My pockets are full, give your crap to someone else

I promised myself I would blog more regularly, but I broke my promise... again! You can't blame me though -- its been one thing after another. Its been C.R.A.Z.Y. on most days. I have taken on too much, but with reason -- as a freelancer, I need to secure as much income as I can for "drier" months ... like September...I have thousands owed to me from clients who push you but go silent when its time to pay up!

But, I am also learning the hard way that I cannot say yes to everything. Learning to say NO is something I suck at ... note to self: SAY NO!! Especially to "main board public listed, glossy brochure" clients. These are the ones that will make you cut your quotation, but expect you to serve them like kings, and ask you to do things that were not agreed on in the proposal. To them I say this -- My pockets are full, give your crap to someone else! I actually read this on a Facebook status update (thanks SA! Dont sue me ah!).

Friends ask me what its like to freelance. It is liberating, but its far from easy. Yet, I wouldn't trade it for my old high pay stable job at the paper. I cherish the fact that I can see my closest friends without saying "I will come if there is no assignment" or "I hope nothing else will come up after 5pm." And I have my weekends, except of course when I need to finish a project, or when I am helping run a programme.

So how do I end this post? With a pledge that I will have another post in 2 days!

Life Is Fragile

Dear Friends,

I received a call at about noon on 8th July from the Children's Wish Society of Malaysia (CWS) asking if I could help get a Sony PSP game console for a boy with Leukemia. I was told he did not have much time left, so I got in touch with Dr Ong at the Likas Hospital, who said he will call me back at 5pm to see if the boy has been warded, and to send the game then.

With Haslin's help (good timing, he flew in at 3pm), I managed to get the game console in Centre Point, and we waited till almost 7pm to get some games downloaded, including a Fifa World Cup match. Dr Ong did get back to me to say that Said Abdullah Uksung, 10, has refused to go to hospital, and asked what should we do. I offered to send the game to the boy at his house in Kampung Pulau Gaya.

The next morning, six of us (Haslin, and four from the press) got on a boat at the central market jetty and reached Said's house in 10 minutes. He was asleep -- his dad Uksung Kong said his son was on pain killers. He managed to wake Said up, but perhaps shocked at seeing so many of us, he turned his face away. Eventually, his dad got him to accept the gift -- which he had wished for. Soon, his brother Afizudin joined him, and gave him some pointers on how to use the game console.

We decided to talk to Uksung on the verandah, and when I peeped in, I saw Said Abdullah busy pressing buttons on the game console. Perhaps he was too shy to do so before us. We left after an hour, and managed to wave goodbye. The next day, the story came out in the New Straits Times and Daily Express.

On Sunday, 11th July, at 10am, exactly 48 hours after we met him, Said Abdullah left us. I found out through an SMS from Dr Ong. He had sent the SMS at about 3.30pm, but I was teaching, and only saw it at 5.30pm when I got into my car. I just stayed in my car for the longest time -- unsure what to do. Sent messages out to CWS and to friends who knew I had gone to Pulau Gaya.

Rest in peace, Said Abdullah.

Writers Bloc

It is odd to be writing about "writers bloc," a condition that means you have no idea how to string sentences together even if you have loads of ideas in your head -- and a table filled with documents to refer to. This is what I am suffering from at this minute -- juggling a book (and another one on the way), and requests that pop up for me to write this and that.

Guess the best remedy is for me to switch my laptop off, make myself a hot drink and watch TV :) No point sitting here trying to write when I cant -- weird though how I managed to write these few sentences in less than five minutes ... hmmmm.... okay, go take that drink NOW!

I say NO to a coal plant in Sabah

Dear Friends,

I have been busy with a cause -- with some NGOs and concerned individuals, I am asking Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, the State Government of Sabah and the Malaysian Government to opt for CLEAN and renewable sources of energy for Sabah. We in Sabah are BLESSED with some of the most iconic wildlife and marine resources. Please, we dont need a coal plant.

I took this photo at Kg Sinakut, which is where this 300 megawatt plant will be built. Villagers told me they dont know how much they will get in compensation, and where they will live next or what will happen to their livelihoods. Would you do this to them? Would you?

If you havent signed the petition, do it here at http://nocoalsabah.blogspot.com. And if you want to download postcards to the Prime Minister, do it here at http://postcards2pm.blogspot.com. The postcards were created by Sabah born visual artist Yee I-Lann. Kudos to her.

Power of Words

Dear Friends,

I was at SJK(C) Chi Hwa in Sandakan last week, and I came across this poster. It had pictures of cooked rice that looked okay, and rice that had gone bad. Before I could ask, the headmistress, Mdm Ooi, explained it to me.

She did an experiment on what she calls the "Power of Words." She placed cooked rice in 3 cans, and covered them. She placed the first can on a table in an area where pupils and teachers pass by frequently, another can in a quiet area, and the third can was kept on the floor, next to a trash bin.

The experiment ran for 10 days. The first can was showered with words of love and kindness. Students and teachers spoke to it saying that it is good, it will do well.

The second can was left in a lonely part of the school, so no one passed it. No one spoke to it. It was left to be.

She instructed students and teachers to say bad things to the third can, placed next to a rubbish bin. So each time someone threw something, they would tell the can that it was useless, that it doesn't deserve anything.

After 10 days, Mdm Ooi opened the 3 cans. The can that was loved had rice that had turned fluffy (like snow) and even smelled sweet. The second can that was left to be was half mouldy. The third can, the one that was cursed, had rice which had turned rotten and smelled very bad.

Her message is simple -- speak kindly to others, and they will bloom.

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day, friends! Am sharing with you a photo of a Bajau laut on his boat, not a care in the world, at Pulau Mabul, Semporna. This is one of my most favourite places on the planet... not that I have been to many places!

I fear for this man, and for his people as Malaysia continues to defend using fossil fuels for energy, despite its many commitments at international level to cut emissions. And its many sweet smelling promises to focus on renewable energies and green technologies.

I hope our leaders will start walking their talk ... keeping my fingers, and toes, crossed :)

Children of the Coral Triangle - Photo credit: Yee I-Lann

A lonely boat at the Coral Triangle - Photo Credit: Yee I-Lann

Map of the Coral Triangle

CLIMATE CHANGE: A REALITY FOR SABAH BY 2050?

* FROM A PRESS RELEASE SENT BY GREEN SURF, A COALITION OF 5 NGOs.

KOTA KINABALU, 11^th April 2010: Rising sea levels and death of corals from warmer waters will cause food sources for coastal communities in the Coral Triangle region, of which Sabah’s east and north coasts are part of, to go down by half in 40 years.

A rapidly changing climate is also projected to cause Sabah, the Philippines and parts of Indonesia to be hit hard by increasingly intense rainfall that alternates with long and severe drought, following change in precipitation and soaring temperatures by 2050.

A summary report that investigated conclusions of over 300 scientific studies and consulted more than 20 experts, said in this “worst case scenario,” millions in the region will be forced to move when they lose homes, food and income.

It also states that dramatic changes are needed on energy use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The report titled “The Coral Triangle and Climate Change: Ecosystems, People and Societies at Risk,” brings together information on the climate, biology, economics, and social dynamics in the region and builds a picture of two possible future scenarios.

In the “worst case scenario,” the world only takes moderate steps to deal with climate change, continues to globalise and is driven purely by economic urgencies.

Strong action on climate change, robust regional and international commitments on environmental concerns and human welfare are integrated with economic goals in the second situation, described as “best case scenario.”

Interestingly, even in the “best case scenario,” availability of protein from fisheries will be reduced by 50 per cent in 2050 compared to present levels, the 34-page report prepared by WWF Australia and the University of Queensland said.

While warming and acidifying seas lead to a steady deterioration of coastal ecosystems in both scenarios, if governments and communities opt for effective management of resources, this will delay their decline, followed by recovery and expansion of ecosystems in the early part of the next century.

Projections from the report are reflective of other findings for Sabah, including a revelation on Wednesday that the mean annual temperature in Kota Kinabalu has gone up by 0.9 degree Celsius since the 1960s, while the biodiversity rich Danum Valley has seen a hike of 0.4 degree Celsius in three decades.

Swansea University’s Professor Dr Rory Walsh who spoke at the Yayasan Sabah organised Borneo International Conference, said annual rainfall in Danum Valley has risen by 19 per cent in the last 11 years, with sharp increases in frequency of large rainstorms in most stations in the state.

“These recent changes appear to conform to some extent with global warming predictions. Although increased rainfall should mean an increase in water resources, it is accompanied by increased year-to-year variability and rise in frequency of dry periods, which may mean increased frequency of water shortages,” Walsh said.

At another seminar this week, it was revealed that montane moth species of Mount Kinabalu, a World Heritage Site, are under threat of extinction due to global warming.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Emeritus Professor in Botany and Biodiversity, Datuk Dr Latiff Mohamad, said studies show that moth species are moving up the mountain because of changes in climate and temperature.

The Coral Triangle that covers parts of or whole of six nations – Malaysia (Sabah), eastern part of Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands – is the richest place on earth in terms of biodiversity.

Though it covers only one per cent of the earth’s surface, it is home to over 30 per cent of the world’s coral reefs and slightly more than a third of the world’s coral reef fish species.

Over 150 million live in the region, including 100 million who stay along coasts, depending on healthy ecosystems that provide food, building materials and support industries like fishing and tourism.

“The rich and unique environmental assets of the Coral Triangle underpin the future economic benefits for the region. Not to take care of these resources could mean losing them.

“In many ways, the choice that leaders of the Coral Triangle countries face is about sustainable economic growth.

“Effective action on climate change and the many stresses that threaten crucial ecosystems will safeguard economies and protect the livelihoods of a vast number of people. That choice should be easy to make,” the report said.

Last May, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who attended the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit in Indonesia, joined leaders from the region to sign a statement that focused on protecting coral reefs and food security.

Najib also announced the Prime Scientific Sailing Expedition at territorial waters within the Sulu and Sulawesi seas off Sabah to find out potential of what the region has to offer to communities and eco-tourism.

In October last year, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said the 52-day expedition found many untapped resources and new marine species that could create spin-offs.

“We need to reduce haphazard coastal and marine planning practices and instead employ adaptive measures to reduce impacts of multi-hazards caused by climate change and rising sea levels," Ongkili was quoted as saying.

-end