The Pink Dress

There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park.

Everyone passed by her and never stopped to see why she looked so sad.

Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the girl just sat and watched the people go by.

She never tried to speak.

She never said a word.

Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.

The next day I decided to go back to the park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be there.

Yes, she was there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same sad look in her eyes.

Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little girl.

For, as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to play alone.

As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress.

It was grotesquely shaped.

I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no effort to speak to her.

Deformities are a low blow to our society, and heaven forbid if you make a step toward assisting someone who is different.

As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to avoid my intent stare.

As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more clearly.

She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form.

I smiled to let her know it was OK; I was there to help, to talk.

I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, "Hello."

The little girl acted shocked, and stammered a "hi", after a long stare into my eyes.

I smiled and she shyly smiled back.

We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty.

I asked the girl why she was so sad.

The little girl looked at me with a sad face said, "Because, I'm different."

I immediately said, "That you are!", and smiled.

The little girl acted even sadder and said, "I know."

"Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel, sweet and innocent."

She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and said, "Really?"

"Yes, you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch over all people walking by."

She nodded her head yes, and smiled.

With that she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she said "I am."

"I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her eye.

I was speechless-sure I was seeing things.

She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done".

I got to my feet and said, "Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?"

She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You're the only one that could see me," and then she was gone.


And with that, my life was changed dramatically.

So, when you think you're all you have, remember, your angel is always watching over you.

Pass this to everyone that means anything at all to you.

Like the story says, we all need someone...

And, every one of your friends is an Angel in their own way.

The value of a friend is measured in the heart.

I hope your Guardian Angel watches over you always.

The 48 lesser known facts of Malaysia

48 Little known facts that add to the wonder of Malaysia

1. Tunku Abdul Rahman first announced the date of Malaya’s Independence at Padang Pahlawan in Bandar Hilir, Malacca, on Feb 20, 1956.

2. Malaysia’s first experiment with national service was in 1962, during the Indonesian Confrontation. Youths between 21 and 28 were eligible for a two-year call-up.

3. Lembah Bujang in the foothills of Gunung Jerai is believed to be the location of an old Malay Langkasuka empire, holding ruins that may date back 1,500 years.

4. "Tun" is the most senior federal title and there can be no more than 25 living recipients at any one time.

5. The village of Wang Kelian in Perlis is the only place in the world where large-scale cave tin-mining was conducted.

6. The largest cave chamber in the world is the Sarawak Chamber in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, which can easily accommodate a Boeing 747-200.

7. Malaysia shares with Qatar the world’s lowest death rate for respiratory diseases, at 7.5 deaths per annum per 100,000 people.

8. Tanjung Piai in southern Johor is the southernmost tip of continental Asia.

9. Sabah is home to the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.

10. The Malaysian flag was adopted on Sept 16, 1963. The flag was designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old Public Works Department architect in Johor Baru who entered a design competition with two designs.

11. Kuala Kangsar district office is the site of the last surviving rubber tree from the original batch H.N. Ridley brought from London’s Kew Gardens in 1877.

12. Chinese documents written as far back as the 6th century refer to Kelantan as "Ho Lan Tan" and other names like "Tan-Tan" or "Chich Tu".

13. Malaysia has 65,877km of highway. This is more than the Earth’s circumference of 40,075km.

14. There are more than 60 sub-ethnic groups in Sabah and Sarawak.

15. Cinema came to Malaya in 1933 with the screening of Laila Majnun, based on a Sanskrit play of two ill-fated lovers, directed by B.S. Rajhans and produced by the Singapore-based Motilal Chemical Company.

16. Bursa Malaysia, formerly known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, dates back to 1930, when the Singapore Stockbrokers’ Association was set up to deal in securities in Malaya.

17. The Belum rainforest has more Malayan tigers per square kilometre than any other animal sanctuary here.

18. The largest insect egg in Malaysia comes from the 15cm Malaysian stick insect (Heteropteryx dilitata), which lays eggs that measure 1.3cm, making them larger than a peanut.

19. Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia’s second and third prime ministers respectively, were among the more well-known students of Silat Seni Gayong.

20. Penang Free School is the oldest English school in Southeast Asia, founded by Rev. Sparke Hutchings in 1816.

21. Nasi kandar, a dish unique to Malaysia and brought in by migrating Indian Muslims, is the favourite food of many Malaysians. The best is in Penang and everyone has their favourites. Among the top-ranked outlets are the Kampong Melayu Flats in Air Hitam, Line Clear in Penang Road and opposite the market in Jelutong.

22. The Bintagor tree, found only in Sarawak, is believed to contain properties that could help fight the virus that causes AIDS.

23. Malaysia produces a meagre 15 feature films annually but churns out 300 to 400 television dramas and serials. There are 250 movie theatres and cineplexes nationwide.

24. Only 0.85 per cent or 218,004 people in Malaysia use broadband services. >> I don't really believe this anyway... but the number seems to be growing~ ^^

25. The largest undivided leaf in the world, Alocasia macrorrhiza, comes from Sabah. A specimen found in 1966 was 3.02m long and 1.92m wide.

26. The life expectancy of Malaysian men and women in 1957 was 55.8 years and 58.2 years respectively. Today, it is 71 for men and 74 for women.

27. Malaysia is home to 14,500 species of flowering plants and trees, more than 200 species of mammals, 600 species of birds, 140 species of snakes and 60 species of lizards.

28. Local time has been adjusted on several occasions. On Dec 31, 1932, clocks were advanced by 20 minutes to "lengthen" daylight; Sept 1, 1941, sped up another 10 minutes; 1942, fast-forwarded two hours to follow Tokyo time; 1945, reverted to the time observed in 1941, and on Jan 1, 1982 pushed forward 30 minutes so that Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula followed Malaysian Standard Time.

29. Sipadan Island off Sabah is one of the world’s top diving spots.

30. Malaysia has 18 ports: Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuantan, Kuching, Kudat, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Lumut, Miri, Pasir Gudang, George Town, Port Dickson, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Sibu, Tanjung Berhala, Tanjung Kidurong and Tawau.

31. Kota Baru was the landing point for the Japanese invasion of Malaya during World War II in 1941. Riding bicycles, Japanese soldiers took an amazing 45 days to reach Singapore.

32. At 421m high, the Kuala Lumpur Tower is the fourth tallest in the world and tallest in Southeast Asia.

33. Penang’s St George’s Church, built in 1818, is the oldest Anglican church in Southeast Asia.

34. Captain Tristram Speedy, who was acting British Resident for Perak, was responsible for bringing in the first batch of 110 Sikhs to Malaya in 1873.

35. The first railroad in Malaya was between Port Weld (Kuala Sepetang) and Taiping, built by the British in 1885 and covering a distance of 13.6km.

36. Many global brands are produced in Malaysia, including Intel Pentium chips and Brooks Brothers’ shirts.

37. Bank Negara has been managed by six governors since its establishment in 1959.

38. The spiritual pop group Raihan holds the record for the best-selling local album: 700,000 units of their Puji-Pujian album in 1996.

39. The longest King Cobra in the world, measuring 5.54m, was captured alive near Port Dickson in April 1937 but later grew to 5.71 metres in captivity in London Zoo.

40. The Penang Bridge is the third longest in Asia at 13.7km.

41. Dr Mani Jegathesan became the first Malaysian to win an Asian Games gold medal in the 1962 Games in Jakarta.

42. The country’s only Jewish cemetery is in Penang, in Jalan Zainal Abidin, with 120 graves.

43. The Sungei Besi airport (now an RMAF base) was the country’s first international airport.

44. The first five general elections after the Barisan Nasional’s formation were always held in a World Cup year: 1974 (Germany), 1978 (Argentina), 1982 (Spain), 1986 (Mexico) and 1990 (Italy). That tradition ended at the next polls/tournament.

45. The word ringgit means "jagged" in Malay, and originally referred to the serrated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the region.

46. Kelantan holds the record for the largest number of flood evacuees: 33,000 in 1982.

47. Seventeen-year-old Kok Shoo Yin became the first Malaysian citizenship certificate holder when he received the document on Nov 14, 1957.

48. The Mapping and Survey Department has been maintaining the Sultan Abdul Samad Clock Tower for 108 years.

Happy Birthday Malaysia

The most of most

The most destructive habit....................................Worry
The greatest Joy..................................................Giving
The greatest loss..............................Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work............................Helping others
The ugliest personality trait.............................Selfishness
The most endangered species...............Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource...........................Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm"..................Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome...........................Fear
The most effective sleeping pill..................Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease......................Excuses
The most powerful force in life..................................Love
The most dangerous pariah............................A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer................The brain
The worst thing to be without................................. Hope
The deadliest weapon...................................The tongue
The two most power-filled words..........................."I Can"
The greatest asset...............................................Faith
The most worthless emotion.............................Self-pity
The most beautiful attire....................................SMILE!
The most prized possession............................ Integrity
The most powerful channel of communication.......Prayer
The most contagious spirit.........................Enthusiasm

Encouragements

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.

Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade
passing by.

Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had
died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed..

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you."

Epilogue:

"There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations"

"Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled"

"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy"

"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.