Thank you from ME.. :)

Just as I was thinking of all my desires, for e.g. things I wanted to buy but it is not a MUST HAVE things, I suddenly remembered that I haven't summarized up my birthday fund-raising project! The total amount of fund raised for my 21st birthday was RM 1354.50. I thanks God for you, those who had donated, those who helped to spread the words and YOU who are following my 21st birthday project through my blog, because I am sure now you are aware of what is cleft lips and cleft palates.

Thank you to all those who had donated and helped to spread the words. I am still waiting for a few friends of mine who promised to give me the money by hand when I go back to KL. However, with the current amount, we can give a free surgery to a child and also some medications. I will further update you guys once I sent the money to Operation Smile. I will make everything transparent and accountable to donors through updates. You can also ask me any questions and I will entertain you :)

I was really touched by my 8 years old cousin, Ryan, he accompanied me when I was making the video of "21 years blessed to bless others". Later, he took out SGD0.40 from his moneybox and donated, he said he wanted to donate RM1.00 to help those kids! I was touched by his act!

Again thanks for lending a hand in making the difference. The kids need your help. Because there are people like YOU who care about them, the simple act of you will definitely put a smile on their face. Thank you, thank you and thank you again for giving them a surgery for a life time of SMILES. Together, we can make this world a better place to live. You may say that I m a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope someday u will join me, to make this world a better place.

Blessed to bless :)

 

16th of July which is my 21st birthday and I would like to turn my birthday into a special fundraiser. This is my personal project to help those who are less fortunate in the effort to make a difference to change the world. It will be going on from 16th - 26th july. If you do plan to give me a gift, I would like you to consider donating to help those kids. All the money will 100% go directly to the Operation Smile. With an amount of RM719, Operation Smile medical team can provide a 45 minutes cleft lip or cleft palate surgery which can change a child's life forever. Just imagine, they can eat, talk, laugh like the other children. Pls do not feel obliged to donate, you can also help by spreading the words and let more people know about what is cleft lip and cleft palate. A simple act of yours can make a big difference!

For more sharing, click on:

Blessed to Bless others (ENGLISH VERSION)

被祝福，而祝福他人 (CHINESE VERSION)

Current amount of donation until 24th July 2011: RM 1354.50 :) 2 more days to go..

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

What is a cleft lip and cleft palate?

A cleft is an opening in the lip, the roof of the mouth or the soft tissue in the back of the mouth. A cleft lip may be accompanied by an opening in the bones of the upper jaw and/or the upper gum. A cleft palate occurs when the two sides of a palate do not join together, resulting in an opening in the roof of the mouth. A cleft lip and palate can occur on one side or both sides. A child can suffer from a cleft lip, a clef palate or both.

What causes clefting?

The exact cause is unknown. Cleft lips and cleft palates are congenital defects that occur early in embryonic development. Scientists believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as maternal illness, drugs or malnutrition, may lead to a cleft lip or cleft palate. If one child in a family is born with a cleft, the risk increases by 2 to 4 percent that the future children in the family will suffer from the same defect.

How frequently do cleft lips and cleft palates occur?

Cleft lip and/or palate occurs in approximately 1 per 500 - 700 births, the ratio verying considerably across geographic areas or ethnic groupings. (WHO International Collaborative Research on Craniofacial Anomalies)

Does a cleft lip or cleft palate cause problems for a child?

Ear disease and dental problems occur frequently, as do problems with proper speech development. Children who suffer from a cleft lip and/or cleft palate may have difficulty in eating. To address these issues, a child and family may work with a team of specialists - a pediatrician, a plastic surgeon, dental specialists, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat specialist), a speech-language pathologist and audiologist, a geneticist and a psychologist/social worker.

Can clefting be prevented?

Scientists are researching methods to prevent cleft lips and cleft palates. One findings, according to research studies, is that mothers who take multivitamins containing folic acid before conception and during the first two months of pregnancy may reduce the risk of giving birth to a baby with cleft.

Can cleft lips and cleft palates be repaired?

Yes. Surgery provides excellent results. A pediatrician and a plastic surgeon work with a child's parents to choose the best timing for surgery. Most surgeons agree that a cleft lip should be repaired by the time a baby is 3 months old. To repair the partition of mouth and nose as early as possible, a cleft palate generally is repaired between the ages of 12 and 18 months. Any surgical procedure is dependent upon a child's general health and the nature of the cleft lip or cleft palate.

Facing crisis

"We often react in the wrong way when we face opposition or crisis. We can overcome overcautious, as the following responses show: "I will never witness in hostile surroundings again." "I will never suggest a radical departure from the norm again." "Maybe I should resign." Sometimes, we are overly aggressive in our responses. When we face any crisis, we really need the wisdom and boldness that comes from the Spirit." -Ajith Fernando in the book entitled Jesus Driven Ministry.

 

Pro Exam 1 experience :)

I passed my Professional Exam 1. Yes, I am happy, but what matter most is I've gone through a very tough experience and I successfully withstand until everything is over ^^ Thanks God for the strength that He gave me.

I admitted, I had been overprotected since I was young, and even when I entered secondary school, everything is still fine. I am the only chinese in my batch and I get along with them very well and happy. I really enjoyed with them, all my friends in secondary school. Every time when there's racism issues, i will definitely stand up and say no! That do not happen in Malaysia and I will give them my long reasoning based on my experiences.

However, things aren't wonderful all the times, people make mistakes and it really affected me a lot. One of my best friend told me, "Evie, welcome to the real world." Yes, I could not tolerate with some sensitive issue, for example like unfairness..im not sure does this word actually exist or not. It took me nearly 1 or 2 weeks to accept the scenario, with tears but I am grateful because there's some friends around me who are very supportive. Because we went through the same thing. It's hard.

The lessons that I learnt from the incident are:
a) Do not be like them. I accept the whole incident, and it is a very good reminder for myself to never ever be like them, but I do not agree with what they did. We can never tolerate with darkness, and I strongly believe, it is not me to punish, God is just :)

b) In the beginning, I kept asking Hasvini why why and why... But at last I realized I should move on and stop thinking many unnecessary negative thoughts, it's wasting of time. I am not righteous to judge the others, I have to take the lessons and do not repeat the same thing as what they've done.

c) Group discussion. Seriously been in a group discussion is fun. It helped me to reduce my stress and I was less nervous when I was with them. Friends' support... I really enjoyed the time that we spent together.

Everything happens for reason. I will say that I had become stronger now! Life ain't easy...but we can choose to live happily!

Negative thought is bad :)

There is one infective disease that is contagious nowadays! In other words, it's a communicable disease.. I believe a "negative thought" will always come to us first, in most of the situation. Why do I say it is contagious? Because the negative thought of us may sometimes influence others to have a bad perception on another person. But then please dun answer this in the medical exam when the question ask you to list down the example of contagious disease. U will get big fat zero :)

Just a short sharing, recently, I have this problem, I had a very negative thought on a friend of mine. I was a little upset on how she treated me. I felt like she did not appreciate me. Then, what for I continued to do good to her? Then, why should I continued to treat her well? I started to become very moody to her, not too long. Only for a day and that is enough for me to feel that how bad am I and I shouldn't act in that way.



Fortunately, yesterday I have a chance to talk with one of my friend, Arina! She told me about this negative thought and positive thought of human. Always, in a any situation, the negative thought will come to us first. She said, she has this problem as well. She shared with me her story. Yes, I must resist this negative thought. After a long chat with her, I realized that positive thought shouldn't be 50% only. It should be 100%, directly come to us in whatever situation that we are facing, especially when it comes to our perception on others.
Arina said, instead of thinking that "the particular friend" do not care about you, why not think about her good? I answered her, "this is hard, and sometimes it is painful when u did something but people just ignore you." Arina replied, "the real love do not expect anything. Furthermore, we did it for God, we want the rewards from God, not on this earth." This is so true.. Lastly, Arina advised me, "cheerish the happy moment, leave the bad memory and continue to do what you are doing, continue to prepare her the dinner, continue to ask whether have she eaten..." :) Thanks Arina.. And she told me, this is how you practice to be stronger.

Things might be bitter to swallow, but I can if I want to. Trying my best to practice unconditional love. At least I know how Jesus felt when he was nailed on the cross. And yet, He said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what are they doing." (Luke 23:34) Do I forgive others. Aren't God said, love your brother and sister?


On the day before I met Arina, I almost breakdown and bow down to anger. Luckily I successfully resist it and I didn't burst out. There is something that is not supposed to be handled by me but suddenly I have to settle all the remaining works. There is one time that I come to a point where I don't know what to do! Really stucked. Thanks God that Ammar and Fasihah come and help. At last, I was able to continue to join my group discussion, although at first I was like walking in and out of the room. Just that I lost my friend's pendrive :( There goes my money again, but it's ok. At first, I was a bit angry but thanks God, I cooled down and try to find a way to solve that problem. And throughout this incident, I learned how to bless the others in the midst of my stress. An achievement (^_^)v Praise the Lord, everything go on smoothly and today, I hope their trip to SMK Batu Laut is a successful one. I don't know the conflict in between, but I just do my job :) because I was committed to it already. But then after this the secretary job will be handled by Fasihah.


So you have read my sharing, few days ago I was really busy and emotional. A very supportive friend of mine, S texted me..."Evie, pls take care of ur feeling, we don't have time to lose to our mood anymore. Focus for our Pro Exam!" :) Thank you very much. Indeed, this message motivate me a lot. Pro Exam :)

My funny best friend

My best friend is just so funny. Indescribable.. Speechless.. I don't even know how to face her when I am back to campus next week.. Her insensitivity just make me want to laugh or cry?? XD