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wetbenang
at
Friday, February 09, 2007
BLOOD-BOILING STORIES, HEART-WARMING STORIES, HEART-WRENCHING STORIES
Oh my Gosh. It's been ages since I last posted. And yes, I might as well admit it, I was afflicted with a terrible disease: I was sick to my stomach! There were so many things going on in this country that made me not want to write. I thought to myself: What's the point of writing at all? What would I achieve? Who would read? Or take heed?
No one.
The stupid, the ignorant, the arrogant, the inconsiderate, they will remain as they are. Certain people can go on purchasing luxury yachts, leasing executive jets, building extravagant homes, raising fuel prices, hiking toll rates -- and not many would care. Certain other people can go on wasting public fund in certain other ways, and only a few would raise an eyebrow.
But, let anything happen to a favourite reality TV product, the whole nation would be in an uproar.
And this makes my blood boil. What's happened to our sense of responsibility? And as a people, where is our priority? Or have we, as a people, given up trying to influence those leaders we duly elected?
Amid all this, I came upon a story both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, and I suppose quite a few people have read this also.
In 1982, a Thai woman residing in Narathiwat took a wrong bus home after a shopping trip to Malaysia. The bus took her all the way to Bangkok, about 1,150 km north from her home. According to AFP, the woman only speaks Yawi, a Malay dialect spoken only in Narathiwat. So, unable to read nor speak Thai, she boarded another wrong bus that took her to Chiangmai, another 700km further north.
In Chiangmai, she ended up as a beggar for five years, before she was sent by the authorities to a shelter for the homeless. There she lived for 20 years, where no one understood her, until a group of students from Narathiwat came to the shelter to do their research on the problem of the homeless.
To cut the story short, the woman, Jaeyana Beurahing (her Muslim name -- I suspect -- is Zainab Ibrahim) was soon reunited with her family, after 25 years! And days after the reunion, her children and grandchildren were still kissing and hugging her.
What a story. What a detour!! And there are a few lessons to be learnt as well. Which I would leave to your imagination...
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yeah...i read that too...imagine..it could have been our tok or mak or sesiapa yang kita kenal and we will go crazy ma...neber mind the person. So, let's remind ourselves to thank God for little pleasure in life like good friends...good brother..good food..nebermind the luxury yacht and jets and switzerland..:)Thank u GOD that I am not Zainab Ibrahim - not that I wish that upon her or anybody else....
samantha said...
10:12 PM
sangat menyentuh perasaan.. oleh yang demikian:
1) jangan pi shopping kat tempat2 yang kita tak biasa, berseorangan
2) kalau tak tau mana arah tujuan, jangan dok belasah ajer.. malu bertanya, sesat jalan
sekian pak cik memaklumkan
Anonymous said...
11:04 AM
Sam, Warriors,
Yes. True. Am also apalled at the lack of efforts on the part of the authorities to help this woman. Imagine, 25 years of your life "taken" away from you...
It is also good to learn at least one other language, no? Which reminds me that I really need to brush up on my French, lest I'd totally lose it... Lessons, anyone?
wetbenang said...
1:34 PM