Friday, August 29, 2014

Special Need Children Are Special


A couple weeks back, I had a special chance having close contact and interacted, play with and teaching children under 5 years old in one of prestigious school in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia (I’m not sure, I’m allowed to mention the school name but it’s a great school with a great school programs and I’m glad I had that chance). They all are healthy, adorable, smart and beautiful children with slightly different personalities and attitudes, unique in their own way. Although it just for three days, but it was a wonderful opportunities that I can play, teach, sing and learn with all of them. 


Among the children in two classes that I was in, there is one child in every class that has special needs among nine other regular children. In the morning class, there was this boy, let’s call him Ray (not his real name) and in the afternoon class there was Dan (also not his real name). Ray is an autistic boy and he have other problem that I forget, what the name was called when one of his teacher told me and Dan is a down syndrome boy with a lot of smile on his face. I’m not an expert with special needs kids, in fact that was my first experience getting to know them, play with them, learn with them and also observed them on my own way. 


Ray is very difficult to get close with; he doesn’t like to be touch, uncomfortable when we invading his space, doesn’t like crowd and he screamed out loud if we try to take his hand and ask him to play and learn with other kids. From the conversation that I had with his teacher, Ray doesn’t live with his parents, only his grandma and the helper to assist her and his parents work in other town and only have occasional contact with him. So with Ray, it was like having one step forward and two steps backward in teaching him, always a challenge. On the other hand Dan was all smiley although sometimes a little bit shy, easy to trust new people, understand orders, he can share, play and learn with other kids in harmony although we need to teach and guide him with extra care but it’s manageable.

I saw Dan interact with his parents after school hours or before the school started, how his parents shown their tender loving care to their son and treat him wisely and patiently although they know his not normal like his other friends, they know that they have special son and he need extra care from his parents especially, sometimes helps from the peoples around him and his surroundings. Then something hit me, it was enlighten me, what made Dan more advance and easier to approach and teach than Ray although they both are special needs kids is because Dan is never lack in TLC (Tender Loving Care) department from his parents and peoples around him, unlike Ray, he only have his old, over tired grandma to turn into and sometimes his parents come and go. Unlike Ray, Dan is a happy child, he knows that he is loved and it made him confident, approachable and easier to adapt. I’m not saying that Ray parents doesn’t love him they way he should but I thought they don’t show him enough and his grandma shouldn’t have that burden all by herself in her old age.


Children are God gift to their parents. Through children, parents can get happiness, they can learns a lot more of life lessons, and although probably our children is not as perfect or healthy like others children, maybe its God ways to give the special needs children parents special points to get reward in heaven when the time comes to all of us to meet God. Because the special needs children need special and extra care from their parents and it’s not an easy task to do and God never give problems that cannot be solved by the peoples. It’s not easy to be different like Ray or Dan and more over to be their parents, lots of hard work, patience, loves and understanding to handle all things. I’m sure God will give them special guidance and assistance to through it all plus give them special place in heaven for their efforts because special needs children are truly special, more over in God eyes.

I admire and respect parents like Dan's parents, I hope most of parents in the world like them, patience, full loves and support for their children, so their children will grow to the best of their ability with their guidance. The world will be a better place to live in with lots of happy children than unhappy children with a stream of tears in their cheeks. Show your TLC to your children parents, because they need it, in fact we all need some TLC. Love your children and your children will love you unconditionally.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Shades of Fifty Shades


You all know that I love reading, reading is indeed one of the window of the world, made you understand about a lot of things, give you knowledge and with knowledge you’ll get power, because knowledge is power. With reading we can also dream without sleeping. I read a lots of books, that I can not mention one by one and it varied from almost every genre, depend on my mood at the time, but I’m very rare reading the ‘it’ book of the month in the ‘it’ time (I can read before ‘it’ or after ‘it’ and rarely during it), I’m almost do anything in my own pace, except for anything that is attach as my obligations, like in work or else.

So, when the commotion of these interesting books by E.L James are in the air, like a couple years back, I’m not move to buy or read the books, oh I am curious because the talk about it, among friends, on social media and even celebrity are talking about it, heat it up and it seems the books will steamed and make you blushed a lot while you read it but I survived the temptation.

 Well, here I am finally just finished reading the last piece of fifty shades, Fifty Shades of Freed. I had stocked the books long ago but finally managed a month time framed and plucked the courage to finished E.L James eyes popping and mind blowing trilogy books. Why courage? Because I need to convinced myself that it’s OK to read this kind of book, I’m adult not an adolescent and hopefully God would forgive me because beside fascinated with the books, I’m kind a enjoying myself reading it. I’m not abandoning my tasks while I was drown myself in the books almost in every spare times I’ve got, but it was hard to focused on tasks when your mind cocooned in the book somewhere. Oh fifty…fifty… you almost got me in trouble but I’m survived and glad that I made time to read E.L James, Fifty Shades trilogy.

 ‘Fifty shades of Grey’ is open a new window into a world of BDSM that I never knew about before, for the time being that I read the books my mind daunted by singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the handsome, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey and the unworldly student, Anastasia Steele the girl that turn his world upside down, their sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably.

After read the first book, you want to move to the second, ‘Fifty Shades Darker’, because you don’t want it ended like that and you getting more curious of what could possibly happen to Christian and Ana plus you want to know, what shapes his character and made Christian the way he is, can he change? Can Ana change him or she submits to him? What kind of plot that made the already grey story becomes darker? Hmm…the e-mail that they sent to each other are refreshing, intriguing and witty, the bitter sweet relationship between them is alluring; I was drawn in the book deeper, until I was freed by the ending of the book in ‘Fifty Shades of Freed’ that I loved and made my day ^_^.
The words like, dominant, master, submissive, flog, spank, whip, caning, paddling, bondage, butt plug, nipple clamps, genital clamps, spreader bars, etc are made my head buzzing and overwhelmed at first, more over E.L James is very detail in describing their ‘kinky fuckery’. Well, E.L James sure know how to attract women heart in Fifty Shades Trilogy books.

Every women would love men like Christian Grey for them self, handsome, have a to die for body, powerful, smart, he earn about US $ 100.000 per hour (Gee… how to spend all those money, ha-ha...), generous, and love his woman very much plus it shown and known by the peoples around them, although he have deep issues, women would bear any ‘hurdles or torn’ in their love one if they knew that they been loved so much, because we strong.

I’m not sure, I’m going to like the movie version that will hit theaters on next Valentine day, because sometimes movies not like what we imagine when we reads the books and I like it the way it is. Well, if you haven’t read the trilogy of Fifty Shades by E.L James, go grab the books in the nearest book store around you or purchase it on line or buy the e-book version, I’m sure that these books will made your day. Happy reading everyone.

Monday, August 25, 2014

LEBARAN

       Wow, the third week of August is already passed bye, how's the time flies. For me this past three week was like a pack of hectic and a long list full of schedule that need my full attention, I felt grateful that I had a week of tranquility and recharging my energy. After fasting in Ramadhan Muslims around the world including me celebrate Idul Fitri, more commonly referred to in Indonesia as Lebaran, is the celebration that comes at the end of the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadhan. The Arabic meaning of Idul Fitri is “becoming holy again”. It's special religious observance is the Eid holiday, in Indonesia, this is the time when Muslims visit their family and friends to ask for forgiveness for any wrongs they have committed in the previous year. They express this wish in the phrase “Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin” which means "forgive me from the bottom of my heart/soul for my wrongdoings in the past year". A traditional Arabic (Muslim) greeting for the Eid celebrations is also commonly used in Indonesia "Minal Aidin Wal Fa Idzin", which is expressed upon meeting friends and family during the festive days. Traditional foods are consumed, family and friends gather to ask forgiveness and exchange greetings, new clothing is worn, children receive gifts of money and visits are made to recreational parks -- all to celebrate the successful completion of the fasting month.
       My Lebaran Holidays was festive enough and I had a blast meeting and gathering with the extended family members and all relatives, more over the place where our big family stayed at my grandpa and one of my aunt place are near at the foot at one of the mountain in west Java, Indonesia, where the air more fresh and not as polluted as Jakarta, the peoples are more friendly and the traffic, well it's Lebaran holidays, so it was expected to see traffic jams everywhere. But that was a week of recharging my spirit and energy, cleansing my mind from all the stressing things and relaxing my body from the hectic rhythm, I felt tranquilized & refreshed. So, still in the Lebaran occasion and the spirit of forgiveness still in the air, I want to say "Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin" to each and everyone of you, maybe without I'm realizing, I hurt you through my actions, speech or through my writing, I didn't mean to hurt anyone, but if I did, please open your heart to forgive me.
       Lebaran holidays was a blessing and an eventful holiday in Indonesia and Muslims around the World, reconnecting the 'smear dot' of our bond with our family, relatives, friends and everyone that matters to us. Let's try to buried all out hatchet and turning a new leaf with the spirit to be a better person, to our self, to our love one, family and friends. Let's make other months like Ramadhan, good deeds after good deeds and do that because it's simply made us lighter, happier, better and you know that in your heart that you'll make other peoples happy too and God will double, triple, and so on whatever we feel, it's a blessed in every layers. I'm still hoping and praying hard that the war would end, soon and every one can see eye to eye that we all are human, brothers, sisters and we all the same in God eyes, what made the difference in God eyes are our good deeds. Let's do whatever we can to make a difference, a good difference, one step at a time. Keep doing what you are doing with the spice of good deeds every here and there, one step at a time and we all good to go, refreshed and reinvigorated. Last but not least I want to say happy belated Lebaran day for everyone.