Sabah Cheshire Early Intervention Centre

My Autistic Son

2009-12-15T23:24:00.002+08:00

A father wrote this poem to express his thoughts.

My son is four years old and almost never uses words practically. He has only used a handful of words in his lifetime and has never spoken in a complete sentence. He has never said "I love you" to me or his mother, never sings his favorite songs and never speaks of what he experiences in his own little world.

Despite the difficulty inherent in raising a child with autism I am convinced that any parent can find the love in his or her heart required to do such a task. Despite the language barriers a parent will also know that his or her love is not being cast into a vacuum but, rather, that love is returned and multiplied a hundred fold. My poem is a testimony of this truth.

My Autistic Son

Autistic shackles hold your little tongue
From telling me the punch line of the joke
That caused your fits of laughter to provoke
Excited happy tears. You've never sung
Your fav'rite Barney song and, when you clung
To me that winter night when you awoke
To bitter, fearful sobs, you never spoke
A word of what tormented one so young.
Although autistic shackles bind his speech,
His love is blazoned on his beaming smile.
Although I missed the punch line of that jest,
I laughed myself to happy tears. And each
Dark night when he awakes and fears defile
His sleep, in Daddy's arms he finds his rest.

By: Jim Boulder

A touching video

2009-09-26T11:38:00.004+08:00

Hereby, we would like to share a video about a person who was once diagnosed with autism at the age of 13 but he can still perform on stage smoothly! A very touching video and we do hope more and more people will not disregard them because with just only a little bit attention and care, they can really be like us !

Well done, Scott James!

Happy Birthday, Ms. Lat!

2009-09-19T23:04:00.002+08:00

Hereby, we would like to wish Ms. Lat a very Happy Birthday! Another great & jolly year to come! Ms. Lat, hope this day is as special as you are. Remember every year that passes is another stepping stone to greatness.

"Count your life by smiles, not tears.
Count your age by friends, not years"

Once again, Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Raya 09

2009-09-18T17:39:00.005+08:00

HELLO, FELLOW READERS!

Okay, we know it is quite dusty here. Haha!

First, let us wish everyone 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri & Maaf Zahir Batin' !

It has been quite a while... We still remembered the moment that we spent with the children in Chesire Home, the moment we get together, laughed together and what utmost important is to serve the community together. And, boom! How time flies as we are in the year 2009 but our hearts are still remained together as one team. So, perhaps you might want to know more the H.O.P.E team members in 2009!

Ms. Lat
Long live, Queen Lat! This dedicated educator has transfered to SMK Bahang, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu this year. Enjoying her life while still continuing her profession in educating youngsters. She still enjoys watching movies and of course, getting in touch with HOPE members. Ms. Lat, we miss you so much-lah! Let's go yum-cha once you get back to Sandakan!

David Wong
This cheeky guy is currently studying in Taylor's College. He is now a uni student. His family has moved out from Sandakan this year. We seldom get in touch with him as he is a busy-bee pursuing his South Australian Matriculation but hey David, once you are in Sandakan, be sure to call us out! Perhaps we can visit Chesire Home together! Lee Jian misses you so much!

Stephanie Chen
This girl dreams to pursue in biotech. Until now, we still haven't receive any update from her! Steph, where are you?! LOL.

Catherina a.k.a Cathz
Cathz still stick with us in Sung Siew. She is now a committee member in St. John's ambulance. Like usual, she talks a lot, laughs a lot, and winks a lot! She is now studying in Form 4 D (science stream class) .

Crystal, Tung & Olivia
Three of them are studying in the same class and is busy preparing for their goverment exam, SPM! Olivia is the head for Girl Guide in Sung Siew and she has been selected as a Queen Guide during the annual general meeting of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia. Tung has been elected as the Head Prefect and Crystal as the secretary in Prefect's Boad of Sung Siew. Still enjoying school life while it lasts before going on the way in achieving our dreams!

I guess that's all! Till we meet again~!

PS: How are you, Michelle, Yati, Wye Yee and Ms. Angelique? Do drop some comments for us in the chatbox, okay? :)

H.O.PE. sign off.

The Autism Awareness Ribbon

2009-03-17T17:59:00.006+08:00

Do you know what is Autism Awareness Ribbon?

The puzzle pattern of this ribbon reflects the mystery and complexity of autism.

The different colours and shapes represent the diversity of those living with this disorder.

The brightness of the ribbon signals HOPE - hope through research and increasing awareness in people like you!

Let's together support Autism Awareness Ribbon! Tell your friends, your family and the people around you what is autism. We hope more and more people will understand what is autism in future. : )

Volunteering.

2009-03-16T17:30:00.004+08:00

Good day everyone! Today we were invited to Sabah Hotel to babysit the children as the teachers in the centre will be busy in charge with the Autism awareness talk. So, we are happy to see the children today! However, only Jing Jing and Kah Nyan will be joining us as the others are busy and their parents cannot attend the talk.

We reached the hotel an hour early before the talk started. Then, we greeted the teachers and the committee members and we were brought to a boarding room, more likely the room where we were going to babysit the children. After a few minutes, the children had arrived! It was sweet to see Kah Nyan was still recognising us and trying to call us. Not to forget, Jing Jing, the sweet and charming girl. We were actually surprised to see they had grown up a lot! Without wasting anymore time, we brought them to the room while the teachers will be busy preparing as the talk will be starting soon.

Kah Nyan made a lot of noise and we can really see her felt very happy. Jing Jing, on the other hand, running around the room and smiling. Did we mention that there were 2 volunteers joining us which were Janice and Joan? They were actually helpful! So, we played with the children and watch some VCDs. It was nice spending time with them!

Then, when the talk was about to finish, we were brought to the lobby. At there, some of us managed to attend the last part of the talk which was about Q&A session. We didn't manage to ask any questions as time was lacking. However, we really enjoy the talk. Before we bid farewell, we were invited to a refreshment where some cakes, cookies and tea were served. Finally, we said goodbye to the children and the teachers.

It was really nice getting to know Kah Nyan and Jing Jing had grown a lot. On top of that, we were glad as we were invited to help out the teachers in the centre. We hope we can help out more in the future! Thanks for inviting us to the awareness talk!

Please spread this lil film

2009-02-16T09:53:00.001+08:00

Christmas Celebration 2008

2008-12-19T18:18:00.007+08:00

"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas..."

Greetings, everyone ! Christmas is just around the corner and how can we forget about the children, right?

This morning, we had a joyful Christmas Celebration at the Cheshire Home with the teachers, parents and the beloved children. We were surprised to see the centre was beautifully decorated with colourful banners, crepe papers, Christmas decorations and of course, the traditional big Christmas tree at the corner of the room. We were even surprised to see Lee Jian had grown taller and Titus had grown thinner and more handsome. Well, as you knew, time passed when they were entering into their teenage years. *laughs* Unfortunately, Kah Nyan did not attend the celebration as she went to K.L. with her family. And the very good news were Ms Mery...whoops, Mrs. Meryhati is pregnant! Congratulations to her and her husband!

Many guests were arriving as the time was counting down to 10 am sharp and we started our activity that was caroling! We sang some Christmas songs and the whole atmosphere had changed from a pice of silence room into a noisy, joyous celebration. Moreover, the children were running around and laughing as they were trying to sing with us. Then, after speeches were given and prayers were made, we started to dig the food! Thank you to the committee members, staffs and teachers for preparing such a wonderful meal. We chatted a lot with the teachers and sharing life experiences with each other. We joked, we laughed and we played with the lovely children. Titus, like usual, still enjoyed his puzzle and Chau Yin with her plush toys.

And hey, how coincidence that today was Lee Jian's birthday as well! We sang a Happy Birthday song to him and he blew the candle by himself and cut the cake. Happy Birthday, Lee Jian! Finally, after the mouth-watering meal, exchanging presents session started and Ms. Lat was called to do the honours to announce the lucky numbers. : ) Afterthat, we started to chat again~

At around 11. 30 am, Tung went back home first following by Ms. Lat, Crystal and her father. We bid farewell and went back home with joyful hearts. We had a very wonderful time with the teachers and children as we promised to visit them in future. Last but not least, let's wish Ms. Lat all the best and good luck as she has been transfered to Kota Kinabalu next year! Congratulations, Ms. Lat ! May you have fantastic years in Kota Kinabalu and continue the passion as a promising teacher to educate the young generations. Of course, Chesire Home will always welcome you with open hands and warm hearts. Congrats!!

Christmas will be approching and we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Be sure to spend them with your beloved ones and stay tune here for more updates. Go, H.O.P.E. !

News Update II

2008-09-25T20:35:00.002+08:00

Thursday September 25, 2008 The Star Online
Shop and help autistic kids

TWENTY special children from Persatuan Kebangsaan Autisme Malaysia or Nasom were treated to a special buka puasa with actress cum TV personality Raja Azura.

The event was organised by P&G Malaysia in conjunction with its charity campaign called “P&G Gandakan Kegembiraan Hari Raya” (P&G Doubles Your Hari Raya Cheer).

Also present were 40 campaign contestants and their families.

One for the album: Raja Azura (centre) with P&G representatives and some of the children and teachers from NASOM.

The 40 customers bought either one of P&G’s detergent products - Fab, Downy, Trojan or Dynamo - to qualify for an opportunity to spend an evening with Raja Azura.

They won the exclusive invitation when they were spotted buying one of the four promotional P&G items at various Giant supermarkets in Kuala Lumpur.

Customers who enter the contest stand the chance to win RM400,000 worth of gold coins while simultaneously donating part of the sales proceeds to charity.

P&G Malaysia public affairs manager Zadil Hanief Mohamed Zaidi said: “This campaign was motivated out of a desire to extend the joy of Hari Raya to our consumers as well as the community in which we operate.

“The campaign is designed such that while our consumers stand to win big prizes, part of the proceeds from the sale of the products will also go to charity.

“Our aim is to foster the spirit of giving and sharing together with our customers,” said Zadil.

For every purchase of any one of the four P&G laundry products, P&G will contribute part of the proceeds to Nasom.

The contribution will go towards the purchase of new personal computers and refurbishment of the computer/reading room at the Nasom school for autistic children in Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.

Shoppers still have the chance to take part in the charity campaign and win big with the 10 grand prizes still up for grabs.

Those spotted buying any of the four mentioned P&G products either on Oct 1 or 2 will stand the chance to win one of the 10 grand prizes - RM10,000 worth of gold coins each.

The campaign will continue until Oct 30 where shoppers also stand a chance of winning the 10 daily prizes with each prize comprising 600 gold coins worth RM300.

All the gold coins are made of 99.9% pure gold.

News Update

2008-09-24T20:22:00.000+08:00

Wednesday September 24, 2008 The Star Online
Reaching out
One Voice: By PANG HIN YUE

Trained teachers at Nasom centres provide basic training for the children.

The National Autism Society of Malaysia is on a fund-raising campaign to finance projects that will benefit the rural poor.

HIS hands bear the marks of scratches and bites. Occasionally, spits and kicks land on him, too. But Ignatius Lee who heads the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) psychology team, is unperturbed.

In most cases, he says, it is because the persons venting their anger on him are overwhelmed by their surroundings. “Unable to make sense of what is happening and lacking the means to communicate their frustration, it is not unusual for some individuals with autism to react in such a manner,” Lee explains.

But with care and intensive interventions, hand-biting and meltdowns can be reduced significantly, he reasons. “We help them deal with anxiety by teaching them coping skills and anger management.”

A brain disorder, autism affects learning, speech, body movement and social behaviour. In Britain, one out of every 100 has autism, while in the United States, the ratio is 1:150. More males than females are diagnosed with autism, with a rate of 4:1.

According to Lee, the ratio in Malaysia is somewhere between that of Britain and the United States. In any case, Malaysia follows the global upward trend.

In the last six years, there has been a flurry of activities since Teh Beng Choon took over as president of the non-profit organisation. Established in 1987, Nasom has since grown to a membership of over 500 families.

Teh, a parent to an autistic teenager, says Nasom hopes to reach out to as many families as possible. “We hope to improve the quality of life of those with learning disabilities and their families by providing critical services,” he says.

Assessments and diagnosis are available at its one-stop centre in Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur. Previously, parents had to go to general hospitals for a diagnosis and the waiting period could be up to six months.

With the one-stop centre which Lee heads together with his team of two psychologists, one speech therapist and two occupational therapists, the agony has been cut short to a few days. “We devote 15 days a month to see clients,” he says.

This is in addition to his monthly nationwide travels to monitor the progress of Nasom’s 16 centres. Two more are in the pipeline: one in Terengganu and another in Kelantan.

Training teachers and parents in behavioural management therapy to help persons with autism response appropriately, is part and parcel of Nasom’s intervention programme.

Speech therapy and other communication strategies are employed to help with verbalisation. As some on the autism spectrum disorder have poor body coordination and experience sensitivities to light, sound or touch, Nasom has made available workshops on sensory integration therapy.

Nasom is also actively engaging the Education Ministry to support its Inclusion Programme whereby autistic students are integrated into mainstream national schools. At present, the onus is on Nasom to enlist teacher aides to help students cope with the demands of school. Admission to school is at the ministry’s discretion.

“All students, irrespective of their disability, should be given the right to participate in an inclusive education,” Lee contends.

Notwithstanding the challenges that come with the already stretched resources and shortage of staff, Lee stresses that it is Nasom’s policy not to refuse anyone who turns up at their doorstep. This is certainly comforting news for families, especially those who live in rural areas and lack the financial means to support their special needs children.

Lee cites the case of Azri Azmi, 15, which was highlighted by The Star earlier this year. Azri lives in Sanglang, Kedah. He has been caged up for the past five years by his parents as they are unable to control his behaviour.

Poverty, the failure of the doctor to give Azri a proper diagnosis, and the absence of interventions, had worked against Azri. To compound the situation, he was denied a place in school because teachers found him uncontrollable.

His situation remains bleak, says Lee who visited the family following the news report. As a prawn catcher who earns maximum RM40 a day and with only a motorbike at his disposal, Azri’s father finds it impossible to send him to Nasom’s centre in Alor Star which is 40km away from their village. So Lee is looking for sponsors so that the likes of Azri can have a chance to receive the necessary interventions. Until then, Azri who has yet to develop speech, continues to be caged in his home.

“There are many other cases where families are too poor to help their learning disabled children,” observes Lee who has a masters in psychology.

Reaching out to poor, rural families is a pressing matter and Nasom is seeking generous donors as the RM13.8mil funding it secured from the government three years ago is unable to sustain its long-term programmes.

“We are operating with an annual expenditure of RM3mil. Even so, it is on a make-do basis. Ideally, we need RM15mil per annum, out of which RM9mil will be allocated for recruitment and training of teachers,” says Lee.

Like all NGOs providing services to the community, Nasom is hard-pressed for trained staff, notes Lee. Under ideal conditions, owing to the diverse and differing needs of persons with autism, the ratio of teacher to students should be 1:2. But Nasom has on the average, two teachers to eight students.

Lee who had worked for eight years in the Philippines with street children prior to his employment with Nasom three years ago, made the following observation: “While each group has its own issues, ultimately, they all need love. Persons on the autism spectrum disorder may not relate or articulate as well as others but they know when people care for them.” Therapy without the heart is ineffective, he reckons.

Lee hopes that Malaysia’s level of provision for the special needs community will be raised to one that is at par with such countries as Australia and New Zealand.

Help at hand

Nasom headquarters: No 4, Jln Chan Chin Mooi, off Jln Pahang, Kuala Lumpur ( 03-4022 3744 / website: http://www.nasom.com.my/ / e-mail: info@nasom.com)

Nasom secretariat: 35A, Jln SS21/37 Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya (03-7710 4098).

Nasom-Kiwanis One-Stop Centre: 340, 1st & 2nd Flr, Jln Pahang, Kuala Lumpur ( 03-4023 6698). Here, assessments, training and therapies are carried out.

To help persons with autism live independently, Nasom recently set up its Group Home at Bandar Puteri Klang, Selangor (e-mail: grouphomes@nasom.com.my)

Besides the venues in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, the other Nasom centres are located in Penang ( 04-6587034), Ipoh ( 05-5483570), Seremban (06-7674400), Alor Star (kedah@nasom.com.my), Butterworth ( 04-3232252), Malacca ( 06-2882518), Muar (06-9533544), Kuantan ( 09-5671070), Miri ( 085-653712) and Segamat.

Nasom has three Autistic Adults Training Centres: Jln Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur ( 03-79843942), Klang ( 03-51619767) and Jln Pahang, Kuala Lumpur ( 03-40237698).

Congratulations!

2008-06-07T18:49:00.000+08:00

Congratulations to Mdm.Meryhati and husband, Mr. Lor Ah Kong on their wedding. We, H.O.P.E. wishing you happy ever after.

The RDC and Sepilok Visit

2008-05-26T12:05:00.008+08:00

"Everyone's Ready?!"
"Yeah!"

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. We all gathered at the EIC Home together with the children and the committee members. After having our breakfast, we departed to Rainforest Discovery Centre at 8.30am sharp. With delighted hearts, everyone carried a smiling mask on each face. We even waved to each other on the journey to the Rainforest Discovery Centre.

Upon reaching the centre, we gathered around with the children and visited the botanical garden. We were astonished to see so many different kinds of plants, flowers and trees. Some of us, of course, will never miss the chance to take photos of these plants, flowers and trees. However, Little Titus was quite reluctant to join us as he can't accept new environment. After much persuading by Ms. Nelly, Ms. Meryhati and Tung, he finally joined the troop and found out it was actually very nice and he even smiled broadly. On the other hand, one of the staff in the centre explained to us the characteristics of plants in the botanical garden. We do actually learn a lot from this meaningful visit. Up next, we were brought to an air-conditioned hall. It was actually the exhibition hall for plants and animals. Again, we were amazed to see the beautiful graphics of plants and animals and informations on the board. There was a wishing tree there where people around the world wrote their messages on a piece of leaf-shaped paper and hung them on the tree. Crystal, on the other hand, took the opportunity to take picture with the fake crocodile and eventually the children wanted to follow her too! It was cute to see how they fought with each other to sit on the fake crocodile.

Afterthat, we had our lunch at 1 pm and rested for while. The teacher then invited us to join them on the jungle tracking! Now, this was where the strenuous activities started. We walked up the hill together with the children, and went straight up to the observation tower. Though it was tiring, it was worthed it as once we reached the observation tower, we felt like we were as tall as the trees ! We can actually see a beautiful scenery of the jungle from the top of the tower and we tried the "Jambatan Gantung". Yeah, it was very fun indeed when you were standing on the bridge as it was like you were floating in the skies. PS: It is extremly fun we tell you!

Hah, our last destination is to visit the world wide well-known destination, the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre where it only located near the Rainforest Discovery Centre. We grabbed the chance to see the female orang utans feeding their babies and the other orang utans swinging from one tree to the other. It was very fun indeed and there were a lot of foreign visitors too. Through this visit, we managed to get closer our bonds between the teachers and the beloved children. We managed to take care of the children well and brought them back safely which is one of our task for this visit.

Last but not least, we will let the pictures to speak for themselves. Be sure to visit our gallery of pictures. H.O.P.E. team signing out...

COMMUNITY: Nurturing ‘special’ kids

2008-04-23T16:25:00.002+08:00

COMMUNITY: Nurturing ‘special’ kids
CHAI MEI LING

Autism is not a death sentence. With the right support, and training, autistic children can eventually lead a normal life. CHAI MEI LING talks to some people who have been working behind the scenes to help these children.

Y.L. Liew, principal and executive director of the National Autism Society of Malaysia, says work satisfaction has kept many of team committed to Nasom.

MANY children grow up having affectionate nicknames.

But for Steven, though, it’s budak kurang ajar, courtesy of members of the public.

This is because he grabs whatever he fancies off supermarket shelves, runs from table to table in restaurants eating off people’s plates, and throws tantrums for no reason. And at times, he causes strangers to panic when he pounces on them to take a whiff of their body scent.

But the doe-eyed boy n e ve r means any mischief.

Steven is autistic. Social rules are concepts alien to the autistic.

The general public can’t tell that Steven has this disorder, which affects 35 million worldwide, because he looks just like any other normal child.

Steven’s parents are understandingly exasperated, having been on the receiving end of annoyed people who accuse them of having little control over their child.

At their wit’s end, their last resort — enrolling him into the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) — proved to be their best option.

Today, the nine-year-old is a Year Three pupil who excels in mainstream school and tops his class in many subjects.

He can sit still, complete his homework, understand instructions and can even manage a conversation with people around him.

His parents find this “transformation ” unbelievable.

The well-behaved boy reading quietly in the corner of the Nasom headquarters bears little semblance to the screaming and kicking child who had to be carried into the centre some three years back.

Back then, teachers at the centre had to coax him into coming out from under the table, distract him with toys when he got angry, make him “forget” his tantrums, and reward him when he was willing to obey instructions.

Slowly and painstakingly, they earned his trust, and began to engage him in learning manners and self-help skills like how to eat appropriately, refrain from taking things not his own, and bathe and clean himself. They even had to teach him how to play.

This is part of the structured intervention programme offered at Nasom’s 14 centres throughout the country.

At each centre, the staff work in a team to wean a child off a socially unacceptable behaviour, like displaying nudity. Because of their lack of emotions, autistic children do not feel embarrassed.

Some, who are well into adulthood, may still take off all their clothes in front of their teachers before they go for a bath. Teachers have to drum into them the message that this is not proper.

Nasom executive director and principal Y.L. Liew says intervention should start as early as possible because a child who gets used to a certain behaviour takes a longer time to be retrained and changed.

One autistic trait they try to put a stop to is the children’s inherent need to smell people.

“Some of these boys are in their teens. If they go to a girl and sniff, what do you think will happen?” The principal, who has been with Nasom for 16 years, admits there are many difficulties the staff face on a daily basis when dealing with the children.

“I feel that the most stressful lot of children with disabilities is this g roup,” says Liew, who has had 30 years of experience with the deaf prior to joining Nasom.

Teachers have to cajole children who cry non-stop 24 hours a day in protest of changes they don’t like, teach the children how to read facial expressions, and sometimes put up with violent behaviour that some children on medication can display.But there’s always hope.

Every child can be trained as long as the training is done according to his needs, says Liew.

The first most important step for these children starts with acceptance from parents.

Liew urges parents who have an autistic child not to lose hope.

“I tell them — I think you are chosen because God feels you can look after this child. And we are here to help. We don’t do miracles, but we try our best.” Aside from intervention, Nasom also offers an inclusive programme which prepares children of schoolgoing ages for mainstream schooling.

The main objective is not so much for academic reasons, but to have these children socialise and interact with peers their age.

They are taught how to read time, use money, queue up when buying food, and ask for permission to go to the toilet.

Before school starts, during the holidays, they are brought to their respective schools to familiarise them with the environment.

They are introduced to teachers, they get to sit in the real classroom, and they learn where the canteen and toilets are.

On the first day of school, they do not attend classes, but watch how other students assemble. They are then slowly introduced into the system.

Nasom is grateful that the Ministry of Education has worked with the centre the last four years in giving these children a chance to be integrated into the society. They are also given a leeway of two years in school — a 14-year-old autistic child can still be a Year Six student.

Every day, a teacher-aide from Nasom accompanies two children in a class and keeps tab of their progress. When classes end, the teacher-aide brings the children back to Nasom centres, where they are given after-school support.

Liew attributes the success of those who are doing well in school to parental support.

One of them is Abraham Isaac Pereira, 9, from Sekolah Kebangsaan Setapak, who scored 100 marks for English and Science and took the class’ top placing.

It’s not all work and no play for children in Nasom, as they also learn art and horse riding from volunteers and visit the cinema, National Science Centre and National Zoo.

“But there’s no sound of music,” says Liew, adding that Nasom is looking for volunteer music teachers.

“We have a piano, guitar and organ, but no one to play them and sing with the children.” Despite facing many shortcomings, the staff soldier on.

Last year, the team held weekly awareness courses to caregivers, parents, teachers, professionals, doctors and nurses in different locations.
“We have a committed team.

Many have brought in friends to help through word of mouth. Work satisfaction has kept many of us here.

“Some children came in with no speech. Today, when I ask them who I am, they say, ‘Mrs Liew’.

“And one child told me once: ‘I am what I am today because of Nasom’.

How would you feel (after hearing that)?” nThere will be a charity show on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on May 17 in Golden Screen Cinemas, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Proceeds from the tickets, priced at RM40 each, go towards Nasom.

WHEN IT HELPS TO BE FIRM

SHE has worked as a teacher at the headquarters of the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) for 13 years and has taken medical leave only once.

U.R. Parimaladevi admits that falling sick can’t keep her away from the centre.

“I’ll be here till the day I can’t wa l k , ” she says, softly.

That’s a revelation from a teacher who masks her soft-heartedness with the loudest voice and fiercest demeanour.

Mala, one of 17 teachers in Nasom headquarters, is a teacher-aide to two older students in a school in the morning.

In the afternoon, she conducts early intervention classes for autistic children aged 4-6, where she teaches them how to solve jigsaw puzzles and put beads together to improve their motor skills.

She adopts a no-nonsense approach even with the young ones.

“If we want them to learn,we cannot pamper them. Many children can be toilet trained within one month here, but some still come here in diapers because their parents cannot train them at home.

"We have to be firm, but every little thing that a student manages to do is a big step forward, a major achievement.” For Mala, her biggest motivation is seeing her students succeed in a task, even something as simple as holding a pencil.

A few students at the centre name her as cikgu paling garang.

But many know it’s a façade.

A 14-year-old student pops in halfway and intercepts the interview, saying, “Her favourite phrase is ‘banyak cantik awak!’” Mala bursts into a guffaw and looks embarrassed. She then hurries the student out of the room and begins to sing praises of the boy.

Her eyes twinkle as she talks about how well the boy is doing in class. Many times, she has been reduced to tears when her students display affection towards her, like rushing to hug her after a long absence.

On weekends when the teacher does not have to be at work, she thinks of her students and smiles.

“My two children at home would say, ‘Mummy ’s thinking bout her other children.’ “This is not a thankless job.”

One Night Camp Meeting

2008-04-18T16:07:00.002+08:00

We had our meeting at the EIC at 12:15pm. Crystal, Low Gin Tung, Cynthia and MsLat along with Ms.Meryhati had discussed on the activities during the 2 days 1 night camp with the children. Titus was there and wasn't in a good mood. He kept shouting and waiting to solve the puzzles. The dates for the camp will be on 24 - 25 May at Labuk Bay B&B. We'll also visit Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in the afternoon on the first day and R.D.C. on the following day. It will be an interesting experience for the team and teachers. Looking forward for it!

World Autism Awareness Day

2008-04-02T19:04:00.000+08:00

New Straits Times News

2008-04-01T16:12:00.001+08:00

2,000 teachers to spot autistic kids
By : Shuhada Elis

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 2,000 kindergarten and primary school teachers have been trained since early last year to identify autistic children.

National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) chairman Teh Beng Choon said the early detection and awareness programme had equipped teachers with the knowledge to spot early signs of autism in children."Early detection is crucial so that children can be referred to Nasom or hospitals for an assessment," he said after the "Management of yourself, your family and the society: Seek first to understand, then to be understood" seminar at a hotel here yesterday.It was launched by the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, who is also the patron of Nasom.Teh said 200 teachers from the Education Ministry's Special Education Department had also been trained by Nasom.

"It used to be a voluntary programme, but this year we are working with the Education Ministry to train more teachers." Currently, there are 18 Nasom centres nationwide which provide psychology services, speech and occupational therapies and intervention programmes to 500 autistic individuals. The training programmes for teachers are also conducted at the centres.Dr Ng said teachers and care providers must learn to identify autistic children so that the necessary support could be given."Ten years ago, there were hardly any awareness programmes. Parents used to think their children were naughty and hyperactive when in fact they were autistic." Last year, she said the Finance Ministry had allocated RM30 million for awareness programmes to educate parents on the condition.The half-day seminar was aimed at creating awareness of the importance of the family unit. Studies in the United States have shown that marital problems were high in families with autistic children.The best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People from the US, Dr Stephen R. Covey, was the invited speaker.Nasom is organising a workshop on autism and a colouring competition for autistic children to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day on Wednesday.

H.O.P.E. Dinner Celebration

2008-03-30T15:57:00.003+08:00

Last night H.O.P.E. team had their steamboat buffet dinner celebration, along with Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre teachers, Mr.Patrick and Mdm.Chong Fui Ha. We also invited Cynthia Chee to join us since she helped us in our video and recent visits.

We had our delicious steamboat buffet at Jade Garden Restaurant, located at Trig Hill, with the view of Sandakan town. It was a good dinner and wonderful time spent with each other. Ms.Meryhati discussed briefly on the upcoming plans to bring the autistic children for a one night camp at the new resort in Sepilok. It will be in 24-25 May. Next month we will visit the centre to discuss on this. Will update on it.

World Autism Awareness Day

2008-03-30T00:57:00.006+08:00

April 2 is the 'World Autism Awareness Day' or also known as WAAD.

The design of the World Autism Awareness Day logo is intended to represent the global aspect of this effort. The earth is surrounded by whimsical illustrations of people who symbolize the seven continents of the world. We hope to see the logo used around the world to celebrate World Autism Awareness Day.

Interview

2008-03-14T13:20:00.003+08:00

Ms.Lat received a phone call from Ms.Nurha regarding on an interview that will be made in our school. Maxis personel, along with reporter will come to our school to interview H.O.P.E. team regarding on their project and the impact of their project.

As Ms.Lat will not be around next week, the interview is arranged to be in end of the month. Date and time will be confirmed later on.

Time for the team to prepare for it!

Sumi's Farewell Party

2008-03-12T14:48:00.004+08:00

Today we gathered at the centre to spend time with the children and also to attend Sumi's farewell party. She is a Japanese volunteer that came to give her service at the centre for a year. She could speak Malay language too!

YB Au Kam Wah and his wife came at 9AM along with the committees, parents and friends of the centre.

The chidlren were thrilled and excited to have us, as usual. Lee Jian was running around, especially around David. Meanwhile Jing Jing caressed Cath's and MsLat's face and gave them a kiss on their faces. Titus, couldn't be bothered, enjoying his tv. Ai Lu was attached to Stephanie and Cynthia. Meanwhile Ka Nyan, as usual always seeking for attention. Chau Yin was adorable in her strawberry and hearts clothings.

After speeches from YB Au Kam Wah and Sumi, the centre committees, teachers and YB Au Kam Wah gave some souvenirs to Sumi to be brought along to remember us. Meanwhile our team gave her our small handmade booklet for her to spread our stories in Japan. She also congratulated us on our winning.

Before YB Au Kam Wah left, we handed over our RM1000 donation cheque of our winning prize to YB Au Kam Wah. They thanked us for it and again congratulated us for it. We also would like to congratulate YB Au Kam Wah upon his winning on the recent election for N45 Elopura. He is a very good leader with a very kind heart, that sensitive to the needs of the people.

Sumi is a very kind hearted lady with lots of passion to help autistic children. Nevertheless, she did not leave without giving us her final lesson - how to make sushi! Few of us gave a try out and turn out everyone finished the sushi! It was a fun time. :-)

Then we helped the children on their lesson using the computer and the touch screen. Below is the short video of it. Thank you again Ms.Angelique for donating these to the children. It helped a lot!

We planned to bring the children to the swimming pool and will also do our celebration at a steamboat buffet restaurant at the end of this month. Will update on it soon!

H.O.P.E. signing off...

Prize Money

2008-02-26T17:25:00.003+08:00

Yesterday Ms.Lat was called regarding on the prize money. Maxis CyberlinQ personels had bankin the prize money into our school bank account. Thus, the team members decided to allocate the prize money among themselves as follows :-

First Prize Money of RM6000.00

RM3500.00 For the team ( Each member receives RM500)

RM500.00 For Celebration

RM2000.00 For school

Best Blogger Prize Money of RM1000.00

RM1000.00 For EIC

Total = RM7000.00

Ms.Lat will do all the paper works in claiming the prize money next week from the school. Thank you Maxis CyberlinQ! :-)

Chocolates & Cake

2008-02-19T16:19:00.005+08:00

What a pleasant surprise, when the team received a bouquet of 101 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a cake from Ms.Angelique. The team was thrilled and happy for the treat. Wondering how Ms.Angelique managed to arrange for those things to be sent to the team, Ms.Lat explained that nothing is impossible, as long there's a will to it, they will always be a way. The efforts that Ms.Angelique had put through in giving the team such a wonderful treat, are indeed appreciated and felt deeply. Thank you Ms.Angelique! You'll always be remembered and cherished for your kindness, generousity and thoughtfulness. The children and the team are indeed blessed to have known you.

Thank you!

Happy Chinese New Year

2008-02-06T21:16:00.000+08:00

Visit to Sibuga Sport Complex

2008-01-26T16:07:00.000+08:00

We had a great time today. Since we haven't seen the children more than a month, we missed them dearly. And that is why we had been looking forward for today's activity to spend time with them. We had decided to bring the children out from the centre, from their normal routine to somewhere else in order to experience and learn about their surrounding. Thus, we had decided to arrange bringing them to Sibuga Sport Complex where we could have our walk around the lake and then play at the children playground.

As planned, we all gathered at the centre at 7:30am. Stephanie couldn't make it due to personal matters. The same with Titus. Cynthia Chee, our school's chief webmaster had volunteer to join us today. We were so happy to see the children again and so did they. Lee Jian was running around excitedly, especially with David around. Ka Nyan was excited that she tried to speak to all of us. Jing Jing stayed close to MsLat and sat on her lap, caressing her face, sniffing and kissed her cheek. It was a lovely sight and wonderful feeling to be with them. We brought along the new education material we bought from KL and also the materials from Ms. Angelique. The teachers got to view them while waiting for Chau Yin and Ai Lu to arrive. David brought some local delicacies and mandarin oranges to be brought along.

By 8am, we all departed to the Sport Complex. The children were all excited and ready to have fun! As we arrived, everyone was ready to have their walk around the lake. It was a lovely weather as it wasn't warm in the morning. Jing Jing was running leaving the rest behind, while Crystal ran to be with her. But she got tired half way, and Lee Jian took over. Everyone had fun, it was a good start of the morning. After that we all rested after completing one round of the lake. With the view of the lake, the children drank their water and ready to have more fun!

We proceeded to the children playground. Without wasting any more time, they climbed up and ready to play. The team members and teachers took care of them carefully ensuring their safety. Anyway, Ai Lu got scared somehow to slide down the slide, that shortly after few attempts, she gave a hand gesture in refusing to try anymore, she came down and sat at the corner watching, accompanied by Olivia. Meanwhile Ka Nyan got distracted when she saw the swimming pool next to the playground. There were few times they tried to run over and the team members had to chase them and brought them back.

By 9:15am everyone took a break and had their drinks and food. By 9:30am, the children's parents came and brought them home. As we waved good bye, already we were missing them. Their joy and laughter, were a lovely music and picture captured in our minds.

MsLat and Ms.Meryhati were already discussing on their next trip. The swimming pool! Since the children love water, we decided to bring them early March. Ms. Meryhati also planned to bring them one day to Sepilok to see the orangutan. That will be another great adventure!

Happy Birthday Tung

2008-01-21T20:07:00.000+08:00

Package for Centre

2008-01-15T20:40:00.001+08:00

Crystal and her dad received the package from Ms. Angelique yesterday afternoon.

The package is for the Sabah Cheshire Home : Early Intervention Centre and the children of EIC. The package contains 12 Computer Softwares , 3 Packs of Vocabulary Card Deck and a Touch Screen for language development and early vocabulary development of autistic children.

Once again, on the behalf of EIC, we would like to THANK Ms. Angelique for the educational aids that will truly help the autistic children in developing the skills needed for their future
and we will always cherish YOU in our hearts.

THANK YOU Ms. Angelique

Translation from chinese local news

2008-01-12T15:07:00.000+08:00

Translation article from Chinese local newspaper

SM SUNG SIEW SANDAKAN SABAH WON

THE MAXIS CYBERLINQ 2007 COMPETITION

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW

SM. Sung Siew once again emerged as the champion in the Secondary School category in Maxis CyberlinQ competition two years in a row after proving themselves in the final presentation at Citrus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 16th December 2006. The team consisted of 7 members – Crystal Leong Sukyi, Low Gin Tung, Olivia Hon, Stephanie Chen, David Wong and Catherina Wong and a teacher advisor – Ms.Latifah Yusof Embun had named their team H.O.P.E.. Being the lucky number one to present their project with the theme charity, they presented with poise and concluded their presentation with a stunning video which allowed them to earn the first prize winner and grabbed two more awards namely “Best Mentor Award” (won by our mentor, Michelle Tiew) and “Best Blogger Award”.

SM. Sung Siew’s H.O.P.E. team (H: Happy, O: Opportunity, P: Passion, E: Education) joined Maxis CyberlinQ 2007 competition with the project – ‘Let ‘Em Shine, Too!’, which to help the children who suffered from autism at Sabah Chesire Home Early Intervention Centre Sandakan, Sabah. The societies nowadays are not knowledgeable about autism, or in other words, this neuro-developmental disorder is not widely known or recognized by the society. The children with autism have troubles communicating and interacting with other people and their literacy levels are way lower than us. They have difficulty in understanding the world around them. For this reason, many children with autism still failed to get the proper treatment and education and are locked up at homes.

Consequently, our project’s resolution deals with exposing the school community and the community in general about these special autistic children and as the children’s leading voice to spread autism awareness with the intention that the community will get hold of what autism is all about. Through this project, the community we targeted and aspired gets the chance to contribute in helping the autistic children through voluntary works (Charity Day, Family Day, Adoption Programme, Christmas Celebration) and activities to raise funds (A Cent A day and Mini Charity Concert) for the centre. Circuitously, this also creates awareness of the team members and the school community in general, of how much we should appreciate our lives and be grateful for it.

Everyone deserves the equality to grow and live and so do the autistic children because they are part of everyone too! Although our contributions to help them are minor, we can still make a difference for these special children. Every individual including you, are able to embrace their lives with just a minor but noteworthy help. Feel free to visit our blog at

http://cq-cheshire-sandakan.blogspot.com.

For further information of Maxis CyberlinQ 2007 Competition, you may visit their websites at http://www.maxis.communities.com.my

or http://maxiscyberlinq.blogspot.com.

"Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it."
– Harold Hulbert

Thanks Ms.Angelique.

2008-01-03T20:34:00.000+08:00

Today was the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Finally, after the long holidays, we met each other again. We were happy and excited to see each other.

Today was a very "special" day because we were going to open our Christmas presents from our beloved friend and supporter of our project, Ms. Angelique.

We meet up at the Reading Hall during the last period. First of all, we opened the package. It contains a card and 6 wrapped boxes. We read the Happy Holiday card by Ms. Angelique together and then distributed the presents to the rightful member. All of us were trying to guess what was the present. Finally, we unwrapped the present together and WOAH, a MP4 player.... (speechless) for each of us....that is so COOL! The BEST Christmas present we have ever got! The girls have metallic pink players whereas the boys have white ones. We were very happy with the presents and grateful for it and we promised that we will use them wisely.

THANK YOU MS. ANGELIQUE for the Christmas present and for the contribution you have gave throughout the project in helping the autistic children at EIC, letting them shine, touching the families, team members and the community. We really appreciate everything that you have done for the project and the lives of the special children. Thank you so much, Ms. Angelique. God Bless.

Happy New Year Wishes

2008-01-01T12:52:00.000+08:00

We received a New Year 2008 wishes from our great supporter and a wonderful friend to the team and the children, Ms. Angelique. Not forgetting, from our dearest mentor, Michelle Tiew. Happy New Year to you and your family too! Wishing you good health, good wealth, happiness, peace and love.

From Ms. Angelique

From Michelle Tiew

Happy New Year 2008

2007-12-31T13:46:00.000+08:00

Here wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2008!

May it be another amazing year to embrace.

congrats!

2007-12-28T23:50:00.000+08:00

Congratulations in getting 7As in your PMR. Well done!

Video of Final Presentation

2007-12-27T14:12:00.000+08:00

These are the videos of our presentation during the 'Final Presentation. We had been working hard during the school holiday in preparing for this presentation. All the effort, time and energy that spent on this were worth it.

[Please remember to mute our main audio before viewing this video. Thank you.]

Video of our presentation during the Final Presentation at Citrus Hotel Kuala Lumpur on 17th December 2007.

Video of our Questions & Answers Session during the Final Presentation.

More Bragging

2007-12-26T10:03:00.000+08:00

All of you may wonder, what are we doing in Kuala Lumpur after the competition? Yup, we have about 4 or 5 days to have fun!

The first day, our mentor, Michelle and Yati brought us around Putrajaya. It was an eye opening for us to see such magnificent building structures and the surroundings. We went for late lunch in Secret Recipe, Alamanda Shopping Mall. Then, we visited Putrajaya Mosque, Dataran Perdana, Putrajaya Botanical Garden where we got to know many species of flowers and their scientific names and passed through the Seri Wawasan Bridge where we grabbed the chance to stop by and took a few pictures. It was such a wonderful tour in Putrajaya! Checked in Dynasty Hotel, dined at the nearby mamak stall, and we were not going to sleep, not until we sat on the well-known ferris wheel in the nation, Eye On Malaysia! It took hours for us to queue up for our turns, but it was worthed it when we had an exquisite bird eye view on Kuala Lumpur on top of Eye On Malaysia! Our hearts were satisfied and ready to go back to the hotel. Thank you Michelle, her sis and Yati for spending time to bring us around Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur!!

For the second day, we stayed in the hotel to prepare for the final presentation. We trained together for the whole day and asked questions with each other. Ms. Lat even taught Crystal how to speak confidently, correct body language, pronunciations, intonations and manner. We slept early to get full energy for the big day. Oh yeah, we also got to watch movies through StarMovies and HBO in the room.

Third day - the big day. Woke up early, and ready to go for the final presentation! We were surprised to know that we were the lucky number one to present our project. But still, we managed to calm each other down and took some time to prepare for the presentation. During the final judging, Crystal and Ms. Lat able to answer the questions that the judges could bring forward and concluded our presentation with a special video. All of our hardworks had finally paid off when we were announced that we were the champion in the Maxis CyberlinQ competition during the award ceremony night at Nirwana Hall, Crown Plaze Hotel! Winning this competition really exemplified our endeavours and passion to help the autistic children at the centre.

The next four days - Checking out Citrus hotel with smile masks on everyone's face and joyful hearts, we checked in Coronade Hotel and we were ready for fun! We went to many shopping malls where we shopped till we dropped namely in Sungei Wang, Mid Valley, Times Square, Lot 10, Pavillion and Low Yat Plaza. And not to forget that we met up with Michelle and Yati at Mid Valley's Nando's to celebrate our victory! We also had breakfast with Ms. Yong Wye Yee at Starbucks too. We really want to thank our mentors for guiding us throughout the project. Now, the exciting moment came when we were in Genting Highlands! Wohoo! We rode many thriller rides and shopped a lot!

Last day - After sending Crystal to Pudu Raya, Ms. Lat, Stephanie and Tung boarded the skybus to LCCT. Lunch at Asian Kitchen, sharp at 2 o' clock, we boarded the plane to go back to Sandakan. We bet, we had the best moments in K.L. that we will cherish them in our hearts. Be sure to look at our gallery to view some of the best moments that we had during our K.L. trip.

And to other competitors, you all have done your parts in contributing and helping the society. Winning or losing doesn't matter because you're always the WINNERS in everyone's hearts!! Cheers to everyone and to you! You can make a difference in your society.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T18:30:00.000+08:00

We, H.O.P.E. would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. It had been a blessing moment for us, working in this project and getting supports from everyone. Have a good one with family and friends, as Christmas is a time for sharing and love. God bless.

Xmas Card from Ms.Angelique

2007-12-24T18:23:00.000+08:00

Thank you to Ms.Angelique for the lovely and meaningful Christmas e-card. We wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas. Thank you for sharing your love and care to the children at EIC and also to the team. Merry Christmas!

The Victory

2007-12-22T09:12:00.000+08:00

Forgive us if we brag, you've heard it from the everyone and Maxis CyberlinQ official blog too, we bag the first prize in Maxis CyberlinQ competition and winning Best Mentor Award and Best Blogger award! This year is another wonderful year for us, our school, the centre and the children! Thanks everyone who supported us throughout the project!

So back to bragging, last few months ago, a team which consisted of 6 students and 1 teacher was formed and was given the name H.O.P.E. Later on, Maxis CyberlinQ granted our team with 2 capable and promising mentors, Michelle Tiew and Yong Wye Yee. From that day onwards, H.O.P.E.'s mission was to act as a leading voice to air out awareness and helping autistic children in every way we could. We worked very hard throughout our holidays and it was worth it. We laughed together, we shared our joy and tears together and we helped each other. The journey had finally came to an end, but wait, you may asked...

"Hey, you guys are going to stop here right after grabbing 3 awards?!"
or
"Is H. O.P.E. team going to demolish soon after the competition?"

The answer is definitely no. Winning this competition does not stop us from serving our community. It is our willingness to help the autistic children and the society. There are still many special children who can shine more like stars. If only we discover the stars, polish them up by giving them right early intervention, they can shine like bright stars too!

Once again, congratulations to SM. Sung Siew's H.O.P.E. team! We swept three awards and emerged as the champion two years in a row! Our wish is that everyone, including you, are going do more charity and contribute to the society. Remember to serve your community while having fun like us!

"We have put our heart and soul in this project.
It is our passion to volunteer to help them." - Tung

H.O.P.E. in Genting Highlands

2007-12-19T14:03:00.000+08:00

Greeting from H.O.P.E. reporting from Genting Highlands!

We are in Genting Highlands now enjoying our times in KL before heading back to Sandakan this Friday.

Just a brief report of the competition... WE WON!! Yes, we won AGAIN! We'll give a full report of our trip, the final presentation and the prize ceremony dinner when we get back to Sandakan. Right now, time does not permit us to stay in front of the computer, as there are so many things to see, shop and have fun. But to make it short, we are having an amazing time since the day we landed in KL. This to thank Michelle Tiew, the best mentor we could ever had, and her very cool friend, Yati. Also, to all the friendly and kind Maxis committees.

Congratulations H.O.P.E. for winning

FIRST PRIZE for SECONDARY SCHOOL CATEGORY

BEST BLOGGER

BEST MENTOR

Our KL trip

2007-12-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

So this is it. The final of the competition. We'll depart to Kuala Lumpur at 10:25am and arriving at 1:10pm. Mdm.Michelle and her friend Yati will fetch us from the airport and bring us for touring.

As for tomorrow, Sunday - Mdm. Michelle will bring us to the Christmas Open House at Pusat Jagaan Kanak-kanak Nur Salam, in Chow Kit, a charity programme with Maxis. Below is the details of the place and the programme. Thank you for allowing us to join. It will be another great experience!

Rumah Nur Salam, which includes Pusat Aktiviti Kanak Kanak, Chow Kit, is a 24 hour activity center and 'safehouse' that wants to provide a 'safe,' healthy and loving environment for all children under the age of 18, living or loitering, in and around the Chow Kit area of KL. Children registered at the center are given food, shelter and are exposed to educational, health and recreational activities and programs that otherwise may not be accessible to them.

On an average day, there are about 30 children who attend a program at the center. Currently, this number increases to around 70 children on weekends. Most who come to the center are under the age of 12, but the number of teenagers who attend a program is on the rise. To date we have over 126 children registered.

Who are these kids? Most of the children are poor and discriminated against and are, from the areas around Chow Kit and the greater parts of KL. They are, for the most part, unable to have their basic needs met and there is little adult supervision. Thus, many children stay on the streets in the middle of the night and are deemed as 'high risk' children.

Rumah Nur Salam is a collaboration project between the Department of Welfare (JKM), Wilayah and Yayasan Salam, Malaysia to assist, protect and address the issues that these children face and to provide a 'safe' zone or sanctuary for them.

MAXIS CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Pusat Penjagaan Nur Salam, 24B & C Jalan Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur

PROGRAMME

9.30 am- Maxis volunteers to meet at Menara Maxis and take bus to Nur Salam

10.00 am- Arrival of Maxis Volunteers at Nur Salam Volunteers start to decorate the Home with Christmas decors

11.00 am- Decorating the Christmas Tree

11.30 am- Welcome by Raja Azizan (Executive Director)/Dr Hartini Zainudin (Consultant)/Raja Aziz (Executive Director, Internal Affairs

- Presentation by children from Nur Salam Home

-Christmas Carols by the Lighthouse

12.30 pm - Games/Fund Activities with Santa Clause/Clown Jon Eddy (COO Maxis) presents mock cheque & school shoes to the children

12.30 pm- Lunch with the children

- Group photo with the children

02.00 pm- Good Bye

*******

We want to thank all that have been giving their blessings, prayers and supports to us from the beginning of the project until this end. We promise that we'll do our best. Especially being 'the voice' for these Autistic children.

We'll do our best in posting you our latest happenings while in KL. As for now, we leave you with an extract taken from Low Gin Tung's blog, posted very, very early this morning. [2am]

Tung : Yes, we are representing our school, ourselves, our town, our supporters, our friends, the centre and not to forget, the innocent special children. We are representing them, to bring and to speak out for those who can't speak out for themselves. This is it, as I have said, it is a game. A game that will come to an end sooner or later. But, we are not going to stop! We ought to replay the game though we finish it already! Children at the centre, we urge to speak for you! Winning or losing doesn't matter, the important thing is, to become as a leading voice to tell about autism to everyone! Hence, WISH US LUCK in the final presentation in Kuala Lumpur, Citrus Hotel. Pray for us, as this is the one and only one golden chance to bring autism awareness back !! K.L, here we come~

Special video of the X'mas Party

2007-12-14T13:40:00.000+08:00

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

The laughter could still be heard. Their smiles and joy could still be pictured. Their happiness and the love could still be felt. Indeed, yesterday was a wonderful and meaningful day for all of us, as the children were smiling and happy.

Below is the special video of the celebration yesterday. Please turn off our main audio when you view this video.

We will be leaving to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow for the Final Presentation on Monday. Our mentor Mdm. Michelle Tiew and her friend, Yati will be bringing us touring after arriving in KL. On Sunday, Mdm. Michelle Tiew is bringing us to the Children Safe Home for Christmas Charity with Maxis. Thank you for inviting us to join. We also want to thank Mdm.Michelle Tiew for her troubles, kindness and co-operation all these while. God bless!

Christmas Celebration

2007-12-13T19:41:00.000+08:00

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill

We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!

Today had been another meaningful day for the team, the children and the community as a whole. Not only had this event involved parents, families, teachers, children and friends but also to our dearest friends in United States of America. Yes, Ms.Angelique and family who had took all the troubles in ensuring the celebration went well.

A bright and shinny day where the team had arrived at the centre as early as 7am. The EIC teachers, and committee members were busy preparing the food and decorations as well. Low Gin Tung and his sister were busy blowing the balloons. Shortly they were joined by Crystal and her brother. As it had reached 8am, Pang Ai Lu and Lee Jian came to the centre and were excited and happy to see the beautiful decorations. They were attracted to the Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. Oh they did not wait any longer to play the balloons that were prepared by the team members! Jing Jing arrived with her beautiful red dress and Ka Nyan came shortly. They were all so happy as the Christmas spirit was felt in the air. Some sang along and danced around the main hall to the Christmas songs that were playing.

The parents were busy in the kitchen, helping with the food and some just busy entertaining their children. The EIC teachers and committee members brought along their children as well that they played with the children together. A happy moment for the children as well as the families to see how their special children are accepted and loved by others.

Ms.Lat had to rush to English Tea House to take the 4 roasted chickens sponsored by Ms.Angelique. Then she fetched Nursyazwani (SM Sung Siew’s student) and her sister Aliyah that had volunteered to join the celebration. It was very nice of Nursyazwani’s mother, she made us a chocolate cake for the celebration. Thank you! :-)

We also received guests from the Sabah Cheshire Home staffs and nurses from the hospital. Thank you for coming! :-)

By 9:45am, Mr.Leong carried two boxes of the parcels that Ms.Angelique sent. We put them at the Christmas tree and planned to open it during the giving away presents later on.

At 10.10am, we started off with dancing and singing to Christmas songs. The children were all so excited that they kept playing with the balloons. We had fun as well kicking and throwing the balloons into the air. Then we decided to burst the balloons. The children were afraid at first with the sound, especially Ka Nyan as she kept covering her ears. Meanwhile Lee Jian got to gain his courage to burst the rest of the balloons.

As we all were getting hungry, we proceeded to the kitchen. All the food was prepared by the EIC teachers, parents and committee members. They were YUMMY! Especially the roasted chicken ordered by Ms.Angelique for us.

As everyone was stuffed, we all gathered at the main hall. Ms.Lat wore her santa hat and started her ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ Ms.Meryhati helped her as well in distributing all the presents for the children. As they handed the gifts to the children, they were so happy and gave Ms.Lat a kiss on her cheek. They immediately sat and unwrapped their presents.

Each of the children received a magnetic board, meanwhile the girls received a girlie doll. The boys got each a puzzle to bring home. All gifts were from the team members.

Then, Ms.Lat and Crystal opened the two parcels of toys sent all the way from USA. Each of the girls received a Barbie doll, equipped with a set of house and its furniture! Meanwhile the boys received a set of train and its equipments. Oh! They were all so excited that they sat at their corner, looking through their presents and couldn’t wait to play them.

But that wasn’t all! Ms.Angelique also gave each of them a children laptop, fully installed with games and learning software. They were so happy as one could see from their eyes and smiles! They started pressing the keyboards and playing with it. It was a sight to see when Ai Lu carried the laptop like an executive around the main hall.

It was indeed a joyous time seeing how happy and grateful these children, upon receiving all the wonderful presents given by the team, Ms.Angelique and the EIC teachers.

The team also gave presents for each of the EIC teachers! Of course we did not forget them! :-) Meanwhile, we requested for the EIC teachers to keep Titus and Chau Yin’s presents as they couldn’t join us today.

The children went home, full with presents that they themselves could not carry! They were so happy, waving, giving us hug and kiss on the cheek. As they walked home, they looked back and waved with big bright smile on their faces. They know they will have new toys to play as they reach home. Their parents were grateful and thanked all of us.

Seeing their smiles and happiness, was a satisfying and content feeling to the team members. If only they could speak, they would say a thousand thank you to everyone that had made it possible. They would say thank you for accepting them, for loving and caring for them, for letting them be, like any other normal children, equally live and grow to their best abilities.

And because of this, we want to thank to everyone that had make this celebration another great success. Firstly, of course to

Ms.Angelique and family

for being so thoughtful, generous and kind to send the toys all the way from USA. Not only that, but also ordered for us 4 roasted chickens for the celebration from English Tea House. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Mr. and Mrs. Leong

For the troubles and co-operations you gave in helping us with this activity.

EIC teachers and EIC committee members

For making this possible. For supporting our project and continue to give your best for the wonderful children.

The children’s parents – for giving us the chances to come close and love your children. Thank you for the supports and co-operation.

Novelty Cakes and Restaurant – for sponsoring a delicious pandan cake for the celebration.

Mdm. Hafifah and daughters – for sponsoring a delicious chocolate cake and for joining us in this celebration.

Sabah Cheshire Home staffs and committee – for your attendance in making the celebration even merrier.

Parents, families and friends that had come as one in this celebration. Let this be, a starting point to embrace the true meaning of this celebration, that is to share, to give and to love and care.

God bless.

P.S. Don’t forget to visit our gallery for the photos of the celebration.

Christmas Preparation

2007-12-12T20:22:00.000+08:00

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. ~Harold Hulbert

It had been a long day today. Crystal, Tung and Ms.Lat met in school at 10:30am. We went to see the principal regarding on the final presentation. After that, we went for lunch and proceeded to the centre to decorate the place with Christmas decorations.

We had put up the Christmas trees and the decorations. Tomorrow we will continue the rest of the decorations, balloons and the presents! We planned to go to the centre as early as 7am.

We got the information that Ms.Angelique's presents for the children will arrive tomorrow morning itself. She also sponsored for 4 roasted chickens, stuffings, mashed potatoes and gravy. She ordered them from our very own English Tea House. It will be a wonderful celebration tomorrow! :-) Thank you so much Ms. Angelique!

Anyway, Ms.Meryhati informed us that two of the children won't be able to join us - Titus Hii and Chau Yin. Chau Yin is down with fever and meanwhile Titus went for holiday with his family. So four of them will be around tomorrow - Lee Jian, Jing Jing, Ai Lu and Ka Nyan. Their families will be joining us as well. The team members' families and EIC committee members are also coming for this meaningful moment. :-)

We are looking forward for tomorrow's Christmas celebration with the children and the community! Counting the hours...

Confirmation

2007-12-10T19:11:00.000+08:00

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Meade

Crystal and Tung went to Ms.Lat's place at 10am and started our discussion and practice. Ms.Lat called Mohd. Faizal at Maxis CyberlinQ office and got the details of the final presentation.

We will be staying at Citrus Hotel at Jalan Raja Laut and the Final Presentation will be held at the same hotel as well. Meanwhile the Prize Ceremony Dinner will be at Grand Season.

Our principal had confirmed of joining our Christmas Party this Thursday. We hope that YB Au Kam Wah could join us as well, since we were informed that he has another event to attend on the same day. We are going to the centre this Wednesday to decorate the centre for the Christmas Party.

Preparation for Christmas Party

2007-12-08T17:38:00.000+08:00

"Follow your passion, and success will follow you." ~Arthur Buddhold

Today had been a rainy day. Yet it did not stop us from proceeding our plans. Three of our members are not around. David went to Holland, Catherina in Jakarta and Olivia in KL. So left us - Crystal, Tung, Stephanie and Ms.Lat. We all gathered at Ms.Lat's house in the morning to discuss on the final presentation, KL trip and preparation for the Christmas Party for the EIC children. We also went to shop for the materials needed for decorations and wrapping papers. After we had finished wrapping the Christmas presents, we decided on four Christmas songs to be sang on that day. We proceeded with practices for the final presentation. Everyone went home by 5pm. We are to meet again on Monday, to have more practices and preparation for the final presentation.

Happy Weekends! H.O.P.E. signing off...

Upcoming Activity

2007-12-07T14:21:00.000+08:00

"It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it." ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." ~Burton Hillis

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~Washington Irving

The Christmas Party celebration is postponed from 10th December to 13th December. Ms. Angelique had generously sent the children some Christmas presents all the way from USA. Two packages are to be expected by early next week. We want to take this opportunity to thank Ms.Angelique and family for their generousity, kindness and thoughtfulness. We sure the children will be thrilled and happy to get them. God bless you! :-)

Meanwhile, Ms.Lat had bought some Christmas presents as well for the children during her trip in Kota Kinabalu, using the fund that the team had collected in selling the DVD of Mini Charity Concert. The EIC committee members will be in-charge of the food, meanwhile the team will arrange the games, activities and decorations on that day.

Ms.Lat had received a call in confirming the date of 17th December as the final presentation. Anyway details of the venue and accommodation will be informed later.

Looking forward for the Christmas Party for the children at EIC. :-)

Bursting with joy!

2007-12-04T16:47:00.000+08:00

The Star, Friday, November 9, 2007

Bursting with joy

By PANG HIN YUE

Clement Ooi is an artist who captures powerful emotions in his work.

WHEN the National Art Gallery ended its monthly Saturday market last December, Annie Kam thought the door had closed on her son, Clement Ooi, 18. For two years, she had faithfully accompanied him to the gallery to sell his artworks, which range from black and white animated series to acrylic paint on canvas.

The weekend market had been a good avenue for Clement, Kam says, as he had attracted buyers from Japan, Germany, the United States, Australia and Britain. His best- selling pieces were – and still are – the Heliconia series, in which the flowers inflamed in blood red hues are contrasted against a backdrop of leaves of various shapes and sizes etched intricately in charcoal.

But the closing of the gallery was a just a temporary setback. Through a friend last year, Kam was introduced to Lookiss art gallery owner, Kerk Boon Leng, who took an immediate liking to Clement’s art and decided to help him.

Kerk, a corporate lawyer, has been buying paintings that capture the essence of the history and geography of Malaysia, for more than two decades.

“Clement is a fantastic artist. The emotions he captures are very powerful. They have to do with his artistic talent and not his condition,” he says.

When one tries to sell a piece of painting on the basis that it is done by a person with a disability, it does not give the artist due credit as this would be a case of trying to sell sympathy. “That’s not right,” says Kerk.

He feels Clement’s visuals embody “naïve art” in that he is able to tell a story as it is, without pretending to be profound. And, unlike some artists, he is not consumed by the need to perfect the techniques.

Clement is the youngest among 13 artists producing works for Lookiss, which is housed in a whitewashed double-storey bungalow in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Last weekend, he held his first solo exhibition, themed Unadulterated, at the gallery. On display were over 40 drawings and paintings which he did between 2003 and 2007.

Ever since meeting Kerk, Kam and her husband have learnt to recognise that their son is indeed a gifted artist and that his autism is secondary. Kam admits that previously, when Clement had joint exhibitions with others, the caveat was that he is a person with autism who has a talent for art. But now she sees him as an artist in his own right and hopes others can see him in the same light.

Clement started drawing at seven. But at that time, Kam did not know how to appreciate his art.

“I threw most of his drawings away, thinking he should do something better than doodling,” she says.

Nevertheless, she enrolled him for art classes – probably one of the best things she has done for him, she says. Today, Clement is learning the finer points of art under the tutelage of Chee Sek Thim and Yau Bee Ling. Besides drawing and painting, he enjoys a hectic social life that can put his peers to shame.

Thanks to the untiring zeal of his mother, Clement is actively involved in dancing, acting and bowling, besides being schooled at Kairos in Petaling Jaya. He joins the monthly social clubs organised by Calvary Church and Damansara Utama Methodist Church for the learning disabled community. He is also learning about his rights through a self advocacy group for the learning disabled called United Voice.

“He is a very happy guy and I think it shows in his art work,” says Kam. Indeed his latest series of paintings on sunflowers with vivid hues of yellow seems to be bursting with energy and joy.

Happy Birthday Crystal!

2007-12-04T08:00:00.000+08:00

Another Day at the Centre

2007-11-28T21:02:00.000+08:00

"When someone lets you down, don't give up on him."

Today had been another amazing experience with the children. We arrived at the centre at the usual time. The children played with the new music instruments, which they enjoyed so much. Then we went for our usual jog. We didn't manage to go the Sport Complex playground, as the Cheshire Home van was in use. Instead we decided to bring the children at the nearest field to play balls. As the weather was warm, we decided not to go. Instead we played at the usual place we had our jog and walk. We brought along few basketballs and the children had a good time. We taught them how to kick, throw and catch the ball. However, Titus had no interest to play the ball, instead he was into his writing and drawing of ice creams. Meanwhile, Jing Jing did not make any eye contact and couldn't be bothered to catch the ball. When Ms.Atie kept forcing her, she cried but wasn't for long. And for Chau Yin, she was in the mood of telling us stories - in her own language! It was an adorable sight to see how she told us her stories, with her body gestures and language that only she alone could understand.

After awhile, we all walked back to the centre, but not for Titus. He ran to the fish pond, which Low Gin Tung and David chased after him. He refused to go back to the centre and sat beside the pool. David and Low Gin Tung tried their best to bring him back, however they failed to do so, Ms. Lat came shortly to check on them as they spent 25 minutes persuading Titus to return to the centre. Unfortunately Titus wasn’t in his mood and shouted. We tried so many tricks and ways in persuading him, but he was stubborn and shouted loudly instead. Eventually, the EIC teacher Ms.Meryhati came and managed to bring him back to the centre.

Mr. Leong (EIC treasurer) was at the centre this morning, interviewing a new teacher. It seemed that Ms.Atie is resigning by end of this month, as she got another post in a school. The new teacher is going to start in January. We sure the children, especially Jing Jing will be missing Ms.Atie as she is quite fond of her.

After their break, each of the team members brought each child into classrooms and started their class. David was with Lee Jian, Crystal with Jing Jing, Low Gin Tung with Titus, and Stephanie with Ka Nyan. Meanwhile Chau Yin and Ai Lu was taught by EIC teachers as Catherina and Olivia did not come today. Everyone had a fun time playing and studying at the same time with the new materials from YB Au Kam Wah. We also learnt that Titus could actually spell words by filling blanks of alphabets. Low Gin Tung made two pages for him to complete. Well done Titus! He is indeed a smart boy, although how stubborn and difficult he is.

At 11.45am, every child left the centre and Ms. Lat got to discuss on the upcoming activity with the EIC teachers. The Christmas celebration will be on 10th December. The team members agreed to meet up on 8th December to buy materials and presents for that event. After that, Ms.Lat brought the whole team for lunch before sending each of the members home.

We hope that Titus will mix with everyone and play with us eventually one day. We also hope that all the children will have better improvement too with lots of care and love from the community.

Looking forward for the Christmas party then. Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way!

Low Gin Tung's Adoption Day

2007-11-26T20:24:00.000+08:00

"To help your children turn out well,
spend twice as much time and half the money."

This is the third week that we had been coming to the centre and spending time with the children. The more time we spent with them, we understand their world and did our best in guiding and teaching them to understand ours.

Today was Low Gin Tung's turn to spend time with Titus Hii, his adopted brother. He hadn't been coming to the centre for two weeks as his relatives came visiting and had to spend time with them. We were quite surprise to see how he had lost weight. We guessed that he had grew taller. As we understood, Titus is quite stubborn and difficult to be controlled. He likes puzzle and can complete it again and again.

As usual we arrived at the centre at 8:30am but Titus was late half hour. While we waited for him, we did one on one session with the children in the classrooms, as well as playing with them in the main hall. When Titus arrived, we all went for a walk. Titus disagreed to join us as he wanted to complete his puzzle. Ms. Meryhati tricked him and brought his puzzle out for a walk, then he joined us. He did cried but stopped along the way. As he reached the fish pond, he stopped and immediately played with his puzzle. Low Gin Tung patiently waited for him to complete as the rest proceeded their walk.

As he completed, he wanted to walk back to the centre. Again we tricked him by taking his puzzle away from him and asked him to join us. He cried loudly but somehow obeyed. Then we took few pieces of his puzzle and asked him to walk few rounds so that we would return the pieces to him. At first he disagreed and cried but eventually he obeyed. After few rounds, we walked back to the centre. Poor Lee Jian, he was running and fell down that he hurt his knee. David brought him back to the centre to put bandage on it.

As we arrived at the centre, Titus immediately continued completing his puzzle. We asked him to drink his water but he refused and threw his tantrums. When Ms.Meryhati agreed to draw ice creams for him, then he finished his bottle of water.

We learnt that besides puzzle, he likes to write the words 'ice creams' and few chinese words. He likes Ms.Meryhati to draw for him the ice creams on his papers, too. We got to observe how he persuaded her to draw and kissed her as to thank her for it.

We also got the chances to see that he would shake hands with the parents that came to fetch their children at the centre. As they departed, he would hit the gate grill a rhythm.

He would look at you when you called him and waved good bye when you said, 'Bye bye Titus'. Much surprise to his size, he is actually a nice boy. Although he may be difficult at times, with patient and dedication, he would be willing to learn more.

Since today had been the only time we got to be spending time with Titus, we, again had decided to come on Wednesday. We believe it takes time for him to trust us and able to open up with us.

We decided to bring the children at the nearest Sport Complex playground on Wednesday morning and to see how their reaction of something new and out of their normal routine. Ms. Meryhati will try to arrange the transport and approval from their parents. We hope it will be a green light for us. It will be another great experience with the children, then.

H.O.P.E. signing off for now...

Happy Birthday Cathz!

2007-11-25T12:12:00.000+08:00

Stars News

2007-11-24T17:27:00.000+08:00

Interesting news articles, showed how important for the society to know about autism. Study had proved 90% of people do not know how common autism is. That is a sad fact.

The STAR, Monday August 14, 2006

Autistic kids abused by clueless parents

RAUB: Many cases of child abuse stemmed from a lack of understanding about autistic children, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen. She said many parents do not know how to handle the so-called “naughty” children and this could lead to fights between them and abuse of the children.

She explained that children with autism have a lifelong disability that blocks their learning and communication capacity as well as emotional and social development.

“Most parents do not realise what is wrong when their children behave strangely, like wanting to distance themselves from other people, being hyperactive or not able to take meals on their own,” she added.

However, autism does not have to be a “life sentence” to the children if there is early intervention through education and behavioural management, Dr Ng told reporters during a visit to a health camp at SRK Sempalit, near here, yesterday.

Through this, she said, these kids could emerge from their autism to function like other “near-normal children”.

She added that some studies had shown that for every 110 children in the world, one is an autistic child. Dr Ng commended the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) on its efforts to help such children and encouraged parents with this condition to seek help from any of the 13 Nasom centres nationwide.

The STAR, Thursday July 13, 2006
Living in an unreal world,

Autistic kids must have early support

KUALA LUMPUR: These children can see, smell and hear the world but make no sense of it – they are autistic children who live in a world of their own.

According to National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) executive director Liew Yoon Loy, many children suffer from autism but are not given appropriate help because their parents are unaware of their needs.

“Parents who do not understand autism cannot provide early support for their children. These children look normal but have special needs and it takes a lot of patience to care for them,” she said yesterday.

“Autistic children show symptoms within 36 months of their life, and parents should be aware of these symptoms so that they can bring their child for diagnosis. If their child is confirmed to be autistic, they can seek help early.”

Children with autism usually have communication and behavioural problems, and are unable to relate normally to other people. However, they can possess extraordinary abilities in a particular field such as mathematics or music.

Liew added that some parents were ashamed of their autistic children, as outsiders would judge them as being “lousy parents.”

“Autism is not about poor upbringing. It’s actually a neurobiological disorder that causes lifelong development disability, and early detection is essential to give the child special help he needs,” she told a press conference after a cheque presentation.

“A study in Britain shows that one in every 110 children suffers from autism, but there are no figures in Malaysia.”

Carrefour Malaysia/Singapore presented RM90,000 to Nasom to establish a bakery and launderette programme at two vocational centres for autistic children.

Two groups of 15 teenagers each will train at the vocational centres to enhance their employment opportunities.

Also present at the presentation ceremony were Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (who is Nasom’s patron), Nasom president Megat Ahmad Shahrani Megat Sharuddin and Carrefour Malaysia/Singapore managing director Shafie Shamsuddin.

For more information contact Nasom at 03-4023 6698/7698 or visit www.nasom.org.my

Preparation Part 2

2007-11-22T17:29:00.000+08:00

We met up again at Ms.Lat's place for the second day of the preparation. This time, Crystal brought an apple pie made by her mom. Thanks! :-) We had completed the draft and proceeding to the practice. Another long day today!

Everyone looked so serious...

Crystal's mom apple pie. Yummy!

The team took a break and...

... and watched this! Haha!

Preparation for Final Presentation - Part 1

2007-11-21T17:29:00.000+08:00

Today we started on our discussion and preparation for the final presentation. We arrived at Ms.Lat's house at 9am. All of us gathered at the living hall and sat comfortably around the coffee table. It was a good brainstorming.

By 1pm, Ms.Lat brought us out for lunch at Sandakan Curry House. All of us had 'Nasi Bryani' and we talked about our trip to KL. We went back to Ms.Lat's house to continue on our preparation at 2pm. This time we shifted our discussion to the dining table. Everyone went home by 5pm.

Brainstorming session

Smile!

Lunch time!

Nasi Bryani for lunch. Yummy!

Continuing our discussion at the dining table.

Happy Birthday David!

2007-11-20T12:40:00.000+08:00

David's Adoption Day

2007-11-19T12:23:00.000+08:00

We all arrived at the centre at 8:30am. Again, Titus hasn't shown up. Ms. Meryhati called his parents and confirmed that he might be back to the centre on Friday instead, as his grandma insisted for him to spend more time with the family. So again, Low Gin Tung did not get the chances to spend time with Titus. But anyway, we had arrange to go to the centre again on next Monday, since the final presentation is postponed to mid December.

Again, Lee Jian showed a good progress with David around. He obeyed to David's instructions and for the first time, he clapped his hands and stomped his foot. It was a happy sight to see.

After the tv show, we went for our routine walk. Lee Jian had followed David's new path! He has broken his normal routine. Normally the teachers had to force him and he would cried and ran back to the centre. But instead he followed David's instructions and went wherever he was. Good progress. It is very important to go out of the routine, as this is what Ms. Meryhati and Ms. Nelly said. They had tried many times before but failed. They were indeed happy to see Lee Jian's improvement.

As we all returned to the centre, there was a power failure the whole morning. The children were a bit restless. But not the case for Jing Jing. She wanted to be carried all the time. MsLat carried her and swung her around. She liked it very much.

MsLat had to leave at 10:00am as she had to rush to the airport. We had our break, fried mee hoon and fried big prawns! They were yummy! We also received visitors from hospital. They came to get more informations on Autism.

After break, we had our one on one session at the main hall instead. It was quite warm and Chau Yin was restless and crying. At 11:30am, their parents came and they all went home.

Looking forward for next Monday session, especially spending time with Titus. :-)

Maleia Darling

2007-11-18T08:13:00.000+08:00

Another great article to be shared. It shows to us, how much education is important in every aspect, in every person. No child, normal or innate with autism, should be left out from getting an education. [Thanks to Ms. Angelique's mother for sharing this.]

'My right hand is my life'
January 28, 2007
By CARLA OCCASO Staff Writer

Maleia Darling shocked her family just over a year ago by communicating volumes of bright, articulate thoughts although she has never spoken a sentence. Until then they didn't know what her favorite color was, let alone what her complex thoughts and feelings about her experiences might be.

"My name is Maleia and I am eleven years old," she wrote with a typewriter-like device on Oct. 2 in a piece titled "My Life With Autism." "I feel like other kids my age but my world is very different. I am forced to live in the world of autism. To me there is a gospel different from yours. Autism affects me both academically and personally."Before Maleia (her name is pronounced MAH-LEE-AH) learned to type on a keyboard about a year and a half ago, her parents, Todd and Keri Darling of Barre, said they had no idea what went on in their daughter's head. They picked out what they thought she would like or need by trying to guess the desires of their sometimes expressionless child with big beautiful eyes and short blonde hair. Once she began writing, her inner world came alive to them.

"We were blown away," said Todd Darling, who is a wholesale flower distributor. "We didn't know she knew what she knew (and) for me, it gave me a stronger will to help her get out of the world she was in."

Now, Maleia tells her parents what she thinks, feels, likes and dislikes. Her favorite colors are pink and yellow. She likes volcanoes. She likes riding on snowmobiles, roller coasters and other amusement park thrill rides.

"It's made us closer because we know how she feels," Keri Darling said. "Before, I made all the decisions. It's helped to get to know her more."

Autism is classified by the World Health Organization as a neurodevelopmental disorder. The condition affects a person's ability to communicate, understand spoken language and interact socially. Symptoms usually appear in the first three years and continue throughout life.

Maleia's medical problems started at nine months when she had a grand mal seizure. Keri Darling called emergency rescue and felt "helpless" and "clueless" as her tiny daughter was rushed to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Doctors diagnosed Maleia with autism at age 3. Her parents cared for her as she endured seizures for days in a row, every hour on the hour, according to Keri Darling. The early years were "rough," Todd recalls. As Maleia matured, the duration and frequency of the seizures decreased, and though she had seizures as recently as last summer, the episodes have been regulated with medication.

The Darlings credit their own parents, extended family, the Barre Town School and the community for supporting them along the way.

Keri Darling, who works as a victim's advocate for the deaf, said the Barre Town school has been "awesome." The school board promised the Darlings the school would help Maleia with whatever she needed when she enrolled in kindergarten. Now in fifth grade, she works with a one-on-one aide, often in a room by herself, because it is difficult for her to be with groups of people.

Todd Darling said it was impossible to tell how much Maleia was taking in until Harvey Lavoy of the Barre Town School introduced her to "facilitated communication" last year.

In her case, someone holds her wrist or elbow in place so that she can access the keyboard of a computer or other writing device with her fingers. Maleia hits the keys on her own, Todd Darling says. Her writing is not edited by her parents or her teachers.

Maleia is reading and writing at a fifth grade level, and she has produced pages of sensitive, intelligent essays.

"Words, thoughts, hoards (sic) of emotions spin a riot in my head," Maleia wrote. "How can I speak or know drops of thoughts when there's an ocean in my head? … How can I fit into a world forcing feelings I don't have?"
Her writing reveals a thoughtful person full of hopes and joys, even though on the outside she appears to be cut off from others.

The Darlings had no idea how their dedication touched their daughter until recently because Maleia only utters occasional single words to indicate what she wants, her father says. And while she can say many words, she's not able to string them together verbally in sentences, he says.

Maleia recently wrote, "My mom is pretty and smart. She loves me the way I am. She loves me as much as she loves (brother) Jake. I'm surprised that she loves me when I'm a devil. I love her, too, and I'm so really happy that she's my mom."

Maleia also wrote a letter called "My Special Place" to her grandmother: "Roots of love, rays of happiness, torch of hope, these are the things that touch me when I am at Mimi's house. Mimi's house is truly peaceful … She's always a fountain of love for me and filled with real hope that I am smart and really lovely." Kay Lomberti, Maleia's grandmother, said she cried when she read this letter.

Her parents are amazed how simple communication devices, such as portable electronic keyboards, have opened Maleia's world.

Knowing her preferences has allowed the Darlings to provide an enriching environment at home. Her bedroom has become a soothing retreat decorated in her favorite colors with soft lights. On a recent Sunday afternoon Bob Marley's rhythmically lilting reggae music filled the air as Maleia swung on a swing in her bedroom. Todd Darling explained Maleia puts on music and swings every day when she gets home from school to unwind from the daily stress. Autistic children need certain kinds of physical stimuli other children don't, according to Keri Darling. In the summer, she swims in their backyard pool.

Maleia's seemingly miraculous discovery of the written word has inspired her uncle, Randy Lomberti, to join with Sue LaGue of Berlin, a grandmother of an autistic child, to raise money help families like the Darlings purchase equipment for their loved ones."We wanted to do something to raise awareness," Lomberti said. "It is a disease that gets one in every 166 children."

Lomberti and LaGue formed the Autism Puzzle Foundation to serve people statewide in need of toys or devices to enrich their lives. They held a fund-raiser at the Barre Elks Club last April, which raised nearly $21,000. Of that, $10,000 was given to Cure Autism Now (www. cureautismnow.org), a research organization that is offering to pay for devices that can people with autism.

Families throughout Vermont are invited to contact the Vermont Assistive Technology program about the Autism Puzzle Foundation gifts of up to $500 for therapy swings, facilitated communication equipment and other alternative communication devices. Funds are also available for toys that help with sensory integration, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, tactile skills and cognition skills.

"We're trying to help Vermonters statewide," Lomberti said. "There's a huge need."

And now, thanks to help from family, teachers and others, Maleia can speak for herself about how important these devices are to those with autism.

"I want to tell people how much my life has changed with typing," Maleia wrote. "Typing is my voice and my right hand is my life. Before typing I had little way to tell people my needs and feelings."

We are in the finals!

2007-11-16T21:29:00.000+08:00

Congrats to H.O.P.E. team for entering the finals! :-D

We are still waiting on the details of the final presentation.

Thank you to Maxis CyberlinQ 2007

for selecting us into the final phase.

Congratulations too to the rest that are selected.

Good luck and all the best! See you all there! ;-)

Ms.Angelique's experience

2007-11-16T12:31:00.000+08:00

We received an email of Ms.Angelique's experience with a Autism Specialist and an Autistic child. Thank you Ms.Angelique :) Below is the copy of the email.

Dear Ms. Lat,

I had an unforgettable experience with Rachel and her specialist for three hours.

We had lunch and conversations, Rachel is in her last year with her specialist. She received training at first from her mom from the time she was a toddler. The specialist is employed by her parents to get Rachel ready for school. Her theraphy includes not only in speech, in how to react with outsiders, children as well as teachers and the outside world. She was introduced to other normal kids and autistics. After nearly 2 years she managed not to be afraid to be taken to places which once she was afraid and shy of.

Everything new, had to be introduced to her slowly, and gradually she learnt to be right in the middle of the other activities and feeling like one of the crowd, be it with normal children or with strangers. She is able to talk and with good mannerism too. Although at times she would burst into shouts in a language that only she could understand which is normal I was told, however, that too will diminished as she grows older.

She ate all her lunch which consisted of macaroni and cheese ( We were told, it is one of her favourite dish) and 3 medium sized shrimps. For dessert, she had a tiny piece of apple pie topped with half a scoop of vanilla ice cream. She was full of smiles and rubbed her little tummy. She said, "I am full. Thank you."

My mom and I, were very happy to see an autistic child on her way to be enrolled in a normal school next year. We saw the progress in Lee Jian, It shows with encouragements from his adopted brother he is able to venture into new things and I know he has a wonderful future ahead with proper guidance, teachings and attention and most importantly, love and support from those around him. The same with all the children of Cheshire Early Learning Centre.

God Bless.

Regards,
Angelique

P.S. Rachel is 6 years old

Olivia, Stephanie & Crystal's Adoption Day

2007-11-15T16:23:00.000+08:00

Today had been another amazing experience with the autistic children at EIC. Olivia, Stephanie, Crystal, David, Low Gin Tung and Ms.Lat went to the centre at 8:30am.

They started off with dancing as warm up activity. Then we all went out for a walk and a jog out of the centre, around Cheshire Home. Although Lee Jian refused at first to go further, but with David’s persuasion, somehow he obeyed. The teachers were amazed with the change in Lee Jian. Although both of them David and Lee Jian walked together, Lee Jian made sure time to time that he was with him, as this path is new to him.

As we walked back, Lee Jian was ahead of us, as he looked forward to return to the centre, a place he felt secure and familiar of. We prepared the small pool that Crystal brought and filled it with water. But before it was half full, the children already got themselves in. We also played water guns and put some toys inside the pool. The children were so happy and excited. Ai Lu got everyone soaked. Somehow the small pool got torn and we tried to tape it but it didn’t work. So we just let them played till the water was running out. They took their shower and changed. Meanwhile David, Low Gin Tung and Crystal helped to clean the front entrance to the centre. Well done team! :-)

During the break, they somehow had appetite to eat more. When David took a curry puff, somehow Lee Jian wanted it too. The teacher said he never wanted to eat anything else beside the food that he brought from home. Again, we were pleased to see how David’s influence as a brother had given a good effect on Lee Jian. Well done, David. There was also a special treat as they got to eat a glass of ice cream each.

After that, Ka Nyan helped with the dishes meanwhile the rest helped to clean the kitchen. After that, everyone got into their classroom, along with their adopted sisters and brother. They taught them on shaping, colouring and completing puzzle. Lee Jian was laughing most of the time with David. He was really happy with him. He also did on joining dots to form number 3.

Stephanie, Olivia and Crystal spent more than an hour with their adopted sisters, before they prepared to go home. Well done girls!

As they all headed home, the team members had a chit chat with the teachers about the future planning. We will have an advance Christmas Day with the children, complete with presents, Christmas tree and caroling! The date is yet to be fixed soon. :-)

Another satisfying day for the team members. The boys will have their adoption day on next Monday. View our gallery for more photos!

p.s. Ms. Angelique from US had invited autism specialist to her house for lunch. She brought an autistic child too along with her. She’ll share her experience and knowledge she gained from her day tomorrow. Thank you Ms. Angelique!

Autism

2007-11-14T14:11:00.000+08:00

First of all, we want to thank Ms. Angelique whom had put an effort in searching for more information on Autism. She had shared with us some good links of Autism and we found them really informative and interesting. She had suggested to us to look for donation of old computers that could be given to the centre so they could also use softwares for teaching and learning. We think that is an excellent idea. We'll look into it for future action :) Ms. Angelique too is planning to send over some books, CDs and softwares for teaching Autistic Children to the EIC. Thank you Ms. Angelique! :D God bless you!

Lastly, we found these interesting quotes on Autism.

"... We all need to think differently about Autism so those who are affected by the condition can feel supported in society ..."

" ... Many people really don't understand just how frightening and lonely the world can seem for someone with autism... "

"... it is so shocking that 90 percent of people don't realise just how common Autism is... "

Some facts about Autism.

1. People with autism generally experience difficulty in three main areas:

1.1. Social interaction. This includes recognising and understanding other people’s feelings and managing their own. Not understanding how to interact with other people can make it hard to form friendships.

1.2. Social communication. This includes using and understanding verbal and non-verbal language, such as gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice.

1.3. Social imagination. This includes the ability to understand and predict other people’s intentions and behaviour and to imagine situations outside of their own routine. This may be accompanied by a narrow repetitive range of activities.

2. The exact cause of autism is still being investigated. However, research suggests that a combination of factors – genetic and environmental – may account for changes in brain development. Autism is not caused by a person’s upbringing, their social circumstances and is not the fault of the individual with the condition.

3. The first detailed description of a child we now know had autism was written in 1799.

4. People from all nationalities and cultural, religious and social backgrounds can have autism, although it appears to affect more men than women. It is a lifelong condition: children with autism grow up to become adults with autism.

5. It can be hard to create awareness of autism as people with the condition do not ‘look’ disabled: parents of children with autism often say that other people simply think their child is naughty; while adults often find that they are misunderstood.

6. At present, there is no ‘cure’ for autism. However, there is a range of interventions – methods of enabling learning and development – which people may find to be helpful.

For more details, please visit these links. Simple click on the title.

AUTISM is NOT A Terrible Thing.

The world can be a scary place

for a person with Autism.

A Day at the centre

2007-11-13T18:12:00.000+08:00

Spending time at the Centre has always been an exciting and memorable experience. Each time we learn new things about the children and how they started to feel comfortable with us. This is because they do not have many friends, as society would look at them differently. According to the teachers, they do need more attention and love from the people surrounding them. But not many are able to, not many are able to accept them the way they are.

We arrived at the centre at 8:45am. We were welcomed warmly by the teachers and of course the adorable children! Ms. Meryhati the teacher informed us that Titus couldn’t make it for this week as his relatives came and wanted to spend time with him. Thus, Low Gin Tung and David’s adoption schedules had to be postponed to next Monday instead. So the team members just spent time with the children and played along with them.

As the tv and dvd player were set at the main hall, we watched the videos from the family day and the special video of the children. The children were excited to see themselves on the tv. Lee Jian watched attentively and trying to recall family day. He approached close to the tv, then looked into the empty air then looked back at the screen again before he went back to his seat. Meanwhile Ka Nyan was so excited that she couldn’t keep quiet. Meanwhile Ai Lu was sad, knowing she wasn’t in the family day video. She sat at the corner, mumbling to herself, in the language only she could understand. But we could read her facial expression that she wasn’t happy. But when the special video of the children was on, and seeing herself in it, she smiled and shy away.

After the videos viewing, the team members went to the kitchen to prepare the tuna and egg sandwiches. Again, the children were excited, especially Ka Nyan and Ai Lu. We all had our break together. We noticed that Ka Nyan likes to share her food that she brought with her, along with the other children. That is a very sweet sight to see. According to the teacher, she does that, even if she had only one to share with. After the break, we helped to clean up the place. Again, Ka Nyan helped Crystal to wash the dishes. She has been trained to do so. That’s why living skills are important to prepare these children to be more independent one day.

We went out for our walk with the children. Again, we learnt that Lee Jian likes to follow his normal routine. Once he arrived at the pond, he would return to the centre, although we persuaded him to walk further more. He refused and just walked back. David had to company him ensuring he returned safely. Meanwhile Ka Nyan and Ai Lu, plucked all the flowers that came to their sights. They collected them all in a plastic bag. After that we headed back to the centre.

We were informed that Chau Yin would change her clothing before she goes home, everyday. Another routine that she is used to. Then they were brought to their classroom to have their lesson on how to cut. But Lee Jian and Chau Yin refused to be in the classroom, so they joined us at the main hall. The team members taught them along with the teachers’ help. It was another great experience to see these children obeying to instructions and were laughing as they managed to do it right. Ms. Nelly told us that Lee Jian did write on numbers, by joining dots. She showed us his book and David decided to make more dots of number 3 for him to join on his next visit on Monday.

As the time had come for them to return home, we gave the gifts of puzzle to Lee Jian and pink doggies to the girls. They were all excited and happy. Jing Jing waved good bye using her pointing finger and also she kissed on Ms.Lat’s cheek too! How sweet!

After interviewing and had a chit chat with the teachers, they wished us good luck in our project competition. We had planned to meet again on Thursday and had set to play water war with the children. We had so much fun the last family day.

After that the team members had lunch together where we encountered something cute on Gin Tung’s ‘nasi goreng pattaya’.

We are looking forward for this coming Thursday!

H.O.P.E. signing off…

Last Day of School

2007-11-10T18:48:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was the last day of school. We want to wish all the Form 5 and Upper Six, all the best of luck in their SPM and STPM! Do your best! :D

Crystal and David went to sell the rest of the DVD of the Mini Charity Concert. It was a good sale. Thank you to all that had supported us in this. We really appreciate it. :D

Meanwhile, Olivia went to distribute the rest of the certificates of appreciation to all the performers and volunteers. Ms.Lat had arranged for the team to meet at the centre on 13th November 2007, to spend more time with the children and teachers. And one of our team members, Catherina will be leaving to Jakarta on the 13th November 2007. Enjoy your holiday there, Cath!

Happy Holiday to all! :D

Chau Yin

2007-11-08T13:14:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Catherina went to Cheshire Early Intervention Centre to spend quality time with her adopted sister Chau Yin and the rest of the children. She reached there around 8.30am.

They went for jogging around the centre. The kids got so excited and ran around. They sat around the pond playing with the water and fed the fish.
Titus, Ai Lu and Chau Yin ran around for few rounds and after that we went back to the centre.

Chau Yin is so hyper and does not get tired easily. The teacher was happy that Titus was exercising and sweated.

While walking back, Chau Yin hugged Catherina while they were walking.
Catherina's adopted sister knows how to take off her shoes and put them back in position. She was taught by the teachers and her parents. That was an adorable sight to see.

After that, it was break time. Everyone ate noodles that they brought earlier. They drank a lot of water. Ai Lu and Lee Jian like their photos to be taken.

The kids did not finish their food except Chau Yin. She took a very long time to finish it. After that, Catherina and Chau Yin spent their times together in classroom 1.

Chau Yin learnt how to cut papers and put them in a bottle. She drew and did coloring, too. They were having a lot of fun. Chau Yin was a very good girl. She listened to Catherina and had a lot of fun with her.

Around 10am, Chau Yin and Catherina joined the others and they played around. Titus kept scratching his eyes until they got red. Poor boy.

Shuet Jing or Jing Jing was finally comfortable with Catherina and started to sniff and smell her. She hugged Catherina and sat on top of her thigh.
She started playing with her and following wherever she went.

Meanwhile, Lee Jian was chasing Catherina, for no reason.

Suddenly, there was a man appeared. He was asking a few information about Autism since he doubted that his 4 year old child is suffering from Autism.

Catherina went back around 11.30 am, pleased and contented with her experience she had with her adopted sister, Chau Yin and with the rest of the children. It was unforgettable memory.

Do visit our gallery to view her day with the children.

Donation

2007-11-07T14:41:00.000+08:00

Today was our school's speech day. Our guest of honour, Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre's chairman, YB Au Kam Wah (ASDK) ADUN N.45 ELOPURA, came to officiate the ceremony. Thus, we took the opportunity to hand him the collection of donations that we made from 'A Cent A Day' and 'Mini Charity Concert', which amountted to RM1001.00. YB Au Kam Wah was very pleased with the fund, that could be used in giving proper training to the teachers of the centre in the future. He also mentioned about our team's project during his speech and wished us the best of luck on the Maxis CyberlinQ 2007 competition. Thank you YB Au Kam Wah! Below are the cut of the speech and photos of today's event.

Our principal handed the fund to YB Au Kam Wah, along with the school board committees.

YB Au Kam Wah was very pleased with the fund donated. In fact, our school staffs donated some more during the staff annual dinner that, also will be donated to the centre. It will be arranged in the future by our Gerko Co-ordinator, Ms. Teoh Ah Nai. Thank you Ms. Teoh!

The team managed to raise more fund from our 'Mini Charity Concert' DVD sales. Thus, the team bought more toys and puzzles for the children at the centre. We are going to bring it over during the adoption programme schedules, so they won't be going empty handed.

The owner of the supermarket gave us a discount from our purchases today. Thank you!

Ms. Lat paid for the toys and puzzle.

Catherina went to the centre to spend time with her adopted sister, Chau Yin today. She will give the report by tomorrow. She had a unforgetable time with her and the rest of the children.

Although we had completed our project, but our service and contribution for the centre will not stop. We will do our best for them! :-)

Video of EIC children

2007-11-05T17:32:00.000+08:00

This is a special video of the Autistic Children in Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre Sandakan Sabah - edited version.
[ Remember to mute our main audio in this blog before you view the video. This video is quite huge, so it may take some time to load. We thank you for your patience. ]

MSN news

2007-11-05T14:19:00.000+08:00

We managed to browse on today's news and encountered with these articles on Autism. It's a very useful information and we hope our society will learn from it.

Autism ‘epidemic’ may be all in the label

Behaviors were as common years ago, but definition, diagnosis have shifted

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
updated 1:55 p.m. ET Nov. 4, 2007

ATLANTA - A few decades ago, people probably would have said kids like Ryan Massey and Eddie Scheuplein were just odd. Or difficult.

Both boys are bright. But Ryan, 11, is hyper and prone to angry outbursts, sometimes trying to strangle another kid in his class who annoys him. Eddie, 7, has a strange habit of sticking his shirt in his mouth and sucking on it.

Both were diagnosed with a form of autism. And it's partly because of children like them that autism appears to be skyrocketing: In the latest estimate, as many as one in 150 children have some form of this disorder. Groups advocating more research money call autism "the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States." Read more

Autism screening urged for toddlers by age 2

Pediatricians group says early therapy can lessen disorder’s severity

CHICAGO - The country’s leading pediatricians group is making its strongest push yet to have all children screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don’t babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don’t point to toys.

The advice is meant to help both parents and doctors spot autism sooner. There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity. Read more

Certs

2007-11-02T22:32:00.000+08:00

Crystal had printed out the appreciation certificates for the volunteers and performers that had contributed in the Mini Charity Concert. Ms.Lat had helped us to submit them to the principal to get his signature. Hopefully by next week we could distribute them.
Ms. Lat also had confirmed on the amount of donation that will be given to Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre. All RM1000.00. Thank you to all Sung Siew community that had donated to that amount! It is more than we had expected. All our hard work are paid off, knowing that amount will be benefited the centre. The donation will be given to YB Au Kam Wah, the chairman of EIC on next Wednesday as he is coming to our school to officiate our speech day.
Ms. Nurha had smsed us on receiving our DVD. Thanks for your wishes for the team, Ms. Nurha :-)
We are also grateful of the supports we received from Angelique, Ms.Lat's friend in the States. Through her, we got some good opinions from CNN on our blog and the overall project. That means a lot. :-)
We would also like to thank all that had voted for us. Thank you for the supports. It encourages us to continue serving for the children and in doing our best.
Looking forward for the results. Hope we will be selected in the finals. :-)

Expenditure

2007-10-31T14:47:00.000+08:00

Today, Ms. Lat, Low Gin Tung and Crystal had a meeting on sorting and finalising the expenditure report at the teachers' lounge. We were quite happy that we got more fund than we expected, especially on the Mini Charity Concert, where we budgetted to raise RM300 but we managed to get double of the amount. All donation of RM1000.00 will be given to Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre through YB Au Kam Wah, as the chairman of the centre. This will be held during the school's speech day on 7th November as YB Au Kam Wah will be officiating the ceremony.

We also prepared the DVD to be mailed to Maxis CyberlinQ personnels. It will be mailed either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. The school clerk will help us to mail it. Thank you! :-)

Crystal helped Gin Tung to type the letter and report. After that, they went around the school interviewing their friends about Autism, Autistic Children and their projects. It was a good response and everyone co-operated.

Poor David, he is having chicken pox and has to rest at home. We did not see him in school at all. He got to have this holiday much earlier than us! Lucky David!

Cynthia Chee is going to help us in making the special video. Thanks Cynthia. :-)

Below are the pictures of today's meeting.

Typing out the expenditure report.

Smile! Always happy in everything we do!

The draft of the expenditure report.

Look at how messy the table was.

The DVD cover and the envelope to be sent to Urus Setia Maxis CyberlinQ

The DVD!

Our mailing address

CNN article

2007-10-30T09:47:00.000+08:00

We read a CNN news article on 'Pediatricians urge early autism screening' which we thought is very touching and important for our society to know about. Below is the extract from the article.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- From the time her daughter was very young, Briana Vartanian knew something was wrong.
Lola didn't smile. She didn't laugh. When she and Lola took walks in the park, Vartanian noticed how the other babies loved to be held by their mothers. Lola hated being touched and even more being held. But there was something even more devastating to Vartanian, who lives in Ladera Ranch, California.
"Lola never looked at me -- she looked through me. She had no idea who Mommy was," Vartanian said. "And other kids love it when someone comes up to them and smiles. She'd freak out if someone approached her -- even if it was me or my husband."
Vartanian told her pediatrician she was worried, the doctor told her Lola was fine. "She kept telling me wait and see, wait and see, and that really annoyed me," Vartanian said. read more

Adoption Programme

2007-10-29T20:36:00.000+08:00

We applied a letter of adoption programme to the centre, through our principal. We hope the centre's chairman will approve it.
This is the schedule for team members to have their time spend with their adopted brothers and sisters.

07 November 2007

Catherina Wong and Chan Chau Yin

13 November 2007

Low Gin Tung and Titus Hii Jia Dian

David Wong and Lee Jian

15 November 2007

Crystal Leong and Thien Shuet Jing

Olivia Hon and Pang Ai Lu

Stephanie Chen and Ho Ka Nyan

Thank You, Performers of Mini Concert !

2007-10-28T14:14:00.000+08:00

THANK YOU

for taking part in Mini Charity Concert and contributing through your performance!

Without your support and cooperation, there wouldn't be a
successful Mini Charity Concert !

Band Performance

"Encore"

- Jeffred Liew - Yapp Man Kim - Loo Keen Loong -

"Middle Class Minded"

- Md. Zainul Ariffin - Jonathan Jupin -
- M. Nizamuddin - Affendy Amat -
- Mark Fredrick - Fabian Lawat -

"Quiet Riot"

- Elliot Khoo - Hareesh Menon - Daniel Tan - Chang Vui Hyan -

"Staff of the Steam Mill"

- Nehemiah Wong - Chin Jia Jun - Loo Keen Loong -

- Wesley Chang - Kevin Kwok -

"Velvet Line"

- Kevin Kwok - Loo Keen Loong -

- Hezren Diman - Wesley Chang -

"Distorted Silence"

- Rowen S. Nirman - Elliot Khoo - Wesley Chang -

- Chang Vui Hyan - Daryl Kuyan -

"Da' Last Band"

- Mohd. Irwan - Fabian Lawat -

- Nasbal Harun - Affendy Amat -

"The Upside Down Band"

- Mohd. Azwin - Naz 'D - Mark Fredrick - Jonathan Jupin -

SINGING

- Rasheena - Noorfarahizan - Rowen S.Nirmal-

- Anddrenus - Clarissa Lam - Tai Tsui Ying -

- Mr. Patrick Lim - Mdm. Chong Fui Ha -

DANCES

"Crazee"

- Nurul Farah Ain - Infazah Qistina -

- Amiratul Zaleiah - Nurshafeka Fiona -

"Skattick's Gurlz"

- Siti Nurhidayah - Beatrice Orissaderi - Jennifer Jupin -

"Cool Friendz"

"Hanatsubasa"

-Kristie Fung - Christina Chong - Tang Sung Yeng -

- Sandra Lo - Melanie Tang -

"The Ultimate Dancers"

- Belinda Hiong - Fang Yit Tze - Averil Foo -

- Lily Leow - Kok Pan Yee -

DRAMA

"Lo..Starz"

Mini Charity Concert

2007-10-27T23:37:00.000+08:00

Today is "Mini Charity Concert" where students and teachers come together to perform on stage. The aim of this event is to raise funds for the autistic children and Sabah Cheshire Home: Early Cheshire Home and also to show their talents at the same time giving people hope. Well, HOPE members arrived to school early around 6 am to do the final decoration and to clean and set up the whole astaka/stage. Once we arrived, we started doing our work immediately. We finished putting up all the logos, posters, decoration, setting the place up and cleaning the place up by 8.15 am. Sound system check and the PA system setup was done too by the Music Group of Sung Siew.

THANK YOU,
Wesley Chang Ze Yang (3C)
Elliot Nicholas Khoo Boon Kheng (3B)
Rowen S. Nirmal (6A)
Hareesh Menon (3A)
Gordon Chang Vui Hyan (3B)
Yapp Man Kin (3E)
Datu’ Khairul Anwar (3F)
Hezron Diman (6A)
Daryl Kugan (2A)
Marshal Bione Jilimin (4A)
Chin Jin Yie (4D)
Kevin Kwok (1A)
Loo Keen Loong (5E)
Daniel Tan (3A)
Mohd. Irwan Sumadi (3B)
Janice Slyvia Lo (3B)
Liew Huei Yee (3A)
Chan San San, Vivian (3B)
Siah Boon Kiat (3B)
Mandy Lo (3A)
Jedd Chung (2B)
Joyce Hiew (2A)
Grace Lim (2A)

Thank you to all the volunteers, performers and the Sung Siew Music Team for helping us out in this event. We truly appreciate all the hardwork you've done. Thank you, Music Team. Without you guys, we wouldn't have a successful concert today.

Afterthat, all of HOPE members went to change into their pink team shirts (Cath's production! Cath, you did a very excellent job). Then, we started the registration for all the groups who were going to perform. All the participants and volunteers went to the counter to get their PINK straps. At 8.30 am, parents and students started to arrive. The audience had to donate a minimum of RM 1 to enter. They got each get a green strap to prove that they had donated. We had been very excited about this Mini Charity Concert all week long, finally its the DAY!

At 9.00 am, Ms. Lat, the m.c., gave a short speech about today's event, Mini Charity Concert. She explained the aim of the concert and what is autism and autistic children. The crowd gave responses when she asked them "What is this concert for?", crowd answered "Autistic Children". (A good sign, we had reach one of our objectives > to expose autism to the community). We were glad to receive more than 20 perfomances (bands, dance, singing, drama). The groups performing band are "Distorted Silence", "Quiet Riot", "Encore", "Velvet Line", "Middle Class Minded", "Staff of the Steam Mill", "Da' Last Band" and "The Upside Down Band". There are 7 singers = the songbird of SS, Rasheena, the teachers, Mdm. Chong Fui Ha and Mr. Patrick Lim, Anddrenus, Rowen, Noorfarahizan and the duets, Clarissa Lam and Tai Tsui Ying ;5 group of dancers, "The Ultimate Dancers", "Hanatsubasa", "Crazee", "Skattick's Gurlz" and "Cool Frenz" and also "Lo..Starz" performing a drama "Sekolah 4xS" and a song. The concert began at 9.05 am with a band perfomance by "Distorted Silence".

All the performance went smoothly even though there were some technical problems. The band perfomances were superb with performers playing their guitar and drums skillfully and singing such nice songs. All the dancers also showed great moves and dance steps. The singers were terrific while performing their song with all their heart. They really have good vocal skills. Mr Patrick, a great supporter of our project, sang 'How Can I Tell Her About You" and another song with his request of a donation from the audience. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement, Mr. Patrick. Mdm. Chong Fui Ha sang "Hey Jude" with the audience joining in the chorus and a chinese song too. Thank you, Mdm. Chong for staying up late with us yesterday to prepare for the Mini Charity Concert and you're great singer. Let's not forget to thank the audience too for coming and contributing at least RM 1 to help this group of special children and supporting throughout this project. The concert finally reached its last performance, "Breaking Free" by the duets at 12.15 pm.

We were surprised and happy as well to see Ka Nyan (one of the autistic children at EIC) and her mom came to watch our concert. Ms. Lat introduced Ka Nyan to the Sung Siew community and the students said 'hello' back to Ka Nyan. She was very happy to be here too... Stephanie and Ka Nyan also went walking around the school together..exploring..heheh... Thank you, Ka Nyan and her mom for coming to this special event made for you.

After the concert ended, without wasting time, we started cleaning up the stage and taking off the backdrop. The Music team carried the instruments and PA system to the room. Besides, they also helped us to move the tables and boards back to where they belong. All of us were working together. Finally, we finished everything at 1.30 pm. Then, we had a meeting before we went home. We took out the containers where people donates and counted the money. While we were counting the money, we talked about the outcome of the today's event and how we put in a lot of effort for this meaningful event. We were really happy to have completed the last activity that we planned, Mini Charity Concert and also thankful that the concert went well and made it a success. For your information, we also took a video of the whole Mini Charity Concert with the help of Stephanie and her friend, Chin Jin Yie who had their hands holding the camcorder for throughout the concert. We would like to thank the school for providing us the camcorder. :) !

We have managed to collect RM 308 from the audience today. (not include the amount from the performancers) We did reach the targetted amount of money, RM 300. Ms. Lat also brought some Famous Amos and Secret Recipe cakes for us from her KK trip yesterday. Yummy...thank you, Ms. Lat for buying these for us. Afterthat, we talked about the upcoming event, Adoption Programme and what have to be done next week which is to finalize the budget. Well, after the whole day of hardwork, we were really tired. So after we had done eating, Ms. Lat, David, Steph and Crystal went for lunch and then Ms. Lat sent us home.

We were very happy to be able to achieve our objectives in today's event, Mini Charity Concert, with the help of the volunteers and performers, and support from the teachers and Sung Siew Secondary School and also Maxis CyberlinQ '07. Thank you everybody for making this event a meaningful and a memorable one. Signing off...

Tiring Day

2007-10-26T23:41:00.000+08:00

It was a tiring day! Each of us was so busy today! Backdrop, decorations, rehearsals! We even called the school community to help out. We started off our meeting at the reading hall sharp at 10 a.m. After a short "pow-wow", we went to the school grandstand and started our works. Unfortunately, Ms. Lat couldn't join us as she had to go for a prize ceremony of Web + Courseware Design Development Competition in Kota Kinabalu. :)

Without wasting time, we decorated the stage with fancy things such as cloths, colourful papers and aluminium foil. We took a break and continued our work at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, there were some bands and dancers were doing some rehearsals in the school too. We chatted, we laughed and we helped each other when needed because this was a team work! (winks) We cooperated with each other so well. :D It was totally hard when we were trying to hang the black cloth as well as to sketch for the backdrop. After 4pm, everyone stopped their work. It was 90% completed! 10% to go~:D We were tired and listless. We had muscle pains but we thought it was worth it because we were doing it for charity. Hence, we hoped that the biggest project and also our last activity, Mini Charity Concert will be a great success!! (prays) Please come to our charity concert!

By the way, we discovered that there's other team(s) copied our blog codes. We were quite disappointed about it, seeing all our hard work contents were on other blog. Don't they know about copyrights and piracy. We are wondering why do they do so? (scratch head) Hmm, lacking of confidence? Oops, unfortunately, that won't stop us from focusing on what we need to do that is TO DO GOOD. That's what this project is all about. Not just merely to win a competition, but to serve the community and learn good values from it.

Good luck to the other teams too and remember, to serve your community while having fun like us!! (cheers)

Newspaper

2007-10-25T21:29:00.000+08:00

This an article of 'Family Day' from our local chinese newspaper, dated 24th October 2007. Below is the translation of the article. Click on the image for bigger view. :-)

"Family Day" organised by Sung Siew Secondary School and Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre(EIC)

On the 21st of October, Sung Siew Secondary School Maxis CyberlinQ H.O.P.E Let 'em Shine, too! and Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre(EIC) had held their hands together to organise a "Family Day" for the autistic children. The objectives of this activity are to increase the awareness of community towards autism and to give the children love in order to make their lives more meaningful. This "Family Day" officiated by YB Au Kam Wah.

YB Au Kam Wah which is very into charity works said that this is the 1st time in history an organisation or school organised an activity to these lovely children. He is very happy for the energy, time, love and care shown by the Sung Siew Secondary School Maxis CyberlinQ H.O.P.E Let 'em shine, too!

YB Au Kam Wah is also the chairman of Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre (EIC) also stated that autistic children really need care, love and guidance from the community to ensure a better future for them.

Sung Siew Secondary School representative Mr Patrick Lim said that in his speech that he will fully support Maxis CyberlinQ group and keep up their good work. He also hoped that the team will keep on passing this message around to the community and the community will lend a helpful hand and give some love not only by donation.

According to information gathered, this Maxis CyberlinQ Competition is a competition that involved the whole Malaysia's school. Sung Siew Secondary School chose "Autism" to be their theme of project and held a few activities to help the autistic children, one of them of course is the "Family Day". Apart from that, they also passed a donation of RM 500 to YB Au Kam Wah the chairman of EIC and also the team did some mural painting in the centre not long ago.

The Leader of Maxis CyberlinQ Sung Siew Secondary School group, Crystal Leong said that the team consists of 2 mentors, 1 teacher advisor and 6 students which make up 9 members all together. She said that the reason why the team chose this theme is because the H.O.P.E team realised and noticed that this group of children needs more attention from the society.

Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre (EIC) already got 6 autistic chilren. To develop their brain more efficiently, YB Au Kam Wah and Sung Siew Maxis CyberlinQ group had bought some useful studying materials, and to enhance the facilities in the centre.

Supports

2007-10-24T15:59:00.000+08:00

We had our meeting today before school dismissed. There will be 21 performances on this coming Saturday. We want to thank them foremost, cause without them, the mini charity concert will not be possible.

Ms.Lat had brief them about the rules for the concert. After the briefing, the members had their short meeting on the preparation. When the last bell rang, they had their lunch in school then departed with Ms.Lat to buy the materials needed for decorating the stage for the Mini Charity Concert. By 3pm, everyone reached home.

Below are two attachments of the appreciation letter from Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre and an email from Catherine Leong in Australia. We are really thankful for the encouragement and support we received. Through this letter and email, we learnt that we had done something meaningful in this lifetime and wish to do more in the future. Although our contribution may be small, we hope it opens many hearts to lead the example. We love the children and indeed, we want them to grow equally like any normal people... deserving to live and be part of the community. So, let 'em shine, too!

[Double click on the image for bigger view]

The letter from Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre Sandakan

An email from Catherine Leong, Australia

Preparation for Mini Concert

2007-10-23T18:05:00.001+08:00

Today the team had a meeting arrangement with some of the band performers. They are going to help the team to set up the band equipments and PA system on the Mini Charity Concert day this Saturday. The team got to discuss on how the arrangements and preparation on that day. Tomorrow we will have a meeting after school, with all the performers and then to finalize the numbers of performances. Then we will go to shop for the stage decoration with Ms.Lat.
This is our poster that will be pasted in school to promote it.

We also had bank in the amount of donation that we collected for the 'A Cent A Day'. Total amount is RM444.37. All will be donated to the centre, together with the amount collected for the mini charity concert.

This is the feedback video of our 'Family Day' from the community that had come for it. Overall, everyone was happy with it and it was a success. :-)

Video of Family Day

2007-10-22T19:59:00.000+08:00

A very meaningful day for all of us. A day where we could spend time with the children, learn more about them, understand them and to give love and care. Fun day with everyone - parents, families, teachers and the children. This video is especially made, the day to remember... where friendship is built, love is planted and better understanding is made. Thank you to all. The children are the stars... they are shinning brightly :-)

[Kindly mute the main audio of the website when viewing this video. :-)]

P.S. Interview of the family day will be uploaded tomorrow :-)

Family Day

2007-10-21T12:59:00.000+08:00

Today is "Family Day". All the members, teachers and mentors arrived at the centre at 7.30am to help and decorate Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre. We decorated the centre with the help of a child while the EIC teachers and parents were cooking and preparing the refreshment. At about 8.30am, we finished decorating the place and a few minutes after that, YB Au Kam Wah, the chairman of EIC arrived with his wife.

YB Au Kam Wah visited the centre and talked to Ms. Lat and some of the team members too. At 9.00am, everyone arrived at the centre except Mr Lee Chin Hoi, principal of Sung Siew Secondary School because he could not make it to the centre. So without wasting anymore precious time, MC of the day, Low Gin Tung started the programmes. It started off with a speech by Crystal Leong, leader of H.O.P.E. team, followed by a speech by Mr Patrick Lim, representative of Mr Lee Chin Hoi and finally a speech by YB Au Kam Wah. The speech of YB Au Kam Wah was so meaningful, YB Au stated that everyone has to do their part to shine the autistic children's life and this is the first time where a "Family Day" is held in the EIC. After the speeches, is the presentation of souvenirs to mentors and YB Au Kam Wah. Next, Mr Patrick handed over a cheque of RM500 from the team's project fund as a donation to the centre, to YB Au Kam Wah, the chairman of EIC. [The team had decided to donate the allocation for Education materials and toys. This is because special educational materials for these children are not available here. The centre would know best on how to get them or on how to use the fund for these children's best interest] Then, YB Au Kam Wah went into one of the classrooms to play with the kids, they had lots of laughters during that time. Unfortunately, YB Au had to leave at 9.45am to attend another occasion at 10.00am, he ate the breakfast prepared by teachers of EIC before leaving.

At 10.00am, the games began and all the kids joined in and had a lot of fun time singing, dancing, playing with their parents, members of the team and their friends. The game session started with a warm up dance called 'Shake, shake shake', we danced, we cheered, we played and we smiled together. The next game is 'Puzzle Race', the children at the centre are very good at this, they even beat some of the team members. Each of them got a hamper prepared by the team. Then, we played the balloons. The children were so happy that they got to play with colourful balloons and some of them even burst the balloons by sitting on it and poked it with the help of their parents. After the "explosion of fun" with the balloons, we filled the water guns and started a water war. Everybody took part in this activities, from teachers to children. After 30 minutes of water war, everyone was so wet and damp, so the children took a bath before heading for their lunch.

After their lunch, we had a handprints session where everyone had to paint their hands with water colours and print it on the manila cards.

All the team members enjoyed the fun time and they did some final clean up before leaving the centre at about 12.10pm. Sorry for the mess we made !

As a conclusion for today, it was such a fun time playing with the kids, there are almost nothing that they couldn't do, what they need are care and attention from the society. It was also a good interaction among the teachers, team members, EIC committee and the parents. Everyone was gathered as ONE - to do their part to brighten up these special and wonderful children' lives!

p.s. :-

1) Videos interviews of parents and teachers in "Family Day" will be posted tomorrow :-)

2) Thank you to Michelle and Yati for spending their weekend with us and the children. We really appreciate it. We hope you had a great time and had collected some unforgetable memories during your stay in Sandakan :-)

Mentor's Arrival

2007-10-20T23:46:00.000+08:00

Today our mentor arrived from KL, Ms. Michelle Tiew. She brought along her friend, Yati. They arrived at 10:20am, welcomed by Ms. Lat and her friends.

Since the ‘Family Day’ is tomorrow so Ms.Lat brought them to some of the tourists attractions in Sandakan Nature City. They had visited the Sandakan Crocodile Farm, Sandakan War Memorial Park, Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, sight seeing at the town of Sandakan and English Tea House.

In the evening, they had dinner with the 4 of the team members, Crystal, Low Gin Tung, David and Catherina at Ocean King Seafood Restaurant.
After an ice-breaking session between the mentor and the members, they started discussing about the autistic children, the centre and the activities of ‘Family Day’.

We really appreciate your time here, Michelle and Yati. And we hope you will have lots of memorable experiences to bring back and share with others. :-)
Looking forward for the ‘Family Day’ tomorrow!

Let'em shine, too!

Shopping

2007-10-19T21:50:00.000+08:00

As planned, Crystal, Stephanie, David and Catherina went to Ms. Lat's house at 9.00am sharp. We started counting the money we got from the activity " A Cent a Day". The counting part was quite easy as there were 5 of us, we double checked the sum of money and we departed to Sabah Cheshire Home Early Intervention Centre.

At about 10.00am, we arived at the centre. We played with the children for a while and Catherina was generous to have brought some home-made Kuih Raya for the kids. They were so happy when they saw the Kuih Raya. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to eat food and beverages with high content in sugar so the teachers at the centre kept the Kuih Raya. At 10.10am, we started the meeting and we discussed about the programmes on Family Day, things to buy, and the teachers at the centre told us more about the children. The meeting ended at 10.50am.

After the meeting, we went to shop for decorations, stationeries, puzzles and things that we need to use on Family Day. Our 1st stop was at Wong Yung Kee Hypermarket, we went to the 4th floor and bought our stuffs. Then we hit for the next target, the bank. When we arrived, it was full so we waited for our turn for 15 minutes before banking in all the money from "A Cent a Day" donation. After that we went for our lunch at KFC then we started shopping again at Giant Hypermarket to buy the stuffs which we couldn't find in the previous Mart. Then we went to Jinni Printing Enterprise to print a banner.

Crystal's trip ended here as she had an organ lesson to attend at 2.30pm, the others continued their shopping adventure at Genting Mas Mall, another Hypermart which is famous for low price and high quality stuffs. We bought 15 water guns at the mall after we bought some souvenirs at Sabah Hotel's souvenirs store. At 3.30pm we bought some glitter glues to decorate some souvenirs we bought for the guests of honour and mentors.

Today's adventure ended in Giant Hypermart again because we had to buy some more souvenirs for the mentors and YB Au Kam Wah, the guest of honour.

Ms. Lat was so nice as she sent all of us home, this Shopping Day ended at 6.15pm, all of us said Thank You to Ms. Lat for taking us round Sandakan for the whole day to buy the things we needed. Once again "Thank You Ms. Lat".

"Let 'em shine,too!"

****

***

ps. the other 2 members couldn't join this shopping day because they do not have transportation =)

Catherina's Open House

2007-10-15T22:15:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya, everybody! Hope everybody is enjoying their Raya holidays! As for US, we are totally having the best of Raya at Catherina’s open house. YEAH, Cath has invited H.O.P.E. members to her open house. When we arrived, Catherina, wearing her beautiful Raya clothes invited us into her house and served us the drinks. The dishes were cooked by her dad, woah..were DELICIOUS.We love the cookies too. While we were eating, we also talk about the upcoming activity, Family Day at the centre. We plan to get the materials needed this Friday.We also get our 'Duit Raya' heheh.. thank you, auntie and uncle. Thank you Cath, for this very special day!

Today : Raya open house at Catherina's house.

Thank you for inviting us, Cathz. :-) Selamat Hari Raya :-)

2007-10-14T13:20:00.000+08:00

This is the video of our last visit with the Autistic children (Sketch Day - 05.10.07).

Hari Raya

2007-10-13T21:13:00.000+08:00

Here, we want to wish all Sung Siew community, all Maxis CyberlinQ 2007 semi-finalists and the nation...

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Maaf Zahir Batin

Interview Part 3

2007-10-12T08:40:00.000+08:00

This is an interview with Sung Siew students, about their understanding on Autistic Children. Thanks to those who co-operated in this. :-)

Interview Part 2

2007-10-11T18:46:00.000+08:00

Today, we interviewed Mr. Patrick Lim, a senior teacher in Sung Siew. He is our best supporter, who had donated RM100 for the Mini Concert :-) Thank you Mr. Patrick for your co-operation in this interview. If you noticed he is looking down, that caused our questions were in a piece of paper. *Hehe* And ensure you download Flash 9 in order to view this video. :-) And also, stop our main audio on the bottom in order for you to hear the video better. :-)

We'll post the interview with the students tomorrow, after we do the editing. :-)

Interviews

2007-10-10T22:24:00.000+08:00

This morning, the team managed to interview three teachers from the school, regarding on their knowledge about Autism Children. Enjoy the video. More interviews are coming your way! :-)

Mich is coming!

2007-10-10T12:35:00.001+08:00

We are all very excited to know our Mentor, Michelle Tiew is coming on 20th October, to attend the Family Day - Mini Sukaneka on 21st October. We really appreciate your effort in this, Michelle! :-) She is coming along with Yati, her partner. Ms.Lat is going to be their tour guide while they are in Sandakan.

Welcome Mich - to the nature city! :-)

Feedbacks

2007-10-08T15:16:00.000+08:00

Ms.Lat contacted the centre asking on the responses from the children seeing the mural painting on the walls. They were happy, excited and they liked it very much! Especially the cat. Hehe :) We were glad to hear it :D

This morning we sent in our feedback report on the charity day to the school and to the Education Department. We also printed a set of certificates for the volunteers that had helped us on last Saturday. All signed by the principal :)

Looking forward for the Family Day! :-)

Charity Day

2007-10-06T15:32:00.000+08:00

"Brushes and paints?"
"They're here!"
"Hey, where's the plastic bags and gloves?"
"They are all here!"
"Alright, let's have fun while doing charity work!"
(laughs)

Everyone was ready! We all gathered in the school, feeling happy, and went to the centre by bus. The team consisted about more than 30 members. Once we got off the bus and waved 'goodbye" to the bus driver, we gathered around and Ms. Lat gave a short talk about the charity works. She told us to behave well as well as to enjoy ourselves while we were serving the community. Everyone listened attentively.

The staffs and teachers in the centre welcomed us with big broad smiles. They kindly introduced themselves to us. How nice they were! After that, we divided among ourselves into 4 groups. Tung and Cathz will lead two groups to have the mural paintings inside and outside the centre whereby Crystal, Olivia, David and Stephanie will lead the others members to do some spring cleaning around the centre.

We painted the wall with beautiful and colourful graphics! We cut the grass and cleaned the windows! We even washed the toilet and mopped the floor! We took a break for a while and we continued our work. Ms. Lat joined the team and painted the wall too. All of us enjoyed ourselves so much that we even forgot the tiredness we had. Although our hands were dirty and full of paint, we were all very satisfied with the outcome. The centre had finally gave a new fresh look to other people! Joy and laughter filled the atmosphere.

We were sure that the autistic children will be surprise and like the paintings on the wall and the surroundings of the centre. Through this activity, we learnt the value of cooperating with each other to obtain success that unity is strength. Besides, we really had a lot fun while serving the community. Hence, you should start to serve your community too hereafter! (laughs) H.O.P.E. team signing off...

New Layout

2007-10-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

We believe this is our fifth layout! Hope it is better than before. Since we had been receiving comments on improving the presentation of the website, we decided to design a new one. We had to work on this one till late night. Still more to improve on, especially on the gallery. Will get that done this weekends. Now time to hit the bed. Tomorrow, we need to wake up early for the Charity Day :-)

Sketch done!

2007-10-05T14:41:00.000+08:00

Today, H.O.P.E. team members went to the centre to sketch out the mural for tomorrow. Crystal, Low Gin Tung and Ms. Lat went straight to the centre right after the PMR ended. :) Freedom at last to all Form 3 students! :) We were so lucky to meet the children today. OMG! They are so adorable! The teachers and children were having their daily activities when we got there.

After greeting the teachers, we explained that we were here today to sketch out the drawing for the mural painting tomorrow. We handed the sample of drawings drawn by Catherina (yep, her drawings are cute and splendid!) to the teachers to let them see. The teachers told us that they want the drawings to be simple and understandable by the children. Finally, we decided to draw the teddy bears (Cath’s production) on the walls outside the centre and also the picture of a puzzle given by the teachers inside the centre.

We started drawing right away as we wanted to buy the stuff we need for tomorrow after this. While we were drawing, the children poses in front of Ms. Lat’s camera. We were having fun with the children as well as drawing. They joined us drawing too! Ms. Lat said that she can’t wait to play with them during the Family Day. Finally, we managed to finish sketching after two hours.

Then, we were off to buy the materials for tomorrow (mural paint, brushes). We said goodbye to the teachers and the children. Aww, we didn’t want to leave the children. Oh well, since the parents were coming to pick them up, we might as well see them next time! Anyway, we got our materials and Ms. Lat sent us home!

Today, we were so fortunate and blessed to see the children having fun together with us! ~ H.O.P.E. ~

Charity Day approved!

2007-10-05T06:57:00.000+08:00

The team received approval letter from the Education Department of Sandakan Division. Meaning, the team can proceed with their Charity Work tomorrow at the Sabah Cheshire Early Intervention Centre tomorrow. We will update on today's event later this afternoon. After the last paper of PMR exam, the team will go to the centre to draw the sketch of the mural painting and buying the paints. That's all for this morning :-D

EIC

2007-10-04T18:33:00.000+08:00

Ms.Lat reminded the team members to bring their parent's permission letter tomorrow for the Charity Day and Family Day (Mini Sukaneka) at Sabah Cheshire Early Intervention Centre. Tomorrow will be the last day for the PMR exam paper. Good luck team members!
Tomorrow Crystal, Low Gin Tung (right after their PMR!) and Catherina are going to the centre to draw sketch on the wall for the mural painting on Saturday. Ms. Teoh ('Penyelaras Gerko') will confirm on the bus, the food and the drinks tomorrow as well.
Mr. Patrick Lim had donated RM100 for the 'Mini Concert'! He is going to sing a song on that day. He also said that, he will be willing to sing another song if anyone willing to donate another RM100! Anyone wants to take that challenge? :D
By the way, CONGRATULATIONS to SM SUNG SIEW for winning the award of Excellence in Co-Curriculum (Anugerah Lonjatan Saujana) nationwide! Well done all! :D

2 Mentors

2007-10-03T14:40:00.000+08:00

Yes, now it is confirmed. We have another mentor in the team :) Ms. Yong Wye Yee. Welcome to the team! :)
And team members, be alert for this :-

admin said...
dear sm sung siew,
For Final presentation, there will be 5 teams from each category to be invited for the session. and each team will have 5-10 minutes to present about the project that they have done completely. We will post details of the event once the result of Phase 2 is announced. Thank you.
regards,
Maxis CyberlinQ Committee 2007
October 2, 2007 10:02 AM

Fund

2007-10-02T14:08:00.000+08:00

Thank you to Mr. Lee Chin Hoi, our school principal for releasing our implementation project fund. So this Friday the team can proceed buying materials for the Charity Day on Saturday. :)
Ms.Lat received an email regarding on the mentor confirmation. The team might receives two mentors :) The more the better, so we could get advice for the betterment. Hope to get the further confirmation on it though. :)

Mentor

2007-10-01T13:39:00.000+08:00

Today, Ms.Lat received a forwarded email from the principal. The team received another mentor, Ms. Yong Wye Yee from Maxis CyberlinQ. We wondered how many mentors are given to each team? Anyway, Ms.Lat emailed both Ms. Yong Wye Yee and Ms. Michelle Tiew Weng Seew regarding on the matter. We don't mind having more mentors. Would be a great help to the team :)

Mini Concert

2007-09-28T20:49:00.000+08:00

The scheduled

'Mini Concert'

on 20th October 2007

is now postponed to

27th October 2007.

Sorry for any inconveniences caused from this.

PMR

2007-09-28T20:26:00.000+08:00

First of all, the team would like to thank Maxis CyberlinQ for extending the deadline. Although the team would manage to complete the project as planned, but it would be rushing and unfair as we have to prepare for the examinations.
Because of this great news, we decided to postpone the 'Mini Concert' from 20th October to 27th October 2007, so everyone has time to prepare for their performance.
To Crystal, Low Gin Tung and Olivia - Good luck on your PMR. Do your best! :) And as for Catherina, David and Stephanie - Good luck on the final year exams :) And as for Ms.LaT, Happy marking! :P
Today, Catherina, Crystal and Ms.LaT had discussed on setting the dates to meet up to prepare for the activities. They are going to the centre on 05.10.07 (final day of the PMR exam) to draw the sketch on the wall for the mural painting on 06.10.07. Then they will off to buy the paints. On the 19.10.07, they are going to do window shopping to prepare for the 'Mini Sukaneka', also known as 'Family Day'. And on 26.10.07, they are going to stay in school in the afternoon to prepare the stage for the Mini Concert. The team is still considering if they should be able to buy the educational materials here, as most of the aids for teaching Autism are not available here. So they might just buy toys and just donate the rest of the money to the centre, as we understand that at times when the teachers of the centre have to attend courses, they do not have the fund for it. So we hope the fund will be in good use.
This morning too, Ms.Lat had to submit the application letters (again) to the Education Department for approval for the 'Mini Sukaneka for the Family Day' as it was postponed. The date is now confirmed to be on 21.10.07.
Thats all for today. H.O.P.E. signing off. Happy weekends! ;)

Exam

2007-09-27T17:58:00.000+08:00

The team approached the school and requested for a bus, food and water for the charity work at Sabah Cheshire Early Intervention Centre next Saturday. After some discussion, finally the principal agreed. As for the project implementation money, we have to go to the shop to get invoices or use our money first, then we could claim it through the school. That's how complicated it is. So we have to start doing our window shopping after the PMR exam. Talking about exam....
Today, the senior students started their exam while the juniors will start tomorrow.
Next week will be the PMR week continued with another exam week.
So, to every Sung Siew students...

GOOD LUCK

All The Best!

*sorry for any delay in the blog.
We will try to update it soon.

ALERT!

2007-09-25T17:47:00.000+08:00

Ms.Lat had given a letter to YB Au Kam Wah in informing on the two activities that will be held at the centre. She immediately got a call this evening on confirming on the matter. He agreed with the Charity Day on 06.10.07 and decided for the 'Centre Open Day' to be changed to 'Family Day' that involved the children, parents, committee, volunteers, teachers and our team. The date for the Mini Sukaneka on Family Day is 21st October, right after our Mini Concert on 20th October! Wow! The team will have to work hard for two continuous days! This is because he understood that the deadline for the competition is on 26th October. YB Au Kam Wah is a very supportive and we are glad to be working for him, too! :)
The respond on the 'A Cent A Day' was quite good from the students. The two jars from the canteens side are half full now! Impressive! Thank you to Sung Siew Community! :)
The team had a meeting to discuss on the Mini Concert..discusssed on the decoration and allocation of duties! Going to be a big event! ;)

Autism Can Be A Gift

2007-09-24T17:51:00.000+08:00

24.10.05, that means... tomorrow will be Mooncake Festival!
Olivia and Crystal placed their donation box in the staff room.
While, Catherina and Tung are not allowed to place their donation box in the school canteen. =S
Now, Catherina and Tung maybe have to do this during recess by themselves.
The application forms for the Mini Concert is running out!

Here's an essay written by Debra A.
Was once also an Autistic.

Autism Can Be A Gift.

Debra A.
September 17, 2006

The media has a dramatic way of portraying people with "disabilities" in general. All of the news reports, movies, and articles from magazines try to make them so horrible for the people themselves and also for their parents to experience. Unfortunately, this is all that most people know about any disability is through dramatized media. One of those "handicaps" is Autism. I can always pinpoint dramatics within the text for this "disorder" because I personally have gone through this, and have a better clue than the media. I have conjured up this work to express that Autism isn't necessarily a handicap, it can be a gift. The reasons are that one other part of the brain may be enhanced while language abilities may go down, there is a chance where autistics IQ levels are average or above average, and most autistics can learn to communicate through other means, instead of direct verbal communication. All of the human brains are like gardens; like one's strengths and weaknesses, some plants grow and develop better than others. This is the same case for "handicapped" people.

Autism can be a gift because when the development of one area of the brain, in this case the language area, is sapped, another area may develop more than usual. Take my art talent as an example. It's my forte because of visual memory. When I study an object, whether it be from a photo or the actual thing I remember how images are supposed to appear, and I try my best to translate that to paper. This visual memory can also transit to other things, like saying the alphabet backwards cleanly, without pausing. I can't do it as well as I use to, but while I said the alphabet backwards to my second grade teacher, I could "visualize" the letters and my mind just followed every letter from right to left. This can be compared to the group of tall, vivid flowers that are planted smack in the middle of the garden. My art abilities are usually noticed first when it comes to people getting to know me.

Visualization's one thing, but how about intelligence? There is a possibility that autistic people can have average or higher than average intelligence. One would be referred to as a high functioning autistic if this were the case. I ended up scoring really high on the visual perception testing, and above average on language (my personal success), spelling, and memorization. Before this, I found school hard because of the language aspect. It felt like I had a mental block that only ceased to exist after I changed my mind-set to see things more easily. This knowledge represents the interesting looking plant that isn't as noticeable as the vivid flowers, but has adapted to the world unlike most plants – for instance the Venus fly trap. Before this plant was a fly trap, it had to have been a dying flower in an environment that wasn't fit for it. In return, it adapted to eat flies in order for it to survive. I use my knowledge to get around this confusing world, and to make sense of it, instead of making myself depressed over not understanding the world – especially in social situations.

As another way of making sense of the social world, I observe it like a scientist, instead of diving into social situations. However, this doesn't mean I didn't learn how to communicate normally; I sure did. I just don't feel the need to talk all the time. But if there's ever a topic that's interesting, I'll join in and put my thoughts in the best of words possible. For example, when the wind isn't blowing, you won't hear a lot from the garden. But if there's something interesting sparks thoughts, like the wind, you'll hear the rustle of leaves and see the garden sway to life, just like me.

The possibility of being talented in art (or math), have intelligence freed from an obstacle, and still find a way to communicate like the rest of the nuerotypical people makes being autistic worth it to me. I am glad it was even possible to reach to those points, or otherwise I'd still be in Special Education. My garden turned out to be in one of the best arrangements. Everything is balanced out, and my favorite flowers of the group are there to be seen. Now, I know there's a possibility of autistics becoming mentally retarded. And I know there's a possibility to become so severely damaged that there's no way severely autistic people can get out of the garden's shed that's tucked beside the garden, or let anything else in for that matter. In other words, they may never get out of their world, or let others into their lives. Regardless of the dark side of autism, remember that there's a very bright side to it as well, and we can't always think of the bad things. Now, I want to ask all of you who are reading this: Am I handicapped or have I been blessed with a gift?