Journey up the mountains (Final)

The journey was taxing on me. Imagine driving through heavy fog, rain, steep winding roads, unpredictable weather and cows obstructing the road. Tired but I still had a bit of stamina for times like these. Thanks to swimming, running and all the frequent exercise.

Soundtrack on the road: Joe Hisaishi, Emi Fujita

We brought along some old clothes (still wearable) and used plastic bags for the poor. Most of the people here do farming and sell off their harvests to make a living. By giving them the used plastic bags, they can save on buying new plastic bags that they use to put in the vegetables they sell. With that, we are recycling (all those used Carrefour/Giant plastic bags), helping the poor and saving the earth all at the same time.

One vegetable seller, a young mother, was carrying her baby while waiting for customers to buy from her stall. It has been raining for the past few days. Business wasn't good and she did not have an extensive array of vegetables compared to the other stalls. At the back of her stall, we could see her other children playing with themselves. We can see that life was difficult for her, and yet she displays courage and strength in character. Suddenly, the baby she held in her arms started wailing. With that, in front of us, she gently took her nipple out from her slightly torned garment and held it close to her baby. The baby's cries started to dampen as he latches and gently suckles for the mother's milk. For this young mother, we gave her more clothes as she had more children to look after. We did not tell her what was in the bag but we hope she smiles and pictures her delight as she opens up to see a bag full of clothes for her children.

What we gave out, we expected nothing in return, yet these friendly and warm hearted villagers insisted that we take some of their vegetables home. We profusely declined as this is their source of income but they wrapped all the vegetables into the plastic bags and pushed it into our hands. We reluctantly accepted this gift of kindness and bade them farewell as we drove away from the village, as it slowly disappeared into a thick cloud of mists, like a lost city hidden away from the harshness of today's modern society.

Salad for the next few days

Nowadays, people are taking a part in raising awareness of AIDS, wars and global warming. Yet, sometimes, we forget a much simpler cause closer to us. To help the poor and the orphaned that is around us and truly in need of our kindness. Let us not forget about them.

A nice advertisement from Petronas

Because I am blessed, I want to share my blessings with others.

Little Dove