It feels good to be back in Malaysia again but it is so HUMID here!!! The sky was overcast when we left Hino. It drizzled just before the plane took off. Although the flight from Narita was delayed by thirty minutes, we arrived at KLIA as scheduled at 8.25pm. I caught the KLIA Express to Sentral where Wuan was waiting for me. The moment I got out from Sentral, my skin began to get sticky icky. It is getting to be very uncomfortable. I am going to need a few days to get acclimatized to this weather. Still, it feels good to be back home again. Yes, I am back, for a while anyway.

We will be leaving Tokyo for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning. The training was wrapped up last Friday. All that is left now is the individual presentation we will be making to Ms. Asuka Ishizaka from JICA this afternoon. In the beginning when I arrived here, I felt terribly homesick and missed Wuan a lot. Now that I am about to leave, there is a sense of reluctance. Tokyo is so accessible for wheelchair users. I could go anywhere by train with little hassle. I am truly going to miss Tokyo and all the beauiful people here.

Blogged at Human Care Association, Hachioji, Tokyo.

Life is full of unexpected twists. Three years ago, I began this blog. One of the first few entries was on Chinese New Year. While the excitement of the new Spring slowly seeped away as I grew up, I have never anticipated it would turn out this way. Three years ago, Mum was there to celebrate the advent of the new season with me. The modest meal we had during that occasion was one day I looked forward to although it was a far cry from those that we had when Dad was around.

The first Chinese New Year after Mum passed away, I tried to recapture the mood by cooking some of my favourite dishes that Mum used to cook. That feeling, although fleeting, was sufficient to console my grieving heart for a few moments . The following year, those delicious dishes have become taboo food due to my failing kidneys. In spite of that, I was determined to savour it for one last time. Savour it I did but those tastes have now become a distant memory. Chinese New Years will never be the same again. It has become one festive season that I wished would never arrive.

Wishes do come true. My reluctance to avoid this day was answered with my being selected for training in Tokyo during this period. The Japanese do not celebrate this festival in a big way. This is absolutely fine with me. Nonetheless, I still miss the early mornings of the first day of Spring, when I was all dressed up and waiting to greet Dad and Mum with auspicious wishes, and being given red packets. That had me thinking what a carefree life I had as a child and how I now have to carry the sorrows of lost childhood, the pains of losing one parent after another and the loneliness of being their only child. Admittedly, some parts of me wish I were still a child leading those untroubled innocent life of years gone by.

Blogged at CIL Hino Experience Room, Hino, Tokyo.

After two weeks of learning, witnessing and experiencing the history, development and success of the Independent Living in Japan, it was time to wrap up the training and draw up an action plan to be implemented in Malaysia. The three-year plan for Penang included a series of seminars, peer counselling training and sessions. The ultimate goal is to set up an Independent Living Centre to serve people with disabilities, especially those with severe impairment.

After we have presented our three-year action plan, Nakanishi-san, Akiyama-san and Tsutsumi-san commented on how we could further improve and execute our plans. Basically, the action plan that I presented is derived from the discussions that I have been continuously having with several PWD Leaders in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Kuan Aw, Christine, Mee Hong and I share a common vision on how we could achieve this goal. I am confident that by working together we can successfully carry this through. People with disabilities, like everyone else, have the right to self-determination.

Ito-san, Nakahara-san and Akiyama-san took turns to lecture to us on Roles of PWD Staff and non-PWD Staff, Consultation Services and Social Movement and Service Organisation respectively. These theoretical lectures, although seemingly dreary, is important for us to manage an Independent Living Centre effectively. It was also the day the two wheelchairs from JIL were brought to the Human Care Association. We will be transporting these two back to Malaysia on the same flight back next week.