as wrinkles, premature aging and pigmentation. Skin can turn dark, red and aged even when the skin surface feels cool.

UV sunscreen face care about 4-8 of UV A protection which is adequate for normal daytime activities.

With SPF 24 , UV sunscreen face offer 95% protection against UV B.

PA (Protection grade of UV A)

95% of our daily UV exposure and has a strong penetration that can penetrates clouds and glass of 5cm thickness. Protection is also important indoors or while in the cars.

UV B (Ultravoilet B)

Ultraviolet Rays B or UV B refers to short wave solar rays that are basically responsible for turning the skin red or producing sunburns causes harm mainly to the epidermis layer (Outer) but its damaging effect is 1000 X stronger that UV A.

A short period of exposure can cause sun tan and inflammation and increase melanin production.

Sun very intense between 10am-3pm.

Strong reflection beware of the sun damage while out on the beach with brighter colour sand or ground.

Uses an umbrella or wear hats do helps to block against some reflection.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

  SPF 1   = 20 minutes

  SPF 15 = 15 X 20 minutes = 300minutes that lasts for 5 hours

Avoid sun exposure between 10am-3pm (5 hours)

Block uses at SPF 15 or above UV PA ++

Japanese measurement of UVA protection:

PA (+) – Japanese measurement of UVA protection: PA stands for Protection grade of UVA. The PPD method with its classification PA+, PA++, PA+++ is popular all over Asia. [Chemistry Today]

PA+: some UVA protective effect. PPD 2-4

PA++: moderate UVA protective effect. PPD 4-8

PA+++: good UVA protective effect. PPD 8+ [Nora80]

PPD method	2-4	4-8	8+
Japanese PA method [Nora80]	PA+	PA++	PA+++

PPD Method (Persistent Pigment Darkening Method)

Exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight, the skin feels tired and sensitive, UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging including wrinkles. 
The most important skin-care product available to prevent wrinkles is sunscreen, but most people do not use sunscreen correctly, the amount of sunscreen applied, and the frequency of application in order to provide the skin sufficient protection and to help the skin revitalize, home intensive care like scrub and mask to soothe and lighten the complexion while mask do help nourishing the skin to help firming and the skin condition improves with visible fairness and translucence as melanin may deduce the activities of production. (copied & edited from Wikipedia.)