A Day with YB

Early in the morning (not my normal rise and shine time) Silas, Daniel Seah (my fellow bloggers) and me went from our Kajang and Sg. Long house to Subang Jaya, SS13. From there we are to join the rest of our church members from Latter Rain Church. Ps. Dexter, Elijah and Sarah were also participating.

It's a very exciting day indeed for some of us as today we got a chance to work along with a politician in a community join afford cleaning activities (in malay we called it 'gotong-royong'). The VIP is Y.B (Yang Berhormat) Hannah Yeoh, Subang Jaya state assemblymen. A newly elected figure from DAP (Democratic Action Party). Hannah was accompanied by her political secretary Edward Ling and also her hubby Ram.

YB Hannah and Ram

Breakfast was provided by local residents of SS13 low cost apartment where we are going to do the 'gotong-royong'. I ate a pack of 'nasi lemak' and two slice of sandwich flush down with a cup of teh tarik. Gotta to fuel up my body for the works ahead. Basically there were two groups working along in this 'gotong-royong' i.e. LRC and the low cost apartment residents together with MPSJ.

gathering for breakfast

yum, yum

everybody grab your tools

Ps. Dexter, Elijah, Sarah, Edward Ling & Sally busy working

Juan, Philip & other sweating all over (top)
Daniel busy mobile blogging (bottom left)
Joshua and Silas working hard (bottom rigth)

interview session with YB Hannah & Ram (top)
YB Hannah with the resident children (bottom)

Reunion

Gosh, its already close to 10 months I last seen most of my ex-colleagues. Last Friday nite was a 'reunion' within a round table. This time it's a dinner table instead of the office meeting room's table. Everybody is looking great and doing well. Previous round of reunion I didn't managed to join as I was busy with the arrival of Reanne then.

We have fantastic round of catching up while enjoying our steamboat at Stadium Negara Restaurant located along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng (opposite Megan Avenue II) . On and off busting with laughters. How can we forget the 'nostalgic moments' we have together. As usual the anchor story teller is none other than Mr. Mak himself.

Daniel , Mak and Shamini

U-Kidd, Desmond & wife

Shamini & Qing Ying

Busy, busy steaming food

Daniel, Mak, Shamini, Qing Ying, Grace, CCK, David & U-Kidd
(Faridah, Chin, Desmond & wife left early)

Windows no more Gates

Bill Gates retires

William Henry Gates III at 53 years of age Microsoft co-founder, who more than anyone else is credited with introducing computers into homes and offices worldwide, clocks off from his final day at the office Friday after 33 years.

Gates formed what would eventually become Microsoft with Paul Allen, a friend from school, in New Mexico back in 1975.

According Forbes after 13 years on top, Bill Gates is no longer the richest man in the world. That honor now belongs to his friend and sometimes bridge partner Warren Buffett with fortune estimated $62 billion. Gates is now worth $58 billion and is ranked third richest in the world. Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helú now ranks as the world's second richest person with a net worth of $60 billion.

Gates' free time will now be devoted to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he and his wife founded in 1994 to "help reduce inequities in the United States and around the world," according to the organization's Web site.

Enjoy your 'retirement' Mr. Gates. Feel free to drop by Malaysia.

Crazy Hands

You will know why it is called Crazy Hand. Have a good weekend. Enjoy

Sound of Music (Part 2)

The following explain greater on the influence of music. I definitely agreed with Joshua that music is from God. And God definitely loves music since He calls us to worship moreover with instruments.

The Healing Power Of Music - Its Effect On Body And Mind

Sound is energy. Sound moves in waves and is measured in frequencies and volume. Don Campbell, a music lecturer, believes that sound waves have an effect on the body’s cells and tissues. He theorizes that music affects the body’s processes when we absorb energy from sound, causing slight changes in our breathing, pulse rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and other internal body rhythms. Sounds can have a charging and liberating effect. In certain cases, they load the brain and even the body with positive charges. Campbell cites a number of health areas influenced by music.

Music contributes to the recovery of premature babies

A Florida study of 52 newborn babies with a low birth weight demonstrated that playing music to them contributed to a rapid increase in their weight, and shortened their stay in the hospital by an average of five days (as compared to a group of similar babies which were not exposed to any musical stimulus).

Breathing

Listening to music whose sounds are long and slow usually makes breathing deeper and slower, allowing the psyche a chance to relax.

Heart rate

The heart also responds to musical variables such as frequency, rhythm, and volume. The heart tends to increase or decrease its rate depending on the music`s rhythm. The slower the music, the slower the heartbeat. A slow heartbeat creates less tension and soothes the spirit.

Blood pressure

Music can alter blood pressure. By playing recordings of pleasing music every morning and evening, people with high blood pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure - and keep it low.

Music helps alleviate pain and improve mood

The brain creates natural relaxants, called endorphins, which can reduce pain and promote a feeling of natural well being. Researchers at the Addiction Research Center in Stanford, California have found that listening to music enables the body to create these substances, thus improving mood.

Immune function

Music and sound can boost immune function. Scientists explain that a particular type of music can create a positive and profound emotional experience, which leads to secretion of immune-boosting hormones. This helps contribute to a reduction in the factors responsible for illness.

Making A Difference

Our fellow blogger Joshua via his Take Note Take Heart's blog was featured in MalaysiaKini's WeBlog today. Bravo brother!

Keeping silence is not an option anymore. Make a difference today!

Children Ministry's Teacher BBQ

It was a beautiful Saturday evening when the sun just starts to change shift for the day. Setting was done at Miracle Villa balcony where teachers together with Ps. Dexter and Elijah gathered for sharing and brain storming session to improve and assess the current Children Ministry development.

At the beginning the meeting looks more like a culinary testing or talent hunt some sort as each individual teacher were unconsciously and randomly being surveyed how able they are handling cooking skills.

Nevertheless we have good times BBQing, eating, fellowshipping, sharing and brain storming. Thanks for Marylin for organising the event and Ps. Dexter and Elijah being the host and speaker.

Sound of Music

Yesterday while mummy was busy in the kitchen preparing her things and Ivan immersed in his puzzle playing, I carried Reanne to the room as I wanted to take bath. As usual Reanne wanted interaction and carrying around. I figured maybe turn on the instrumental music to accompany her while I take my bath. Upon finishing my bath, Reanne was fast asleep on the bed. How nice :)

Music have always been very interesting medium to sooth babies. Far than that it was found to have much extended influences and effects to babies and toddlers development.

Classical Music Can Have Powerful Effects Even Before Birth

One recent study demonstrates that children exposed to classical music in the womb show a positive change in physical and mental development after birth. In this experiment, fetuses were exposed to 70 hours of classical music during the last weeks of pregnancy. When studied at six months, these babies were more advanced in terms of motor, linguistic and intellectual development than babies who received no musical stimulus during pregnancy.

Scientists explain that children are born with 100 billion nerve cells in their bodies. These cells, however, are connected only loosely. Each event a baby experiences - such as listening to his mother, seeing a picture, feeling a sheet against his skin, or attempting to touch a toy hanging above - triggers electrical signals (neural impulses) which establish or strengthen the intercellular connections in the brain.

The larger the number of connections in the brain, the richer its functioning. Neural pathways left unused usually die out. Therefore it stands to reason that an infant’s earliest experiences can mold the brain and determine much of the infant’s adult potential. Scientists believe that learning music is one of those “brain-building” experiences.

Music And Intellectual Abilities

Creativity - A study conducted in Hungary found that when children between the ages of three and four were given lessons in singing and playing musical instruments, they obtained higher grades in creativity than children of the same age who did not receive any musical training.

Memory – Three-month-old babies can use music as a means of remembering something they have learned. Babies in one study learned to kick a hanging toy in order to make it move. While they were learning, a particular piece of music was played to them. After seven days the babies remembered that a kick produces movement - but only when they heard the “learning” music being played. Scientists theorize that music gives significance to the learning situation and helps retrieve learned material from memory.

Spatial intelligence - Spatial intelligence is the ability to perceive various relationships in space and understand the visual world. In a California study of kindergarten children, one group of children was given piano lessons, while another group studied computers. At the beginning and end of the study, the children were given an assignment to complete a jigsaw puzzle. Children who had piano lessons had 34% better grades than those who studied computers. The scientists suggested that music forms the neural connections needed for this type of spatial thinking.

Mathematics - A 1996 study found that first graders who had been given special intensive musical instruction demonstrated considerably more progress in mathematics than classmates who had received a standard musical education. Scientists believe that the connection between music and mathematics is partly related to the fact that music helps children understand concepts such as number series, or relationships between numbers. For example, think of the concept of voice pitch where different voice pitches constitute a series such as `do`, `re`, `mi`, and a relationship between them where `do` is lower than `re`, `re` is lower than `mi` and so on.

Language - There is a close connection between music and linguistic development. Both skills require the ability to differentiate between auditory nuances. In order for an infant to be able to tell the difference between similar sounds such as "B" and "P, she must hone her auditory perception. Listening to complex classical music will contributes greatly to babies’ development of this skill. In fact, music is a type of "language”. It is used to convey messages - messages that induce emotions and ideas in the listener. Listening to music will develop the ability to decode auditory data and sharpen your child’s auditory memory - abilities which are fundamental to language comprehension.

Emotional intelligence - Music can bring on strong emotions. By listening to expressive classical music, babies hone their ability to detect moods and emotions in others, while developing awareness of their own inner processes through the nuances of feeling evoked by the music. Later on, children may use music to express emotions through singing or playing.