50PLUS ACTIVE AGEING CARNIVAL - BIGGER AND BETTER THIS YEAR

The 50plus Active Ageing Carnival is back at Suntec, Singapore, for the second year. Probably the biggest gathering of senior citizens I've ever seen under one roof. Loads of fun activities for the young-at-heart. I only had time to attend the talks today. Well, not too late. There's still one more day to go.

More pictures and updates tomorrow.

Related article:

Tapping the 50+ Market 

MINORITIES LABELLED "THESE PEOPLE"

Have you seen this video clip from Al Jazeera?



I can't believe the tone of voice and the expression on Ibrahim Ali's face when he referred to the Chinese and Indians as "these people". Even more shocking is that former PM Dr Mahathir has thrown his support behind Ibrahim Ali's Malay rights group Perkasa.

I am an anak Malaysia, born and bred here like my parents and grandparents before me. Abandoning my country to settle elsewhere is not for me. I love my country. But if my citizenship rights are in danger of being eroded, I may have no choice. That is why it's crucial that our voice be heard through the ballot.

Do your citizen's duty - vote at the next elections.

NO SHORT CUTS TO GETTING RICH

Browse any newspapers these days and you are sure to find advertisements on how to get rich. These seminars claim that anyone can amass wealth without too much sweat. They guarantee results or you get your money back. These 'millionaire secrets' don't come cheap. Fees can range from Rm250 for a half-day talk by a local financial expert to Rm10,000++ for a 2-day seminar by an international wealth guru.

For those who can't afford to register for these programs, there is no shortage of books promising easy ways to get rich quick.

So who wants to be a millionaire? According to a recent online survey, 96% of Malaysia's youth do. And 75% believe they can achieve this by age 35.

Good for them. Let's hope they don't get disillusioned too quickly.

All I know is that it takes much more than attending wealth-generating seminars and reading self-enrichment books to make your first million ringgit, by whatever age. Some of the recommended strategies probably do work, but let's be honest. Out of the hundreds or thousands that listen to the same financial guru share his secrets on how to be a money magnet, how many actually succeed? 

You've got to be driven and consumed by the desire to want to be rich. Wealth creation requires a whole lot of discipline, and also the courage to take risks.

Unless we have that in us, it's best to think twice before we sign up for any expensive program on creating wealth, especially one that over promises but under delivers. 

GETTING A DEGREE AT A RIPE OLD AGE

When it comes to achieving a lifelong dream, age is certainly no obstacle for Tan Sri Jins Shamsuddin, 75. After two years of hard work and commuting between Kuala Lumpur and Sintok up north, he finally obtained his PhD last Saturday at Universiti Utara Malaysia's 23rd convocation.

For his doctoral thesis he researched 50 Malay films from the 1930s to 1960s. Not a surprising choice of study considering his wealth of experience in acting, directing and producing movies over a career spanning more than 50 years. In his first film in 1956, he was directed by Malaysia's legendary P. Ramlee. Not many Malaysian celebrities can claim that honour. Must have been a challenge for UUM to find a capable academician to supervise Dr Shamsuddin's thesis.

The world's oldest student is currently Allan Stewart of Newcastle, Australia. The retired dental surgeon first came into the public spotlight when he made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest graduate at 92, graduating with a Bachelor of Law degree. Now at 95, he has a year to go before he gets his Masters of Clinical Sciences. His field of study - the ageing process.

''This is a great degree for me to study, not only because I get to research my passion, which is natural health and healthy aging, but also because it is so convenient to be able to study via distance education which is a more flexible study option for older people like me,'' he said.

If only the local universities offered a similar course, I am sure there would be some takers among us...

SMILE - YOU HAVE EVERYTHING TO GAIN AND NOTHING TO LOSE

When Charlie Chaplin wrote the lyrics for "Smile" back in 1936, his intention was to give hope to poverty-stricken Americans living through the Great Depression from 1929 to the early 1940s. Now 74 years later, studies published in Psychological Science reveal that smiling doesn't only make you feel better, it also increases your chances of living longer.

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through... for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile what’s the use of crying
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you’ll just... Smile

Don't be stingy with that smile. Apparently the broader your smile, the longer your life span. Read the study results to know more. Very interesting, I must say.

To me the best thing about smiling is that when you give one, you often get one back. Of course, the added bonus is smiling makes you look years younger. Is there any wonder why people tend to smile in front of the camera?

So here's to smiles all round and a long life ahead!

GIVING A HELPING HAND

I first heard about World Vision in 2005 while on holiday in Brisbane. Like most people, I read the literature given to me, and that was about it. No action taken on my part. It wasn't till a month ago when my daughter, Belle, brought up the subject of child sponsorship again. She and her sister, Moon, have been sponsoring children in several countries over the past years.  Good thing they never gave up on me!

This time I was ready to sign up. A month later I became a 'foster' parent to a shy 6-year old boy from a village about 90 minutes' drive from Phnom Penh. On 16 March I left for Cambodia together with 11 other Malaysians who were all excited to see their sponsored children for the first time.

The smiles say it all - my sponsored child, his uncle and his grandma leaving for home with the gifts of school bag, stationery and provisions. He was absolutely thrilled with the toy car Belle gave him. It was his first toy ever. Before this all he had to play with were rubber bands.

Cambodia is on the list of the world's poorest countries. It relies heavily on foreign aid, hence the strong presence of aid organizations such as World Vision. WV has been in the country since 1970, and doing excellent work there based on what I observed on the trip.

The teacher in me couldn't resist asking "How many of you want to be a teacher when you grow up?" WV introduced filtered water in this school so that the children could have clean water to drink.

One of World Vision Cambodia's (WVC)'major projects is to provide water security to the village communities. A joint effort, WV provides the resources, the villagers provide the manpower to install pumps and maintain them. Usually 15 families will share a pump. The villagers are taught to drink only boiled water.

An integral part of WVC's health and sanitation programs is to promote the use of latrines.

Thanks to joint efforts by WVC and the villagers, irrigation canals now bring water to these vegetable beds.

Young people make up more than 50% of the population in Cambodia. WVC provides skills training to help them earn an income. We visited a drawing club and were impressed by some of the art work produced by the students.

The womenfolk are taught silk-weaving. The finished product can fetch US$40 a piece - a princely sum in a country where the average take-home pay for a teacher is US$70 a month.

Women receiving donations of rice and clothes for their families. In the background are members of the village committee.

I was totally mesmerized by this boy in the primary school we visited. He sang his heart out in a song about a man who sold his only buffalo to pay his mother's hospital bill. This little girl here is one of the many beautiful children you see everywhere in the countryside. WV focuses on children in particular because they are the most vulnerable, but hold the most promise for a better future.

Visiting a home in one of the villages. The jars are used for collecting rain water. The water security projects initiated by WVC have brought much-needed water to the fields and homes during the dry season from November to May.

I was honoured to meet this woman. Her family is one of many that have benefitted from WV's community development programs. Today she is a committee member of WVC's Health Equity Fund and main facilitator for her group of 12 households. She helps to promote good habits of hygiene and sanitation among the villagers. 

Now that I've seen for myself the good work done by WVC, I'm making World Vision one of my favourite aid organizations to contribute to. Sponsoring a child costs only RM50 a month. And the money goes such a long way. WV is rated among the top NGOs for transparency and accountability.

If you would like to know more about World Vision or about child sponsorship, drop by at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara from 25-28 March, 10am-10pm. WV Malaysia is having an awareness campaign and I've volunteered to help out. Hope to see you there.

GREETINGS FROM PHNOM PENH

Blogging this from Phnom Penh. On a World Vision trip to visit my sponsored child for the first time. From the horrors of the Killing Fields to the appalling living conditions of the poor people here, the trip has been an eye-opener for me. Will share more when I get back.